2025 JC1 ASRJC P1A4 Answers Essay Outlines

1 Anderson Serangoon Junior College General Paper Weighted Assessment 1 (WA1) Duration: 1 hour Essay Question Response Write a stand and two body paragraphs (including balance) in response to any one of the questions below. Q1. How far are individuals prepared for future crises in your society? Q2. ‘People, rather than the government, should be responsible for their own well-being. ’ Do you agree? Question 1 How far are individuals prepared for future crises in your society? Question Analysis Issue: Whether or not individuals in your society are prepared for future crises and to what extent Context: Your society Conceptual Understanding: • Demonstrate the ability to understand the link between characteristics of your society and individual’s preparedness towards future crises • Demonstrate the ability to understand existing qualities of individuals in your society against challenges that might happen in the future Key words: • “How far” – To what extent, the degree to which • “individuals” – Singaporeans, with consideration of their various qualities and characteristics • “prepared” – possessing the right qualities/skills to tackle/address a specific situation • “future” – a period of time that has yet to come • “crises” – a time of intense difficulty or danger ; natural crisis; health crisis; humanitarian crisis; technological crisis; economic/ financial crisis Significant aspects/areas to be discussed (5W1H, Multiple Perspectives, Significant Trends, SPECTRAM): • SPECTRAM to brainstorm for the various types of crises • Trends of the world/your society to brainstorm for reasons on how and why individuals are prepared Possible Stands • Individuals in my society are prepared for future crises to a large extent. • Individuals in my society are prepared for future crises only to a small extent. Reasons why individuals are prepared for future crises in my society, Singapore Reasons why individuals are not prepared for future crises in my society, Singapore • In response to an increasingly volatile and uncertain future, Singapore is increasingly committed in ensuring that all individuals in the country are aware and well-equipped with the knowledge to handle and manage potential crises. o In 2016, led by the Singapore government, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched the SG Secure • The increasingly complex and unpredictable nature of global crises today makes it challenging for individuals to ever be prepared to anticipate, let alone, manage them. o In a survey commissioned by National Geographic Channel and conducted by Idstats, four out of five Singaporeans do not consider

2 national movement in an effort to sensitise, train and mobilise Singaporeans to prevent terror incidents and respond to them. Under the campaign, Singaporeans are prepared to better protect themselves against a terror attack. o “Stay prepared” initiative – a community outreach effort by Temasek Cares, ST Engineering, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore Heart Foundation, SMRT and Singapore Civil Defence Force aims to help the public be prepared for unexpected events and crises. The initiative was launched in 2014, supported by a $75 million Temasek Emergency Preparedness (T-PREP) Fund prepares Singaporeans for a range of emergencies, and provides assistance to the public alongside community groups and VWOs. Members of the public were taught crucial skills, such as receiving lessons in using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for cases of cardiac arrest and learnt how to apply continuous chest compression resuscitation techniques to save lives. themselves to be prepared in the event of a major disaster. 7 in 10 of the respondents who felt unprepared adopted a fatalistic attitude toward disasters. When asked why they felt they were not as prepared as they thought they should be for catastrophe, 67 per cent of respondents said it was because “there’s nothing anyone can ever do to be truly prepared for a catastrophe” . • Individuals in Singapore today grew up in an era where global and domestic crises are not uncommon. Singaporeans are well aware of one’s vulnerability towards these potential crises and are prepared to tackle these crises. o Singapore has always been and will always be, exposed to effects from outside its borders. Our capacity to weather the shocks and crises that come with being a small open global economy has also broadened considerably. Singapore has experienced many different crises in the past that has shaped our preparedness towards future crises. Most notably, when transboundary haze – caused by slash-and-burn plantation farming in nearby Indonesia – reached hazardous levels in 2013, an Inter-Agency Haze Task Force set up in the 1990s and led by NEA stood ready to deal with the emerging situation. This demonstrated that Singapore’s seasoned whole-of-government response and the slew of measures that quickly followed was effective in handling future crises. Individuals from also reacted promptly by giving out free masks to the community. Three brothers gave out more than 400 N95 masks bought with their own funds to lower-income households in their Chai Chee neighbourhood. Other business people rallied volunteers to donate and distribute over 7,000 masks to needy families. • Individuals in Singapore are increasingly individualistic and are often too caught up with the fast-paced lifestyle to even personally care for issues other than their own, the possibility of future crises does not impact them as it is regarded as the responsibility of the government instead. o In the same survey, on who should be responsible for disaster preparedness, half of the Singaporeans surveyed said the responsibility for doing so lies with the government.

3 • Singaporeans possess resilience and a willingness to comply with the government, allowing the nation to tackle future challenges in a united fashion. o Our success in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic did not come without majority of the population being willing to adhere to Safe Management Measures and to get themselves vaccinated. o During the lockdown period, Singaporeans displayed their resilience is finding many creative ways to keep themselves occupied and connected with their loved ones, while still contributing to those in need in the community and cheering on those in the healthcare sector who were on the frontlines fighting the virus. Related recent examples • Phishing exercise to strengthen cyber resilience part of nationwide Total Defence campaign https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/exercise-sg-ready-total-defence-phishing-mindef-4940641 • Next phase of SGSecure asks individuals what roles they can play against terror threat https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/sgsecure-next-phase-terror-threat-first-responder-3661211 • Religious organisations, schools and hospitals are prepared for terror attacks: Sun Xueling • https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/religious-organisations-schools-and-hospitals-are- prepared-for-terror-attacks-sun-xueling • Commentary: If Singapore were to come under attack or face a natural disaster, how prepared would you be? https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/total-defence-day-siren-warning-signal-emergency- disaster-plan-preparedness-3273901 • 79% of S’poreans not prepared for major disaster: survey (2012) https://sg.news.yahoo.com/79--of-s%E2%80%99poreans-not-prepared-for-major-disaster--survey.html

4 Question 2 ‘People, rather than the government, should be responsible for their own well-being. ’ Do you agree. (Adapted from 2018 HCI) Question Analysis Issue: The issue being discussed is the responsibility for individual wellbeing, whether it should primarily rest with individuals themselves or if there is a role for government intervention and support. Context: Global Concept