2021 prelim paper 2 Text 3 (with ans)

1 ZHONGHUA SECONDARY SCHOOL PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2021 SECONDARY 4 EXPRESS / SECONDARY 4 NORMAL ACADEMIC (SBB) / SECONDARY 5 NORMAL ACADEMIC Candidate’s Name Class Register Number ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1128/02 Paper 2 Booklet 2 (Expository Comprehension) 26 August 2021 1 hour 50 minutes Additional Materials: Foolscap paper (1 sheet - optional) READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name, index number and class in the spaces at the top of this page. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid. Answer all the questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided on the Question Booklet. This Booklet contains the texts and questions for expository comprehension. Errors in grammar and spelling may be penalised in any part of the answer. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. The total number of marks for this paper is 50. Booklet 1 – Visual & Narrative (25 marks) Booklet 2 – Expository (25 marks) For examiner’s use Expository Comprehensio n /25 Setter: Ms Nadia Zhong Vetter: Mrs Ng Kiat Bee This question paper consists of 6 printed pages.

2 Text 3 The article below is about the history of gladiators in Ancient Rome. Read it carefully and answer Questions 14- 20. 1 Once a thriving city, Pompeii was buried suddenly by a volcanic eruption in A.D. 79. Walking the city’s eerily well-preserved streets today, visitors see reminders of gladiator games everywhere – from the 22,000-seat amphitheater on the east side of town to the faded advertisements in the city center which plugged the upcoming fights. Mosaics and frescoes captured the highlights of past matches. 2 Inscriptions found at Pompeii suggest gladiator troupes travelled from town to town as part of a sword- wielding road show. One advertisement discovered just outside the city walls encouraged locals to head to Nola, which was 20 miles due north, to catch 20 pairs of gladiators facing off over the course of three days. 5 3 During a major restoration effort in 2000, Heinz Beste, who spent four years documenting the stonework under the arena of the Colosseum, revealed traces of an ingenious system of platforms, elevators, winches, and ramps, manned by hundreds of stage technic ians and animal handlers. Through dozens of trapdoors in the arena floor, handlers could release animals directly into the ring for staged hunts called venationes, that typically served as the appetizer for gladiator fights. 10 4 Elaborate, painted sets would lift straight out of the arena floor, and elevators might have popped gladiators directly into the ring. “Spectators didn’t know what would open when, or where,” Beste says. From animal hunts to gladiator fights, everything about the gladiator e vents was calculated to keep fans on the edge of their stone seats. Suspense, not brutality, was the lifeblood of the games. 15 5 Other artwork from around the Roman world suggests that a colourful cast of helpers and hangers-on waited in the wings, or even shared the arena floor. Musicians warmed up the crowd as the gladiators took their places, and perhaps added dramatic flourishes during the fights. Helmets and weapons were carried into the ring during a prefight parade led by the editor, or sponsor of the games. Key figures were the referees, who were responsible for enforcing a strict sense of fair play. In one depiction, captured on a small pot found in the Netherlands, a referee holds up his staff to halt a fight as an assistant runs in with a replacement sword. 20 6 To ensure exciting contests, fighting styles were carefully balanced. A nimble, near -naked fighter armed with only a net, trident, and small knife might face off against a lumbering warrior wearing 45 pounds of protective gear. The rare appearance of sword -wielding women, recorded in historical accounts and a stone relief, would have been a thrill for Romans, who thought women belonged at home. Experienced gladiators were matched against other veterans, leaving new recruits to fight each other. The longer your career, the better your chances of survival, as each experienced gladiator represented years of investment. 25 30 7 And like any good sporting event, there were stats aplenty for fans to obsess over. Across the Roman world, gladiator wins, losses, and draws are scratched on walls and chiseled onto tombstones. The results of many matchups will never be known. Yet, gladia tors were more than mere entertainment. Literary accounts make it clear that by fighting—and sometimes dying—bravely, gladiators reinforced Roman concepts of manliness and virtue. 35 8 Even as they were adored by many fans, gladiators ranked at the bottom of ancient Rome’s rigidly hierarchical society, along with prostitutes, pimps, and actors. By law, gladiators were considered property, not people. They could be killed at the whim of whoever was paying for their fight. 9 In the early days of gladiator fights—likely staged as part of funeral rituals as long ago as 300 B.C.— the combatants probably were prisoners of war. But as the games evolved into a central feature of life 40

3 across the empire in the first century B.C., they became more organized, and audience expectations rose. 10 Dozens of gladiator schools popped up to meet the demand for well -trained volunteer fighters. Because Roman citizens couldn’t be executed without a trial, some aspiring fighters signed away their citizenship and became enslaved as a high-risk way to pay off debts or escape poverty. Others were criminals sentenced to serve as gladiators—a lighter punishment than execution, because there was a chance of being set free someday. 45 11 Still, slavery meant something different in Rome than it did centuries later in the American South. For one, it had nothing to do with race, and some experts believe gladiators were rarely shackled. And despite their lowly status in society, successful fig hters could earn a lot of money. Some may even have moonlighted as bodyguards for rich patrons. 50 12 Tombstones—often commissioned by fellow fighters or loved ones left behind —suggest that many gladiators were family men. “Pompeius the retiarius, winner of nine crowns, born in Vienna, 25 years of age,” reads one such monument excavated in France. “His wife put this up with her own money for her wonderful spouse.” 55 13 Such memorials also are evidence that gladiators were proud of their work. Grave markers often included their records in the ring and depictions of weapons and armor, the tools of the ir trade. “It’s just the same as being a baker or shoemaker—you say what you did, and you’re proud of it,” Coleman says. “It doesn’t sound like they’re treated like criminals. Gladiators saw themselves as professionals.” 60 Adapted from “Ancient Rome’s Fight Club” (National Geographic, August 2021)

4 Refer to Text 3 on pages 2 – 3 for Questions 14 - 20. For Examiner’s Use 14. State 2 examples from Paragraph 1 which showed that the gladiator games were popular in Ancient Pompeii. [1] ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15. In Paragraph 2, it was mentioned that “One advertisement discovered just outside the city walls encouraged locals to head to Nola, which was 20 miles due north, to catch 20 pairs of gladiators facing off over the course of three days.” What would this suggest about the locals’ sentiments towards the gladiators? Explain why using your own words. [2] …………………………………………………………