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cae part 6

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58 views

cae part 6

Uploaded by

ioana dragoi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sample task

You are going to read four extracts from articles in which academics discuss the contribution the arts
(music, painting, literature, etc.) make to society. For questions 37–40, choose from the academics A–D.
The academics may be chosen more than once.

Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

The Contribution of Arts to Society

A Lana Esslett

The arts matter because they link society to its past, a people to its inherited store of ideas, images and
words; yet the arts challenge those links in order to find ways of exploring new paths and ventures. I remain
sceptical of claims that humanity’s love of the arts somehow reflects some inherent inclination, fundamental
to the human race. However, exposure to and study of the arts does strengthen the individual and fosters
independence in the face of the pressures of the mass, the characterless, the undifferentiated. And just as
the sciences support the technology sector, the arts stimulate the growth of a creative sector in the economy.
Yet, true as this is, it seems to me to miss the point. The value of the arts is not to be defined as if they were
just another economic lever to be pulled. The arts can fail every measurable objective set by economists, yet
retain their intrinsic value to humanity.

B Seth North

Without a doubt, the arts are at the very centre of society and innate in every human being. My personal,
though admittedly controversial, belief is that the benefits to both individuals and society of studying
science and technology, in preference to arts subjects, are vastly overrated. It must be said, however, that
despite the claims frequently made for the civilising power of the arts, to my mind the obvious question
arises: Why are people who are undeniably intolerant and selfish still capable of enjoying poetry or
appreciating good music? For me, a more convincing argument in favour of the arts concerns their
economic value. Needless to say, discovering how much the arts contribute to society in this way involves
gathering a vast amount of data and then evaluating how much this affects the economy as a whole, which
is by no means straightforward.

C Heather Charlton

It goes without saying that end-products of artistic endeavour can be seen as commodities which can be
traded and exported, and so add to the wealth of individuals and societies. While this is undeniably a
substantial argument in favour of the arts, we should not lose sight of those equally fundamental contributions
they make which cannot be easily translated into measurable social and economic value. Anthropologists
have never found a society without the arts in one form or another. They have concluded, and I have no
reason not to concur, that humanity has a natural aesthetic sense which is biologically determined. It is by the
exercise of this sense that we create works of art which symbolise social meanings and over time pass on
values which help to give the community its sense of identity, and which contribute enormously to its self-
respect.

© UCLES 2008. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made.
For f urther information see our Terms and Conditions.
7
D Mike Konecki

Studies have long linked involvement in the arts to increased complexity of thinking and greater self- esteem.
Nobody today, and rightly so in my view, would challenge the huge importance of maths and science as core
disciplines. Nevertheless, sole emphasis on these in preference to the arts fails to promote the integrated
left/right-brain thinking in students that the future increasingly demands, and on which a healthy economy
now undoubtedly relies. More significantly, I believe that in an age of dull uniformity, the arts enable each
person to express his or her uniqueness. Yet while these benefits are enormous, we participate in the arts
because of an instinctive human need for inspiration, delight, joy. The arts are an enlightening and
humanising force, encouraging us to come together with people whose beliefs and lives may be different
from our own. They encourage us to listen and to celebrate what connects us, instead of retreating behind
what drives us apart.

Which academic:

has a different view from North regarding the effect of the arts on behaviour (37)
towards others?

has a different view from Konecki on the value of studying the arts compared to other (38)
academic subjects?

expresses a different opinion to the others on whether the human species has a genetic (39)
predisposition towards the art?

expresses a similar view to Esslett on how the arts relate to the demands to (40)
conform?

© UCLES 2008. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made.
For f urther information see our Terms and Conditions.
8

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