Type: Singapore Studies
Difficulty: Easy
Workload: High
Lecturer(s): Dr Amy Choong & Dr Ng Ngan Kee
Lecturer(s): Dr Amy Choong & Dr Ng Ngan Kee
Assessment: 30% midterms, 25% poster project, 5% forum participation, 40% finals
This module was extremely popular for the past couple of years, with at least 800 bid-points required to take this module. I was really surprised when I managed to secure this module with just 1 bid point. Why is it so popular? Well, it's the only Singapore Studies module with an Open-Book MCQ examination. No essays required! I chose this module partly because of this, not having to write any essays, and also because I found plants and animals more interesting than history (I never liked history since Secondary school days).
This is the only NUS module whereby a textbook was actually helpful (or rather, necessary).
The lecturers for this module seemed really passionate about what they do, and also they strongly believe in what the teach, about conservation of Singapore's wildlife biodiversity. And if conservation is not possible, the 2nd best way is to at least plant trees and parks and gardens.
For the poster project, we had to design a poster which spreads the message of conservation. We had to also include 3 native animals and 3 native plants found in a chosen habitat. The poster is done in groups between 2-6 people of your choice. Plagiarism is taken really seriously so all photos have to be taken by ourselves. If we wanted to use photos taken from the internet, we had to have written permission by the author.
The field trips recommended by the lecturers are not necessary to doing well, they are simply for personal appreciation of nature.
Scoring in this module was no easy feat though. The midterms and finals were similar in nature.
Which of the following are true?
(i) The last tiger in Singapore was shot in Lim Chu Kang
(ii) The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum was opened in April 2016
(iii) The mud lobster benefits the habitat by recycling nutrients in the ground, and there are 6 species of them in Singapore
(iv) The Flame-of-the-forest (Delonix regia) has scarlet flowers
(v) Mosaic crabs are commonly eaten as a delicacy
A) i, ii only
B) i, iii, v only
C) ii, iii, iv only
D) iii, iv only
E) None of the above
Learning points from the sample question:
1: Manage your time well
This is the most basic tip. If you find yourself spending too much time on a question, skip it and come back to it later when you're done. Although this rarely happens because you will hardly have any time to come back to it.
2: Have a cheat sheet at hand
This is an open book examination, however you will not have time to flip your book to find your information. I had 2 cheat sheet booklets, made from all the animals extracted from the textbook and notes. One sorted by scientific names and the other sorted by common names. Here are the columns which I had in my cheat sheet:
I had also another booklet on top of it, i call it a 'dictionary'. Any difficult terms or abbreviations in the scope of the module are explained in this dictionary, along with any references if any.
This is a really useful time saving hack. Simply follow the listed rules below while going through the multi-option selections (i), (ii) ...
4: Be attentive during lectures
Dr Amy Choong is fond of showing many videos during lectures. Pay attention to these videos as they will be tested as well. Also, take note of what the lecturer says. Suppose the lecturer mentions any fun facts (like flower colour, or how many leaves it has, or number of eggs it lays), write them all down, even though you don't think its important. It is important and have a high probability it will come out during your exams.
5: Read the textbook from cover to cover, and know where to find your information
The sample question option (ii) threw me off, because I simply could not remember where LKCNHM appeared in the notes or the textbook. Looking for it would take up too much time. Hence, be very clear where to lookup various topics. This is really important. I'd suggest that you read through the textbook and notes once through earliest 2 days before the test so that the information is still fresh.
Overall, this module was really enjoyable, other than the massive time input required in doing up the cheatsheets.
* A Hint: I believe I've covered this module in detail already
This module was extremely popular for the past couple of years, with at least 800 bid-points required to take this module. I was really surprised when I managed to secure this module with just 1 bid point. Why is it so popular? Well, it's the only Singapore Studies module with an Open-Book MCQ examination. No essays required! I chose this module partly because of this, not having to write any essays, and also because I found plants and animals more interesting than history (I never liked history since Secondary school days).
This is the only NUS module whereby a textbook was actually helpful (or rather, necessary).
The lecturers for this module seemed really passionate about what they do, and also they strongly believe in what the teach, about conservation of Singapore's wildlife biodiversity. And if conservation is not possible, the 2nd best way is to at least plant trees and parks and gardens.
For the poster project, we had to design a poster which spreads the message of conservation. We had to also include 3 native animals and 3 native plants found in a chosen habitat. The poster is done in groups between 2-6 people of your choice. Plagiarism is taken really seriously so all photos have to be taken by ourselves. If we wanted to use photos taken from the internet, we had to have written permission by the author.
The field trips recommended by the lecturers are not necessary to doing well, they are simply for personal appreciation of nature.
Scoring in this module was no easy feat though. The midterms and finals were similar in nature.
- Both tests were fully MCQ in nature
- 2 minutes per question on the average
Which of the following are true?
(i) The last tiger in Singapore was shot in Lim Chu Kang
(ii) The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum was opened in April 2016
(iii) The mud lobster benefits the habitat by recycling nutrients in the ground, and there are 6 species of them in Singapore
(iv) The Flame-of-the-forest (Delonix regia) has scarlet flowers
(v) Mosaic crabs are commonly eaten as a delicacy
A) i, ii only
B) i, iii, v only
C) ii, iii, iv only
D) iii, iv only
E) None of the above
Learning points from the sample question:
- The questions are set to trick you. (i) is false because the answer is Chua Chu Kang. (ii) is false because the LKCNHM opened in April 2015
- Multiple facts can be tested in a single option. For example in (iii), I knew clearly that the mud lobster helps in recycling nutrients. However about the 6 species found in Singapore, is it true? I had to look that up
- The lecturer is fond of testing facts which they only mentioned verbally during lectures, for example in (iv) the colour of the flowers, ot what animals disperse its seeds, what insects pollinates its flowers etc. All these WILL come out.
1: Manage your time well
This is the most basic tip. If you find yourself spending too much time on a question, skip it and come back to it later when you're done. Although this rarely happens because you will hardly have any time to come back to it.
2: Have a cheat sheet at hand
This is an open book examination, however you will not have time to flip your book to find your information. I had 2 cheat sheet booklets, made from all the animals extracted from the textbook and notes. One sorted by scientific names and the other sorted by common names. Here are the columns which I had in my cheat sheet:
- Common Names
- Scientific Names
- Habitat found in
- Textbook page reference
- Important traits, mostly I'll take note of the following
- Native / Endemic / Introduced (from where) ** Important!
- Flower colour
- Flower pollinator
- Seed disperser & method
- Family / Genus belonging to
- Edible / Poisonous / Venomous
- Any other characteristic information which makes it special
A preview of my cheatsheet
I had also another booklet on top of it, i call it a 'dictionary'. Any difficult terms or abbreviations in the scope of the module are explained in this dictionary, along with any references if any.
* I will not be providing my cheatsheets or my dictionaries. Good grades come with both studying smart and hard work. There is no shortcut in life.
3: Be smart in selecting your optionsThis is a really useful time saving hack. Simply follow the listed rules below while going through the multi-option selections (i), (ii) ...
- If you are unsure of an option, skip it
- If you are absolutely sure that an option (e.g. iii) is wrong, strike out all options containing (iii) in it including 'All of the above'. Go to step 4
- If you are absolutely sure that an option (e.g. iii) is correct, strike out all options NOT containing (iii) in it including 'None of the above'. Go to step 4
- If there is only 1 remaining option, that is your answer. If not, repeat steps 2 through 4
4: Be attentive during lectures
Dr Amy Choong is fond of showing many videos during lectures. Pay attention to these videos as they will be tested as well. Also, take note of what the lecturer says. Suppose the lecturer mentions any fun facts (like flower colour, or how many leaves it has, or number of eggs it lays), write them all down, even though you don't think its important. It is important and have a high probability it will come out during your exams.
5: Read the textbook from cover to cover, and know where to find your information
The sample question option (ii) threw me off, because I simply could not remember where LKCNHM appeared in the notes or the textbook. Looking for it would take up too much time. Hence, be very clear where to lookup various topics. This is really important. I'd suggest that you read through the textbook and notes once through earliest 2 days before the test so that the information is still fresh.
Overall, this module was really enjoyable, other than the massive time input required in doing up the cheatsheets.
* A Hint: I believe I've covered this module in detail already
Expected Grade: A-
Achieved Grade: A
