1 NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE 2013 GENERAL PAPER HOLIDAY ASSIGNMENT Deadline for submission: 1st SH2 GP tutorial, Term

1 Week 1, 2014. By adhering to the instructions and guidelines closely to complete this assignment, you will be able to: Apply the skills of question analysis which have been taught in SH1 Make use of relevant content material to answer essay questions; Instructions/ Guidelines: 1. Select ONE a question from the list and do the following: a) Analyse the question b) Craft an essay plan c) Write the introduction and first body paragraph and attach this to the essay plan. Your work should be HANDWRITTEN. 2. When doing the question analysis, make use of the Elements of Reasoning to help you: Issue What is the issue/topic? Do I know enough about this? (E.g. function, characteristics, types) Purpose What is the point of discussing this issue? Concepts/Ideas How do we connect the different parts of the question? What concepts/ideas do they give rise to? How can I clarify the key terms [concepts] in the question? Point of View What points of view are involved? What are the different responses of various individuals/interest groups to the issue? Assumptions Are there any assumptions in the way the question is phrased? What assumptions underlie each perspective? Implications/Consequences Long-term/short-term implications, implications on different interest groups AND Remember to break down the sentence into: Topic (Subject of the sentence) Focus (Verb + Object of the sentence) What is being said about the topic

2 3. The essay plan should look something like this: Essay Qn.:_______________________________________________________[Write in full] A) Clarification/ Explanation of Key Words: 1) 2) 3)

B) Points of Views/Assumptions: 1) 2) 3)

C) Background Info; Possible Hook:

D) Thesis Statement (Stand & Reasons for Your Stand):

-Topic Sentence 1/ Explanation/ Exemplification (in point form):

Topic Sentence 2/ Explanation/ Exemplification (in point form):

Topic Sentence 3/ Explanation/ Exemplification (in point form):

-Conclusion:

3 GCE A-LEVEL ESSAY QUESTIONS 2007 Q10. Is it possible to protect the environment when many countries require increasing amounts of energy to progress? 2006 Q4. National boundaries make little geographical or economic sense nowadays. Discuss. Q5. Should crimes that were committed many years ago simply be forgotten? Q11. Women will never enjoy the same rights as men. Do you agree? Q12. To what extent do the newspapers and magazines that you read deal with what is trivial, rather than with what is important? 2005 Q6. Hosting major sporting events creates more problems than benefits. Do you agree? Q9. Instead of speeding up the pace of life, we should be slowing it down. What do you think? Q11. Too much attention is given to criminals, not enough to their victims. Is this true? 2004 Q1. To what extent are the young in Singapore favoured at the expense of the elderly? Q8. Advertising encourages a desire for products which people do not actually need. Discuss. Q10. Discuss the appeal and value of fantasy stories and films. Q12. Far too much attention is given to beauty products and treatments. Do you agree? 2003 Q8. Can the media ever be relied upon to convey the truth? 2002 Q2. Conformity should be the main aim of all schools. How far is this true? Q7. Should the police have unlimited powers when dealing with crime? Q9. Do you agree that city life is becoming increasingly unattractive? Q11. Is friendly rivalry ever possible? 2001 Q11. Is the idea of having one partner for life still a realistic one?