QUESTION 1 (50 marks)

Read the text below and answer all the questions that follow.

The Mind of an Olympian

Psychological Preparation is Key to Olympic Performance

1 Being at the Olympics is like being a child in a candy store. You must
figure out how to enjoy yourself and taste the candy, but not eat so much candy
that you get sick.

2 “This quote, from one of the most successful U.S. Olympians who has
attended multiple Games and won numerous medals (most Gold), illustrates the
challenge of Olympic coaches. They must get athletes in the best physical,
technical and emotional condition of their lives while not overtraining them and
manage a totally complex environment full of distractions,” said Daniel Gould,
Ph.D., CC-AASP, Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, US.

3 This was a consistent finding over three Olympiads in a series of

comprehensive research projects commissioned by the United States Olympic
Commission (USOC) and executed by Dr. Gould, who is a Fellow and Past
President of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).

4 The team of researchers conducted individual and focus group interviews

and surveys examining factors associated with Olympic success and failure
involving athletes and coaches. “We looked at a broad spectrum of physical,
psychological and environmental factors associated with performance success,”
said Dr. Gould, who is sharing the findings in clinics and psychological skills
training workshops with American athletes and coaches, as well as international
organizations.
5 When members of the public watch the Olympic Games they can see the
performance factors influencing an athlete’s outcome. However, many other
factors influencing performance take place behind the scenes. Research showed
how the influence of these issues such as a snoring roommate, attendance at the
Opening Ceremonies, transportation snafus, and family concerns can play a
major role in the final results.

6 One of the biggest performance detractors leading up to and at the

Games is dealing with all types of distractions. These can range from athletes
from less popular sports meeting some of the most visible athletes in the world in
the Olympic village dining hall to traffic problems that disrupt an athlete’s normal
training time. Another distraction is having an event scheduled towards the end
of the Games and living in a village where most athletes have finished competing
and are in celebration mode.

7 Research showed that better athletes and teams, while optimistic, went in
expecting some distractions. They made a commitment that they would not let
those distractions interfere with what they needed to do, which were to optimally
prepare for their performance, and be prepared for the bureaucracy and intense
media coverage.

8 More successful performers went into the Olympics with a positive attitude
and frame of mind, they also anticipated some unexpected events. When that
happened, they would employ some already learned coping strategies. Less
successful athletes often had gone into the Games expecting everything to be
perfect and when these issues arose they got distracted and lost some or all of
their performance focus.

9 “We heard repeatedly from coaches and athletes, that more successful
athletes and teams set pre-performance physical and mental preparation
routines. They did not feel that they had to mentally and physically prepare
differently than if they had entered the first round of the competition against
lesser opponents or were in the finals facing their archrival.

10 This point was illustrated by one athlete who said ‘more than anything,
athletes need to have already established a routine and they need to adhere to it
and take refuge in that routine because at the Games, everything changes.’
Participants emphasized that it was especially important to avoid last minute
changes – no easy task in an Olympic environment where a wide range of
changes occurs from one’s normal and competitive environment,” explained Dr.
Gould.

11 “Deciding whether to attend the Opening Ceremonies can be a very

difficult decision for Olympic athletes if they are going to perform within 24 to 48
hours of those ceremonies. Our research revealed that it could be a wonderful,
exhilarating experience and worked to motivate some athletes. Others, however,
found all the standing around zapped their energy and resulted in a lackluster
performance. It should be discussed with the athletes, taking care to examine the
potential positive versus negative consequences,” Dr. Gould added.

12 “A factor that we did not anticipate coming out of our research was the
importance of the influence family and friends can have on athlete and team
performance. For many athletes, having their parents and friends at the Games
is a tremendous source of enjoyment and a form of social support that helps
them perform,” said Dr. Gould.

13 However, for others, parents and friends can unknowingly serve as

distractions, constantly asking questions about performances, opponents or the
ramifications of wins and losses. As the issue was identified, a solution followed:
provide some education or guidance so families and friends can understand their
roles in helping their athlete perform his or her best at the Games.

14 For example, suggestions include setting up a system for getting family

and friends tickets, having a plan to deal with family and friends’ communication
during the Games and informing parents that there will be times that their athlete
will have opportunities to see them at the Games, but other times they will need
to limit contact with them for performance enhancement reasons.

15 According to Dr. Gould, some important findings of the research provided

lessons for coaches on how they want their athletes to feel and to be focused in
the time leading up to and during the Games. He also indicates that many of
these lessons can be applied to athletes competing at other levels, such as high
school teams competing in regional or state championships, or for individuals
performing in other highly evaluative and important situations.

Adapted from http://www.healthnewsdigest.com (May 1, 2012)

Section A (10 marks)

Find words or phrases from the text (indicated by the paragraph number) that
match the meanings below.

No. Meaning Word / Phrase

1. authorized (paragraph 3)
____________________

2. range (paragraph 4)
____________________

3. disturb (paragraph 6)
____________________

4. strong (paragraph 7)
____________________

5. apply (paragraph 8)
____________________

6. main opponent (paragraph 9)

____________________
7. follow (paragraph 10)
____________________

8. uninspiring (paragraph 11)

____________________

9. outcomes (paragraph 13)

____________________

10. rated (paragraph 15)

____________________

TOTAL 10
Section B (10 marks)
State what the following words refer to in the text.

1. These (paragraph 6) ________________________________

2. their (paragraph 8) ________________________________

3. it (paragraph 11) ________________________________

4. we (paragraph 12) ________________________________

5. them (paragraph 14) ________________________________

TOTAL 10

Section C (20 marks)

Circle the letter corresponding to the best answer e.g. A , if A is the answer.

1. The unseen factors that affect an athlete’s performance are

I. a snoring roommate.
II. transportation issues.
III. family problems at the Olympics.
IV. participation at the Opening Ceremonies.

A. I, II and III
B. I, II and IV
C. II, III and IV
D. All of the above

2. The following are some of the distractions athletes face EXCEPT

A. facing top-ranked athletes in their field.
B. delayed training time due to traffic congestion.
C. participating in an event at the end of the games.
D. joining other athletes in celebrating their success.

3. Which of the following is FALSE about attending Opening Ceremonies?

A. It is a motivating factor.
B. It drains a lot of energy.
C. It is compulsory to attend.
D. It causes poor performance.

4. Family and friends can positively influence an athlete’s performance as

they

A. are a source for concern.

B. are a form of encouragement.
C. can help to avoid distractions.
D. are constantly present at all the games.

5. According to Dr. Gould, athletes of all levels can apply the following in
their daily lives.
I. Limiting one’s enjoyment.
II. Developing and sticking to a routine.
III. Being prepared to deal with distractions.
IV. Dealing with family and friends’ influences.

A. I, II and III
B. I, III and IV
C. II, III and IV
D. All of the above

TOTAL 20

Section D (10 marks)

Answer the following questions.

1. What are the challenges faced by Olympic coaches in training Olympians?

(a) _____________________________________________________
(b) _____________________________________________________
(c) _____________________________________________________
(3 marks)

2. List five ways how optimistic Olympians handle distractions.

(a) _____________________________________________________
(b) _____________________________________________________
(c) _____________________________________________________
(d) _____________________________________________________
(e) _____________________________________________________
(5 marks)
3. Why do coaches and successful athletes encourage establishing a
routine?

(a) _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
(b) _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
(2 marks)

TOTAL 10

QUESTION 2 (20 marks)

Read the text below and fill in the table that follows.

Socialising for the Mind

Afraid of becoming disabled in old age, not being able to dress yourself or walk
up and down the stairs? According to a research conducted at Rush University
Medical Center in the US, social inactivity leads to cognitive impairments or
decline. The researchers were especially careful in their analysis of research
findings that there exists the possibility that cognitive decline causes social
isolation.

It’s only logical to think that when someone’s cognitive abilities break down, he or
she is less likely to go out and socialize with friends. “In the case of cognitive
decline, which can be defined as the failure of memory and thinking capabilities,
socializing becomes difficult,” said lead researcher Dr. Bryan James, a
postdoctoral fellow in the epidemiology of aging and dementia at the Rush
Alzheimer’s Disease Center.
The study showed that frequent social activities such as going out to eat,
travelling, shopping and playing computer games or bingo, may help to prevent
or delay cognitive decline in old age. 954 older adults with a mean age of 82
participated in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a longitudinal study, and
each underwent yearly evaluations that included a medical history, neurological
and neuropsychological tests.

Social activity was measured based on a questionnaire that assessed

participants’ engagement in activities that involve social interaction. Some of the
activities include going to restaurants, sporting events or playing chess; going on
day trips or overnight trips; doing volunteer works; visiting friends or relatives; or
attending religious services.

To assess disability, participants were asked whether they could perform certain
daily living activities without help, such as feeding, bathing, dressing, toileting
and walking across a small room. They were also asked if they could perform
tasks that require mobility and strength: walking up and down a flight of stairs,
walking half a mile and doing heavy housework.

Finally, they were asked about their ability to carry out instrumental activities of
daily living, such as using the telephone, preparing meals, managing medications
and doctor’s appointments and paying household bills. Difficulties with household
management and mobility are more common and represent less severe disability
than difficulty with self-care tasks.

At the start of the study, all participants were free from any sign of cognitive
impairments. However, over an average of five years, based on research
findings, those who were more socially active showed reduced rates of cognitive
decline. On average, those who had the highest levels of social activity of about
90th percentile, experienced only one quarter of the rate of cognitive decline
experienced by the least socially active individuals. Other variables that might
have accounted for the increase in cognitive decline such as age, gender,
physical exercise and health were all not taken into account in the analysis.

Strong evidence showed that social activity is an essential component of healthy

aging and is also related to better everyday functioning and less disability in old
age. Why social activity plays such a vital role in the development of cognitive
problems is not clear but one possibility is that social activity challenges older
adults to participate in complex interpersonal exchanges which in turn could
promote or maintain efficient neutral networks. The findings are exciting because
social activity is potentially a risk factor that can be modified to help older adults
avoid the burdens of disability. Thus, future research is needed to determine
whether interventions aimed at increasing late-life social activity can play a part
in delaying or preventing cognitive decline.

Adapted from http://www.sciencedaily.com (April 26, 2011)

 COGNITIVE DECLINE
Definition: …………......................................................................................................... (1 mark)

Caused by: Leads to:

……………………………………………... (1 mark) ……………………………………………... (1 mark)

…….……………………………………. (1 mark)

Frequent social activities

Study:

……............................................................................. (1 mark)

Annual evaluations:

1. ……..…………………………………………………. (1
mark)
2. ………..………………………………………………. (1
mark)
3. ……..…………………………………………………. (1
mark)

………………………………………………… (2 marks)

Disability
……………......…………………….. (1 mark) …………………...……………… (1 mark)

Finding:

……………...………………………………………....…….............................................................................. (2 marks)

Reason:

…………………………….………................................................................................................................

…………………………................................................................................................................................ (2 marks)
 ……………………….……………….…………………………. (1 mark)

1. Age
………………………………….………………………….. (1
QUESTION2.3 (30 marks)
mark)
In about 350 words, write an essay on ONE of the following topics.
3. ……………………………….…………………………….. (1
mark)
4. ……………………………….…………………………….. (1
1. Manymark)
people today are addicted to online games. In your opinion, how will
this affect their lives?

OR

2. Do you think having foreign students in class is a good idea? Give your
reasons.

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