2014 Cambridge P2 Suggested Answer Scheme (Revolutions in Communication)

1. What are the purposes of the author’s opening question? [2]

Lift Suggested Paraphrase

How many times have we
been told that studying the
past helps us understand the
present?
The purposes are:
(a) To introduce the topic of the passage
(b) To show how often the link between events in the past
and in the present is made (c.f. “How many times…”)

(c) To assume agreement on the part of the reader by

using the pronoun ‘we’
Teaching point: close reading and picking up on language.

Points to mark scheme: 0 for 1 point; 1 mark for 2 points; 2 marks for 3 points

Examiner’s Comments: Almost all candidates successfully saw that the author is introducing the topic of
the passage in the first sentence, but fewer saw that the rhetorical question was designed to show how
often the link between events in the past and in the present is made. Similarly, very few commented on
the author’s use of the inclusive pronoun ‘we’, which assumed agreement on the part of the reader.

2. In lines 2-4, what similarity does the author see between the effects of the invention of
the printing press and the development of the internet? Use your own words as far as
possible. [1]

Lift Suggested Paraphrase

Unlikely as it may seem, a The similarity is that both events resulted in
look back at the turmoil chaos/tumult/turbulence. [1]
created by the invention of
mechanical printing in Europe,
nearly six centuries ago, does
indeed reveal parallels with
the equally seismic effects of
today’s revolution in
communications.
Teaching points: similarities and degree of impact.

Examiner’s Comments: Most candidates picked up on the idea of chaos; a number, however, merely said
the inventions ‘caused problems’, which did not adequately convey the intensity of the forceful words
used in the passage. Nor do the words imply that the effects were purely negative. While it is true to say,
as some did, that both developments led to greater ease of communication, that is not the point the
author is making in the lines the question designates.

3. Explain what the author means by describing what has happened to English on the web
as “the converse” (line 30) of what happened to Latin. Use your own words as far as
possible. [1]

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 Lift
…new texts were often
produced in contemporary
languages, which fatally
undermined the primacy of
Latin…Today, the
burgeoning use of English
on the web shows the
converse of that decline.
Teaching point: Comprehensive answers. Rephrase with the degree and context needed.
Suggested Paraphrase
He means:
(a) The fates of the two languages are
markedly/extremely/very different/opposite.
(b) Context: occur in different epochs/eras (the author uses
different tenses to describe each)
0: before there was English, now there is Latin.

Examiner’s Comments: The fates of the two languages are markedly different and occur in different
epochs, a fact emphasized by the author’s use of different tenses to describe each. Many candidates
spotted this but some thought the spread of English on the internet was being achieved at the expense of
Latin, the use of which was diminishing on the internet.

4. In paragraph 5, what parallels does the author draw between the consequences for
authors of the printing revolution and contributors to today’s internet? Use your own
words as far as possible. [3]

Passage Suggested Answer

…threatened by the rise of piracy… /
…precursor of modern-day illegal
downloads
…took three hundred years before any
copyright system… / …a system which
today struggles to keep pace with the
ever-changing ramifications…
Further parallels with today / …some
authors, rather than enjoy wealth,
suffered persecution.
(a) Both the authors of the printing
revolution and internet contributors
have to grapple with the reality that their
works are jeopardized by a culture where
copyright is increasingly being
disregarded by people in society.
(b) In addition, both groups of people are
not supported by legislation or regulations
that will protect their interests.
(c) Finally, both groups of writers also face
immense opposition / condemnation
instead of reaping economic benefits from
their endeavour.

Teaching points: Identify the parallels using the language and signposts clues. Test reading skills to show
similarities. Parallels must show similarities. A  A’; B  B’; C  C’

Examiner’s Comments: The passage suggests some similarities between authors producing printed texts
centuries ago and modern-day writers on the Internet. Most candidates saw that the key word in the
question was ‘parallels’ and listed some of the features but others only mentioned one of the groups of
writers and hence did not establish ‘parallels’.

5. In what ways does the author consider the internet “preferable” to television in lines 52-
54? Use your own words as far as possible. [2]

2
 Passage
…constitutes an extension of existing
social lives, not virtual replacement for
them.
Active participation and collaboration
with others are crucial – preferably,
surely, to being the lone, passive
consumers we are with television…
Suggested Answer
(a) The internet is preferred to the television
because the internet provides an
additional platform to expand/widen our
network of friends whereas television
becomes an artificial
substitute/surrogate for current
relationships.
(b) In addition, the internet fosters
engagement and partnership with others
whereas television results in/involves
isolation and uninvolved/mindless
absorption/consumption of the content.

Full comparison has to be provided to obtain 1 mark. Relevant signpost: but, instead, alternately

Examiner’s Comments: Both the internet and television needed to be mentioned if the candidate was to
convey how the author prefers the internet. Most candidates did this.

6. Explain the author’s use of the word “very” in line 59. [1]

Passage Suggested Answer

that the internet’s very speed and
accessibility lead to over-hasty actions,
without due consideration of possible
consequences .
Both (a) & (b) are needed to obtain 1 mark.
(a) The author uses the word ‘very’ not only to
highlight the fact that the speed of the internet
is extremely/too fast
(b) but he is also suggesting it is precisely this
quality/emphasising that also results in
impulsive actions / this speed is also a
‘double-edged sword’.

Teaching point: Awareness of figure of speech and use of ‘very’.

Examiner’s Comments: A number of candidates fell into the trap of thinking that ‘very’ merely worked
alongside speed to intensify it, when its particular use here is not only to highlight that quality but see it
working both ways: its speed is indeed beneficial but that same quality of speed facilitates over-hasty
actions. Those who saw the internet’s speed as ‘a double-edged sword’ found a very apposite metaphor.

7. In lines 61-66, what does the author suggest are educational and personal
consequences for those who “skim, rather than delve”. Use your own words as far as
possible. [2]

Passage Suggested Answer

…click from source to source (a) One consequence is that the idea
without real engagement with /information we obtain from various online
content and the attendant sites/jumping from/toggling between one

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 consolidation with knowledge website to another is not subject to

Either
genuine/active/informed understanding
Or
does not add on to past knowledge/prior
knowledge/what they already know.

Main idea: lack of engagement.

so-called friends are now amassed (b) Another consequence is that we may have
in on-line networks and just as developed/gathered/acquired numerous
easily disposed of superficial relationships/acquaintances on
the internet who can be easily abandoned.

Traditional libraries, newspapers, (c) Lastly, all forms of print media will be made
bookshops – even the printed book irrelevant.
itself – will reach the end of the
road first opened up by Gutenberg.
Teaching points: Rephrase question. Close reading is essential.

Points Mark
1 0
2 1
3 2

Examiner’s Comments: This question was answered successfully by most candidates.

8. In paragraph 8, the author claims that “technological advancement is always made at the
cost of previous behaviours or previously- held principles.” How does the remainder of
the paragraph illustrate her assertion? Use your own words as far as possible. [2]

Passage Suggested Answer

Consider, privacy for example: previous
notions of guardedness are disregarded by
members of social networking sites…
who readily volunteer personal information
(a) The author uses the example of
privacy to show how people used to
be very cautious when divulging
personal information but users on
social media no longer protect such
interests.

This new attitude to privacy was articulated- (b) The previous attitude of being
even encouraged- by the CEO of a major cautious is being replaced by
computing company who glibly but excessive openness.
presciently said, ”You have zero privacy. Get
over it.” – and that was back in 1999.
Teaching point: The question is focusing on the examples. Explain the illustration and explain the purpose
of the examples. Must pick up ‘previous’ and ‘new’.

Examiner’s Comments: The author uses privacy as an example of a previous attitude being replaced by a
new one. Most candidates saw this clearly.

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 9. In Lines 78-81, how confident is the author about the future use of the internet by the
young? Use your own words as far as possible. [2]

Passage Suggested Answer

most surely (a) The author is not fully optimistic/not
fully confident about the future.
The young - and it is revealing that (b) Because the author raises some
it is the young who are seen to be concerns about how the young are
at risk rather than the internet’s vulnerable, even though they might be in
many older converts – command of their actions.
have always sought spaces beyond
adult supervision but most surely
will have the sense to control
rather than be controlled.
Teaching point: Focus is on nuance and reading. 1 mark for each point.

Examiner’s Comments: A few candidates saw that by her use of ‘most’ and ‘surely’ the author’s optimism
about the future was a qualified one. Most candidates thought that the author was either very confident or
not at all confident about the future use of the internet by young people, both of which are too clear cut.

10. How does the quotation from Zhou Enlai (lines 83-84) support the author’s argument
earlier in this paragraph? Use your own words as far as possible. [1]

From the passage Suggested Response

As for the final verdict on the internet,
we are too close to its inception to
have any meaningful perspective.
It is rather like when Zhou Enlai was
asked what he thought were the
effects of the French Revolution two
centuries earlier and he replied, “It is
too soon to say”.
(a) Just as the consequences of the French
Revolution are still not apparent after such a
long time,
(b) the impact of the internet will not be evident
since it is so recent.
OR
(c) The quote from Zhou Enlai supports the
author’s argument that the impact of the
internet will not be evident since it is so
recent.

(a) & (b) for 1 mark OR (c) for 1 mark.

Examiner’s Comments: This question was answered successfully by most candidates.

11. Using material from paragraphs 2-4 only (lines 5-32), summarise what the author has to
say about the changes to book production brought about by the invention of the printing
press.

Write your summary in no more than 120 words, not counting the opening words which are
printed below. Use your own words as far as possible.

After the intention of the printing press…

From the passage Suggested response

5
a. Copies were now uniformly duplicated
in (11)
b. hitherto undreamed-of numbers.(12)
c. Books became more portable, (12)
d. durable, (12)
e. and affordable, (12)
f. hence reaching an ever-expanding
audience. (13)
g. The sudden availability of multiple copies
of texts (14-15)
h. led to the dissemination of the existing
ones (15)
i. approved of by the authorities. (15-16)
j. Many of these volumes had been
previously scattered in remote libraries
and for the first time it was possible to
read all that had been written on a
subject. (16-17)
k. However, once the readers had their own
access to these books they could spot
some errors in individual texts (18-19)
l. and disagreements between texts. (19)
m. This created skepticism towards (19)
n. and even rejection of previously
unquestioned schools of thought, (20)
o. as well as allowing for synthesis and
formulation of new theories. (20-21)
p. …printers soon saw that the new medium
offered scope to include supporting
illustration, such as maps and drawings.
(22-24)
q. But even more significantly, new texts by
living authors now proliferated, (24)
r. bringing into circulation new ideas (25)
s. – even heresies – (26)
t. which proved impossible to suppress
completely (26)
u. and which threatened the power elite.
(26-27)
v. new texts were often produced in
contemporary languages, 27)
w. which fatally undermined the primacy of
Latin as the language of medieval
intellectual discourse. (28-29)
x. …for the first time, there was a means to
keep abreast of new religious and
scientific thinking (30-31)
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Books could be reproduced identically
In amounts previously not thought possible.
Books became easier to carry around
lasted longer
and average people could buy them
which allowed books to become available to
increasing numbers of readers.
The unforeseen opportunity of reading
numerous reproductions of books
resulted in the circulation of then current
books
endorsed by the ruling powers.
Readers could now access everything that
was written about a topic
and readers could now identify mistakes
across the different books
including controversies/clashes of opinions.
The led to doubt/mistrust of
and even repudiation/dismissal/denial of
previously dogmatic ideas/uncritically
accepted ideas
which allowed for the fusion/integration and
generation/genesis/production of new
theories.
Printers soon realized the potential to add
relevant pictures/visual elements.
A more considerable impact was how new
books by living authors burgeoned/spread
quickly and widely.
New concepts/theories arose and were spread
even dissent/blasphemies
which proved futile to completely/thoroughly
quash/contain/censor
and made those in power
vulnerable/exposed/endangered.
new texts were printed in the
vernacular/everyday languages
which destroyed the dominance/centrality of
Latin as the language of learning/academia.
Now, people have ways to be updated
about/follow developments in new religious
and scientific ideas
 y. …and then to contribute in print to such and participate in discussions and correct
debates, so that future editions were errors for future editions
corrected, thus creating a new culture of
‘feedback’. (31-32)
25 points in total.

Points 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15<

Marks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Examiner’s Comments: Candidates were well prepared for the summary. Careful selection of the relevant
material and concision of expression were common features. The word limit was respected by nearly all,
and use of key terms from the text language was very rare indeed. The better summaries used brief by
effective discourse markers to add shape and to aid in the flow of the argument.