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SingaporeGeneral Paper

Arts, Culture and Identity

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Should the state fund the arts, and should it ever censor them?

Evaluate whether and how the state should fund the arts, and when, if ever, artistic expression should be censored
A focused answer to the General Paper theme of arts funding and censorship. Balanced arguments on public funding versus the market, and free expression versus offence and harm, with Singapore and global examples.
9 min answer →

Is globalisation erasing local cultures into a global sameness, or letting them mix, adapt and thrive?

Evaluate whether globalisation homogenises culture or enables hybridity and exchange, and what this means for local identity
A focused answer to the General Paper theme of globalisation and culture. Balanced arguments on cultural homogenisation versus hybridity, the survival of local identity, and the role of the state, with Singapore examples.
9 min answer →

When development and tradition collide, how should a society balance preserving its heritage against the demands of progress?

Evaluate how societies should balance preserving heritage and tradition against the demands of modernity and development
A focused answer to the General Paper theme of heritage and modernity. Balanced arguments on preserving tradition versus progress, the value of heritage, and balancing in fast-developing societies, with Singapore examples.
9 min answer →

Why do the arts matter in a practical, results-driven society, and how should we measure their value?

Evaluate the value of the arts to individuals and society, weighing intrinsic and cultural worth against demands for practical utility
A focused answer to the General Paper theme of the value of the arts. Balanced arguments on intrinsic versus instrumental value, the arts in a pragmatic society, and how to measure their worth, with Singapore examples.
9 min answer →