GREENRIDGE 4E5NA SS O Level Prelims 2019 LORMS

GSS O Level Prelim 2019 Suggested LORMS SECTION A (SBCS) (a) Study Source A. What can you infer from the photograph? Explain your answer, using details from the source. [5] Source A: A photograph taken at a local market in India, Jan 2017. *Paytm is a digital payments platform that allows people in India to pay for goods without using cash. Level Level Description Mark L1 Eg. Describe the source/provenance without detecting valid message(s). The source shows a market in India. 1 L2 Eg. Literal Interpretation. I can infer that India is going cashless. 2 L3 Eg. Valid Inference with reference to the digitalisation of traders/sellers/businesses. [Award additional mark for more developed answer] I can infer from the photograph that India’s farmers / vegetables traders are technologically savvy. This is evident from the source in which many of the traders put up notices that read “Paytm accepted here”. This shows that the traders have shifted away from the traditional cash trading method, and are taping on the advancement of technology to include digital payments as a mode of transactions. 2 – 3 L4 Eg. Valid I nference with reference to the positive impacts of / positive reactions towards digitalisation OR success of demonetisation. [Award additional mark for more developed answer] I can infer that India is turning into a cashless society and it is benefiting the country. This can be seen in the source in which even sellers at a market is using digital payment platform such as “Paytm” to allow people to do transactions conveniently. This shows that the country is advancing and it will bring about many benefit such as convenience and less crimes. OR I can infer that shops and people in India has begun to accept and support digitalisation. This can be seen in the source in which sellers in a market are promoting payment using “Paytm”. This means that people in India accept the government’s move to make India cashless and they are embracing /receptive with the move. OR I can infer from the photograph that the demonetisation has been effective in pushing India to become a cashless society. This can be seen in the source in which in a short span of 2 to 3 months since demonetisation, many traders such as the vegetables sellers in the picture, are tapping on the digital technology to manage the shortage of cash. The sellers put up notices that they accept paytm, which is a digital payment platform. This means that demonetisation has e ncouraged Indians to transact without using cash, and this will allow the government to better monitor the economic activities in India. 4 – 5

2 GSS O LEVEL PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2019 4E/5NA Humanities (Social Studies) 2272/01, 2273/01 (b) Study Source B. Is the cartoonist a supporter or an opponent of the demonetisation? Explain your answer. [6] Source B: A cartoon of a beggar drawn by an Indian cartoonist in December 2016. Level Level Description Mark L1 Eg. Describe the source/provenance without detecting valid message(s). [Zero mark to be awarded if student fails to answer the question] The cartoonist is a supporter / an opponent because he is an Indian living in India. 1 L2 Eg. Inference with reference to cartoonist as a supporter based on content. [Award additional mark for supporting evidence] The cartoonist is a supporter of the demonetisation because he seems to be praising the government for pushing India towards digitalization. As can be seen from the source, the cartoonist illustrated how even the beggar is using swipe machine to ask people to donate to him. It shows that the cartoonist is impressed by the shift to digital monetary transactions in India that is triggered by the demonetisation. Hence, the cartoonist is a supporter as he deems demonetisation as a success. 2 – 3 L3 Eg. Valid Inference with reference to cartoonist as an opponent based on content. [Award additional mark for a more developed answer] [Award 4m if interpretation of source is based on ideas developed from other sources] The author is an opponent because he is criticizing demonetisation for making business shutdown and people becoming jobless, as such turning into beggars as they are cash strapped. [4] The author is an opponent of the demonetisation because he seems to be against the government’s demonetisation move. As evident from the source, the cartoonist depicts the beggar to b e desperately asking for money, to the extent that he has to put a poster that “payment by credit and debit cards now accepted”. The fact that the beggar is sleeping as evident by the ‘z’ sign, and the mosquitoes are lingering above him, the cartoonist i s trying to convey that no one tried to help / donate money to him. This further proves that the cartoonist does not support demonetisation as he deems demonetisation as making the life of the poor extremely hard. [5] 4 – 5 L4 Eg. Valid Inference with reference to Author as an opponent based on his sarcasm. The cartoon is a satire directed at the government. The cartoonist is sarcastic in showing that even beggars are using swipe machine, as if to boast that the people are rallying behind the government by going cashless. However, it does not make sense for a beggar to even own a swipe machine which is costly, not to mention manage it. Hence, the cartoonist is clearly an opponent , as he is trying to indirectly convey the hardship th at Indians, especially the poor , will face. The low SES people will not have the mean to access digital payments, as such will definitely suffer from demonetisation. Note: Award L1/1 for answers that mention sarcasm/mockery without development of valid explanation/ illogical reasoning. 5 – 6

3 GSS O LEVEL PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2019 4E/5NA Humanities (Social Studies) 2272/01, 2273/01 (c) Study Sources C and D. In what ways would the congress leader in Source D disagree with the finance minister in Source C? Explain your answer. [7] Source C: Current Finance Minister of India, Arun Jaitley who is a member of Bharatiya Janata Political Party, quoted on his Facebook page in November 2018. India was a cash dominated economy. Cash involves anonymity in transactions. It bypasses the banking system and enables its possessors to evade tax. Demonetisation forced hold ers of cash to deposit their cash in the banks. The violators faced punitive actions. This would flush out untaxed wealth being hoarded by wealthy Indians and starve terrorists and criminal gangs of cash. Demonetisation curbed cash transactions in a big way. An increase in the digital transactions is visible. This scheme has led to the tax payer base increase from 6.4 million to 12 million tax payers after implementation. India’s move from cash to digital transactions would obviously have an impact on higher tax revenue and a higher tax base. Source D: Comments made by former Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram in March 2018. Chidambaram is a leader of Indian National Congress, a political party with widespread roots. Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram described demonetisation as the "greatest lie" saying that it ended up destroying jobs. "Is it ethical to pursue a policy that cost hundreds of thousands of sma