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Comprehension ExerciseYear 13Level 3 · Challenge

Free Year 13 Unseen Text Practice 3: Nonfiction / Speech

A senior unseen nonfiction practice set built around an original speech in which a Year 13 student urges a shire council not to close the town library. Questions worth one to four marks target voice, structure, irony, evidence and tone, and a six-mark extended response asks students to evaluate how effectively the speaker combines logical, ethical and emotional appeals. Every question has a model answer, and the extended response has a marking rubric.

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Year
Year 13
Subject
English
Topic
Reading Comprehension
Difficulty
Level 3 · Challenge
Estimated time
40 minutes
Curriculum
New Zealand Curriculum
Questions
10
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4) + print

Students will practise

  • identifying purpose, audience and position in a persuasive nonfiction text
  • analysing rhetorical techniques (anecdote, irony, anaphora, rhetorical question) and their effects
  • explaining how structure and tone shape a speech's impact
  • evaluating the effectiveness of logical, ethical and emotional appeals

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

What's next?

Completed: Unseen Text Practice 3: Nonfiction / Speech

You've reached the end of this topic — next up: Vocabulary

How to use this comprehension exercise

  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 comprehension exercise for?

Year 13 students (typically ages 17–18) working on reading comprehension. 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 40 minutes for 10 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?

Move on to Vocabulary.

Preview

Year 13 · English · Reading Comprehension

Unseen Text Practice 3: Nonfiction / Speech

Success Tutoring

Student name:

Date:

Score: /

Total: 26 marks. Suggested time: 40 minutes, including reading.

Questions

Write in full sentences and quote the speech. Marks are shown for each question.

1.The primary purpose of the speech is to:[1 mark]
  1. Ainform the council about library opening hours
  2. Bpersuade the council to keep the library open and fund the roof repair
  3. Centertain the audience with stories about the town
  4. Dexplain how the library's computers work
2.How does the opening ('I will try to use them well, which is more than I can say for the first fourteen years of my life') establish the speaker's voice and her relationship with the audience?[2 marks]
3.Explain the effect of the repeated 'you have seen ... you have seen ... you have seen' in the second paragraph.[2 marks]
4.Analyse how the speaker uses evidence and specific detail in the paragraph beginning 'Every weekday afternoon' to build credibility and appeal.[3 marks]
5.What is the effect of the short paragraph 'That is what the library is. It is not a building full of books. It is the last free room.'?[2 marks]
6.How does the speaker undermine the council's report?[3 marks]
7.Identify the technique in 'grow into what?' and explain its effect.[2 marks]
8.How does the anecdote about 'the second machine from the left, the one with the sticky E' work as persuasion, and why does the speaker say 'I am not special'?[4 marks]
9.The tone of the speech as a whole is best described as:[1 mark]
  1. Abitter and accusatory throughout
  2. Bcandid and controlled, moving between humour, concession and urgency
  3. Cformal and detached
  4. Dnostalgic and sentimental
10.Evaluate how effectively the speaker combines logical, ethical and emotional appeals to persuade the council. In your answer, refer closely to the speech.[6 marks]
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Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

Reading Comprehension in other year levels

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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

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