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GCSE English10 questions

GCSE English Language practice questions

Ten quick questions on the language and structure skills tested in GCSE English Language: language techniques, sentence types, word classes, punctuation and viewpoint. Use them to check the terms you will need in Paper 1 and Paper 2.

Original questions written by Studoli tutors in the style of the GCSE exam. They are not official past questions.

  1. Topic: Language techniques

    1. "The wind whispered through the trees." Which technique is used?

    Solution

    B. Personification

    • Whispering is a human action given to the wind.
    • Giving human qualities to something non-human is personification.

  2. Topic: Sentence types

    2. Which of these is a complex sentence?

    Solution

    C. Although it was raining, we went out.

    • A complex sentence has a main clause and at least one subordinate clause.
    • "Although it was raining" cannot stand alone, so it is a subordinate clause.

  3. Topic: Word classes

    3. In "She ran quickly to the station", which word is an adverb?

    Solution

    C. quickly

    • An adverb describes a verb.
    • "Quickly" tells us how she ran.

  4. Topic: Language techniques

    4. "Crash! The plate hit the floor." The word "Crash" is an example of

    Solution

    A. onomatopoeia

    • Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound it describes.

  5. Topic: Punctuation

    5. Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly?

    Solution

    B. The dog wagged its tail.

    • "Its" without an apostrophe shows possession.
    • "It's" always means "it is" or "it has".

  6. Topic: Narrative voice

    6. A text written using "I" and "we" is written in the

    Solution

    A. first person

    • First person uses I and we.
    • Second person uses you; third person uses he, she, they.

  7. Topic: Persuasive techniques

    7. "Do we really want our children to grow up like this?" Which technique is this?

    Solution

    B. Rhetorical question

    • A rhetorical question is asked for effect, not to get an answer.
    • It makes the reader think and agree with the writer.

  8. Topic: Viewpoint

    8. In GCSE English Language Paper 2, the writer's viewpoint means

    Solution

    B. the writer's opinion or attitude on the topic

    • Viewpoint is what the writer thinks or feels about the subject.
    • Questions often ask you to compare the viewpoints of two writers.

  9. Topic: Language techniques

    9. "The classroom was a zoo." This is an example of

    Solution

    B. a metaphor

    • The classroom is described as being a zoo, without like or as.
    • That makes it a metaphor; a simile would say "like a zoo".

  10. Topic: Punctuation

    10. Which sentence uses a semicolon correctly?

    Solution

    B. I love reading; my brother prefers films.

    • A semicolon joins two closely related main clauses.
    • Both "I love reading" and "my brother prefers films" could stand alone as sentences.
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