2023 NJC H1 General Paper Prelim P2 Suggested Answer Scheme

© National Junior College 2023 NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE 2023 SH2 Preliminary Examination Paper 2 Answer Scheme (Teacher’s Copy) 1. From the examples of Bill Gates and Beethoven in Paragraph 1, what do the aut hors suggest about rituals? Use your own words as far as possible. [2] Lift Paraphrase 1 “more idiosyncratic”, They are implying that rituals practised by successful people are (extremely) unique/ peculiar quirks/ habits/ preferences/ differs from person to person 2 “very particular”, “counted exactly” The precision/ specificity of rituals 3 “power his composing” [Inference] primes/motivates/helps people to achieve their goals. DNA: successful Any 2 points for 2m. Inference should be made from the entire chunk of text including pt 3. 2. In lines 12 - 14, why does the brain “attribute success to something as arbitrary as ” rituals? Use your own words as far as possible. [1] Lift Paraphrase 1 The brain is constantly looking for associations between two events. OR While it is mostly correct, it sometimes mistakes coincidence for causality. The mind is always seeking connections between two occurrences/ happenings. OR But occasionally, the mind erroneously/wrongly assumes that one random event led to the other/ what happened by chance/incidentally is the actual reason for another occurrence.

© National Junior College 2023 3. Using materials from paragraphs 3 - 6 only (lines 19-60); summarise what the authors have to say about the benefits of superstitious learning and why people adopt them. Write your summary in no more than 120 words, not counting the opening words which are printed below. Use your own words as far as possible. [8] Superstitious learning is beneficial because Lift Paraphrase [Benefits of superstitious learning] 1 By giving us a sense of self- determination… (line 20) it can make us feel like we have autonomy over our lives 2 …can help us to overcome anxiety (line 22) (related idea) We often rely on such rituals when we are anxious (lines 24- 25) and can conquer any unease OR when we are nervous 3 and may even bring about a noticeable boost in performance. (lines 22-23) resulting in a recognisable enhancement/rise/increase 4 which in turn can improve our performance (line 27) in achievements/ accomplishments/ overall effectiveness [Idea of improvement can be credited in EITHER pt 3 or 4. Do not double penalise.] 5 It offers psychological benefits that logic and science cannot always provide (lines 23-24) better emotional/mental well-being/ wellness. 6 …a sense of control (line 24) …produce an illusion of control (line 26)(which in turn can improve our performance - pt4) feeling of power/ that we can take charge in our lives 7 and a sense of meaning (line 24) and purpose DNA: value 8 We (often rely on such rituals when we are anxious or) want to perform well (lines 24-25) Rituals are helpful wh