General Paper Comprehension Sample Question Paper & Answers (Paper 2)
GP Comprehension Question Paper – Social Issues & Marriages
(Note that 15 marks out of 50 will be awarded for your language, namely, for the quality and accuracy of your use of English throughout this paper)
Note: When a question asks for an answer IN YOUR OWN WORDS AS FAR AS POSSIBLE (IYOWAFAP) and you select the appropriate material from the passage for your answer, you still must use your own words to express it. Little credit (out of the remaining 15 marks) can be given to answers, which only copy words or phrases from the passage.
[GP Tutor’s Notes: This GP Paper 2 focuses mainly on the issues of Marriages.]
Questions on Passage 1
From Paragraph 1:
1. “Marriage is a public obsession hardly ever out of the news.” What evidence did Grayling give to support this? Use YOWAFAP. [3]
From Paragraph 2:
2. “…Excessive marriage is publicly punished in social, financial and even legal ways.” What three kinds of punishments is the author referring to? [3]
From Paragraph 3:
3. “In the US Bible Belt, divorce and cohabitation rates are experiencing a sharp rise. Use your own words to explain the reason. [1]
From Paragraph 3:
4.Explain the differences between the two definitions of marriage. UYOWAFAP. [2]
From Paragraph 4:
5.” In this latter sense, the number and sexes of the mutual parties is no part of the definition, which turns solely on concepts of affection, choice and sharing.” What are the implications of Grayling’s claim (Para 4, Line 1)? [3]
From Paragraph 5:
6. What was the originating aim of socio-legal marriages? UYOWAFAP. [2]
8. Vocabulary Question: [5]
brouhaha (1.5)
entrenched (1.10)
rocketing (1.13)
extended (1.36)
affirms (2.4)
Questions on Passage B
7. Maggie Gallagher claims that marriage is a power way to protect children, adult well being, and a powerful creator and sustainer of human and social capital.”
Using material from paragraphs 4 to 8, write your summary in no more than 120 words, the reasons for her claims. Use your own words as far as possible. [8]
9. Using both passages:
Should marriage be a legal contract between individuals or a non-binding relationship based on love and trust? Illustrate your arguments by referring to both passages and by using the knowledge of your own country. [8]
H1 JC GP Passages – Article Sources for Social Issues & Marriages:
JC H1 GP Tuition (Syllabus Code: 8807)
The Last Word on Marriage by AC Grayling, The Guardian
Why Marriage Is Good For You, by Maggie Gallagher, City Journal
Q1. "Marriage is a public obsession hardly ever out of the news." What evidence did Grayling give to support this? Use YOWAFAP. [3]
-Newspapers / Popular press / Gutter will always carry news of the rich and famous who get married or are separated.
-Marriage is widely encouraged / endorsed / regarded / advocated by governments and spiritual bodies.
-There is close statistical scrutiny / monitoring of marriage / divorce rates, causing a furore.
From the text source:
-The weddings of celebrities, and their divorces, are tabloid staples.
-Politicians and bishops urge it, supported by wider conservative and religious lobbies.
-The more that marriage seems to be in trouble as an institution, with smaller percentages entering and larger percentages leaving, the more intense becomes the brouhaha surrounding it.
Q2. "...Excessive marriage is publicly punished in social, financial and even legal ways." What three kinds of punishments is the author referring to? [3]
-Social: society does not look kindly on, ostracise / frown upon / criticize / humiliate / stigmatized / social outcast
-Financial: divorce / alimony / pay maintenance
-Legal: fines, jail term, parents have to fight for custody in the court of their children
Q3. "In the US Bible Belt, divorce and cohabitation rates are experiencing a sharp rise. Use your own words to explain the reason. [1]
Due to churches’ encouragement of marriage, people are rushing into it.
OR churches were propagating misleading ideas about marriage, that it automatically leads to salvation
Text Source:
“In church they made me think the important thing was to get married and have children, then Christ would come,” said one escapee. “I said yes to the first man who asked
Q4. Explain the differences between the two definitions of marriage. UYOWAFAP. [2]
One states that marriage is a legally binding agreement between the spouses and the law.
The other states that it is an agreement between the spouses out of love, AND
EITHER: free will, OR a desire to live their lives together OR to share happiness, wealth and problems together.
Text from the Passage: (Literal / Lifted)
One is the socio-legal institution, which in effect amounts to a tripartite contract between a man, a woman and the state
The other is the long-term committed relationship entered into voluntarily by people who, because of their affection for one another, wish to pool resources and share the joys and burdens of life.
Q5." In this latter sense, the number and sexes of the mutual parties is no part of the definition, which turns solely on concepts of affection, choice and sharing." What are the implications of Grayling's claim? [3]
-marriage need not be between two parties only; polygamy should be allowed
-marriage between people of the same gender should be allowed
-the main criterion should be whether there is love between the parties, AND
EITHER: who enter into the union voluntarily, OR with an agreement to share everything in heir lives
Lifted:
the i) “number “and ii) “sexes of the mutual parties” … iii) “concepts of affection, choice and sharing”
Q6. What was the originating aim of socio-legal marriages? UYOWAFAP. [2]
-men wished to limit women’s sexual partners
-in order to be certain that children were their heirs
Referred to / Lifted from the GP Passage:
-to constrain women’s sexuality and fertility
-so that men could be sure they were bequeathing their property to their own offspring.
Comment from GP Tutor: Need to identify the 2 aims first. Then UYOW. Finally, a reminder to use the correct tense (was, not is and so on)
Q8. Vocabulary Question (5 marks)
| Word | 1 Mark | 1/2 Mark |
| From Passage A: the more intense becomes the brouhaha (noun) surrounding it. | uproar, ruckus, outcry, hue and cry, furore, public out roar, public fuss, commotion, noisy and overexcited reaction, hubbub, hullabaloo loud confused protest | fuss, noisy attention, heated debate, frenzy No mark: outrage , confusion, anger, public attention, debate, hype, discussion, excitement |
| From Passage A: how entrenched (adjective) is the traditional marital ideal | firmly / securely established; ingrained; embedded; deeply rooted / implanted; deep-seated; deeply in place | established, rooted No mark: hard to change, grounded, internalised; set / fixed; deep set |
| From Passage A: cohabitation rates are rocketing (verb / adjective) | rapidly / dramatically / sharply increasing / rising; soaring; burgeoning (put forth the idea of speed) | accelerating; escalating; shooting up; rising tremendously ; increasing rapidly No mark: increasing, rising, booming, growing |
From Passage A:
| expanded / enlarged / widened to include / encompass (scope of influence) | stretched further to include; spread to include; inclusive No mark: introduced, imposed, applied upon / to; made applicable / available |
| From Passage B: that affirms (verb) what Genesis teaches: | confirms, supports, agrees with, shows the truth / validity of; reinforces; in accordance with; concurs with; attests; corroborates; substantiates; backs up; helps to prove | proves; strengthens, verifies, certifies, justifies No mark: emphasises, ascertains, follows, ratifies, coincides with, acknowledges, reassures, reiterates |
Note: do not try to give a string of answers. Credit is most often be awarded to the first word, and the rest are disregarded!
Q7. Summary Question (SMQ) (8 marks)
Maggie Gallagher claims that marriage is a power way to protect children, adult well being, and a powerful creator and sustainer of human and social capital.”
Using material from paragraphs 4 to 8, write your summary in no more than 120 words, the reasons for her claims. Use your own words as far as possible. [8]
| Lifted from the GP Passages | AIYOW / Paraphrase |
-marriage is a public act by which private lovers to create a tie so firm that a child’s heart can rely upon it -children do better whine their parents get and stay married -married people live longer… healthier…happier lives | –it’s an act so bonded / knitted children can put their whole trust in it -children in stable dual-parent families have improved /. enhanced performance -it brings about greater life expectancy, greater well-being, more joy to life |
-they even have better sex, more often, than couples who are not married -for men especially, marriage is a productive institution… in boosting a man’s earnings | -they have more enjoyable sex on more occasions -incomes of men rise when they marry |
| married people… manage money better and build more wealth together than either would alone | -marriage helps couples handle their finances more prudently / effectively and becomes richer |
-marriage increase sexual fidelity -marriage is also the only realistic promise of permanence in a romantic relationship
| -brings about a higher level of faithfulness -is the only feasible / practical guarantee to long term togetherness |
Note: Time management is important for success in the summary question!
Reminder: it is a good practice to write down at the of your summary answer, the number of words used.
Q9 Application Question
In this sample AQ of the GP Comprehension Paper, we shall provide a response in the form of a Marking Scheme you may have come across in your own GP tutorial in school.
| Mark Range | Grading / Marking Descriptors |
| 6-8 (A) | Evaluation – very sensible, well supported and developed to its logical conclusion (convincing). Able to make judgements and decisions. Requirements – systematic reference to the given requirements of the question with evidence of a balanced treatment
Explanation – includes elaboration and reference / support to personal insight and interpretation (shows a very good understanding of terms, issues and apt illustration) Coherence – shows a high degree of coherence and organisation. ; observe appropriate paragraphing and the use of logical connectors. Achieving the 4 areas will yield the GP pupil a grade ‘A’ |
| 6-8 (A) | Possible points for discussion: From Passage A (AC Grayling): -traditional ideal of adhering to one spouse for life is deeply entrenched in society -the church and politicians advocate marriage HOWEVER!: definition 1: socio-legal
definition 2: non-blinding based on love
From Passage B (Maggie Gallagher):
Possible points for discussion from own country / knowledge: LEGAL contract: NON-BINDING relationship: -passion, romance, without thinking of the practicalities
|
| 3-5 (B) | Evaluation – attempted buy not always convincing. Tends to be somewhat superficial with limited development of ideas Requirements – covers requirements but not necessarily a balanced treatment Explanation – shows an adequate level of understanding of terms, issues but is not thorough in support and illustration Coherence – coherence and organisation are not as sharp or systematic as the top band For the lower end of this band: evidence of minor misinterpretation of the text but it does not significantly impair the student’s overall understanding of it.
|
| 1-2 (C) | Evaluation – tends to be mere summary or restatement of the text rather than an evaluation of it Requirements – largely fails to address the given requirements of the question Explanation – shows limited understanding, relevance and development of ideas Coherence – inconsistency in the argument is evident Higher incidence of misinterpretation of the text and evidence of inaccuracies. |
Our GP Teachers will share the actual Exam Marking Criteria for Paper 2’s AQ, during the lessons.
Tutor’s Comments :
-If examples from own country is not given, only a maximum of 5 marks.
-skip the obvious: eg, love is important
-a trial is not relevant as both writers talk about long term relationships
-do not merely summarise the 2 passages. Evaluation of the arguments (on what marriage should be) are expected
-some make the simplistic assumption that the two definitions are mutually exclusive: that a legally binding marriage was not compatible with love, trust and voluntary commitment.
-remember to include reference to your own country in your application responses.
-remember to state your country
E.g.: the evils of broken homes should be illustrated with examples; also the legal procedures to safeguard victims of a divorce should be clearly explained. This will ensure you excel in this AQ!