Task 2- Module 11

You should attempt to answer these questions without looking at the answers
first.

These questions are designed to test your understanding of the module. If you
get them all correct, you have understood everything in the module. If you get
any of them wrong, you have not understood the module and should watch it
again.

Answers are on the last page.

1. All advantages and disadvantages questions are the same?

a. True
b. False

2. How many different types of advantages and disadvantages question

are there?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3

3. What are the three different types of advantages and disadvantages

question?

4. Look at the answer below. What type of the three advantages or

disadvantages questions does it answer?

More and more transnational corporations are setting up branches and

factories in less developed nations. This essay will first suggest that reduced
labour costs is the primary benefit for these companies, while bad publicity
because of Human Rights abuses is the main drawback.

The main reason multinationals set up shop in poorer countries is because it is

much cheaper for them to get their goods manufactured there, due to
comparatively lower salaries. In an ever more competitive marketplace it is
 Task 2- Module 11
simply unsustainable for most companies to pay Western wages when they
can pay someone a fraction of the cost to do the same job. For example, the
only reason an iPad or iPhone can be sold for less than $499 is because a
worker in China can assemble the unit for approximately one tenth what an
American would expect to be paid.

Despite this economic benefit, Apple has recently come under scrutiny
because of appalling conditions in many of its Asian factories. Workers in their
Foxconn plant in China had to work under such grim circumstances, including
15 hour shifts, pressure to meet unrealistic quotas and low wages, that several
of them committed suicide by leaping off the factory roof. The New York
Times reported that this resulted in a 12% drop in the sale of Apple products,
especially after it was reported that Apple had installed nets to stop any
employees killing themselves in the future.

In conclusion, huge global companies may reap the rewards of low operating
costs in developing countries, but they should also keep in mind that they
have a responsibility towards their workers and any infringements of their
rights could negatively affect their image and stock price.

5. Look at the answer below. What type of the three advantages or

disadvantages questions does it answer?

In many nations, young people move out of their parent’s home and travel to
another country to study. This essay will argue that despite it being financially
tough, there are far more advantages including independence and self-
reliance.

The main hardships young people will face if they decide to enrol in an
exchange program are financial problems. They will no longer be living under
their parent’s roof and will therefore have to pay for their own
accommodation along with utilities and food. This can come as quite a shock
for many young people who have never had to pay a bill in their lives.
However, this can easily be remedied by simply getting a job. For example,
when I was at university I worked as a waiter in the evenings to pay for my
 Task 2- Module 11
living costs and nearly all of my friends had a part time job to enable them to
do the same thing.
This allows young men and women to experience what it is like to be
independent from their family and also not have to rely on them. In many
Western countries it is humiliating for someone over the age of 18 to have to
ask their parents for money and also to not be able to live their life the way
they want to because they have to live by their parent’s rules. Living by abroad
allows them to choose whatever lifestyle they want and not be under any
influence from their elders. For instance, in most developed countries
someone in their twenties who still lives with their mother and father is
ridiculed for being immature and lazy because they still rely on their parents
like a child.
In conclusion, studying in a new country might be financially challenging for
those who have just left their childhood home but the advantages of being
free and self-sufficient far outweigh that drawback.

6. Attempt the question below. DO NOT look at the answer before you
attempt an answer.

Many teenagers now have their own smart phone. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of this and give your own opinion.
 Task 2- Module 11

Answers:

1. B

2. C

3.

a. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

b. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your own

opinion.

c. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

4. Discuss the advantage and disadvantages.

5. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

The example answer below is just one of many different answers

that could get a very high score. Do not worry if your answers are
not exactly the same as it. It is only to give you an idea of how to
approach each question.

6. Many teenagers now have their own smart phone. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of this and give your own opinion.

An increasing number of teens now possess a mobile phone. The main

advantage of this is that it allows teenagers to stay in touch with their families
and the main drawback is they waste too much time using apps. This essay
will argue that overall this is a negative development.
 Task 2- Module 11
Smart mobiles devices enable parents to keep track of their children and this
keeps them safe. That is to say that young people can send their parents an
email or call to let them know where they are. Even if the child is devious and
tells their parents a lie, there are apps that can tell the adults exactly where
they are. For example, the app KidCheck uses GPS to tell guardians where
their loves ones are at all times, thus enabling them to find their young one
quickly in an emergency. However, having an iPhone or Android phone can
also lead to screen addiction.

The main issue is that teenagers spend too much time staring at a screen
instead of actually interacting with other people or studying. This is a problem
because most apps do not teach teenagers anything useful, but instead
encourage them to passively consume useless information. For instance, social
networking apps like SnapChat or Facebook, have mostly gossip on them and
are a complete waste of time compared to reading a book or having a real
conversation. This essay therefore believes that smart phones are dangerous
and teenagers should be discouraged from using them.

In conclusion, although mobiles allow parents to keep tabs on teenagers, this

does not overcome the fact that teens are wasting too many hours looking at
a display when they should be living their life.
Task 2- Module 11