1. RUAE
May 15
SQA exam
Answers

2. On a cold, bright November day I stood among a million almond trees and breathed in the sweet air. I was in Central Valley, California, in an orchard stretching over 700,000 acres. Before me was a vision of how the British countryside may look one day. Beyond the almond orchards were fields of pomegranates, pistachios, grapes and apricots. Somewhere in the distance were almost two million dairy cows, producing six billion dollars’ worth of milk a year.
1. Read lines 1—5. Identify any two positive aspects of Central Valley, California, which are conveyed in these lines. Use your own words in your answer. [2 marks]

3. Candidates should identify two positive aspects of Central Valley, California, given in lines 1 – 5. Candidates must use their own words. No marks for straight lifts from the passage. Possible answers:
• idyllic/pastoral (“almond trees”, “sweet air”, “orchards”, “fields of ...”)
• perfect/attractive (“sweet air”, “vision”)
• diverse (varied/miscellaneous) (“pomegranates, pistachios, grapes and apricots”)
• bountiful/fertile/productive (“million almond trees”, “Beyond the almond orchards ... fields of ...”, “two million dairy
cows ... six billion dollars’ worth ...”)
• vast/expansive/(the idea of) scale (“a million almond trees”, “Beyond ... Were fields of ...”, “Somewhere in the distance”) NB idea of ‘big’ alone = 0 marks

5. It may sound like the Garden of Eden but it is a deeply disturbing place. Among the perfectly aligned rows of trees and cultivated crops are no birds, no butterflies, no beetles or shrubs. There is not a single blade of grass or a hedgerow, and the only bees arrive by lorry, transported across the United States. The bees are hired by the day to fertilise the blossom, part of a
10 multibillion-dollar industry that has sprung up to do a job that nature once did for free.
2. Read lines 6—10.
By referring to at least two examples, analyse how the writer’s use of language creates a negative impression of Central Valley. [4 marks]

6. Candidates should analyse how the writer’s use of language creates a negative impression of Central Valley in lines 6—10. For full marks there should be comments on at least 2 examples. 2 marks may be awarded for reference plus detailed/ insightful comment; 1 mark for more basic comment; 0 marks for reference alone. (Marks may be awarded 2+2, 2+1+1, ) Possible answers:
• “deeply disturbing” suggests unsettling/unnatural nature of agriculture in Central Valley
• contrast eg “it may sound like ... but it is ...” – emphasises the unnatural qualities of Central
Valley
• repetition/list of “no birds, no butterflies, no beetles” – drives home the absence of nature/ lack of wildlife
• “single blade of grass” suggests that the most basic elements of nature have been eradicated here/wild nature is not tolerated
• “only bees” highlights the strange lack of insect life
• “arrive by lorry”/“the bees are hired by the day” – highlights the artificiality of Central Valley
• “multibillion-dollar”/”industry” suggests anonymity/mass-produced for profit

7. For full marks there must be comment on both word choice and sentence structure, but these do not need to be evenly divided
As for the cows, they last only two or three years, ten-to-fifteen years less than their natural life span. Crammed into barren pens on tiny patches of land, they stand around listlessly waiting to be fed, milked or injected with antibiotics. Through a combination of selective breeding, artificial diets and growth hormones designed to maximise milk production, they are pushed so grotesquely beyond their natural limit that they are soon worn out. In their short lives they never see grass.
3. Read lines 11—16. By referring to both word choice and sentence structure, analyse how the writer makes clear her disapproval of dairy farming methods used in Central Valley. [4 marks]
(Don’t need own words so must QUOTE and COMMENT)
eg The writer’s use of the word ‘last’ suggests that the cows are seen as disposable objects, to be discarded when no longer useful or productive.

8. Word Choice
• “last” suggests farmers see the cows as disposable objects, to be dismissed like rubbish when no longer productive
• “crammed” suggests stifling, dangerous conditions
• “barren” suggests emptiness, sterility, discomfort of the pens
• “tiny patches” suggests restrictive, cramped areas in which cows are housed
• “listlessly” suggests lack of life, lethargy, conditions weaken cows
• “artificial (diets)” – emphasises the unnatural, unhealthy treatment of these cows
• “pushed” suggests forceful manipulation
• “grotesquely” suggests this type of dairy farming is monstrous, hideous
• “worn out” suggests this type of farming is destructive
• “short lives” – poignant description emphasises the tragic and unnatural consequences

9. As for the cows, they last only two or three years, ten-to-fifteen years less than their natural life span. Crammed into barren pens on tiny patches of land, they stand around listlessly waiting to be fed, milked or injected with antibiotics. Through a combination of selective breeding, artificial diets and growth hormones designed to maximise milk production, they are pushed so grotesquely beyond their natural limit that they are soon worn out. In their short lives they never see grass.
3. Read lines 11—16. By referring to both word choice and sentence structure, analyse how the writer makes clear her disapproval of dairy farming methods used in Central Valley. [4 marks]
(Don’t need own words so must QUOTE and COMMENT)

10. Sentence Structure
• positioning of “As for the cows,” at the start of this paragraph creates a despairing tone and/or introduces the negative description of the cows’ lives
• inversion used in “Crammed ...antibiotics.” highlights the atrocious conditions in which the cows are kept
• list “fed, milked or injected with antibiotics” emphasises the assembly line /uncaring manner of the farms, suggesting the cows are merely part of a repetitive industrial process
• list of procedures (“selective breeding ... hormones”) highlights the seemingly scientific procedures involved, making this type of farming seem like a cold and uncaring experiment on animals
• climactic final sentence (“In their short lives ... grass.”) emphatically/dramatically highlights the contrast between these cows and the environment with which we would normally associate them

11. Could the British countryside ever look like this
Could the British countryside ever look like this? If current trends continue, the answer is yes. Farming in Britain is at a crossroads, threatened by a wave of intensification from America
4. Read lines 17—19. Explain the function of these lines in the development of the writer’s argument. You should make close reference to the passage in your answer. [2 marks]

12. Possible references include:
• the writer’s change of focus from the USA to UK is signalled by the question “Could the British…look like this?”
• the writer’s move to consider intensive farming in the UK is suggested by “Farming in Britain…intensification from America”
• the writer goes on to suggest that some of the intensive farming methods used in the USA - “bees arrive by lorry”- may soon arrive in the UK - “Bees are disappearing”
• the writer goes on to suggest that some intensive farming methods are already being adopted in the UK, “megadairies and mega-piggeries”
• the writer highlights the impact of intensive farming already being witnessed in the UK “countryside too sterile…native birds

13. With an eye to the future, Owen Paterson, the UK environment secretary, has been urging families to buy British food. Choosing to buy fewer imports would reduce the relentless pressure British farmers are under to churn out more for less. Paterson’s vision is of a more eco-friendly way of eating, based on locally-produced, seasonal fruit and vegetables and, crucially, British meat.  
But, as I discovered when I began looking into the way food is produced, increasingly powerful forces are pulling us in the opposite direction. We have become addicted to cheap meat, fish and dairy products from supply lines that stretch across the globe. On the plus side, it means that supermarkets can sell whole chickens for as little as £3. Things that were once delicacies, such as smoked salmon, are now as cheap as chips. On the downside, cheap chicken and farmed fish are fatty and flaccid. Industrially reared farm animals — 50 billion of them a year worldwide — are kept permanently indoors, treated like machines and pumped with drugs.
5. Read lines 23—34. In your own words, summarise the differences between UK Government food policy and consumer wishes. [4 marks]

14. both sides must be dealt with but not necessarily equally divided
Government food policy:
• buy more British/regional produce (“urging families to buy British food”)
• buy less foreign food (“Choosing to buy fewer imports”)
• ease pressure on farmers (“churn out more for less”)
• be more environmentally aware (“more eco-friendly way of eating”)
• buy in-season/healthy food (“seasonal fruit and vegetables”)
Consumer wishes:
• drawn to less expensive produce (“addicted to cheap meat …products”)
• not concerned about origins of food (“supply lines … globe”)
• previously exotic/expensive food now commonplace/ inexpensive (“once delicacies …cheap as chips”)
• expectation of variety “supply lines… globe”)

15. My journey to expose the truth, to investigate the dirty secret about the way cheap food is produced, took me from the first mega-dairies and piggeries in Britain to factory farms in France, China, Mexico, and North and South America. I talked to people on the front line of the global food industry: treadmill farmers trying to produce more with less. I also talked to their neighbours — people experiencing the side effects of industrial farms. Many had stories about their homes plummeting in value, the desecration of lovely countryside, the disappearance of wildlife and serious health problems linked to pollution.
6. Read lines 35—41. Analyse how both imagery and sentence structure are used in these lines to convey the writer’s criticism of industrial farming. [4 marks]

16. Imagery and Sentence Structure
For full marks there must be comment on both word choice and sentence structure, but these do not need to be evenly divided
Imagery and Sentence Structure
“dirty secret”: suggests that the methods used in factory farming are so shocking that they cannot be revealed
“front line”: suggests that industrial farming is a desperate struggle against competitors, with frequent business casualties
“treadmill” suggests that industrial farming is very hard work and consists of never- ending repetitive chores
“plummeting” suggests that proximity to an industrial farm causes a devastating drop in the value of local homes
NB Desecrated? Suggests despoiled, defiled, debased, (Mother Earth or Nature)
Parenthesis “to investigate … produced” makes clear the specific nature of the “truth”
List of countries “France … South America” indicates extent of intensive farming
Colon in line 38 introduces example of people directly affected
Dash in line 39 introduces example of people directly affected
Repetitive sentence openings “I talked … I also talked” emphasises the scale the problem, based on her evidence gathering/ variety of people affected
List “their homes … pollution” emphasises range of stories by people affected

17. I wanted to challenge the widespread assumption that factory farming is the only way to produce food that everyone can afford. My investigation started in Central Valley, California, because it demonstrates the worst-case scenario — a nightmarish vision of the future for parts of Britain if current practices continue unchecked. It is a five-hour drive south of San Francisco and I knew I was getting close when I saw a strange yellowish-grey smog on the horizon. It looks like the sort of pollution that hangs over big cities, but it comes from the dairies. California’s bovine population produces as much sewage as 90 million people, with terrible effects on air quality. The human population is sparse, but the air can be worse than in Los Angeles on a smoggy day.
Exploring the area by car, it was not long before I saw my first mega-dairy, an array of towering, open-sided shelters over muddy pens. The stench of manure was overwhelming — not the faintly sweet, earthy smell of cowpats familiar from the British countryside, but a nauseating reek bearing no relation to digested grass. I saw farms every couple of miles, all with several thousand cows surrounded by mud, corrugated iron and concrete.
7. Read lines 42—55. Explain how the writer continues the idea that the Central Valley dairy farming is “nightmarish”. Use your own words in your answer. You should make three key points. [3 marks]

18. Possible answers include:
• visible contamination of air/ pollution (“yellowish-grey smog”)
• waste products in the ground (“bovine population…people”)
• the animals are kept in terrible conditions (“mud, corrugated iron and concrete.”)
• the overpowering smell (“nauseating reek”)
• huge buildings are a blight on the landscape (“array of towering…muddy pens.”)
• (apocalyptic) sense of desolation (“human population is sparse”)

19. It may seem hard to imagine such a scene in Britain but it is not far-fetched. Proposals for an 8,000 cow mega-dairy in Lincolnshire, based on the American model, were thrown out after a public outcry. On local radio the man behind the scheme claimed that “cows do not belong in fields”. It will be the first of many similar fights, because dairies are expanding and moving
60 indoors. The creep of industrial agriculture in Britain has taken place largely unnoticed, perhaps because so much of it happens behind closed doors. The British government calls it “sustainable intensification”. Without fuss or fanfare, farm animals have slowly disappeared from fields and moved into hangars and barns.
8. Read lines 56—63. Evaluate the effectiveness of the final paragraph as a conclusion to the writer’s criticism of industrial farming. [2 marks]

20. Candidates should evaluate the final paragraph’s effectiveness as a conclusion to the writer’s criticism of industrial farming. For full marks there must be appropriate attention to the idea of a conclusion but this does not have to be limited to points about structure. Candidates may make valid points about the emotive/ rhetorical impact of the conclusion.
Conclusion
noun
1. the end or finish of an event, process, or text.
"the conclusion of World War Two"
synonyms: end, ending, finish, close, closure, termination, wind-up, cessation;
2. a judgement or decision reached by reasoning.
"each research group came to a similar conclusion"
synonyms: deduction, inference, interpretation, reasoning; opinion, judgement, decision, diagnosis, verdict, determination; assumption, presumption, supposition, conjecture, surmise
"his original conclusions have been verified by later experiments"

21. by giving details of the proposed mega-dairy in Lincolnshire, the writer reminds us of her earlier point that the British countryside faces a similar fate to that of Central Valley
the writer reminds us of the ludicrous size of these factory farms by revealing the enormous number of cows planned for this mega-dairy
by including the ridiculous claim that “cows do not belong in fields” the writer forcefully reminds us that those who practise intensive farming have scant regard for nature or natural processes
the writer concludes the passage with a warning that factory farms are getting larger in a rather surreptitious way, (use of the word “creep”) suggesting that we are being duped by the unscrupulous owners of these farms
the writer’s rather poignant final sentence reminds the readers of the unnatural nature of this transition from the outdoors to indoors

22. The final question SQA exam- May 2015
Look at both passages.
Both writers express their views about intensive farming.
Identify three key areas on which they agree.
You should support the points you make by referring to important ideas in both passages. [5 marks]

23. Important advice
Find the key areas of agreement/ disagreement first and then go back and provide your evidence.
Provide at least four key areas of agreement/ disagreement to increase your chances of getting full marks.
You can use a table to organise your answer

24. 5 mark Q in H RUAE
Set it out like this: Three points of agreement or disagreement. 1.
state these first to gain 3 marks 3.
Then provide the evidence (mixture of own words and quotation).
(Area 1) Passage one says . . .; Passage two says REFER SPECIFICALLY TO WHAT THEY SAY.
(Area 2) Passage one says . . .; Passage two says . . .
(Area 3) Passage one says . . .; Passage two says (only IF TIME)
You will lose points for:
Not being clear about the ‘area’ of agreement/disagreement
Not making the areas distinct/different from one another
Not being specific enough when referring.

25. There’s actually NINE areas!

26. Area of agreement Evidence from passage 1 Evidence from passage 2
[We’ll concentrate on FOUR]
Area of agreement
Evidence from passage 1
Evidence from passage 2
Both passages agree that intensive farming damages the environment.
explains how bee and bird populations are in decline in Central Valley due to the farm built there.
explains that intensive farms lead to the pollution of rivers and streams nearby.
Both passages agree that intensive farming causes animals to suffer.
explains that the animals have to endure very poor conditions and their life-spans are much shorter.
explains that the growth rates of the animals is unnatural and that it is not natural for them to be confined indoors.
Both passages agree that intensive farming can have a negative effect on human health.
explains that the cheap meat produced contains more fat and is contaminated with drugs.
explains that there are a number of conditions and diseases that result from a diet that is high in fat.
Both passages agree that people who live beside intensive farms can be adversely affected.
explains that due to the farms property values are lower and people can become ill due to pollution.
explains that intensive farming has had a negative impact on the livelihood of many local farmers.

27. Areas of agreement intensive farming damages the environment
intensive farming causes animals to suffer
intensive farming can have a negative effect on human health
people who live beside intensive farms can be adversely affected

28. Example answer (5 marks)
Area 1: intensive farming damages the environment For example, passage 1 explains how bee and bird populations are in decline in Central Valley due to the farm built there. Likewise, passage 2 explains that intensive farms lead to the pollution of rivers and streams nearby.

29. Area 2: intensive farming causes animals to suffer For example, passage 1 explains that the animals have to endure very poor conditions and their life- spans are much shorter. Likewise, passage 2 explains that the growth rates of the animals is unnatural and that it is not natural for them to be confined indoors.

30. Area 3: intensive farming can have a negative effect on human health (for insurance, if you have time) For example, passage 1 explains that the cheap meat produced contains more fat and is contaminated with drugs. Likewise, passage 2 explains that there are a number of conditions and diseases that result from a diet that is high in fat.

31. Area 4: people who live beside intensive farms can be adversely affected (for insurance, if you have time) For example, passage 1 explains that due to the farms property values are lower and people can become ill due to pollution. Likewise, in passage 2 the author explains that intensive farming has had a negative impact on the livelihood of many local farmers.