Singapores GCE ALevel Examination General Paper.docx

Singapores GCE ALevel Examination General Paper.docx

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SingaporesGCEALevelExaminationGeneralPaper

NanyangJuniorCollege

JC2prELIMINARYexamination2006

GENERALPAPER

8005/2

PAPER2:

INSERT

Wednesday30August2006

1hour30minutes

INSTRUCTIONSTOCANDIDATES

ThisinsertcontainsthepassagesforPaper2.

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Thisinsertconsistsof4printedpages.

PASSAGE1:

AnneKarpfwrites….

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IfirstrealisedhowmuchIdemoniseteenagersduringamealwithCanadianrelativeslastsummer.Whenoneofthembristled-agentle,Canadianbristle-atmylanguage,Ibegantohearmyself,andwasshockedtodiscoverthat,quiteunthinkingly,Ihadturnedintosomeonewhonevermissedanopportunitytocriticizeteens.NowIamthefirsttobalkathormonalexplanationsoftheapparentdifferencesbetweenmenandwomen,orgeneticrationalisationsforpurporteddifferencesbetweenethnicgroups.ButeversinceIreadanewspaperarticlethatsaidbecauseteenagers'frontallobesarenotyetfullydevelopedtheycannottakeresponsibilityfortheiractions,eachtimemine,oranyotheradolescentIknow,actsirresponsiblyIautomaticallypipeupwith"frontallobes".

Worse,myfirstimpulseinanydiscussionofteensistoattributetothemvenalmotives-Ionlyevertalkaboutarmsdealers,corporatepolluters,andGeorgeBushinsimilarterms.YetIdonotpersonallyknowanyteenagerswhohavepeddledtanks,despoiledtheenvironment,orinvadedanothercountry-breakingcurfews,leavingthelidoffthepeanutbutterjar,andlisteningtosub-punkmusictwodecadestoolatejustdoesnotpassmuster.

Myprejudiceagainstadolescents'sometimesdemonicenergyisnotentirelybaseless.AlltheteenagersIknowdodemandtobetreatedlikeadultswhileinsistingontheprerogativesofachild.Theylayclaimtorightswhileoftenevadingresponsibilities.Andtheytreattheirparentswiththekindofcontemptthatwe,theadults,canonlyregardwithdisbelief（andsneakingenvy?

）sincewe,rearedinmoredeferentialtimes,couldneverhavegotawaywithit.

OnethingthathashelpedmethroughtheseturbulentyearsisthecommentoftheBritishpsychoanalystDonaldWinnicottthat"theadolescentboyorgirl...[does]notwanttobeunderstood.Adultsmusthideamongthemselveswhattheycometounderstandofadolescence."Thebesthidingplace,Ihavefound,isotherparents.Justasteenagersmeettogetherincovens,sodoweparentsgatherincabals.Onemotherconvulsedme,thelasttimewegottogether,withherdescriptionofhowshegotsoangrywithhersonthatshewentfromzerochastisementtonuclearthreatin10seconds.Themomentthatthepunitivepenaltystartedtoleaveherlipssherealiseditwasexcessivebut-ashumans,fatally,lackarewindbutton-shecouldseenowayofhaulingthewordsbackin:

shehadtolistentoherselfcompleteapunishmenttowhich,bynow,shewasutterlyuncommitted.

Thisstigmatisationofteensissharedbythewidersociety.Theyarecommonlyimplicatedineveryintractablecurrentissue,suchascrimeandeducation.PhilipGraham,achildandadultpsychiatrist,challengesmanyofthecommonestmythsandgeneralisationsabout"typicalteenagers",asdoesaninspiringprojectcalledYouthAct!

whichhasinfusedmewitharealsenseofoptimismaboutadolescents'potentialasagentsofsocialchange.Teenagersaspartofthesolutionratherthantheproblem?

Thatentailsarealshiftinthinking.

Ireservetherighttoretainsomescepticismaboutteenagers-whatwithalltheanxietyIsurelydeserveit-butIamactivelyreviewingmyownprejudice,andstartingtoseethatteenagerscanbeinspiringaswellasmaddening.IfIcanholdontothisthoughtthroughoutthenextyear,thenmyownfrontallobeswillclearlystillbedeveloping.

Adaptedfrom‘AdolescentFantasies’,Guardian,31December2005

PASSAGE2:

BarbaraEllenwrites….

Wemightbeseeinganewbreedofadolescent,atotallydifferentkindofteenagetribe.Atribesodifferenttheyprobablyshouldnotevenbecalledteenagersanymore-abettertermmightbeMetrolescents,thedefiningcharacteristicoftheMetrolescentbeingthat,intheageoftheinternetandtheall-powerfulteenmedia,theyareunited,bonded,onthesamepagelikeneverbefore.Itusedtobethatkidsinsuburbia,orinvillagesorsmalltowns,usedtofeelleftout;youhadtomakeanefforttobepartoftheaction,tofightandscrabbleyourwayin.

IntheeraoftheMetrolescent,itispossibletoliveinthecrummiest,far-flungareaandstillfeelpartofthings.Fashionstakesecondstofilterthrough,thegossipsuper-highwayisamerelog-onaway.Suddenly,theyouthsceneiseverywhere,foreverybody.Whichmightbetheproblem.

For,inonehugelyparadoxi