2023 NYJC EOY P2 Ans Scheme

JC1 END-OF-YEAR EXAMINATION 2023 Answer Scheme From Paragraph 1 1) What are the purposes of the author’s opening statement? (2m) From Passage Suggested Answer Most of us have never competed in the Olympic Games, but we know what it is like to work under pressure. a) The author wants to introduce the topic of the passage about stress/ provoke the reader to think about the topic of stress / include the reader [function] by/in conveying his point that everyone is aware of the difficulty / familiar with the feeling of working under stress. [context] b) The author wants to engage/grab the reader’s attention [function] by referring to a well- known/major/familiar competition, the Olympic Games, a high-pressure situation. [context] OR The author wants to engage the reader/grab the attention of the reader [function] by introducing the topic on stress with the example of the stressful international/well-known competition – the Olympic Games.[context] c) The author uses the inclusive pronoun ‘we’ to emphasise [function] that the reader will agree that the difficulty of working under stress is a common experience/is an experience that everyone is aware of. [context] Any two of the above for 2m

2) Why did Simone Biles’ decision at the 2021 Olympic Games result in the changing of the conversation on prioritising our mental health? (lines 9-10) (2m) From Passage Suggested Answer Prioritising our mental health is unfortunately not normalised, especially at the highest levels. However, that conversation is changing. When four-time gold medal gymnast, Simone Biles, dropped out of the competition at the 2021 Olympic Games after experiencing immense stress, her actions showed the world what it looks like to speak up, take action and take care of your mental and physical health. Perhaps most of all, Biles showed what it looks like to know yourself and to really understand how your own performance works. When a top athlete who was expected to perform under high pressure* refused to compete for the sake of her mental well-being [significance of Biles as the example] [1], *BOD if students do not mention the aspect of ‘expectations’ it (her decision) allowed everyone else to start (change) talking about (conversation) how they should take care of their mental health too/the importance of mental health. [context of the change*] [1] *answer must reflect understanding of the ‘change’ involved, i.e. to use words like ‘start’ **Reason (first part) is crucial to the answering of this Qn. 3) In paragraph 3, what three differences does the author point out between what we are often told and what we should be told? [3m] From Passage Suggested Answer We tell people that in order to excel in their careers, they have to learn to deal with pressure. — and that the way they handle it would make or break their career. We never talk about whether the pressure would make or break them. People are taught and coached to succeed. Far fewer have been taught how to fail and bounce back. In the process of prioritising success, we are told that we only need to push ourselves physically in order to perform . But the connection between mind and body has been proven . So, why are we not talking more about the mind- performance connection? We are often told that being able to manage/withstand pressure is key to the success (A1) of our careers but we should also be told that pressure could also handicap us/ damage us mentally.(A2) We often teach people how to achieve their goals (B1) but we should also be taught how to manage/overcome setbacks/defeat.(B2) We are often told that achievement is solely a matter of physical stamina/endurance/physical drive (C1), but we should also be told that we also need to be mentally strong in order to achieve success / that there is an established link between our ability to succeed/achieve and our mental wellbeing.(C2)

4) What does the author’s use of the word ‘incredibly’ in line 26 suggest about employers’ view on workplace well-being and productivity during the Industrial Revolution? [1m] From Passage Suggested Answer Incredibly, when work hours went down and pay rates went up, efficiency and productivity skyrocketed. (incredibly: hard to believe) During the Industrial Revolution, most employers did not think/ found it hard to believe that workplace well-being would increase productivity. 5) What does the word 'ultimately' imply about the attempts to enhance worker well-being? (line 30)? [1m] From Passage Suggested Answer The insight about worker well -being and productivity has led to innovations like employer-sponsored health insurance but has been slow to translate into holistic well-being for employees . Ultimately, Ford’s employees were ‘just workers’, with their performance measured as units produced, their work safety, happiness and fulfillment something left uninvestigated. And, 100 years later, we still treat higher-level performance as something elite, attained and maintained through endurance, toughness, and sheer force of will. Yet we know that human beings are more than just their talent, skills, knowledge, abilities, and strength. They feel stress. They feel doubt and fear. They get distracted and frustrated. They get excited, hopeful and inspired. It affects how they show up and what they do. A) The author is implying that despite the attempts to enhance workers’ well- being, it was not genuine / not truly effective [implication] B) as in the end, employers did not discern/care about/find out about whether they were truly satisfied and protected in the workplace [context] OR as in the end, employers were not really concerned about their intangible well- being/emotional wellbeing [context]

6) Why has the author written ‘just workers’ in inverted commas (line 30)? [1m] From Passage Suggested Answer The insight about worker well -being and productivity has led to innovations like employer - sponsored health insurance but has been slow to translate into holistic well -being for employees. Ultimately, Ford’s employees were ‘just workers’, with their perform ance measured as units produced, their work safety, happiness and fulfillment something left uninvestigated. And, 100 years later, we still treat higher -level performance as something elite, attained and maintained through endurance, toughness, and sheer f orce of will. Yet we know that human beings are more than just their talent, skills, knowledge, abilities, and strength. They feel stress. They feel doubt and fear. They get distracted and frustrated. They get excited, hopeful and inspired. It affects how they show up and what they do. A)The author disagrees [function] with how the workers were merely seen as tools/a means to increase production B) as their value/worth should not be quantified in terms of the amount of goods they produced. [context] 7) In paragraph 6, what similarity does the author see between trees and Olympic athletes? (1m) From Passage Suggested Answer Performance and well -being are not mutually exclusive, and they do not exist in spite of one another. Trees do not bear fruit without water and sunshine. Olympic athletes do not perform without rest and care . Biles was the one on the world stage, but her e xperience resonated with so many. The pressures that people feel to excel and perform are eroding their ability to actually do so. If we want to empower people to be their best and most productive selves, we have to see them as our most valuable resource — and one worth taking care of. Both trees and athletes require their basic / essential needs to be taken care of [needs] before they can flourish/thrive [outcome]. 1m or zero Just as trees need hydration and UV rays to produce fruit,