The application question is a critical response to the arguments in the passage. The markers know that unlike Paper 1 where you are given 90 minutes to contemplate and construct coherent arguments, you have at most 30 minutes to do this. This means the expectations of structure are much less stringent than in Paper 1. The key components of the AQ that are expected will be for you to
a. Answer the question
b. Fulfil the requirements of the question
c. Make a relevant reference to the text
d. Explain with clarity your view on the issue
e. Substantiate your view with a relevant or specific context to Singapore.
f. Consider a different perspective that either provides additional support to your context or presents a conflicting view.
g. Ensure that you are able to resolve the two competing contexts.
- Passage 1: Some arguments for Optimism
- Optimism yields happier and emotionally stronger people. Optimism equips people with a greater ability to deal with hardship and stress in their lives. The psychological temperament of an optimist is not a sunny disposition or a delusion that everything is ideal. Rather, optimists believe that bad things are produced by temporary causes that can be overcome, while pessimists believe bad things always happen, and if anything good happens, it is temporary. It is a swap of the default – from the universe is conspiring against you, to the universe is conspiring for you. Optimism can be learnt, especially by children. Everyone is born with a different bias, but a child’s assumption can be shifted towards a more optimistic view by parenting, training, and education. In this regard, optimism is a skill that anyone can get better at. Likewise, at the societal level, optimism is a skill that bestows resilience and adaptability.
- Without optimism, our ancestors might never have ventured far from their tribes, and we might all still be cave dwellers, huddled together and dreaming of light and heat. The primary ingredient for progress is optimism. The unwavering belief that something can be better is what drives mankind forward. To make progress, we need to be able to imagine possibilities – better ones – and we need to believe that we can achieve them. Optimism thus underpins innovation. It challenges us to doubt the status quo and ask probing questions for the world to change. Widely considered to be a visionary, Steve Jobs wanted to revolutionise the workplace by making computers more affordable and easier to use. He envisioned a future where technology creates opportunities to amplify a human’s ability and improve our lives, and consistently pushed back against what was conventional at that time. Such faith in the possibility of a better future is what motivates mankind to pursue his goals.
- Optimism is a slow march towards incremental betterment. The reason we can and should still be optimistic is that our estimates of future woes do not take into account our ability to solve them. The ultimate reason we should (and can) be optimistic is not because our problems are smaller than we thought, but because our capacity to solve them is larger than we thought.
- Passage 2. Some arguments for pessimism
- Understanding that mankind is flawed by nature and therefore prone to self-destructive tendencies, pessimists (who value order and self-control) willingly accept a paternalistic government as the price for limiting those tendencies. Governments are expected to render an average life as attractive as possible. Public housing, state schools, public hospitals and transportation will be superb, because governments know we tend to make impaired decisions. We are hence dependent on them to make sound decisions to provide for a reasonable standard of living and quality of life.
- In pessimistic societies, citizens assume that the raw human mind needs a huge amount of structured, targeted help to cope with life’s challenges and prepare for an increasingly volatile and disrupted global economy. Therefore, education systems are elaborate, broad, ambitious, and well-resourced. The curriculum is not merely focused on technical skills though; there is a lot of help around emotional issues too, as it is acknowledged that students are highly stressed and tightly wound in the pursuit of academic excellence to secure a well-paying job for a ‘bright future’.
- Pessimism will be the norm in the days ahead. In an era where the relative peace and prosperity the world has enjoyed for decades is constantly shattered by doomsday predictions, we are forced to realise that while humankind has made great strides, we must still live with an ethic of stewardship and caution for our continued survival. The profound consequence will be a society where there will be a lot to be cheerful about – though, of course, the pessimistic citizenry would never dare to put it like that.
- Passage 3. An American journalist reflects on how he intended to move on from 2024
- When we find ourselves in the thick of disorder, uncertainty or loss, resilience can seem impossible, even trite, to hope for. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in western North Carolina wrecking businesses, homes and taking more than 100 lives. For almost a month, schools had to be closed, so little help was trickling in from the government and there was no running water. But the community stepped forward and filled in the gaps. Rebuilding will be a long and arduous process, but it is already underway.
- A month later, Donald Trump was elected again as president. For many, considering the character of this new administration and its promises, it was easy to allow themselves to fall into despair. In most immediate aftermaths of disappointment and disorder, it is understandable to freeze or shut down. But there is also a sense that we have got to rise up and move forward — if for no other reason than the alternative is worse.
- Tragic optimism emerges out of the tragedies that everyone faces. It means acknowledging, accepting and even expecting that life will contain hardship and hurt, then doing everything we can to move forward with a positive attitude anyway. At a moment when it can seem that all is lost, we’d be wise to embrace tragic optimism. In this we recognize we can exert our agency, however we can. These attitudes and skills, and our willingness to adopt and practice them, are essential to not only our individual resilience but that of our communities. And we need both now.
AQ: The above are reading excerpts that cover views about the value of optimism and pessimism.
How important is it to be optimistic or pessimistic for you and your society?
Support your answer with reference to:
- the ideas and opinions from at least one of the reading passage
- examples drawn from your own experience and that of your society.
TASK 1A: Identify the Topic, Issue and Opinion in the passages
PASSAGE 1 | PASSAGE 2 | PASSAGE 3 | |
TOPIC | |||
ISSUE | |||
OPINION |
TASK 1B: Extract 2 relevant arguments from the passages
From Passage 1 |
From Passage 2 |
From Passage 3 |
|
TASK 1C: What contexts might you be able to apply to support the arguments in TASK 1B?
From Passage 1 |
From Passage 2 |
From Passage 3 |
|
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