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WorksheetYear 12Level 3 · Challenge

Free Year 12 Language Analysis: A Feature Article on Boredom Worksheet

Students analyse how an original feature article, 'In Praise of the Empty Afternoon', uses tone, structure, persuasive techniques and figurative language to position readers to value boredom. They identify the contention and shifts in tone, explain the effect of anecdote, rhetorical questions, anaphora, concession and extended metaphor on the audience, then study a model language analysis before writing their own. Model answers and a rubric are included.

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Year
Year 12
Subject
English
Topic
Text Analysis & Essays
Difficulty
Level 3 · Challenge
Estimated time
50 minutes
Curriculum
New Zealand Curriculum
Questions
15
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practise

  • identifying a writer's contention, audience and purpose
  • tracking shifts in tone across a persuasive text
  • analysing how structure builds an argument
  • explaining how persuasive and figurative language position readers
  • writing a language analysis that links technique, effect and audience

Curriculum: New Zealand Curriculum. We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Language Analysis: A Feature Article on Boredom

Ready for more? Move on to Year 13 English.

Study guide

How to use this worksheet

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this worksheet for?

Year 12 students (typically ages 16–17) working on text analysis & essays. It is pitched at level 3 · challenge.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 50 minutes for 15 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Explore more Year 12 english resources.

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Success TutoringWorksheetsYear 12 · English · Text Analysis & Essays

Language Analysis: A Feature Article on Boredom

Name

Date

Score /

In language analysis, the formula is always technique + quotation + effect on the reader. Track the argument as it develops, not just a list of techniques.

Part A: Contention, tone and technique

Circle the best answer.

1.Which statement best sums up the writer's contention?
  1. APhones should be banned for young people.
  2. BWe should deliberately make room for boredom because it encourages original thinking and noticing.
  3. CLong car trips are the best part of childhood.
  4. DBoredom is a serious problem that technology has solved.
2.The tone of paragraph 1 is best described as:
  1. Aangry and accusing
  2. Bnostalgic and gently humorous
  3. Cformal and scientific
  4. Danxious and urgent
3.'Boredom, it seems, is becoming an endangered species' is an example of:
  1. Aa rhetorical question
  2. Bmetaphor
  3. Calliteration
  4. Dan imperative
4.The repeated 'We lose ... We lose ... We lose' in paragraph 4 is an example of:
  1. Aanaphora
  2. Bonomatopoeia
  3. Ca simile
  4. Dan anecdote
5.What is the main function of paragraph 5 in the structure of the argument?
  1. ATo introduce a new anecdote
  2. BTo concede a point to the other side and then rebut it
  3. CTo give statistical evidence
  4. DTo change the topic
6.How does the tone change in the final paragraph?
  1. AIt becomes bitter and sarcastic
  2. BIt becomes encouraging and quietly urgent, speaking directly to readers
  3. CIt becomes neutral and factual
  4. DIt becomes confused and uncertain

Part B: How the language positions readers

Answer in full sentences. Always explain the effect on the reader, not just the technique.

7.Why does the writer open with a personal anecdote rather than with the argument? Explain the effect on readers.[3 marks] (answer space)
8.Paragraph 3 asks two rhetorical questions and then answers 'Not necessarily.' How does this sequence position readers?[2 marks] (answer space)
9.How is the research reference in paragraph 3 worded, and why is this careful wording effective?[2 marks] (answer space)
10.Explain the metaphor 'Boredom is not an empty room. It is a waiting room, and what waits there is often an idea.'[3 marks] (answer space)
11.Analyse the effect of the list in paragraph 4: 'the shape of a cloud, the expression on a stranger's face, the sound of rain changing as it grows heavier.'[3 marks] (answer space)
12.How does the final metaphor of the article ('It is a door. We should stop locking it.') connect to earlier images and conclude the argument?[3 marks] (answer space)
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Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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Created by
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Last reviewed
1 October 2026
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