1. Cancel culture is a term used to describe how generations of people have come to expect their relationships - both professional and personal - to be cancelled without any warning. 2. The term is

1.1) In reference to the headlines, "cancel culture" is a social phenomenon where individuals, mostly public figures or celebrities, face public backlash and boycott for their controversial statements or actions, often with calls for them to be "canceled" or ostracized from their respective communities or industries. It involves online shaming, social media campaigns, and a general trend towards holding people accountable for their past or present behavior. 1.2) The underlying meaning of the word 'weaponised' in Headline A is that the term "cancel culture" has been intentionally and effectively used as a tool or weapon for attacking, discrediting, or silencing people, often in a politically-charged context. 1.3) The voices represented in Headline B are those of conservatives or right-wing commentators who claim to oppose cancel culture, while the headline suggests that such tactics are at the core of their own political agenda. 1.4) The intended meaning of Headline C suggests that cancel culture shares similarities with historical methods of enforcing moral and social standards within religious communities, like church discipline. The headline implies that cancel culture may not be a new phenomenon, but rather an updated version of an age-old practice. 1.5) The linguistic choices (diction) used in Headline D: - "Falters": Implies that cancel culture is less effective or less present in the specific context mentioned (SA's pop culture brutes), suggesting that it may struggle to gain traction in certain situations or against certain individuals. - "Shadows": Indicates that cancel culture may be obscured or somehow hidden in this context, unable to overcome the influence of the referred pop culture figures. - "SA's pop culture brutes": The use of "brutes" portrays these individuals as powerful, aggressive, or insensitive - perhaps further suggesting reasons why cancel culture is struggling to have an impact on them. (Question 1 Total: 15 marks)