PRACTICE EXAM FL101-DE Technology and Society

L1 DE EXAM PRACTICE

All answers must be written in the appropriate spaces provided in

this test booklet.

For each section, please read the instructions carefully and be guided
accordingly.

READING COMPREHENSION 1

Reminder: At the end of this exam, you will be asked to write an argumentative essay about the
themes addressed in the articles, on the separate answer sheet. Keep this in mind as you read them.

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PRACTICE EXAM FL101-DE Technology and Society

Read the text below:

Parents urged to set boundaries around children's use of the Internet
By Sally Weale, www.theguardian.com, June 16, 2018

The British culture secretary, Matt Hancock, condemns unsupervised access to smartphones and urges
more heads to ban them in schools. He has said it is up to parents to set boundaries around their
children’s use of the internet and has condemned unlimited and unsupervised access to smartphones.

Matt Hancock, whose brief includes digital issues, agreed parenting in the digital era was difficult but
he said it was not impossible and he urged parents to set boundaries around new technology in the
same way they have always set boundaries for their children.

He warned: “Unlimited and unsupervised access to smartphones can be a portal to some very serious
risks. And the chief medical officer has highlighted growing concerns around the impact on children’s
mental health. This backs up every parent’s instinct; that children must be protected.”

Responding to his comments, a spokesperson NSPCC (a child protection charity) said: “Of course
parents need to help their children navigate the online world, and to agree rules and boundaries as a
family. “The problem is that at the moment parents can often struggle with those decisions as they are
faced with no consistent child safety standards across social networks.”

Hancock, who has three children, told the Guardian in a recent interview that he does not allow them
smart phones, saying: “They don’t have access to the devices. They don’t have phones. Why do they
need phones? They’re children, they’re 8, 9 and 14.”

Elaborating during his speech at Wednesday’s conference, he added: “I firmly believe that young
children don’t need to have access to social media or even the internet at all. After all, they are
children. He also quoted a recent study in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research which
showed that mobile phones could have an impact on working memory and measured intelligence, even
if the phone was on a table or in a bag.

The NSPCC said “We know that children are being exposed to unacceptable risks online from
bullying, grooming and harmful content. We want to help children and adults identify risks so they
can use the internet safely. For example, the government must legislate to force social networks to
improve child safety, and design safety in from the start, not as an optional extra.”

Source : www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jun/20/parents-urged-to-set-boundaries-around-
childrens-use-of-the-internet

READING COMPREHENSION 1 QUESTIONS

Seven of the words in the text have been put in bold and underlined. On the separate answer sheet,
circle the word/expression/definition that best fits each word’s meaning in the given context. (Each
question is worth 1 point, 7 points total)

1. heads
a. initiatives b. ideas c. leaders

2. to ban
a. to remove b. to prohibit c. to install

3. to set boundaries

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a. to monitor time spent b. to apply rules c. to establish limits

4. to back up
a. to support b. to acknowledge c. to refute

5. to struggle
a. to find rewarding b. to find fault with c. to find challenging

6. firmly
a. mainly b. hardly c. sincerely

7. harmful
a. illegal b. dangerous c. anonymous

READING COMPREHENSION 2
Read the text below:
Don’t limit your teen’s screen time
By Chris Bergman, www.nytimes.com, July 16, 2015

Some children grow up wanting to play baseball all day, but I wanted to play Castlevania and Super
Mario Brothers. Sadly, my parents believed I’d fry my brain for the love of videogames, so I was
limited to an hour of screen time before dinner.

But that only fueled covert binging. Every time I was at a friend’s house, we’d spend the whole time
glued to the Nintendo system. When I was at family reunions, my cousins and I would fight over who
got to play next, and when my parents went out of town, it was a no-sleep videogame free-for-all.

I look back on those years and wonder why my parents thought that videogames were hurtful to my
youth. They taught me how to tell stories, create worlds and even how to save and spend money.
Videogames were my first real exposure to programming, and they helped me realize my career in
technology.

Regardless, we are in a different era. Today, technology is so prevalent, it’s hard to keep it away from
children and teenagers. But I don’t think we should even try. If we restrict our kids’ access, while
we’re emailing from an Apple Watch, they won’t respect the rules when they have a chance to get
around them.

As an experiment, I stopped restricting my children’s screen time in my house, and immediately saw
results at a recent family reunion. My nephew lives in a strict, screen-regulated home. So, a trip to
Grandma’s — where there are no restrictions or parental controls — means unlimited SpongeBob.

While my kids were out playing with their cousins in the backyard, my nephew was locked on the TV
for the entire evening. This wasn’t an opportunity for my kids to binge on tech because they couldn’t
otherwise — they were more excited to spend time with cousins they never see.

Plus, many kids do learn social and technical skills through screen time, even more so now then when
I was growing up. For example, the vast majority of digital gaming today is a social event: Our kids
are growing relationships online that often blossom into lifelong friendships.

Technology is not going away or becoming less popular. We should let our teenagers build on
MineCraft, mess around in Photoshop, and make music in GarageBand. Eliminating screen time is a

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PRACTICE EXAM FL101-DE Technology and Society

thing of the past, and if we want to stay technically savvy through our 60s, our kids will be the ones to
teach us all the new tricks.

Source: www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/07/16/is-internet-addiction-a-health-threat-for-
teenagers/dont-limit-your-teens-screen-time

READING COMPREHENSION 2 QUESTIONS

On the separate answer sheet, circle whether the statements below are TRUE or FALSE. (each correct
answer is worth 1 point, 7 points total)

According to the article,…

1) …Mr Bergman was only allowed to play video games for one hour per week as a T F
child.
1 x
2) …Mr Bergman played video games at every opportunity as a child.
3) …Mr Bergman thinks that playing video games has had a positive impact on him.
2 x
4) …Mr Bergman nevertheless believes that children’s screen time should be
restricted. 3 x
5) …Mr Bergman says that virtual friendships rarely develop into meaningful offline
relationships. 4 x
6) …Mr Bergman believes that if children have access to screens they learn to self-
regulate. 5 x
7)…Mr Bergman thinks that life was better for children in the 1960s.
6 x

7 x

READING COMPREHENSION 3
Read the text below:
Blame society, not the screen time
By Danah Boyd, www.nytimes.com, July 11, 2016

Even though multiple generations have now grown up glued to the flickering light of the TV, we still
can’t let go of the belief that the next generation of technology is going to doom our kids. We blame
technology, rather than work, to understand why children engage with screens in the first place.

I’ve spent over a decade observing young people’s practices with technology and interviewing
families about the dynamics that unfold. When I began my research, I expected to find hordes of
teenagers who were escaping “real life” through the Internet. That was certainly my experience.

To my surprise that differed from what most youth want. Early on in my research, I met a girl in
Michigan who told me that she’d much rather get together with her friends in person, but she had so
many homework demands and her parents were often concerned about her physical safety. This is why
she loved the Internet: She could hang out with her friends there. I've heard this reasoning echoed by
youth around the country.

This is the Catch-22 that we’ve trapped today’s youth in. We’ve locked them indoors because we see
the physical world as more dangerous than ever before, even though by almost every measure, we live
in the safest society to date. We put unprecedented demands on our kids, maxing them out with
structured activities, homework and heavy expectations. And then we’re surprised when they’re
frazzled and strung out.

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PRACTICE EXAM FL101-DE Technology and Society

For many teenagers, technology is a relief valve. It’s not the inherently addictive substance that
fretting parents like to imagine. It simply provides an outlet.

Other experts argue that Screen time harm to children is unproven, including Andy Przybylski, an
associate professor and director of research at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford.
He argues that studies exploring links between screen time and health sometimes find weak, negative
links to aspects of wellbeing such as self-esteem and depression but that the majority were based on
surveys and only looked at one snapshot in time.

“The thing that is very very important to understand about this is that these correlations are extremely
small,” he said. “And 99% of a child’s wellbeing has nothing measurable to do with screens, no matter
how you measure them.”

https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/07/16/is-internet-addiction-a-health-threat-for-
teenagers/blame-society-not-the-screen-time

COMPREHENSION 3 QUESTIONS
Please answer the following questions in complete sentences on the separate answer sheet. You will be
graded on the content and the quality of your English e.g. spelling, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation.
Use your own words! Do not copy the text word for word!! (each question is worth a set number of
points, 6 points total)

1. Explain the catch-22 situation described in the article. (3 points)

Society = bad dangerous -> lock kids indoor
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2. What does Andy Przybylski suggest in the article? (3 points)

Blame society instead of technology, try to understand kids more
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Reading Comprehension Total /20

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PRACTICE EXAM FL101-DE Technology and Society

WRITING: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Write an argumentative essay (using your own words) on the separate answer sheet that answers the
following question:

IS INTERNET ADDICTION A HEALTH THREAT FOR TEENAGERS?

You should use the articles from this exam to support your arguments, but be sure to correctly quote or
paraphrase what you use. You will not be graded on the length, so please do not feel obliged to use all
the pages available. (20 points total)

You will be graded according the grading rubric below. Half points can be awarded.

Structure (6 points) Content (8 points) Language (6 points)

……. Introduces the theme of essay ……. Provides clear thesis ……. Grammar 2pts.
(hook) 1pt. (underlined) 1.5pts.
……. Syntax 1.5pts.
……. Provides a clear organization ……. Restates thesis in conclusion
(point-by-point or block pattern) 1.5 0.5 pt. ……. Vocabulary 1.5pts.
pts.
……. Begins each paragraph with ……. Punctuation 1pt.
……. Introduces quotes and uses topic sentence 1pt.
correct citation of sources 1.5 pts.
……. Provides evidence of at least
……. Uses correct overall structure one opposing argument 1pt.
(Introduction, body, conclusion)
2pt. ……. Refutes opposing arguments

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1pt.

……. Cites at least two sources

1pt.

……. Demonstrates overall

cohesion (transitions, relevancy,
arguments, analysis, etc.) 2 pts.
____/6 ____/8 ____/6
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PRACTICE EXAM FL101-DE Technology and Society

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PRACTICE EXAM FL101-DE Technology and Society

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PRACTICE EXAM FL101-DE Technology and Society

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Argumentative Essay Total /20

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