Skip to main content
O-LevelLiterature in EnglishPoetryOct/Nov 2024Paper 1 Q225 Marks

Remember to support your ideas with details from the writing. How does Adcock make The Telephone Call such an intriguing poem? The Telephone Call They asked me 'Are you sitting down? Right? This is Universal Lotteries', they said. 'You've won the top prize, the Ultra-super Global Special. What would you do with a million pounds? Or, actually, with more than a million not that it makes a lot of difference once you're a millionaire.' And they laughed. 'Are you OK?' they asked – 'Still there? Come on, now, tell us, how does it feel?' I said 'I just ... I can't believe it!' They said 'That's what they all say. What else? Go on, tell us about it.' I said 'I feel the top of my head has floated off, out through the window, revolving like a flying saucer.' 'That's unusual' they said. 'Go on.’ I said 'I'm finding it hard to talk. My throat's gone dry, my nose is tingling. I think I'm going to sneeze or cry.' 'That's right' they said, 'don't be ashamed of giving way to your emotions. It isn't every day you hear you're going to get a million pounds. Relax, now, have a little cry; we'll give you a moment ...' 'Hang on!' I said. 'I haven't bought a lottery ticket for years and years. And what did you say the company's called?' They laughed again. 'Not to worry about a ticket. We're Universal. We operate A retrospective Chances Module. Nearly everyone's bought a ticket in some lottery or another, once at least. We buy up the files, feed the names into our computer, and see who the lucky person is.' 'Well, that's incredible' I said. 'It's marvellous. I still can't quite ... I'll believe it when I see the cheque.' 'Oh,' they said, 'there's no cheque.' 'But the money?' 'We don't deal in money. Experiences are what we deal in. You've had a great experience, right? Exciting? Something you'll remember? That's your prize. So congratulations from all of us at Universal. Have a nice day!' And the line went dead. (Fleur Adcock)

✓ Correct Answer

The correct answer is . This question tests the candidate's understanding of poetry within the Literature in Englishsyllabus. The examiner's mark scheme requires...

📋 Examiner Report & Trap Analysis

Common mistake: 62% of candidates selected the distractor because they confused... The examiner specifically designed this question to test whether students can differentiate between... To secure full marks, candidates must demonstrate...

🔒

Unlock the Examiner's Answer

Sign up for free to reveal the correct answer, the official mark scheme breakdown, and the examiner trap analysis for this question.

Sign Up Free to Unlock →

Join thousands of Cambridge students already using Oracle Prep

About This O-Level Literature in English Question

This structured question appeared in the Cambridge O-Level Literature in English (2010) Oct/Nov 2024 examination, Paper 1 Variant 2. It tests the topic of Poetry and is worth 25 marks.

Oracle Prep provides AI-powered practice for all Cambridge O-Level and A-Level subjects. Our platform includes topic predictions with 87.7% accuracy, AI essay grading, and a comprehensive question bank spanning 25 years of past papers.

© 2026 Oracle Prep — The AI-Powered Cambridge Exam Engine