NOTE:
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INSTRUCTIONS TO MARKERS
Marking the comprehension:
SECTION A: COMPREHENSION
QUESTION 1: READING FOR MEANING AND UNDERSTANDING
1.1 The writer's message is that world leaders are meeting to discuss climate threats, but are not showing any sense of urgency in dealing with the matter.
[Award 2 marks only if both ideas are discussed.] (2)
1.2 The writer is dismissive/contemptuous/scornful of the immature behaviour of the politicians.
[Credit valid alternative responses.] (2)
1.3 The common factor among all the participants is that they are either young or have young children, implying that the preservation of the Earth is crucial for future generations./Young people are committed to making a change toward preserving the earth for future generations. (2)
1.4 When humankind was primitive, a 'child', the destruction that was caused was minimal: 'it had limited capacity to harm'. In recent centuries, humankind's reckless destruction, likened to 'wild adolescence', has wrought irreversible damage. Humankind has no qualms about the destruction of the Earth, and pays no attention to those who point out the likely consequences of their actions.
[Award 3 marks only if both aspects are discussed.]
[Award no more than 2 marks if only one aspect is discussed.] (3)
1.5 The urgency of recognising the peril is foregrounded by emotively charged words ('on the brink') and (‘act with restraint’) in addressing the 'vulnerability' of the climate./The adjective 'dire', in conjunction with the list of disasters ('floods, fire … super-storms') is intended to convey his feelings about the harsh reality of climate change, so that the reader will act responsibly.
[Award 3 marks for two examples of diction, well-discussed.]
[Award 3 marks for one example of diction, fully discussed.] (3)
1.6 The writer gives instructions in a prescriptive/commanding/persistent/urgent/ motivational tone in, 'We must expand our imaginations' and 'Those who come … cannot just annihilate’. The writer urges the reader to take action by repeating, 'we must'. He impresses upon the reader the need for a change in mindset toward climate change.
[Award 1 mark for identification of tone and 2 marks for a comment.] (3)
1.7 In paragraph 8, the writer depicts the youth as wise citizens who are cognisant of climate change. The youth are imaginative and less affected by economic factors – 'the status quo'. Similarly, the title deems the youth to be the saviours of the planet. The writer's argument throughout the passage has been supported by facts that indict the older generation for their pursuit of wealth at the expense of saving the Earth. The youth, on the other hand, have been shown to stand up for defenceless Mother Earth.
[Award 3 marks only if reference is made to both paragraph 8 and the title.] (3)
1.8 The final sentence leaves no room for debate – it is a resounding vote of confidence in the ability of the youth to lead the revolution to save the planet.[3]/
It is effective, as the sentence sums up the argument that maturity is not synonymous with age, but with wisdom and responsibility.[2]
[An ‘ineffective’ response is unlikely; however, treat each response on its merit.]
(3)
1.9 The two hashtag slogans are Greta's weapons/online tools against the establishment: they represent defiance ('#HowDareYou!') and a call to action ('#Action!')./The resistance movement's slogans are depicted as physical weapons/online tools. (2)
1.10
1.11 Paragraph 7 of Text A focuses on the leading role that young people are playing in saving the planet. Text B fully supports the message in paragraph 7 of Text A. In Text B, Greta challenges the status quo and is undaunted by the power of global corporates who are compromising the environment. Her 'environmental maturity' and 'leadership' are evident. Her action in Text B emanates from her understanding 'the gravity and scale of the catastrophe'.
The businessman/politician in Text B represents those who wield corporate power on boards, cast votes and own shares, referenced in paragraph 7. Despite their unlimited powers, they cannot withstand the young activists, who may be 'less visible', but are 'no less committed'.
[Award 4 marks only if the candidate has referred to BOTH texts.] (4)
TOTAL SECTION A: 30
SECTION B: SUMMARY
QUESTION 2: SUMMARISING IN YOUR OWN WORDS
Use the following main points that the candidate should include in the summary as a guideline.
Any 7 valid points are to be credited in paragraph-form.
(Sentences and/or sentence fragments must be coherent.)
NO. | QUOTATIONS | NO. | POINTS |
1. | 'Researchers have studied what they term 'rumour cascades'. A cascade starts with a Twitter user making an assertion about a topic – with words, images or links – and continues in an unbroken chain of retweets.' | 1 | Researchers focused on the chain reaction caused by a point made by a Twitter user. |
2 | 'The researchers analysed cascades about news stories that six fact-checking organisations agreed were true or agreed were false.' | 2 | Organisations were appointed by the researchers to verify the authenticity of the stories. |
3 | 'The study found that 'falsehood diffused significantly farther, faster, deeper and more broadly than truth in all categories of information.' | 3 | Research revealed that false news spread more rapidly and pervasively than authentic news. |
4 | 'Of all categories of fake news, false political news reached more people faster and went deeper into the networks than any other category of false information.' | 4 | Fabricated political news spreads faster than any other kind of untrue news. |
5 | 'The study compared the emotional content of replies to true and false rumours by using about 32 000 Twitter hashtags and a lexicon of about 140 000 English words that are associated with eight basic emotions: anger, fear, anticipation, trust, surprise, sadness, joy and disgust.' | 5 | Researchers analysed replies to rumours by studying hashtags and emotionally-charged words. |
6 | 'Were automated processes, or 'bots', the main culprits in spreading falsity? No – the researchers found that humans were responsible for spreading false news.' | 6 | People, not robots, are responsible for spreading fake news. |
7 | 'The researchers were more interested in identifying the factors that spread true and false news; they included interviews with users, surveys, lab experiments and neuro-imaging.' | 7 | Various methodologies were used to isolate the factors causing the spread of fake news. |
8 | 'False news can drive misallocation of resources during terror attacks and natural disasters; the misalignment of business investments, and misinformed elections.' | 8 | False news can lead to devastating financial and political consequences for society. |
9 | ‘More openness by the social media giants and greater collaboration by them with suitably qualified partners in tackling the problem of fake news is essential.’ | 9 | It is essential for social media giants to work together with all concerned to deal with fake news. |
10 | ‘Traditional journalists are potential partners too. Since they find, check and disseminate news, they are well placed to assess the reliability of the reports they receive.’ | 10 | Research indicates that journalists can be useful in checking the reliability of news items. |
11 | ‘They also attract masses of comments online and generate discussions on social media platforms – they have a clear incentive to maintain trust in their own contributions to democratic life.’ | 11 | Journalists have to maintain trust in their own contributions as they generate online discussions. |
PARAGRAPH-FORM
NOTE: What follows is merely an example. It is not prescriptive and must be used very carefully.
Researchers focused on the chain reaction caused by Twitter users. Subsequently, organisations were appointed by the researchers to verify the stories' authenticity. Research revealed that false news, particularly fabricated political news, spreads more rapidly and pervasively than authentic news. Researchers analysed replies to rumours by studying hashtags and emotionally-charged words. Various methodologies were used to isolate the factors causing the spread of fake news: people, not robots, are responsible for spreading fake news, which can lead to devastating financial and political consequences for society./It is essential for social media giants to work together with all concerned to deal with fake news. Journalists, too, have to ensure the authenticity of the news that they receive and share. (84/33 words) |
Marking the summary:
Marking is on the basis of the inclusion of valid material and the exclusion of invalid material.
The summary should be marked as follows:
NOTE:
TOTAL SECTION B: 10
SECTION C: LANGUAGE IN CONTEXT
Marking SECTION C:
QUESTION 3: ANALYSING ADVERTISING
3.1 The commanding tone compels the reader to act on the instruction, namely reporting and curtailing bullying.
[Award 1 mark for the identification of the tone and 1 mark for the explanation.] (2)
3.2 The victim of the bullying is depicted as a puppet and the bully as a puppeteer. By severing the strings, the victim is taking a stand and attempting to break the cycle of bullying. The power of the bully is suggested by the larger-than-life arm. He is in a domineering position above the victim. The silhouette of the victim, a faceless representation of any employee, appeals to a wide audience. The point driven home is that the victim of bullying is the only person who can stop the cycle.
[Award 3 marks for TWO ideas well-discussed.] (3)
3.3
3.4 threatening/menacing/frightening
[Accept valid, alternative responses in context.] (1)
3.5 adjective (1)
[10]
QUESTION 4: UNDERSTANDING OTHER ASPECTS OF THE MEDIA
4.1 The boy's intention is to convince himself that his teacher will be well./He wants to give his father the impression that he is confident that she will recover. (2)
4.2 Frame 8 is anti-climactic, since the boy's initial bluster, followed by his brave façade, ends when he comes to terms with his teacher's condition. The boy becomes emotional when the truth dawns on him. The role reversal depicted in Frames 4 and 6 falls away in the final frame, where he finds solace in his father's embrace.
[Award 3 marks ONLY if there is a critical discussion.]
[Credit valid alternative responses.] (3)
4.3 Curtis's father said (that) with the social-distancing policies, they could not/couldn’t visit his/Curtis’s teacher in the hospital.
[Award 2 marks only if the THREE conversions are made.]
[Award 1 mark if TWO conversions are made.]
[Award 0 marks if only ONE conversion is made.] (2)
4.4 The cartoonist ridicules the manner in which narcissism has encroached on relationships. The young man is self-absorbed and paying no attention to the woman. The satirical point is driven home when the woman thinks that there is a third party involved. However, the young man's vanity/self-love, evident in the manner he gazes at his mirror, is the reason for his lack of attention.
[Award 3 marks ONLY if the satire is discussed.]
[Credit valid alternative responses.] (3)
[10]
QUESTION 5: USING LANGUAGE CORRECTLY
5.1 Foe (1)
5.2 A backlash against over-staged shots is being prompted by Instagram show-offs. (1)
5.3 stuffed (and) OR (and) crammed (1)
5.4 also known as (1)
5.5 muscular/muscly/muscle-bound/musclebound (1)
5.6 would have been – would be
OR
cleaned – had cleaned; made – had made
(Award 1 mark for correction of BOTH verbs in the latter response.) (1)
5.7 The hyphen creates a compound adjective/word.
OR
Joins two (independent) words to create a new word. (1)
5.8 are – is (1)
5.9 parents (1)
5.10 become (be) authentic/realistic/truthful
[Accept valid alternative responses.] (1)
[10]
TOTAL SECTION C: 30
GRAND TOTAL: 70