Take Home Exam Critical Reading and Writing

 

1.  Passage 1

    When old cave is discovered in the south of France. It is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images. Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex. Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside. Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.

a.    What is the topic of the paragraph?

The discovery of the Lascaux cave complex with hundreds of paintings on the cave walls.

b.    What is the possible reason the Lascaux complex was closed in 1963?

To prevent further damage to the historic paintings of the Lascaux cave walls. Because the painting can be damaged by the movement of air, water, and changes in temperature. So, the cave must be closed to preserve the painting on the cave walls.

Passage 2

Student Volunteers Needed! 

On Saturday, November 25th, from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M., South Kensington Middle School will be holding a music festival in the school gymnasium. The special event will feature a variety of professional musicians and singers.

Interested students should speak with Ms. Kyla Wilcott, the music teacher. Students who would like to help at the festival must have written permission from a parent or guardian.

a.    What is the purpose of the text?

The purpose of the text is to provide information about student volunteers at the music festival.

b.    What must the students do as volunteers?

There are several tasks for student volunteers, namely, there are volunteers to make posters, volunteers to set up the gym, then as assistant performers, guests who come, and officers of gym cleanliness.

c.    What are the requirements to be student volunteers?

The requirements to become a student volunteer are as follows:

• First, for students who are interested, they must meet with the Music Teacher, Ms. Kyla Wilcott
• Second, must obtain written permission from parents or guardians.

2.  Write a summary of the passage in approximately 70 – 150 words. Your summary is expected to have a clear main idea, contain key details of its originality, have a logical structure, and use appropriate words and grammar.

     Read this passage carefully!

   Diabetes: A Growing World Danger

As a country develops, the inhabitants usually become wealthier and healthier. They have better health care, drink cleaner water, and eat better food. Both men and women can expect to live longer. For example, in Japan the average life expectancy at birth for men is 77.6 years and for women is 84.6 years. On the other hand, in a developing country like Botswana, it is just 37 for men and 36 forwomen. However, in developed countries, lifestyle and diet are changing. People have busier life. They are working longer hours, so they are more likely to suffer from stress. They do not have time to prepare proper meals. They eat processed or fast food instead, which contains a higher proportion of fat, salt and sugar. They do not walk so much, and some do not do any physical activity at all. As a result, the percentage of the population with heart disease or cancer is increasing.

A disease that has become more common in richer countries is diabetes. This is a disease in which the body cannot control the level of sugar in the blood. On the other words, diabetes is a disease that affects body’s ability to produce or use insulin. Insulin is a hormone. When the body turns the food into energy (also called sugar or glucose), insulin is released to help transport this energy to the cells. Insulin acts as a “key.” Its chemical message tells the cell to open and receive glucose. If the body produces little or no insulin, or is insulin resistant, too much sugar remains in the blood. Blood glucose levels are higher than normal for individuals with diabetes. The causes of diabetes are still unknown. They can probably be genetics, poor diet or a lack of exercise. The rate of people with diabetes can be seemingly high. We can see that Germany, which is a developed country, has 183.7 deaths per million people. On the other hand, in Peru, a developing country, the death rate is just 61.3 per million people. The rate in Germany is more than three time the rate in Peru. In the year 2003, according to the World Health Organization (the WHO), 194 million adults had diabetes – about 51% of the population. By 2030, the WHO say the figure will be about 366 million (6.3%). The Middle East, they say, will see the biggest increase. Here the total will grow up from 15.2 million people to 42.6 million by 2030.

It is possible to control diabetes with drugs, but there is no cure. There are things, however, that people, especially young people, can do to avoid it. If they are overweight, they should try to lose weight. They should always watch what they eat and try to avoid foods high in fats and sugars. People should exercise regularly by jogging, swimming or doing aerobics. In addition, they should walk or cycle more instead of travelling by car or bus. Sometimes a routine exam by an eye doctor or foot doctor will reveal diabetes. Diabetes affects the circulation to feet and the tiny blood vessels in the eyes. If eye doctor or foot doctor suspects someone has diabetes, he will recommend him see a regular physician for a blood sugar level test. For prevention, if people change to a healthier lifestyle, we may be able to stop the rise in diabetes in the future.

Answer:

Diabetes: A Growing World Danger. 

In wealthy nations, life and diets are changing. They are busier and eat speedy food. They hardly ever exercise, so the potential for heart disease or cancer. Diabetes is a common disease in rich countries. Where the frame cannot manage the extent of sugar inside the blood. This impacts the frame`s capacity to provide or use insulin and reasons diabetes. The specific cause of diabetes is not known. Could be genetic factors, terrible diet, or loss of exercise. In Germany, it has 183.7 deaths per million humans. In contrast to developing countries like Peru, the death rate is only 61.3 per million humans. We can keep away from diabetes due to the fact there's no cure. Maintain ideal body weight and healthy eating patterns. Then they should exercise regularly. If necessary, check-ups with the doctor. Finally, we must maintain a healthy lifestyle to reduce the increase in diabetes in the future.

3.  Read Passage 1 carefully

After years in the wilderness, the term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI) seems poised to make a
comeback. AI was big in 1980s but vanished in the 1990s. It re-entered public consciousness with
the release of AI, a movie about robot boy. This has ignited public debate about AI, but the term is
also being used once more within the computer industry. Researchers, executive and marketing
people are now using the expression without irony or inverted commas. And it is not always hype.
The term is being applied, with some justification, to products that depend on technology that was
originally developed by AI researchers. Admittedly, the rehabilitation of the term has a long way to
go, some firms still prefer to avoid using it. But the fact that others are starting to use it again
suggests that AI has moved on from being seen as over-ambitious and under-achieving field of
research.
The field was launched, and the term ‘artificial intelligence’ coined, at the conference in 1956
by a group of researchers including Marvin Minsky, John McCarthy, Herbert Simon and Alan
Nowell. The goal they shared was an attempt to capture or mimic human abilities using machines.
That said, different group of researchers attacked different problems, from speech recognition to
chess playing.
Read Passage 2 carefully
According to Dr. Leake, HNC Software company of San Diego, backed by a government
agency, reckon that their new approach to artificial intelligence is the most powerful and promising
approach ever discovered. HNC claim that their system, based on a cluster of 30 processors, could
be used to spot camouflaged vehicles on a battlefield or extract a voice signal from a noisy
background – tasks human can do well, but computers cannot. Factor that may boost the prospects
for AI in the near future is that investors are now looking for firms using clever technology, rather
than a clever business model, to differentiate themselves. In particular, the problem of information
overload, exacerbated by the growth of e-mail and the explosion of the number of web-pages,
means they are plenty of opportunities for new technologies to help filter and categorize information.
That may mean that more artificial intelligence companies will start to emerge to meet this
challenge.

    Direction:

Create an essay to illustrate the relationship between the ideas of those two texts in 150 – 200
words. You may not apply your own ideas or opinions.
Your essay is expected to have clear topic, main idea, logical details in a good organization,
coherence, and use appropriate words and grammar.

Answer:

The Return of AI (Artificial Intelligence)

The 'Artificial Intelligence' (AI) time period seems poised to reappear after coming into public focus with the release of Al, a film about robotic children. At the beginning of its application the technology developed with the help of researchers using AI. At a conference in 1956 with the help of a group of researchers including Marvin Minsky, John McCarthy, Herbert Simon, and Alan Newell where their goal was to try to imitate the human ability to use machines.

 

According to Dr. leaky. HNC Software San Diego considers its new approach to artificial intelligence is the most powerful and very promising. HNC claims that its system, primarily based entirely on a set of 30 processors, can be used to locate camouflaged cars on the battlefield or capture sound from noise conditions. Another factor that could increase the use of AI in the near future is that many investors are looking for companies that use smart technology.

 

In particular, the explosion in the number of web pages and users, means there are many opportunities for new technologies to help filter and categorize information - a classic AI problem. This means that many artificial intelligence companies will begin to face this challenge.

4.  The early research conducted by Piaget (1967, 1970) established the framework for his analysis of
thinking process. The framework consists of four broad period or stages of cognitive development.
1. Sensorimotor period (birth-1 year): pre-symbolic and preverbal intelligence involves the
development of action schemes.
2. Preoperational period (2-3 to 7-8 years): partially logical thought begins, for example water
poured into another container is the same water.
3. Concrete operational period (7-8 to 12-1 4): logical ways of thinking linked to concrete objects
are developed.
4. Formal operational period (older than 14): the capability of dealing logically with multifactor
situations begins.

From: Gredler, M. (2009). Learning and Instruction: Theory into Practice. Pearson Education, Inc.

    Direction:

    Do you agree or disagree with the framework of the thinking process and cognitive development proposed by Piaget?

State your thoughts and write your arguments in 200 – 300 words by giving specific reasons and details to support them. 

Your response is expected to have a clear main idea, logical details in a good organization, coherence, and use of appropriate words and grammar.

Answer:

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development focuses on aspects of cognitive development.  He revealed that the cognitive development of children has a very important role in the learning process. According to Piaget in Mu'min (2013), the cognitive development of children can be divided into four stages.  The first stage is sensorimotor (age 0-2 years) where the child's cognitive development is still centered on aspects of sensory and motion (motoric). The second stage, Preoperative (2-7 years) where children begin to show cognitive activity in dealing with things outside of themselves but are still limited.  In the third stage, Concrete Operations (7-11 years) at this time the child begins to use clear and logical rules, as well as concrete ones.  In the last stage, Formal Operations (11-15 years old) children already have a high level of thinking ability.

Piaget is a popular figure among academics, especially regarding cognitive development. His experimental results are still a reference today. This theory expands our understanding of how cognition develops since children have different stages of understanding at different ages. The same conveyed by Muhaimin (2012) that the older a person is, the more complex the arrangement of nerve cells and the more his ability increases.  So, Piaget shows that intelligence changes as the child grows. The importance of knowing every level of cognitive ability of the child becomes a priority guide in the learning process (Bujuri, 2018).  Based on Piaget's theory, teachers must consider children's cognitive development when compiling a learning material (Saomah, 2017).

Finally, we can conclude that Piaget's theory this gives many implications for the learning process. Therefore, teachers must consider the cognitive development of children when compiling a learning material, by carefully assessing the stages of child development.  So that it will have implications for the expected learning goals.

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