2024 Oral Cheatsheet PDF

2024 ORAL CHEATSHEET Common topic 1: Stress among youths (mental illness); Pace of life/ Academic pressures Past year questions: “Young people spend so much time thinking about the future they forget to enjoy the present.” How far do you agree? (2022 Nov P1) Commonly used topical vocabulary: Hiki...

2024 ORAL CHEATSHEET Common topic 1: Stress among youths (mental illness); Pace of life/ Academic pressures Past year questions: “Young people spend so much time thinking about the future they forget to enjoy the present.” How far do you agree? (2022 Nov P1) Commonly used topical vocabulary: Hikikomori, social recluse, social withdrawal/isolation, adolescent/ childhood trauma, reintegration into society, social anxiety, *schizophrenia (multiple personality disorder), bipolar disorder, paranoia, neurosis, psychosis; cortisol levels; Examples (A): - River Valley High ax murder, Woodlands machete planned mosque attacks, Buangkok samurai; - CNA reports that 1 in 10 SG teenagers suffer from at least 1 or more mental illnesses, * 0.05 cases/year (10 over 20 years for 1.2m) vs 157 per 100,000 population/year (SG); - tennis player Naomi Osaka (JP) withdrew from competition citing mental health issues, first pro athlete to shine a spotlight on the topic, paving the way for others such as Simone Biles (US gymnast) * Advanced A+ concepts: “lost generation” large group of society abandoned/ left behind (usually due to a lack of socially acceptable traits or skills); 8050 syndrome “Soft parenting” accommodating their children’s every whim, thus spoiling them - “Strawberry Generation” “Nail that sticks out gets hammered in” Autism spectrum: Asperger’s Syndrome (Greta Thunberg) ** A++ concepts: industrialisation in the late 18th century => ennui (existential angst about man’s place in society), Frank Kafka’s Metamorphosis (about a man who turns into a cockroach) Exercise: Practise turning the examples you have into topic sentences that answer the question. Step 1: Use keywords from the question to show the relevance of your point (answering the question) E.g. “Young people spend so much time stressing about their futures that…” Step 2: Avoid using the example in your topic sentence. Instead, consider using phrasing that would be supported by similar examples. E.g. Instead of “… a teenager even murdered a student with an axe in a secondary school.” [Negative example] Write “...some have even suffered mental breakdowns that led to violence and/or death.” [Positive example] Common topic 2: Local places of interest (Environment); Nature offerings, public spaces, conservation Past year questions: Singapore is a city in a garden. Do you agree that it is important to have greenery in your environment? (2023 Nov P4) Do you think human activities are done at the expense of the environment? (2023 Nov P4) Commonly used topical vocabulary: ecosystem, biome, biodiversity; geode, fossils; global warming => climate change => climate crisis,; (net) zero emissions/waste, carbon neutral/ savings; endangered species; extinction; extreme weather anomalies; sustainability; 5 Rs – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle; greenhouse gasses/ effect; solar fluctuations; ecotourism; ozone depletion; biodiversity; carbon sinks/ offsets; Examples (A): environmental schemes – Paris Climate Agreement (COP21); Singapore’s 2030 Green Plan; - Singapore’s eco offerings: Mandai Eco City (Zoo, Night Safari, River Safari, Bird Paradise, Rainforest Wild, Eco Lodge, Mandai boardwalk), UNESCO World Heritage Botanic Gardens, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Chek Jawa Mangrove Conservatory, MacRitchie Treetop Trail, Southern Ridges Trail, Oasia Hotel Downtown’s green facade; - Extreme weather events: Dubai flood, Zhengzhou storm, North American heatwave, Siberian drought; - 28 trillion tonnes sea ice loss 1994-2017; 900+ species extinction, 16000 endangered; - Environmental activist groups/ organisations: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Greenpeace, Fridays for Future activist movement, Climate Action SG Alliance (CASA) - ecotourism worth $172 billion USD; - Finite Carbon scam – falsely issued 79% of carbon credits worth USD334m (over 25% of US total carbon credits) - - - * Advanced A+ concepts: details of Singapore’s 2030 Green Plan - plant 1m trees, x4 solar energy by 2025, increase park space by 50%, 20% of schools carbon neutral; 50% electric buses… ; cold snaps, heatwaves, tropical cyclones, droughts, torrential rains leading to wildfires, floods, famine, climate migration; El Nino/ La Nina effect; North Pacific gyre; ** A++ concepts: deliberately alarmist language of climate activists; Antarctica ice mass controversy; Milankovitch cycles => ice age/ interglacial; global warming benefits – 4.2 million square km new farmland in Canada, Northern Sea Route 40% shorter + avoid Suez Canal; renewable energy transition - Iceland 87% (1st, geothermal), Colombia 33% (10th, hydroelectric), Singapore 26% increased death risk; mindfulness practice ** A++ concepts: VO2 max training – improves heart efficiency from 13-15l/min (normal) to 30 (pro) or 40 (elite athletes) Exercise: Practise turning the examples you have into topic sentences that answer the question. Step 1: Use keywords from the question to show the relevance of your point (answering the question) E.g. “We do prioritise academics over sports as…” Step 2: Avoid using the example in your topic sentence. Instead, consider using phrasing that would be supported by similar examples. E.g. Instead of “… ActiveSG only gives each citizen $100 to use on sports whereas SkillsFuture gives $500 for learning courses.” [Negative example] Write “... reflected in the budgets of government schemes in these respective areas.” [Positive example] Common topic 7: Inequality/ Fairness (Gender/ Economic/ Racial) Past year questions: “People can only be happy if they feel that they are being treated fairly.” Do you agree? (2019 Nov P1) Commonly used topical vocabulary: “Justice is blind”; oligarchs; occupational inequality; gentrification; inherited prejudice/ bias/ stereotype; sex verification/ chromosomes; gender policing; testosterone; cisgender; LGBTQ+, doping, institutional bias, white supremacy/ superiority Examples (A): - Gini Index Coefficient 2023 (Singapore 0.433/0.371 ‘adjusted’, 38th/3rd from bottom = very high inequality); - Athletes who cheated: Lance Armstrong (cycling), Tonya Harding (figure skating), Marion Jones/ Ben Johnson (track), Spain Paralympics team (basketball) - Transgender athletes - Renee Richards (tennis), Laurel Hubbard (weightlifting), Quinn (soccer), Iron Ladies (volleyball), - UN proposing 2% wealth tax on billionaires; - Singapore 2 lowest income brackets (