IB English A Lang & Lit News Article Questionbank

In what ways does the article use language and structure to convey the scale and urgency of British Columbia's 2024 wildfire crisis?

How are ideas and perspectives conveyed about AI and human interaction in this text?

How and to what effect does the writer use language to create a sense of community pride and collective achievement in this article?

How and to what effect does the writer use language to construct Marcus Webb as a sympathetic figure and his experience as representative of a wider social injustice?

The following extract is from the Dungarra Courier, a local community newspaper serving Dungarra and the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.

¹ Wiradjuri language: the language of the Wiradjuri people, the largest Aboriginal nation in New South Wales by geographic area; language preservation and revival programmes are central to
many Wiradjuri community organisations across the Riverina region.

² motifs: recurring visual elements or patterns used in design; in this context, decorative features that reflect Wiradjuri artistic and cultural traditions.

³ government grants: funding provided by federal or state government bodies to support community projects, cultural infrastructure, or social programmes; grants typically require the
recipient to meet eligibility criteria and report on how funds are spent.

The following extract is from the Detroit Free Press, a regional newspaper serving Detroit, Michigan, United States.

¹ school lunch account: a prepaid account held by a school on behalf of a student's family, used to pay for cafeteria meals; families deposit money in advance, and the account is debited each time the student makes a purchase.

² GoFundMe campaign: a crowdfunding appeal launched on the GoFundMe platform, which allows individuals to raise money from the public online for personal, charitable, or community causes.

³ lunch debt / crowdfunding: lunch debt refers to the accumulated unpaid balance on a student's school meal account; crowdfunding is the practice of raising small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the internet.

The following extract is from The National Post, a national newspaper published in Canada.

¹ state of emergency: a formal declaration by a government authority that activates special powers and resources to respond to a crisis; in B.C., it allows the province to commandeer equipment, enforce evacuations, and access federal support without normal approval processes.

² fire behaviour: the manner in which a wildfire ignites, spreads, and consumes fuel; influenced by wind, humidity, temperature, and terrain; unpredictable fire behaviour poses the greatest risk to firefighters and communities.

³ anomaly: something that deviates significantly from what is standard or expected; scientists use the term to distinguish an unusual event from a new normal pattern.

⁴ drought: a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall leading to water shortages, dry soil, and increased fire risk; measured in Canada against long-term precipitation averages.

⁵ emissions / prescribed burning: emissions refers to greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere through human activity; prescribed burning is the controlled use of fire by land managers to reduce accumulated dry vegetation and lower the risk of uncontrolled wildfire.