LO: prepare an answer

for an extract question

The Custody of the Pumpkin
Summarise in approx 150 words
Lord Emsworth,spies his younger son Freddie Threepwood kissing a girl. . Enraged, he confronts the young man, who
reveals the girl is named Aggie, and is a "sort of cousin" of Head Gardener Angus McAllister. Emsworth demands that
McAllister send the girl away, but the angered Scotsman hands in his notice.

Whent McAllister has gone, he realises that new gardener, is not up to the job of preparing his precious pumpkin, "The
Hope of Blandings", for the Shrewsbury Show,. Emsworth goes to London to retrieve the man. He runs into Freddie,
who hands him a note and runs off. Emsworth learns from the note that Freddie has married Aggie that morning.

Thinking that son has landed him with the cost of supporting a wife, Emsworth wanders into Kensington Gardens.
There, he picks some tulips, arousing the wrath of a park-keeper. A police officer and crowd gather round, and
Emsworth attempts to defend himself, but nobody believes a genuine Earl would dress so scruffily.

Just in time, Angus McAllister arrives and confirms Emsworth's identity; he is accompanied by Mr Donaldson, who tells
Lord Emsworth that he should support his son. Learning that Donaldson is wealthy man and plans nto give Freddie a
job, Emsworth is delighted, and gives his blessing

Emsworth asks McAllister to come back and he will double his salary. He does, and soon afterwards the pumpkin wins
first prize.
The exam question
How does Wodehouse make this moment in
the story so amusing? (25)

What sort of things are generally considered

‘funny’?
situation
accent
character

anything else?
Two new arrivals had just joined the throng, and, being of rugged and
knobbly physique, had already shoved themselves through to the ringside
seats. One was a tall, handsome, smooth-faced gentleman of authoritative
appearance, who, if he had not worn rimless glasses, would have looked
like a Roman emperor. The other was a shorter, sturdier man with a bristly 5 red beard.

‘McAllister!’ moaned his lordship piteously. ‘McAllister, my dear fellow, do please tell this man who I am.’

After what had passed between himself and his late employer, a lesser man than Angus McAllister might have seen in Lord
Emsworth’s predicament merely a judgement. A man of little magnanimity would have felt that here was where he got a bit of his
own back.

Not so this splendid Glaswegian.

‘Aye,’ he said. ‘Yon’s Lorrud Emsworruth.’
‘Who are you?’ inquired the constable searchingly. 15 ‘I used to be head-gardener at the cassel.’
‘Exactly,’ bleated Lord Emsworth. ‘Precisely. My head-gardener.’
The constable was shaken. Lord Emsworth might not look like an earl,

but there was no getting away from the fact that Angus McAllister was
supremely head-gardeneresque. A staunch admirer of the aristocracy, the 20 constable perceived that zeal had caused him to
make a bit of a bloomer.

In this crisis, however, he comported himself with masterly tact. He scowled blackly upon the interested throng.
Pass along there, please. Pass along,’ he commanded austerely. ‘Ought
to know better than block up a public thoroughfare like this. Pass along!’ 25

He moved off, shepherding the crowd before him. The Roman emperor with the rimless glasses advanced upon Lord Emsworth,
extending a large hand.

‘Pleased to meet you at last,’ he said. ‘My name is Donaldson, Lord

Emsworth.’ 30

‘
‘You’ll excuse us, Angus,’ said Mr Donaldson. ‘High time you and I had a little chat, Lord Emsworth.’
For a moment the name conveyed nothing to his lordship. Then its significance hit him, and he drew himself up with hauteur.

Lord Emsworth was about to speak, when he caught the other’s eye. 35 It was a strong, keen, level grey eye, with a curious
forcefulness about it
that made him feel strangely inferior. There is every reason to suppose
that Mr Donaldson had subscribed for years to those personality courses

advertised in the magazines which guarantee to impart to the pupil who

takes ten correspondence lessons the ability to look the boss in the eye 40 and make him wilt. Mr Donaldson looked Lord
Emsworth in the eye, and
Lord Emsworth wilted.
How do you do?’ he said weakly.

‘Now, listen, Lord Emsworth,’ proceeded Mr Donaldson. ‘No sense in

having hard feelings between members of a family. I take it you’ve heard by 45 this that your boy and my girl have gone ahead
and fixed it up? Personally,
I’m delighted. That boy is a fine young fellow.’

Lord Emsworth blinked.

‘You are speaking of my son Frederick?’ he said incredulously.
Of your son Frederick. Now, at the moment, no doubt, you are feeling 50 a trifle sore. I don’t blame you. You have every right to be
sorer than a gumboil. But you must remember – young blood, eh? It will, I am convinced,
be a lasting grief to that splendid young man’—

‘You are still speaking of my son Frederick?’

‘Of Frederick, yes. It will, I say, be a lasting grief to him if he feels he has 55 incurred your resentment. You must forgive him, Lord
Emsworth. He musthave your support.’

‘I suppose he’ll have to have it, dash it!’ said his lordship unhappily. ‘Can’t let the boy starve.’

Mr Donaldson’s hand swept round in a wide, grand gesture. 60

‘
Don’t you worry about that, I’ll look after that end of it. I am not a rich man’—

‘Ah!’ said Lord Emsworth rather bleakly. There had been something about the largeness of the other’s manner which had led him
to entertain hopes. 65

‘I doubt,’ continued Mr Donaldson frankly, for he was a man who believed in frankness in these matters, ‘if, all told, I have as much
as ten million dollars in the world.’

Lord Emsworth swayed like a sapling in the breeze.

‘Ten million? Ten million? Did you say you had ten million dollars?’ 70
‘Between nine and ten, I suppose. Not more. You must remember,’ said
Mr Donaldson, with a touch of apology, ‘that conditions have changed verymuch in America of late. We have been through a
tough time, a mighty tough time. Many of my friends have been harder hit than I have. But thingsare coming back. Yes, sir, they’re
coming right back. I am a firm believer in 75 President Roosevelt and the New Deal. Under the New Deal, the Americandog is
beginning to eat more biscuits. That, I should have mentioned, is my line. I am Donaldson’s Dog-Biscuits.’

‘Donaldson’s Dog-Biscuits? Indeed? Really? Fancy that!’

‘You have heard of Donaldson’s Dog-Biscuits?’ asked their proprietor 80 eagerly.

‘Never,’ said Lord Emsworth cordially.

How does Wodehouse make
this moment in the story so
amusing?
What’s funny about the situation?

quote:

explanation:

detail:
What’s funny about the accents?
quote:

explanation:

detail:
What’s funny about the characters?

quote:

explanation:

detail:
Understanding of the ways in which writers’ choices of
form, structure and language shape meanings;

● Ability to produce informed independent opinions and

judgements on literary texts;

● Ability to communicate clearly the knowledge,

Band 3 14–17 Competent work

K Evidence of competence in selecting relevant knowledge of the text to address with some pertinent
use of quotation and direct references.

U Evidence of sound understanding of some aspects of ways in which writers’ choices of structure,
form and language shape meanings, with some analysis and appreciation of literary methods, effects,
and contexts.

P Evidence of personal response relevant to the question, supported from the text.
C Expression will be clear and generally accurate. Structure will be sound – material coherently
organised with occasional insights. Candidates will express intelligent, straightforward ideas clearly,
though there may be occasional loss of fluency with points not always stronglyconnected.

In answers to passage-based questions, work will cover both the passage and its relation to the whole
text, and there will be some sense of a relationship between the text as a whole and its constituent
parts. There will be competent appreciation of the effects of the literary features of the text and the
analysis is supported by relevant examples from the passage.
Band 1 22–25 Very good work – do not reserve
this band for the very best work you see but
ensure you put scripts into this band which fulfil
the requirements described below. There will
always be some candidates who are at a
standard over the top of the mark scheme.
K Evidence of a very good ability to select relevant knowledge to address the question with effective
use of references and quotation. There may be evidence of sensitive awareness of the contexts in
which the literary works studied were written and understood.

U Evidence of very good understanding of ways in which writers’ choices of structure, form and
language shape meanings with sustained analysis and sensitive appreciation of literary methods and
effects and contexts, possibly including literary genres and conventions.

P Personal response to texts will be perceptive, often freshly personal, fully supported with quotation,
and may show originality in approach to and treatment of questions.

C Candidates will express complex literary ideas and arguments with clarity and fluency. Answers will
have a coherent structure, with logical progression and effectively linked paragraphs. Expression will
be accomplished and appropriate.

I
In answers to passage-based questions, work will sustain an appropriate
balance between critical appreciation of given extracts, based on detailed
critical analysis, and consideration of the broader textual issues raised by the
questions, and relate part of a text to its whole and vice versa in a seamless
argument. There will be a very good appreciation of the effects of the literary
features of the text, with detailed analysis supported by relevant examples from
the passage and the wider text, where appropriate. There will be a very good
knowledge of the appropriate context of the extract or work.
linking to the rest of the story:
What has gone before to make this even more
amusing?
homework
On paper
Answer the exam question, without using your
notes from today.
45 minutes