VIDEO GAMING AND ITS EFFECTS

With the release of ultra-modern consoles each year, video gaming is now much more of a
staple form of entertainment than ever. Controls that respond in real-time and increasingly
realistic graphics have made gaming more appealing. It is estimated that at least 000 consoles
are sold worldwide annually and a recent study conducted also showed that kids, with an
average age of 13, spend about half a day of a full week gaming. With such a large purchase
base, it is important that we consider How video games affect us.

A number of experts believe that video games actually improve thinking skills. According to
them, video games usually place players in the shoes of characters who are usually in a
situation that needs quick thinking. Players are often presented with options to choose from
quickly in order to get out of a situation or solve a problem. The choice usually needs to be
made quickly. It is believed that constant exposure to such situations makes it easier to think
critically within a short space of time.

This theory was tested by researchers who had test subjects play two different video games
with varying complexities for a while. At the end of the study, it was found that those who
played the more complex game which needed a lot of strategizing we're able to complete
cognitive tasks quicker and with higher efficiency than the other group. In addition, several other
studies have found that video games Help improve logic AND pattern tracing. Many times
gamers are required to figure out their next course of action based on what has happened
previously in the game and this means they should be able to Analyse and deduce the best
course of action.

Video games have also been found to teach valuable lessons in resource management which is
a very important skill. Gamers may be provided with a set of tools or resources with which they
are expected to complete certain tasks and these are often limited in supply. In order to
complete these tasks successfully, the Gamer should be able to determine when or where a
particular tool will be best used while resisting the urge to use any of the tools impulsively.
Having to make these choices helps the gamer understand that assets must be used judiciously
thus discouraging practices such as hoarding and impulsive use.

As we have seen so far, gaming is not so bad in itself but as you well know even the best of
things can become unhealthy if used inappropriately. With gaming, most of the problems that
can develop are directly linked to addiction. One of such problems is repetitive strain injury
which is a common issue with computer use especially. Irrespective of the console type that you
use, there is definitely a control method that involves the use of your hands and continuous
gaming, sometimes hours, places stress on the limbs leading to aches and inflammation in most
cases.
Apart from the possibility of physically negative effects when gaming is excessive, it also poses
emotional threats. People who spend most of their time gaming usually find so much solitude
and that they no longer even have proper contact or communication with others. While this may
seem trivial, it can and does break units as close as families. Rather than spend time with those
around them, addictive gamers may prefer to be in the game world and have chats with other
gamers with little risk of stepping on others toes. Moreover, they may even feel that gaming
helps them escape real-life problems but there's a problem with that too; ignoring something
does not solve it. If anything, things may deteriorate.

Yes, most of the negatives lie with excessive gaming and not gaming itself, hence, we cannot
just assume games are harmful. In fact, the use of video gaming in many other avenues is
being explored today. In time, video games may be used to assist people with neurobiological
challenges to perform cognitive tasks with higher efficiency and might even become a very
useful tool in education. Games may be designed to encourage study and improve
concentration among children. Some ideas may seem far fetched but who knows, they might
well come alive and exceed expectations.

Question 1-8

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 1-8 in your answer sheet, write:

YES If the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO If the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN If it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

1. Video game can be used an effective tool in education system to encourage study and
improve concentration among children.
2. Playing video game has no positive impact as it is one of the harmful cognitive task.
3. Excessive gaming can assist the people to escape the real-life problems.
4. Video game can be used to teach valuable lessons in resource management.
5. Many parents worry about violent video games’ effects on kids.
6. Studies shows that, video games never help to improve logic and pattern tracing at all.
7. Thinking skill can be improved by playing video game because players need to think
critically within a short space of time while playing video game.
8. Two-thirds of U.S teens age 13 or older considered themselves gamers. .
 Question 8-14
Complete the summary below. USE NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS to complete each
blank space.

Benefits of Video Games

Playing video games (8)________ the brain’s physical structure, similar to the way the brain
changes when a person learns to play the piano or read a map. The brain is a (9)_______ and
can be built up with exercise. The combination of concentration and (10)__________ surges
when playing games helps to strengthen (11)________, giving the brain a real workout. Video
games can improve (12)_________, such as Problem solving and logic, (13)___________,
planning and speedy analysis and (14)__________,
CLIMATE CHANGE
A. It has been called “the dumbest experiment in history” by automobile and aerospace
engineer, Elon Musk. Since the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum about 55 million
years ago, man has never imagined the possibility of a similar global warming event.
During that period, the average temperature on Earth’s surface increased by 8°C, a
significant amount by physics standards. Scientists hypothesize that it was due to a
surge of inordinate amounts of greenhouse gases, methane in particular, which all
contributed to the soaring temperatures of that period.

B. That event did not happen overnight. The Earth’s surface gradually increased its
average temperature over hundreds of thousands of years. There were small
incremental temperature differences obtained after periods of several thousand years
which cumulatively, resulted in the temperature surge. What followed the world’s largest
global warming event was a cooling that stopped the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal
Maximum, the cause of which still remains a mystery.

C. In recent times, the discussion on climate change has gained more and more traction,
especially when carbon emission statistics showed just how much carbon humans are
digging up from the ground and dumping into the atmosphere. According to the National
History Museum, China is responsible for releasing 218 billion metric tons of carbon into
the atmosphere, second only to the United States, who sit comfortably at 278 billion
metric tons since 1965. In 2020, 32.5 billion metric tons of carbon was released into the
atmosphere, China being responsible for a third of that amount and 2021 is set to have
the largest emission in history.

D. With all these in mind, whether or not we are at risk is out of the question but rather what
we can do to mitigate the risk. The average temperature of the Earth has increased by
0.9°C since 1880 as per reliable sources and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime
soon. Scientists say that there is a 95% chance that the figure is going to increase to
2°C by 2100. It might seem like a paltry figure but keep in mind that this is an average.
What this means is that some areas would experience larger soaring temperatures as
compared to others while the temperatures of other places might even decrease.

E. There are a host of repercussions of which we must be wary, as a result of a 2°C

increase. There are a plethora of ways in which a 2°C increase in average temperature
could negatively impact the Earth. The best-case scenario would be slightly warmer
days. The worst-case scenario, however, would be the wiping out of certain people and
cultures from the face of the Earth. Heatwaves are increasingly common nowadays and
have proven to be deadlier. In Canada, 500 people have died as a result of heatwaves
as of July 2021. A hotter Earth has resulted in longer and likelier heat waves. Longer
 droughts and stronger storms are all impacts of the current rise in temperature since
1880. Things could only get worse at 2°C.

F. About 40% of the world’s population lives in coastal areas. With a significant fraction of
the world’s population living in coastal areas, climate change could be very deadly. A
2°C increase would mean a 30cm rise in sea level. This would spell doom on low-lying
civilizations. It has the potential to wipe out as many as 200 million people, and that is no
exaggeration. Allowing this to happen is ostensibly not an option. Can anything be done
about it? As already established, the 2°C increase is almost sure. However, a lot can
be done to prevent a further increase.

G. For almost a decade now, scientists have been advocating for the transition from
petroleum to renewable energy. Ever since the invention of electric cars, a future where
there is almost zero carbon emission seems like a possibility. Unfortunately, that
transition is not going as fast as necessary. This is partly due to the relative ease that is
associated with the use of petroleum as an energy source. A popular solution has been
the proposal of a carbon tax. Taxes should be imposed based on the amount of carbon
emitted, so that the larger the amount, the higher the tax. While this is enforced,
incentives should be given on innovations based on renewable energy sources such as
solar, wind, hydro and geothermal. The theory is simple: when incentives are placed on
activities, they are done more frequently.It is safe to say that the transition to renewable
energy is inevitable. There is only so much petroleum we can mine, and it will eventually
get used up. Moreover, the future of humanity depends on the speed of the transition.
Climate change is so pernicious, there are many people who believe it is nothing but a
conspiracy by the rich and they take it for granted. The truth is the more we linger on
petroleum, the more we put our lives in peril.

Question 15-22

Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs A-H, Which paragraphs contains the following
information?

NB You may use any letter more than once.

15. The dependency on petroleum and the importance of transition to renewable energy.
16. The reason of soaring temperature of earth revealed by scientist.
17. The possibility of zero carbon emission in the future.
18. Climate change can wipe out as many as 200 million people lives in coastal area.
19. Since 1880, the average temperature of the Earth has increased by 0.9°C .
20. Statistics of carbon emission into the atmosphere by top countries
21. As of July 2021, five hundred people have died as a result of heat waves in Canada.
22. We should be less dependent on petroleum because it can be hazardous for our
lives.
 Questions 23-28
The diagram below summarizes some of the main points on Climate Change provided
in the passage 2. Complete the diagram with information from the passage. You may
use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS to fill each blank space. Write your answers in
Boxes 23-28 on your answer sheet.

_(24)_____ is mainly responsible for

global warming
(25)_________ may be
introduced to reduce the
The surface of Earth’s carbon emission
temperature increases

______23________

The impact of the current rise

Climate Change of the temperatures are
(27)_______ and stronger
storms since 1980.

The most common

renewable energy sources
are solar, wind, hydro and climate change could be very
____(26)________ deadly for the people living in
the (28)________
COLONISATION

Colonisation is an age-old practice involving ancient empires and powers. However, modern
colonisation very well started during the Age of discovery in the 1500s when European
explorers from countries like Portugal and Spain decided to search for other lands. This led to
the discovery of the continents of Africa and the Americas. How did the Europeans react? They
decided to seize control of these regions and rule over them and thus began the modern era of
colonisation.

These conquests were driven by so many reasons, one of them being economic stability. At the
time, even the most powerful countries were economic downfalls for which they sought
remedies. Raw materials and precious commodities were becoming scarce in European
countries and until they could find more, they would have huge economic problems. The
discovery of Africa and the Americas held great promise. They had reserves of unexploited
gold and silver amongst many other precious minerals. Large rain forests also assured them of
a bountiful supply of timber and other raw materials which factories in their homelands were in
dire need of. The indigenous people of these newly found lands were forced into labour for the
extraction of these materials and that was a mile cheaper than labour anywhere in Europe.
Slowly, the slave trade began to morph into large commercial activity and the export of slaves
began. Farm owners were notably interested in this trade since having slaves meant a reduction
in costs of operations. In the Americas, many colonists were interested in the availability of land
and began to take some for themselves. They decided to move there to flee the harsh economic
conditions in Europe.

Politics also influenced the spread of colonialism. Countries wanted to establish dominance by
expanding their territories overseas. Britain, France and Spain were all seeking to stretch their
tentacles by gaining control over more lands. Some resources from these colonised lands were
directed toward fortifying military forces. The strengthening of economies also had some
political interest attached as possessing more wealth meant having more power.

As all these interests were being pursued, churches also saw this as a chance to spread
religion. Most believed that the only true way to end suffering within these undeveloped lands
was through religion. They would use religion to change the attitudes and morals of people
there so that they could be better. One of the tools they decided to use was education, hence
the establishment of missionaries all across Africa. The churches claimed to have the pure
intention of bringing salvation to the native people but be that as it may, they were subtle
instruments of colonization.
As with every new journey, the colonists had a host of challenges to deal with. One major
challenge was communication. The natives spoke totally different languages to the Europeans.
It was even more challenging because many languages were being spoken in the same lands
and that made it difficult to make progress in their dealings. Being visitors, the colonists were
not acquainted with the terrain which had a lot of thick forests housing wild animals. What’s
more, the visitors were plagued by tropical diseases such as malaria which killed a handful of
soldiers and even high ranking officials.

After a while though, tribes began to fall. Internal disputes and struggles between indigenous
tribes prevented them from making a united stand against their to-be oppressors. European
leaders fed off the situation by lulling some tribal leaders to their side to assist them push inland.
The military prowess of the European countries also meant more victories.

Colonialism has been associated with so many negative issues and some of them exist down to
this day. The abuse of human rights might well be the most appalling among the lot. The slave
trade had inhumane treatment like forced labour under extreme conditions, separation of
families and extortion. People were forcefully removed from their lands and had to live in
inhospitable places. The colonists were only interested in their interests and hardly paid any
heed to the needs of the indigenes. A lot of the activities of the Europeans also degraded the
environment in noticeable ways. Due to the fact that there was hardly any accountability,
activities were not carried out in the most rational fashion.felling of trees for timber was
indiscriminate and minerals were mined without restriction. Traditional ruling systems crumbled
under colonial rule and some argue that those systems were working just fine before
colonization.

However, other things that were introduced were beneficial since the natives needed some sort
of progress. Well-structured educational systems that were put in place are still functioning
today and have undoubtedly aided development. Western governance systems also
encouraged African leaders to cooperatively develop their countries while setting aside tribal
differences. However, the cruel marks that colonization left on its victims undoubtedly
overshadow the positive influences.

Questions 29 -35
Choose the appropriate letter (A-D) and write in the Box 29-35 on your answer sheet.

29. According to the author, what can aided development of the natives?
A. Financial support
B. Well-structured educational systems.
C. Political support
D. Legal support.
30. As with every new journey, the colonist dealt with numerous challenges. Among them, the
major was
A. religious
B. financial constraints
C. home-sickness
D. communication.

31. What’s the political reasons for spread of colonialism?

A. to gain control over more lands and resources to strengthen power.
B. friendship with neighboring country.
C. spread political doctrine
D. attack the rebel leaders to gain control.

32. According the author, what do you think the most appealing negative issue associated with
colonialism?
A. Discrimination
B. The abuse of human rights
C. Religious conversion
D. Torture to the local leaders

33. Illustrate examples how colonist degraded the environment?

A. cutting trees for timber and mined minerals.
B. killing of wild animals.
C. excessive fishing
D. water pollution of the river.

34. Why the slave trade became a larger commercial activity?

A. slaves were stronger than normal European people.
B. the abundance of slaves
C. slavery were popular among locals
D. slaves were cheaper.
Question 35-40

Complete the summary below. USE NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS to complete each
blank space.

Economic reasons of Colonisation

Colonies were (35)___________ of raw materials (such as raw cotton) and markets for
manufactured goods (such as textiles). The colonising country could (36)_________
competitors from trading with its colonies. This is known as a (37)__________. The exploitation
of mineral and other resources provided (38)________ for the colonising country. Gold, in
particular, was a highly sought-after (39)______. Individual investors saw opportunities to make
(40)_________ by helping to finance the establishment of colonies.