NYJC 2023 H1 General Paper 8807 P2 SAQ Answer

JC2 NYJC Prelim 2023 Answer Scheme From Passage 1: Eva Wiseman writes about the benefits of kindness Q1) How does the example of Gavyn Emery illustrate the idea of kindness? Use your own words as far as possible. [1] From the Passage Suggested Answer One cold morning in Bristol, a man named Gavyn Emery tied a scarf to a lamppost, and on a cardboard tag wrote: “I am not lost. ” It was 2016, and rough sleeping in Bristol had risen by more than 800% in seven years. As temperatures plummeted, more people were inspired to do the wrapping trees in coats, sticking hats on bollards – essentially providing warmth for anybody who needed it same Gavyn Emery tied a scarf to a lamppost [context] a) which illustrates kindness as he was donating / offering the use of his scarf (act) b) to the homeless / others who needed it to keep out the cold [purpose] a) + b) = 1m Q3) In lines 28-29, what similarity does the author see between the move towards kindness and the rise of happiness pursuits? Use your own words as far as possible. [1] From the Passage Suggested Answer The move towards kindness mirrors the rise of happiness pursuits earlier this decade, when a political interest in the value of happiness coincided with academic studies. Both movements were a result of a) the attention given to the value of happiness by b1) the government and b2) scholarly work/ research.

Q4) In paragraph 4, what are the two developments that illustrate ‘the rise of happiness pursuits’? Use your own words as far as possible. [2] From the Passage Suggested Answer The move towards kindness mirrors the rise of happiness pursuits earlier this decade, when a political interest in the value of happiness coincided with academic studies. Simultaneously, there is a burgeoning self-help movement focused on embracing joy and constantly acknowledging one's blessings. In his book The Happiness Industry, William Davies reported that an unprecedented number of corporations were employing chief happiness officers, while Google had its own ‘jolly good fellow’. a) a burgeoning self-help movement (quote) to show the growing trend where people take ownership to live blissfully (explanation) / growing trend of self care (1m) b) an unprecedented number of corporations (quote) to show a never before seen/ unparallel employment/ hiring of personnel to take charge of workers welfare by corporations/ businesses (explanation) (1m) Q5) What is ironic about the phrase ‘batter the children with kindness’ (line 36)? [2m] From the passage Suggested answer At Springwell, for instance, a special school in Barnsley, where many students have suffered abuse, neglect or poverty, teachers have vowed to ‘batter the children with kindness’ and it seems to be working. a) It is ironic because ‘batter’, a word that suggests violence / abuse (meaning) b) contradicts the idea of kindness which is to show care / love for the students who suffered abuse, neglect and poverty. (explanation) 0 or 2 m

Q6) How does the author support her assertion that ‘kindness is difficult to quantify’ (lines 36-37)? Use your own words as far as possible. [3m] From the passage Suggested answer Of course, kindness is difficult to quantify – we have no way of knowing whether people are becoming kinder, no apps to mine for data, few scarves to photograph. Still, in the face of increasing challenges, be kind we must. (a) There is no means/methods to ascertain/ know/ determine/ measure whether people are becoming kinder (no way)[1m], (b) no available technology to collect information on kindness /to detect the level of interest in kindness (no apps) [1m] (c) and limited tangible / hard evidence/ empirical evidence to prove that people are becoming kinder (few photographs) [1m] From Passage 2 : Roisin Lanigan questions the value of kindness. Q7) By including the information in brackets (line 4), what is the author implying about TikTok? Use your own words as far as possible. [2m] From the passage Suggested answer The entire internet wants to be TikTok. TikTok, it seems, has the power to transform ordinary, garden-variety people into sex symbols, number one musicians, TV presenters, visual essayists and wholesome influencers, just by virtue of having a selfie stick. But the way to get internet famous the quickest (at least, as TikTok would have us believe) is to be kind. The author is implying that Tik Tok is: a) manipulative/deceptive (implication)(1m) b) by making us believe that the best/only way to get Internet famous is to use their platform/ must/should/have to use TikTok though this not true (context) (1m) (a) = 1m Only (b) = 0 (a) + (b) = 2m

Q8) Explain the elderly woman’s use of the words “patronising” and “dehumanising” (line 14) to describe her experience of being a victim of a kindness prank. [2m] From the Passage Suggested Answer Shortly after Pawluk’s TikTok views went viral … She called the entire thing “patronising” and “dehumanising”. She said, “He interrupted my quiet time, filmed and uploaded a video without my consent, turning it into something it wasn’t … I feel he is making quite a lot of money through it.” She added that she could not be bothered carrying the flowers home on the tram. “I feel like clickbait.” She was trying to highlight / emphasize that a) Patronising (unequal status) (1m) It was patronising as he placed himself in a position of superiority by giving her a bouquet of flowers that she did not need/ask for (Giver’s perspective) Alternative: because the giver assumed that she is in need of someone (implied) to give her a bouquet of flowers to make her happy even though she did not request for them/did not need them. (Recipient’s perspective) b) Dehumanising (objectification) (1m) It is dehumanising as she/ her reaction was used as a means / was reduced to become an instrument to attract clicks /viewership. Alternative: It was dehumanising as he took away / deprived her of her dignity by filming her reaction to his act of kindness without her knowledge or approval

Q9) How does the example of “couch guy” illustrate how ‘kindness’ videos may have ‘unintended consequences’? Use your own words as far as possible [3] From the Passage Suggested Answer Last year, ‘couch guy’ became an internet hate figure for weeks on end when he was the subject of a TikTok in which his long-distance girlfriend surprised him at college. The internet did not believe his stunned reaction was romantic enough for a gesture so kind, and subsequently speculated endlessly about whether or not he was cheating on her. Thousands of videos recreated the moment, turning what was supposed to be a sweet surprise into a meme. Whether the creator had invited this backlash, by posting what was essentially a private moment online in the first place, did not make the netizens’ reaction seem any less disproportionately cruel What is the intended/ expected reaction? a) The video of “couch guy ” was meant to evoke heartwarming feelings towards the event in the audience who viewed the video. (1m) What kind of reaction did the incident end up eliciting - reality b) However, the incident saw him being the object of disgust/anger as they questioned his fidelity/faithfulness to his girlfriend (Consequence 1: initial reactions from watching the video) (1m) c) And the incident was parodied to mock the situation. (Consequence 2: follow-up action - a meme) (1m) Q10) What does the word ‘shame’ (line 49) suggest about the author’s attitude towards wholesomeness becoming ‘little more than a performance too’? [1] From the passage Suggested answer now, the internet is constructed almost entirely around the growingly meaningless tenets of ‘being kind’. We are painfully aware of the very real effect online abuse can have on o