‘in your own words’ and word choice questions – higher 2013

‘In Your Own Words’ and Word Choice Questions – Higher 2013

Passage 1Writing in The Times newspaper, Carol Midgley considers the attraction of shopping and the power of “consumerism”.

This is a story about modern consumerism; it is being written inside a mall. From my vantage point on a wooden bench purposely designed to be uncomfortable and placed alongside a digital screen pulsing ever-changing adverts selling other outlets, other products, other ways here to spend, spend, spend, I can watch shoals of people hurrying in and out of stores honouring the creed of the turbo-consumer: live to shop.

1. (a) In what ways does the mall seem to encourage consumerism? 2U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0 Any two of the following for 1 mark each: 1. retailers do not want consumers to sit down and take a break from shopping2. positioning of bench to maximise marketing opportunities3. use of technology to market products and to tempt consumers 4. the mall offers diverse/seemingly endless methods for consumers to buy goods


(b) Show how the writer’s use of language in these lines emphasises the intensity of consumerism in the mall. (word choice only) 2 A

1. “purposely designed” suggests drive and focus on the part of retailers 2. “pulsing” suggests screen is full of life, constantly moving; a heartbeat

which energises consumers 3. “ever-changing” suggests incessant activity on screen, vast number of

items on offer 4. “shoals” suggests the vast number of people who are in the mall/ suggests that the consumers move in a darting, uniform, unquestioning

manner similar to that of a shoal of fish


(b) Show how the writer’s use of language in these lines emphasises the intensity of consumerism in the mall. (word choice only) 2 A

5. “hurrying (in and out)” suggests pressurised, frenetic activity 6. “honouring” suggests that consumers view shopping as a duty to be

carried out with devotion 7. “creed” just as a creed is a set of religious beliefs or principles, so the

consumers in the mall place great faith in shopping 8. “turbo-consumer” suggests the activity of the shoppers is super-charged 9. “live to shop” suggests a fundamental importance, as if a motto of the

“creed”; climactic, summative statement

A young woman rushes by at a semi-trot. On her shoulder is an eco tote-bag bearing the slogan “All You Need is Love”. But she evidently doesn’t subscribe to this ideology; she is laden with branded carrier bags. What she really needs, it seems, are more shoes, skirts, scarves, belts. How often do you go clothes shopping, I ask when I catch her up. “Most lunch breaks and every weekend ideally,” she says. Why? She eyes me dubiously: “Because I love it.”

2. Explain what the writer means, in the context of the lines above, when she says the young woman "doesn't subscribe to this ideology". 1 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0 Successful answers should demonstrate an understanding of the ironic contrast between the anti-consumerist slogan “All You Need is Love” (on an eco tote-bag) and the materialistic desire for “more shoes, skirts, scarves, belts”. Possible answers: •The young woman is more interested in buying things than in looking after others/the environment. •The young woman’s purchases demonstrate that she feels she needs more than just love.

How did we get here? How did we get to a point where shopping became the premier leisure activity, where we gladly boarded the work-to-spend treadmill, the insatiable pursuit of “more”, which resulted in there being, for example, 121 mobile phones for every 100 people in the UK? Does it even matter? Shopping doesn’t kill anyone, it keeps the economy going and provides one in six jobs. If it makes people happy, why not leave them to it?

3. (a) Why, according to the writer in the first paragraph, might consumerism be considered harmless?

2 UThere must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0. Any two of the following for 1 mark each:

1. it is not detrimental to one’s health 2. it contributes to the national wealth 3. many people are employed in the retail industry 4. it creates contentment/pleasure

Well, that’s just it. Turbo-consumerism—the age of instant gratification and voracious appetite for “stuff”—cannot make us happy and it never will. Every time we are seduced into buying one product, another appears that is “new”, “improved”, better than the one you have. Turbo-consumerism is the heroin of human happiness, reliant on the fact that our needs are never satisfied. A consumer society can’t allow us to stop shopping and be content because then the whole system would die. Instead it has to sell us just enough to keep us going but never enough that our wants are satisfied. The brief high we feel is compensation for not having a richer, fuller life.

(b) Why, nevertheless, does she believe consumerism “cannot make us happy” (line 19)? 2 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0. Any two of the following for one mark each:

1. there will always be new products which we crave2. consumerism acts like an addictive drug3. consumerism can never fulfil our wishes

Well, that’s just it. Turbo-consumerism—the age of instant gratification and voracious appetite for “stuff”—cannot make us happy and it never will. Every time we are seduced into buying one product, another appears that is “new”, “improved”, better than the one you have. Turbo-consumerism is the heroin of human happiness, reliant on the fact that our needs are never satisfied. A consumer society can’t allow us to stop shopping and be content because then the whole system would die. Instead it has to sell us just enough to keep us going but never enough that our wants are satisfied. The brief high we feel is compensation for not having a richer, fuller life.

(b) Why, nevertheless, does she believe consumerism “cannot make us happy” (line 19)? 2 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0. Any two of the following for one mark each:

4. the happiness offered by consumerism is only temporary 5. consumerism distracts us from what is really important

For years, shops, retail centres, giant malls have been taking over public spaces worldwide, creating a mainstream monoculture. The pedestrianisation of city centres, though largely regarded as pro-citizen, is in fact primarily to maximise “footfall” and shoppers’ “grazing time”. This retail creep has ensured that increasingly there’s not much else to do but shop. The more we consume, the less space there is to be anything other than consumers. The space to be citizens and make decisions equally and collectively about the world around us is diminished. It may be a free country, but we simply have the freedom to shop. Kings as consumers, pawns as citizens.

4. Show how the writer’s use of language conveys her disapproval of the large amount of space that is now devoted to shopping.

(Answer for word choice only) 4 A

Marks will depend on the quality of comment. Insightful comment on one feature could score up to 3 marks; alternatively a candidate could make more basic comments for up to 1 mark each. For full marks there must be comment on at least two features. Reference alone: 0.




1. “giant” suggests that malls are an overwhelming or frightening presence2. “taking over” has connotations of conquest/invasion, suggests retail space is a

hostile force winning a war 3. “worldwide” suggests global domination 4. “mainstream” associates the vast amount of retail space with the humdrum,

mediocre, unadventurous




5. “monoculture” just as a monoculture is a crop of a single species, often grown in vast fields, so the enormous amount of shopping space lacks variety and restricts the growth of other activities which we could pursue

6. “footfall” suggests that so much retail space depersonalises us/ shoppers become mere statistics

7. “grazing time” suggests that exposure to more retail space has lessened our ability to think for ourselves: we become like animals, following the herd/latest trend




8. “(retail) creep” to creep is to move forward stealthily, possibly with the intention of causing harm, suggesting that the growth of shopping space has been insidious and may be harmful to society 9. “ … there’s not much else to do but shop.” creates a despairing/frustrated tone by

using basic vocabulary in a matter-of-fact statement




10. “citizens…make decisions…equally and collectively… world” rather elevated language suggests that increased shopping space removes our higher values, leaving us intellectually poorer and deprived of our basic rights

11. “diminished” suggests reductive properties of increasing retail space12. “simply” suggests we will be left with something basic, lacking value if we devote

more space to shopping

We can answer this question from the basis of evolutionary psychology. The human body is a practical tool for reproduction and survival, but it is also the advertising and packaging for our genes and our “fitness indicators”. When a modern woman buys a new dress or a man a Rolex watch, they are really self-marketing, saying: “Look at me, I’m attractive, successful, fertile, healthy—mate with me.” It isn’t that we are materialistic; in a marketing-dominated culture we just don’t know any other way to do it.

6. (a) According to the writer, how can “evolutionary psychology” explain our need for material goods? 2 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0. A developed answer: 2 marks; a less assured response: 1 mark

• we think our outward appearance, as represented by a display of material goods, has become the means by which we can

indicate our suitability as a mate

But here’s the thing: much of this is simply not true. In reality, consumerism is a poor means of self-advertising because the vast majority of people don’t notice or care what you are wearing. The fundamental consumerist delusion is that branded goods are the most effective way of signalling to others our “fitness”. But even in a turbo-consumer world it’s a fallacy that we care more about the artificial products displayed by people than their conversation, their wit, or their affection. Yet when mineral water advertised with a photo of a nearly nude Jennifer Aniston sells for 870 times the price of tap water, then marketing dominates life on Earth. Marketers understand that they are selling the sizzle not the steak.

6. (b) Why, according to the writer is “much of this simply not true” (“But here’s . . . their affection.”) ? 2 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0. Both of the following for 1 mark each:

1. most people are not aware of or concerned with what other people wear 2. it is people’s ability to express themselves, to display lively intelligence, to

express love which matters

But here’s the thing: much of this is simply not true. In reality, consumerism is a poor means of self-advertising because the vast majority of people don’t notice or care what you are wearing. The fundamental consumerist delusion is that branded goods are the most effective way of signalling to others our “fitness”. But even in a turbo-consumer world it’s a fallacy that we care more about the artificial products displayed by people than their conversation, their wit, or their affection. Yet when mineral water advertised with a photo of a nearly nude Jennifer Aniston sells for 870 times the price of tap water, then marketing dominates life on Earth. Marketers understand that they are selling the sizzle not the steak.

6. (c) What does the writer mean by “selling the sizzle not the steak” (“Yet when…not the steak.”)? 2 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0. Both of the following for 1 mark each:

1. it is the image, style, presentation, promise, anticipation … 2. … not the substance/the reality which matters

Passage 2Writing in The Guardian newspaper, Will Hutton considers the same topic from a different point of view.

My two daughters have been addicted to shopping for years. From big city luxurious shopping mall to idiosyncratic old clothes shop, they fall upon it greedily. Sometimes they strike gold; but, even if they come away empty-handed, the experience of just sizing up and calibrating what’s on offer seems reason enough to have invested an irrational number of hours.

8. The writer claims his daughters are “addicted to shopping”.Give two examples of their behaviour which justify this claim. 2 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0 Any two of the following for 1 mark each: 1. they have shopped for a long time 2. they aren’t selective, they shop everywhere and anywhere, in a variety of places, without discrimination 3. they shop with a sense of urgency and rapacity (“fall upon it”)

4. their appetite for shopping is voracious (“greedily”) 5. they are happy to do it even when they are unsuccessful,

it’s as much about the act as the acquisition

My two daughters have been addicted to shopping for years. From big city luxurious shopping mall to idiosyncratic old clothes shop, they fall upon it greedily. Sometimes they strike gold; but, even if they come away empty-handed, the experience of just sizing up and calibrating what’s on offer seems reason enough to have invested an irrational number of hours.

8. The writer claims his daughters are “addicted to shopping”.Give two examples of their behaviour which justify this claim. 2 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0 Any two of the following for 1 mark each:

6. they enjoy every last detail, the minutiae of the process (“sizing up and calibrating”)

7. the time they devote to shopping is senseless, illogical, inexplicable (“irrational”)

8. they spend a huge amount of time on it

They are fully paid-up members of the allegedly futile and empty materialist culture: rootless, obsessive shoppers for whom filling up their shopping bags is a substitute for politics, community participation, family or faith. Critics of this culture indulge in a collective mass tut-tutting: shopping and everything that goes with it are apparently symbolic of what is wrong with the modern age. Serious shoppers are “slaves to the market”, enemies of collective action, whose individualistic appetite is helping to homogenise our high streets while destroying our moral wellbeing.

Critics also deplore the outcome—industrialised shopping malls, mass advertising, the manipulation of desire by producers and retailers—as if the consumers at the other end of all this effort were just brainwashed dolts colluding unwittingly in the destruction of their spiritual life and the interpersonal relationships which are central to their happiness. Shopping on this scale and with this degree of commitment, critics believe, is a form of psychosis.

9. (a) Identify the key points made by critics of shopping. 4 UThere must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0. Any four of the following points for 1 mark each:

1. shopping is an unimportant, shallow activity




2. shopping distorts/cheapens personal values

`




3. shopping weakens social cohesion




4. shopping is addictive, mentally destabilising




5. shopping damages relationships




6. shopping unleashes malignant market forces




7. shopping harms the environment


9. b) Show how the writer’s use of language suggests that he does not agree with the critics of shopping. 2 A

Marks will depend on the quality of comment. A single insightful comment will be worth 2 marks; more basic comments will be worth up to 1 mark each. Reference alone: 0. Possible answers:



1. “allegedly” casts doubt on, calls the critics’ views into question 2. “indulge” suggests the critics take pleasure in being critical, wallow

in it, enjoy it to excess, make mountains out of molehills 3. “collective mass (tut-tutting)” suggests a co-ordinated group flexing

its muscle in an organised, rather oppressive way



4. “Tut-tutting” suggests the critics have a rather petty, patronising, puritanical, moralistic, superior, we-know-best attitude

5. “apparently” casts doubt on, calls the critics’ views into question


9. (c) Show how the writer’s use of language conveys the critics’ negative view of consumers. 2 A

Marks will depend on the quality of comment. A single insightful comment will be worth 2 marks; more basic comments will be worth up to 1 mark each. Reference alone: 0 Possible answers:



1. “brainwashed” suggests they are indoctrinated, that they hold beliefs that no rational person would have

2. “dolts” suggests they are stupid, idiotic, slow-witted 3. “colluding” suggests they have been acting together in a deceitful

way



4. “unwittingly” suggests they are not in control of their actions, that they are being led

5. “destruction” suggests what they are doing is extremely damaging, ruinous, catastrophic

6. “spiritual life” suggests they are damaging something which is central to their system of beliefs or to their very being



7. “central” suggests they are damaging something absolutely fundamental

8. “on this scale” suggests that shopping has become something massive, out of proportion, unjustifiable

9. “this degree” suggests an unjustifiable level of intensity



10. “commitment” suggests a tremendous fixity of purpose, that they have given over their lives to shopping

11. “psychosis” suggests shopping is akin to a mental illness/disorder, an obsessive, unbalanced state of mind

My experience of shopping in Hong Kong recently has made me realise that shopping is enormous fun and profoundly satisfying. I’d dashed in to buy cheap gifts for my family and had intended to spend no more than 30 minutes. Instead, I found myself drawn into the heady delights of shopping. Choosing between a cornucopia of famous watch brands, not one of which costs more than £4, is an experience I defy anybody not to enjoy. And on top of that, you can pick and mix every detail: case, colour, buckle, strap. I was shopping as my daughters shop—giving myself over to the minutiae of the experience.On three floors almost every shop you pass excites another taste or way you might express yourself. Binoculars and telescopes; pocket DVD players; walking sticks; silk wall hangings; leather belts; mirrors; porcelain figurines—it was endless. The bargain prices were an invitation to the recognition that individuals have an infinity of wants, some of which we don’t even know about or have forgotten; I fell upon the binoculars with all the delight of a child. Much of the pleasure is not even the buying; it is acquiring the knowledge of the immense range of goods that exist that might satiate your possible wants. Shopping, as my daughters tell me, is life-affirming.

10. (b) Show how the writer’s sentence structure and word choice convey the pleasure of his shopping experience in Hong Kong.

4 A(Answer on word choice only)

My experience of shopping in Hong Kong recently has made me realise that shopping is enormous fun and profoundly satisfying. I’d dashed in to buy cheap gifts for my family and had intended to spend no more than 30 minutes. Instead, I found myself drawn into the heady delights of shopping. Choosing between a cornucopia of famous watch brands, not one of which costs more than £4, is an experience I defy anybody not to enjoy. And on top of that, you can pick and mix every detail: case, colour, buckle, strap. I was shopping as my daughters shop—giving myself over to the minutiae of the experience.

10. (b) Show how the writer’s sentence structure and word choice convey the pleasure of his shopping experience in Hong Kong. 4 A(Answer on word choice only)

Marks will depend on the quality of comment. Insightful comment on one feature could score up to 3 marks; alternatively a candidate could make more basic comments for up to 1 mark each. For full marks, there must be comment on both sentence structure and word choice. Reference alone: 0.



Possible answers:1. “enormous” suggests pleasure on a grand scale 2. “fun” suggests enjoyment of an innocent, child-like kind 3. “profoundly” suggests the writer’s pleasure is deep and meaningful



Possible answers:4. “satisfying” suggests the pleasure meets all expectations 5. “drawn into” suggests magnetic attraction of shopping 6. “heady” suggests pleasure involved was intoxicating, exhilarating,

extremely exciting



Possible answers:7. “delights” * suggests very happy, joyful experiences (“delight/delights”

should be rewarded only once) 8. “cornucopia” suggests an abundance, almost an excess of choice

9. “giving myself over” suggests someone loosening the shack 10. “minutiae” suggests taking pleasure in the smallest detail

On three floors almost every shop you pass excites another taste or way you might express yourself. Binoculars and telescopes; pocket DVD players; walking sticks; silk wall hangings; leather belts; mirrors; porcelain figurines—it was endless. The bargain prices were an invitation to the recognition that individuals have an infinity of wants, some of which we don’t even know about or have forgotten; I fell upon the binoculars with all the delight of a child. Much of the pleasure is not even the buying; it is acquiring the knowledge of the immense range of goods that exist that might satiate your possible wants. Shopping, as my daughters tell me, is life-affirming.


Possible answers:11. “excites” suggests senses coming to life 12. “express yourself” suggests shopping allows one to be creative, to

find/reveal one’s inner self 13. “invitation” suggests something alluring, exciting, attractive



Possible answers:14. “infinity of wants” suggests the multiplicity of desires and Hong

Kong’s ability to fulfil these 15. “fell upon” suggests the joy of an unexpected discovery and/or the

writer’s urgency, surprise, greedy delight, voracious appetite



Possible answers:16. “delight” suggests great joy, extreme happiness 17. “immense” suggests the choice is absolutely enormous



Possible answers:18. “satiate” suggests the potential shopping has to satisfy people to

excess 19. “life-affirming” suggests it is positive in a profound, meaningful, influential, validatory way

I would even extend the argument to the shopping mall—the quintessential expression of the alleged degradation of shopping. Hong Kong proclaims itself the shopping capital of the world; its malls are marble-floored temples to consumption that make their British counterparts look tawdry. But instead of recoiling from the excess, I found it attractive. The effort made to present the goods well is an act of creativity in its own right. The collective impact throbs with vitality.

11. Show how the writer’s word choice conveys his admiration for shopping malls in Hong Kong. 2 U

Marks will depend on the quality of comment. A single insightful comment will be worth 2 marks; more basic comments will be worth up to 1 mark each. Reference alone: 0.



Possible answers: 1. “marble-floored” suggests opulence, wealth, beauty, quality, luxury2. “temples” suggests the malls are places of deep, almost spiritual

significance, places where shopping equates with worship and devotion

3. “attractive” suggests they are pleasing, charming, alluring



Possible answers: 4. “creativity” suggests they are inventive, original, expressive, dynamic

places 5. “impact” suggests they make a powerful, almost physical impression 6. “throbs” suggests their pounding, pulsating, invigorating nature7. “vitality” suggests their vigour, energy


11. Show how the writer’s word choice conveys his admiration for shopping malls in Hong Kong. 2 UA case could be made for “tawdry” (ie British malls are vulgar, tasteless, shoddy) but only if the answer makes quite clear that this highlights, by contrast, the appeal of the Hong Kong ones.

To condemn shopping as somehow degrading to those who take it seriously as a cultural expression of themselves is to obscure an important dimension of our lives. True happiness may be about the quality of our interpersonal relationships and wanting to belong to a just society; but it is also about the opportunity to express how we want to live through what we buy. The genius of shopping is that it offers ordinary people the chance both to generate and to satisfy their multiple wants—as well as propelling our economy. Instead of the denigration of shopping culture it is time to recognise that the millions who love it are not stupid, being manipulated or slaves to the market—they are doing something important.

12. Explain why the writer believes people are doing “something important” when they shop. 2 U

There must be some attempt to use own words. Blatant lifts: 0. Marks will depend on the quality of explanation. A clear explanation of any one of the following will be worth 2 marks; more basic explanations will be worth 1 mark each.



Possible answers: 1. shopping is a way of people showing who they are, showing their

individuality and personality



Possible answers: 2. shopping allows people to fulfil their hopes and dreams, to achieve

their lifestyle aspirations



Possible answers: 3. shopping allows people to identify their materialistic needs and then

to meet these needs



Possible answers: 4. shopping is a way of driving forward prosperity, generating a country’s

income, fuelling a country’s finances

‘in your own words’ and word choice questions – higher 2013

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