ENGL E200F

L02-L14, L77

2021 Summer Term (UG)

ENGLISH FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION II:

READING AND WRITING (2021 Summer Term)

11 September, 2021(10:00 a.m.) – 12 September 2021 (23:55 p.m.)

Name
Student Number S / / /

 Answer ALL parts as instructed on page 2.

 To avoid plagiarism, you are reminded to USE YOUR OWN WORDS in your
answers for Questions 1L and 2.

 Please note that you should cite the sources and compile a reference list for the
information you have used in your essay for Question 2.

Instructions:

1. There are TWO questions in this paper.

2. Answer the questions in English.

3. Read the rubric(s) in this assignment carefully.

4. Save your answers as ONE doc. or docx. file and upload it on the OLE on or before 12
September, 10:00 p.m.

5. Begin each question on a new page and write the question number at the top of each page you
have worked on.

6. Proofread your answers before uploading it on the OLE. Marks will be deducted if errors in
grammar and spelling impede understanding.

7. Marks will be deducted for late submission.

8. ‘0’ mark will be awarded if plagiarism is observed in the answers.

 *A mark of zero will be awarded
if plagiarism was found to occur
in your answer.*

*For students who wish to submit your

answer in handwriting,
you are recommended to scan the answer by
smartphone apps (‘CamScanner’)*

Your answer booklet uploaded on the OLE

(50MB) & sent via email (15MB @ email)
should be named as:

ENGLE200F_s + student id.docx

(e.g. ENGLE200F_s12345678.docx)
*Hotline for Take-home Exam Technical Support (ETDU): 2768 6462
*OLE Technical Support email: olemaster@ouhk.edu.hk

*Student Technical Support Hotline (ITU): 2711 2100 (Press 1 2)

*Student Technical Support Email: ituhelp@ouhk.edu.hk

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 There are two questions in this take-home assignment paper. Attempt both questions.
Please observe the word limits given in the questions. Marks will be deducted if your
answers exceed these word limits by 10% or more.

Question 1 – Reading Comprehension (30 marks)

Read Text A below and answer the questions that follow. You should answer Questions a to
l in complete sentences (except Question k).
Text A The rise in competition of social media stars
1 Recently, social media has seen a rapid and dramatic increase in the competition of social
media stars. The craze to become famous at a young age, by knowing no specific skills, has
been rising among teens worldwide.

Social media platforms have opened the gateways of fame and popularity for everyone. Gone
5 are the times when people required a unique talent or skill to be known by the world. Today,
popularity is measured by the number of views one’s video has and the number of followers
they have on their social media accounts.

The influx of technology has turned the tables for many. On the one hand, where it has made
earning easy, it has also declined the quality of content that is being produced on a large
10 scale. Many social media stars do not understand that the quality of their content displays
their sincerity with their work. While there are many people who do not understand the
severity of the situation, a few famous social media users, such as Carlos Diaz, understand
this greatly.

Born and brought up in San Luis Obispo in California, a state in the USA, to Maria Teresa
15 Diaz and Leandro Diaz Perez, Carlos thinks of himself as a responsible social media
influencer. Currently, there are 3.5 billion active social media users out of much majority who
are under eighteen. The content consumption of these young individuals impacts their
behavior and, eventually, their attitudes. In recent times the content that is gaining popularity
does not add value to lives and is merely a wastage of time.

Creating distinguishable content

20
Carlos Diaz understands that creating senseless and baseless videos and the content will not
only affect his identity but will also tarnish the image of social media on the whole. He entered
the world of social media through TikTok in 2019, when it was at its peak. As a newbie,
Carlos could have easily chosen to create cringe content or videos that were only made to gain
25 views, but he did not. Being an intelligent person, Carlos did not dive blindly into creating
videos. He studied the tactics and methods to become famous in less time and played smartly.
He used his looks as bait and began creating videos that helped him quickly gain views and
followers.

It was an uphill journey from there. The most viewed video on his TikTok account has almost
30 20 million views. Carlos says, “When I first bought my brand-new Range Rover, I came
home and stepped out and immediately got an idea for a video. Something told me to look
back at my car, and that was when the song ‘Never be the same’ by Camila Cabello started to
play in my head. It gave me an idea to record my car using that audio.” It was this video that
gave him his first break as a TikTok star. Currently, he has more than 250,000 followers on
TikTok.

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 The rising social media star believes in creating content that does not negatively influence the
youth. Being a Gen-Zer, he clearly understands the difference between good and bad content.

35 He has seen influencers post and promote things they would not use themselves. For him being
social media star adds responsibility to one’s shoulders to guide the masses to do right. He
says, “I feel that a lot of influencers nowadays just promote products they do not even care
about, and that is just not me. If I am going to promote and use a product in a video of mine, it
is because I personally use and think that product can be useful. I would never want to promote
something that I do not find interesting or useful.”

Carlos has learned the art of managing studies and his social media accounts pretty well.
Although this comes naturally to all kids of this generation, there a few who have difficulty
drawing a line. Through his short videos, Carlos tries to lead by example by promoting fun and
studies simultaneously. The young star is currently transferring to California University to
40 complete his bachelor’s degree. He aims to become an attorney as he has always found law and
the criminal justice system interesting.

Today, Carlos continues to grow all of his social media accounts that are handled solely by
him. He is greatly inspired by Camila Cabello’s music writing style and wishes to step into
the music industry at some point. As a rising star, Carlos avails all the opportunity knocks but
moderately. He ensures that the quality of his content is never compromised so that he can
lead by example.

<Source: https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/inspire/down-to-business/the-rise-in-competition-of-
social-media-stars>

Answer the following questions.

45
a. How do people measure the popularity of social media stars? (2 marks)
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b. What are the advantages and disadvantages brought by technology to social media stars?
(2 marks)
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c. What does Carlos complain about the content posted by young individuals on their social
media platforms? (2 marks)
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50
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d. What methods did Carlo use to create attractive videos on TikTok? (2 marks)
________________________________________________________________________
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e. Explain what exactly Carlos did that have made him a TikTok star. (2 marks)
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f. Explain why Carlos describes himself as a positive social media influencer. (2 marks)

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 ________________________________________________________________________
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g. What does Carlos want to teach other people when he tries to lead by examples? And
what has he done to achieve this goal? (2 marks)
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h. What would Carlo like to do in the future? (2 marks)
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i. Would you consider Carlo a popular social media star? Why? (2 marks)
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j. How would you describe Carlo as a social media star? Why? (2 marks)
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k. With reference to the context of this article, briefly explain the meaning of the following
expressions. (10 marks)

(i) ‘an uphill journey’ (line 27) (2 marks)

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(ii) ‘drawing a line’ (line 43) (2 marks)

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(iii) ‘grow all of his social media accounts’ (line 47) (2 marks)

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(iv) ‘avails all the opportunity knocks’ (line 49) (2 marks)

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(v) ‘the quality of his content is never compromised’ (line 50) (2 marks)

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l. You are Chris White, a 21-year-old university student who wants to become a social
media star. Write an article in around 250 words on the profile page of your social media
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 platform (e.g. TikTok) to introduce yourself and attract other users to become your
followers (20 marks).

*You may attach visual elements (e.g. clip arts, photos, pictures, icons and so on) on your
profile page where appropriate.*

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 ________________________________________________________________________
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Question 2 – Argumentative writing (50 marks)

Option 1

You are David Chan, a counsellor of the Grateful Counselling Services. Write a script of a
talk in around 600 words to provide your advice on what parents can do to help their children
who would like to become a social media star.

Option 2

Write a letter to the editor of the OUHK magazine in around 600 words, express your
points of view on young adults pursuing a career in social media.

Reminder for Options 1 & 2:

* If you have quoted any ideas from any sources, please make sure you cite the source(s) in
your letter.* A reference list after the letter is optional.

e.g.1 “In South China Morning Post dated 1 January, 2021, the author of the news article
entitled ‘xxx’ said that …”
e.g.2 “The writer, Charles Dicken pointed out that …”

*Failure to do so is considered plagiarism, “0” mark will be awarded.*

[END OF THE TAKE-HOME ASSIGNMENT PAPER]

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Checklist:
Before you turn off your computer, make sure you have:
 checked the accuracy of your answers,

 written down your name, student ID and group number on the cover
page,

 saved a copy of the COMPLETED answer booklet on your computer (as

backup), (file name, e.g. ENGLE200F_s12345678)

 uploaded the COMPLETED answer booklet on the OLE of

ENGLE200F,

AND

 checked the OLE again to make sure that you have uploaded the
COMPLETED answer booklet SUCCESSFULLY before you turn off the
computer.

*Please note that students are responsible for uploading

the correct version of their answer booklet on the OLE
before the deadline.*

ENGLE200F_L02-L14, L77 (2102) Page 8 of 8