English

Posted: August 6th, 2013

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Answers to Cambridge Board Question for ‘O’ Level

Question one

The writer uses language to describe the costumes of the duo, Jack and Meg, at Brighton’s Concorde 2 as subtle black, red and white. By use of attractive language, the writer can capture the attention and imagination of the readers as she describes the performers’ unique presence on stage. This allows the readers to picture the performance. The writer also uses sarcasm when she mentions that the two were said to be divorced and adds that their children would have been weird. She is also sarcastic about the duo’s musical identity and some of their songs in the album. Her language in her use of imagery ridicules Jack’s paleness as that of a young boy who was near a corpse.

Colloquial language in the extract is used to create a conversational and informal tone to the readers. This is brought out where the writer describes the duo as having a bizarre musical concept and wanting to change the future of rock and roll. This picture helps the readers remember their youthful lives. Given by the different feelings of the writer about the band, she uses contrast to compare the good and the bad side of the band to the readers. In the beginning, she introduces the performers on a negative tone. However, this attitude changes as she progresses with amusement at their performance at Brighton’s Concorde 2. This shows that her use of language increases the effectiveness of communication as she allows readers to make their own judgment about the White Stripes band.

Question two

The White Stripes is popular for their album White Blood Cells. Their performance at Brighton’s Concorde 2 was not professionally executed. Vocal synchrony lacked in the beginning of the performance although Jack tried to blend the guitar and the melody. A performance without harmony is not worth watching. The music industry is highly competitive and if the White Stripes want to earn a slot in this industry, they should improve on their many flaws. They seemed to overdo the production of their voices, which was quite irritating. They should practice rhythm and harmony to avoid mediocre performances in the future. None of the songs in the album caught my attention. There were memorable moments in their performances but they seemed to be overshadowed by the irregularities. Their performances would be better if they wrote about issues in their songs and not just stories, as I later learned.

White Stripes should look into producing a better album. This album should have harmonious songs and instrumentation, which will attract the attention of their audience and boost their image as upcoming musicians and performing artists. The band’s costumes need to be improved, as they do not suit their performances. The White Stripes should dress to suit their performances because rock bands are known for their ‘blackness’ on stage. This is done so that the audience concentrates on the music and not the costumes. The White Stripes are known for their peculiar dressing on stage and this steal the attention of the audience away from the music. When this happens, the band receives the wrong feedback from their music fans. The sound setting was not up to standard and this affected the performance greatly. The band should ensure that they use good quality sound in all their performances. Nevertheless, The White Stripes has a promising future in the music industry but only if they focus on improving their flaws.