Promos 2010 P1SA answers

8/7/2019 Promos 2010 P1SA answers

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ACJC ELL 2010: PromosPaper 1 Section A Answers

CONTEXT

A B

Written article from the BBC website

Writer & his aims:

Tim Harford, an acclaimed economist/journalist; toprovide information about some applications of game theory.

Audience:

General, especially since Harford is applying game theoryto something as universal as love i.e. not specialisteconomics (not in an economics journal but the BBCwebsite, which has a v wide audience).

Spoken conversation between Tim Harford andAndy.

Participants in the conversation (i.e. each othersaudience), and their aims:

Tim the economist, an expert in his field, is trying toteach Andy how to use game theory to get a date.

Andy is apparently going along with Tims adviceand instructions.

SPOKEN TEXT FEATURES OF B

Linguistic features exclusive to spoken texts Contextual featureswhere derivable

(i) Interactive features

Turn-takingbetween T and A, resulting in adjacency pairs

Back-channelling okay (A3), sounds pretty good (A5), uh huh (A7), I see

(A28)

Overlap A ol T (4-5)

Interruption and completing others utterances A interrupts T etc (and then =

= I get it, 24-25)

Politeness strategies

claims of common opinions/attitudes sounds pretty good (A5) circuitous way of asking someone to do something why dont we

watchsee what you think (T18)

(ii) Non-fluency features

Pauses

Fillers um (T15, A16), er (T19)

Repetition

by the SAME speaker: youre gonna (.) youre gonna (T6), if (.) if (T10-11),you never (.) never can tell (A16), why dont we watch (.) why dont we watch(T18), she (.) she (T26), to see (.) to see (T26), you (.) you (T29)

False starts I have to say (.) well I kind of as I say (A16), you invite (.) you

tried to persuade (T29)

Unfinished utterances / hanging sentences I thought something might

happen but (A16-17)

Ellipsis see Formality

(iii) Non-verbal features

Stress then (T24)

Rising intonation (interrogative) um surprised / (T15), so / (2) what did you

see / did it work / (T20).

Falling intonation (end of declarative) (T12, 18, 26)

(iv) Other syntactic and semantic features

Hedging / vague language well I kind of as I say you never (A16)

Discourse markers well (T18), so (T20), I mean (A21)

A using back-channelling torespond politely to Teven though hes notactually being askedto do so.

A overlaps &interrupts T, probably

not because hesbeing rude butbecause hes eager torespond / show hespaying attention.

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INTERPERSONAL MEANING

CONTACT

Personal pronouns

The writer uses mostly 2p general pronouns (10, 12, 24,25, 26). The ones in 24-26 could be interpreted as 2ppluralpronouns and hence be interpreted by a readeras 2p singular pronouns, addressing him individually,via synthetic personalisation.

Necessarily lower contact because Harfordsreaders constitute a mass audience. However, hecould be seen as trying to ESTABLISH A LITTLECONTACT with the readers, perhaps because thearticle is about the application of game theory to

more personal issues. However, the level of contact is far lower than thatin B. Main concern is to explain, in the 3p, how gametheory can be used, the circumstances that call for it,etc.

Personal pronouns

Both T & A use the 1p singular pronoun to placethemselves, as individuals, in the text / refer tothemselves as individuals (T22, 30; A13, 16, 21, 25, 28).T uses the 2p singular pronoun to address A directly(T1, 4, etc etc).T uses the 1p plural pronoun, the inclusive we, toplace A in the same group as himself, i.e. theyre to watchthe video together (T18).

NB: Ignore the 1p & 2p pronouns in quotes (8-11, 23-24)

There is a high degree of contact between the twospeakers, simply because this is a face to faceconversation.BTW:A never addresses T directly, and contact is actuallyfairly low for a spoken interaction because T & A are notfriends or even acquaintances.

POWER

Mood & modality

High degree of authority expressed by the use of:

many bare declaratives to express opinions / make

assertions (1, 2, etc)

the imperative mood to instruct readers as to whatto think in a particular situation (do not let him tellyou 25-26)

(Expository interrogative, 1 doesnt count)

Certainty / assertiveness reduced by

A few modal auxiliaries of probability can (6, 9,

22 medium probability); could (15, low); might(21, low)

NOTE

If the writerisnt the subject of verbs of thinking &

perception, those verbs do NOT contribute to lowercertainty on his part (eg the writer is 100% certain thatVan Neumann believed something).

Can/could in 4 and 8 dont count because theyre usedin other peoples Experiences Van Neumann believedthat the theory could & Real enthusiasts think gametheory can

Mood & modality

Tim

T regulates As behaviourwith strong instructions /

directives via the following linguistic devices

The imperative mood (think of itguarantee 11-12)

Declaratives with semi-modal of medium to high

obligation be going to (youre gonna 6, 8) or inthe simple present tense (you say 8)

The interrogative mood used as a directive (why

dont we watch 18)

and by eliciting verbal behaviour using:

The interrogative mood (un surprised 15, what did

you see / did it work / 20)

T also expresses opinions / makes assertions

using

Mostly bare declaratives (1-2, 3, 22-23, etc)

with his certainty / assertiveness reduced only a verylittle by

Modal and semi-modal auxiliaries of high

probability: will (18), be going to (24, 26), would(30)

Andy

Uses only the declarative mood, mostly to respondbriefly to T. Certainty reduced quite a lot by

Modals of probability: will (high, 13), might (low,

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Harford cannot be 100% certain about whethergame theory is the best way of analysing certainsituations, or about what people really do and thinkabout love and marriage (hence the modals in 6, 9,etc).

However, his generally high level of authoritycomes from his superior knowledge of the subject ofgame theory.

17)

Verbs of thinking & perception: sounds (5), I

thought (16), I mean (21)

Hedging / vague language well I kind of as I say

you never (A16)

Turn taking

T & A have almost the same number of turns, but Ts

turns are obviously far longer than As.A interrupts & overlaps, but only through eagerness toconcur with T.Only T initiates topics (game theory 1, the signal 4, etc)Only T allocates turns (think of it as a money-backguarantee 11-12, interrogatives 15 & 20).

T has more power than A in every way, being theexpert to As layman, and the person giving advice asto what A should do to get a date.

GENERAL STUFF

COMPLEXITY

While B has quite a lot ofsubordinate clauses (e.g. two in 1-2), it has fewer than A.B has more instances ofconjunction (1, 4, 8, 9, 10, etc etc) than A (16, 17, 22).A has a few marked themes (14, 15, 22, 24) while B has none at all.

This is because A is a planned written text, whereas B has speakers that are speaking relativelyspontaneously and therefore less likely to utter highly complex sentences.

Tim is arguably not as spontaneous as Andy, because hes the expert and knows the subject well hencethe surprisingly large number of subordinate clauses in the parts spoken by him.

ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE

A has some instances of the passive voice to do with the development & use of game theory (was developed, 2;[be] used, 4, 5, 6, 8)

Former object game theory shifted to subject position by passivisation because its one of the main topicsof the text. Focus on what it can be used for, not on who uses it.

B is entirely in the active voice. Tim (who does most of the speaking) uses the active voice to focus mainly onvarious individuals (himself, Andy, the girl) and what they have done or should do.

GRAD / NON-GRAD As & ADVs; Ns & N COLLOCATIONS PRE-MOD Ns

Both texts have a combination ofgradable adjectives (& adverbs), non-gradable adjectives and nouns / nouncollocations pre-modifying Ns. However, B has fewer non-gradable adjectives and nouns / noun collocations pre-

mod Ns than gradable adjectives.

Gradable As & ADVs

versatile (6)

important (9, 23)

serious (11)

importantly (11)

long (15)

expensive (19)

strong (19)

valuable (24)

shaky (24)

Subjective descriptions / evaluations of how usefulgame theory is, and the various situations in which it

Gradable As & ADVs

best (4)

good (5, 14)

favourite (6)

confident (9)

surprised (15)

stilted, obviously (21)

quickly (30)

Subjective descriptions / evaluations of variousaspects of the situation, especially concerningAndys feelings, thoughts and actions.

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can be used.

Non-gradable As

three (1)

Second (3)

Cold [War] (4)

one (7)

other (8)

real (8)

another (15)

financial (20, 25)

modern (21)

separate (22)

second (23, 24)

Ns & N collocations pre-modifying Ns

game [theory] (1, 2, etc etc)

World [War] (3)

world champion poker [players] (5)

love [lives] (9-10)

engagement [ring(s)] (13, 18, 19, 21) escape [route] (24)

bachelor [flat] (25)

As aim is more technical than Bs focuses onsome very specific concepts and issues to do withthe application of game theory to human behaviour.

Non-gradable As

two (4, 23)

third (10)

money-back (11-12)

first (29)

Ns & N collocations pre-modifying Ns

game [theory] (1)

? West [End] (4, 23)

body [language] (21, 23)

B is specific only with regard to a few details of theinstructions Tim gives Andy, eg the third date (10).Otherwise, B is much less technical than A, becauseB focuses on the practical application of game theoryin a real-life situation, in which Andy must knowexactly what to do rather than the background,theory, etc of game theory.

IDEATIONAL MEANING(controversial but acceptable egs marked with ?)

DOMINATED BY MENTAL PROCESSES DOMINATED BY MENTAL PROCESSES

Mental processes and process verbs

Economists think they understand (1)Game theory was developed,,,byvon Neumann (3-4)Von Neumann believedtheory could be used (4)hasbeen used bypoker players (5)[game theory] can be used / using / can use (6, 8, 9,22)Real enthusiasts think (8)? persuade someone (10 could be verbal)work out (11)are / is serious (10-12)

they could be trusted (14)Modern lovers might think (21)size up their partners (22)wants to [hang on to hisflat] (25)Game theory tells you he is up to something (26)

Used to describe mental events involving twomain sets of Experiencers:

(i) the academics who came up with, and use,game theory

(ii) lovers, and what they think / feel about theirpartners / situations.

Mental processes and process verbs

sounds pretty good (5)I hope youd want to [go on a date] (8)I feel confidentyouve got to know me (9)you will like me (10)you dont like mesee the show with somebody else (11)think of it as a money-back guarantee (11-12)Ill think of it like that (13)surprised / (15)you never (.) never can tell (16)I thought [something might happen] (16-17)why dont we watchwell see what you think (18)

what did you see / (20)she was going to like you and get to know you (24)I get it (25)I see (28)? you tried to persuade her (29 could be verbal)

As in A, used to describe mental events involving twokinds of Experiencers:

(i) Tim and Andy planning and observing the use ofgame theory to get Andy a date (think of it as a money-back guarantee, why dont we watch etc)

(ii) people involved in romantic pursuits, and theirthoughts and emotions.

Relational processes and process verbs Relational processes and process verbs

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the idea of engagement ring as guarantee is a thing ofthe past (21)selling the second home is an important signal (23)that second home is an escape route (24)your relationship is shaky (24)it is merely a financial investment (25-26)

Used to attribute VALUES to certain aspects ofa romantic relationship hence describing whatTokens like the idea of ring as guarantee, a secondhome, etc signify.

insignificant / no particular pattern

Material processes and process verbs

giving engagement rings (13)kept it [i.e. the ring] (18)for the man to stick around (19)move in together (23)

Used to describe the physical events/actionsperformed by the main Agents, i.e. people involved

in romantic relationships.

Material processes and process verbs

give her the tickets (8)go on a couple of dates (9)go to the show with you (10)go to [see the show] (11)well go on a date (23)take you on the first date (29)

Used to describe the physical events/actions in thedating process, in which the main Agents are the man

(eg Andy) and woman interacting with each other.

Verbal processes and process verbs


Verbal processes and process verbs

you say these tickets (8)youll invite me (10)I asked you to (22)she was going to invite you (26)? offer a guaranteegave her (.) a bribe (27)you invite (29)? you tried to persuade her (29 could be mental)

Describes verbal behaviour in which the Sayers areeither T giving instructions/advice to A, or people(especially A) involved in the dating process.

TEXTUAL MEANING

1. Grammatical cohesion

Reference


Reference

2p singular pronouns you used by T to referexophorically to Andy from beginning to end (1, 2, 4, 6, 8,18, 20, etc etc).

NB: MANY 2PPS IN THE QUOTE IN 8-11 REFER TO THEFAVOURITE LADY, NOT TO ANDY.

2p singular pronouns you/yours (8-11) & 3p femininepronouns she/her (8, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29) used by T torefer endophorically to the girl that A favours.

The use of 2p and 3p singular pronouns to achievecohesion reflects the fact that the conversation is, inthe process of attempting to get them together, verymuch focused on A and the girl hes trying to date.

Ellipsis Ellipsis

okay (7, 19)

sounds pretty good (5)

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No (see Degrees of Formality)

yup (13)

good luck (14)

no datesurprised / (15)

I meana bit stilted obviously (21)

no (.) its not (.) nothing to do with the body

language (22)

Characteristic of unplanned spoken texts (seeDegrees of Formality)

ConjunctionSee Complexity.

ConjunctionSee Complexity.

2. Lexical cohesion

Direct repetition

game theory (2, 6, 8, 9, 22, 26)

Bolstered by Reference (it 5,6) & Specific-GeneralReference (the theory 4), which in themselves do notcontribute to cohesion.

For obvious reasons.Repetition around the 3rd paragraph:

engagement ring(s) / engagement / ring (s) (13,

18, 19, 21)

Emphasis in that particular section on thesignificance of the engagement ring as a signal /guarantee according to game theory.

Direct repetition

signal (1, 4, 22, 23X2, 30 )

date(s) (9, 10, 15, 24, 29)

show (4, 10, 11, 23, 26)

tickets (4, 8X2, 23)

Repetition of the expressions that refer to the keyitems used in the exercise and its ultimate aim i.e.to get A a date, with the tickets to the show as asignal.

Semantic fields

SF associated with romantic relationships

love (1, 9), date/dating (8, 10), love lives (9-10),serious about (11-12), engagement ring(s) /engagement / ring (s) (13, 18, 19, 21), fianc(14), marriage (15), partner(s) (22, 25), couple(22), commitment (23), relationship (24).

Text mainly concerned with the application ofgame theory to peoples love lives.

SF associated with the law in the 3rd paragraph

courts (16, 17), sue, breach of promise (16),

financial compensation (20)

That section is about how a signal like anengagement ring takes the place of legal procedures.

Both A & B contain SFs to do with romance, butAs is much more wide-ranging, being concerned with

the applications of game theory to a variety ofromantic situations.

Semantic fields

(Actually rather tenuous) SF associated with romance& specifically dating

trustworthiness (2), your favourite lady (6),

date(s) (9, 10, 15, 24, 29), like (10, 11, 24), invite(10, 26), playboy (30)

Both A & B contain SFs to do with romance, butBs is much narrower, being concerned with the one

particular individual Andy and his character /situation / date.

Synonyms & near-synonyms Synonyms & near-synonyms

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serious about (11-12) stick around (19) commitment(23)

Commitment being a key issue in romanticrelationships, and a problem that Harford claims thatgame theory can solve.

Insignificant

Specific-general reference

InsignificantSpecific-general reference

Insignificant

Antonyms

Insignificant

Antonyms

trustworthiness (2) vs playboy (30)

The entire exercise is largely aimed at getting A toturn over a new leaf and hence be able to get a femaleto trust him enough to date him.

Meronyms

InsignificantMeronyms

InsignificantHyponyms

InsignificantHyponyms

InsignificantOrdered series

NoneOrdered series

None3. Theme / rheme / thematic progression

Thematic progression patterns

Insignificant

Thematic progression patterns

Theme reiteration

You (referring to Andy) in sentence-initial position

(6, 8, 26, 29, 30)

Theme reiteration is the simplest pattern and morelikely to be used in unplanned spoken texts toemphasise some topic (here, Andy).

SEMANTICS

Relatively neutral / unemotive

Expressions with positive connotations versatile (6), signal confidence (19), serious

about (11-12), trusted (14), security (17), stickaround (19), commitment (23), valuable (24)

Expressions with negative connotations

trouble (14), broke off (14), without prospects

(15), breach of promise (16), broken off (18-19), shaky (24), up to something (26)

Positive & negative connotations are not linked tothe writers attitudes. Instead, they are mainly used to

describe the positive and negative aspects ofromantic relationships that game theory can beapplied to (with the obvious exception of versatile,which describes game theory). Hence the text isrelatively neutral in tone.

Relatively emotive

Expressions with positive connotations &denotations

trustworthiness (2), best [show] (4), [sounds

pretty] good (5), favourite [lady] (6), confident(9), like (10, etc), guarantee (12, etc), good luck(14)

Expressions with negative connotations &denotations

oh dear (15), stilted (21), bribe (27), moving too

quickly (29-30), playboy (30)

Like A, positive & negative connotations anddenotations are used to describe the positive andnegative aspects of romantic relationships(trustworthiness, favourite lady etc vs playboy).

But the negative connotations & denotations are

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also used by A & especially T to assess Asperformance. This reflects their negative views of theoutcome of the exercise.

No implied meaning

Insignificant text is about a fairly technical /academic subject, i.e. game theory, and hence has tobe as clear and straightforward as possible,especially as its aimed at a mass audience (not aspecialist one).

No implied / inferred meaning

Insignificant. T has to explain how to apply gametheory and the entire exercise very clearly andunambiguously to A if he is to get his point across.

Relatively formal

Very few non-standard or colloquial expressions stick around (19), shaky (23), up to something (25)

No ellipsis

A few long, complex &/or technical expressions ? economist(s) (1, 4), game theory (2, etc),

mathematician (3), deterrence (5), incentive (19), financialcompensation (20).

Relatively formal, because the topic is a fairlytechnical / academic one. But not as formal as agenuinely academic text, because aimed at a massaudience.

Informal

Some non-standard & colloquial expressions okay(3), soundsgood (5), gonna (6 etc), pick your favouritelady (6), yup (13), oh dear (15), playboy (30), etc.

Some ellipsis (see Grammatical Cohesion for egs).

Very few long, complex &/or technical expressions very ordinary words used except for game theory at the

start, and maybe trustworthiness & guarantee (12, 27,etc).

Although T is instructing A on how to apply gametheory, the fact that it is a real-life, practical situationbeing discussed in an unplanned spokenconversation means that it would definitely be lessformal than A.

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