2024 RVHS JC2 Prelim P2 Insert

RIVER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL JC2 Preliminary Examination GENERAL PAPER 8881/02 Paper 2 28 AUGUST 2024 INSERT 1 hour 30 minutes READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST This Insert contains the passages for Paper 2. This document consists of 4 printed pages.

2 RVHS 2024 8881/02/JC2Prelims Passage 1: An author writes about the value of nostalgia 1 Depending on whom you ask, nostalgia has been described from being a ‘warm fuzzy feeling’ by one who is sentimental, to something that can be capitalised on as a ‘hipster heritage impulse’ by another with a sharp business acumen. A cynic tired of modern life would even muse that it is the sweet imagination of the past when the present is found wanting. These groups all romanticise nostalgia as an idyllic past that must be preserved, as evident in the mushrooming of folkish but fashionable cafes, bookstores and other entrepreneurial ventures. 5 2 Whatever one calls the wave of nostalgia that has swept across nations, the implications for policymakers are twofold: across the world, people clamour for buildings and areas to be preserved, resulting in petitions piling on the pressure for leaders to designate historical streets and buildings as cultural heritage assets, which can stand in the way of progressive and efficient use of space. Quaint but uneven cobblestone walkways run contrary to modern attempts to build infrastructure for the differently abled. Beyond this, there is the rise of socio-cultural clashes between newly arrived migrants and the local populace, with the latter resenting globally famous brands perceived as symbols of cultural imperialism, even as these brands offer wider variety at a lower cost compared to local traditional businesses. 10 15 3 Even if nostalgia does not always sit well with our modern-day practical sensibilities, its allure is indisputable; some go as far as to say that nostalgia is the gentle narcotic for a bruised soul. The flood of foreigners and the unrelenting urban development mean we are swimming in a stream of change, which can be discomforting and disorientating. That is why nostalgia can be canned and sold — there is an audience and market for it. Rather than consign traditional industries to the past, patriots and consumers alike welcome a return to a simpler, slower way of life, where humble possessions are skilfully handmade and sold, and where the traditional arts of craftsmen are also elevated, symbolising the allure of a stable and unchanging unique, local identity. 20 25 4 In addition, sociologists opine that nostalgia could strengthen national identity and bonds among people. Afterall, nostalgia is about collective identity, sense of belonging, and anticipation for the future. This can herald the renaissance of civil society, involving both looking back to a nation’s accomplishments of the past, and forward to