DUNEARN SEC SCH 4NA SS PRELIM 2019

1 DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DUNEARN SECONDARY SCHOOL DATE: 14th August 2019 0800 - 0945 hrs 1 hour 45 minutes INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Do not turn over the pages until you are told to do so. Write your name, register number and class in the spaces provided at the top of this page. Answer all parts of Question 1 in Section A. Answer both parts of Question 2 in Section B. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. Write all answers on the writing papers provided. Begin each question on a new page. At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together. Setter: Ms Soh Yu Mi ________________________________________________________________________ This document consists of 6 pages, including the cover page. Name : Class: Index No. Dunearn Secondary School Prelim Examination 2019 Social Studies Paper 1 Secondary 4 Normal Academic 2175/01, 2176/01 For Examiner's Use 50 50

2 Section A (Source-Based Case Study) Question 1 is compulsory for all candidates. 1 Being Part of a Globalized World Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and then answer all the questions. You may use any of the sources to help you answer the questions, in addition to those sources you are told to use. In answering the questions , you should use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. 1 (a) Study Source A. Why was this cartoon published? Explain your answer. [5] (b) Study Sources B and C. How similar are the two sources? Explain your answer. [6] (c) Study Source D. Can you trust what Source D says about the role of the public in the spread of fake news? Explain your answer. [7] (d) Study Source E. How useful is Source E as evidence about social media’s role in spreading fake news? Explain your answer. [7] (e) Study all sources. How far do the sources in the case study show that social media is responsible for the spread of fake news? Explain your answer. [10]

3 Is social media responsible for the spread of fake news? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. The term ‘f ake news’ refers to inaccurate or false information that is designed to misinform and deceive people. It has been known to influence citizens to falsely believe in certain ideas and to lose faith in their own governments, amongst other consequences. It is now seen as one of the greatest threats to democracy, free debate, and government order. Fake news is generally disseminated across several social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Many have blamed these social media platforms for their la ck of supervision over the spread of fake news. There have been calls for social media companies to increase their surveillance of misinformation circulating on their platforms. Social media companies have responded to these accusations with claims that us ers should be the ones who are responsible for their own consumption and sharing of information. Study the following sources to find out who should be ar responsibility for the spread of fake news. Source A: A cartoon posted by an American blogger on his website, March 2018. Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook) Objective truth

4 Source B: An extract adapted from an online commentary published on Vox, an American news and opinion website, January 2019. Source C: An excerpt adapted from an interview with Facebook published on BBC, a British newspaper, May 2019. Source D: A commentary by an assistant professor at the NTU Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, May 2017. * Media literacy is the ability to critically assess the accuracy and validity of information presented on social media Many observers have n oted that information on social media platforms can be very easily manipulated to criticize political opponents and destabilize governments. Both the 2016 US election and the 2018 Brazilian vote proved that social media is a perfect tool for this kind of activity. In response to such accusations, social media giants have defended themselves with claims that it is impossible to review the billions of posts that are made on its platform every day and solving the problem will require artificial intelligence – which is technically difficult and will take years of research and development. Facebook has said it won’t remove a fake video that makes Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi appear drunk and incoherent . This video was meant to weaken government stability in America. "There’s a tension here,” Facebook said, “between allowing free speech, and preventing the spread of fake news. People expect every piece of fake news to be eliminated from our platform. However, we have to be cautious about what is defined as fake news. What some people see as misinformation may just be another person’s opinion. Here at Facebook, we trust that our us ers have good judgment and discretion to differentiate between false information and objective information.” Social media organisations have started efforts to fight fake news, something consistent with their social responsibility. But such efforts will be futile if users themselves keep a blind eye on fake news. The need for media literacy* is more pressing now than ever. In the current age, especially in The United States, n ews stations like Fox News simply published news that they thought were sensational with no care for its authenticity and reliability. The public cannot move away from t raditional news sources like the newspapers, blindly depend on social media for news, and expect to see only vetted information. The public community needs to recognize that they too have a part to play in this fake news crisis as it takes two hands to clap.

5 Source E: An excerpt adapted from an interview with Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, August 2018. *Elite is a select group that is superior to the rest of society. Fake news is nothing new. Fake news existed before Twitter was ever a thing. It spread through email chains and now has found its way to social media platforms. Some have rushed to blame the internet and social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter for the crisis. However, traditional media such as print newspapers and magazines, TV and radio news should bear the bigger fault. It is a deep rooted problem for the traditional media to see itself as part of the elite*, reports news for the elite and therefore is unable to properly connect with the frustration and anger of common people, causing them to turn to alternative sources for information. The responsibility of fact-checking the news sources lies solely on the shoulders of traditional news media and they have clearly let the American public down.

6 Section B (Structured-Response Question) Question 2 is compulsory for all candidates. LIVING IN A DIVERSE SOCIETY Study the extracts carefully, and then answer the questions. Extract 1 Extract 2 Extract 3 (a) Extract 1 reflects on how some Singaporeans face financial challenges in meeting their healthcar