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ENGLISH LANGUAGE & CRITICAL THINKING

YEAR 2 The image part with relationship ID rId2
was not found in the file.

Practice Test

Term 2 Holiday (May 2020)

Duration: 1 hour

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

• Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so.

• Before the start of the paper, you have 5 minutes of reading time. During this
time, no writing is allowed.

• After this, you have 1 hour to complete the paper.

• Read the passage carefully and answer all the questions that follow.

• Write your answers on writing paper.

• Number your answers accurately.

• The numbers in the square brackets [ ] at the end of each question indicate the
maximum marks that can be obtained for accurate answers to each question. Your
answers will be assessed on the accuracy of content as well as language.

• Mistakes in spelling, punctuation and grammar may be penalized in any part of

the paper.

Name:

Class:

Index: 30

6pages
©SchooloftheArts,Singapore
 -2- Year2/EnglishLanguage&CriticalThinking/May2020

1 What do you want to be when you grow up? Most kids have given
at least passing thought to one fantastical calling: being a
superhero. We can understand the allure to being a superhero.
Imagine wearing a special costume that comes with powerful
gadgets and saving the world from evil. And let us not forget about 5
possessing a wickedly cool special power like x-ray vision or the
ability to fly.

2 But new research suggests that the influence of superheroes is not

always positive. Women play a variety of roles in the superhero
genre. This ranges from helpless maiden to powerful heroine. 10
However, the female characters all tend to be overly sexualized.
They have perfect, voluptuous1 figures and wear sexy, revealing
attires. Such portrayals can impact beliefs about gender roles and
body esteem. It may even lead women to self-objectify.

3 Consider superhero movies like Spiderman or Superman. These 15

action-packed films typically feature a strong, capable, intelligent
man fighting some villainous force. The goal? To save humanity, of
course. But more often than not, there is also an immediate need to
rescue a damsel in distress. The female victim is typically delicate,
naive, and defenseless. However, at the same time, she is sexy and 20
beautiful. What she lacks in strength and cunning she makes up for
curves.

4 These female victims’ primary appeal is sexual. Exposure to them

may lower women’s self-esteem and heighten the value they place
on body image. This will result in less egalitarian gender role beliefs 25
and expectations. Female characters have come a long way in the
superhero genre. It’s possible that the competent, commanding
superheroine is an antidote to the helpless fair maiden. For
example, The X-Men films feature a number of empowering female
characters like Storm and Jean Gray. Each wields a unique special 30
ability. They also display impressive cognitive and physical
competence. Perhaps exposure to this new generation of female
heroines will result in more egalitarian gender beliefs, higher body
esteem, and greater emphasis of competence over appearance.
35
Still, today’s superheroines, like their female victim counterparts,
5 are highly sexualized. They have large chests, shapely backsides
and unattainable hourglass dimensions. Their skin-tight outfits
accentuate their sexuality with plunging necklines and bare skin. As
such, today’s powerful superheroines still have destructive effects
on women’s views of themselves. 40

1
Shapely and sexually attractive
 -3- Year2/EnglishLanguage&CriticalThinking/May2020

6 So, what happens when women watch such powerful and proficient
superheroines? Do these characters serve to empower women?
Sadly, no. They do nothing to improve egalitarian views about
gender roles, although, at least, they did not lower those views. 45
Researchers Pennell and Behm argue that the sexualization of
superheroines serves to reinforce rather than challenge gender role
beliefs stereotypes. In fact, this effect may overshadow any benefit
derived from observing a strong, intelligent, capable female
character. 50

7 Modern superheroines pack a bigger punch. Women who watched

the X-Men montage reported lower body esteem. They also ranked
the importance of physical competence more highly. Women may
admire the power and status of superheroines and as a result desire
to emulate them. However, these superheroines have unattainable 55
body dimensions and engage in unrealistic physical feats. It is not
surprising that female viewers are left feeling dissatisfied with their
own physical appearance and prowess.

8 The roles for women in superhero movies have evolved from the
helpless, easy victim to the commanding, mighty warrior. However, 60
the central appeal of these characters as sexual “goddesses” is the
same. Thus, superheroines, like their victim counterparts, are
undermining rather than improving women’s perceptions of their
own bodies and competence. And they are doing little to improve
beliefs about women’s roles in society. 65

9 Gender-related information conveyed in popular media can affect

personal perceptions and cultural standards about gender.
Expectations and attitudes about gender roles are shaped by a
variety of entertainment media, from superhero movies and G-rated
children’s films to music videos, advertisements and video games. 70
One recent study even found that regular viewers of a reality
television show featuring pregnant teens had more favorable
attitudes about teen pregnancy. They also believed that the benefits
of teen pregnancy outweigh the risks. Clearly the things we watch,
even if fantastical or sensationalized, affect our beliefs. We often 75
view superhero movies and other forms of entertainment as a
temporary escape from reality. They may in fact be shaping our
realities in ways that are more harmful than heroic.

Source : Adapted from “The Problem with Female Superheroes”

by Cindi May, Scientific American, 23 June 2015
 -4- Year2/EnglishLanguage&CriticalThinking/May2020

From Paragraph 1

1. What is “the calling” (line 2)? [1]

2. What is the writer implying by the expression “let us not forget” (line 5)? [1]

3. In your own words, explain “wickedly” (line 6) as used in the passage. [1]

From Paragraph 2

4. In your own words, identify ONE way female superheroes’ portrayal is overly
sexualized. [1]

5. Give a word of your own which has the same meaning as “overly” (line 11) as
used in the passage. [1]

From Paragraph 3

6. In your own words, explain “more often than not” (line 18) as used in the
passage. [1]

From Paragraph 4

7. “These females victims’ primary appeal is sexual” (line 23).

What TWO negative effects does this have on the female audience? [2]

8. With reference to Paragraph 3 – 4, suggest how female characters like Storm

and Jean Gray can act as antidote to the helpless fair maiden. [2]

From Paragraph 5

9. “Still, today’s superheroines, like their female victim counterparts, are highly
sexualized” (line 36 – 37).
What does “still” imply about the author’s expectations? [2]

10. Why does the portrayal of superheroines have destructive effects on women’s
views of themselves? [2]

From Paragraph 6

11. What does “sadly” (line 44) tell us about the author’s feelings about the effect
of women watching powerful superheroines? [1]
 -5- Year2/EnglishLanguage&CriticalThinking/May2020

From Paragraph 8

12. In your own words, give the meaning of “undermining” (line 63) as used in
the passage. [1]

From Paragraph 9

13. “One recent study even found that regular viewers of a reality television show
featuring pregnant teens had more favorable attitudes about teen pregnancy”
(line 71 – 73).
Why do these viewers have such attitudes? [2]

14. With reference to Paragraph 5 – 8, what is ONE strength and ONE weakness
of how superheroines are portrayed? [2]

Response Writing

15. Answer the following questions by studying the visual text on page 6. [10]

a. What is the artist trying to say to say about sexism in employment? How does the
artist show this in the visual text?

b. Do you agree with the artist’s view? Why?

 -6- Year2/EnglishLanguage&CriticalThinking/May2020

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-7- Year2/EnglishLanguage&CriticalThinking/January2019