2023 SGSS SS PRELIM QP

St. Gabriel’s Secondary School 2023 ‘O’ Level Preliminary Examination Subject : Humanities (Social Studies) Paper : 2272/1, 2273/1 Level/Stream : Secondary 4 Express / 5 Normal (Academic) Duration : 1 hour 45 minutes Date : 18 August 2023 Setter : Ms Anna Chew Additional material: Answer Booklet READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name, register number and class in the spaces above. Write all your answers on the answer booklet provided. Section A Answer all questions. Section B Answer both questions. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question. This document consists of 8 printed pages. Name: …………………………………………( ) Class: Sec 4E/5N ……..

2 SGSS/SS/4E5N/PRELIMS/2023 (ST GABRIEL SEC) SECTION A (Source-Based Case Study) Answer all questions. Exploring Citizenship & Governance Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and then answer all t he questions. You may use any of the sources to help you answer the questions, in addition to those sources which you are told to use. In answering the questions, you should use your knowledge of the issue to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. 1 Study Source A. Why was this infographic published? Explain your answer using details from the source. [6] 2 Study Sources B and C. How far does the speaker in Source B agree with the Minister in Source C? Explai n your answer. [7] 3 Study Source D. Is the source reliable as evidence about recycling efforts in Singapore? Explain your answer. [6] 4 Study Source E. Are you surprised by what Source E says? Explain your answer. [6] 5 ‘The Singapore government is responsible for managing the waste problem in the country.’ Using the sources in the case study, how far do you agree with the statement? [10]

3 SGSS/SS/4E5N/PRELIMS/2023 How effective are Singapore’s efforts at reducing waste? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. Singapore is renowned for its efficiency, cleanliness and countless innovations made in sustainable building design, as well as its energy and water efficiency. To sustain this amidst new environmental challenges, the government introduced the Zero Waste Masterplan in 2019. It aims to explore and introduce alternative approaches for waste and resource management practices, as well as encourage a shift towards more sustainable production and consumption. Singaporeans are encouraged to practise the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. The government has tried to facilitate this by providing blue recycling bins at all housing estates and installing collection points for electronic waste, commonly known as e-waste, at shopping malls. Popular fashion brands such as Uniqlo and H&M have installed collection points for clothes that are still in relatively new condition, while other organisations set up various workshops that educate people about upcycling old items for other uses. More recently, all supermarkets have begun charging Singaporeans who require plastic bags for their grocery shopping in a bid to reduce plastic usage. With these initiatives, Singapore ’s domestic recycling rate has improved over the last few years, albeit minimal. Are Singapore ’s current efforts at reducing waste effective, or is there still more to be done? Study the following sources to find out.

4 SGSS/SS/4E5N/PRELIMS/2023 Source A: An infographic published on the National Environment Agency website, May 2023. *non-domestic waste: waste generated due to the manufacture of specific products in commercial and industrial facilities *domestic waste: waste generated on an ordinary day- to-day basis such as food, paper, or plastic waste

5 SGSS/SS/4E5N/PRELIMS/2023 Source B: An interview with Ms Robin Rheaume, a Canadian who has lived in Singapore for about 30 years. She runs various Facebook groups and websites that seek to educate Singaporeans about reducing waste. We are constantly buying stuff, and the knock-on effect is that peop le throw out stuff that is perfectly good. I live in a fairly large condominium estate, and when I need something, like a piece of luggage for a trip, I just need to go downstairs and I will find one. I don ’t know how to tackle the consumption problem, especially now that the Covid pandemic means fewer people are going out. They spend five seconds getting a high buying something on Shopee and spend the next 20 years living with the carbon that is produced. I must say the government has put in a lot of effort in trying to raise awareness about the recycling issue. There are more recycling bins and more public campaigns. The issue is that people do not bother to check what can be recycled and what cannot. Food plastic packaging? Just throw them out. Don’t bother washing it as you waste more energy trying to clean out the oil and food waste. Source C: An extract of a speech by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, at an event about electronic waste, March 2019. Of the 347 youths aged 18 to 25 surveyed last year, 63.5 per cent admitted to hoardi ng old electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops. Only 10 per cent said they tr y to recycle this e-waste, with the rest lying around and unused. Of those who attempt to recycle, 34.1 per cent do it wrongly, by throwing the e-waste into the general recycling bins. Incinerated toxic materials in e-waste then contaminate the ash that is dumped into the Semakau landfill. Instead of being reused for construction materials, they take up precious space at Semakau. A campaign I did with 4 final year undergraduates from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) showed that although we have more than 500 e-waste recycling points in Singapore, it’s still not enough. Most people do want to recycle but are let down by their own laziness. Source D: An extract from a local online blogger who tried to explain why Singaporeans do not recycle, September 2021. I personally think Singaporeans have been too pampered by our efficient government. Throwing all waste down the chute in the comfort of their own homes is much easier than separating the recyclables from general waste and then going through the hassle of heading downstairs to deposit them into the communal blue recycling bins. There is also a lack of knowledge on how to recycle properly, such as how to prepare items for recycling as well as what can be recycled in the first place. For i nstance, some may not know that food and beverage containers need to be cleaned before they are recycled, and may even regard it as a hassle, opting to throw it down a regular r ubbish chute instead. Recycling is a voluntary activity for many in Singapore and there is no strong obligation to engage in it despite the environmental benefits.

6 SGSS/SS/4E5N/PRELIMS/2023 Source E: A photo of second-hand shoes being sold in Batam, Indonesia, published on the Reuters website in February 2023. Reuters is an independent international news organisation that reaches out to billions of global readers daily. These shoes were initially donated by Singaporeans as part of a recycling campaign by US Petrochemicals and various Singaporean partners such as national agency SportSG and Decathlon in 2021. Recycled materials from these donate shoes were supposed to be repurposed for building playgrounds and runnin