2024 HSC English Advanced Short Answer Solutions
Congratulations on acing the 2024 HSC English Advanced exams! Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off, and we are thrilled to see your success. Now that you’re finished, let’s compare notes and see how you did.
We have provided sample answers to English Advanced short response questions so you can get a head start for next year. These examples are designed to help you identify areas where you can further improve and excel.
Question 1 (3 MARKS)
Text 1 – Nonfiction Extract
This question asks how the author invites the reader to consider the aspects of the human sense of smell
This question has asked: you to consider the complexity of the human sense of smell and explore the different aspects that bring this about.
Your response should:
- Consider how the sense of smell is inherently human, and hence, complex
- Relate this to the emergence of technologies like virtual reality or artificial intelligence, and how they fail to recreate the authentic experiences of smells
Number of examples: Succinctly analyse 2 examples.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
Green’s nonfiction extract invites the reader to consider the complexity of the sense of smell, displaying how aspects of the human experience remain inimitable even with the advancement of technology. The extract begins by identifying smell as a unique, irreproducible sense, “Smell is one of the last realms where virtual reality still feels deeply virtual.” The repetition of ‘virtual’ contrasts the notion of ‘reality’, emphasising the inability of technology to recreate the authentic experience of smells. Green also explores the paradoxical role humans play in enhancing the complexity of smell, as ‘we go to extraordinary lengths to conceal’ the ‘human scent’. The high modality is continued in, “If you had an artificial intelligence… guess the human odor, the AI would be spectacularly wrong,” introducing human perception and manipulation of smell as a contributor to the inability of technology to recreate it. Thus, Green conveys the complexity of the human experience, exemplified through the various aspects that make the sense of smell authentic.
Module vocab that can link: Paradox – smell makes humans unique, yet, we ‘go to extraordinary lengths’ to conceal it, Complexity of human experiences, Collective experiences.
Alternative answers could include:
- The centrality of smell to immersion in experiences
- Paradoxical human tendency to obfuscate aspects of the human experience that set us apart
- Complexity of perception and how it clashes with reality
Question 2 (4 MARKS)
Text 2 – Nonfiction Extract
This question asks students to analyse how the author connects the significance of measurement to the human experience.
This question has asked: You to examine what makes measurement important, and how this is representative of the human experience.
Your response should:
- Consider the multifaceted importance of measurement as established by the author, and define its place within, or relationship to the human experience
- You should draw parallels between measurement and its paradigms to specific aspects of the human condition
Number of examples: Succinctly explore 3 examples.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
Vincent’s nonfiction extract explores the history of measurement as a foundation of society, connecting its significance to the historical and scientific development of the human experience. The use of collective language, “If we could not measure, then we could not observe the world around us; could not experiment and learn,” establishes the practical significance of measurement in human lives as it facilitates a collective understanding of the world around us, which ‘set(s) us apart from the other animals of the plain’, while unifying human society. Vincent summarises its many applications in the hyperbolic metaphor, “Measurement has not only made the world we live in, it has made us too,” conveys a distinct connection between the human experience as we define it and the constancy of measurement. Furthermore, Vincent explores the history of the kilogram, the high modality, “Every weight in the world… could be traced back to this single standard, to the kilogram,” highlighting the origin of measurement and the way in which its integrity has been preserved over time. The italicised ‘the’ augments the author’s incredulous tone, conveying the wonder he feels upon witnessing the significance of this preservation of measurement as a foundation of the human experience. This is summated by the listing, “what an intellectual feast measurement truly is, what a banquet of historical, scientific, and sociological wonder,” as the positive connotations convey the power of measurement and its bearing upon the various facets of the human experience, unifying them and society in its consistency across time. Thus, Vincent explores the significance of measurement and its endurance across time and place, connecting it to the development of the human experience.
Module vocab that can link: Collective experience
Alternative answers could include:
- Establish the various things that ‘make us human’, explore how aspects of society stay constant while others change, existential questioning of the origin of measurement
Question 3 & 4 (5 MARKS)
Text 3 and Text 4 – Prose Fiction Extract and Photograph
This question asked students how the author expands the reader’s understanding of the paradoxes of consumerism.
This question has asked: you to compare and contrast how the two texts present perspectives on an individual’s perception of their surroundings.
Your response should:
- Present each text’s distinct perspective on the relationship between individuals and their surroundings
- Ensure you have a clear structure where you can engage in comparison to highlight key similarities and differences
Number of examples: 4 total – 2 per text.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
Texts 3 and 4 explore the varied ways in which individuals perceive their surroundings, conveying humanity’s complex connection with the natural world. While text 3 portrays human appreciation for the sublime beauty of the natural world, text 4 delves into how technology can become a barrier for humans to engage with their natural surroundings.
The prose fiction extract in Text 3 highlights the wonder and amazement evoked by natural phenomena, evident in the vivid imagery, “sky in front becoming pink and soft, then slightly blue again… sky lingering, lingering, then finally dark.” The run-on sentence as the narrator describes the setting of a sun as it occurs conveys their detailed perception of their surroundings, and their immersion within the natural world. The sense of tranquillity and wonder is underlined by the metaphor, “As though the soul can be quiet for those moments,” as the author conveys how immersing oneself within natural surroundings can be restorative, heightening the appreciation for life.
In stark contrast, the image in Text 4 depicts a chaotic workspace, the foreground consisting of multiple devices and associated wires, which symbolise modern reliance on such technology. The image portrays two distinct surroundings, with the foreground in focus, while the natural setting in the background is blurred. This implies the subject’s obscured perception, as they remain focused on the technology in front of them, hence inhibiting their ability to perceive the finer details and beauty of the natural surroundings. In conjunction with the point-of-view shot, this positions the viewer to consider their own limited perception of their natural surroundings, encouraging critical reflection upon the way reliance on technology impedes our ability to maintain a connection with nature.
Hence, Texts 3 and 4 portray divergent perspectives on an individual’s perception of their surroundings.
Alternative answers could include:
- In Text 3, you could also explore the narrator’s inability to capture the beauty of the sunset even with the amount of detail they have. You can also choose to focus on how the perception of your surroundings can influence your outlook on life
- Similarly, in Text 4, you can explore how the tangled cables and multiple screens represent the overbearing influence of technology on human life, and how this leads to a more chaotic mindset (symbolically)
Question 4 (3 MARKS)
Text 5 – Poem
This question asks students to analyse how the poet represents the relationship between discomfort and joy.
This question has asked: you to consider how an experience can simultaneously evoke discomfort and joy, and how these are connected as emotions in the human experience.
Your response should:
- Explore the duality of the experience of engaging with nature
- You should highlight particular sources of discomfort and joy, and highlight how they are linked together
Number of examples: Succinctly analyse 2 examples.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
Wilson’s poem “Lockley’s Pylon” illustrated a vivid experience of immersing oneself into nature, highlighting how this can evoke both discomfort and joy in an individual. The poem features vivid sensory imagery, “burnt black and/ hung with crystal-beaded spider webs… half swallowed sandstone pull at me…anemonifolia like small yellow fireworks,” creating a distinct eerie atmosphere that allows the reader to experience the persona’s discomfort. Simultaneously, the personification and simile convey their wonder, the focus on minutiae highlighting the sublime wonders of nature. Wilson ends the poem with contrast that epitomises the duality of this experience, “Soaked with rain/ scared, … I am immeasurably happy.” As such, Wilson contends that the discomforts of embarking on the eponymous trail must be endured in order to witness the beauty of the natural surroundings and hence experience the joy; she affirms the complexity of emotions arising from the human experience.
Module vocab that can link: Inconsistency, paradox, individual and collective experiences, emotions arising from human experiences.
Alternative answers could include:
- The way in which humans can clash with natural environments and face tension, the complexity of the natural environment, it is necessary to push boundaries and go out of one’s comfort zone to experience joy
Question 6 (5 MARKS)
Text 6 – Prose fiction extract
This question asks you to assess how the author’s use of language illuminates the dynamics within the family.
This question has asked: you to explore the various facets that create the complex dynamic and relationships in the Brevoort family.
Your response should:
- Explore each member of the Brevoort family to some extent, but can focus on Leopold and Helen to consider the connection they share
Number of examples: 4 examples.
SAMPLE ANSWER:
Diaz’s prose fiction extract from Trust conceptualises the complex dynamics within the Brevoort family, exploring their connection with their community and each other to depict how bonds can be created through shared interests. The Brevoort family’s value for their reputation within society is evident in the high modality, “embodiment of dignity, and Leopold and Catherine Brevoort’s existence revolved… around its upkeep.” Diaz initially portrays this superificiality as a definitive characteristic of the family, exploring how their concern regarding their ‘dignified precariousness’ influences familial relationships. This is evident in the juxtaposition “Mr Brevoot had been too preoccupied with his failing affairs… but now… he delighted in every facet of her personality,” as Diaz emphasises My Brevoort’s shallow nature and how this embeds tension within the Brevoort family dynamic. However, this behaviour is altered as he takes a keen interest in Helen’s studies upon realising her ‘precocious’ abilities, the tricolonic listing, “they contained instructive games, riddles, and puzzles,” conveying the effort Leopold exerts into enhancing Helen’s education. This ultimately becomes the foundation of an intellectual connection between father and daughter, “the first two or three years of Helen’s studies under her father’s tutelage would remain the happiest in her life.” The superlative conveys the joy Leopold and Helen obtain from this connection, suggesting that tension can be overcome by a shared interest or desire, hence affirming the inherent complexity of familial dynamics when encumbered by the pressure to maintain appearances. Thus, Diaz positions the audience to critically analyse the inconsistencies and complexities of Leopold Brevoort, and by extension, the Brevoort family.
Module vocab that can link: Inconsistency, Behaviours and Motivations.
Alternative answers could include:
- Helen and Leopold’s limited connection with Catherine, the pressure Catherine faces to maintain appearances for the Brevoort family, the impact of building close relationships with one’s parents
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