CONFIDENTIAL 1 LG/JULY 2022/ELC151/150 (SET 1)

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

COURSE : INTEGRATED LANGUAGE SKILLS II

INTEGRATED LANGUAGE SKILLS: READING
COURSE CODE : ELC151/ELC150
ASSESSMENT : READING TEST
TIME : 2 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

1. This question paper consists of three (3) parts: PART A: 2 Questions

PART B: 1 Question
PART C: 2 Questions

2. Answer ALL questions in the Question Paper.

3. Fill in the details below:

UiTM STUDENT CARD NO : _____________________________________

PROGRAMME/CODE : _____________________________________

PART : _____________________________________

ENGLISH LANGUAGE GROUP : _____________________________________

NAME OF LECTURER : _____________________________________

4 You are allowed to refer to a print English-English dictionary.

5 Please check to make sure that this test pack consists of:

i) the Question Paper.

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO

This test paper consists of 12 printed pages

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PART A: READING COMPREHENSION (15 MARKS)

Read the text below and answer all the questions.

How to be Happy in Life

I Over the years, countless studies have shown that childhood and old age are
when an individual is the happiest. During early adulthood, happiness levels
steadily decrease, bottoming out in the mid-40s. By age 50, they are on the rise
once again. The drop in the happiness levels during the 20s, 30s, and 40s is
understandable. Working long hours, establishing a career, getting married, 5
raising small children as well as saving money for the future help to explain the
phenomenon. After living for 45 or 50 years, the experience gained helps to enjoy
life with a better perspective. Researchers have studied traits that lead to
happiness and greater life satisfaction. There are several happiness pointers that
one could practice in order to lead a happy life. 10

II One of the keys of happiness is by having a positive perspective in life. Excessive

worry can negatively impact one’s mental health. For example, Kaye Newton who
is an author based in Nashville, was a self-described hypochondriac that is
someone who has an anxiety disorder. She constantly worries about having a
serious illness despite there is nothing medically wrong with her body. Only until 15
she contracted disease, she learned how to change her perspective. She realises
that worrying about her health does not protect her from ailments. She then
decided to worry less and consciously pay more attention to what is going on at
present. Hence, now she is calmer and happier with her life.

III Next, adjusting personal thoughts also contributes to being happy. A person can 20
start by recognising negative thoughts as they arise. Ligia Dominguez, a geriatric
specialist, proposed to stop having these thoughts such as “This situation is
really bad”, or “I cannot handle these things by myself”. They may weaken a
person’s ability to instil happiness in his life. Moreover, it would hinder someone
from progressing further and better in life. In other words, one may not be able to 25
control what happens to him, but that person can control how he reacts.

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IV In addition, optimism and resilience are also important to help someone to be

happier. These two traits enable a person to cope with difficult life events. Among
the examples to be optimistic are by keeping a journal, using positive self-talk,
and fostering healthy relationships with family and friends. By being optimistic, it 30
will allow someone to be more resilient and develop the ability to be flexible when
circumstances change. Therefore, one can achieve life satisfaction despite having
failures and losses. This is because one has adapted to one’s own expectations
and accepted that negative events can have positive outcomes.

V Another way to be happy is by being grateful. Many studies show that being 35
grateful is associated with greater happiness and making people have more
positive emotions. One can simply look for opportunities to savour the small
pleasures of daily life without concentrating on the past or bad thoughts that may
upset the moment. It is better to move on and learn from the past events so that
one could enjoy the coming days. Appreciating simple things such as drinking 40
coffee in the morning, enjoying the walk to the classes, or simply chatting with
friends may help in finding the beauty of life. Just by being thankful is one of the
means to make life worth living.

VI In conclusion, being happy pays – it benefits our relationships, health, and various
aspects of life. These happiness pointers focus on changing one’s perspectives 45
and attitudes to be more positive towards oneself and the others. Living life in
happiness will improve one’s quality of life mentally, physically, and emotionally.
After all, being happy is one of the purposes in life and everyone deserves it.

Retrieved and adapted from

https://www.magzter.com/stories/Entertainment/Readers-Digest-
International/Why-It-Pays-To-Be-Happy and
https://www.bustle.com/articles/163210-11-keys-to-happiness-according-to-
science

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QUESTION 1 (11 MARKS)

a) What do the following words and phrases refer to as they are used in the passage?
i) they (line 3) : ______________________________________________
ii) her (line 16) : ______________________________________________
iii) these thoughts (line 22) : ______________________________________________
iv) it (line 44) : ______________________________________________
(4 marks)

b) Based on the passage, list two (2) factors that lower the happiness level.
i) ___________________________________________________________________
ii) ___________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

c) What is suggested by Dominguez for a person to stay positive?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

d) What is the topic sentence of Paragraph IV?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

e) Read the statements below carefully. Write T if the statement is TRUE or F if it is FALSE.

i) Raising small children can be emotionally draining.

ii) Constantly worrying about something is a result of a negative perspective.

iii) Happiness in life means being satisfied without any failures.

iv) Past events are the sole indicators of the happiness level in the future.

(4 marks)

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QUESTION 2 (4 marks)

a) Explain the statement below.

“…one may not be able to control what happens to him, but that person can control how
he reacts” (lines 25-26).
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)

b) In your opinion, do you agree negative events can have positive outcomes? Give a
reason for your answer.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)

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PART B: INTERPRETING VISUAL (5 MARKS)

Study the following visual and answer the questions that follow.

Total Sales by Car Manufacturers in Malaysia for the Year 2021

Adapted from https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/automotive-going-full-throttle-

final-lap

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QUESTION 1 (5 MARKS)

a) What does the pie chart describe?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

b) Name two (2) non-local car manufacturers with the highest percentage of cars sold in
Malaysia in 2021?
i) ____________________________________________________________________
ii) ____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

c) Based on the pie chart, what is the difference between Nissan and BMW total sales?
______________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

d) State one (1) reason why Perodua and Proton are the most preferred car manufacturers
by Malaysians.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

e) Why do you think Toyota is the most preferred foreign car by Malaysians?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

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PART C: READING COMPREHENSION (20 MARKS)

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

The Rising Trend of ASMR Food Videos

I ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, a form of

broadcast eating where hosts prepare and consume large amounts of food on
a livestream. It involves extra-realistic sound quality with a mouth-watering
eating action to attract viewers. The portions eaten are enormous and tend to
be calorie dense as ASMR food dishes include huge servings of fried chicken, 5
oversized trays of ramen noodles, and family-sized orders of fast food. These
sensational ASMR food videos or also known as Mukbang, have been on the
rise in South Korea since 2014 and have become a global trend. This rising
trend may not only bring benefits, but also contribute negative consequences
to the viewers as well as the content creators of ASMR videos. 10

II With ASMR, food videos created by successful YouTubers or also known as

ASMRtists, are now being viewed billions of times across the globe. They earn
lucrative full-time incomes through advertisements, video views, and brand
deals. Zach Choi who is a South Korean American, is considered the king in
ASMR’s niche, gains millions of views by eating vast quantities of food on 15
camera and making sure that he does it noisily. The 10-minute video clip of
how he loudly munches and slurps several kilos of wagyu steak that was
posted on his YouTube channel has been his most popular upload.

III Bizarre ASMR eating footage, is said to trigger a physical sensation that some
viewers may feel weird yet deeply soothing. Dr Emma Gray, who is an ASMR 20
psychologist said, “The brain regions that are activated while watching ASMR
have been shown to be similar to those during social bonding experiences.”
For instance, watching ASMR corresponds to the feelings of people calmly
sitting together or when they are gently touching each other. As a result,
ASMR triggers the release of hormones, such as oxytocin, sometimes referred 25
to as the ‘love’ or ‘trust’ hormone. In simple words, these hormones are

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responsible for the calming and positive impact on people, helping them to
relax and sleep.

IV It seems that not everyone is a fan of the ASMR phenomenon. Although some
viewers have commented that these videos have helped them to overcome 30
binge-eating behaviours, others highlight more worrying outcomes. According
to mental health expert Carolina Mountford, there is definitely a growing
concern about the potential harm of ASMR eating in the longer period. “The
food consumed is always fried chicken or pizzas, and we know that over a
sustained period of time, such food choices can lead to heart disease and type 35
2 diabetes.” She further adds that, “ASMR eating can indirectly glamorise
portion sizes that are considerably bigger than the suggested healthy portion.”
For people with eating disorders, watching someone consuming these foods
might easily trigger them to overeat. Therefore, any positive aspects linked to
ASMR videos are far outweighed by the negatives of watching and creating 40
them.

V Appreciating and even celebrating food can be a wonderfully shared social

experience, but the obsessive and often drastic approach to eating in ASMR
food videos is a worrying act. For example, Becky who is an ASMR YouTuber
from Hong Kong said that she had to record her videos late at night to avoid 45
daytime noises like traffic and birdsong, which means she has to eat a huge
amount of food after 10 pm. This shows that these ASMR YouTubers are
willing to take extreme measures in order to record a high-quality video.
However, such practices are unhealthy and set examples of bad eating habits
especially to younger viewers. 50

VI To conclude, it is obvious that ASMR videos could potentially be an income

generator and give relaxation to some, but there are risks that should not be
ignored. At the very least, ASMRtists should include disclaimers about mental
and physical health impacts of excessive eating for vulnerable viewers. An
even better alternative would be for them to model more realistic and healthy 55
portion sizes. It is not wrong to watch or create these videos, but self-control
is needed to ensure that they do not jeopardise one’s health.

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Adapted from https://metro.co.uk/2020/09/11/youtube-asmr-binge-eating

mukbang-videos-triggering-13120714/

QUESTION 1 (10 MARKS)

a) Provide a word or a phrase that is synonymous with each of the following words as
used in the passage.
i) mouth-watering (line 3) : ______________________________________________
ii) niche (line 15) : ______________________________________________
iii) Bizarre (line 19) : ______________________________________________
iv) glamorise (line 36) : ______________________________________________
(4 marks)

b) State two (2) ways how ASMRtists can earn profitable full-time incomes from YouTube.
i) ___________________________________________________________________
ii) ___________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

c) What is the main idea for Paragraph III?

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)

d) List two (2) negative impacts of ASMR food videos on the eating habits of the video
creators and viewers.
i) ___________________________________________________________________
ii) ___________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)

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e) Explain the meaning of the statement below.

“Therefore, any positive aspects linked to ASMR videos are far outweighed by the
negatives of watching and creating them’ (lines 39-41).
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)

QUESTION 2 (10 MARKS)

a) Indicate whether each statement below is a Fact (F) or an Opinion (O).

i) Dr Emma Gray, who is an ASMR psychologist said, “The brain regions that
are activated have been shown to be similar to those during social bonding
experiences” (lines 20-22).

ii) As a result, ASMR triggers the release of hormones, such as oxytocin,

sometimes referred to as the ‘love’ or ‘trust’ hormone (lines 24-26).

iii) For people with eating disorders, watching someone consuming these
foods might easily trigger them to overeat (lines 38-39).

iv) ASMRtists should include disclaimers about mental and physical health
impacts of excessive eating for vulnerable viewers (lines 53-54).

(4 marks)

b) ‘Although’ in line 29 links two (2) ideas. What are they?

i) ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

ii) ___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)

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c) Which of the following best describes the tone of the article?

i) Judgemental
ii) Serious
iii) Humorous
iv) Pessimistic
(1 mark)

d) What is the main purpose of this article?

i) To instruct
ii) To entertain
iii) To persuade
iv) To educate
(1 mark)

e) In your opinion, suggest how viewers can control excessive viewing of ASMR food videos.
Explain your answer.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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