🧾 NCEA Level 1 Unfamiliar Text Practice (20 Marks)
A Tour with Historical Faces
READING PASSAGE
Many real-life historical incidents — such as tragic executions, murders and stories of body snatchers — happened in Edinburgh’s Old Town, some of them so eerie and chilling that they inspired legends of paranormal happenings.
Legends of witchcraft, plague victims, the dead and the ghostly have become an interesting and atmospheric part of the folklore of the Old Town. Some of the city’s darker characters simply cannot be left off the storytelling of Halloween.
The ghost tour is one of two forms. The most common one has a strong focus on the realistic historical background of these events. The history-based tour takes visitors to the old graveyards, ancient closes and buildings — objects of interest as well as places that were once the last resting places of many of the city’s dead. As you walk through the narrow streets of the Old Town, you also learn of how real life unfolded in an earlier Edinburgh.
The storytelling often brings to light the causes of the old wow where people lived in the past. The overcrowded, tall, and dirty Edinburgh buildings and many underground closes (narrow streets) of the Old Town in earlier times made living here challenging. The Nor’ Loch, a stretch of brown waste, was once the city’s water supply but also became its sewer.
Some local ghost tour companies put on a complete theatrical show. The tour is led by a deceased character or ghost, bringing the darker side of Edinburgh to life. The storyline that makes Edinburgh so famous is that which inspired Robert Louis Stevenson.
The character of the deceased tour guide is also used on Lothian Buses to advertise their Night Bus service — When dawn breaks, I catch the Night Bus home, so be sure to pay special attention to the words Jekyll and Hyde.
An added attraction of these ghost walks are the tour’s jumper-ooters. A jumper-ooter is someone dressed as a ghost who jumps out at everyone by jumping out at them at appropriate moments, dressed as ghosts, ghouls and other creatures of the supernatural. At night, this can become very scary, and the Old Town is known for its occasional screams.
✏️ Comprehension Questions (20 marks total)
1️⃣ (2 marks) Quote two words around “paranormal” which help to show what it might mean.
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2️⃣ (2 marks) Why has the writer made the first sentence of paragraph three a short one?
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3️⃣ (2 marks) Why do you think the writer has trusted you in “...you also learn...”?
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4️⃣ (2 marks) In your own words, describe the cause of the old wow where people lived in the past.
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5️⃣ (2 marks) From the second sentence, quote two words which describe the Nor’ Loch. In each case say why the writer has chosen the word.
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6️⃣ (2 marks) What made Deacon Brodie particularly notorious?
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7️⃣ (2 marks) Explain why quotation marks are used here: “Jekyll and Hyde.”
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8️⃣ (2 marks) What style of language is the writer using when he writes: “...so be sure”? Why does he choose to do so?
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9️⃣ (2 marks) What sort of spooky being is the bus company implying also takes the Night Bus home?
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🔟 (2 marks) What are “jumper-ooters” and which language is being used in that expression?
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✅ Model Answers (Full 20 Marks)
1️⃣ “Ghostly tales” and “legends” — these show that “paranormal” means supernatural or linked to ghosts. ✅ (2 marks)
2️⃣ The short sentence, “The second form is the history-based tour,” gives emphasis and contrasts the two types of tours. ✅ (2 marks)
3️⃣ The writer uses “you” to involve the reader directly, making them feel part of the experience and the learning. ✅ (2 marks)
4️⃣ People lived in overcrowded, narrow buildings with poor hygiene and waste problems, making life unhealthy. ✅ (2 marks)
5️⃣ “Stretch of brown waste” — shows pollution.
“Stench” — emphasises the terrible smell and bad conditions. ✅ (2 marks)
6️⃣ Deacon Brodie was a respectable tradesman by day but a burglar by night, inspiring Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. ✅ (2 marks)
7️⃣ Quotation marks show that “Jekyll and Hyde” is the title of a famous story by Robert Louis Stevenson. They signal that it’s not the writer’s own words but the name of a text. ✅ (2 marks, corrected)
8️⃣ The writer uses a direct, conversational or imperative style to engage the reader personally and create a lively tone. ✅ (2 marks)
9️⃣ The bus company jokingly suggests that ghosts or supernatural beings also ride the Night Bus. ✅ (2 marks)
🔟 “Jumper-ooters” are actors who jump out dressed as ghosts to scare tourists. The expression is Scottish dialect. ✅ (2 marks)
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💯 TOTAL: 20 / 20