2024 NYJC Prelim P2 Ans Scheme

1 2024 Prelim P2 Passage 1 1. Identify two ways in which the first paragraph is an effective introduction. [2m] From the text Suggested Answer Every year, a staggering 10 million international travellers, typically from North America and Europe, travel abroad to volunteer in impoverished communities. Students, youth groups, and other well- intended participants construct buildings, assist at orphanages, and pursue other short-term development projects in an effort to give back. Yet, to what extent do these volunteers actually benefit host communities, economically and socially? a) The statistics/information stated in the first line acts as a hook to establish [technique] the extensive impact of voluntourism [context]. b) [Any reasonable technique, e.g. the question at the end of the paragraph] to hint at/get readers to think about the dual nature/ contradictory/paradoxical nature of voluntourism [context]. Must have [technique]+[context] to be awarded 1m. For (a): Technique: should be about the volume of voluntourists; statistics Effect: to capture people’s interest; hook Context: should be about the significance of the volume of voluntourists For (b): Technique: should be about the question Effect: to hint; to get readers to think/reflect Context: should be about the dual nature of voluntourism 2. Why has the author placed brackets around the phrase in lines 9-10? [1m] From the text Suggested Answer As a $2 billion industry, voluntourism is one of the fastest growing trends in travel. Volunteer agencies advertise these short-term mission trips as an opportunity for participants to broaden their worldview and put their altruistic desires into action. While these A) He wants to include his opinion [function] that there is an element of showing-off to the participants’ desire to experience something deeply meaningful/ profound / significant / transformative when they go on international mission trips. [context] OR B) He wants to include his opinion [function] that the effort to help the local communities is not genuine but for recognition from online audience. [context] OR

2 trips may provide participants with life-changing experiences (that their Instagram and Facebook followers resoundingly applaud), the opposite is often observed in the communities impacted. Rather, voluntourism is imperialistic in nature. It economically disenfranchises local communities, creates relationships dependent on aid reliance, inefficiently manages resources and perpetuates harmful stereotypes. C) He wants to include his opinion [function] that there is also the desire to gain validation from one’s social media followers together with the desire to experience something deeply meaningful when participants go on mission trips. [context] Must have [function]+[context] to be awarded 1m. “additional information” is not accepted because 1) it is not information but distinctly an opinion held by author and 2) ‘additional info’ should be either elaborate on the existing argument, or present a tangential angle 3. Explain why the volunteers’ good intentions did not improve the lives of the locals (line 15)? [2m] From the text Suggested Answer The imperialistic nature of voluntourism is apparent in the disempowerment of the communities they aim to help. While volunteers often have good intentions to improve the lives of the locals, the voluntourism industry sustains practices that hinder local economies. When local enterprises hire local workers to complete development projects, they pay for labour, resulting in local employment. However, when agencies recruit volunteers who are willing to pay to complete these same projects, it deprives local workers of job opportunities, and The good intentions did not improve the lives of the locals because: a) Volunteers take away the locals’ employment opportunities by completing the same tasks for free. (individual) b) The volunteers’ presence means there is no need for local companies to take up these potential projects/local companies lose out on these chances to operate and make money. (enterprises) *can lift ‘locals’, ‘opportunities’ *cannot lift ‘deprive’, ‘denied’

3 local enterprises are also denied of business opportunities. *The two different entities of ‘individual’ and ‘enterprises’ must be clear in the answer. **Can be 2 stakeholders + 1 effect

4 4. Using paragraph 4, explain three ways in which the author uses language to show how voluntourism can be harmful to the communities that it is meant to help. [3m] From the text Suggested Answer A pressing matter triggered by voluntourism in the medical front is the illusory sense of protection and consistency in such services. Newsweek Columnist Maya Wesby describes a situation in Ghana where locals were at the mercy of the volunteers’ availability to dispense medication and medical advice. This free care caused many to opt out of medical insurance, mortally wounding local healthcare and insurance providers, and condemning the locals to a woeful dependence on foreigners. If there were to be any interruption to volunteer arrivals (say, a pandemic), locals would truly be left in the lurch. Because these trips are designed for the short-term, participants do not recognise the harm they are imposing on communities over time. a) The author uses ‘illusory’ to show that the help given is not truly/really reliable/dependable/appears to be reliable. (*idea of false sense of consistency in medical aid) b)The author uses ‘at the mercy of’ to suggest that even though the locals are able to obtain free healthcare from volunteers, it is not within the locals’ control/it is not up to them whether the volunteers were free to attend to them, which could potentially aggravate medical conditions. (*Context must be about medical help/medication dispensed by volunteers. *idea of medical aid availability is in hands of volunteers/subject to availability of the volunteers, no control over the volunteers’ availability/ over reliant on volunteers’ availability) c)The author also uses ‘mortally wounding’ to show that the local healthcare service providers suffer extreme losses/serious loss of business as a result of voluntourism. (*choice of vocab must reflect intensity *idea of serious harm to medical industry) d)The author uses ‘condemning’/’woeful’ to point out the fact that they are doomed to rely heavily on foreign charity/ the fact they have to rely on foreign charity is very pitiful/pathetic/the locals in a sorry state of (over)reliance on foreigners. (*must be related to the state of the reliance, that it is pathetic. *condemning: doomed to be sadly reliant *woeful: sad/sorry/pitiful/pathetic state of reliance) e)The author uses ‘(truly be) left in the lurch’ to further emphasise that the locals will be helpless/doomed in a crisis without any means of rescue. (*idea of helpless/no means of rescue/abandoned/stranded with no assistance) Any three of the above. The ‘harm’ must be made explicit in the answer.

5 5. In paragraph 5, how does the author support his claim that ‘voluntourism is incredibly inefficient in managing the expenses paid by participants’ (lines 28- 29)? [2m] From the text Suggested Answer Additionally, in terms of economically benefiting host communities, voluntourism is incredibly inefficient in its management of expenses paid by participants. While volunteer agencies often advertise a desperate need for volunteers, costs for these programmes are far from cheap, ranging between a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars, depending on the programme’s duration. However, while participants are comm