GP Tuition: Sample GP Examination Paper – TMJC
Searching for a competent and experienced online GP Tutoring specialist teaching who is familiar with the teaching sequence of Tampines Meridian Junior College, aka TMJC? Let us at Ace Specialist Hub help you to secure your GP distinction grade ASAP!
Here’s a sample of GP Essay Paper (Paper 1) shared by our ex – TMJC GP tuition student who attended our online tutorials:
1. “Mankind has achieved scientific conquest without conscience. We are technological giants but ethical infants.” Comment.
2. “The media grow fat by feeding off the world’s misery.” Discuss.
3. “Young people today have no appreciation of art and no taste in music.” Comment.
4. “Where the actions and policies of government are concerned, a journalist’s only duty is to report – not comment.”
Do you agree with this view of the role of journalists in your country?
5. Discuss the problems and challenges in trying to teach any one of the following in schools:
a) entrepreneurship
b) creative thinking
c) leadership
6. “If you don’t stand up for something, you’ll fall for anything.” What principles do you believe are worth ‘standing up for’ and how can they be defended?
7. ‘More pain than gain.’ Is this a reasonable comment on the role the personal computer has played in our lives so far?
8. “Singapore needs more rebels.” Discuss.
9. “No permanent friends, just permanent interests.” To what extent is this a sound foreign policy for a nation to adopt?
10. “The place for animals is in the wild, not in zoos or circuses.” Do you agree?
11. I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.’ (Abraham Lincoln)
Discuss the role of mercy in a criminal justice system.
12. Must we accept the fact that nuclear power is the only practical solution to the world’s energy needs?
(This essay question is on the topic of Political & Economic Issues)
Bonus Question: On the GP Topic of Environmental Issue & Animal Rights
(Q13): How important are animals in our lives?
TMJC General Paper Tuition – Sample Model GP Essay Answer
Here is a full length sample answer to the following GP essay question:
Q10. “The place for animals is in the wild, not in zoos or circuses.” Do you agree?
Since ancient times, animals have been used by man to provide sport and entertainment. Today’s zoos and circuses are no different in that they aim to fulfil these objectives albeit more sophisticatedly and enterprisingly. Inevitably, questions arise addressing the humanity of keeping animals in captivity for such flippant pleasures, which conflict with the fundamental rights God’s creatures must have that is to live in peace in the environment nature has designed for them.
Man’s constant intervention with nature has succeeded in domesticating animals like horses, the bovine animals, dogs, cats and birds, so much so that if left e in the wild, these creatures would find it nearly impossible to fend for themselves. Thus in an ironic twist of the situation, it is now man’s responsibility to provide welfare for these animals.
The docile natures of the above animals have enabled. them to be successfully domesticated. However, this is not so of the ferocious tigers, leopards and even the elephants we see so often in family zoos and circuses. These creatures thrive in the wild and nearly all have a keen inborn sense of freedom. This is true even of the gentle. herbivores like the elephants and the zebras. The great. carnivorous felines are made to hunt, to prey and to prowl for their food. To render them captive in strange, hostile environments is thus not only psychologically damaging to these creatures but also gravely inhuman.
By enclosing these kingly animals, to make them spectacles for humans in zoos as well as to dress them in ridiculous ballet tutus in circuses, not only make a mockery out of them, but also rob them of their dignity and rights.
The mental trauma that these animals go through in zoos and circuses is heightened by the fact many of them undergo physical afflictions as well. These animals are heavily tranquillized to be transported in tiny cages or enclosures (tiny if compared to the lush grasslands or forests they used to roam) and once awakened, some are even beaten with sticks to ‘break their spirits’. As a result, many young animals, especially the more affection ate primates, die in captivity refusing food and drinks while pining for their mothers.
The removal of these animals from the wild especially the predators also deadens their hunting instincts. Reduced. to inactivity in their cages or circus trailers, they lose their natural skill and grow slothful. As a result, some become the object of much abuse from disappointed visitors who pelt them with stones or prod them with sticks in the vain hope of getting these animals to react as they would in the wild. This illustrates the fact that the place animals belong to is the wild and not zoos or circuses where they lose even their basic characteristics.
The only reason why animals are able to perform tricks and stunts is because they are physically goaded into doing so. Unlike man, animals cannot reason and learn by instruction. They have to be laboriously trained. To make them move, they are hit and sharply nudged. Only the fear of physical pain can make tigers overcome their lesser fear of jumping through rings of fire and elephants walking on tightrope. Even more inhuman is the fact that per forming bears have to be declawed and their incisors re moved to protect their trainers. It is certainly question able whether it is ethical to exploit animals in captivity solely for entertaining human beings and mercenary aims if it means physical and mental abuse of the animals.
However, it may be argued that zoos and circuses per form the nobler functions of providing ‘wholesome’ fam ily entertainment far better than other forms. Many state zoos are located in cities where the children otherwise do not get to see exotic animals live and breathing. Thus zoos may be exhorted as educational and informative, providing hands-on experience for children.
Also, many animals such as the Siberian white tiger. and China pandas were species on the brink of extinction. However, because of the successful breeding programmes zoos have, these animals have been given a new lease of life. The fate of these animals, I feel, will be better enhanced if they are reintegrated into the wild after the programme.
Animals too, are often used in improving diplomatic relations such as the case of China ‘lending’ its two pan das to the Singapore Zoo. In this case, people may argue that improving diplomatic relations is far more important than worrying about whether animals are traumatised by being displaced from the wild, then suffering a further change in environment. The zoos and circus organisations too, claim that all their animals are treated with utmost humanity and love. They say that performing animals are rewarded for following instructions, not hit, and the best environments are provided to simulate the animals’ natural living conditions.
The sad truth is, for every one zoo that genuinely tries to provide the ‘best’ conditions, there are nine others which are downright exploitative. I, for one, agree with the statement that no other home can replace the wild, not in zoos and definitely never in circuses. Animals have rights and it is not for us to make decision on how and where they should live. I thus hope in earnest, that public awareness of the exploitative nature of zoos and circuses will grow thus reducing public demand and phase these enterprises gradually into obsolecence, in the name of humanity.
Bonus Question: On the GP Topic of Environmental Issue & Animal Rights
(Q13): How important are animals in our lives?
Human beings do not have this planet all to themselves they never have. We share it with a mind-boggling variety of life forms, ranging from single celled amoeba to the immobile but indispensable threes, to animals. Our world would not be the same if these other life forms did not exist, and I believe that the importance of other animals in our lives is on a par with the significance of essential things like trees and water.
From a global perspective, animals have a major role in maintaining the state of the planet as it is today. They are an indispensable part of every ecosystem. One of their many roles is to keep the population sizes of animals lower and higher than them in the food chain at an acceptable level. The importance of this to humans is clearly seen in marine ecosystems, where a drop in the numbers of a certain fish sets off chain reaction drops in populations of fish that humans consume.
This brings us with another instance of the undoubted importance of animals to our life. Animals provide an irreplaceable source of food for almost every human being. Vegetarians and non vegetarians alike rely on animal products such as milk, meat, eggs and sometimes their organs for both sustenance, and in the case of agricultural economies, their income. Without animals, humans would lose an essential source of food and probably suffer from diseases of malnutrition. Widespread famine is also a likely consequence if certain animal populations, for example cows, were to be wiped out. This shows the importance of animals in sustaining human life itself.
Animals also sustain human life in ways other than providing food – it has been mentioned above that animal organs are a common source of food in many parts of the world, but more importantly, they are on the way to becoming sources of organ transplants for human beings. Xenotransplants are already in the initial stages of development, and in a few years, animals such as pigs and baboons could be invaluable lifesavers. The setting up of pig and baboon farms in countries like the United States shows that humans do indeed recognize the importance of animals to our lives.
From a social viewpoint, animals provide companionship and, in some instances, even guidance to humans. Dogs are widely known as man’s best friend, and the rates of pet ownership around the world, especially developed countries, are higher than 50%. In developing countries, domestic animals would be important in a different. way they would help in laborious yet essential activities, such as ploughing fields and fertilizing them, when technology is not available to the farmer.
The importance of animals in our lives is undoubtedly great – their many roles in our lives are quite irreplaceable, but this may not be the case for very long. The importance of animals in our lives has already started to diminish, although not greatly. The increase in world agricultural production crops such as wheat and rice, combined with increasingly popular trends such as vegetarianism and veganism, may see animals taking a back seat to crops when it comes to nutrition. However, the majority of the world remains a meat eating one, so the importance of animals in this aspect will never be completely undermined.
The rise of substitute pets such as computerized robot dogs may show at first glance, that the importance of animals as companions to human beings is decreasing. However, I feel that this is not entirely the case. The fact that these robotic replacements till take the form of animals that are commonly kept as pets implies that humans still feel the need for an animal presence. They may just wish it to be without the hassle of keeping a real animal, such as feeding them or taking care of them.
The issue of taking care of animals brings me to the point that the importance of animals to human life is universally recognized, and for that animals are fully exploited, but not accorded the necessary respect. Thus, animal’s requirements always take a back seat to the personal and economic needs of the more powerful human::. For example, the undignified use of lions, seals and dolphins for entertainment purposes in circuses and theme parks shows how animals are sometimes only considered important as long as humans have control over them. A recent study in Singapore showed that the population of Pink Dolphins on Sentosa Isla was suffer from stress-relate illnesses as a result of being held in captivity and being forced to perform tricks day in and day out. This shows that in some instances, animals are less important than they ought to be, because their economic importance is recognised, but the importance of fulfilling their needs to their satisfaction is not.
The rise of animal activist groups such as the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals may show that animals are indeed important in our lives, and that people are recognizing this and fighting for the ethical and respectful treatment of animals that are exploited for economic or personal purposes only.
In conclusion, I feel that animals are undoubtedly important in our lives the many roles they fulfil often cannot be effectively replaced by any substitute, be it artificial or natural. However, it may be the case that animals are selfishly treated and not accorded the due respect and care that should come with the recognition of their monumental importance to humans at an individual, societal, and indeed, global scale. Their importance in our lives is both a dynamic and relative concept, which I believe will change over time. It remains to be seen if this change is for better or for worse, but one hopes it is for the better.
More GP Essay answers (Paper 1) in our GP tuition revision guide, especially for Tampines Meridian Junior College GP tuition students. The focus will be to design a creditable GP essay response, with sufficient insights and mature observations. This will surely ensure your score for GP Paper 1 is at least 36 out of 50.
How to get to TM Junior College?
Tampines Meridian Junior College (TMJC) is located at 21 Pasir Ris Street 71, Singapore 518799. Just like the nearby TJC, it is a short walk from the MRT station, namely Pasir Ris MRT (EW1), an underground station along the East West line (EWL).
You can get to Tampines Meridian JC by buses nearby -Bus: 3, 53, 68
Keen to pick up accelerated GP essay skills asap? Attend our group GP tutoring classes or our GP revision course.
Happy Revision!