Diagnostic Exercise 2

Featured skill: Identifying what a reference word refers to

Featured question type: Reference questions

Featured question formats: Short-response questions; Multiple-choice questions

Read the text and answer questions 1–12 on pages 3–4. (15 marks)

1 Dear Editor,

[1] I am writing in response to your recent article ‘Teen seeks counselling as parents
work 50 hours a week’. It recounted the story of Toby Wan, a 14-year-old from Tai Po
who had become increasingly depressed and isolated over the past year, spending hours
5 on end in his bedroom playing video games and browsing websites. His parents only
became aware of the severity of the problem when the school counsellor informed them
that he had been having regular meetings with Toby.

[2] Our initial reaction might be to think, ‘How on earth did the parents not notice
anything?’ In reality, however, his parents might have been too busy and stressed
10 themselves to see the warning signs. The materialistic culture of Hong Kong encourages
us always to strive to better ourselves. Parents are under immense pressure to earn more
and more money so that they can live in a bigger flat in a nicer neighbourhood, spoil
their children with designer clothes, electronic gadgets and phones, and afford to take
them on family holidays overseas.

15 [3] In many families, both parents work full-time and their busy working days often
stretch into the evening, meaning it is not uncommon for teenagers to be left
unsupervised for hours on end. An older sibling or a domestic helper may step in to take
over some aspects of the parental role, but in all honesty, this is not really their
responsibility, and they will never be able to truly replace a parent.

20 [4] The impact of this can be devastating for teenagers. Unsupervised teens can get
caught up in online activities and spend too much time on the Internet chatting,
gossiping, playing games and indulging in risk-taking behaviour. Even if parents have
set screen-time limits for their children, if they are not at home to enforce them, it is not
surprising that young people break the rules. Too much screen time can lead to difficulty
25 sleeping and concentrating, poor academic results and even Internet addiction.

[5] Furthermore, adolescence is a vulnerable stage in a person’s life. What young people
need the most at this time in their lives is guidance and unconditional love from parents.
To fill the void, they may look for a support network online, where at best they may find
unsuitable advice and at worst they may encounter shady characters who do not have
30 their best interests at heart.

[6] I believe employers have a role to play in tackling this issue. What we need is a
radical shift in Hong Kong’s working culture. Why not introduce legislation that caps the
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 number of working hours in a week at 44? Companies could also instruct their
employees not to check or reply to emails out of office hours. In addition, companies
35 could agree to flexible working arrangements for their staff, so that parents do not have
to miss a child’s music recital or football match. It is this kind of parent–child interaction
that makes a child feel supported and loved.

[7] Parents also need to consider their role in contributing to teen stress. Two parents
who work full-time may well be overachievers themselves. They expect their children to
40 follow in their footsteps and will not tolerate failure. They may enrol their child in extra
classes or pay for a private tutor, which means the pressure to succeed becomes even
more intense for the student. A vicious circle starts to build as parents feel a commitment
to earn enough money to pay for all of this. Stressed parents create a toxic atmosphere in
the home that teenagers will most likely pick up on. Some parents may even lash out—
45 verbally or physically—at teenagers who test their paper-thin patience. With both parent
and child feeling stressed, it is little wonder that emotional bonds can be sorely tested
during the teenage years.

[8] There have also been some interesting studies into how the type of praise parents give
can affect a child’s performance, even at a very young age. If a child is consistently told
50 ‘You are smart,’ this can lead to performance pressure: the child always feels that they
are being judged on an outcome, rather than on the effort applied. Amazingly, one study
found that three- and five-year-olds who were regularly told they were smart cheated
more than those who were told they had performed well. Such pressure to excel is
ingrained in Hong Kong society, and it seems that telling a child he or she is smart could
55 encourage them to cheat in order to meet parental expectations. So what should parents
do instead? Experts recommend giving praise for the effort (‘You worked really hard on
this painting.’) and making it specific (‘You did a good job on your maths homework.’).

[9] As a society, we need to re-examine the burden we place on our young people, and
make sure that they are happy, rather than successful.

60 Yours faithfully,

Chris Wong

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These diagnostic exercises may be adapted by teachers. OUP accepts no responsibility for changes made to original materials.
1 In line 10, what are the ‘warning signs’?
A Toby’s parents working too many hours
B Toby becoming depressed and isolated
C Toby’s lack of friends A B C D
D Toby’s obsession with video games    

2 Which definition of ‘spoil’ is closest to the meaning used in line 12?

A to change something good into something bad
B to make someone happy by doing something special
C to give someone everything that they ask for A B C D
D to become so bad that it can no longer be eaten    

3 ‘Stretch into the evening’ (line 16) means that parents working full-time …
A tend to spend most of their day sitting at a desk.
B only have time to exercise at night.
C often have to work long hours. A B C D
D come home early to spend more time with their kids.    

4 What is the writer referring to when he/she says ‘The impact of this can be devastating’
(line 20)?

5 Find a word or phrase in paragraph 4 which can be replaced by ‘absorbed’.

6 Find a word in paragraphs 4–5 which has a similar meaning to each word given below.
时 ⼀ (4 marks)
i) ‘harmful’
ii) ‘unsafe’
iii) ‘absolute’
iv) ‘suspicious’

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These diagnostic exercises may be adapted by teachers. OUP accepts no responsibility for changes made to original materials.
7 In line 28, what is ‘the void’ that teenagers seek to fill?
A too many rules
B a feeling of vulnerability
C people who do not have their best interests at heart A B C D
D a lack of love and guidance from parents    

8 Select the option that best completes the sentence to show the meaning of ‘tackling’ (line
31).
Companies should …… this problem.
A make an effort to deal with
B be more careful when handling
C seek help in order to address A B C D
D not get involved in the efforts to solve    

9 In line 31, what is ‘this issue’?

A shady characters targeting vulnerable teens
B teenagers not having enough support from parents
C employees working too many hours A B C D
D parents not being able to work flexibly    

10 What is ‘all of this’ (line 43)?

11 Suggest ONE word to replace ‘pick up on’ (line 44).

12 What does ‘it’ (line 57) refer to?

END OF DIAGNOSTIC EXERCISE 2

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These diagnostic exercises may be adapted by teachers. OUP accepts no responsibility for changes made to original materials.