Year 10 English practice questions

Lock in’s Year 10 English course has 6 units with 102 flashcards and 108 practice questions, plus timed exams built fresh each time.

• Language and structural techniquesSound and rhythm; Figurative language and allusion; Syntax and sentence structure; Narrative and structural devices
• Close analysis of unseen textsApproaching an unseen text; Prose fiction; Poetry; Drama; Non-fiction, film and answering questions
• Visual, film and multimodal textsComposition; Camera: shots, angles, movement, focus; Editing and sound; Multimodal and digital texts
• Context, values, perspectives and representationContext; Values, attitudes and readings; Perspective and positioning; Representation and intertextuality
• Analytical and comparative essaysTheses and introductions; Sophisticated paragraphs; Comparative analysis; Evaluation, conclusions and expression
• Persuasive, discursive and imaginative writingPersuasive writing and speeches; Discursive writing; Imaginative writing: craft; Reflection statements

Try each question before you open the answer. Written answers show what a full-marks response needs to include.

1. Question 1. Language and structural techniquesMultiple choice

   “I came, I saw, I conquered” uses…

   1. APolysyndeton
   2. BSynaesthesia
   3. CApostrophe
   4. DParallelism and asyndeton
   Show answer

   D. Parallelism and asyndeton

   Repeated structure with no conjunctions.

2. Question 2. Close analysis of unseen textsMultiple choice

   The meaning beneath what characters say is…

   1. ASubtext
   2. BContext
   3. CPretext
   4. DDialogue
   Show answer

   A. Subtext

3. Question 3. Close analysis of unseen texts: poetry3 marks

   How does the poet criticise the way people consume news online? Use ONE quote, a technique and its effect.

   I scroll past a war to reach a video of a cat that cannot fit in a box but tries, and tries, and tries. My thumb is a small god, flicking worlds away. A flood. A wedding. A sale on shoes. A child’s face I will not remember. At 2 a.m. the screen asks if I am still watching. I tell it yes. I tell it yes. I do not ask it the same question.

   Show model answer and marking criteria

   Model answer. The poet juxtaposes “a war” with “a video of a cat”. Placing global suffering beside trivial entertainment shows how scrolling flattens everything to the same importance, criticising our desensitisation to tragedy.

   A full-marks answer:

   • Accurate quote, such as “I scroll past a war / to reach a video of a cat” or “A flood. A wedding. A sale on shoes.”
   • Names the technique correctly, such as juxtaposition, asyndetic list or fragments
   • Explains the effect: suffering and trivia are given equal weight, showing desensitisation
4. Question 4. Visual, film and multimodal textsMultiple choice

   A shot that shows what a character sees is a…

   1. AEstablishing shot
   2. BLong shot
   3. CTwo-shot
   4. DPoint-of-view shot
   Show answer

   D. Point-of-view shot

5. Question 5. Visual, film and multimodal texts: editing and sound2 marks

   Outline TWO ways sound can create meaning in film.

   Show model answer and marking criteria

   Model answer. Non-diegetic music shapes the viewer’s emotional response, for example strings building tension. Sudden silence can also create shock or focus attention on a key moment.

   A full-marks answer:

   • One valid way, e.g. non-diegetic music shaping mood
   • A second valid way, e.g. silence, sound bridges, diegetic sound for realism or a musical motif for a character
6. Question 6. Context, values, perspectives and representationMultiple choice

   A reading that challenges a text’s apparent values is…

   1. AA dominant reading
   2. BA close reading
   3. CA literal reading
   4. DA resistant reading
   Show answer

   D. A resistant reading

For analysis questions, use the same three parts each time: name the technique, quote the words that show it, and explain the effect on the reader. Short quotes you can explain beat long ones you can’t. For writing tasks, plan for two minutes before you start.

In Lock in, every English topic has short notes, then flashcards that use spaced repetition: rate each card Again, Hard, Good or Easy and it comes back just before you would forget it. Practice questions come in three levels, Foundation, Standard and Complex. Three right in a row moves you up a level, and two wrong moves you back.

Press Study for me and the app builds a 15 to 20 minute session from the cards that are due, the mistakes that are due and questions on your weakest topics. Anything you get wrong comes back 1, 3 and 7 days later until you get it right. When an exam is close, sit a timed practice exam with AI marking.

More Year 10 subjects

Year 10 Maths practice questions, Year 10 Science practice questions, Year 10 History practice questions, Year 10 Geography practice questions, Year 10 PDHPE practice questions.

English in other years

Year 7 English practice questions, Year 8 English practice questions, Year 9 English practice questions, Year 11 English practice questions, Year 12 English practice questions.