RUAE What is it? Starter - PowerPoint Presentation

RUAE What is it?

Starter For each of the following words, write down the: Word Definition of the word Synonyms for that word (other words that mean the same thing) Brave – She was extremely brave in facing her fears. Determined – He was determined to do better next time. Execute – The plan proved difficult to execute , but the team got the job done.

What is RUAE? It stands for Reading for Understanding , Analysis and Evaluation . It is used to develop your reading and comprehension skills. It exposes you to challenging literature, and uses sophisticated vocabulary. It forms part of the National 5 and Higher exams – you will need to read an article and answer questions on it throughout your English career. It’s not scary!!

How do you get better? READ!! Read quality newspapers/online newspapers, quality literature – anything that will expand your vocabulary!

Question Types There are several different types of questions that you will be asked within an RUAE paper. Knowing how to answer each type of question is important, but only if you can understand the text. Over the next few weeks, we will be covering a few of the RUAE question type. By the end of my time with you, you will face RUAE and non-fiction with no fear (hopefully)!

Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation Within an RUAE paper, each question type fulfils one of the above – they are either a question designed to check understanding of a text, the reader’s ability to analyse the text, or ability to evaluate a text. An understanding question, therefore, is looking to check your understanding of the key ideas of the text, as well as your vocabulary and ability to work out the meaning of difficult words from context. An analysis question, is looking to check your ability to focus in on an aspect or aspects of the text, deduce meaning. For example, you might be asked to look specifically at the writer’s use of imagery, and explain how it relates to the main idea. Finally, evaluation questions assess your ability to judge the effectiveness of an aspect of the text in relation to one (or more) of the main ideas

Question Types In pairs, identify which questions relate to Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation. In your Own Words Linking Questions (This part links to this part, which tells me…) Word Choice (language) Sentence Structure Imagery Effective Conclusion (The conclusion was/wasn’t effective because) Context question (I think the word means…because…)

In your own words S3 RUAE

In your Own Words - Understanding This is the most important aspect of RUAE as you will get more marks for this than any other individual question type. This is where a wide vocabulary comes in handy. Number marks = number of points to be made (at least).

In your own words Unless the question asks you to “quote” or “write down” a certain word or phrase, you should always try to use your own words as much as possible. However, some questions will explicitly ask you to write the answer in your own words, which means you cannot use the words from the passage.

In your own words It is difficult to find alternatives for some nouns, but you must change adjectives, adverbs and verbs. Writing an answer in your own words does not mean you have to translate every single word, but rather summarise the idea in your own words.

How to Answer? Identify key words – underline them. Replace them with synonym (another word that means the same thing). OR Paraphrase the whole section. Check you haven’t used the key words.

Task One Write these sentences in your own words. The euphoric man strolled to the shops. She displayed her anger on occasion. The frightened boy clung to his mother’s hand. The torrential rain flooded the streets. He was stunned when he discovered his exam results.

The euphoric man strolled to the shops. The ecstatic man walked to the store. She displayed her anger on occasion. She was rarely angry. The frightened boy clung to his mother’s hand. The boy wouldn’t let go of his mother as he was fearful. The torrential rain flooded the streets. Rain poured down and filled the streets. He was stunned when he discovered his exam results. The boy was shocked by his performance in his exams.

In your own words: Practice 1 ‘We follow the surf around all year and go to a lot of different places, but Scotland’s somewhere probably none of us have been to,’ he says. ‘That for me was a big part of wanting to go, to see the place. As a professional surfer, you’ve got to live out of your bag a lot, travelling around with long stints away from home, but when you perform well in the event or get some really good waves, it makes it all worth it.’ In your own words , sum up the negative and positive aspects of his life. (4)

In your own words: Practice 2 ‘Alice clutches desperately at the bushes and scrub to stop herself slipping any further. For a moment she lies sprawled in the dirt, dizzy and disoriented. As it sinks in, how very close she came to being crushed, she turns cold. Takes a deep breath. Waits for the world to stop spinning.’ In your own words, explain why Alice ‘turns cold’. (2)

In your own words: Practice 3 ‘Perhaps the pressure of family expectation got to him for a moment. Perhaps he panicked.’ In your own words, explain the possible reasons for the boy fainting. (2)

In your own words S3 RUAE

In your own words: Practice 4 Christmas Eve was not a good day to hitch-hike. Billy had been at the motorway services for nearly five hours without a sniff of a lift. No-one had even slowed down to take a look at him. And the weather was lousy. At one point, he’d had to shelter from the rain next to some bins behind the petrol station. He’d dozed off, and there was another hour gone. In your own words, explain why Christmas Eve was not a good day to hitch-hike? (2)

In your own words: Practice 5 Billy still couldn’t see the driver, only hear his harsh voice. “I’m going to Scotland. To Gretna.” “I’m going that way myself. Get in.” Billy hesitated. He had learnt to walk away from threatening situations. But the man’s accent was Scottish, like his, and he could take him all the way home—or, at least, to the place he used to call home. In your own words, explain one reason why Billy didn’t want to get into the lorry and one reason why he did. (2)

Homework Re-cap

Question One It was inevitable that something had to give. There is only so much negative publicity a sport can withstand, and after the sexism debacle over Muirfield hosting the open last year– promptly boycotted by a band of public figures, from Clare Balding to Alex Salmond – golf was up to it’s eyeballs in it. In your own words, explain what the ‘it’ is in ‘golf was up to it’s eyeballs in it’ (1 mark) Possible Answers = Bad press/ adverse media attention/ destructive attention from public/ damaging news

Question Two Public money props up our sport’s governing bodies , who are currently nowhere near even the meagre target of 25% female representation on their boards by 2017. In your own words explain what connection the writer makes between public money and the issue of equality in this paragraph? (2 marks) Taxpayer’s money funds sporting organisations, however these groups are still extremely unequal in terms of gender equality – not even a quarter of these groups are female.

Question Three Am I over- catastrophising the consumer phenomenon? In the Liverpool One shopping “experience”, where I am sitting, a place teeming with shoppers despite the credit crunch, and punctuated by Massive Reductions! signs, people don’t look particularly disempowered or depressed . Purposeful, I suppose, but also strangely distracted, as if they do not notice the environment around them , merely the magnetic shop signs . I understand the siren call of TK Maxx and how a £3 top can mend a bad day. But the question is, why does it? In your own words, explain what the writer finds unusual about her shopping experience in paragraph one. (2 marks) People seem happy/positive/excited despite the fact that the economy is in disarray. They do not notice the economic situation around them. A cheap piece of clothing can make them feel better – this is surprising as we wouldn’t expect something that costs so little to have such a large impact.

Question Four Having beaten 200 applicants to the job, she believes she has proved herself to be the best candidate. “Sometimes I feel people think I should be grateful that I have a job but I'm performing a useful task and doing it well, so they should be grateful to me,” she said. “After all, they wanted me badly enough to employ me a month before I had finished my degree in IT and communications with the Open University.” Penny Andrews ‘believes she has proved herself to be the best candidate’. In your own words, explain the evidence that suggests this. (2 marks) She was chosen over two hundred other people. The company recruited her before she had finished her University course/before she was qualified.

Question Five Employers' attitudes might be changing but there is a lot of ground to make up. Just 15% of those with autism have full-time jobs, according to research by the National Autistic Society (NAS), while 9% work part-time. These figures compare unfavourably with the 31% of disabled people in full-time work in the UK. More than a quarter of graduates with autism are unemployed, the highest rate of any disability group. In your own words, explain in what ways ‘there is a lot of ground to make up’ for people with autism in the workplace. (2 marks) 76% of people with autism are unemployed. Of those with University degrees, more than 25% do not have a job.

Word Choice S3 RUAE

Starter Task Put these sentences into your own words. There is a direct link between junk food and irresponsible behaviour . It has been identified that eating fast food may result in people behaving recklessly. Her teachers praised her for her diligence but her peers lambasted her for the same reason. She was extremely conscientious in her work, which her teachers commended her for, however she was criticised by other students for her work ethic.

Word Choice Word choice questions ask you to explain why a writer has chosen to use a particular word, and what effect this has on your understanding of the text. You will have to think about what the connotations of the words are.

Word Choice What is a connotation? The connotation of a word means what thoughts or ideas you associate with that word. For example, what thoughts or ideas do you associate with this: “He swaggered towards her.” How is this different to simply using the word “walked”?

Word Choice Swagger Connotations: Arrogance, cockiness, proud, confident. Use of the word “swagger” suggests that the man is very cocky and sure of himself.

Connotations Write down the connotations of each of the words highlighted in bold: 1) The daily shuffle to work was taking its toll on Sammy. What are the connotations of shuffle ? What does this suggest about how Sammy felt? 2) With a flick of her left foot, she sent the ball soaring into the corner of the net. What are the connotations of flick ? What does this suggest about the player? What are the connotations of soaring ? What does this suggest about the ball’s movement?

Word Choice The best way of answering word choice questions is like this: Quote the word. Explain what the word suggests or what it has connotations of. Link back to what the question is asking. Repeat these steps with a different word if the question is worth more than two marks.

Word Choice Write your answer like this: The word choice of "..........X............" means…………. . It also has connotations of ............................................. . This shows/suggests that………

Word Choice: Practice 1 Within 30 minutes I am soaring around the training ground, doing nifty turns and even managing to reverse into a tight parking space. What does the writer’s word choice tell us about the way he was driving? (4 marks)

Word Choice S3 RUAE

Word Choice: Practice 2 They race towards a rubbish truck as it empties its load at a vast landfill on the edge of the city, hauling away bin liners that overflow with household waste. Their hands are black with dirt and their faces are hidden by headscarves that protect them from the high sun. Explain how the writer’s word choice helps convey the idea that the job is tiring. (2 marks)

Word Choice: Practice 3 Sometimes on dark winter mornings he watched them before the doors were opened: pressing their hands and faces against the glass, a plague of moths wanting in to the light. But you couldn’t look at them like that, as an invading swarm. To do the job – which was under threat anyway because of security guards and surveillance cameras – you had to get in among them, make yourself invisible. Explain why it is appropriate to describe the shoppers as “a plague”. (2 marks)

Lesson Re-Cap

Quiz Write down the definitions of the following terms: Connotation Metaphor Personification Simile Imagery Mood Alliteration Stanza Repetition

Answers Connotation Implied additional meaning/what you associate with a word. Metaphor Comparing two things by saying that something is something else. Personification Giving an inanimate object human-like qualities. Simile Comparing two things by using ‘like’ or ‘as’. Imagery Comparing two things to create a description. 6. Mood The feeling that a text evokes within the reader. 7. Alliteration Repetition of letter or syllable at the beginning of a word. 8. Stanza A verse within a poem. 9. Repetition Repeating a word or phrase – usually to emphasise a point.

How can we move beyond the halcyon years of the 1990s? What else can be described as halcyon ? Write down three connotations of halcyon . Use halcyon in a sentence of your own creation. Your Words Halcyon = Ideally Happy

Question 1 (IYOW) ‘We follow the surf around all year and go to a lot of different places , but Scotland’s somewhere probably none of us have been to,’ he says. ‘That for me was a big part of wanting to go, to see the place. As a professional surfer, you’ve got to live out of your bag a lot, travelling around with long stints away from home , but when you perform well in the event or get some really good waves, it makes it all worth it .’ In your own words, sum up the negative and positive aspects of his life. (4 marks) You are given the opportunity to travel to a lot of countries around the world. You are constantly on the move, rarely getting a chance to relax. You are rarely able to see you friends and family. Achieving a good outcome in competitions rewards you for your hard-work.

Question 2 Alice clutches desperately at the bushes and scrub to stop herself slipping any further . For a moment she lies sprawled in the dirt, dizzy and disoriented. As it sinks in, how very close she came to being crushed, she turns cold . Takes a deep breath. Waits for the world to stop spinning. In your own words, explain why Alice ‘turns cold’. (2 marks) She realises that she was almost killed, after scrambling to save herself.

Question 3 Perhaps the pressure of family expectation got to him for a moment. Perhaps he panicked. In your own words, explain the possible reasons for the boy fainting. (2 marks) He was overcome by the realisation he had to live up to a version of himself created by his family. He was terrified by this prospect.

Question 4 Christmas Eve was not a good day to hitch-hike. Billy had been at the motorway services for nearly five hours without a sniff of a lift. No-one had even slowed down to take a look at him. And the weather was lousy . At one point, he’d had to shelter from the rain next to some bins behind the petrol station. He’d dozed off, and there was another hour gone. In your own words, why was Christmas Eve not a good day to hitch-hike? (2 marks) There were few people on the roads, meaning he was less likely to get someone to let him travel with them. The climate/conditions were quite poor.

Question 5 Billy still couldn’t see the driver, only hear his harsh voice. “I’m going to Scotland. To Gretna.” “I’m going that way myself. Get in.” Billy hesitated. He had learnt to walk away from threatening situations. But the man’s accent was Scottish, like his, and he could take him all the way home—or, at least, to the place he used to call home. In your own words, explain one reason why Billy didn’t want to get into the lorry and one reason why he did. (2 marks) He felt intimidated by the driver as he was unable to see him. The driver had the same accent as Billy, which made him feel comfortable. OR The driver was able to transport Billy to his end location/the end point of his journey,.

Question 1 (Word Choice) They race towards a rubbish truck as it empties its load at a vast landfill on the edge of the city, hauling away bin liners that overflow with household waste. Their hands are black with dirt and their faces are hidden by headscarves that protect them from the high sun. Explain how the writer’s word choice helps convey the idea that the job is tiring . (2 marks)

Question 2 Within 30 minutes I am soaring around the training ground, doing nifty turns and even managing to reverse into a tight parking space. What does the writer’s word choice tell us about the way he was driving? (4 marks)

Question 3 Sometimes on dark winter mornings he watched them before the doors were opened: pressing their hands and faces against the glass, a plague of moths wanting in to the light. But you couldn’t look at them like that, as an invading swarm . To do the job – which was under threat anyway because of security guards and surveillance cameras – you had to get in among them, make yourself invisible. Explain why it is appropriate to describe the shoppers as “a plague ”. (4 marks) Hint: Here, you have been given one word to analyse – “plague”. As it is worth 4 marks, you should find one more.