2
Read this passage from ‘Why the Whales Came’ by Michael Morpurgo and then
answer the questions.
“We mustn’t talk to him. We’re not supposed to.”
Gracie and Daniel have been warned to stay away from the Birdman.
Dragging Daniel behind me I ran for the door which opened in front of us just as we
reached it. Prince [the Birdman’s dog] was suddenly around our legs, jumping up at
us and shaking himself all over us; and blotting out the light from the doorway was
the black, hooded silhouette of the Birdman with a kittiwake [bird] perched on his
shoulder. Above him I could see the sky was white with screeching gulls. Daniel
and I backed away towards the stove knocking over a chair as we went. Prince
followed us sniffing at the bread in Daniel’s hand.
‘Hungry, were you?’ came the voice from inside the sou’wester [waterproof hat].
‘Plenty of bread, always make plenty of bread. Bake one a day. Always have
plenty in reserve in case I get ill. I keep the freshest till last, on the top shelf – you
can have some of that if you like.’ The kittiwake lifted off his shoulder and landed
clumsily amongst the carvings on the table, knocking one of them over. He hopped
on one leg; the other seemed curled up and stunted and he would not use it. The
Birdman shut the door behind him, pulled off his sou’wester and shook it dry.
‘Bit of a bluster out there I can tell you,’ he said. The words he spoke were
unformed and unfinished. They seemed yawned out rather than spoken and then
thrown out from the top of his mouth. He heaved his black cape off his shoulders
wincing as he did so, folded it and laid it carefully on the floor. All his movements
were painfully slow and stiff. He whistled sharply and Prince left us at once and sat
down on the cape, looking from the Birdman to us and back again as if waiting for
someone to say something, but no-one said a word.
We must have spent a full minute looking at each other. The old man I saw in front
of me was not at all as I had expected him to be. All my life I had thought he would
have a predatory look of an ancient crow under the shadow of his sou’wester. I
could hardly have been more wrong. Only the tired stoop of his body and the loose,
mottled skin of his forearm betrayed his age. His face was the colour of a well-worn
polished brown boot. The skin was creased but still young and supple – not that
you could see much of his face for it was almost entirely hidden by a head and
beard of wild white hair. But it was his eyes that marked him out from any other
man I had ever seen, for they drew you into them somehow so that you could not
look away even if you wanted to.
‘So, at last we meet,’ he said, breaking the long silence. ‘I’m glad you came. I was
afraid you never would you know.
Now answer the questions in the answer booklet.
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Section A: Reading For
Examiner's
Use
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read the passage from ‘Why the Whales Came’ by Michael Morpurgo in the
INSERT and then answer these questions.
1 Read these statements about the Birdman, a character from ‘Why the Whales
Came’.
Tick () two boxes that we know are TRUE from the passage.
He had a beard of wild white hair.
He stood upright and tall.
He wore a checked hat.
His black hair covered his face.
His forearm had loose mottled skin.
[2]
2 Which of the Birdman’s features was particularly remarkable?
[1]
3 The Birdman said he always made plenty of bread. Why was this?
[1]
4 When the kittiwake flew from the Birdman’s shoulder and landed on the table,
it hopped on one leg. Why?
[1]
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5 Was the Birdman angry to find the children in his home? For
Examiner's
Tick () one box. Use
Yes
No
Give a reason from the passage to support your answer.
[1]
6 Birds, like the kittiwake on the Birdman’s shoulder at the beginning, usually
fly away from humans.
What does this tell you about the Birdman?
[1]
7 Do you feel sorry for the Birdman?
Tick () one box.
Yes
No
Explanation
Words and phrases from the passage to support your explanation.
[2]
8 Why did the children back away when the door opened?
[1]
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9 What do you think the weather was like outside when the Birdman arrived? For
Examiner's
Use
Select evidence from the passage to support your answer.
[2]
10 Who is the point of view character in this story?
Explain how you know.
[2]
11 The sentence below is part of the description of the point of view character’s
original feelings about the Birdman.
Look at the underlined phrase.
All my life I had thought he would have a predatory look of an
ancient crow under the shadow of his sou’wester.
(a) Tick () one box to say what technique is being used here.
alliteration
imagery
metaphor
simile
personification
[1]
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(b) Explain what you think the underlined phrase means. For
Examiner's
Use
[2]
12 (a) The passage is a short extract from the book, ‘Why the Whales Came’.
From the evidence in this extract, which genre do you think the story is?
Tick () the correct answer.
biography
legend
real life story
science fiction
traditional tale
[1]
(b) Name two general features of the genre you chose for 12 (a).
1
2 [2]
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