HCI 2025 Prelim P2 Insert

HWA CHONG INSTITUTIONPRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONHigher 1Candidate NameCT GroupIndex NumberINSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATESThis 2-page Insert contains the reading passages for comprehension. Please detach it and fill in your particulars in the boxes above. Please retain this Insert at the end of the examination.Passage 1. An author discusses what music can and cannot achieve.1In the final scene of “The Worst Person in the World”, “Águas de Março” plays in the background. A song from 1972 describing Rio de Janeiro’s rainiest month seems incongruous for a movie about a young Norwegian’s turbulent life in 2021, but it illustrates the scene perfectly. The struggles of individuals across time and space are not so unique after all. 2Songs such as “Águas de Março” blossomed in Brazil in the 1970s, a golden age for Brazilian culture when poets, musicians and producers cross-pollinated international ideas with local traditions to create a national identity. As various genres thrived, it became apparent that these risk-takers were doing more than creating art: at a time when songs had to be submitted to the censors and the dictatorship was known to imprison hostile artists, they still made political satire their mission and excited the public with their artistry. 5103Crippling crises and bungling leaders ensure music endures as a means for artistic expression, but it remains unclear whether music can solve real-world problems. Consider this: Shervin Hajipour’s “Baraye”, based on the tweets by Iranians reacting to the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022, became the anthem for the “Woman, Life, Liberty” movement. While the universal frustrations it recounts are intelligible to Persian speakers living elsewhere, references to repressions specific to that society elude those who are used to speaking their mind and shaping their destiny. Instead, they may recognise more easily the grievances of the 1000-odd UK artistes who released a silent album entitled “Is This What We Want?” to protest against proposed legislative changes that allow companies to use material found online to train their artificial intelligence with no regard for the livelihoods of the copyright owners. 15204While it is an infinitely creative tool with which to chart the ebb and flow of political and social trends, music’s ability to transform society is debatable. In the overcrowded music scene, songs with a message will need a big nudge from celebrities to even be noticed. Instead, catchy tunes about heartbreak, angst and parties become viral earworms. Moreover, with digital natives permitting streaming services to curate their playlists, the algorithms may never recommend something that gives them pause. Besides, why would the youthful listener want to revisit the trials and tribulations dominating the news and real life? Knowing their fans crave show business at its best, ‘live’ performances by best-selling artistes are exultant singalongs punctuated by sharp choreography, flas