2023 NCHS PRELIM P2 (ANS KEY)

NCHSPRELIM2023P2ANSWERS SectionA[5marks] Refertotheonlinebanner(Text1)andthesocialmediapost(Text2)onpage3oftheInsertforQuestions1–4. 1 LookatText1.Tick(√)themosteffectivetitlefortheimageinthisadvertisement. Thedawnofgoodleadership-means‘Startof’,butthisphotoalreadyshowstheeffectsofgoodleadership.‘Leadership’isalsonotanideathatisshownintheimage. Reflectonpastachievements-thephotoshowscurrentachievements,andthefocusofthephotoisnotonthewater √ Illuminatingpossiblesuccess-captionsays“building”governmentcapacityandgoodleadership=future-looking [1] 2 Theonlinebannerstatesthat‘goodgovernmentsarethefoundationofflourishing,prosperouscommunitiesandnations’. Whatdoyouthinktheword‘foundation’suggestsabouttheway‘flourishing,prosperouscommunitiesandnations’canbeachieved? Itsuggeststhatacountryneedstohaveagoodgovernmentfirst./goodgovernancecomesfirst. Accepted:(withreferencetogovernance)● (underlying)basis,base,beginning,startwith,principle● buildon(notconsideredfigurativelanguageasitispartoftheactualdictionarydefinitionof‘build’thananactualmetaphor) Rejected:canonlybeachievedwith,mostimportant,basicbuildingblock(figurativeanswer) [1] 3 IdentifythephraseinText2whichsuggeststhatSingaporehasrisenaboveFinlandbyasmallmargin. Itis‘edgingout(Finland)’. Reminder:Thephase‘edgingout’→isstillnotacompletesentence!Need‘IS(verb)’.(drawcarrottoremindstudents,butgivethemark) [1] 4 LookatTexts1and2andstatements(a)and(b)below. DecidewhetherthestatementsrefertoText1,Text2,bothtexts,orneithertext. Circletheansweryouhavechosenforeachstatement.

2(a) Readersareaddresseddirectlybythewriter. Text1 / Text2 / Both / Neither (b) Thetonesuggeststhewriterandreaderareofthesamestatus. Text1 / Text2 / Both / Neither [2]Text2:‘Howtheydoitissuperamazingandyoushouldreallycheckitouttoo’‘should’–imperative=differentstatus‘superamazing…really’-emphasis=strengthensimperative SectionB[20marks] RefertoText3onpages3-4oftheInsertforQuestions5-14. 5 InParagraph1,whatwasMaureenfeelingthatwas‘strange’? Shestoppedfeelingtensedafterstartingtherace./Thetensionshefeltintypicalraceswasgone. Accept:● antonymoftensed-relaxed,atease● anyideaof‘notension’e.g.‘Thetensioneased’ Reject:wistful→doesnotreferto‘strangefeeling’inPara1 [1] 6 ReferringtoParagraph2,givetworeasonswhyMaureen‘washappytobeawayfromthestartingline’(line6-7).Answerinyourownwords.

3(i) PW:Athirteen-year-oldgirldidstandoutafterallamongthetwenty-eightorsogrownmen Shewasnoticeableasagirlamonggrownmen. Accepted:ideaof‘easilyseen/noticed’-conspicuous,visible,obvious,stickout(it’sanidea,notarealmetaphor),attractedmoreattention,prominent Reject:centreofattention,different,oddoneout(strongerideaof‘different’),exception [1] (ii) PW:Andshewasfinallydoingwhatshelovedtodo. Shecouldrunatlast,somethingsheloved. Accepted:ultimately [1] 7 (a) Identify a phraseinParagraph3whichsuggeststhat runningpacecanbeeasilyaffected. Itis‘(withthe)smallestadjustment’. Reminder:Thephase‘smallestadjustment’→isstillnotacompletesentence!Need‘IS(verb)’.(drawcarrottoremindstudents,butgivethemark) [1] (b) FromParagraph3,giveoneexampleofsomethingthatcanaffectrunningpace. Itishowhardone’s/Maureen’s/her footstrikestheground./Itishowquicklybreathissuckedintoone’slungsandblownoutofone’snose./Itishowquicklyonebreathes. Note:questiondoesnotrefertocontext,‘one’ispreferred [1] 8 InParagraph4, Maureen’s‘nervousnessfromthestartlinehadcompletelymeltedaway’(line17).Whatdoesthisdescriptionsuggestabouthowshefeltinthismoment? Shefelt(very)calm/relaxed/atease. Accepted:composed,atpeace Rejected:● carefree/confident–notlinkedtonervousness [1]

4 9 ReferringtoParagraph4,explaininyourownwordstwothingsMaureenlikesaboutrunning. PW:therepetitivebounceofmovingforward Sheenjoystheconsistentactionofspringingon. Accept:rhythmicmotionofmovingupwards,consistentrebound Reject:● repetitive→continuous,repeat/repeated,constant● bounce→footsteps PW:thewhisperingcaressofthewind Shelikesthefeelingofthewindtouchingherfacegently/lightly. Accepted:(gently)brushingpast/acrossherskin,lightlytouchingherface/body(literalsenseoftouch), Dictionarydefinitionof‘caress(noun)’:gentletouch(noun)Dictionarydefinitionof‘brush(verb)’:touchlightlywhilemovingclose‘caress’/touching→fromthewind’sperspective(thewindhavingtheagencyofaction).Youranswerneedstocapturethewind’sagencyinaliteralway. Reject:● ‘felt’→fromMaureen’sperspective(hencenotanaccuratecaptureofmeaning)● thegentletouchofthewind(personificationofthewind)● faintbrushofthewind(personificationofthewind)● gentlewind/breeze(alone)→justmeansslightbreezewithnomeaningof‘agency’● soft(doesnotdescribe‘whispering’asanadjectivetoanaction)● adjectivesthatdescribesoundfor‘whispering’ PW:amindfreetoroamassheleaptonward Shelikestheopportunitytothinkaboutanything./limitlessthoughts Reject:letmindwander,freeofworries,lostinthought,emptymind Anytwo[2] 10 (a) WhatdoesthewriterdotoemphasisethatMaureenwasveryconfidentofmaintainingthepaceinParagraph5? Thewriterrepeated‘hadnot’toshowthatshedidnotconsiderfailuretodoso. Note:useofasinglesimile/statementisnotastrongwaytoemphasisesomething [1] (b) HowdoyouthinkMaureenwasfeelingwhenthenewshither‘likeaslap’(line32)?

5 Shewasfeelingshocked/verysurprised/astonished/stunned. Accepted:indisbelief,astounded Reject:offended,annoyed,puzzled,startled(mild),horrified(toostrong),dumbfounded(=unabletospeak,butshedidspeakrightafterthat) [1] 11 Whydoyouthinkthewriterdescribesthetwenty-fifthmileofamarathontobe‘adisorientingplace’(line35)forrunners? Thewriterwantstoshowthatitiswhererunnerstendtogiveup/giveintotemptation. Accepted:emphasisehowdifficultcompletingthe25thmileis,showthatthe25thmileisphysicallyandmentallydraining Notetostudents:Whydoyouthinkthewriterdescribes=writer’sintentionquestion!PW:Whybotherwhenyoucan’tbeatthetimeyouwantedanyway?->giveupPW:…ignorethevoiceandtryanyway.->notgivingup [1] 12 InParagraph8,Maureenthoughtthatif‘shewasn’tgoingtobreakaworld’sbesttime,shecouldatleastproveshewascapableoffinishingamarathon’(lines41-42). (a) WhatisyourimpressionofMaureenfromthisdetail? Sheis(very)perseverant/relentless/resolute/determined/unrelenting. Accepted:strong-willed,hasstrongwillpower,tenacious,doesnotgiveupeasily,driven Ok=optimistic/positive/flexible(noanswerforb) Reject:● resilient(dictionarydefinition)-abletorecoverquicklyaftersomethingunpleasant→‘recover’isaboutrecoveringfromsetback,butthefocusofthestatementisonthegoalitselfof‘finishingthemarathon’.● goal-oriented(vague→versuspeople-oriented?) [1] (b) IdentifyonewordinParagraph8thatsupportsthisimpressionofMaureen. Itis‘single-mindedly’. Note:ifanswerfor(a)iswrong,onlycangivethemarkfor(b)ifthereisatraceofarelationbetween(a)’sanswerand‘single-mindedly’.E.g.(b)markisawardedif(a)’swrongansweris‘resilient’→because‘single-mindedly’candescribeanaspectofresilience

6 [1] 13 ThewritersuggestedthatMaureenwas‘fiercelycompetitive’(line39).ExplainhowthissuggestionissupportedwithreferencetothreepiecesofevidencefromParagraph8. DictionaryDefinitionof‘competitive’(alone)→tryingveryhardtobebetterthanothersNeedtoexplaincommonwrongquotes?- changedgears- knewonlyonething- atleastproveshewascapableoffinishingamarathon ‘(acceleratedlikeyouwouldina)sportscaronanemptyfreeway’suggeststhatsheranwithoutacareforanythingaroundhertocompletetherace. Accept:…sheranwithadisregardforpotentialobstacles/limitations Notetostudents:(high)speed=/=competitiveDictionarydefinitionof‘competitive’:tryingveryhardtobebetterthanothers ‘zeroedin(onitsingle-mindedly)’suggeststhatshehadonlyonefocus,whichwastocompletetherace. Accept:anyideaofone/single/completefocus/aim/target/objective/goalE.g.‘focusonitentirely’ Dictionarydefinitionof‘zero’(verb):setthesightsof(agun)forfiringNote:‘single-mindedly’isapostmodifierofthemainideaof‘zeroin’→hencetheideaofonefocus/aimisneeded Reject:‘lockedonandfocussed’(figurativeanswer)‘showsherfocus’→noideaof‘one’focus‘fixated’→containsideaof’unreasonable(focus)’ ‘usingeveryounceofgasleftinthetank’suggeststhatshewasdeterminedtoexpendallherenergytocompletetherace. Accepted:besteffort,allhermight(meaning‘energy’),allhereffort R