ARMY CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION SYSTEM MALIR CANTT KARACHI

Name: ___________________ Class: ____________________ Section: ________________

Read both texts, and then answer Question 1 on the question paper.
Text A: Why I hate museums
Sophisticated travellers visit museums. Forget beautiful parks, and trendy cafés – what tourists
really want, you’re told by the tour guide, is to spend an ‘unforgettable hour’ inside the city’s thrill-
a-minute Pencil Museum. Apparently, it hosts drawing workshops for families and the biggest
pencil collection in the world ... can’t wait.
Before entering, ask yourself honestly whether this is really what you want to do. On a recent day 5
trip to a capital city, I was told that I shouldn’t leave without visiting a particular museum. When
my friend and I arrived there, queueing times were estimated at 45 minutes. I was torn, but she
simply asked: ‘What do you really feel like doing?’ We left the museum, bought street food from
a nearby stall and spent two hours relaxing by the river, enjoying idle conversation. It was
wonderful. 10

If you want to witness busloads of school parties shuffling in silence down hospital-like corridors
and bored security guards waiting to pounce on anyone who dares to laugh or eat a biscuit, then
museums are for you.

There are some decent museums. I enjoyed a trip to the Old Operating Theatre and Museum in
15
London but perhaps that’s because I find human organs in pickling jars and medical equipment
endlessly compelling. Ceramics, on the other hand, are just dull and old paintings all look the
same.

Museum visitors, and staff, are pretty clueless when it comes to, say, Oriental tapestry, yet
museums offer painfully little information about the items on display. How useful is a notice that 20
reads ‘clay pot, 1200–1300, Russia’?

In 2005, street artist Banksy managed to hang a piece of fake prehistoric rock art, depicting a cave
man with a shopping trolley, on the wall of a well-known museum. Days passed before anyone
noticed. It’s estimated that around 20 per cent of the paintings held by our major museums are
fakes.
25
Famous museums are too crowded: tourists make a beeline to the only painting they’ve heard of.
Worse still, there was even a #museumselfie day last year to add to the shallow and irrelevant
‘interactive’ displays. Not all museums are free to enter and most of the objects are kept out of
sight. In 2004, Australian museums held a total of 54.9 million objects and artworks, but only 5.3
million of these were on display for public viewing.
30
Finally, no museum visit is complete without being asked to exit through the gift shop, where you’ll
be lured into purchasing overpriced postcards and novelty mugs.
Text B: Museums are changing

As guests enter the lobby of the museum they are greeted by a two-metre tall blue plastic snail,
surrounded by a group of squealing, joyful children daring to touch it. It might not be what most
people expect from one of the oldest museums in the country.
The new identity is part of a rebranding trend. Museums are taking revolutionary steps – some
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cheered, some not – to attract wider, more diverse audiences and their money. 5

‘Museums need to offer new experiences which may be novel, inspirational and meaningful,’ said
museum director Michael Karatzas. ‘The business model at our museum was not sustainable.’

In 2019, the museum, which had previously not charged local residents or students for admission,
introduced new fees. The museum also cut staff, reducing the number of curators. The changes
worried many. University student, Taylor Parker, 19, says she finds browsing the exhibits calming 10
and knows the health benefits. She admits she won’t visit as frequently now she has to pay.

The museum’s collection of regional art is worth the long drive from town to get here. Perhaps its
most instantly recognisable object is the ‘LOVE’ sculpture. Since it was moved to the museum’s
great hall last year, ten weddings have taken place in front of its huge letters.
15
Visiting museums regularly as an adult has been linked to positive emotions, such as optimism,
hope and enjoyment along with increased self-esteem, a sense of identity and community. Many
museums are adapting their access plans to consider health and wellbeing benefits, targeting
specific groups such as those people who are vulnerable, socially isolated, lonely or unemployed.

‘The museum industry must modernise,’ explains Karatzas, ‘or galleries full of the world’s truly20
greatest creative art will be unseen.’
About that giant blue snail: it’s a precursor to an exhibition opening in June of brightly coloured
animals made of regenerated plastic. They will be scattered around the museum with information
about the environment and the impact of plastics. A virtual tour can be accessed via the museum’s
website.
Question 1: Imagine that your school is proposing a programme of visits to different museums for
all students in your year group. Your headteacher has asked for your opinion. Write a letter to
your Headteacher.
In your letter you should:
• evaluate the views about museums in both texts
• give your own views, based on what you have read, about whether or not a programme of visits
would be a good idea.

Base your letter on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words.
Address both of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer, and up to 15 marks for the quality of
your writing.
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Text A: The World’s Oldest Swim

The writer Matt and his brother, Calum, have travelled to Turkey to take part in an annual 4.5 km swimming
race in the Strait of the Dardanelles, popular with swimmers from all over the world and known as the ‘World’s
Oldest Swim’.

1 We knew before we arrived that the geography of the Strait of the Dardanelles means it has become one of
the busiest shipping lanes in the world. This narrow strip of water flows between four seas, offering access
from Asia and Europe. So it shouldn’t have surprised us, when we stood at the water’s edge, peering through
the thin screen of trees, to see huge,
slow tankers and freighters filled with cargo.

2 ‘Whoa!’ said Calum. I agreed. This was the open heart of Turkish industry; we felt a long way from the
peaceful lakes and clear rivers of the forests back home. Right then we knew that this was going to be a swim
unlike any we’d attempted before.

3 The shores of the strait are scattered with the dusty ruins of ancient castles. The legendary city of Troy was
long ago situated there, and Greek myths tell of Leander swimming across 10 the strait at night to meet his
lover. Romantic poet Lord Byron wanted to swim it to prove this was possible. On his second attempt, in
1810 he did. No wonder people call this the ‘World’s Oldest Swim’.

4 The race organisers hosted a welcome meal and information briefing for visiting swimmers in a local hotel
on the evening before the race. Our new friend Ed from Ireland had become 15 particularly animated at the
mention of jellyfish, narrowly avoiding choking on his chicken and rice. He interrogated us about the minor
details of our own race preparations; Calum had teased him wickedly with exaggerated accounts. Amid all
of the anticipation, though, was unwelcome news: weather forecasters predicted winds nearing gale force
and seas two metres high. ‘If you’re not used to conditions like these,’ warned the organisers, ‘do not swim
20 tomorrow.’

5 Everyone laughed nervously, rationalising our joint determination to go ahead with the swim by accusing
the organisers of being pessimistic. Surely their remarks were intended for the less capable swimmers among
us? They weren’t really talking to me.

6 On the morning of the swim, our mixed group of various nationalities assembled solemnly at 25 the roadside
and began our sea-bound march, passing amused early risers watching from their apartment balconies. We
moved towards the ferry ramp in a slow herd to board the ferry and travel across the strait to the starting area
on the opposite shore. It was quite a sight: hundreds of swimmers huddled on a passenger ferry, clad in
nothing more than swimming suits and swim caps. The tension was palpable. Conversations were muted.
There was no 30 sign of Ed.

7 The weather out on the water was even worse than the forecast, and the ferry ride to the starting area was
terrifying. The waves looked enormous, the gusting wind kicking them into a frenzied mess of white-water
and foam. I’d never been in conditions like these in a boat,
much less as a swimmer.

8 The day before, the water had rippled invitingly in the heat when we’d taken a boat ride across the
Dardanelles and been told about the two currents that flow through the strait in opposite directions. A strong
undercurrent sweeps along the shore. This would make it hard for us to exit. Our guide had explained that
only the best local swimmers swam a straight line to the finish. We’d have to aim left and fight the current,
making for a tall flagpole visible 40 on the hillside, until we could cut a direct sprint for the exit ramp at the
harbour.

9 As we disembarked the ferry and queued for the start line, we wished everyone luck, then jumped down onto
the sand when the horn sounded, bumping straight into a flustered Ed coming back the other way. Keen to
get in the water before he could change his mind, he’d weaved his way through the chaos to the front and
then forgot to step on the starter mat, so 45 was sent back. He rejoined the queue beside us apologetically.
 4

10 Unexpectedly, the weather suddenly calmed, and the morning sun lit up the water as we waded in with the
heat on our bare backs. We paused in the middle of the rush of bodies and pulled down our goggles. A fever
swept across the churned water, and I let out a cheer as swimmers dived into the shallows around us. Splashes
of water erupted in all directions 50 and then we slumped forward, went under and pulled ourselves through
the swirling green, quiet, veil of bubbles.

11 When I came up, there were swimmers on all sides of me. ‘We’re only here once,’ Ed called, disappearing
recklessly into the squirming mass of swimmers. I picked out Calum’s distinctive swim shorts and drew up
alongside him. And we set off together into the long, 55 bobbing channel of colourful fishing boats, kayaks
and dinghies floating on the water.

12 For the next half hour, slow waves rocked us as we rose and we sank, a contented pod of swimmers. The
seabed disappeared quickly, but the sun still stretched its arrows down deep underwater, catching umbrellas
of clear jellyfish rising from the murk, glowing hypnotically under faint shoals of shimmering fish. Calum
and I timed our strokes evenly as we cut a path 60 through the criss-crossing wakes of other swimmers.
Finally, I let my feet trail, basking in the warmth washing over me, until we floated onto the glassy water
shielded by the harbour wall around the exit ramp.
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Text B: Volunteering work for animals

In this online article, a conservation expert gives his opinion on animal sanctuaries – places that take care of
animals – and on volunteering to work in them.
‘Lots of young people want to give up their free time to help support conservation,’ claims an advert
online, citing 2 900 searches for ‘conservation volunteering’ last month. This must add up to tens of
thousands of hours of effort from volunteers every year, and impressive levels of fundraising and
donations to make it possible. With all this money and effort, conservation should
really go places. ‘Surely that’s a success story?’ some would argue. But that donated money could do a great 5
deal more.

In all honesty, every time someone comes up to me after a talk and says they want to help conservation,
so they are (obviously) heading off to (a) an elephant orphanage, (b) a primate sanctuary or (c) work with
big cats, my heart sinks. ‘There’s nothing more dispiriting than people who think that they are helping,’
agrees conservationist Rita Ni, who manages a sanctuary which runs a captive breeding and 10
reintroduction programme (the gold standard of working with animals), ‘but they really aren’t.’

That may sound unnecessarily harsh, but conservation is harsh. It’s unforgiving. For me personally,
saving individual animals should always come second to saving species, which in turn comes second to
protecting and managing habitats – infinitely less glamorous, but undoubtedly more worthwhile. Often,
some of the most successful conservation strategies actually involve exterminating invasive species. 15
Sounds horrible? It is, and so undesirable that, unsurprisingly, no conservation organisation has ever
presented that opportunity to potential volunteers.

On the other hand, a growing number of so-called ‘animal sanctuaries’ are realising that well-meaning,
eager volunteers can help keep them in business, through exploiting people’s passion for a cute animal.
Even among the well-established sanctuaries, there are few which do anything to solve the root cause of 20
the problem – the reason that injured and homeless animals end up there in the first place.

Keeping any animal in captivity is expensive – that explains where all of your donations go. But, hey, you
get to take that baby elephant down for a wash, or bottle-feed that orphaned orangutan and feel good
about yourself. I am of course a hypocrite – I would relish the chance to do those things. But I resist, not
least because I’m aware of the environmental impact of flying to a remote sanctuary. 25

‘Where reintroduction is a key aim,’ Rita Ni explains, ‘a hands-off approach from keepers and volunteers
is required, with less direct contact.’ This, unfortunately, it seems is the opposite of what ‘sells’
volunteering opportunities to young people. Of course, I wouldn’t want to cast doubt on some of the
fantastic projects that exist and to make it harder for organisations like Rita Ni’s to raise funds.
30
Any responsible sanctuary will be able to answer vital questions such as: What is your long-term plan?
Are your animals released into the wild wherever possible? And of course, what safety precautions do
you have? Koalas may look like cute and cuddly teddy bears, but they are wild animals.

So who’s at fault? I believe the responsibility lies with conservation organisations who should be
educating volunteers about what to look for, rather than promoting ‘cute and cuddly’ experiences. 35
Typically, organisations recruit volunteers to work for such a short time that the difference they can make
is likely to be insignificant anyway.

By the way, just for the sake of comparison, here are a few other things young people searched for: ‘fake tan’
= 14 800, ‘pet chimps’ = 1 000 and ‘gap year’ = 49 500.

40
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Section A
Read Text A, The World’s Oldest Swim, in the insert and answer Question 1 and Question 2.
Question 1
(a) In what way does the geography of the Strait of the Dardanelles make it ‘one of the busiest shipping lanes
in the world’? (line 2)

...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
(b) Explain what Calum is feeling when he says ‘Whoa!’ (line 6)

...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
(c) From paragraph 2, give two ways in which the waters of the strait are different from the waters Calum
and Matt are used to swimming in.

• ...........................................................................................................................................

• ...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(d) Identify two details that show why ‘people call this the “World’s Oldest Swim”.’ (line 13)

• ...........................................................................................................................................

• ...........................................................................................................................................
[2]

(e) Explain what Matt is thinking when he says, ‘They weren’t really talking to me.’ (line 24)

...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [2]
(f) In paragraph 6, how does Matt feel on the morning of the swim?

Give two details from the text to support your answer.

Matt’s feeling .............................................................................................................................

Details .......................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................
(i) In paragraph 8, Matt and Calum discover a problem that they will face during the swim.

What is the problem?

...........................................................................................................................................
 7

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) What does the guide suggest Matt and Calum should do to solve the problem?
...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(g) Explain using your own words Ed’s different feelings about the swim.

Give three details from anywhere in the text to support your answer.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [3]

Question 2
(a) Read this sentence from the text:

‘Unexpectedly, the weather suddenly calmed, and the morning sun lit up the water as we waded in with the
heat on our bare backs.’ (lines 47–48)
What does the writer want to suggest to the reader about the swim at this point?
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
(b) Explain why the writer uses the word ‘paused’ rather than ‘stopped’ in the phrase ‘We paused in the
middle of the rush of bodies’. (line 48)

...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
(c) What two impressions does the writer want to convey to the reader in this sentence?:

‘Splashes of water erupted in all directions and then we slumped forward, went under and pulled ourselves
through the swirling green, quiet, veil of bubbles.’ (lines 50–52)
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [2]
(d) Read this sentence from the text:

‘“We’re only here once,” Ed called, disappearing recklessly into the squirming mass of swimmers.’ (lines
53–54)
 8

What effect does the writer suggest about the swimmers by using the phrase ‘squirming mass’ to describe
them?
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
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Text A The following passage is part of a magazine article about telling the truth. F
ibs, exaggerations, embellishments – there are many words we use to disguise the fact we often tell lies to smooth
social conversation or deflect minor conflict. For example, if you are late to a meeting, or you’ve missed a
deadline, it is often tempting to manufacture a face-saving excuse which you, and sometimes the person to whom
you offer the excuse, know to be untrue.
You don’t want to talk to someone, so you ask a colleague to tell the person that you’re out of the office or in a
meeting. We all do it: ‘You look lovely’ (when they don’t) or ‘I’ll call you’ (when you have no intention of
calling). It is difficult to criticise such lies that seem so harmless. However, there is usually a way to manage these
cases without lying and still stay out of awkward situations.
If you are late, you can simply admit it and apologise. The people with whom you are meeting don’t need to know
what delayed you, and the ambiguity is better than deceit. Similarly, when you want to be unavailable, you can
simply say, ‘I can’t talk about this now, but would be glad to get back to you later.’ Leaving it vague is not the
same thing as telling a lie. In some situations, we ought to be truthful, though often aren’t. For example, when
someone asks for your evaluation of a presentation made at work or college, it’s easy to say, ‘It was great, I liked
it.’ But that may be missing an opportunity to give helpful, constructive feedback if the presentation wasn’t good.
You can praise the parts that were genuinely praiseworthy, but also point out what might be improved for the next
presentation. We may try to convince ourselves that some types of lies are acceptable because they are minor.
This includes making an elaborate excuse for why you haven’t completed a task or inventing some fictitious prior
appointment when you just don’t want to attend an event but don’t want to offend. We may be especially
susceptible to this kind of deceit if we can convince ourselves that it’s common practice, that nobody meets
deadlines or wants to waste their time at boring events. We may rationalise our behaviour as compensation for a
perceived injustice against us. ‘I deserve better because I work harder than others for the same salary.’ These are
deceits which have no other object than to gain something that we know we can only get by lying.
Text B The following passage is an article about children’s development.
Do we teach children to lie? How many of us tell our kids (or students) that everything is fine when, in fact,
everything is totally wrong, so as not to worry them? Are you always honest about how you feel about things? Do
you praise children’s efforts at school when you really think they’re terrible? We don’t just lie to protect our kids
from hard truths, either. We actually coach them to lie, such as when we ask them to express delight at
underwhelming gifts or how tasty a meal was.
These are what scientists call ‘prosocial lies’ – falsehoods told for someone else’s benefit. We develop the ability
to lie very early. By age five, almost all children can (and will) lie to avoid punishment and a minority will
sporadically tell prosocial lies. From ages 7 to 11, they begin to reliably lie to protect other people or to make
others feel better and they’ll start to consider these lies to be necessary and good. Current research suggests that
children are motivated by feelings of empathy and compassion.
Sometimes, lying can reveal the good in people. It’s a feeling of empathy that drives children to tell such lies. In
fact, they are trying to resolve a conflict between honesty and kindness, and they start coming down on the side
of kindness. This involves moral and emotional reasoning and, far from reflecting laziness, seems to entail a great
deal more sophistication than truth-telling. A lot of scientific research has gone into the impact of lying. The
conclusion of all this research? Not all lies are the same, a fact we seem to recognise deep in our minds and bodies.
We may indeed teach children to lie, both implicitly with our behaviour and explicitly with our words; but some
of those lies help to bind our families and friends together and to create feelings of trust.
Other kinds of lies destroy those bonds. This all might seem overly complex, more so than the simple prescription
to not tell a lie. The trouble with do-not-lie prohibitions is that we can all plainly see that lying is everywhere.
Question 1: A friend has asked for advice about whether or not to lie to avoid attending an event that they
might find boring or embarrassing. Write a letter to your friend, giving your advice. In your letter you
should:
• evaluate the ideas, attitudes and opinions in both texts
• give advice to your friend about how to respond, giving your reasons for the approach you suggest.
Base your letter on what you have read in both texts, but be careful to use your own words. Address both
of the bullet points. Write about 250 to 350 words.