GP Tuition: Sample GP Examination Paper -DHC
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Here’s a sample of GP Essay Paper (Paper 1) shared by our ex – DHS student who attended our GP tutorials:
1. “Minorities always suffer!” Is this necessarily true in today’s world?
2. Cities may be designed for man, but man is not designed for cities. Discuss.
3. Innovations such as the video, the computer, and the Internet actually distract and detract from real learning. Do you agree?
4. ‘No work of art can ever be completely different or truly original.’ Discuss with reference to specific examples.
5. In your view, is the United States of America mainly a positive or negative influence on the world today?
6. Is the rapid rise in international air travel a cause for great celebration or grave concern?
7. ‘The process is more important than the product. To what extent does this apply to education?
8. Never give up and never give in. Is this sound advice?
9. ‘Work used to be good for the mind, body and soul; now it has become the ruination of all three.’ Discuss.
10. Do you agree with the view that modern society needs a more sensible substitute for the institution of marriage?
11. Our world is increasingly dominated by a mass media which focuses on images and sound rather than the printed word. Should we worry?
12. ‘Instead of developing its identity, Singapore is gradually losing it.’ How far do you agree?
Bonus Question: On the GP Topic of Moral Dilemmas & Personal Experiences
(Q13): How concerned should we be about stress?
DHS General Paper Tuition – Sample Model GP Essay Answer
Here is a full length sample answer to the following GP essay question:
Q8: Never give up and never give in. Is this sound advice?
Holding on and never compromising – that’s the belief that is held by some, who believe that giving up and giving in is a route taken only by losers. It is glorified and testified to, and Abraham Lincoln’s bumpy road to fame and presidency further solidified its credentials. This advice appears sound, but what should be taken note of too is the situation and conditions under which it is applied. Just as changes in ceteris paribus assumptions can make a completely logical economic theory sound ridiculous, different conditions in real life govern the suitable approach to look at this statement.
Never giving up and never giving in clearly advocates the spirit of perseverance, and this is one big reason why the advice is popular. It is never too much to try harder, and repeatedly history has shown us that to succeed, more than one go is often needed. The revolution in Tsarist Russia that started the Communist Soviet Union dated back to 1905, but did not achieve its ultimate aim until more than a decade later. Thomas Edison’s story with the light bulb, too, is a lesson well told. Every time a setback confronted them, the experience turned into motivation and guidance, not demoralizing forces. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player ever, once said, “I can accept failure, but I cannot accept not trying.” It took him eight years before he won his first NBA championship. The attitude of perseverance is what personifies the advice, and from this angle it certainly is sound advice.
It is also a way of life, which suggests a positive outlook and a vibrant attitude. Singapore’s Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong recently touched on this, saying that the country needs “stayers”, not “quitters”. It resulted in a hot debate, but the message is clear: a mentality of giving up when challenged will get a nation nowhere. What applies to individuals applies to society at large. It could thus be argued that a nation of non-quitters, of people always fighting and striving, is the best attitude for society as a whole. Jewish nationalism has shown that this spirit can do wonders Israel has been harassed and attacked non-stop by its Middle East Arab neighbours ever since it existed, but it is still going strong, with due credit to its will to survive. A positive attitude that can propel people to great things is the issue here, thus the statement should stand credited.
However, giving up and giving in can mean very different things in certain situations. A question worth pondering is whether, in order not to give up, it is crucial never to give in. The answer may vary much, depending on the situation.
There are times when giving up doesn’t mean giving in. In fact, giving in is an act of temporary compromise in order to succeed. One example will suffice in order to illustrate this. Gou Jian, the king of Yue in pre-Qing dynasty China, had his country cornered and was imprisoned by Fu Chia, the leader of a rival country. Instead of making nonsensical retaliation which would have had no effect, he left himself through almost two decades of humiliation and serfdom, and all this went to disguise his rea ambitions. His eventual success in restoring his country to independence clearly shows that giving in can, and is, a vital step to success. A compromise between giving up and giving in is thus seen, and a times in order not to give in one may have to give in
There is also the question of what one is giving into. It could be ideological beliefs, or it may be personal sacrifices. The road to success is never easy and very often a choice has to be made to give in so that the assumed greater good can be achieved. The final decision will vary from person to person. Garibaldi, the Italian nationalist who was adored across Europe and Latin America in the nineteenth century, had to give in to the fact that a parliamentary system works best in Italy, and he had to abandon his ideal of a dictatorship for the national cause. Garibaldi saw nationalism as the utmost objective, therefore he gave in to reality. In life today, similar choices are to be made, and the trade-off between giving in and giving up makes this advice debatable.
Furthermore, there exist situations where giving up totally might be the best option after all: they come when the objective is certainly out of reach and show that one knows one’s limits. It is a way of making life easier, and often, better. Shane Westlife wanted to become a professional soccer player, but he gave up when he saw Paul Robinson, a much more talented player who played the same position as him, and it appears he made the right choice. Looking back at the Middle East, we see that the recent efforts at reconciliation are actually a move towards mutual benefit. It certainly compromises on ideology, but at the end of the day the route to greater good for all is the best route.
Therefore, “never give up and never give in” is advice which is sound for attitude grooming, but it should not be adopted without doubts. It is always nice to see Beethoven or Helen Keller battling physical hindrance and external barriers to accomplish wonderful feats, but responsible evaluation and weighing of choice should be made for oneself. To sum up, I would suggest, never give in and never give up when you have a chance, but make concessions if it’s necessary for success, and give up when there are greener pastures when it is for the better good.
More answers and essays techniques in our GP tuition revision guide, especially for DHS GP tuition students.
Bonus Question: On the GP Topic of Moral Dilemmas & Personal Experiences
(Q13): How concerned should we be about stress?
Stress in the abstract sense of the word refers to the anxiety and the adrenaline rush that certainly all of us experience continually throughout our lives. Concern over stress which a fast-paced society generates has met with much media attention, but just how concerned should the general populace be about stress?
After all, it is not something which is abnormal, and neither is it a rare congenital disease. However, researchers have pointed out that just like cholesterol, stress can be both good and bad.
The good variety spurs us on in life and keeps us on our feet. It gives us the will to live. On the other side, the had stress causes undue worry in people and in extreme cases may even cause mental breakdown. But in reality, good stress and bad stress are the same chameleon. People with a high threshold of stress are able to take enormous amounts of pressure without ill effects. To them. what might be defined as bad stress for others actually helps them.
That does not in any way mean that we should not be concerned at all, because many otherwise normal people buckle even under the slightest stress. Even for those hardcore people with high tolerance, repeated stress could eventually break them down.
In today’s fast growing urban city life and the advent of the nuclear family unit, more people are alienated from one another. Ironically, it is the innate human desire to improve upon his life that has brought this on Man himself. In our quest for technological advancement, we have made communication with others as our means for business transaction and not for improving relationship with others.
Doctors and psychiatrists generally advise their over stressed patients to engage in leisure activities and to pull out momentarily from the rat race. What we should be concerned about is that many people who are over-stressed do not realize or even deny that they are over-stressed. Without the love and concern of others from whom we have alienated ourselves, this could lead to disastrous results.
Thus, we should not be overly-concerned about stress such that that concern in itself causes stress, but we should at the very least be aware that we can be stressed without realising it. We should therefore learn to recognise symptoms of stress.
Being merely concerned is not sufficient in itself. That concern should extend itself to remedy and prevention. As mentioned, one way to prevent excessive amounts of stress is to take time out from our work and to relax. We may fear failure but what of it? It is not everyone who can succeed in life. Adopting a less punishing mental attitude towards life would certainly reduce stress.
We could interact with more people and show concern towards others. In a sense, if people were able to be more caring towards others, then there might need be less concern over stress itself.
Therefore concern over stress itself should not be a concern. We should be concerned more about the various factors which cause excessive stress, because ultimately it is not stress itself that is bad, it is the way in which we handle stress that determines the product of stress.
How to get to DHS?
Dunman High School (DHS) is located in 10 Tanjong Rhu Rd, Singapore 436895.
The nearest MRT is either Mountbatten MRT station (Circle Line or CCL) station, then take bus 158, or from Aljunied station, then also take bus 158 to the school
Instead of H1 General Paper who are strong in DHS’s lesson sequence, take up our GP revision crash course. Alternatively, you can Whatsapp us at to find out more information about the GP tuition 1-2-1 lessons and small group classes.