cchms prelim

Name: Class: Class Register Number: PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2019 SECONDARY 4 Humanities (Social Studies, Geography) 2272/01 Humanities (Social Studies, History) 2273/01 Humanities (Social Studies, Literature in English) 2274/01 Humanities (Social Studies, Literature in Chinese) 2275/01 Humanities (Social Studies, Literature in Malay) 2276/01 Humanities (Social Studies, Literature in Tamil) 2277/01 Tuesday, 27 August 2019 1 hour 45 minutes Additional Materials: Answer Paper READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name, class and index number clearly in the spaces provided at the top of this page. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid. Section A Answer all parts of Question 1 and attach to the Cover Page for Section A. Section B Answer both parts of Question 2 and attach to the Cover Page for Section B. Write all answers on the answer paper provided. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question and part question. This document consists of 6 printed pages and 2 blank pages. [Turn over Commented [M1]: Change accordingly for level. Commented [CCKK2]: Remove if no additional materials, e.g. graph paper, included. Commented [CCKK3]: Do not delete

2 2019 PRELIM/CCHMS/Secondary 4/Social Studies 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 message of this source? Explain your answer. [5] (b) Study Sources B and C. How far does the cartoonist in Source B support the views expressed in Source C? Explain your answer. [6] (c) Study Source D. Can you accept what Source D says? Explain your answer. [7] (d) Study Sources E and F. Having read Source E, are you surprised by Source F? Explain your answer. [7] (e) ‘Socio-economic diversity has led to negative impacts.’ Using sources in this case study, explain how far you would agree with this statement. [10]

3 2019 PRELIM/CCHMS/Secondary 4/Social Studies [Turn over Is there an increasing income gap in Singapore? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you answer some of the questions. Over the last half century, income inequality has increased in almost all developed economies, including Singapore. The problem is most acute in large cities, for they tend to be where a country's wealth is created and concentrated. Singapore’s Gini coefficient is higher than that of many other advanced countries. But it is similar to or lower than other large metropolitan centres such as Beijing, Shanghai, London, New York and San Francisco. The Gini coefficient helps to measure how income is distributed in a country. Countries with more unequal distribution of income will have a Gini coefficient that is closer to 1. Despite the longer term trend of growing inequality, over the last 10 years, income inequality in Singapore has declined slightly. However, there are increasing concerns that safeguarding social mobility would get more difficult as Singapore progresses. Hence the government has intensified its efforts to address this matter. Study the following sources to assess if the income gap in Singapore will continue to increase. Source A: A cartoon published on an alternative news website.

4 2019 PRELIM/CCHMS/Secondary 4/Social Studies Source B: A cartoonist’s view on income inequality in Singapore. Source C: An opinion published in The Straits Times, 2018. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged this in Parliament this month. Responding to an MP's question, he said: "The issues of mitigating income inequality, ensuring social mobility and enhancing social integration are critical. If we fail - if widening income inequalities result in a rigid and stratified social system, with each class ignoring the others or pursuing its interests at the expense of others - our politics will turn vicious, our society will fracture and our nation will wither." This is because inequality is not about absolute deprivation, unlike poverty. But inequality is a structural impediment. Inequality is about how a society's policies, structures, assumptions and decisions work together to create advantage for some groups, and obstacles for others. We can see how politics globally have become fragmented as societies are driven apart by competing interests, and when people feel that the country's systems are unequal and stacked against them.

5 2019 PRELIM/CCHMS/Secondary 4/Social Studies [Turn over Source D: An extract from a speech by an opposition MP Sylvia Lim, in parliament during the Budget 2018 debate. Why is it so important to show commitment to the goal of reducing inequality and increasing social mobility? Because it is vital to our very existence as a nation. How can we say these things, justice, equality, to achieve happiness prosperity and progress for the nation, if we perpetuate a society where citizens are not equal, where some seemingly have little hope but are doomed for failure, while others zoom ahead? Will there eventually be an erosion of trust, where a class divide makes it harder for people at the bottom and middle to identify with those at the top? Source E: An online newspaper article published in The Straits Times, 2014. Much attention given to inequality in Singapore in recent years has focused on income inequality. There is a good reason: Singapore’s income gap, as measured by the Gini coefficient for income, is one of the widest among developed countries at 0.478. To narrow this gap, the Government has made efforts to raise wages at the bottom and increase taxes on wealth at the top. Among other things, it has given cash handouts and supplemented incomes with Workfare Income Supplements for low-income earners. It is also working with tripartite partners to boost incomes for low-wage sectors. It recently required cleaning companies to follow wage guidelines for cleaners’ starting pay. In addition, the Government has started extracting a bigger pound of flesh from the rich through the tax system. Last year’s Budget introduced more taxes on high-end assets, including luxury cars and homes. Source F: A research report on the income inequality situation in Singapore, in comparison to other countries, 2018. The picture of income inequality in Singapore is complicated. On one hand, the country has seen a significant income gap between its richest and poorest residents grow in dollar terms in recent years. On the other hand, Singapore has experienced dynamic growth, which has benefitted all workers, with low-income individuals experiencing faster wage growth than high-income individuals. While Singapore has room for improvement, it compares well to some other major countries in terms of income inequality and