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AQA GCSE · Question 01 · Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives

SOURCE TEXT:
Source A: An extract from a fictional 19th-century memoir, 'Descent into the Void' by Joseph Simpson.

The glacier stretched below us, a vast, frozen river descending into the cloud-choked valley. We had been on this unforgiving peak for what felt like an eternity, but was in fact our fifth day. The relief of finally heading down was tangible, a stark contrast to the despair that had gripped us on the ice cliff yesterday. Base camp was a daunting 3,500 feet below, a distance that seemed to mock our slow, painful progress.

QUESTIONS:
Read again the first part of Source A from lines 1 to 4.

Choose four statements below which are true.

A The climbers were sheltered from the wind.
B The glacier was higher up the mountain.
C They had been on the mountain for at least five days.
D Base camp was more than 3000 feet below them.
E Joe thought they would make it back to base camp quickly.
F There were no more uphill sections to climb.
G The climbers were feeling more positive now than they were before.
H On the ice cliff, the climbers had felt overwhelmed by despair.

How to approach this question

Read lines 1-4 of Source A carefully. Go through each statement from A to H and check if the information is directly stated or clearly implied in the text. Select the four statements that are definitely true based only on the provided lines. Write down the letters of the four correct statements.

Full Answer

The four true statements are B, C, D, and H.
Let's break down why each correct answer is true based on lines 1-4: - B: The text says the glacier was 'descending into the cloud-choked valley', which means they were on it at a high altitude. - C: The text explicitly states it was their 'fifth day' on the peak. - D: The text states that base camp was 'a daunting 3,500 feet below', which is more than 3000 feet. - H: The text mentions 'the despair that had gripped us on the ice cliff yesterday', confirming this feeling. The other statements are false because: - A: Wind is not mentioned. - E: The text says their progress was 'slow, painful', the opposite of quick. - F: The text says they are 'heading down', but doesn't exclude the possibility of small uphill sections on the route. - G: While they feel 'relief', the text also says the distance 'seemed to mock our slow, painful progress', so their feelings are mixed, not simply more positive.

Common mistakes

A common mistake is to infer information that isn't explicitly in the text, or to use general knowledge about mountain climbing. Stick only to what the first four lines state. Another error is not selecting exactly four options.
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