Communication Studies Answers

June 2005 

Writer’s main point is that the islands of the Caribbean have evolved the history of rum and are instrumental in the development of the rum making process.

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Writer’s purpose is to educate the readers about the origin of rum making in the Caribbean and to show what developments have been made to the process of making the rum

 1. 2. 3.

Strategies Use of expert advice Expository piece to give information Sequence of historical events

 Language Techniques 1. Personification Example: “the Caribbean exhales rum culture” It shows the Caribbean as a person breathing out the culture of rum. The breathing shows how important rum is to the Caribbean and also what a major role it has to play in the Caribbean’s traditions 2. Hyperbole Example: “following centuries of rumbullion exposure” It emphasizes or exaggerates just how long the development of rum has been ongoing. It evokes the feeling of appreciation in the reader. 3. Imagery Example: “two stone windmills… one still house” This provides vivid description so the reader can relate to the story.  Reliability of Information 1. The information is taken from the Caribbean Beat which is a magazine. Therefore the information is of a secondary source. The information recorded in this article is adapted from Dylan Kerrigan’s “Rum Tales.” The purpose of this article is to educate the public about the historical development of rum in the Caribbean: the birthplace of rum. The author’s conclusion of proving that the Caribbean “exhales rum culture” is proven by the use of expert advice and the use of a historical timeline. Therefore, the source is reliable.

June 2006 

Writer’s main point is that young adults in the workplace are illiterate and innumerate since they abandoned their learning opportunities in education.

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Writer’s purpose is to draw public attention to the illiteracy and innumeracy of primary and secondary school graduates in the workplace in hope, perhaps, of motivating corrective action

 Strategies 1. First person narration Used in order to relate the story to the audience. It is a report of a personal experience of a person. There are two encounters of the person in the passage: one with an illiterate young man and one with an illiterate young lady. 2. Use of contrast (appearance vs. illiteracy) 3. Indication that the problems affect both genders 4. Humor in the names given to the illiterate man and woman (Mr. Illiteracy & Miss Innumeracy)  Language Techniques 1. Sarcasm To emphasise his disgust 2. Rhetorical Questions To provoke thought and engage the reader 3. Repetition To emphasise the illusion of their appearance 4. General-reference statement You can spot them everyday, everywhere 5. Choice of names to emphasise the characteristics focused on 6. Emotive Language (the language of frustration and distress) 

Tone The tone is one of frustration and distress. Illiteracy is a major issue affecting most of school drop outs presently.

June 2007 

Writer’s main point is that there is nothing credible to prove that bad luck exists in a leap year

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Writer’s main purpose is to prove that there is no scientific reasoning behind the myth that there exists bad luck in a leap year in hope

 Strategies 1. Use of experts/statistics/references To provide reliable and valid facts to convince the reader 2. Use of Creole Dialect To provide humor/realism; it is more likely to hear these types of superstitions within a society; creates a setting 3. Use of first person narration To give a personal account of the reader’s experience; to provide a perspective in order for the reader to relate; direct emotional appeal; it engages the reader directly and therefore convinces the reader that bad luck does not exist 4. Change in tone Provides contrast; to keep the author’s purpose 5. Humor To get the reader’s attention into listening what he has to say in order for you to be convinced in what he has to say  Language Techniques 1. Rhetorical Questions To invoke thought in the reader to think about the question being posed; to engage the reader (specify in which the situation was based on); to encourage people to think about the situation in order to come to the conclusion of there’s no such thing as a bad leap year; the author is trying to disprove the comment her friend made; by her suggesting she is discrediting that leap years are bad luck since she has never hear it) 2. Alliteration Too many tall tales; to create a rhythm for creating enjoyment to engage the reader in order to convince the reader that there is no such thing as bad luck in a leap year; the writer uses this to become amusing to convince the readers that this situation is highly unlikely

June 2009 

Writer’s main idea is that the problems in society as well as personal problems are to blame for the high illiteracy rate of women leading to the stereotyping of females

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Writer’s purpose is to educate the entire population, both male and female, about the causes and effects and possible suggestions as to why the illiteracy rate of women is higher than that of men. His purpose is also to show how important education is in determining a woman’s future.

 Strategies 1. Use of examples: Indonesia and Ghana 2. Use of statistics (provided by the UNESCO) 

Language Techniques

 Reliability of Information 1. The passage is taken from “Women’s Supplement.” It encompasses of statistics from a reliable organization, UNESCO, as well as examples of how education plays a crucial role in countries around the world. The purpose of the sources used is used to highlight the writer’s purpose.

June 2010 

Writer’s main idea is that together with the fact that there is more commercials than news, there is an imbalance of the topics being discussed in the newscast

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Writer’s main purpose is to invoke a need for change in people to realize that within a program less than half of it contains news and that within the newscast itself, there is a major imbalance in the news being discussed by the anchors

 1. 2. 3. 4.

Strategies Use of statistics Use of examples Reference to a study Logical sequence of listing the most portrayed news first

 1. 2. 3.

Language Techniques Rhetorical Questions Alliteration Comparisons

June 2011 

Writer’s main idea is that a tsunami which can result from different natural disasters represents a vast volume of seawater in motion which is the source of its destructive power

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Writer’s purpose is to educate the public on the severe destructive powers of a tsunami and the process by which it occurs

 1. 2. 3.

Organisational Strategies Use of examples (Chile earthquake) Logical Sequence as to how a tsunami occurs Expositional piece in which it is informative

 Language Strategies 1. Simile (or metaphor?) Example: Thought it’s true that tsunamis are ocean waves, calling them by the same name as the ordinary wind-driven variety is a bit like referring to firecrackers and atomic warheads both as “explosives” 2. Metaphor Example: almost fast enough to keep pace with a jetliner 3. Use of punctuation Example: Impelled by the mass of water behind them, the waves bulldoze onto the shore and overwhelm the coast, snapping trees like twigs, toppling stone walls and lighthouses, and smashing houses and buildings into kindling. 4. Repetition of the “s” sound Example is shown above 5. Assonance Example: building into kindling (A kindling is a small twig used for starting a fire) 6. Repetition Example: tighter and tighter

June 2012 

Writer’s main point is that although hybrid cars come with the advantage of being fuel efficient, there are also other ways in which we can reduce emissions

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Writer’s main purpose is to educate the population about how hybrid cars work and from this, understand that one doesn’t necessarily have to purchase a hybrid car to reduce emissions in order to have a clean environment

June 2014 

Writer’s main idea is that time has passed and as a result, his perspective on school life has changed and he is reflecting

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Writer’s purpose is to highlight the change in his life from school days to current times. He shares his experiences with us in order to show how life has changed for him

 Strategies 1. Compare and contrast Example: “Faces that laughed young and innocent, now cry, worn and haggard”; “at one time” The writer’s use of compare and contrast when he talks about the past and present it to relate to us how much his view on school life as changed 2. First Person Narrative 3. The piece is descriptive; reflective; narrative. Its narrative while encompassing reflective thoughts. 4. Chronological Sequence  Language Techniques 1. Simile 2. Alliteration Example: friendly faces To show contrast how it has changed 3. Metaphors Example: galloped To reminisce of being a young boy. It is comparing him now; energetic vs. old 4. Imagery 5. Repetition 6. Emotive language 7. Allusion Example: had forked no lightning 8. Hyperbole

Example: ancient desks 

Tone: nostalgic and reflective