EJC 2023 JC2 Prelim H1 GP Paper 2 Insert

[Turn over EUNOIA JUNIOR COLLEGE JC2 Preliminary Examination 2023 General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Higher 1 GENERAL PAPER Paper 2 INSERT 8807/02 28 August 2023 1 hour 30 minutes READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST This Insert contains the passages for Paper 2. This document consists of 3 printed pages and 1 blank page.

2 Passage 1. Charlie Bing argues that we must strive for excellence. 1 China’s young people are lying to themselves. The viral phenomenon of ‘tangping’ or lying flat, mirrored in international workplaces by the aptly nam ed ‘Great Resignation’, has swept the nation ’s youth. They position it as a rejection of societal pressures to overwork and overachieve, and this act – of doing nothing! – has been lauded by others for taking a stand against the perceived injustice of societal expectations to constantly better themselves and choosing instead to languish in what they beli eve to be good enough. Another name for what these people call ‘good enough’? Mediocrity. There are few images more suited for our acceptance of mediocrity than the passivity of lying flat. In such a position, one has given in to gravity. There is no intention o f resisting the pull of stagnation, no potential energy for forward movement, no potential. 5 10 2 Their rejection of excellence is no more than an act of cowardice. Those who don’t dare to pursue excellence endure mediocre performances because they want to keep the status quo. Mediocrity is their comfort zone, and excellence is alien to the ir system. When we don’t choose excellence, we are choosing mediocrity because we do not care. What is worse is that what we tolerate perpetuates. When we allow medi ocre performances to continue, we signal that festering in mediocrity is okay. 15 3 And yet, our societies cannot afford to simply be okay. We need exceptionally smart and talented people. They are the ones who push civilisation forward: they cure diseases, they make discoveries and they compose brilliant music and artwork that move millions of people. Nothing of any real significance happens to people who linger in the status quo. If we fall for the complacency of ‘good eno ugh’, we lose out on innumerable opportunities to better our lives. All our social institutions thrive on the spark that comes from the pursuit of excellence. Our schools and workplaces must embolden us to aspire to greater heights. Our leaders should be expected to chart a grand cou rse for our societies, and then actually live up to their promises. The way forward has always been clear – excel, or be left behind. 20 25 4 Besides, mediocrity is a privilege. Minority artists, for example, carry a burden of representation that renders their individual failures representati ve of the group. Mediocrity, the freedom to make average or worse material and continue to enjoy opportunities, is reserved for