2025 DHS Y6 GP Prelim P2 Insert

CANDIDATE NAME CIVICS GROUP 6C __ __ CENTRE/INDEX NUMBER © DHS 2025 8881/02/Y6/PRELIMINARYEXAMINATION DUNMAN HIGH SCHOOL General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Higher 1 YEAR 6 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION GENERAL PAPER 8881/02 Paper 2 03 September 2025 INSERT 1 hour 30 minutes READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST This Insert contains the passages for comprehension. This document consists of 4 printed pages. [Turn over

2 © DHS 2025 8881/02/Y6/PRELIMINARYEXAMINATION Passage 1. An author considers how rudeness can lead to positive outcomes. 1 2 3 4 5 How many times have we seen viral videos of people behaving poorly in public? Today, we observe the ever -worsening decline in civility and lament the mannerisms of the youth. We pine for how we used to give way and open the door for others. However, the truth is that we often want to be rude and enjoy being rude – after all, it frees us from the pains induced by polite restraint. It is both relief and remedy, especially for those who are used to being thumbed down. Finally, the underdogs bark and bite back. However, it is crucial to note that perceptions of rudeness vary across different cultures. For instance, in the United States, people exhibit rudeness because they value self-expression. Consequently, people may admire those who are more direct, seeing it as a sign of strength. Often, the recipient of the hurtful comment is expected to toughen up and not take things personally. In Japan, though, rudeness often stems from a lack of social awareness. As such, people look down on rudeness, as it disrupts group harmony. Hence, the speaker is expected to manage their words carefully to protect relationships and avoid causing offence. Despite the lingering reservations about rudeness in some societies, increasingly, rudeness is seen to help us achieve workplace authority. Several studies have found that people tend to associate rudeness with having the confidence to speak up and lead others. Furthermore, from my experience, when you are rude, people take extra care not to upset you: your subordinates become more sincere in tasks you delegate to them, and your peers thoughtfully pre-empt and commit themselves to avoid unnecessarily eating up your time. Of course, being rude entails having the shrewdness to know when to crack the whip to achieve one’s aims. Unsurprisingly, those who are selectively rude excel in their personal effectiveness and efficiency. They are aware that they should mind t heir behaviour when they are with customers or with people in power. Those who spurn rudeness believe that the desire to be civil is an exercise of morality. Civility entails treating others with respect, tolerance and consideration. But if one wants to be moral, one must also know that, in order to be good, sometimes one c annot be nice. To disrespect, mock , or shame can actually be moral gestures. Cancel culture exemplifies just that: rudeness is wielded as a sharpened blade of justice, used unflinchingly to expose, confront, and shame those who trample on our shared humanity. When #MeToo survivors and supporters used Twitter to demand accountability, many were harsh in calling out not just producers who abused their power, but the broader complicity of Hollywood. Angry public condemnations effectively pushed the narrative when polite calls for change to address sexual harassment had long been ignored. While many would imagine that rudeness results in a tense and conflict -driven community, this willingness to be forthright could ironically create a level of trust as everyone is being authentic. Instead of guessing what truly lies behind the politically correct front, what you see is what you get. However, all adherents to this provocative style of ‘tell it as it is’ must be ready that when faced with brash comments, top dogs are not going to simply roll over and accept challenges to their authority. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

3 © DHS 2025 8881/02/Y6/PRELIMINARYEXAMINATION Passage 2. Another author discusses the problems of incivility. 1 2 3 4 5 You’re more likely to be cut off in traffic today than witness a murder, but both would leave a mark on you. Rudeness might not grab any headlines, but it is omnipresent, and precisely because rudeness is so common, it is not a petty issue. Being robbed is a misfortune; being treated rudely threatens one’s self-respect. In the first case we lament; in the second case, we seethe. Once we step out of the house, we can see how public spaces have been colonised by private behaviour: listening to loud music; bellowing into phones on buses; swearing noisily in libraries... It is behaviour unbecoming of a citizen, and chips away at the v ery foundation of our communal spirit, leaving cracks where unity once flourished. People are less cognisant of their function as a component in the wider social organism. If public life becomes less welcoming, wouldn’t fewer people choose to engage with e ach other, ultimately deepening the divisions within our society? Rudeness affects not just aggressor and victim, but others besides. It subjects victims to stress and downward spiral when they ruminate on the issue. Furthermore, rudeness can make its victims feel like an island stranded in a sea of isolation. In addition, those who witness the behaviour can also be adversely affected, experiencing anger. Just witnessing one incident of rudeness in the morning (like a customer shouting at a barista or a commuter barrelling past others to board a train) can affect a person for the rest of the day, producing a desire to avoid interacting with others. These consequences should make people think twice before lashing out. Another issue is that rudeness is emotionally contagious. Known as the incivility spiral, this idea holds that those who experience rudeness are likely to respond in kind. Rudeness begets rudeness – the exchange of slights and insults is then likely to escalate on both sides, potentially l eading to aggression. On a larger scale, such dynamics can have serious consequences in the political realm, where undiplomatic language between leaders of nations can erode trust and undermine diplomatic relations. When U .S. President Donald Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong -un ‘Little Rocket Man’ in his first term, it sparked a wave of retaliatory threats that heightened international tensions, making peaceful cooperation more difficult. Perhaps what rudeness ultimately reveals is not just a lapse in manners, but a deeper disconnection from one another. Yet, that same insight offers hope, because it means that even small gestures of kindness can help mend the fabric of our shared lives. In choosing civility, we make space for understanding and a more compassionate world. 5 10 15 20 25 30

4 © DHS 2025 8881/02/Y6/PRELIMINARYEXAMINATION Passage 3. An author provides advice on how to manage rudeness in children. 1 2 3 4 Yesterday, my daughter came home in tears after watching her best friend being mocked and shouted at by an older child at the playground. When I asked why she was crying, she responded that she absolutely couldn’t understand why someone would be so utterly disrespectful, and she was very upset with herself for not knowing what to do. This made me reflect: Does no one teach children what respectful behaviour actually look