Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper
Answers to coursebook questions
Chapter 2.1 Summarising and explaining what you read
All answers were written by the author. In examination, the way marks would be awarded to answers
like these may be di!erent.
Activity 1
1 cause/e!ect
2 The article is discussing consumer reaction to the film’s storyline; indicates Shinkai’s success as
a"result of the film.
Activity 2
Answers will vary. You can use the responses which follow as a guide.
Extract 1
The passage tells us reasons why street art appears where it does in Rio de Janeiro.
Reason: It appears in a particular place, not because of location, but because of the relationship
between the artist and the business owners.
Conclusion drawn:
Example: Partnerships Example:
Owners of like this spark Artists ask
buildings community for permission
invite artists engagement
Extract 2
The passage explains why Rio accepts gra!iti.
Reason: Gra!iti is accepted in Rio because it creates a flourishing community.
establish a
professional Sense of vocational
presence as community opportunities
an artist
system of intervention creates job opportunities
for disenfranchised
Activity 3
1 and 2 Answers will vary. Students should generate ideas which are relevant to the question and
should justify connections amongst these ideas. The coursebook contains a sample essay, in
Chapter 2.1, Section D Using expository skills in an argument, which provides a few concrete examples
that have been applied to this question.
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Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper
Activity 4
1 Though there are many ways to approach pre-writing for reading comprehension tasks (and
as long as the approaches are logical and relevant), any such form should be accepted. The
following are sample visuals you can share with your students to help them brainstorm ways to
approach reading comprehension responses.
a This answer has been done for you in the coursebook.
b Art mentioned in Par. 2: Useful because:
Art X • reason 1
• reason 2
Art Y • reason 1
• reason 2
c Text evidence Outside knowledge
Ways to make art
more accessible
to town
Text evidence, Par. 4–5:
d
• Evidence
Graffiti = legal
• Evidence
• Evidence
e THEATRE OFFERS … CINEMA OFFERS …
TEXT ME TEXT ME
2 a Once again, student responses will vary. Use the visuals provided in 1 a–e as models and
discuss with students the methods of development that correspond:
reason + example
reason + example
reason + example
cause/e!ect
compare/contrast
b Visuals will vary depending on the question each student selects and the student’s unique
approach to organising ideas. Several of the questions in this activity invite comparison/contrast,
though students should not be limited to this or any one approach when organising ideas.
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Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper
Activity 5
1 The author’s images begin with a woman making traditional pots. As demand grows, however, more
workers are needed. This eventually leads to large-scale manufacturing and an overabundance of
product. The shi# to mass production leaves the small business owners to lose their trade, however.
2 Answers will vary, but images should appear in a deliberate order, should not be redundant and
an argument should be clear to the audience.
Activity 6
Answers will vary.
Activity 7
Suggested answers:
1 A wealthy businessman took an interest in the idea a#er several colleagues shared the concept
with him and he then decided to invest in it.
2 Answers may mention any combination of the following:
• an artist who does not have formal training in art
• operates outside of cultural norms
• not motivated by financial or social gain
• creates for the sake of his/her own peace
• does not intend to share his/her work with the world.
3 The OAF is somewhat contradictory to the raw intention of outsider art, which is not created for
the purpose of sale.
4 Outsider art can sometimes be confused with other genres, such as folk art – which is also
comprised of untrained artists – and contemporary art, which draws its inspiration from the
outsider genre.
5 The summary may mention a combination of any of the following big ideas found in the passage:
• what outsider art is and who is responsible for it
• how it is gaining momentum
• its similarities to other genres of art
• the hallmarks that make outsider art unique
• its position in contemporary art fairs
• the individuals responsible for bringing it to the public eye.
6 Answers will vary. Possible answer: Outsider art is a form of expression gaining momentum in
the art world because of its raw and ‘real’ approach, and the potential which stems from its
untrained aesthetic.
Activity 8
The essays to which this activity refers have been reproduced here. The emboldened information
in each essay indicates portions of the text that students may identify as ‘expository skills’ within a
larger argument. You can use this as a guide for this activity, but be open to all student responses
provided they o!er appropriate justification.
How far do you agree that cartoons are for entertainment and nothing else?
When the average American child turns on the television to watch a!ernoon cartoons, it
probably isn’t for the purpose of learning something new. Yet without even realising, the
seemingly simple adventures of our favourite characters are sometimes the source of our most
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Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper
memorable lessons, from maths to music, even appropriate social behaviour. It is therefore worth
arguing that cartoons serve a serious purpose beyond mere entertainment.
Beyond their traditional duty to entertain, stories are usually built around a moral theme – or a lesson
learnt – and cartoon stories are certainly no exception to this rule. One of the most classic examples
of this occurs in Charlie Brown’s ‘Thanksgiving’ episode, where the moral value of gratitude is taught.
During the show, Peppermint Patty invites herself to Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving dinner; yet
when she arrives, she complains about the food instead of being thankful for it. Using a situation
not uncommon to our everyday lives, a show like this can easily equip its audience with a better
understanding of how to treat others, which is a serious lesson to learn.
Not only are important moral messages conveyed through individual episodes, they can also be
central to entire characters. Since the behaviour of these figures tends to reflect our own cultural
values, children and adults of all ages fall in love with the characters of popular cartoons. In so
many instances, a two-dimensional cartoon becomes a 3-D role model we look up to. For example,
when the GI Joe cartoon was made in the 1980s, viewers admired this soldier’s patriotism and
commitment to fight against evil. Similarly, He-Man’s great strength made him an ideal role
model for children, as did She-Ra. Through the choices they make, these characters model traits
we admire, such as bravery and mental might, making it plausible that cartoons have a bigger
purpose than just leisurely enjoyment.
Yet there are other characters whose outlandish behaviours might not seem like they are meant to
stretch beyond the realm of action. Characters of ‘chase’ cartoons like Tom and Jerry, for example,
probably don’t teach much in the way of cultural values, yet there is still something to be said
about what children can learn in terms of action and consequence. When Wile E. Coyote’s absurd
inventions to catch the speedy Road Runner fail, or when Pinky and the Brain’s grandiose plans to
take over the world backfire, children are somehow absorbing Newton’s Third Law of Motion: for
every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this sense, even the most simple-minded
scenes can possess something of value when it comes to the way we behave.
Cartoons teach us many lessons about life, but they can teach us academic lessons, too. Most
viewers, young and old, do not even realise that they are being educated when tuning in to
television, but the academic impact is sometimes undeniable. For younger children, consider the
1990s cartoon series, The Magic Schoolbus. The purpose of this show was to increase interest in
science for girls and minorities, two groups that were falling behind in the subject nationwide.
The show covered topics like gravity, the stars, honey bees and the wetlands, among others. The
producers wanted to encourage a more balanced interest in science, and their vision proved that
entertainment could be merged with serious educational purpose.
Meanwhile, highschool students can reap the academic benefits cartoons have to o!er, too. For
struggling readers, it might be di!icult to understand the message being expressed in a classic work
like Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, for instance, but the X-Men cartoon series, which deals with
the same issues of racism, segregation and isolation, makes these concepts much more accessible
through animation. The characters’ struggles with being di!erent clearly demonstrate how serious
literary themes underpin modern cartoon entertainment.
It might sound like make-believe, but the foundation of many television cartoons is built on the story
of our own reality. As a culture, we use the art of storytelling to communicate how we experience
the world around us. No matter how outlandish, characters are a reflection of our culture, and
their actions therefore serve as both example and non-example for how we should behave. Thus,
while television cartoon shows may traditionally be loved for their light-hearted humour, they should
also be recognised for the very real wisdom they impress upon us.
‘With today’s technology, anyone can be a photographer.’ What is your view?’
From combat photographer Robert Capa to wilderness photographer Ansel Adams, the art form
of photography has captured the many mysteries of society. Today, photography applies to all
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Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper
aspects of life: mothers capturing the first smile of their first-born children, or entrepreneurs
marketing ideas on social media; all value the most basic skills of this profession. Therefore, since
it requires a certain ability to capture an image in an aesthetically"pleasing way, and the emotional
maturity to create a heart-rending experience for the viewer, photography can be considered both
skilful and creative.
More than anything else, the art of photography requires a certain skill set because the artist must
know how to manipulate a camera’s technology. Without this talent, much is lost in the art form of
the photo. There are plenty of options for adjusting a camera’s settings today, many of which
are confusing, even frustrating, for the novice. One of the most basic skills when taking pictures,
for instance, involves the use of mathematical formulae to calculate things such as aperture or
shutter speed. Much like Da Vinci’s The Vitruvian Man, photography has been taken to a scientific
level, one that requires careful skill and highly detailed design.
Furthermore, photography demands ingenuity because it is an art medium that uses full
concentration and requires careful attention. Consider the photographic; ‘rule of thirds’ as an
example. A guideline for photographers, this strategy suggests that if you aim to place the best
focus on and around your subject, it should fall into one of the ‘thirds’ of the picture: top, middle
or bottom. This theory exemplifies the enormous care that is taken to bring photography into the
realm of art, and it could not be done without the expertise of the modern artist.
While photography requires skill, it is also an art form that needs creativity to thrive. One must reach
deep into the ambiguous to capture something that is truly interesting. One way to look at it is that
everyone has seen a tree at some time or another, but it takes the skilled photographer to capture it
in such a way that it moves his audience to new (or renewed) emotion.
One example of a photographer who explores the creativities of the unknown like this is Peter Lik,
an Australian artist who is well-known for the success of artistic pieces such as One. Specifically, his
photograph of trees reflecting on a lake has sold for millions of dollars. He has also used his creative
vision to explore landscapes previously undocumented, such as volcanoes birthing from the ocean,
or the inner-workings of tunnels in places like the Grand Canyon in the United States.
Evidently, photography is an art form that demands both expertise and unique perspective. In a
modern academic world lacking emphasis on art altogether, this could very well be the bridge that
closes the gap between core academic skills like maths and the creativities of the artistic realm.
Activity 9
Answers will vary. Suggested answers:
1 Yarnbombing gained popularity a#er Ms Lim used incomplete yarn projects for new purposes,
such as decorating her house.
2 Di!erences include:
• gra!iti is more permanent/harder to remove
• long-standing stigma attached to gra!iti, not to yarnbombing
• gra!iti o#en associated with crime and delinquency whereas yarnbombing is related to more
positive sources, such as hobbying.
3 Lim’s interest in yarnbombing began when she learnt to crochet at a young age, then grew
from"there.
4 People see Lim’s style as eccentric, but they are drawn to her in an honest and curious way.
Exam-style questions
Answers will vary. Refer to the coursebook Chapter 1.1, section E Criteria for assessing essays for
more guidance on assessing essays.
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