2022 JC1 GP Tutorial Students’ Copy

Yishun Innova Junior College

JC1 2022 General Paper
TUTORIAL: The Arts

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Review P2 skills – SAQs, Summary, and AQ

No. Content Page

1 2012 A-Level Passage 1-2

2 2012 A-Level Question Paper 4-8

Name:

CG:

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Michael Gordon writes about the appeal and value of music.

1 When William Congreve wrote in the eighteenth century that music has “charms to
soothe the savage breast”, he had not, for obvious reasons, experienced some of its less
attractive manifestations: the intrusive music in cafés which overwhelms conversation;
the bland, repetitive background music employed when one is in a waiting area or put
on hold on the telephone. In such moments, when the music, strident or soothing as the 5
case may be, has not been selected by the listener but imposed, the charms of music
wear decidedly thin, and it exasperates.

2 Notwithstanding such complaints, which some will dismiss as jaundiced, music is

a mysterious, alluring and invaluable blessing, and always has been. For our earliest
ancestors, their ears were a major component of their early warning system, helping 10
them be ever alert to danger. Perhaps the earliest music was their drumming, a simple
action but one inherently rhythmic, and hence it is but a short step to dance and song.
For these pre-literate societies, songs encapsulated important cultural information:
geographical, historical, medical, sacred. Such information, more easily remembered in
this form, would be passed on to succeeding generations. This practice lives on among 15
bards in India who, through song, memorise and recite thousands of verses of Sanskrit
epics.

3 The great “charmer” of the classical world was the Greek bard, Orpheus, whose musical
skill was so prodigious he could sway the most hardened of hearts. When his wife
Eurydice died, Orpheus entered the underworld and played music that so enraptured 20
the guardians of the dead that he, uniquely, was allowed to reclaim her, on the condition
he did not look back until both had returned to the upper world. Orpheus looked back
prematurely and promptly lost Eurydice. The failing lay not in his peerless playing and
singing but in his human frailty.

4 For us mere mortals, music is beneficial as it engages and exercises so many disparate 25
areas of our brain: those associated with language, emotion, movement, memory, logic.
Simply listening to it as a solitary or shared experience can bring us joy or solace. Music
can be profound or diverting, communicating as it does at a level beyond words. When
our engagement is more active, as in singing, our health improves significantly. Singing,
being an aerobic activity, enlarges lung capacity, exercises major muscle groups and 30
increases alertness. Socially, if the singing is performed as part of a group such as a
tribe, a choir or a group of sporting fans, one’s sense of community engagement and
identity is enhanced. Psychologically and emotionally, singing lifts the spirits, perhaps
because one is exulting in the primacy and power of the human voice, a feeling too rarely
experienced in today’s world. It also encourages and strengthens feelings of patriotism 35
and belonging through national anthems, while religions assign an important role to song
in their liturgies. Whether it is ritualistic and sacred or spontaneous and secular, singing is
crucial to many aspects of our well-being and to our sense of ourselves.

5 When music is allied to movement, say in exercise, it performs the invaluable role of
distracting us from the strain of the physical endeavour and lowering our perception of 40
its demands. The synchronisation of work with musical tempo also increases endurance.
Performers often use music to achieve the right mindset, be it aggressive or reflective.
Clearly part of our response to music occurs at an emotional and sub-conscious level –
hence its use in shops and restaurants to create an ambience conducive to spending, or
in airports and hospitals to evoke reassurance and calm. 45
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6 There are further dimensions to music’s benefits: it possesses therapeutic properties for
those suffering from nervous disorders or sensory impairments; natural musical talent
is more common amongst those disadvantaged in other ways. Music’s rhythmic content
and structure help energise and coordinate basic locomotive control. A familiar piece of
music can rekindle emotions and long-forgotten associations in the minds of dementia 50
sufferers. Those on the autistic spectrum often demonstrate greater than average
musical ability to compensate for their difficulties with communication. Children born
blind are 4000 times more likely to possess perfect pitch – the key indicator of natural
innate musicality – explicable perhaps as the outcome of the greater aural perception
they develop to aid orientation. (Interestingly, perfect pitch is four times more common 55
in Chinese than in Americans, attributable perhaps to Chinese being such a tone-rich
language.)

7 More controversially, whilst we like to think that our consciously chosen musical tastes
define our individuality, in reality they often express conformity. This is particularly
true of teenagers – we seem to have greater interest in, knowledge of and emotional 60
engagement with music between the ages of 15 and 25. They will readily reveal musical
preferences and allegiances on social networking sites as a coded expression of their
personalities and values, thereby hoping to define who they are and show how they wish
to be perceived by others, as a prelude to being accepted by them. A recent experiment
had young people individually record their initial ratings of a piece of music; brain scans 65
monitored the corresponding activity in the areas of their brain associated with reward
and pleasure. When participants were shown the popularity ratings given by others in the
sample group, and the music played a second time, their brain areas associated with
pain and anxiety were highlighted and a significant number of them changed their ratings
of the music. The desire to be part of the consensus proved stronger than independent 70
judgement.

8 Music now appears to have achieved cultural pre-eminence over art and literature, and
the rewards are commensurate with its dominance. Two hundred and fifty years ago,
Mozart was a hireling, depending on patronage, eating with the cooks and servants of
his master. Once he freed himself, he endured poverty, died unregarded and was buried 75
in an unmarked grave. Today, popular music provides a comfortable living for many and
untold riches for some, who are fêted by fans and often courted by politicians. Their
deaths, particularly if premature, are occasions for mass outpourings of grief.

9 It is hard to see music’s modern-day significance diminishing. Whilst we all enjoy music,
not even Freud himself could pinpoint why, when he complained about “being moved by 80
a thing without knowing why I am thus affected and what it is that affects me.” And affect
us it does, whether playing or listening to it, and perhaps the very fact that its power
remains an enigma is part of its appeal, along with the sense that its elusive magic has
been, and always will be, a crucial element in our sense of ourselves as humans.

2012 A-Level Paper 2

Read the passage in the Insert and then answer all the questions. Note that up to fifteen marks will be
given for the quality and accuracy of your use of English throughout this Paper.

NOTE: When a question asks for an answer IN YOUR OWN WORDS AS FAR AS POSSIBLE and
you select the appropriate material from the passage for your answer, you must still use your own
words to express it. Little credit can be given to answers which only copy words and phrases from the
passage.

1 What does the quotation from Congreve suggest about the power of music (lines 1–2)?
Use your own words as far as possible.

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2 In the first paragraph, what criticisms does the author make of the music he is referring
to? Use your own words as far as possible.

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3 Who might dismiss the author’s views as ‘jaundiced’ (line 8)? [Note: Qn type not taught
in JC1]

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4 What two roles did music perform for members of the societies described in paragraph
2? Use your own words as far as possible.

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5 How does the story of Orpheus in paragraph 3 demonstrate the power of his music and
his ‘human frailty’ (line 24)? Use your own words as far as possible.

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6 Why has the author placed the sentence about perfect pitch (lines 55–57) inside
brackets?

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7 Explain what the author means by calling the musical preferences on social networking
sites ‘coded’ (line 62). Use your own words as far as possible.

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8 In paragraph 8, what contrasts does the author make between the fate of Mozart and
that of some modern popular musicians? Use your own words as far as possible.

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9 In paragraph 9, what possible reasons does the author give for music’s appeal to us? Use your
own words as far as possible.

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10 Using material from paragraphs 4–6 only, summarise what the author has to say about the
benefits that music brings us.

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.

Music is of benefit to us because ……………………………………………......................................

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11 In this article, Michael Gordon writes about some of the roles and functions music plays in
modern life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with his views? Illustrate your answer by
referring to the ways in which you and your society regard music.

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