READING PASSAGE 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on
Reading Passage 3 on pages 10 and 11.

The New Zealand writer Margaret Mahy

In a career spanning some fifty years, Margaret Mahy has come to occupy a unique
place in New Zealand writing with innovative fiction and original characterisation. In
our solidly realist tradition, the linguistic fireworks of Mahy's children's fiction and the
explorations of human behaviour at the heart of her supernatural teenage fiction
stand gloriously alone. Mahy's clearest heir, I have always thought, is Elizabeth
Knox - and maybe the true inheritance there is sheer singularity. Just as there is no
one else like Knox in New Zealand writing, Mahy, too, has ventured into imaginative
territory unknown to other local writers. So it was with great pleasure that I visited
Mahy recently at her Governor's Bay home to talk about her new book. As with all
journalists, she is generous to a fault with her time and attention; and, as always -
despite her careful consideration of questions and thoughtful answers - I'm reminded
she isn't truly comfortable making herself or her life the heart of any conversation.

Certainly, any consideration of the style of Mahy's novels and picture books throws
up some irresistible theories. As a writer committed to supporting herself through her
art, she has seldom had the time for formal research. Rather, it has been a matter of
going out and finding inspiration from her immediate environment: the writing on the
side of a bus; a spelling mistake in a note to herself; the similarity between a cat and
a fur hat. But despite these sometimes mundane origins, the settings for her stories
are delightfully varied, as these books celebrate the dramatic plot twists and
unpredictability of adventures on the high seas or in Antarctica, and also in quite
unassuming places like the library or even down the back of a chair at home. Mahy
has a lifelong affection for characters who are agents of upheaval and disturbance.
Her junior and picture books are peppered with pirates, robbers and lions, though
they appear alongside librarians, mothers and children, working against comfortable
stereotype. Her fictions often have at their heart a young adult burdened with special
powers, such as the ability to cast spells in order to transform their world in
supernatural and fantastical ways. Another common feature is that, while the
conclusions of her tales are usually predictable, they leave the reader feeling
absolutely complete, the moral questions resulting from our hero's powers having
been resolved.

Many of these themes can be found in her new novel, The Magician of Hoad. The
book was begun more than 15 years ago and envisioned as an 'entire' fantasy - one
set in a fully imagined world with detailed history and complex tribal inter-
relationships, a classical hero quest at its heart. The story ballooned at one point to
800 pages and has been through at least two substantial rewrites. Now half its
original size, it is a fascinating read - an adventure, a romance, and a gold mine of
Mahy literary preoccupations.

The other splendid Mahy publication this year is a re-issue of Bubble Trouble in a
now W illustrated edition. This tongue-twister tale first appeared in 1991, was
included in 100 New Zealand Poems (1993) and has been recited by Mahy at
countless private and public functions. Perhaps more than any other work, Bubble
Trouble is the Mahy that New Zealand children and their parents know so well, the
rollicking story of a clown who serves up a joyous torrent of word play and
unexpected rhyme.

Those connections are four or five deep now. I read The Lion in the Meadow in the
School Journal in the late 1960s; my stepdaughter listened to The Boy Who Was
Followed Home over and over in the 1970s; my own children sat very still mouthing
The Great White Man- Eating Shark in the 80s and 90s; now in the 21st century, my
grandchildren have heard Down the Dragon's Tongue, A Summery Saturday
Morning and Dashing D many times.

Of course, readers are important to any working writer, but Mahy's espousal of the
act of reading goes beyond that: a book is not properly finished, she has often said,
until it has been read, because a reader brings something important to the book. So,
doubtless out of need to build a market - she's not ignorant of her popularity - but
also out of genuine care for that other dynamic part of the author-reader relationship,
Mahy has, until recently, kept up a punishing schedule of public appearances.

Private conversation with Mahy has always been a wild ride - marvellous, in the true
sense of the word, the product of a hungry head and an infinite capacity to be
astonished. She races away at one stage to consult an encyclopaedia for L M
Montgomery's date of death, and speculates about the 'real' Montgomery, creator of
the ever-popular Anne of Green Gables. Although I'd come to talk about her new
book, I couldn't help but be captivated by her infectious curiosity.

A few years ago, the writer David Hill told a funny story. Though his writing was, he
oltesup conceded, very different from Mahy's, he had been affected by her peculiarly
alert way of looking at the world, particularly the mad, slippery life of language.
Once, Hill said, in a motel room, a sign on a door caught his eye: 'This door is
alarmed.' Mahy would like that, thought Hill. She would enjoy the comedy just below
the surface of the formal warning; she would leap immediately to the possibilities for
story and language play: 'Yes, and this window is concerned, this light fitting is
irritated.' His story was a wonderful comment on Mahy's vision.
Questions 27-31

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage
3?

In boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

27 Mahy and Knox have sometimes criticised each other's work.

28 Mahy explores the traditional themes of New Zealand literature.

29 Mahy's children's books have been more popular than her teenage books.

30 Mahy is welcoming to interviewers.

31 Mahy is at ease speaking about her experiences.

Questions 32-35

Complete the summary using the list of words and phrases, A-l, below.

Write the correct letter, A-l, in boxes 32-35 on your answer sheet.

Theories about Mahy's style

Mahy's determination to earn a living from writing has encouraged her to find the
ideas for her work in 32…………………places. The stories themselves are set in
locations that are 33…………………In terms of characterisation, almost all of her
books feature unruly people, and very often an adolescent who possesses
34…………………abilities. Finally, the endings of the stories tend to be
35…………………

A disruptive and unpredictable B everyday

C loveable
D controversial E exotic and ordinary F isolated
G unconfident H unsurprising but satisfying I magical
Questions 36-40

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.

36 What does the writer say about The Magician of Hoad?

A It is partly based on true history.

B It was restructured in the writing process.
C It is quite different from conventional stories.
D It does not reflect the usual themes of Mahy's work.

37 According to the writer, Bubble Trouble

A was first illustrated in 1991.

B is written in plain language.
C is an old favourite for many families.
D has not been read aloud by Mahy before.

38 The writer's purpose in the fifth paragraph is to

A show how Mahy's style has changed through generations.

B criticise Mahy's children's stories for being repetitive.
C describe how new media have changed entertainment.
D illustrate Mahy's popularity with generations of children.

39 According to the sixth paragraph, which of the following is true?

A Readers sometimes do not finish Mahy's books.

B Mahy actively encourages feedback from readers.
C Readers are necessary in order to complete a book.
D Mahy does not realise how important she is to some readers.

40 What is the writer doing in the final paragraph?

A illustrating Mahy's view of the world

B comparing Mahy with another writer
C correcting a misconception about Mahy
D suggesting reasons for Mahy's approach