CHANGKAT CHANGI 4E5N Social Studies Preliminary Examination 2019

1 SECTION A (Source-Based Case Study) Question 1 is compulsory for all candidates. 1 Living in a Diverse Society Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and then answer all the questions. You may use any of the sources to help you a nswer the questions, in ad dition to those sources you are told to use. In answering the questions, you sho uld use your knowledge of the issue to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. (a) Study Source A. Why do you think this cartoon was published? Explain your answer, using details of the cartoon. [6] (b) Study Sources B and C. Does Source C prove that Source B is wrong? Explain your answer. [7] (c) Study Source D. Are you surprised by Source D? Explain your answer. [6] (d) Study Sources E and F. Is Source E or F more useful as evidence of the cause of social inequality in Singapore ? Explain your answer. [6] (e) “Governments are the cause of social inequality in their country.” Using sources in this case study, explain how far you would agree with this statement. [10]

2 Who is responsible for social inequality? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. Social inequality occurs when resources within a country are unevenly distributed and there is a divide between the rich and the poor and a s time progresses , resulting in people being segregated by the amount of wealth or power that one has. Eventuall y, the divide may become so great which may lead to a political problem. Many countries , as a result have been working to alleviate the problem with various policies so as to ensure that stability within the country is ensured. In Singapore, there has been great debate and talk about social inequality and it has been seen as a threat and challenge that has to be dealt with. Many Singaporeans have commented about this issue and have deliberated on the cause s of social inequality. Study the following sources to assess who or what is responsible for social inequality in Singapore. Source A: An online cartoon about the issue of social inequality in Singapore published by an online site which is usually critical of the government and the policies that have been implemented. [Turn over

3 Source B: An online commentary by The Straits Times journalist published on 18 Feb ruary 2018. To be sure, there is nothing very wrong with privilege being passed on - it is the trait of societies that stratification* is transmitted to future generations, as parents pass on their socio -economic advantages to their children. So the taxi driver's son who managed to get into a brand -name school in the past and becomes a lawyer, thus joining the elite ranks, will pass on his advantages and alumni access to his son. That lawyer's son may then gain a coveted place in a brand-name school, depriving today's taxi driver's son of one. * Stratification refers to the classification of something into different groups Source C: An online article published on 3 October 2018 on a site known to be critical of the government. It was writing about a local documen tary, ‘Regardless of Class’ which was about social inequality in Singapore. The documentary neglects to mention our government’s role in creating the inequality that has now become our No.1 problem. This is the main problem with the documentary and, to a larger extent, our policymakers. They want to address the symptoms of inequality without tackling the disease. Negative stereotypes, class tensions, and snobbish attitudes are rightly condemned, but what about the deeper problems? These causes of inequ ality went unexamined in ‘Regardless of Class’. Government policy, as always, seemingly got a free pass. As if inequality came into being one day without any factors, independent of government, economics or history. Source D: A research paper on the caus es and effects of income inequality in Singapore published in 2008 by a local university. The individual tax system in Singapore is progressive such that low -income households do not pay any tax and at the same time receive subsidised government services, while the high earners pay progressively higher tax. However, Singapore does not tax on the wealth that people have accumulated over their lifespan to encourage wealth t o stay within the country . Therefore the rich can transfer most of their wealth to the next generation which will have a rub- off effect on inequality. Source E: A Channel News Asia article on social inequality published on 2 June 2018. Higher-income fa milies invest more in private tuition for academic subjects, extracurricular enrichment activities, and parental attention. This enhances their children’s school performance and chances of getting into “good” (elite, brand -name) schools and universities, t hus achieving credentials that employers value and reward with “good jobs” and high salaries. Employers are known to use educational certification and school reputation as “screening devices” that differentiate between job candidates, and as proxies for behavioural characteristics and social networks they believe enhance employees’ contribution to the enterprise.

4 Source F: A research paper written by a university which focuses on government policies published in 2012. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that domestic policies may have worsened Singapore’s income inequality picture in the last decade. First, the aggressive reductions in personal income tax rates for top earners– from 28% in 2002 to 20% in 2007 – combined with the increases in the Goods and Service Tax, have made the tax system less progressive as the poor would have to pay GST on necessities. [Turn over

5 SECTION B (Structured-Response Question) Question 2 is compulsory for all candidates. 2 Being Part of a Globalised World Study the extracts carefully, and then answer the questions. Extract 1 Almost all organisations and businesses polled in a new survey have suffered close to four cyber attacks in the last year. Of the 25 0 company leaders and executives polled, only four per cent said their organisations were not attacked, according to private cybersecurity provider Carbon Black. Extract 2 Mobile phones have been around for many decades now. However, it was in the 1990s when the first Smartphone was created and introduced to the market. Then, it was in the early 2000s that it became a hit to consumers. Smartphones are mobile phones that run a built-in operating system. Extract 3 The development from steam-hauled trains to diesel-powered trains, and then to electric trains were advances in transportation made possible by technological development. Performance and energy efficiency were improved, and the operatio