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Imagery and Symbol List

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Imagery and Symbol List

Read the original scene below, then answer each question. Imagery uses sensory details to help a reader imagine an experience. A symbol is an object, place or detail that suggests an idea beyond its literal meaning. Use evidence from the scene in your explanations.

The last patrol

The afternoon sky pressed low over the beach, bruised purple at the edges. At the surf lifesaving club, Layla rolled the red-and-yellow flags into a tight bundle while Xavier checked the empty stretch of sand. The wind worried at the clubhouse door, rattling it in its frame. “Wait,” said Jarrah. Beyond the break, a small orange buoy rose and vanished between the swells. The sea was a restless animal, shouldering the shore again and again. Jarrah’s stomach tightened, but his voice stayed steady as he called the patrol captain. The team launched their rescue board. Cold spray stung Layla’s cheeks; the buoy’s bright colour blinked through the grey water. They found a swimmer clinging to it and guided them safely back. By the time everyone stood on the sand, the clouds had begun to split. A strip of sunlight touched the flags in Layla’s arms, turning their red and yellow brighter than before. “Pack-up can wait,” Xavier said, and the three of them carried the board together.

Read the clues

Use the scene for evidence in Questions 1–8.

1.Which phrase most clearly appeals to the sense of touch, and what sensation does it create for the reader?

2.In “The sea was a restless animal”, which technique is used? Choose the best answer.

A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Alliteration
D. Onomatopoeia

3.How does the description of the sky as “bruised purple” shape the mood at the start? Support your answer with one detail from the scene.

4.The orange buoy is a real object in the scene. Explain one idea it could symbolise as it appears and disappears in the waves.

5.At the end, sunlight makes the flags “brighter than before”. What change in mood or meaning does this suggest?

6.The phrase “the wind worried at the clubhouse door” gives the wind a human-like action.

TrueFalse

7.Match each detail from the scene to the effect it most strongly creates.

“rattling it in its frame”
“Cold spray stung Layla’s cheeks”
“A strip of sunlight touched the flags”

A sharp physical sensation that makes the rescue vivid
A hopeful image after the danger
An unsettling sound that builds tension

8.Choose either the flags or the rescue board as a possible symbol. Explain what it represents and use one moment from the scene as evidence.

Invent a small object that could symbolise teamwork in this scene. Draw it and add a label explaining your choice.

9.Compare the stormy conditions at the start of the scene with the weather at the end. Name one detail from each part and explain how the change communicates hope.