13+ Comprehension: Winchester College, Prose Practice Papers & In-Depth Guided Answers

Are you seeking the perfect exam preparation material for Winchester College's 13+ entrance exams?

This essential resource includes four bespoke comprehension papers designed to mirror the school's unique exam style. Accompanied by model answers and thorough explanations, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the skills necessary to excel in these critical assessments.

Accolade Press equips students with the tools and strategies required to secure top marks in the competitive environment of Winchester College's 13+ exams. Accolade Press ensures students have every tool at their disposal to emulate these point-scoring techniques and tactics.

• Four comprehension papers crafted to reflect the distinctive style of Winchester College, ensuring thorough preparation for exams in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
• A diverse range of extracts to ensure a range of skills are tested.
• Comprehensive model answers provided for every question, frequently accompanied by alternative solutions to illustrate how students can achieve high marks through various approaches.
• Detailed explanations accompany each model answer, not only clarifying how the responses fulfil examiners' expectations but also guiding students through complex concepts and vocabulary found in the answers.
• Authored by a skilled tutor with an exceptional history of success in 13+ admissions.

Sample Extract:

Paper One

This passage takes place in a near-future where our protagonist, Dave, works as a living statue at a theme park. As weeks go by, strange things occur leaving him in deep worry about his ability to move.

* * *

Standing on a pedestal in the heart of the Fun-tropolis theme park, Dave the Dutiful happily performed his role as a living statue, delighting visitors with his lifelike stoniness. For nine hours a day, six days a week, Dave shivered and shook off the mundanity of his existence as he metamorphosed into a monument for onlookers to admire. Initially, he revelled in the challenge, dedicating himself wholly to the pursuit of trompe-l'œil perfection, as if turning to real stone one polished muscle at a time. Yet something had changed.

Each day, Dave noticed it was increasingly difficult for him to break his rigid stillness at the end of his shift, as if an unseen force was holding him captive in his stony form. Alarmed, he consulted a doctor.

"Dave, it's all in your head," Dr. Jenkins assured him after a comprehensive examination. "You're a perfectly healthy man. You just need to learn to relax when you're off the clock."

If only it were that simple. That night, he lay in bed, body stiff with unease as his arms and legs grew increasingly heavy, overtaken by paralysis but for the shallow rise and fall of his chest. As panic set in, a cascade of peculiar thoughts tumbled through his teeming brain. What if his compulsion to remain a stone figure was melding with his physical being? What if, one day, he couldn't move at all?

At work, Dave began to resent the delighted gasps of park visitors. His skin prickled with shame as he wondered if the genuine amazement they reserved for "The Stone Man" was deserved; was he still acting, or was his body betraying him? He slid further into the abyss of his thoughts, burdened by the weight of their implications.

Then came the day Dave awoke to find himself unable to move at all. He lay, encased in the prison of his own skin, trapped between the realms of living statue and man. Each futile effort to move sent shockwaves of pain through his increasingly petrified form. He was, in fact, that which he had feared most: the Stone Man, stuck in a living nightmare, his cries for help muffled by lips that would no longer obey his command.

It was Betsy, his Friendly Neighborhood SuperAssistant™, who alerted the authorities to his crisis. "Dave has not reported for work, and my sensors indicate he's in critical condition," she diplomatically informed the emergency responders. Soon, a team burst into his apartment, armed with little more than their convictions and the desperate hope that it wasn't too late. 

The clock was ticking. With each passing moment, the weight in the room amplified. His  fate hung in the balance, suspended between life and the immovable stone.

Extract from 'Fun-tropolis: The Stone Man's Lament' by George Stonebrooke

Questions

1. How many hours a day did Dave the Dutiful work as a living statue? [1]

2. What aspect of Dave's life is mentioned as changing over time in the passage? [1] 

3. What do the following words mean in the context of their appearance in the extract:

4. In this passage, the line 'As if turning to real stone one polished muscle at a time' is an example of a simile. What effect does this simile have on the reader? [3] 

5. Find an example of a metaphor in the passage. [2]

6. Analyse the following quote from the passage: "His fate hung in the balance, suspended between life and the immovable stone." Why do you think the author chose to use this phrase, and what effect does it have on building tension in the story? Use evidence from the extract to support your answer. [5] 

7. Using quotations from the extract and discussing George Stonebrooke's use of language, explore how the author creates a vivid picture of Dave's struggle between maintaining his persona as a living statue and his own personal fears. Avoid using quotations you have already used in your answer to question 6. [10]

Model Answers

1. How many hours a day did Dave the Dutiful work as a living statue? [1]

Dave the Dutiful worked as a living statue for nine hours a day. 

2. What aspect of Dave's life is mentioned as changing over time in the passage? [1]

The aspect of Dave's life mentioned as changing over time is the increasing difficulty in breaking his rigid stillness after his shifts.

3. What do the following words mean in the context of their appearance in the extract:

a. Trompe-l'œil [2]

'Trompe-l'œil' is a French term that means an art technique that creates the optical illusion of a real object. In this context, it refers to Dave's dedication to make himself appear like a real stone statue.

b. Compulsion [2]

'Compulsion' refers to a strong, irresistible urge or force to do something. Here, it implies that Dave's dedication to being a living statue was becoming a powerful, uncontrollable urge.

c. Petrified [2]

'Petrified' literally means to be turned into stone, but it can also mean being extremely frightened or terrified. In this context, it refers to Dave's body becoming increasingly unresponsive and rigid, as if turning to stone.

d. Diplomatically [2]

'Diplomatically' means tactfully or sensitively, showing skill in dealing with delicate situations. In this context, it describes how Betsy, the SuperAssistant™, informed the emergency responders about Dave's critical condition without causing alarm or panic.

4. In this passage, the line 'As if turning to real stone one polished muscle at a time' is an example of a simile. What effect does this simile have on the reader? [3]

The simile 'as if turning to real stone one polished muscle at a time' creates a vivid image of Dave's incredible dedication to his role as a living statue. The gradual transformation suggests an extreme level of discipline and control but also foreshadows the impending consequences of his obsession. It allows the reader to imagine the physicality of his performance and highlights the boundary between his human form and the lifeless stone character he plays, helping to build tension and anticipation as the reader questions the impact of these actions on Dave's well-being.

End of Sample