SCP 2025 Apr P2 - A Sky Painted Gold

A Sky Painted Gold

We'll be covering reading comprehension questions from a 2025 paper today.

First, let's ensure we have a good understanding of the text.

Open Ended

This is the first paragraph of the extract. What do you notice about it?

(Write down any observations. No 'right' or 'wrong' here.)

Multiple Choice

The character mentions facing some trouble. Why?

• They had to repay a debt.

• They stole an apple.

• They stole a loaf of bread.

• They used a hack in Valorant.

Tip: We use 'they' when we don't know the gender of the person.

_{​Example: They stole an apple.}

Open Ended

What was on the island that intrigued the character?

_{intrigue = make someone curious}

Multiple Choice

How would you describe Cardew House?

• pleasant

• deserted

• haunted

• modern

• luxurious

Multiple Choice

What did the character do every time they were there?

• relaxed in the orchard

• gorged themselves on the apples

• wrote poems

• explored more and more of the island

• 3 sets of 20 push-ups

Poll

Random: How old do you think the character is?

• 8 years old

• 12 years old

• 16 years old

• 21 years old

• 25 years old

Multiple Choice

What made the character keep going back to the island?

• the stunning architecture of Cardew House

• apples

• a new friend they had met

• a lost kitten that they had found

• a hidden stash of playing cards

Multiple Choice

How did the character feel about the house and the island?

• affection

• indifference (does not care)

• anger

• fear

Open Ended

Choose one quotation that shows that the character felt affection towards the house/island.

Multiple Choice

How did they enter the house?

• they broke a window that led to the basement

• one of the windows had a latch that was broken

• through the back door

• through a window on the second floor

• they teleported

Let's take a 3-minute break. 💕

Open Ended

The character describes the interior (inside of the house) as oddly friendly and calming.

Why might others disagree?

Multiple Choice

For how long had the character been visiting Cardew House?

• a few months

• almost a year

• two years

• more than a decade

Open Ended

Who is 'them'?

_{(You might have to guess!)}

Open Ended

How did the character react to the sounds?

_{(How did they feel?)}

Drag and Drop

Drag and drop the correct answer into the gaps below:

Placeholder

from an ​

Placeholder

island orchard, setting off a series of secret visits. Drawn to the neglected beauty of the island and the mysterious ​

Placeholder

House, they return often, exploring further until eventually entering the empty, dust-covered mansion. Despite its emptiness, the house feels ​

Placeholder

, like a forgotten treasure waiting to be awakened. Over the course of a ​

Placeholder

, the narrator escapes there to read, write, and dream of its past glory. However, their solitude ends abruptly when, during a stormy afternoon, the fire they lit betrays their presence. They hear unfamiliar voices and footsteps—signs that others have finally returned to the house, ending the narrator’s secret solitude.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

apple

abandoned

Cardew

comforting

year

banana

haunted

mansion

few weeks

Home

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Now, let's get down to business. 💪🏻

Q1: Look at the first and second paragraphs.

Draw

Q1a. Which adverb tells the reader that the writer really wanted to visit the island?

(Circle or underline your answer.)

Fill in the Blanks

Q2: Look at the third paragraph.

Fill in the Blanks

Open Ended

Q2b. Give one quotation which shows the theme of neglect extends beyond the building.

Multiple Choice

Q2c. Why does the writer use brackets ( ) in this paragraph?

• to give an example

• to explain text that follows

• to define the meaning of a phrase

• to emphasise previous information

• adverbs ✅

• multi-word phrases ✅

• quotation vs explanation

• brackets ✅

• pronouns (and their effects)

• sentence vs text structure

• definition of 'tension'

Questions covered:

Q3: Look at the fourth paragraph (lines 13–22).

Open Ended

Q3a. Why is it possible to see the village from the house?

Multiple Choice

Q3b. Why is the orchard groaning?

• There is too much fruit on the trees.

• The fruit trees have been neglected for too long.

• There are too many different types of fruit trees.

• The trees are too old to produce much fruit.

Open Ended

Q3b(i). What does the word 'groaning' suggest about the tree?

Open Ended

Q3c. Why is the water beyond the crumbling steps so calm?

Open Ended

Q3d. The narrator refers to the island as as treasure. Give one word from this paragraph that supports this idea.

Q4: Look at the fifth paragraph (lines 23–26).

Open Ended

Q4a. The narrator uses personification to refer to the house. Give the quotation.

Open Ended

Q4b. The narrator uses personification to refer to the house. Explain in your own words what the narrator feels about the house.

Let's take a 3-minute break! ⏱️

Q5: Look at the sixth and seventh paragraphs (lines 27–41).

Poll

Q5. Do you think the description of the house interior makes it sound like a comfortable place 🛋️✨?

• Yes! I would love to live there!

• No!

Open Ended

Q5. Give one reason for your opinion, and one quotation to support your answer.

^{Previous Q: Do you think the description of the house interior makes it sound like a comfortable place?}

The technique for these questions is to look for the quote first, then base your explanation on it.

Open Ended

Q6. In line 42, the writer uses the pronoun them. How does this help to create tension?

_{Line 42: It was a cold, wet Friday when I first saw them.}

Open Ended

Q7a. Give two words which show how violent the storm is.

_{(Separate your answers with a comma.)}

Open Ended

Q7b. The writer builds up tension from line 48 to the end of the text. Explain how the writer uses sentence structure and text structure to do this.

Give two ideas.

Match

Bonus: What's the difference between sentence structure and text structure? (Macam sama, jer!)

• sentence structure

• text structure

• 1 + 1 =

arrangement of words within sentence

the overall organisation of content

2

• arrangement of words within sentence

• the overall organisation of content

• 2

Final question! Yayayayay! 💖

Multiple Select

Q8. How does the writer gain our attention in the first paragraph (pictured)?

Select two answers.

• an apple is such an unexpected item to start a story with

• it mentions the word 'Pendragon'

• a short first sentence

• a short paragraph is used

• the writer uses the word 'I' to make it more personal

Let's explore the final question in this paper: the writing question. 💖

Let's review the knowledge needed for these questions. 🧠

• adverbs

• multi-word phrases

• quotation vs explanation

• brackets

• pronouns (and their effects)

• sentence vs text structure

• definition of 'tension'

• literary devices (personification)

Knowledge needed:

Before we get started with writing, let's recap on that final scene.

IN LAST WEEK'S EPISODE ...

Q1: Who are you and why are you in the house?

Open Ended

Q1a. Who are you?

Open Ended

Q1b. Why are you in the house?

Q2: How did you react to finding the narrator?

Open Ended

Q2. How did you react to finding the narrator?

Q3: What happens next?

Open Ended

Q3. What happens next?

Possible Plots

1. The owners have passed away. They visit the house once a year, on a special day ...

2. The owners have returned to sell the house.

3. A few people pretend to be the owners of the house.

4. (I was tempted to use ChatGPT here.)

5. The people were the children of the former owners, now grown up.

Multiple Choice

Where is the character at the start of your story?

• in the orchard

• in the living room

• in the kitchen

• in the bathroom

Multiple Choice

What is the mood of the scene?

• lively

• depressing

• tense

• calm

Multiple Select

Which word(s) create a 'tense' mood?

• swayed

• chill

• smiled

• creaked

• clenched