sngs prelim

Name: _________________________ ( ) Class: _____________ PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION ORDINARY LEVEL HUMANITIES Paper 1 Social Studies 2272/01,2273/01,2274/01 26 August 2019 1hour 45 minutes READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name, register number, and class on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. Do not use highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Section A Answer all parts of Question 1. Section B Answer both parts of Question 2. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. This document consists of 7 printed pages and 1 blanks page. [Turn Over

2 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 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 topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. 1(a) Study Source A. What is the attitude of the professor towards the integration policy in Singapore? Explain your answer. [5] (b) Study Source B. Are you surprised by the views expressed in this source? Explain your answer. [6] (c) Study Sources C and D. How far do you think the researchers in Source C would have agreed with Source D? Explain your answer. [7] (d) Study Source E. How useful is this source as evidence that Singapore’s efforts to foster religious harmony are successful? Explain your answer. [7] (e) “The government has the most important role in building a harmonious Singapore.” Using sources in this case study, explain how far you would agree with this statement. [10]

3 How can religious harmony in Singapore be safeguarded? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. As Singapore becomes increasingly diverse, it is important to ensure interactions amongst different groups in society are meaningful. This will allow Singapore to continue to foster and strengthen harmony in society. Globally, there is a trend of increasing prejudice and discrimination. The September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States has unfortunately led to security agencies stereotyping Muslims in the name of anti-terrorism preventive measures, leading to a wave of Islamophobia. More recently, shootings that took place in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand on 15 March 2019 left many Muslims wounded and dead. The shootings were carried out by a lone gunman and were broadcasted live on social media. Such an attack can place a severe strain on relationships in a multi-religious society like Singapore if religious harmony is not strengthened. Authorities and online platforms are also realising they need to exercise extra vigilance to prevent online tools from being misused by unscrupulous users. These examples show that threats to our inter-religious harmony are prevalent. In light of this, how can religious harmony in Singapore be safeguarded? Study the following sources to assess how religious harmony in Singapore can be safeguarded. Source A: This cartoon was posted in an Australian professor's blog post, 30 Jan 2011. The post was about his research on the integration policy in Singapore. Singapore values National Service English Local norms Looks like a manufacturing policy

4 Source B: An excerpt from the Singapore Interfaith Youth Circle Group posted on Facebook, 15 March 2019. For the first time in a long time, New Zealand’s terror threat level has shifted to high. This is a country whose threat levels are generally regarded as very low. As much as our hearts and prayers are with them, we would also strongly encourage every Singaporean to reflect on where we stand as a community and a country today. This peace we have simply cannot be taken for granted or be left to chance. The government alone cannot be left to deal with the aftermath of a terror attack. How prepared are we to stand together and ensure our social fabric stays stronger than ever before? How ready are we as individuals and communities to withstand this? Source C: From a research done by an independent research institute based in Singapore, published in 20 March 2019. In a random sampling of 1,800 Singaporean residents, seven in 10 respondents in Singapore said they feel that people from different religious backgrounds can get along when living close together. Even so, around 15 per cent of people said they found Muslims at least somewhat threatening. This was higher than what was reported for any other religious group. Those who live in private estates were more likely to see Muslims as threats compared with those who live in public housing. On the other hand, those who had more trust in *secular institutions were less likely to think that way. *Secular: The separation of state from religion. Source D: From a speech by President Halimah Yacob, at a conference in Beijing, China. It was published on channelnewsasia.com in 16 May 2019 with additional commentary. President Halimah Yacob said that: “Religious harmony is always going to be a work in progress, noting that Singaporeans have become more fervent in their religious convictions. It is important that our people are good citizens of Singapore, at the same time as they are good Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, Muslims, or Hindus. While religion is seen as a positive factor that can strengthen society, the country is a “strictly secular state.” The country's Constitution was recently amended to ensure minorities will be regularly elected as president. The country also has strict laws to prevent the unfair criticism of other faiths and the mixing of religion and politics.

5 Source E A cartoon depicting religious leaders of different faiths published on the webpage of the Commitment to Safeguard Religious Harmony website, June 2019. Source F An extract from an article published on channelnewsasia.com, 19 June 2019 Bishop Terry Kee, the President of the National Council of Churches of Singapore, said religious leaders had discussed the need to enhance existing declarations of religious harmony and bring something practical to the table for years. He added that his community will have to tackle the issue of Christians sharing about their faith when it is not welcome. “We always affirm that it is our right to embrace our faith, to practice and also to propagate (it). However, we have no right to denigrate or ridicule other faiths. We have to be sensitive as to whether it is the right thing to do at that point in time.”

6 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 With policymakers in Singapore reviewing their full-year growth projections, some economists have warned that the Singapore economy could grow slower than initially thought, or even risk falling into a technical recession, as the trade spat between the world’s two biggest economies of China and United States of America drags further. Extract 2 Avengers Endgame made $850 million in the American domestic market, $614 million in China and $1.31 billion everywhere else. It became the highest grossing movie overtaking Avatar. In China, the movie also set records for midnight screening, first day screening and IMAX movies. Extract 3 Chinese fans are questioning the authenticity of Disney’s depiction of the iconic h