Ms Goh's GP blog

Passage A

1. With reference to paragraph one, why does the writer believe that even men who treat women equally and respectfully "may adopt a posture of dominance toward her when other men are around" (l.5-6)? [2]+1g

Lifts Paraphrased Answer
"From boyhood, males are bombarded…” (l. 1)


"So powerful and pervasive is this formula… when other men are around" (l.3-6) • The idea that men who are truly men are superior to women is one deeply entrenched in the minds of all boys [1]
• So that even when they respect women as equals, [bonus:1/2]
• they feel the need to return to that stereotype when in the presence of other males to establish a sense of superiority/manliness. [1]

Comments

An inference is required of lines “depend on the opinions of other men” with an explanation in their own words
Instead :
a) there was lifting of key terms: “real” men, “manhood”
b) or word substitution given with this as a typical case : men relies ( ‘depends’) on the views (‘opinions’) of other males (men’) and the presence (‘existence’) of the targeted (‘subjected’) group in question
c) there was the inclusion of the last part of the paragraph (‘existence ……group’) which is irrelevant to the question.

Almost 95% of answers used this Singlish expression “since young”, an error highlighted by the Cambridge examiners in their reports.


2. From paragraph two, explain the meaning of the phrase "dominating a
lowly 'dog' or 'cow' can hardly be very satisfying". [3]+1g

Lifts Paraphrased Answer
"domination of a woman… superior" (l.10-11)

"to justify abusive treatment of women… men must view them as a separate species" (l.12-14)

" [but] the formula achieves its goal only fleetingly" (l.16) • Men believe that by controlling women, they are made more powerful. In order to make it acceptable for them to subjugate the women they love, men convince themselves that women are inferior creatures. [1/2]
• However, this is effective only for a while. [1]
• There is no pleasure to be gained from dominating such inferior creatures because it does not at all prove men's superiority. [1/2]


Comments

Answers were muddled and contradictory as students found it difficult to explain and reconcile the paradox in this situation.
The analogy used to compare the position/lot of women and animals was also ill understood and many actually took this literally and thought that comparing women to animals was meant as a contrast to show how controlling an animal and controlling a woman are different and that it was far more challenging and therefore more satisfying to control a human, an intelligent woman!
Another distortion was in emphasising that men who are actually very much in love with their women are driven by guilt and therefore are unable to feel fulfillment in their relationship.


3. According to the writer in the third paragraph, can women ever truly be the "obedient dog" that men want them to be? [2]+1g

Lifts Paraphrased Answer
"has capacities for independent thought, action, speech, and creativity” (l. 24-25)

“that militate against easy consignment of her to inferior status" (l.25) • Women have the ability to be intelligent and talented [1]
• and even if they were willing to [1/2]
• it remains very difficult for any man to force them into becoming anything less than what they are. [1/2]


Comments

i. Most students misinterpreted women’s ability to be intelligent and talented as “a freedom to think” or “their right”. Some simply answered that women “have independent thinking”.

ii. Many answers were lifted from the passage. Students should know that giving such answers are a waste of time because no marks will be awarded.

"It is because even a woman who is willing to be an "obedient dog" has the ability to behave in a manner that frees her from being considered lower than men. This ability is so powerful that even if men try to make women feel small and useless, they would fail." (Ang Huay Sin, 13/01)


4. From the fourth paragraph, explain the oppression men feel they are subjected to and the relationship between this oppression and that forced on women. [3]+1g

Lifts Paraphrased Answer
“Most men do not make policy…
Most men serve as dogs, bulls, robots to their masters” (l.32-34)
“… are not responsible…government policy or economic disadvantage or war " (l. 35)
"…that like women, they are oppressed” (l.36) • They are not the ones who make the rules. Instead, they work for those who make the rules / are subservient to higher authorities. [1]
• Like women who serve as lowly creatures to men, they see themselves as lowly creatures serving those truly in power. [1]
• This therefore translates into a rationale / motivation / justification / reason for their oppression of women. [1]


Comments

i. Almost all students could see that the oppression forced on most men was a result of their being subservient to higher authorities.

ii. However, those who correctly answered that men and women share a similar relationship in being oppressed could not infer that men use their oppression as a reason for their own domination over women. Most of those who could make the inference did not explain the similar oppression.

iii. Again, too many answers were lifted from the passage. It was also obvious that in some cases lifting was done without understanding. E.g. "men are responsible for government policy or economic disadvantage or war and this is why they are oppressed."


Passage B


5. Give the meaning of each of the following words as they are used in the passage. You may write the answer in a word or a short phrase. [5]+1g

1m ½ m 0m

seclusion
(line 1) noun

isolation
being kept apart
confinement
being cut off
living apart
living alone

privacy (root word found in text)
exclude
voluntary withdrawal
status
staying away
relation
blocked off

compensated (line 24) verb

remunerated to lessen the negative effects of discrimination
paid/repaid for her loss


given something
rewarded
reimbursed
given
returned

renounce (line 40)
verb

give up/surrender/
disclaim relationship with

Reject
Make invalid
Ignore
Change
Re-instate
Re-identify
Show
Declare
discard
deny


foreign (line 42)
adjective

not familiar/not belonging naturally
alien
strange Unknown
New
Unusual
Different
distant

complicated (line 43) verb

Made more difficult
Made complex
Made worse
Made confusing
Made unclear Messed up
Abstract
Made sophisticated


Strengths:

In general, the meaning of words were understood and reflected in the answers.
Better students paid close attention to achieving accuracy in the meaning as
well as the word form.

Areas for improvement:

• Spelling errors - seperation (separation), repayed (repaid), ailen (alien), surender (surrender) etc.
• More than ONE answers - some had 3 answers and all 3 were conflicting in
meaning.
• Incorrect and sloppily written word forms - complexed (no such word exists), made up for, messy etc.


6 (a) From the first paragraph, why does the writer argue that "the widespread availability of contraception and abortion are returning [the woman] to that impossible role: being a woman" (l.4-5)? [2]+1g

Lifts Paraphrased Answer
“And if contraception and abortion are spoken of most often as possible ways of controlling, or even “mastering,” the birth rate, of being a mother “by choice,” the fact remains that they imply the possibility of modifying women’s social status” (l.5-9) • With the freedom to choose when to conceive as well as whether or not they want a baby, [1]
• they are now free to leave behind the roles of housewife and mother and focus on defining herself in other ways. [1]

Strengths:
Many students were able to offer accurate answers expressed in their own words.

For example, an answer adapted from Chan Li Yan (30/01)

"It gives females the freedom to decide when they want to have children. This has a
great significance as it may be able to change the perceived notions of the role of
women in society".

• Wholesale and partial lifting - using key words from the passage to illustrate an
important issue
• Obscure and sweeping interpretations - "women can now kill their babies and not
get pregnant"
• Mis-interpretation of question - Some attempted to explain the claim in the quotation although the question does not really want this.


(b) In paragraph three, according to the writer, how are women "products"? [2]+1g

Lifts Paraphrased Answers
“their status is that of merchandise, ‘commodities’” (l.29)


“How can … such objects of use…claim right to speak…?” (l. 29-31)
“Commodities…if they could talk…So women have to remain an ”infrastructure” …unrecognised” (l.31-34) • The writer feels that men see women not as fellow human beings but as inanimate items meant for utilisation and exchange. [1]
• Women have long been kept silent by men and by their silence, they are seen as products and not humans. [1]

Comments

- Students over-inferred and concluded that women were "sex objects" who were being "toyed with by men."
- "Products" was paraphrased as "tools" but this was unacceptable as in the passage, women were not depicted as being used by men to achieve an end but were merely not being treated as human beings
- No relation was made between the inability of women to voice their opinions and how this was similar to the characteristic of products
- Lifting occurred frequently
- Phrasing was inaccurate. “Women as products without the right to speak” was paraphrased as “women cannot talk / have no ability to speak.” This implies a physical defect rather than a social condition.


7. The writer believes that there are two possible roles available to women. Write a summary to show how these two roles differ from each other and the problems women face when trying to fit into these roles. Use material from paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 only. [8]+4g

Organize your answers so as to bring out pairs of contrast between the two roles.

Do not merely list the differences in an isolated fashion.

Write no more than 150 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Lifts Paraphrased Answer
“The woman, traditionally… has long been nothing but a mother.” (l.1-2)
“entrance into the circuits of production” (l.3) A1-A2 Women, who were once kept in the house / feminine / maternal, [1]
are now being freed to work / men's economic equals. [1]
"Woman could be man's equal… same economic, social, political rights as men…potential man" (l.13-15) B1-B2 They can choose gender equity / have the same position and status as men, [1/2]
And have congruent advantages / benefits; [1/2]
"woman would also have to preserve and maintain what is called femininity" (l.17-18) B3-B4 or they can continue having the appearance [1/2]
of being pretty and delicate. [1/2]
"But in fact that "femininity" is a role, an image, a value, imposed upon women by male systems of representation." (l.20-21)

"loses herself by playing on her femininity" (l.23) B5 and these stereotypes were defined by men [1/2]



and women who attempt to fit into this role find themselves trying to become something they are not [1/2]

"The value of a woman would accrue to her from her maternal role" (l.18) B6 A female's worth is only determined by her position as a mother[1/2]

"this masquerade [of femininity] requires an effort for which she is not compensated" (l.23-24) B7 She is not rewarded in accordance with the amount of work put into being feminine [1/2]
"woman does not have access to language" (l.44) C9 A woman has no control over language [1/2]

"except through recourse to "masculine" systems of representation" (l.44)
"which disappropriate her from her relation to herself and to other women." (l.45-46) C10 but one developed by and for men [1/2]

This disallows her expression on her own terms and alienates / isolates her from other women[1/2]
The feminine... is never to be identified except by and for the masculine…” (l.46-47) C11 Because what she says is only given recognition in relation to male ideas / concepts / a man's world [1/2]

Comments

Content

- "Padding" to the summary is not required. E.g. "There are two possible roles available to women." Students should not waste words on phrases that do not garner them marks.
- Students read too much into the passage and drew out a lot of non-existent sexual content. (E.g. "Women are prostitutes who are only used for sexual exchanges") Although inference is expected at times, students should be aware that a summary generally calls for an extraction of information already provided in the passage in the student's own words.
- Misreading of the passage occurred frequently. Students thought that having no "access to language" meant that women were uneducated.
- Above all, some students failed to answer the question directly; i.e. 1) The roles of women, 2) the problems women face. The summary became a mere paraphrase of all the information found in the passage as students included descriptions of contraception without explaining how it is a problem.

Language
- Widespread lifting
- The word "effeminate" does not have the same meaning as "feminine".
- "Feminism" is an ideology that supports the emancipation of women and egalitarianism. It does not refer to women being feminine.
- The spelling of "feminine" and "femininity" needs to be improved. ("femine", "famine", "feminity", etc)
- Conjunction: Words such as "whereas", "and" and "but" are to be used in the middle of a sentence to join two clauses, NOT at the beginning of a sentence. (E.g. The worth of a woman stems from her ability to conceive whereas the value of a man is not based on his virility.)
- Concordance: Students were unable to be consistent about the subject used in the sentence. (E.g. Women [plural] are regarded as potential men. She has the same status as him.)


8. French and Irigaray look at the different ways men assert control over women. Identify two such issues that arise and which are common to both writers. Discuss how these issues would be of particular concern to your own society. Draw appropriate information from the texts. However, you should rely largely on your own relevant ideas and experience in order to justify your answer. [8]+4g


Comments:

Answers should have an analysis of some of the possible ramifications (i.e. the implications of the possible effects) that these issues would have on the society; however scripts tended to describe signs of the existence of these issues/situations i.e. they tried to prove that these conditions of abuse and exploitation were happening here, referring to news reports of cases of rape , assault etc. There should be some attempt at examining the implications of such conditions if allowed to develop and also whether in fact we are going that route. Is there subtle exploitation /discrimination as expressed in our social norms and expectations? Evidence of this if any…. effects on our society….

Many students cheerfully ignored both parts of the questions, picking on any issue particular to just one writer not “common to both” as required, and also cited a variety of examples of other societies.

This is one question in which the relevance of the second half of the question hinges on the first and if the first is out of point then the value of the rest that follows is negated. Similarly, even though the points are valid and cogent ones but unrelated to one’s “own society”, again, the material cannot gain credit.

Many answers merely regurgitated the ideas from the 2 passages.

Students were clearly confused by the question itself: the question-statement asks for 2 “issues” while the introductory sentence asks for “ways”.

It is deemed that the abstract, philosophical, somewhat convoluted nature of the ideas and sophistication of thought of the passages with the subtle use of figurative terms is quite out of the grasp of Year 1 students.


Explanation:

Students must be able to identify issues common to both writers.
Students must show understanding of the issues they choose and the thrust of
the writer’s argument.
Students should choose issues wisely as several tend to overlap e.g. the idea of women being forced into an inferior position would already be encompassed in that of men controlling women.

• The only role available to women (without male control or intervention) is that of a mother
A: “men must ally solidly against women, creating institutions that foreclose all roles to women except breeder-servanthood.” (lines 26-28)
B: “The women, traditionally…have long been nothing but mothers.” (lines 1-2)

• Men control women by determining how they should behave
A: “a man… may adopt a posture of dominance toward her when other men are around.” (lines 4-6)
B: “femininity” is a role…imposed upon women by male systems of representation.” (lines 20-21)

• Men make it almost impossible for women to enter their world

• Women are not seen as equals by men
A: women seen as animals
B: women considered commodities

• Men abuse women by taking them as sexual objects
A: “Women are thus in a situation of specific exploitation with respect to […] sexual exchanges” (lines 37-38)
B: “he can rape women, whether mate, acquaintance, or stranger; he can rape or sexually molest his daughters, stepchildren, or the children of a woman he claims to love.” (lines 50-53)

They should be able to make connections between the arguments presented in both passages and the local situation, for example:

• instances where women quit their jobs after marriage at the insistence of their husbands to look after the house and the family;

• female stereotypes rooted in the way Singaporeans see women e.g. entries to a photography competition held earlier this year with the theme ‘women at work’ mainly focused on women working at jobs long seen to be dominated by women such as modeling, cleaning and cooking.

• Singaporean women still do not share equal benefits and privileges as their male counterparts in the working world.

They should also be able to examine the significance / impact / effect of these examples on Singaporean society.

Students should also get their facts right. Some common mistakes include arguing that:
- there is compulsory education in Singapore for both boys and girls
- prostitution is illegal in Singapore
- there is no physical abuse of women in Singapore

Some students also obviously did not put much thought into their reasoning process:
 There is gender equity in Singapore because more people now consent to and engage in premarital sex.
 Women today are only feminine during sexual intercourse.

Coherence:
Students must present their answers in distinct and linked paragraphs leading to a logical conclusion, showing a clear line of argument. The answers must be consistently focused on the requirements: identification of issues and evaluation with illustration from the Singaporean context.

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