CJC 2024 GP Prelim Paper 2 - Suggested Answer Scheme

2024 JC2 Prelim Exam Paper 2 Suggested Answer Scheme From Passage 1 Q1. Why has the author placed inverted commas around the phrase ‘emotional support animal’ (line 2)? [2m] From the Passage Suggested Paraphrase In October 2018, a woman was forcibly removed from the plane before takeoff. The reason? Airline personnel noticed that the “emotional support animal” she had brought on board in a pet carrier was in fact a squirrel— a pet that was not allowed aboard under the airline’s policies but one she refused to relinquish. Defiantly she exclaimed, “You’re not taking my squirrel! You will not take my baby from me!” [Function] (a1) the term is not used in the conventional sense OR (b1) to express bemusement/derision/doubt/ disapproval/ disbelief/ absurd/ sceptical/ sarcastic/cynical/ mocking DNA: emphasise / expectation [Context] (a2) as a squirrel is an unconventional/ strange/ unusual/ (inappropriate choice of animal to be brought on board) for the purpose of preserving one’s psychological well-being OR (b2) about the practice of relying on an animal to preserve one’s psychological well-being (mental health?) rather than a human person (A1 + A2 = 2m, B1 + B2 = 2m, B1 + A2 =2m) Q2. In paragraph 2, how does the author express her belief that something significant has changed in our relationship with pets? [3m] From the Passage Suggested Paraphrase As the ballad of the therapy squirrel suggests, something significant has changed in our relationship with our pets. Pets are (b1) now endowed with new rights and privileges (b2) and emotional lives pet owners claim for them. The impulse to treat our pets as beloved children and companions is not new. Romans buried their dogs in human cemeteries and talked about them like children. But the (b3) scale and scope of our pet obsessions have vastly increased since Roman times. [Function] (a1) By comparing past and present attitudes towards pets to show how OR (a2) making a comparison between how pets were treated by the Romans with how pets are treated today, to show how [Context] (any 2 out of 3) (b1) pets are now accorded/provided with/granted/given more/unprecedented entitlements / liberties / luxuries (b2) and are now perceived/projected/ believed/presumed to have their own significant experiences / feelings (b3) as well as how we now have a much greater OR more varied degree of preoccupation/fixation on animals as compared to the past. DNA: addiction

Q3. In paragraph 4, explain the author’s purpose in referring to the movies ‘Alpha’ and ‘A Dog’s Purpose’. [2m] From the Passage Suggested Paraphrase Contemporary films also offer stories in which (b) master and pet roles are reversed, (c) with pets firmly guiding the lives of their flawed human companions. The recently released movie Alpha gives the origin story of the dog- human relationship the full Hollywood treatment, showing a callow boy who grows into a man only with the aid of a wolf. Likewise, in the 2017 movie A Dog’s Purpose, the soul of a single dog is repeatedly reincarnated in a different time and place, always displaying an unerring instinct to do right and save the humans around him, often at the cost of his own life. [Function] (a) The author offers stories/ examples that illustrate/ demonstrate/ provide anecdotal evidence [Context] (Either ‘b’ or ‘c’) (b) where the position/ obligations/ duties/ function of owner and pet have been interchanged/swapped OR doing what the other was supposed /expected to (c) with pets providing assistance / direction / leading their weak/ imperfect/inadequate human partner/friend/counterparts Q4. In paragraph 5, what are the two dimensions of responsibilities that humans owe to their pets? [2m] From the Passage Suggested Paraphrase But our changing feelings about our pets are most starkly revealed by our consumer choices: how much and for what we are now willing to spend to make our pets (a) happy and (b) healthy. (a) ensure that their pets are content / activities that they enjoy (b) ensure that their pets are in good physical condition / well-being is taken care of BOD: Welfare (not clear if it’s ‘a’ or ‘b’) DNA for a: Pampered / comfortable / luxury DNA for b: Necessities / essentials Q5. What is the author suggesting when he says that ‘animals once constituted the first circle of what surrounded man’ (line 40)? [2m] From the Passage Suggested Paraphrase Animals once constituted the first circle of what surrounded man. We (a) lived with and among animals, (b) relying on them to survive. Today, people have elevated animals to a more privileged place in the household with pet keeping taking on outsized significance. As greater prosperity encourages more spending on pets, we would do well to reconsider the place of domesticated animals in our lives. (a) People previously lived in close proximity / lived amidst / lived alongside / co-exist with animals Bod: stayed with / companion DNA: been around / along with / friend / peer (b) They depended on animals to sustain their lives DNA: thrive DNA: animals are used for food DNA: dependent (must show exclusivity)

From Passage 2 Summarise how pet ownership is harmful to animals. Write your summary in no more than 120 words. [8m] Pt From the Passage Suggested Paraphrase From Para 2 a. using them for our own gratification exploiting/ utilising them for our personal enjoyment/ satisfaction / pleasure b. treating them as objects, not as living beings with inherent value regarding / perceiving / seeing them as items / commodities / things not as creatures with intrinsic / innate worth / sentient creatures DNA: Significance / purpose c. difficult for us to appreciate the experiential world of the animal from their own perspective hard for us to understand/value/ relate to what they go through / their viewpoint / feelings / emotions From Para 3 d. d1: not how our keeping them as pets makes them feel OR, d2: We think about how our pets make us feel d1: Ignore / disregard / dismiss their feelings OR, d2: as we only consider our emotions e. anguish pets experience, there is also psychological anguish and not about the agony/suffering/torment/distress pets undergo (must capture intensity) DNA: Despondent / depression f. physical confinement [para 5] imagine your whole life in a space not much larger than your body while their spaces / movements are constrained / limited / restricted / containment g. social isolation [para 5] no meaningful social interactions] alienated/ separated DNA: detachment h. chronic exposure to stress prolonged exposure to traumatic events OR subjected to extended trauma/ anxiety/ pressure/ overwhelmed i. can lead to physiological damage resulting in physical/biological wear and tear / bodily injuries j. increase the risk of chronic disease heightening/ greater danger of long-term/ prolonged illnesses/ sicknesses/ ailments k. shorten lifespans reducing longevity OR premature / early deaths l. there is also psychological anguish such as harmful behaviours called stereotypies mental agony/ suffering resulting in dangerous/ destructive habits/actions BOD: hurtful DNA: unhealthy (intensity)

From Para 4 m. Ethically, keeping pets is not so different from consuming meat morally questionable n. [inferred point] taken the life of an individual animal removed the autonomy/agency/freedom of the pet destroy their lives DNA: kill (wrong context) o. and you have chosen to participate in an industry that imposes suffering on living beings knowingly supporting an enterprise / the business (of) that inflicts torment on living creatures Accepted lift: industry Para 5 p. Moreover, the billions spent on pet products every year mostly undermines animal welfare the exorbitant/