Blood Brothers - Form, structure and language test questions - CCEA - GCSE English Literature Revision

1

Read this extract and then answer the following questions.

MRS JOHNSTONE

What will I do? How are we gonna live without my job?

MRS LYONS

Yes, well we’ve thought of that. Here, here’s... (She pushes the money into MRS JOHNSTONE’s hands.) It’s a lot of money... but, well...

MRS JOHNSTONE

(thinking, desperate; trying to get it together.) OK. All right. All right, Mrs Lyons, right. If I’m goin’, I’m takin’ my son with me, I’m takin’...

(As MRS JOHNSTONE moves towards the cot, MRS LYONS roughly drags her out of the way.)

MRS LYONS

Oh no, you’re not. Edward is my son. Mine.

MRS JOHNSTONE

I’ll tell someone... I’ll tell the police... I’ll bring the police in an’...

MRS LYONS

No... no you won’t. You gave your baby away. Don’t you realise what a crime that is? You’ll be locked up. You sold your baby.

(MRS JOHNSTONE, horrified, sees the bundle of notes in her hand, and throws it across the room.)

MRS JOHNSTONE

I didn’t... You told me, you said I could see him every day. Well, I’ll tell someone, I’m gonna tell...

(MRS JOHNSTONE starts to leave but MRS LYONS stops her.)

MRS LYONS

No. You’ll tell nobody.

(Music)

Because... because if you tell anyone... and these children learn of the truth, then you know what will happen, don’t you? You do know what they say about twins, secretly parted, don’t you?

MRS JOHNSTONE

(terrified) What? What?

MRS LYONS

They... they say that if either twin learns that he once was a pair, they shall both immediately die. It means, Mrs Johnstone, that these brothers shall grow up unaware of the other’s existence. They shall be raised apart and never, ever told what was once the truth. You won’t tell anyone about this, Mrs Johnstone, because if you do, you will kill them.

(MRS LYONS picks up the money and thrusts it into MRS JOHNSTONE’s hands. MRS LYONS turns and walks away.)

What do the stage directions reveal about Mrs Johnstone here?

She is angry

She is frightened by Mrs Lyons’ threats

She is happy not to have to work anymore

2

What do the pauses in Mrs Johnstone’s speech suggest about her state of mind?

She is panicking

She is relaxed

She is crying

3

What do the stage directions suggest about the relationship between Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons?

They are getting on well

Mrs Johnstone is upsetting Mrs Lyons unnecessarily

Mrs Lyons is intimidating Mrs Johnstone

4

What do the differences between Mrs Johnstone’s way of speaking and Mrs Lyons’ way of speaking remind the audience of?

That Mrs Lyons has a husband and Mrs Johnstone’s has left her

Their different social classes and therefore differing amounts of power

That there is an age difference between the women

5

What does Mrs Lyons' line Oh no, you’re not. Edward is my son. Mine. suggest about her character at this point in the scene?

She is desperate to ensure that Mrs Johnstone does not take Edward away from her

She is sad that Edward isn’t really her son

She is very unhappy with the quality of Mrs Johnstone’s work

6

Read this extract and then answer the following questions.

(We see MRS JOHNSTONE hustling MICKEY to school.)

MRS JOHNSTONE

You’re gonna be late y’ know. Y’ late already.

MICKEY

I’m not.

MRS JOHNSTONE

You’re gonna miss the bus.

MICKEY

I won’t.

MRS JOHNSTONE

Well, you’ll miss Linda, she’ll be waitin’ for y’.

MICKEY

Well, I don’t wanna see her. What do I wanna see her for?

MRS JOHNSTONE

(laughing at his transparency) You’ve only been talkin’ about her in your sleep for the past week...

MICKEY

(outraged) You liar...

MRS JOHNSTONE

‘Oh, my sweet darling...’

MICKEY

I never. That was – a line out the school play!

MRS JOHNSTONE

(her laughter turning to a smile) All right. I believe y’. Now go before you miss the bus. Are y’ goin’?

(We see LINDA at the bus stop.)

LINDA

Hi-ya, Mickey.

MRS JOHNSTONE

Ogh, did I forget? Is that what you’re waitin’ for? Y’ waiting’ for y’ mum to give y’ a big sloppy kiss, come here...

MICKEY

I’m goin’, I’m goin’...

(SAMMY runs through the house, pulling on a jacket as he does so.)

SAMMY

Wait for me, YOU.

MRS JOHNSTONE

Where you goin’ Sammy?

SAMMY

(on his way out) The dole.

(MICKEY and SAMMY exit.)

(MRS JOHNSTONE stands watching them as they approach the bus stop. She smiles at MICKEY’s failure to cope with LINDA’s smile of welcome. The ‘bus’ appears, with the NARRATOR as the conductor.)

CONDUCTOR

Come on, if y’ gettin’ on. We’ve not got all day.

(SAMMY, MICKEY and LINDA get on the ‘bus’.)

MRS JOHNSTONE

(calling to her kids) Tarrah, lads. Be good, both of y’ now. I’ll cook a nice surprise for y’ tea.

CONDUCTOR

(noticing her as he goes to ring the bell) Gettin’ on, Missis?

(MRS JOHNSTONE shakes her head, still smiling.)

CONDUCTOR

(speaking) Happy are y’? Content at last?

Wiped out what happened, forgotten the past?

(She looks at him, puzzled.)

But you’ve got to have an endin’, if a start’s been made.

No one gets off without the price bein’ paid.

How does Mickey feel at the start of this extract?

Annoyed and embarrassed by his mother

Angry with Linda

Jealous of Sammy

7

What do the stage directions suggest about the type of mother Mrs Johnstone is?

Cold and detached

Warm and loving

Nervous and uncertain

8

What impression is given of the character of Sammy in this extract?

He is friendly

He is upset

He is bad-tempered

9

What does Mrs Johnstone’s Tarrah, lads. Be good, both of y’ now. I’ll cook a nice surprise for y’ tea. suggest about how her life has changed in Act Two compared to Act One?

She is more worried about Sammy

She is happier and more comfortable in the second act

She is unhappy with the move to the countryside

10

What does the Narrator’s metaphor No one gets off without the price bein’ paid mean?

Mrs Johnstone can’t get on the bus because she doesn’t have any money

The Narrator does not want any customers to get off the bus

There is inevitably going to be a consequence for the twins being split up