Thinking Skills Paper 2 q. 1

Nov. 2012-23 (Anton Aschenbach)Thinking Skills Paper 2 q. 1

(a) 3 marks Source B contains information about allegations of official corruption. How significant is this information in relation to the reasons for the arrest of Anton Aschenbach?

Quite significant / Very significantNo reference to the Aschenbach case itself, so it does not provide any direct evidence of wrong-doing by Aschenbach or by the authorities (government and police)Nonetheless, it is background information which offers a plausible context for the arrest: it indicates that corruption is rife, and suggests that bribery may be the only way to effectively do business. If so, Aschenbach would have had the motive to pay bribes like, apparently, everybody else. This would give the authorities the opportunity (or, you might say, the excuse) to arrest him.It comes from an apparently neutral (and probably respected) source, so it should be taken seriously

(b) 3 marks (must consider both sides for full marks)How reliable is the information in Source C in relation to the reasons for the arrest of Anton Aschenbach?

By itself, somewhat unreliable (even though it may provide a useful lead) / Partly reliableStrongly biased sourceVested interest to present a view of state impoverishment implicitly, through economic mismanagement and of corruption in the current government (in order to discredit the government and presumably return to power themselves)That the opposition party is in exile reduces their ability to see; though this may be compensated for by having contacts within the country, as they claim to haveAnd again it is only background information, with no direct reference to the Aschenbach caseHowever, the suggestion of corruption does broadly corroborate the evidence of Source BAlso it suggests a specific plausible motive for the arrest of Aschenbach: to get funds for the state through payment of a massive bribe (voluntary additional taxes) under the threat of legal action

(c) 3 marks (must consider both sides for full marks)How useful is the information in Source D in relation to the reasons for the arrest of Anton Aschenbach?

Partly usefulIt does refer specifically to the Aschenbach case, and offers an alternative plausible motive for his arrest (an alternative to the one suggested in Source C)The special correspondent being in Ruritania should give fairly good ability to seeAlso the information in this source is consistent with information in Source B about nepotismHowever, it is based entirely on rumours, which must make it unreliableAlso we do not know if the source is neutral or biased (special correspondent could mean anything!)For these reasons, overall this evidence is rather unreliable, but would be worth investigation so it could eventually prove useful

(d) 6 marks Why do you think Anton Aschenbach has been arrested? Write a short, reasoned argument to support your conclusion, with critical reference to the evidence provided and with consideration of any plausible alternative scenarios.

Two possible conclusions are equally acceptable:Aschenbach paid bribes fake crackdown to elicit big bribe to the governmentAschenbach paid bribes fake crackdown to remove business & political opponentTwo other conclusions are at least plausible:Aschenbach paid bribes genuine crackdown (though very improbable)Aschenbach innocent (fairly improbable) wrongly arrested for any of the previous reasonsIn any case, Source B is probably most important neutrality, seriousness, establishes contextSources C & D both offer interesting leads but need independent corroborationPlausible alternative: any of the list aboveFurther investigation: the claims in Sources C and/or D