← General Paper syllabus

SingaporeGeneral Paper

Comprehension and the Application Question

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you work out and prove what a passage implies rather than states outright?

Make and support valid inferences from a passage, distinguishing what is implied from what is stated and using textual evidence
A focused answer to the General Paper comprehension skill of inference. How to read implied meaning, tone and attitude, ground inferences in textual evidence, and avoid over-reading, with worked technique on an original-style passage.
9 min answer →

How do you recast a writer's idea in your own words without lifting, distorting or padding it?

Paraphrase phrases and sentences accurately in your own words, preserving meaning while avoiding lifting from the passage
A focused answer to the General Paper comprehension skill of paraphrase. How to recast ideas in your own words, find the key content words to replace, preserve exact meaning, and avoid lifting and distortion, with worked technique.
9 min answer →

How do you compress a long span of text into the required points, in your own words and within the word limit?

Write a concise summary that selects the relevant points from a span of text, in your own words and within a word limit
A focused answer to the General Paper comprehension summary task. How to select relevant points, exclude examples and repetition, paraphrase into your own words, link points cohesively, and stay within the word limit, with worked technique.
9 min answer →

How do you apply a passage's ideas to your own society with a clear stand and concrete local detail?

Answer the Application Question by selecting points from the passage, taking a reasoned stand and grounding it in concrete features of your own society
A focused answer to the General Paper Application Question. How to select points from the passage, agree or disagree with reasons, and ground the discussion in concrete Singaporean context rather than summarising the passage, with worked technique.
10 min answer →

How do you give the meaning a word carries in this passage, rather than its dictionary definition?

Explain the meaning of words and phrases as used in context, capturing connotation and the sense the writer intends
A focused answer to the General Paper vocabulary-in-context question. How to use surrounding cues to fix a word's intended sense, capture connotation, give a contextual not dictionary meaning, and phrase the answer in your own words.
9 min answer →