SECTION 1 QUESTIONS 1-10

Reading Passage 1
Read the following article and answer ALL the questions that follow.

Tight Societies

I “I’m British. Soon after moving to Switzerland, where I lived for six years,
I had a housewarming party and was surprised that all 30 guests arrived
exactly on time. Years later, when I moved to France, I turned up at the
agreed time for dinner, only to find that no other guests had arrived.”

II Every culture has many unwritten rules. For example, punctuality is seen 5
differently in different countries. Also some countries find that singing in
the lift acceptable while others find it unacceptable. Perhaps the best way
to understand societies is to look at their acceptable social behaviour.

III Cultural psychologist Michele Gelfand at the University of Maryland in the

United States of America believes that the cultural tightness is
10
determined by the level of external threat experienced by the society.
Gelfand says, “The idea is that if you are often faced with threats such as
earthquakes or wars, you develop strong rules to coordinate the society
for survival”. She and her colleagues describe societies with strict rules
as “tight” and those with more relaxed rules as “loose”.

15

IV To test the idea, they compared 33 countries – from South America to

Asia and published their findings in Science in 2011. Tight societies like
Colombia and Indonesia, tend to be more autocratic, with greater media
censorship and fewer demonstrations. They are also more conformist
and religious, and have more police and lower crime rates, and cleaner
public spaces. Tight societies have more order and social controls than
loose societies. However, they are less creative and less accepting of
 differences. 20

V Countries can change their social behaviours. They can emphasize

unwritten social rules by using legal means. For example, in New York,
25
the fine for a first time littering offence is USD250 (about RM1000)
whereas in Singapore it is about RM6000. In Malaysia, the littering fine is
RM500. No prizes for guessing which has the cleanest streets.

VI In the study of tightness, Gelfand and her colleagues found out that tight
societies may view cultures as unjust and immoral. These beliefs could
30
cause conflicts, particularly countries which are close with one another.
With more research, we can better understand why societies differ and
this could be the first step towards greater global harmony. If we accept
that the way countries function is connected to the level of threat, we
might also be more sympathetic to different social behaviours.

35

Adapted from, 
Spinney, L. (2021, October 12). Culture Clash: Why are some societies strict and other lax?
Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23731720-500-culture-clash-why-are-
some-societies-strict-and-others-lax.

QUESTIONS 1- 5
Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D. 

1. The writer defines “cultural tightness” in paragraph III, line 10 as

A. punctuality

B. acceptable social behaviours

C. able to deal with conflicts

D. good survival skills

2. Gelfand and her colleagues believe that societies with relaxed rules

A. have more order and control

B. are more creative and understanding

C. are more likely to have low crime rates

D. are more disciplined

3. The writer uses paragraph V to make a point that

A. social rules are obvious in some countries.

B. how the law is enforced can have an impact on behaviours

C. different countries have different ideas about cleaning

D. countries develop their own rules

4. In your opinion, which country does the writer mean in paragraph V, line 22, “No
prizes for guessing which has the cleanest streets”.

A. New York

B. Malaysia

C. Singapore

D. None of the above

5. The text suggests that further research on culture can lead to

A. a more peaceful societies

B. a closer social relationships

C. better knowledge about different societies

D. lesser conflicts among countries

 (________/5 MARKS)

Questions 6-10

Read the following statements and write TRUE (T) if the statement agrees with the
information, or FALSE (F) if the statement contradicts the information.

Statements True False

6. It is not an issue for a Frenchman not to attend any invitation as scheduled. T F

Certain behaviours which are appropriate in some countries are considered

7. T F
inappropriate for others.

According to Gelfand, the acceptance of outside influence has resulted from

8. T F
the society's need to survive.

9. Legal methods can be used to strengthen what is considered good in a T F

 country.

The researchers realised that cultural differences could cause injustice and
10. T F
immorality.

SECTION 2 QUESTIONS 11-20

Reading Passage 2

THE COMPLICATED TRUTH ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA AND BODY IMAGE

I Many of us suspect that the beautiful, often highly-edited images of people we see on
social media make us feel worse about our own bodies. But what does the research
say? If you mindlessly scroll through Instagram or Facebook whenever you get a few
seconds of downtime, you are far from alone. But have you ever wondered how all
those images of other people’s bodies – whether your friend’s holiday snap or a
celebrity’s gym selfie – could be affecting how you view your own?
II Much has been made over the years about how mainstream media presents unrealistic
 beauty standards in the form of photoshopped celebrities or stick-thin fashion models.
Now that influencers fill up our feeds, it is easy to imagine that social media, too, is all
bad when it comes to body image. But the reality is more nuanced, and there may be
ways to curate your Instagram feed to make you feel happier in your own skin – or, at
least, stop you from feeling worse.
III It is important to note that research on social media and body image is still in its early
stages, and most studies are correlational. This means we cannot prove whether, for
example, Facebook causes someone to have negative feelings about their appearance,
or whether people who are concerned about their appearance are more likely to use
Facebook. That being said, using social media does appear to be correlated with body
image concerns. A systematic review of 20 papers published in 2016 found that photo-
based activities, like scrolling through Instagram or posting pictures of yourself, were a
particular problem when it came to negative thoughts about your body.
IV But there are many different ways to use social media – are you just consuming what
others post, or are you taking, editing and uploading selfies? Are you following close
friends and family, or a laundry list of celebrities and influencers? Research suggests
that who we compare ourselves to is key. “People are comparing their appearance to
people in Instagram images, or whatever platform they are on, and they often judge
themselves to be worse off,” says Jasmine Fardouly, a postdoctoral researcher at
Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

V In a survey of 227 female university students, they reported that they tend to compare
their own appearance negatively with their peer group and with celebrities, but not with
family members, while browsing Facebook. The comparison group that had the
strongest link to body image concerns was distant peers, or acquaintances. Fardouly
puts this down to the fact that people present a one-sided version of their life online. If
you know someone well, you will know they are only showing the best bits – but if they
are an acquaintance, you would not have any other information to go on.
VI When it comes to the wider circle of influencers and accounts you follow, not all types of
content are equal. Research suggests that “fitspiration” images in particular – which
typically feature beautiful people doing exercise, or at least pretending to – might make
you become harsher on yourself. Another study published earlier this year involved
showing 195 young women either body-positive content from popular accounts like
@bodyposipanda, photos showing thin women in bikinis or fitness gear, or neutral
images of nature. The researchers found that exposing women to #bodypositive
 Instagram content appeared to boost their satisfaction with their own bodies.
VII “Those two things together are starting to build a little bit of a story that there may be
some content that actually is useful for body image,” says Slater. But there may be a
downside to body-positive images, too: they are still focusing on bodies. The same
study found that women who would have seen the body-positive photos still ended up
objectifying themselves – measured when, after looking at the images, the participants
were asked to write 10 statements about themselves. The more the statements
focussed on their appearance rather than their skills or personality, the higher that
participant scored on self-objectification.
VIII That means when someone wrote “I am beautiful” it got lumped in with negative things
people said about their bodies. But those people could be taking a broader view of
where their beauty comes from, including internal as well as physical attributes, says
Slater. Either way, this fixation with looks is a criticism of the body-positive movement
that does seem to hold true. “It is about loving the body, but it is still very much about a
focus on appearance,” says Fardouly.

Adapted from: 
Oakes, K. (March, 2019). Social media: The complicated truth about social media and body 
image. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190311-how-
social-media-affects-body-image

QUESTIONS 11-15
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs I-V from the list of headings below. Write the
correct alphabet in the space provided.

List of headings

a. Mainstream and social media set the new beauty standards

b. Social media is associated with concerns about body image.
c. Everybody’s dream to have a perfect body
d. Comparing and judging self-image on social media
e. A conducted study on self-appearance
f. Self-objectification is focused more on the appearance
g. Social media affects the way we see ourselves
11. Paragraph I ________

12. Paragraph II _______

13. Paragraph III_______

14. Paragraph IV_______

15. Paragraph V________

(________5 MARKS)

QUESTIONS 16-20
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

16. It has long been speculated that seeing attractive and _______________ on social
media makes us feel bad about our own bodies.

17. The effects of social media’s _______________on our body image have received a lot of
attention, but the reality is more complicated.

18. Organising your instagram feed may help you feel better in your _______________

19. As the study is still very much in _______________it is too early to conduct that social
media causes negative body image in its users.
20. A thorough study of research in 2016 found that _______________ can contribute to a
poor body image.

(________/5 MARKS)

QUESTIONS 21-25 
Complete the summary below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Research suggests that there are various ways to utilise social media and it all relies
on who we compare ourselves to. A postdoctoral researcher at Macquarie University in
Sydney, Jasmine Fardouly, says individuals compare their looks to others on Instagram or
other platforms and typically believe themselves to be worse off. Women 21. ____________
compare their appearance to their equals and personalities. Distant friends or
22.____________ were the comparator group most linked to body image issues. They may
also become cruel towards themselves after looking at images of a beauty doing a workout.
The researchers discovered that exposing women to #bodypositive Instagram images
increased their body satisfaction. Certain information may be beneficial for body image, but
body-positive pictures too may have a 23. ____________ as women would still focus on
bodies. This is evident when the same study discovered that the respondents who had seen
such photos were still 24. ____________themselves. These people might look at their
attractiveness as a 25. ____________ of the body-positive movement.

Attribute negatively downside offensive criticism objectifying acquaintances

s

  (________/5 MARKS)

SECTION 3 QUESTIONS 21-25

Making Inference

Read the passages and respond to the questions. Each question will ask you to make a
logical inference based on the textual details. Explain your answer by referencing the text.

26. All summer long, the Swallows sat in rows along the rafters of the barn, telling stories
of the wonders of the South. As the days grew cooler, their excitement grew, for they knew it
soon would be Winter. The farm animals liked to listen to the stories, and imagine the
wonderful places the birds described. And suddenly one day the Swallows were all gone.
 Why were the Swallows suddenly all gone?
A. The Swallows had grown tired of telling stories.
B. The Swallows had gone to build nests.
C. The Swallows had gone South for the Winter.
D. The Swallows had moved to other nests.

27. The beasts of the forest had long argued about who was the fastest—the Hare or the
Tortoise. So a race was arranged. “I welcome this contest,” the Tortoise said. The Hare was
harder to convince. “This is ridiculous nonsense,” he said. But finally he agreed.

Why did Hare agree to join the race?

A. The Hare did not want to be embarrassed if he lost the race.
B. The Hare knew that he could run much faster than the Tortoise.
C. The Hare was angry at the other animals of the forest.
D. The Tortoise was arrogant to complete with Hare.

28. Daniel dug frantically through his backpack. It has to be here, he thought. How many
times had his mother told him not to take his iPod to school? He searched his locker again
without much hope. He knew he was in trouble.
Why was he in trouble?
a. He was looking for his missing homework.
b. He was looking for his iPod.
c. He often got in trouble.
d. Someone had stolen his iPod.

29. Michael heard footsteps. Someone was following him. The hair on the back of his
neck stood on end. He began to quicken his pace, hoping that whoever was behind him
would not notice, but at last, he gave in to a run.
Why did Michael run?
a. He was late.
b. He was lost.
c. He was very fast.
d. He was running to get help.

30. Sam slammed down the phone. Why did Haris always have to have things his way?
Why did not he ever listen?
Why did Sam slam down the phone aggressively?
a. They had an argument.
b. Sam regretted speaking so rudely.
c. Haris was always right.
d. Haris asked if Sam wanted to come over.