Question 4: Comparing Viewpoints Flashcards
All 14 cards in this deck
What is the difference between a writer's feeling, attitude and perspective?
Feeling: an emotion at a moment. Attitude: a settled stance towards something. Perspective: the wider viewpoint behind both.
What does it mean if a writer's attitude is ambivalent?
They hold two conflicting feelings at once, e.g. fascinated and frightened.
What counts as a method in Paper 2 Question 4?
Any choice that conveys the writer's view: language, structure, tone, form, and techniques like anecdote or direct address.
What is an anecdote, and what does it do in non-fiction?
A short personal story used to make a point, making the view vivid and believable.
What effect do facts and statistics have in non-fiction?
They give the writer authority and make the view seem objective, though they are still selected to support it.
What does direct address ("you") do in non-fiction?
Speaking to the reader personally ("you"), creating closeness or challenge.
Give connectives for comparing differences.
Whereas, while, in contrast, on the other hand, unlike, however, conversely.
Give connectives for comparing similarities.
Similarly, likewise, in the same way, equally, both, just as.
What are the main purposes of non-fiction?
Inform, explain, describe, entertain, argue, persuade, advise. Most texts have more than one.
What is bias in a non-fiction text?
Presenting one side favourably while ignoring or belittling the other, e.g. one-sided evidence, loaded words ("so-called").
What is a generalisation?
A claim about a whole group based on limited evidence: "Teenagers never read any more." It oversimplifies.
What is the difference between a fact and an opinion presented as fact?
A fact can be checked ("The pier is 300 metres long"). An opinion presented as fact states a view with certainty ("The pier is the town's only attraction").
What is an analogy?
A comparison that explains something unfamiliar through something familiar, e.g. "Cutting the library budget is like selling your shoes to pay the bus fare."
What is loaded language?
Words carrying strong positive or negative connotations that push the reader towards a view, e.g. regime instead of government.