Question 1 of 10
The writer compares the train noise to 'your head under water in the bath with both taps running'. Why is this comparison effective?
A) Every child has experienced this — it makes the overwhelming noise immediately relatable and real
B) Because baths are very dangerous places
C) Because the tunnel is flooding with bath water
D) Because it shows the train is moving slowly like water
Question 2 of 10
'Its eyes of fire growing bigger and brighter' describes the train's headlights as...
A) Broken and flickering
B) Warm and welcoming, like a campfire
C) The glowing eyes of a predator approaching through the dark — making the train seem alive and dangerous
D) Small and barely visible
Question 3 of 10
'A rush and a roar and a rattle' uses alliteration. The repeated 'r' sound creates...
A) A calm, peaceful feeling
B) A sense of speed, power, and overwhelming noise — the 'r' sounds rumble like the train itself
C) A musical, song-like quality
D) Confusion about what is happening
Question 4 of 10
Phyllis says the train 'takes its own shape in here, in the dark'. This reveals...
A) That the train has actually transformed into a real dragon
B) That Phyllis is very knowledgeable about trains
C) That the tunnel is shaped like a dragon
D) A perfectly childlike way of thinking — she believes trains are really dragons in disguise, and the dark tunnel reveals their true form
Question 5 of 10
'The train was shouting, too, and its voice was bigger than hers' uses personification to...
A) Create a competition between Phyllis and the train — making the train feel alive and dominant, drowning out her small human voice
B) Show that the train is angry at the children for being in the tunnel
C) Prove that trains can actually communicate with people
D) Make the scene less frightening by making the train seem friendly
Question 6 of 10
Peter grabs Bobbie's arm 'in case she should be frightened, as he explained afterwards'. The phrase 'as he explained afterwards' tells us...
A) Peter explained his actions to the teacher later that day
B) Peter was genuinely only thinking of Bobbie's safety
C) He came up with this excuse AFTER the event — revealing that it wasn't his real reason, and he was actually scared himself
D) Bobbie asked him to explain why he grabbed her
Question 7 of 10
The passage uses 'sickly green' to describe the tunnel bricks. 'Sickly' suggests the bricks look...
A) Fresh and healthy, like spring leaves
B) Unhealthy and diseased — as if the tunnel itself is ill
C) Brightly painted and colourful
D) Warm and comforting
Question 8 of 10
'Of course you know what going into a tunnel is like?' This opening uses...
A) A demand — the writer is testing whether the reader is smart enough
B) Formal, academic language
C) Third person narration, keeping the reader at a distance
D) A rhetorical question and direct address to make the reader feel included, like being told a story by a friend
Question 9 of 10
The tunnel bricks change from 'red or brown' at the mouth to 'sickly green' inside. This change shows...
A) The deeper you go, the more unpleasant and alien the tunnel becomes — it's like entering a different world
B) The tunnel was painted two different colours for decoration
C) The children are seeing things because they're scared
D) Nothing significant — bricks just come in different colours
Question 10 of 10
The passage piles up sensory details: 'a rush and a roar and a rattle and a long dazzling flash... a smell of smoke, and blast of hot air'. This technique creates...
A) Boredom — too many details slow the reader down
B) Confusion — the reader can't follow what's happening
C) An overwhelming sensory assault — sound, sight, smell, and touch pile up, making the reader feel the train's passing as intensely as the children do
D) A calm, peaceful atmosphere after the tension