2024 CCHS Prelim Question Paper

SECTION A (Source-Based Case Study) Answer all questions. 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 issue to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. 1 Study Source A. What can you learn from this source about American society? Explain your answer. [5] 2 Study Source B. Are you surprised by what this source says? Explain your answer. [6] 3 Study Sources C and D. How similar are these two sources? Explain your answer. [7] 4 Study Sources E and F. Does Source F prove Source E is wrong? Explain your answer. [7] 5 ‘Individuals are responsible for maintaining harmony in diverse societies. Using the sources in this case study, explain how far you would agree with this statement. [10]

2 Is conflict unavoidable in a diverse society? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. Living in a diverse society where different races, nationalities, religions, socio-economic status can lead to both positive and negative experiences for individuals in the society. While diversity can be a strength to a more vibrant, innovative, and dynamic workforce, sometimes different views on values, beliefs and customs lead to conflicts that divide the country. In various countries, such as the United States and Myanmar, issues of racial and ethnicity inequality and discrimination remains a key source for conflicts and tensions. The division observed in the United States stems from a history of racism between the African Americans and the Caucasians. In the case of Myanmar, the ethnic conflict led to decade long of violence which has drawn international attention as the humanitarian crisis has yet to be resolved. On the other hand, Singapore, being a multicultural society, has been putting significant efforts in maintaining the unity of society since its independence. However, in recent years, reports of Singaporeans’ xenophobic behaviours highlighted the negative sentiments of Singaporeans’ unwillingness to welcome people of other nationalities in our society. These can be due to stereotypes and prejudices over the perceived competition over jobs and negative portrayal of immigrants via the social media. These episodes of conflicts reported in the various diverse societies has led to debate on whether conflict is unavoidable in a diverse society and the role of different parties in maintaining harmony in the society or creating a rift in human relationships. Study the following sources to find out how is conflict unavoidable in a diverse society. Source A: A cartoon on the difference in views between the Caucasians and the African Americans in the United States on racial inequality in America, where the minorities are deemed to be disadvantaged. [Turn over

3 Source B: An extract from the survey report on the future of racial equality in America, conducted by Pew Research Centre, an independent organisation that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world, published in 2023. Source C: Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan’s response to questions in Parliament on Singapore's response to the rising number of anti-Asian crimes globally since the start of the pandemic. Source D: Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Edwin Tong, responding to parliamentary questions on efforts to tackle racism and racial discrimination, and efforts to strengthen racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Source E: A cartoon on Facebook’s role in the Myanmar crisis. The Rohingya is a predominantly We foster social norms for respectful online behaviour and discourse. Recent events have highlighted the polarising effect of online platforms and social media, and we must guard against potential divisions. This is especially important because we can only strengthen our multiculturalism, if we treat fellow Singaporeans as partners, instead of adversaries to be confronted. To achieve this, we will require a whole-of-society partnership, with Government, Industry, and of course the Community, and each of us, collaborating. Social media companies also play a part in managing content hosted on their platforms, by constantly improving and enforcing their policies to remove content that promotes violence against people based on race or ethnicity. For example, Facebook has a set of Community Standards, which classifies “Hate Speech” as “objectionable content”. Twitter also has a similar set of policies on hateful conduct. The Government also works with these social media companies to promote healthy online discourse. Over the past year, many Singaporeans demonstrated their readiness to stand together with their fellow Singaporeans in upholding social solidarity, especially when our racial and religious harmony is threatened by hateful sentiments or terrorist acts. But despite our best efforts, we are not immune to hate or xenophobia. Last Friday, there was an alleged racist attack on a 55-year-old, Madam Hindocha Nita Vishnubhai. Madam Nita said she was brisk walking from Choa Chu Kang MRT station towards the stadiu m when she had a run -in with a man who shouted racial slurs at her for not wearing her mask above her nose, and then he kicked her in the chest before running away. Madam Nita had lodged a police report and the police are investigating. So, while we guard against the virality of COVID -19, it is more important for us to guard against the virality of hate and xenophobia. Thinking about the future, more Americans say they are pessimistic (44%) than they are optimistic (28%) about the country’s ability to ensure equality for all people, regardless of race or ethnicity. We also asked people who felt that efforts to ensure racial equality have not gone far enough if they think there will be equality in their lifetime. Th e result is particularly pessimistic – with 58% of them felt that ‘racial equality is unlikely’, while 33% felt ‘it is somewhat likely’ and only 8% felt ‘it is extremely or very likely.’ Opinions on the sufficiency of effort to ensure racial equality do not vary much by race or ethnicity.

4 [Grab your reader’s attention with a great quote from the document or use this space to emphasize a key point. To place this text box anywhere on the page, just drag it.] Muslim ethnic minority of about 1.1 million people living mostly in Rakhine state, west Myanmar, on the border with Bangladesh. The Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar's ethnic armed group, refers to the Rohingya population as "Bengali terrorists". Source F: A report published by International Crisis Group, an independent organis