Question 3: Language and Structure Flashcards
All 134 cards in this deck
What is a connotation?
The ideas and feelings a word suggests beyond its literal meaning. A lair and a home are both places to live, but lair suggests a hidden, dangerous animal.
Why is naming the word class (noun, verb, adjective…) useful in a language answer?
It is precise subject terminology, and it shows you are looking at the writer's choice of a single word. It only earns credit when you go on to explain that word's effect.
What effect can a precise verb have?
It shows how an action is done, which can reveal mood or character. 'She crept downstairs' suggests secrecy or fear in a way 'she went downstairs' does not.
What does an adjective typically do in description?
It shapes our impression of a noun and builds mood. 'A brittle laugh' suggests nervousness, as if the laugh might snap.
What does an adverb typically add?
It changes how we read a verb, often showing attitude. 'He smiled thinly' suggests the smile is forced or insincere.
What is an abstract noun, and what can it do in fiction?
A noun for an idea or feeling, such as dread, hope or silence. It can make a feeling seem to fill a whole scene: 'Dread settled over the kitchen.'
What effect can pronouns have in a narrative?
First person (I, we) creates closeness to the narrator. Holding back a name ('He was waiting again') creates mystery or menace.
What does repeating a word do?
It draws attention to the word and can suggest emphasis, obsession or a mounting feeling. 'Cold hands, cold tea, cold bed' makes the coldness feel total and inescapable.
What is an oxymoron, and what is its effect?
Two contradictory words placed together, such as 'a cheerful funeral'. It surprises the reader and suggests mixed or uneasy feelings.
How do you "zoom in" on a single word?
Ask why the writer chose this word rather than a near-synonym. Why 'crawled' rather than 'moved'? Then explore its connotations and what they suggest about the focus.
In 'The bus wheezed up the hill', which word is most powerful and why?
'Wheezed': a verb that suggests an old or ill person struggling for breath. It makes the bus seem old, tired and barely able to climb.
In 'The headteacher's voice was clipped and cold', what does 'clipped' suggest?
That she speaks in short, cut-off, controlled words. She seems unfriendly, impatient and firmly in charge.
In 'Brambles had strangled the garden', what is the effect of 'strangled'?
It is a violent verb suggesting a deliberate killing, so the garden seems a victim. Neglect becomes aggressive and deadly, not just untidy.
What is a simile, and what does it typically do?
A comparison using like or as. It makes something vivid by linking it to something familiar, and the comparison chosen carries feeling. In 'Fog lay on the town like a wet blanket' the fog seems heavy and smothering.
What is a metaphor, and how does its effect differ from a simile's?
It says one thing is another, with no like or as. Its effect is often more direct and forceful. 'The exam hall was a pressure cooker' suggests tension building towards an explosion.
What is an extended metaphor?
A metaphor developed over several phrases or sentences. Because it is sustained, the reader keeps seeing the subject through that comparison, which strengthens the impression.
What is personification, and what is its typical effect?
Giving human qualities to something non-human. It can make a setting seem alive, threatening or sympathetic. 'The house watched them leave' makes the house seem aware and unsettling.
What is pathetic fallacy?
When weather or setting reflects a character's mood or the atmosphere of a scene. It can also foreshadow events. In 'A thin, grudging drizzle fell as she read the letter', the drizzle mirrors a low, joyless mood.
What is a semantic field, and what does it do?
A group of words from the same area of meaning. It builds an idea across a passage. Words like 'ambush', 'retreat' and 'ceasefire' used about a family dinner present the meal as a battle.
What is symbolism in a fiction extract?
When an object, colour or setting stands for a bigger idea. A stopped clock in a dusty room might symbolise a life frozen in the past. It gives the description a deeper layer of meaning.
Examiners warn against reading imagery "literally". What does that mean?
Explaining only what the image looks like, rather than what it suggests. 'Like a wet blanket' isn't just about how fog looks; it suggests weight, discomfort and being smothered.
How do you analyse a simile or metaphor well?
Look at both halves: what is being compared, which qualities carry across from one to the other, and how that shapes the reader's feelings about the thing described.
In 'Her laugh was a door slammed shut', which technique is used and what is its effect?
A metaphor. The laugh seems sudden, loud and final, as if it ends the conversation and shuts the other person out.
In 'The wind worried at the loose window all night', which technique is used and what is its effect?
Personification: 'worried' suggests the wind is restless and persistent, like an anxious person or a dog with a bone. It creates an uneasy, sleepless atmosphere.
In 'Frost glittered on the railings like broken glass', which technique is used and what is its effect?
A simile. The frost is beautiful, but the comparison to broken glass makes it seem sharp and dangerous, adding a hint of violence to a pretty scene.
What is alliteration, and what can it do?
Repeating the same consonant sound at the start of nearby words. It draws attention to a phrase and can create rhythm. Hard sounds feel harsh, as in 'the bitter, biting breeze'.
What is sibilance, and what effects can it create?
Repeated s and sh sounds. They can sound soft and hushed ('the sea sighed in its sleep') or sinister and hissing, depending on the words around them.
What is onomatopoeia, and what does it do?
A word that sounds like the noise it describes, such as crackle, thud or hiss. It makes a scene audible and immediate for the reader.
What is assonance, and what effect can it have?
Repeated vowel sounds in nearby words. Long vowels can slow the pace and create a mournful or calm mood, as in 'the low moan of the old road'.
What are plosive sounds, and what effect do they have?
The sounds p, b, t, d, k and g, made with a burst of air. Clustered together they can feel abrupt, aggressive or explosive.
What is sensory language, and why do writers use it?
Description that appeals to sight, sound, smell, taste or touch. It immerses the reader in the scene, and the sense chosen matters: smell often triggers memory, while touch often conveys discomfort or comfort.
What is synaesthesia in description?
Describing one sense in terms of another, such as 'a loud yellow coat' or 'a sharp smell'. It makes an impression feel intense and unusual.
How should you write about a sound effect such as alliteration?
Link the sound to meaning: say what noise it imitates or what mood it creates, and connect that to the focus of the question. Just spotting alliteration is feature spotting and earns little.
A passage uses sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Should you comment on all five?
No. Choose the sensory detail that does the most work and explain why that sense was chosen. Working through all five like a checklist leads to thin comments.
In 'The gravel crunched under the tyres', which technique is used and what is its effect?
Onomatopoeia. 'Crunched' makes the arrival loud and noticeable, as if it breaks a silence and announces that someone has come.
In 'Soft snow settled silently on the sleeping street', which technique is used and what is its effect?
Sibilance. The repeated s sounds are hushed, like a whisper, creating a calm, muffled, peaceful atmosphere.
In 'The air tasted of salt and diesel', what is the effect of the sensory language?
Describing air by its taste makes the harbour physically immediate. Pairing natural salt with industrial diesel suggests a working place, not a picture-postcard one.
What effect can a simple sentence have in a fiction extract?
One main clause with one main verb: 'The door opened.' It can create clarity, emphasis or shock, especially after longer sentences.
What is a compound sentence, and what can it do?
Two main clauses joined by and, but, or or so. It can show a sequence of events, balance two ideas, or set up a contrast with but.
What is a complex sentence, and what can it do?
A main clause with at least one subordinate clause. It adds detail, reasons or conditions, and can delay the key information to build suspense: 'Although the lights were off, someone was in the kitchen.'
What is a minor sentence, and what effect does it have?
A sentence without a main verb, such as 'Silence.' or 'Not again.' It isolates a moment or feeling, gives emphasis, or imitates a character's thoughts.
What do exclamatory sentences do in a narrative?
They end in an exclamation mark and show strong emotion, such as excitement, panic or delight. They often let us hear a character's own voice.
What does a question (interrogative) do in a fiction extract?
It shows a character's doubt, confusion or worry, and it pulls the reader into puzzling over the same thing: 'Who had left the gate open?'
What is the effect of a long sentence built from a list?
It can suggest accumulation, chaos or overwhelming detail. Joined with many ands (polysyndeton) it can feel breathless or endless; with commas only (asyndeton) it can feel rushed.
What is the effect of a short sentence straight after a long one?
The contrast stops the rhythm suddenly, so the short sentence lands with force. It often marks a shock, a realisation or a turning point.
What is a fronted adverbial, and what can it do?
A word or phrase at the start of a sentence that says how, when or where: 'Slowly, the door opened.' Putting it first stresses the manner or time and can delay the action for suspense.
Why do examiners dislike "short sentences create tension" as a comment?
It is a stock phrase that could fit any extract. Explain what this sentence does in this place, for example: "the simple sentence isolates the moment he sees the letter, so the reader stops with him."
In 'She waited. And waited. Nothing.', which sentence forms are used and what is their effect?
Short fragments and a minor sentence, with repetition. They stretch out time and end in emptiness, making the wait feel long and disappointing.
In 'He ran past the bins, through the gate, across the wet grass and down to the water's edge', what is the effect of the sentence form?
One long sentence built from a list of phrases. It carries the reader along in a single breath, creating speed and unstoppable movement.
What is tone in a piece of writing?
The attitude the writer or narrator shows towards the subject, for example affectionate, bitter, mocking or wistful. It is created through word choice.
What is atmosphere (or mood)?
The feeling a scene creates for the reader, such as tense, eerie, peaceful or oppressive. It is usually built by many choices working together.
How do writers build an atmosphere?
With clusters of word choices, imagery, sounds and sentence rhythms that all point the same way. The best answers show how several choices work together, not just one.
What does an ominous atmosphere feel like, and how is it usually created?
It feels as if something bad is about to happen. It is often built from unexplained details, silence, darkness and pathetic fallacy.
What is a wistful or nostalgic tone?
A gentle sadness or longing for the past. Look for memories, the past tense, soft words and details that are fondly remembered.
What makes an atmosphere claustrophobic?
Language of confinement and pressure: small spaces, heat, crowding, and verbs such as pressed and trapped. The reader feels hemmed in alongside the character.
What is irony in a narrative, and what effect can it have?
A gap between what is said and what is meant, or between what a character believes and what the reader can see. It can create humour or sadness, and it makes the reader feel they understand more than the character does.
Why use a precise tone word rather than "sad" or "scary"?
Precise words such as menacing, desolate or bittersweet show exactly what effect you have noticed. That precision is what the top levels reward.
How should you handle a change of tone within an extract?
Find the turning point, often a word like but, until or suddenly, and explain how the language before and after it differs, and why that contrast matters.
How can a narrator's voice shape tone?
A young or naive narrator may describe things innocently while the reader understands more, which creates pathos or humour. A wry adult narrator may create comedy through understatement.
In 'The swimming pool had been empty for three summers; leaves gathered in the deep end and a rusted ladder led down to nothing', what atmosphere is created?
A desolate atmosphere of neglect. 'Led down to nothing' suggests emptiness and loss where there should be fun and noise.
In 'Every Sunday the kitchen smelled of cinnamon, and every Sunday Gran sang off-key', what is the tone?
Affectionate and nostalgic. The repeated 'every Sunday' suggests a comforting routine, and 'off-key' is a fondly remembered flaw.
What four things can the opening of a fiction text establish?
Setting, character, mood and a mystery (an unanswered question). Ask which one the writer chose to put first, and why that choice draws the reader in.
What is a narrative hook, and what does it do?
An opening line or detail designed to grab attention, often by being surprising or by leaving something unexplained. It makes the reader ask a question and want to read on to answer it.
What does it mean to open in medias res, and what is the effect?
Starting in the middle of the action, without any build-up. It throws the reader straight into drama or danger and creates questions about how the characters got there, which the writer can answer later.
What is exposition, and why might a writer put it near the start?
Background information about setting, characters or situation. It slows the pace, but it gives the reader what they need to understand, and care about, what happens next.
What is the effect of opening with a wide description of the setting?
Like an establishing shot in a film, it places the reader in the world of the story and sets the mood before any character or event appears. The later move to a person or detail then feels like a deliberate narrowing of attention.
What is an enigma in a story opening, and what does it do?
A puzzle the writer deliberately leaves unexplained, such as an unopened letter or a name nobody will say. It creates curiosity and suspense because the reader wants the gap filled.
What is a cyclical structure, and what effect does it usually have?
The ending returns to an image, place or line from the opening. It can show how much has changed (if the detail is now different) or that a character is trapped (if nothing has changed).
What is a cliffhanger ending, and what does it do?
Ending at a moment of suspense, with the outcome unknown. It leaves tension unresolved and makes the reader desperate to know what happens next.
What is the difference between a resolved ending and an open ending, in terms of effect?
A resolved ending answers the main questions and releases tension, leaving the reader satisfied. An open ending leaves questions unanswered, so the reader keeps thinking about the characters after the text stops.
An extract is introduced as being 'from the middle of a novel'. How should that change what you say about its first lines?
Don't treat them as the story's opening. Instead, ask what the first lines of the extract put in the reader's mind for the rest of the passage, e.g. a worry stated in the first sentence that the extract then builds on.
In 'The phone rang at four in the morning, and nobody in the house moved to answer it.', what structural choice is the opening making, and what is its effect?
It opens with an enigma: an urgent event that everyone ignores. The reader immediately wants to know who is calling and why the family won't answer, so tension is set up from the first line.
A story opens with a woman locking her shop 'as she had every night for thirty years' and ends with her standing outside it, keys in hand, unable to turn them. What is the structure and the effect?
A cyclical structure with a change. Returning to the same nightly action invites the reader to compare. Her hesitation at the end shows that something has shifted in her life, even though the routine looks the same.
What is a shift in focus, and why do writers use one?
A change in what the text is looking at: a place, person, object, time or idea. It directs the reader's attention, and where it happens often signals what the writer wants us to notice or worry about.
What is the effect of 'zooming in' from a wide view to a small detail?
It narrows the reader's attention onto something the writer thinks matters, such as a face or an object. The detail feels more important or more intimate because the wider world has fallen away.
What is the effect of 'zooming out' from a character to a wider view?
It pulls the reader back to show the bigger picture. That can make a character seem small, isolated or powerless, or show that the problem is larger than one person.
What is the effect of a shift from the outside world to a character's thoughts?
It moves the reader from what can be seen to what is felt. It often reveals a private worry hidden beneath a calm surface, which builds sympathy or tension.
What is the effect of shifting focus from one character to another?
It lets the reader compare them, or see what one character cannot see. A shift to a second character can reveal a threat or a secret that the first character doesn't know about.
What is the pivotal point (or turning point) of a text?
The moment where the direction changes: a discovery, a decision or an interruption. Everything before it builds up to it and everything after it is changed by it, so it is often the best place to build a structure point.
What is the effect of a shift from action to description?
It pauses the action. The writer can delay what happens next, which keeps the reader waiting, or show something (a setting or a character's appearance) that will matter later.
How can dialogue act as a structural device?
Moving from narration into speech brings the reader into the moment in real time. It can reveal conflict directly or interrupt a calm passage, and silence where speech is expected can be just as telling.
What is a motif, and what does a writer achieve by returning to it?
An image, object or sound that recurs through a text. Each return reminds the reader of it and can show how a character's situation or feelings have developed since it last appeared.
How can time and place words help you write about shifts in focus?
Words and phrases like 'Meanwhile', 'Upstairs', 'Later that night' mark exactly where the focus moves. Quoting them lets you pinpoint the shift precisely instead of writing vaguely about 'the middle'.
In 'The square was packed with stalls, music and the smell of frying onions. In a doorway at the edge of it all, a boy was counting coins into his palm.', what shift happens and what is its effect?
The focus zooms in from the busy, crowded square to one boy at the edge. The contrast isolates him and makes the reader wonder why he is counting so carefully, perhaps because he has very little.
In 'The crowd roared her name. Behind the stage, Aisha was being sick into a fire bucket.', what is the structural shift and its effect?
The focus shifts from the public scene to a hidden one behind the stage. Placing the two side by side exposes the gap between how she appears and how she feels, which builds sympathy and tension before her performance.
What three things should a sentence about a shift in focus include?
From what to what (e.g. from the street to the flat), where in the text it happens, and why: what the shift makes the reader feel or notice, linked to the effect named in the question.
What is the effect of first-person narration ('I')?
The reader shares the narrator's thoughts and feelings directly, which creates closeness and sympathy. It also limits us to what the narrator knows, so threats and surprises can stay hidden.
What is second-person narration, and what is its effect?
Narration that uses 'you', e.g. 'You notice the door first.' It places the reader inside the story, which can feel intense, unsettling or disorientating.
What is third-person limited narration, and what is its effect?
The narrator uses 'he' or 'she' but follows one character's thoughts. The reader is close to that character but, like them, can be kept in the dark about what others think or plan.
What is an omniscient narrator, and what effect can it have?
A third-person narrator who knows everything and can move between several characters' thoughts. It lets the reader know more than any one character, which can create dramatic irony and tension.
What is an unreliable narrator, and what is the effect?
A narrator whose account the reader can't fully trust, because they are lying, mistaken or hiding their feelings. The reader reads between the lines and sees what the narrator won't admit, which can create tension, humour or sympathy.
What is the effect when a text switches from one character's perspective to another's?
The reader suddenly sees the situation differently. They often learn something the first character doesn't know, which can raise tension or change who we sympathise with.
What is dramatic irony, and how does narrative perspective create it?
When the reader knows something a character doesn't. Showing the reader another character's thoughts, or a danger the viewpoint character can't see, means we watch them walk towards trouble, which creates suspense.
What is a retrospective narrator, and what effect can it have?
A narrator looking back on events from later in life, e.g. 'I was too young then to understand.' Their hindsight can hint at what is coming, which creates a sense of foreboding or regret.
What is the effect of a detached, distant narrative voice that reports events without emotion?
Holding back feeling can make shocking events seem colder or more unsettling. The reader has to supply the emotion themselves, which can make a moment hit harder.
In 'You feel it before you hear it: a shiver in the floorboards, as though the house has remembered something.', which perspective is used and what is its effect?
Second person ('you'). The reader is placed directly in the moment and feels the strange sensation as if it were happening to them, which makes the opening more unsettling.
In 'Looking back, I should have known the moment she smiled.', what perspective is used and how does it affect the reader?
A retrospective first-person narrator. The hindsight hints that the smile meant trouble, so the reader reads on with a sense of foreboding and looks for the warning signs.
In 'Tom thought the meeting had gone rather well. Upstairs, his manager was already writing the email.', what perspective is used and what is its effect?
An omniscient narrator moves from Tom's thoughts to his manager. The reader now knows something Tom doesn't (dramatic irony), so his confidence feels misplaced and tension builds.
Why does narrative perspective count as structure?
Perspective controls what the reader is allowed to know, and when, so it shapes the order in which we learn things. Write about whose eyes we see through, what that hides or reveals, and how it creates the effect in the question. In Paper 1 Question 3 it's a useful way to cover structure alongside language.
What is chronological order, and why might a writer choose it?
Telling events in the order they happened. It feels natural and lets tension build step by step, so any break from it, such as a flashback, stands out.
What is a flashback, and what does it typically do?
A move back in time to an earlier event. It gives backstory that explains a character's feelings in the present. Placed at a tense moment, it also delays what happens next, which builds suspense.
What is a flash-forward, and what is its effect?
A jump ahead to a later moment, e.g. 'Years later, she would still remember the sound.' It tells the reader something important will happen, which creates anticipation or dread.
What is foreshadowing, and what does it do?
A hint or clue early in a text about something that will happen later. It creates unease and suspense, and when the event arrives it feels prepared for rather than random.
What is the effect of a writer slowing the pace by spending a long time on a single moment?
Stretching a few seconds across many lines makes the moment feel important and holds the reader in suspense, often just before something dramatic happens.
What is the effect of speeding up the pace by summarising a long period in a few lines?
It moves quickly past time that doesn't matter, which makes the scene the writer slows down for stand out as significant. It can also suggest that life passes by unnoticed.
What is a time jump, and how does it affect the reader?
A gap where the text skips forward, e.g. 'Three winters passed.' It marks change and leaves the reader to fill in what happened, which can create mystery or a sense of loss.
What is non-linear structure, and why might a writer use it?
Telling events out of order. It lets the writer reveal information at the most effective moment, such as showing a result before its cause so the reader wants to know how it happened.
What is the difference between 'scene' and 'summary' in fiction, and why does it matter?
A scene shows events moment by moment, often with dialogue. A summary compresses events into a sentence or two. A shift from summary to scene signals that a moment matters, so the reader slows down with it.
In 'She found the photograph in the back of the drawer. The last time she had seen that face, she was nine, and the car was pulling away.', what structural feature is used and what is its effect?
A flashback triggered by an object. It pulls the reader back to a painful moment from childhood, explains why the photograph matters, and delays the present-day action.
A text spends a long paragraph on a glass falling from a table, then ends with the one-line paragraph 'Then the floor.' What has the writer done with pace, and why?
The writer slows time to stretch the split second of the fall, holding the reader in suspense. The abrupt one-line paragraph speeds back to real time, so the impact lands with a jolt.
How should you write about pace without falling into 'short sentences speed things up'?
Write about what the writer dwells on and what they skip. Say which moment is slowed down or summarised, where it is, and why the writer wants the reader to linger there or hurry past, linked to the question's focus.
How does withholding information build tension?
The writer deliberately keeps something back, such as what a letter says or who is at the door. The reader's need to know creates suspense, and the longer the delay, the stronger it gets.
What is rising action, and what effect does it have?
A sequence of events that steadily increases the danger, conflict or uncertainty. Each step raises the stakes, so tension builds towards a climax.
What is a climax, and why is it often placed late in an extract?
The point of highest tension, where the conflict comes to a head. Placing it late means the earlier build-up pays off and the reader feels its full force.
What is an anticlimax, and what effect does it have?
Tension builds towards something dramatic, then the outcome turns out to be ordinary or disappointing. It suddenly releases the tension and can create humour, relief or a sense of let-down.
What is juxtaposition, and what does it do?
Placing two contrasting things side by side, such as two scenes, moods or characters. The closeness sharpens the difference, so each seems more extreme, and it often reveals a hidden threat or irony.
What is the effect of a sudden shift in mood or tone?
A change, for example from calm to fear or from tension to comedy, unsettles the reader and signals that something has changed. It often marks the pivotal point of an extract.
What is a 'false sense of security', and how does it build tension?
The writer creates a calm, safe or happy mood just before something goes wrong. The peace makes the later disruption more shocking. Readers who sense the pattern also feel uneasy because things seem too calm.
How does escalation (repeating a threat that grows closer each time) build tension?
Each return of the sound, sighting or warning is nearer or stronger than the last. The reader can feel the danger approaching but can't stop it, so suspense rises with every step.
What is the difference between contrast and juxtaposition?
Contrast is any difference between two things anywhere in a text. Juxtaposition is a contrast created by placing them directly next to each other, which makes the difference hit harder because the reader meets both at once.
In 'The kitchen was warm and smelled of cinnamon; someone was singing along to the radio. In the hall, the letter lay on the mat, face down.', what structural technique is used and what is its effect?
Juxtaposition of a warm, happy kitchen with the silent, unopened letter. The cosy mood makes the letter seem more threatening. The reader senses it will disrupt the family's happiness, which builds tension.
A writer builds up scraping noises in a dark loft over two paragraphs, then reveals the cause is a neighbour's cat. What structural technique is this and what does it do?
An anticlimax. Tension rises through escalating, unexplained sounds and is then suddenly released by an ordinary explanation. The tone shifts from fear to comedy and the reader feels relief.
How can you track tension across a whole extract?
Picture a graph: note where tension starts, where it rises, where it peaks and whether it falls by the end, and what choice causes each change. It gives you structure points for Question 3, and in Question 4 it helps you judge how successfully tension is built across the whole extract.
What does Paper 1 Question 3 ask, and how many marks is it worth?
6 marks, AO2. It reprints part of the extract and asks 'How does the writer use language and structure to show…?', naming a focus, for example what a character experiences. You support your views with reference to the text.
What happens if your Paper 1 Question 3 answer covers only language, or only structure?
It can't go above the top of Level 1, which is 2 marks, however good it is. The two needn't be balanced, but both must be there.
What are the three levels for Paper 1 Question 3?
Level 1 (1–2): comments on language and/or structure. Level 2 (3–4): explains how both are used, with relevant references. Level 3 (5–6): analyses how both are used, with well-chosen references that sharpen each point.
How long should you spend on Paper 1 Question 3?
About 10 minutes. It is worth 6 marks, and examiners report students writing far too much here and running short of time for Question 4, which is worth 15.
What counts as a structure point in Paper 1 Question 3?
Anything about how the extract is organised or ordered: where it starts and ends, shifts in focus, time or tense, how sentences are built (long multi-clause sentences, short ones, colons and dashes), and what the reader learns when. Pearson's own mark schemes list sentence structure and punctuation under structure.
What does a good Paper 1 Question 3 answer look like?
Three or four short, developed points, at least one about structure. Each one gives a short quotation, names the method precisely, and explains its effect on the reader linked to the focus in the question.
Why should every point in Paper 1 Question 3 link back to the question's focus?
The question names what the writer is showing, such as the narrator's fear. Effects that could fit any extract ('it makes the reader want to read on') don't answer it. Say how this choice shows that focus.
Should you write about the whole extract in Paper 1 Question 3?
No. Use only the reprinted lines. Question 4 is the one about the whole extract, so keep your other material for it.
How do you turn a comment into analysis in Paper 1 Question 3?
Zoom in on a precise word or structural choice, explore what it suggests (more than one meaning if it has one), and explain why the writer placed it there. Naming a technique and saying it 'creates tension' is only a comment.
A student's Paper 1 Question 3 answer analyses three images in detail but never mentions structure. What is the most it can score?
2 marks, the top of Level 1. Adding even one developed structure point, such as the shift from the quiet room to the knock at the door, would let it reach Level 2 or 3.
How should you start a Paper 1 Question 3 answer?
Go straight into your first point. There's no need for an introduction on a 6-mark question: begin with a method, a quotation and its effect on the focus.