PERFECTION

Direction(1-4): Read the given passage

carefully and answer the questions that
follow.
Imagine a world where schools have hostels that promote How it all begun
the idea of students living together-despite what their South Korea’s fertility
gender is. In most cases then, it would be ideal to think that decline began as part of
you'll be surrounded by many couples, perhaps similar to an intentional family
the storyline of a romantic comedy movie. planning policy. In the
South Korea, once a thriving example of rapid economic 1960s, the government,
growth and modernisation, is now grappling with an concerned about
unprecedented fertility crisis. population growth
The country's birth rate has plummeted to levels so low outstripping economic
that, if trends continue, South Korea's population could development, instituted
shrink to a third of its current size by the end of the century. measures to reduce birth
However, the story behind this alarming decline is far more rates.
complex, involving not just socio-economic pressures but
also deep-rooted gender tensions that have been
simmering for years.
At the time, South Korea’s per capita income was just destabilize the economy and
20% of the global average, and fertility stood at a create unprecedented
staggering 6 children per woman. By 1982, as the societal challenges.
economy boomed, the fertility rate had fallen to 2.4 —
still above the replacement level of 2.1 but heading in What South Korean
the right direction. women want
By 1983, the fertility rate had dropped to replacement Despite efforts to reverse the
level, and since then, it has been on a rapid decline. fertility decline, including
What was once a carefully controlled drop has become financial incentives and
a crisis, with projections showing South Korea’s government initiatives, the
population shrinking from 52 million to a mere 17 numbers just aren’t adding
million by the century’s end. up.
In the worst-case scenario, some estimates predict the
country could lose up to 70% of its population, leaving
just 14 million people behind — a situation that could
South Korea has implemented policies to encourage Moreover, marriage itself is
higher birth rates, such as recruiting foreign domestic no longer seen as essential
workers for childcare, offering tax benefits, and even to having children. Over the
proposing to exempt men from mandatory military past decade, the percentage
service if they have three or more children by the age of of people who accept having
30. But so far, these measures have had little effect. children outside of marriage
The root cause of the problem lies in the country’s has risen from 22% to 35%,
social and cultural landscape. Many women, especially although only 2.5% of
in urban areas, prioritise careers over starting families, children are born outside
with over half of respondents in a 2023 government wedlock in South Korea.
survey citing the "burden of parenting" as the biggest
obstacle to female employment.
The rise of dual-income households and greater access
to education has empowered women to delay or forgo
marriage and childbirth altogether.
For those who do marry, women are demanding more South Korean President
equality in household responsibilities. A stark gender gap Yoon Suk-yeol, who won
persists, with 92% of women doing household chores on the 2022 election by
weekdays compared to just 61% of men. appealing to disillusioned
This disparity has led to widespread disillusionment with male voters, has called
traditional marriage roles. In fact, a 2024 survey revealed for the abolition of gender
that one-third of women in South Korea do not want to quotas and even
marry, with a staggering 93% citing the burdens of suggested that feminism
housework and child-rearing as the main reasons. is the root cause of
A battle for equality deteriorating relations
The gender divide in South Korea is perhaps one of the between men and
most significant factors contributing to the fertility crisis. women.
While women are increasingly seeking equal partnerships,
the country’s political climate has seen a rise in
anti-feminist sentiment, particularly among younger men.
This has sparked a fierce political and cultural battle, with However, South Korea has
the president’s stance on gender equality drawing seen little success in
criticism from women’s rights activists and further attracting immigrants.
polarizing the population. South Korea ranks among the While countries in Western
lowest in the OECD on gender equality, sitting at 94th Europe have benefitted
globally. The country lags behind in key areas like from higher net migration
economic participation (112th), education (100th), political rates, South Korea has one
empowerment (72nd), and health (47th). This gender of the lowest rates in East
imbalance has fuelled frustration on both sides, with Asia, with foreign-born
women demanding more equal opportunities and men workers making up less
expressing resentment toward policies they perceive as than 4% of the labor force.
favouring women.
'Embracing' migrant women
In many developed countries, immigration has been a key
factor in mitigating the effects of a declining birth rate.
This is a stark contrast to Western countries, where of foreign-born wives are
immigration has helped stabilize population levels employed, compared to 50% of
despite low birth rates.One area where immigration native-born women.
is having an impact is in the realm of "marriage Additionally, women in these
migration." As South Korean men, particularly in marriages tend to earn $500
rural areas, face a shrinking pool of potential brides, less than their Korean
they have increasingly turned to foreign women, counterparts. In many
particularly from countries like Vietnam. households, particularly those
Since 2000, marriages between South Korean men with non-Korean wives, the
and foreign women have surged by 70%. While husband retains control over
many of these marriages are presented as solutions
to the gender imbalance, they also highlight deeper
cultural and societal issues.Research shows that
migrant women in these marriages face distinct
challenges. In their first year of marriage, only 20%
finances, with 33% of such marriages reporting that the
husband decides how money will be spent, compared to
just 7% in Korean-Korean marriages.
South Korea’s fertility crisis is not just a demographic
challenge; it is a reflection of the country’s deep-seated
gender inequalities and cultural conflicts. As the population
continues to age and shrink, the country faces the daunting
task of addressing these issues while navigating the
complexities of family, work, and gender roles.
Until South Korea can bridge the widening divide between
men and women, and create a society where both genders
can thrive equally, its fertility crisis may continue to worsen,
leaving a shrinking and aging population to contend with
the future.
1. Why do you think financial incentives and government A. Only a and b
initiatives have had limited success in reversing South
Korea's fertility decline? B. Only a and c
a. There is a deeper issue of work-life balance, where policies C. Only a
may provide financial support, but they do not address the
D. Only b and c
mental and physical strain of raising children, particularly in
a society where traditional gender roles often place the E. All a, b and c
majority of household responsibilities on women.
b. The government has failed to address the systemic gender
inequality in the workplace, where women still face
challenges in getting higher remuneration, leading to a
reluctance to have children despite financial incentives.
c. There is a shift in societal values, where women
increasingly seek personal fulfillment, independence, and
professional success rather than adhering to traditional
family roles.
2. How can South Korea improve its immigration policies to A. Only a and b
better address its demographic challenges?
B. Only a and c
a. By implementing more inclusive policies for migrant workers,
including encouraging greater participation of immigrant C. Only a
women in the workforce that would not only help them D. Only b and c
become financially independent but also shift the power
E. All a, b and c
dynamics in the household.
b. By focusing on attracting young, working-age immigrants
from countries with similar cultural backgrounds, thereby
reducing potential cultural integration challenges while
addressing labor shortages in key sectors.
c. By creating a more supportive environment for immigrant
families, such as providing language and cultural integration
programs, childcare support, and social services, to ensure
smooth transitions and long-term societal cohesion.
3. Which of the following TONES can be A. Only a and b
attributed to the entire passage? B. Only a and c
C. Only b and c
a. Analytical and Informative D. None of a, b and c
b. Concerned and Critical E. All a, b and c
c. Persuasive and Affirmative
4. Which of the following best represents the D. Government
author’s main idea? incentives are sufficient
to reverse the fertility
crisis in South Korea.
A. South Korea’s fertility crisis is primarily a result
E. None of the above
of economic challenges and changing family
options
dynamics.
B. Gender inequality and cultural conflicts are the
key drivers behind South Korea’s declining birth
rate.
C. Immigration and marriage migration effectively
address South Korea’s population decline.
Directions (1-7): Read the passage carefully to
answer the given questions. Each question will have
five alternatives as its answer, choose the correct
option as your answer.
In the decades leading up to the Second World War, discuss their failure to
German and Austrian clinical investigators had concluded curb the rising tide of
that common obesity was clearly caused by a hormonal obesity and diabetes,
disturbance; starting in the 1960s, other research would they offer the explanation
link that disturbance to the sugar in our diets. But the that these disorders are
German and Austrian thinking evaporated with the war, ‘multifactorial and
and the possibility that sugar was to blame never took complex’, implying that
hold, dismissed by a nutrition community that, by the failure is somehow
1970s, became fixated on dietary fat as the trigger of our understandable.
chronic diseases. Now, with an explosion of the epidemic
and compelling new research, it is time to reconsider both
our causal thinking on obesity and diabetes, and the
possibility that sugar is playing the critical role.
When researchers and public health authorities today
But this obscures the reality that prescriptions to prevent itself: an energy
and treat the two depend almost entirely on two simple imbalance between
causal concepts, neither one of which is necessarily calories consumed on
correct. one hand, and calories
The first assumption equates obesity and Type 2 diabetes expended on the other
(the common form of the disease, formerly known as hand.
‘adult-onset’ until it began appearing in children as well).
Because obesity and Type 2 diabetes are so closely
associated in both individuals and populations, the
assumption is that it is the obesity – or at least the
accumulation of excess fat – that causes the diabetes. By
this logic, whatever causes obesity is ultimately the cause
of the diabetes as well. The second assumption then
strives to explain ‘the fundamental cause’ of the obesity
The WHO and other health organisations __________
that sugar and particularly sugary beverages should be
taxed heavily or regulated. But they do so not because
they say sugar causes disease – using the same
definition of causality that we use when we say cigarettes
cause lung cancer – but, rather, because, from their
perspective, sugar represents ‘empty calories’ that we eat
in excess. By this thinking, we still get fatter because we
eat too much or exercise too little. The solution is to eat in
moderation, and consume sugar in moderation or balance
it with more physical activity.
Question 1
The WHO and other health organisations __________ that sugar
and particularly sugary beverages should be taxed heavily or
regulated
Which of the following phrases should come in the blank
given in the passage?
A. have lately resorted to established
B. have recently taken to arguing
C. has now made a habit of complaining
D. have took up justifying of late
E. have engage in discussions in recent past
Question 2 D. The initial interest in
Which of the following best reflects the change in perception sugar as a causative factor
of the cause of obesity following the Second World War? witnessed a resurgence in
A. The idea that sugar causes obesity was held by just a the wake of fresh evidence
few people in Germany and Austria, although the belief was after its association with
increasingly adopted by more Germans and Austrians obesity was previously
following the war. denied.
B. Sugar as a cause of obesity could not be established E. The claim that sugar is
over the course of the war, and the current scenario is no associated with obesity,
different despite compelling evidence. which has been earlier
C. After successfully proven to be a cause of obesity, the established by Germany
role of sugar as a causative factor was further corroborated and Austria, was further
with the conclusion of the war but has since failed to match demonstrated by the
the current evidence. nutrition community.
Question 3 D. help the reader
understand why the
WHO seeks to regulate
The author introduces the example of cigarettes as a one and not the other.
cause of cancer in the passage to:
E. help the reader
A. help the reader understand that regulating sugar is understand that
not based on the same definition of causality as cigarettes are less of a
cigarettes. health risk than sugar.
B. make the reader understand the similarity between
the reasons for regulating cigarettes and sugar as
causes of diseases.
C. make the reader understand why sugar is not so
harmful to health as cigarettes.
Question 4 D. They are greatly
contested in the
scientific community.
According to the passage, what is the flaw in the
E. They are overly
current measures for prevention and treatment of
simplistic and do not
obesity and diabetes?
incorporate the wider
A. There is a disparity between the number of cases range of factors
and the number of physicians. involved.
B. They do not take into account the relationship
between obesity and type 2 diabetes.
C. They cannot be simultaneously applied to both
cases of obesity and diabetes.
Question 5 A. Only I and II
B. Only II and III
Which of the following can be inferred from the C. Only I and III
passage? D. Only III
I. Taxing or regulating sugar is not without its E. All I, II, and III
challenges.
II. The failure to limit the increasing cases of
obesity and diabetes does not invoke shock in
the scientific community.
III. Adults used to be the sole victims of Type 2
diabetes once upon a time.
Question 6 D. The potential role
of sugar in obesity
and diabetes
What is the theme of the passage?
E. Healthcare
A. The importance of consuming anything in innovations after the
moderation Second World War
B. The contrasting views of researchers on
sugar as a health toxin
C. The multifaceted nature of obesity and
diabetes
Question 7 A. Only I
B. Only II
According to the passage, which of the following C. Only III
statements is correct? D. Only I and II
I. The impact of eating more sugar can be offset by E. Only I and III
physical activity.
II. The probability that public health authorities will
successfully curb the worldwide epidemics of
obesity and diabetes is practically zero.
III. The inaction to regulate sugar suggests that it
might not be as toxic as believed.