Types of Questions: Analysis (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes
Types of Questions: Analysis
What are analysis questions?
Analysis questions ask you to examine how writers use language to create specific effects. When a question asks you to 'analyse how' the writer conveys information or to 'refer to X features of the writer's use of language', you need to identify and comment on specific examples of language from the passage. These questions focus on how effects are created, not on explaining meaning.
The key distinction: analysis questions want you to explain how the writer creates an effect, not what the passage means. You're examining the writer's techniques and their impact on readers.
How language analysis works
Writers manipulate language to create certain effects on readers. Your answer must pinpoint the techniques employed and discuss how they influence readers. The question may specify a particular technique, or it may ask about language more broadly.
Language techniques typically fall under four broad headings:
- word choice
- imagery
- structure/punctuation
- tone
The three-part analysis process
All analysis follows the same basic structure. Master this three-part process and you'll have a framework for tackling any analysis question:
1. Locate
Quote specific words or phrases from the text. For example:
"bible black ... pale as death ..."
"alive, she was worshipped; dead, she was demonised ..."
2. Identify
Name the technique the writer is using. This might be metaphor, simile, balanced sentence structure, or another device. The question may already specify which technique to discuss, in which case you move straight to explanation.
3. Explain
Explain in your own words how this specific use of language works on the reader. What effect does it create? Your explanation will depend on the category of language you are discussing.
Each category of language follows this three-part process, though each has particular requirements.
Analyzing word choice
Understanding connotations and denotations
Words carry more than dictionary definitions. They have associations or connotations built into them. Denotation refers to the dictionary definition of a word, while connotation refers to the ideas and feelings the word suggests beyond its literal meaning. Nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs usually carry these additional layers of meaning.
Comparing Two Words with Different Connotations
Consider these two verbs, both related to asking someone to do something:
To demand: This word suggests pressure being applied. The speaker appears to believe they are in a position of strength or authority.
To plead: This word suggests weakness. The speaker is begging, not commanding. They appear to lack power in the situation.
Both words refer to asking, but their connotations create very different impressions.
How to analyze word choice
When a question asks about language and you notice words with interesting connotations, word choice analysis should form part of your answer. Remember that 'language' may also include imagery or sentence structure.
Use this process:
Locate: Highlight non-neutral words or expressions that stand out in the text.
Identify: Note that you are commenting on word choice (unless the question has already specified this).
Explain: Explore the connotations the word has and explain why it is effective in context. You might contrast the chosen word with a more neutral term to sharpen the difference.
Example analysis structure
Word Choice Analysis for Full Marks
Here is an example of analyzing word choice that would earn full marks:
"'bloke': the colloquial term for a young man suggests Jamie is no-one special. 'bloke' rather than 'young man' suggests he is just one of the lads."
This answer locates the word in inverted commas, then explains the connotations by contrasting it with a neutral alternative and showing what effect this creates.
Writing your answer
You do not need to write in full sentences when answering analysis questions. You can present your answer in this format:
"[word]": [explanation of connotations and effect in context]
This efficient structure saves time and keeps your analysis focused.
Analyzing imagery
What is imagery?
Like word choice, imagery creates vivid pictures and associations in readers' minds. When a question asks about the writer's 'language', imagery is one technique you should consider.
Imagery falls under the umbrella term 'figurative language'. Understanding the various figurative language devices and how writers apply them is essential for tackling questions throughout the course.
Types of imagery
There are two broad categories: devices that create visual images and devices that create aural (sound) images.
Visual imagery devices
Simile: A comparison between two items using 'like' or 'as'. For example: "He's like a dog with a bone." Similes add visual emphasis and impact to descriptions.
Metaphor: A comparison where one item becomes the other, without using 'like' or 'as'. For example: "You're an angel." Metaphors create more direct, powerful comparisons than similes.
Personification: A form of comparison where an inanimate object (something without life) is spoken of as if it were human and alive. For example: "And moonbeams kiss the sea." This makes abstract or non-human things more relatable and vivid.
Hyperbole: An exaggerated image used to create a certain effect, often humorous, or to emphasize something. For example: "The list goes on for miles" or "He never fails to get lost."
Aural imagery devices
Alliteration: The repetition of a particular consonant or consonant sound at the beginning of a group of words to create a certain sound effect. For example:
- "Cold clay clads his coffin." The harsh sound of the letter 'c' matches the grimness of the description.
- "Soft sighing of the southern seas." The soft 's' sounds mimic the gentleness of the water's sound.
Assonance: The repetition of similar-sounding vowels in words close to each other, used to create a certain aural effect. For example: "And murmuring of innumerable bees."
Onomatopoeia: Words where the sound mimics the meaning. For example: clink, fizz, rip, honk, boom, purr all suggest their meaning through their sound.
Enjambment: In poetry, this is the running-on of one line into another or into several others. This technique can create a conversational feel or suggest urgency by speeding up the pace. It also creates suspense because the reader must wait until the end of the line, couplet or stanza for the key point to be made.
How to analyze imagery
The three-part process applies to imagery analysis:
Locate: Quote relevant words or phrases from the text. For example: "eyes like marbles ..."
Identify: Name the device at work (simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, etc.) unless the question has already identified it.
Explain: Explain how the imagery helps convey the writer's intention to the reader.
Analyzing comparisons
When analyzing similes, metaphors and personification (which all make comparisons between two items), you need to think about what the items have in common before commenting on effectiveness.
The Comparison Formula
A useful formula for explaining comparisons is:
"Just as X is Y, so, too, is Z"
For example: an icicle is cold and hard, a lion is bold, a warm bath is comforting.
Complete Comparison Analysis
Here is a complete example using the formula:
"Just as an icicle is hard and cold, so, too, was their aunt's smile in that it was similarly brittle and lacking warmth."
This explanation identifies the shared qualities (hard, cold, brittle, lacking warmth) and shows how these qualities transfer from the icicle to the smile, creating a vivid impression of the aunt's unfriendly manner.
Key Points to Remember:
- Analysis questions require you to explain how effects are created, not what they mean
- Always follow the three-part process: locate, identify, explain
- Word choice analysis explores connotations beyond dictionary definitions
- Imagery includes both visual devices (comparisons) and aural devices (sound effects)
- When analyzing comparisons, explain what the two items have in common using: "Just as X is Y, so, too, is Z"
- You do not need to write in full sentences when answering analysis questions