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IB English A: Language and Literature

Time and space practice questions.

110 exam-style questions on Time and space with answers and explanations. Six real samples below — the full set is free with an account.

Syllabus

Topics covered

Key terms

Definitions you need

synthetic personalisation (Norman Fairclough's term)
A technique in which a text addresses a mass audience as though speaking to each reader personally, using devices such as 'you' and a friendly tone to create a false sense of individual, one-to-one relationship.
anchorage (image–text relationship)
The way a caption or accompanying text fixes ('anchors') one preferred meaning of an otherwise ambiguous image.
cultural context' as used in textual analysis
The beliefs, values, customs and social practices of the society in which a text is produced or received. Cultural context shapes what a text assumes, what it can say, and how audiences understand it.
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Sample questions

In media analysis, 'framing' refers to

  • only the physical decorative border printed around a photograph or illustration, and nothing else about the content
  • the way a text selects and emphasises certain aspects of an issue to shape how the audience understands it
  • the font used in a headline
  • the length of an article

Answer: the way a text selects and emphasises certain aspects of an issue to shape how the audience understands it

Framing decides which angle is foregrounded; the same event framed as 'protest' or 'riot' invites opposite readings.

Which set correctly lists common purposes of a text?

  • to inform, persuade, entertain, instruct
  • to alphabetise, count, sort, index
  • to translate, encode, compress, encrypt
  • to rhyme, scan, alliterate, pun

Answer: to inform, persuade, entertain, instruct

Identifying purpose (often more than one) is the first analytical step, since it drives a text's language and form.

The choice between a formal and an informal register is mainly determined by

  • purely the length of the individual words and sentences, nothing else
  • the context, purpose and relationship with the audience
  • the colour of the page
  • the number of images

Answer: the context, purpose and relationship with the audience

Register adjusts to situation: a job application demands formality, while a chat message invites the informal.

The difference between a sociolect and a dialect is that a sociolect is tied to

  • a particular geographical region or place
  • a social group, class or profession
  • a historical period only
  • the written language only

Answer: a social group, class or profession

Dialect varies by place; sociolect varies by social grouping such as class, occupation or subculture.

Specialised vocabulary used within a particular profession or field, such as legal or medical terms, is called

  • dialect
  • jargon
  • euphemism
  • connotation

Answer: jargon

Jargon aids precision among insiders but can exclude or confuse a general audience if used without explanation.

A newspaper headline and an accompanying photo caption function together mainly to

  • list every source the journalist consulted for the article
  • grab attention and steer how the reader interprets the story and image
  • give a neutral and complete summary of every fact in the story
  • tell the whole story so readers need not read the article

Answer: grab attention and steer how the reader interprets the story and image

Headlines hook and frame; captions anchor an image's meaning, so both shape reading before the article begins.

That was 6 of 110 Time and space questions.

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110 Time and space questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.

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