Question

text structures
excerpt from i capture the castle by dodie smith
three years ago (or is it four? i know father’s one spasm of
sociability was in 1931) a stepmother was presented to us.
we were surprised. she is a famous artists’ model who claims
to have been christened topaz even if this is true there is no
law to make a woman stick to a name like that. she is very
beautiful, with masses of hair so fair that it is almost white,
and a quite extraordinary pallor. she uses no makeup, not
even powder. there are two paintings of her in the tate
gallery: one by macmorris, called “topaz in jade”, in which
she wears a magnificent jade necklace; and one by h. j.
allardy which shows her on an old horsehair covered sofa.
this is called “composition”; but as allardy has painted her
even paler than she is, “decomposition” would suit it better.
actually, there is nothing unhealthy about topaz’s pallor; it
simply makes her look as if she belonged to some new race.
she has a very deep voice that is, she puts one on; it is part
of an arty pose, which includes painting and lute playing.
but her kindness is perfectly genuine and so is her cooking. i
am very, very fond of her. it is nice to have written that just
as she appears on the kitchen stairs. she is wearing her
ancient orange tea gown; her long, straight hair is flowing
down her back to her waist. she paused on the top step
and said “ah, girls—” with three variety inflections on each
word.
which text structure does the author
use in the passage?
a cause and effect
b descriptive
c problem solution
d compare and contrast
what detail from the passage tells you how the narrator feels about her stepmother?
a we were surprised.
b she uses no makeup, not even powder.
c but her kindness is perfectly genuine
d i am very, very fond of her
short answer: who is the passage mostly
about? list two details.

Explanation:

First Question (Text Structure)

To determine the text structure, we analyze the passage. The passage describes the stepmother's appearance (hair, pallor, makeup), her background (artist's model, name), and her traits (kindness, cooking). A descriptive text structure focuses on detailing a person, object, or event. Option A (cause - effect) is incorrect as no cause - effect relationship is shown. Option C (problem - solution) is wrong as there's no problem or solution. Option D (compare - contrast) is incorrect as no comparisons are made. So the structure is descriptive.

To find the detail about the narrator's feelings, we look at the options. Option A shows surprise at the stepmother's introduction, not feelings towards her. Option B is a description of her appearance. Option C is about her kindness and cooking, but the direct statement of the narrator's feelings is in Option D: "I am very, very fond of her" which clearly shows the narrator's positive feelings.

The passage is mainly about the narrator's stepmother (Topaz). Details include her being a famous artist's model, her appearance (fair hair, pallor, no makeup), her traits (kindness, cooking), and the narrator's fondness for her. We can identify her as the subject with these details.

Answer:

B. descriptive

Second Question (Narrator's Feelings)