2002 Cambridge Compre Answers
GCE 2002 COMPREHENSION SUGGESTED ANSWERS : SINGLISH
1. ‘the less educated … will suffer economically and socially’, (lines 24 – 26)
What two kinds of handicap is Mr Lee thinking of here? a He means that the less educated will be at a financial disadvantage / they will not do as well (as the better educated) in business 1 b in addition, they will lose out in relations with other people / they will not be able to communicate with other people effectively / they will not be well understood by people they are talking to / miscommunication could result 1
2. Professor Komaran’s students ‘seem to have little interest in the art of communication; they are only interested in content’ (lines 30 – 31) Explain what this means. a The students are not keen on learning how to relate to other people or to express their ideas effectively / they are not concerned about phrasing their message properly, tactfully, subtly; 1 b rather, they are concerned with just getting their message across; they are only concerned about conveying information / the bare facts 1
3. From lines 59 – 68 (‘It’s not, after all … sense of rootedness.’) explain, in your own words as far as possible, the three distinct arguments used to defend Singlish. Explain each argument in no more than 10 words. Lift Answer a ‘Singaporean identity’, ‘a sense of rootedness’ (line 59) Singlish is a distinctive trait associated with local character / a mark of our unique cultural nature / a mark of who are we and where we are from. 1 b ‘comaraderie’, ‘binding people emotionally’ Singlish serves to unite Singaporeans, keep them linked all races together, create a sense of fellow-feeling. 1 c ‘to express Singaporean feeling’, I’d feel so false’, ’some expressions are best made in Singlish or they lose their meaning and flavour’ Singlish best reflects local sentiment 1
4. From the 7th paragraph, beginning at line 69, in your own words as far as possible:
i) the principal argument in favour of books,
1. ‘the less educated … will suffer economically and socially’, (lines 24 – 26)
What two kinds of handicap is Mr Lee thinking of here? a He means that the less educated will be at a financial disadvantage / they will not do as well (as the better educated) in business 1 b in addition, they will lose out in relations with other people / they will not be able to communicate with other people effectively / they will not be well understood by people they are talking to / miscommunication could result 1
2. Professor Komaran’s students ‘seem to have little interest in the art of communication; they are only interested in content’ (lines 30 – 31) Explain what this means. a The students are not keen on learning how to relate to other people or to express their ideas effectively / they are not concerned about phrasing their message properly, tactfully, subtly; 1 b rather, they are concerned with just getting their message across; they are only concerned about conveying information / the bare facts 1
3. From lines 59 – 68 (‘It’s not, after all … sense of rootedness.’) explain, in your own words as far as possible, the three distinct arguments used to defend Singlish. Explain each argument in no more than 10 words. Lift Answer a ‘Singaporean identity’, ‘a sense of rootedness’ (line 59) Singlish is a distinctive trait associated with local character / a mark of our unique cultural nature / a mark of who are we and where we are from. 1 b ‘comaraderie’, ‘binding people emotionally’ Singlish serves to unite Singaporeans, keep them linked all races together, create a sense of fellow-feeling. 1 c ‘to express Singaporean feeling’, I’d feel so false’, ’some expressions are best made in Singlish or they lose their meaning and flavour’ Singlish best reflects local sentiment 1
4. From the 7th paragraph, beginning at line 69, in your own words as far as possible:
i) the principal argument in favour of books,