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. Arguments for the evergreen attraction of cities
- Cities foment change. New ideas are born within the crucible of the melting pot. With so many people living cheek by jowl with one another in a liberal environment, different ideas inevitably bubble up, come into contact with one another, and synthesise, creating new societal directions. Liberalism embraces the notion of people thinking differently and co-existing comfortably. It is this trait that has, over the years, drawn so many different types of people from so many different backgrounds to a place like New York. There is a like-minded group for you in the city if you are black or white, gay or straight, a professional athlete or a professional musician or a Tik Tok influencer, from Denver or Dalian. This diversity also fuels the discussion, the argument, which leads to the change described above.
- Cities offer both anonymity and opportunities for social connection. Throughout history, individuals have moved to cities to interact with others who share similar interests, while some prefer the privacy that comes with living among large populations. Artistic representations such as Edward Hopper’s depiction of solitude and George Bellows’ portrayal of crowds both reflect aspects of urban life. Employment opportunities tend to be more concentrated in cities, which is one reason people relocate from various regions. Most offices remain situated in urban locations, and when circumstances allow, migration toward cities for employment is expected to persist.
- Cities attract communities of affinity since time immemorial. Those who felt outcast in their home environments have gravitated to cities. Here, there are others like you, regardless of what you love. Whatever your social, artistic, sexual, or spare-time proclivities are, others in your city share them in a way that cannot be guaranteed in your hometown. Plus, by and large, no one is watching.
- Passage 2: Arguments on city living adversely impacting our health
- City living has led to more sedentary lifestyles. For most of human existence, physical activity has been incidental to daily living, and exposure to the outdoors and green spaces was higher than they are today. In the age of urbanisation, people live in high-rise buildings with less exposure to green spaces or outdoor activities. In addition, green spaces are unequally distributed in cities, with low-income neighbourhoods having a lower density of green spaces and facing more barriers to accessing them. In the United States, inequality along wealth and racial lines correlates with distance to green spaces, with Black and Hispanic communities having the lowest levels of access. Disparity along wealth lines is replicated strongly in cities in the Global South.
- Urbanisation’s impact on health has been unprecedented, leading to a rapidly growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as heart diseases, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases. Additionally, some countries are also contending with unresolved significant burdens of infectious diseases, undernutrition, and poor maternal and child health outcomes; this double burden of disease slows economic and social development due to productivity losses and poverty, often from catastrophic out-of-pocket medical spending.
- In addition, the urban food environment perpetuates injustice between those who can access nutritious food and those who cannot, with ‘food deserts’ and ‘food oases’ following inequality lines that pervade all other realms of capitalist living. In many low-income ‘food desert’ neighbourhoods, individuals have limited access to affordable and nutritious food, and residents are often forced to subsist on unhealthy, cheap fast food, in contrast to ‘food oases’ neighbourhoods, which have higher access to fresh foods. In general, urbanisation reduces access to fresh food for all, as food is sold far from where it was cultivated.
- In addition to adversely affecting physical activity and dietary habits, urbanisation has contributed to the fragmentation of social structures, diminishing communal bonds that have historically defined human societies. This shift has resulted in increased levels of social isolation, with each successive generation experiencing heightened loneliness and associated mental and emotional health concerns, including anxiety and depression. In certain urban environments, these pressures have led some young individuals to disengage entirely from society, as exemplified by the phenomenon of hikikomori in Japan and many countries around the world, where severe social withdrawal prevents affected young adults from participating in work or education for extended periods.
- Passage 3: A student from the rural America reflects on her move to the city for college
- I lived in Lanesboro, Minnesota – population under 1000, all my life. I knew everyone there by name. I never had a reason to leave until I decided to move up to Minneapolis for college. It unmoored me initially. It was so different. I did not know anyone and no one knew me. I shared an apartment with 3 other freshmen and across the hall were more strangers.
- But being away from home meant I had to find tribe amongst strangers. When I was sick, my housemate made me chicken soup. When we ran out of toilet paper, we went across the hall and took some from them. When it was nearing the end of the month and we were running out of money, we would pool what miserly budget we had for food and cook up a storm to share. It was a much better option than eating instant ramen. Our doors were always open to each other.
- We looked out for one another. It did not matter that our stories were different. In fact, it made for interesting stories over our potluck dinners and more than once, I have invited some of them back to Lanesboro with me for Christmas and Thanksgiving.
AQ: The reading excerpts cover a range of views about city living and its impact on health.
How far do you agree or disagree with the views on city living and its resulting impact on health?
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 |
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From Passage 2 |
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From Passage 3 |
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TASK 1C: What contexts might you be able to apply to support the arguments in TASK 1B?
From Passage 1 |
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From Passage 2 |
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From Passage 3 |
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