1. What are the purposes of the authors opening question?

[2]
From the passage
How many times have we been told that
studying the past helps us understand the
present?

Suggested answer
a) The rhetorical question introduces
the link between the past and the
present
b) And assumes the reader agrees
with the authors observation
(Inferred from the use of the inclusive
we and us)
c) On how often such a link is made
1-2p = 1m
3p = 2m

2. In lines, 2-4, what similarity does the author see between the effects of the invention of the
printing press and the development of the internet? Use your own words as far as
possible. [1]
From the passage
a look back at the turmoil created by the
invention of mechanical printing in Europe,
nearly six centuries ago, does indeed reveal
parallels with the equally seismic effects of
todays revolution in communications.

Suggested answer
a) The invention of the printing press
generated great
chaos/commotion/disorder/mayhe
m/ turbulence.
b) Similarly, the development of the
Internet today generates largescale/wide-ranging/enormous
consequences.

3. Explain what the author means by describing what has happened to English on the web as
the converse (line 30) of what happened to Latin. Use your own words as far as possible.
[1]
From the passage
new texts were often produced in
contemporary languages, which fatally
undermined the primacy of Latin as the
language of medieval intellectual discourse.
Today, the burgeoning use of English on
the web shows the converse of that decline.

Suggested answer
(a) The fate of the two languages were
markedly different
(b) as English is now increasingly
popular while Latin lost its
dominance as the language of
intellectual discussion.

4. In paragraph 5, what parallels does the author draw between the consequences for authors
of the printing revolution and contributors to todays internet? Use your own words as far as
possible. [3]
From the passage
the advent of the modern concept of
authorship, whereby a named individual
gained reward and celebrity through
publication, though this new-found benefit
was then itself threatened by the rise of
piracy It took three hundred years
before any kind of copyright system to

Suggested answer
Similar to authors of the printing revolution,
contributors to the Internet
(a) face a greater risk of people
copying/imitating/obtaining their work
illegally, [1]
(b) will have to wait for a long time before
the law could really/fully protect their

safeguard the financial interests of writers

and publishers, a system which today
struggles to keep pace with the everchanging ramifications of what is possible
on the net. Finally, let us not forget further
parallels with today: the content of some
printed texts was erroneous, deluded, trivial,
offensive malicious - and that some authors,
rather than enjoying wealth, suffered
persecution.

rights of authorship [1]

(c) and could be sued/punished rather than
become rich due to their work [1]

5. In what ways does the author consider the internet preferable to television in lines 52-54?
Use your own words as far as possible. [2]
From the passage
Active participation and collaboration with
others are crucial preferable, surely, to
being the lone, passive consumers we are
with television, which was once just as
vilified, by scaremongers as the internet is
now.

Suggested answer
(a) Using the internet allows us to
interact/engage and work
jointly/cooperate with others
(b) whereas watching television induces
isolation from society.
(c) and inactivity.
1-2p = 1m
3p = 2m

Q6. Explain the authors use of the word very in line 59. [1]
From the passage
suggesting that rather than liberate, the
internet enslaves, creating unhealthy
addictions; that the internets very speed
and accessibility lead to over-hasty
actions, without due reflection and
consideration of possible consequences.

Suggested answer
a) The internets speed is a doubleedged sword: it allows people to
search for answers/information
quickly and conveniently
b) but it is precisely this
characteristic/this specific
property/same quality that results
in rushed decisions.
Note:
-

(a) is required because it explains

this characteristic in (b).
The underlined parts are the context
required.

Also accepted:
The same quality of the internet that allows
people to search for information quickly
and conveniently also results in rushed
decisions.

7. In lines 61-66, what does the author suggest are the educational and personal
consequences for those who skim rather than delve? Use your own words as far as
possible. [2]
From the Passage
In addition, critics argue that it is creating a
generation who skim rather than delve,
who click from source to source without
real engagement with content and the
attendant consolidation of knowledge.
Equally superficial, some claim, are the
connections with others. Instead of faceto-face encounters and true friendships
built on ties of trust, responsibility and
give-and-take, so-called friends are now
amassed in on-line networks and just as
easily disposed of.

Answer
The educational consequences are that
(a) there will be no true/genuine/authentic
attempt at participation in/involvement
with/understanding of the subject matter
(b) and the process of
reinforcing/combining/bringing together the
learnt knowledge will not follow.
(a) + (b) = 1m
In terms of personal consequences,
(c) relationships will not be authentic/genuine
OR
(d) People will no longer meet in real life but
will gather on the internet/virtually
(e) and friendships will be quickly discarded/
discarded without much thought.
(c)/(d) + (e) = 1m

Q8. In paragraph 8, the author claims that technological advance is always made at the cost
of previous behaviors or dearly-held principles. How does the remainder of the paragraph
illustrate her assertion? Use your own words as far as possible. [2]
From the passage
Presumably, technological advance is always
made at the cost of previous behaviours or
dearly-held principles. Consider privacy, for
example: previous notions of guardedness
are disregarded by those members of
social networking sites or purchases of online services who readily volunteer
personal information which is then
indelibly stored and traceable.

Suggested answer
The author illustrates this with the example of
privacy where
a) past ideas of keeping private
details secret are now
ignored/discarded/replaced
b) by a new willingness to share
them with other Internet users
c) even though such information is

permanently recorded
and can be linked back
to the person/ found by
anyone who chooses to
do so.
1-2p = 1m
3p = 2m

9. In lines 78-81, how confident is the author about future use of the internet by the young?
Use your own words as far as possible. [2]
From the passage
The young and it is revealing that it is the
young who are seen as at risk rather than the
internets many older converts have always
sought spaces beyond adult supervision but
most, surely, will have the sense to control

Suggested answer
a) The author is fairly
optimistic/hopeful about the future
use of the internet by the young
b) as she thinks that the majority of
them would definitely have the right

rather than be controlled.

mind to self-regulate the way they

use the internet/ know how to
manage the internet instead of being
at the mercy of it.

10. How does the quotation from Zhou Enlai (line 83-84) support the authors argument earlier
in this paragraph? Use your own words as far as possible. [1]
From the passage
As for the final verdict on the internet we are
too close to its inception to have any
meaningful perspective. It is rather like
when Zhou Enlai was asked what he thought
were the effects of the French Revolution two
centuries earlier and he replied. It is too
soon to say.

Suggested answer
The quotation shows that we are faced with a
similar predicament since it is too early for
us to pass any conclusive judgement
about the internet.

11. Using material from paragraphs 2-4 only (lines 5-32), summarise what the author has to
say about the changes to book production brought about by the invention of the printing
press.
After the invention of the printing press
Passage
Para 2
1. copies were now uniformly
duplicated
2. in hitherto undreamed-of numbers
multiple copies of text (line 15)
3. Books became more portable
4. durable
5. affordable
6. reaching an ever-expanding
audience
Para 3
7. The sudden multiple copies (see pt.
2) led to dissemination of the existing
ones approved of by authorities
8. However, once readers had their own
access to these books
9. They could spot errors in individual
texts
10. And disagreements between texts
11. This created scepticism towards
12. And even rejection of previously
unquestioned schools of thought
13. As well as allowing for synthesis
14. and the formulation of new
theories
Para 4
15. the new medium offered scope to
include supporting illustration
16. New texts by living authors

Paraphrase
Texts were now exactly reproduced/replicated.
Books could be replicated exactly
In unprecedented quantities
Books became easier to carry around/transport
lasting
Cheaper
Available to a constantly increasing consumer
base/increasingly more readers/wider
readership
government/officially sanctioned books were
published and spread
Individuals could obtain these books
they could identify mistakes in books
and discrepancies between them
raising doubt
challenging formerly
indisputable/accepted/established notions
combining old and new ideas
and conceiving/creating novel ones in
subsequent books
Printing could incorporate/add supplementary
pictures/images
Original books by existing writers multiplied/were

proliferated
17. Bringing into circulation new ideas
18. Even heresies
19. produced in contemporary
languages
20. There was a means to keep
abreast of new religious and scientific
thinking
21. And then contribute in print to
such debates
22. So that future editions were
corrected
23. Thus creating a new culture of
feedback

produced profusely
Disseminating novel
And even unorthodox/dissenting/blasphemous
notions
published in modern/current languages
provided a way to stay updated/ on the/follow the
latest developments in religion and science
and participate in such discussions/share ideas
in writing
for latest versions to be accurate/ enabling more
accurate reprints
Hence giving birth to the practice of evaluative
response in book production

After the invention of the printing press, books were identically replicated in
unprecedented numbers and became easier to transport, lasting and cheaper,
thus constantly widening the readership. The surge in book production caused
the spread of government-sanctioned books. Individuals could obtain them
and identify mistakes in them and discrepancies between them, raising doubts
and challenging formerly indisputable notions. New and old ideas could be
combined and novel ones created in subsequent books. With printing, images
could accompany text. Original books by existing authors also multiplied,
disseminating novel and even unorthodox notions in modern languages.
People also found a way to follow developments in science and religion and
share their ideas in writing, ensuring greater accuracy in reprints and
developing the practice of evaluative response in book production.
120 words (23 points)