SCGS Prelim 2025 SS QP

1 SINGAPORE CHINESE GIRLS’ SCHOOL PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2025 SECONDARY FOUR O-LEVEL PROGRAMME CANDIDATE NAME CLASS REGISTER NUMBER CENTRE NUMBER INDEX NUMBER HUMANITIES 2260/01 / 2261/01 / 2262/01 Paper 1 Social Studies Monday 18 August 2025 1 hour 45 minutes Additional Materials: 2 Cover Sheets ___________________________________________________________________ READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write your name, class and index number on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. Section A Answer all questions. Section B Answer both questions. Start each section on a new sheet of writing paper. Complete the Cover Sheets and attach accordingly. At the end of the examination, fasten Section A and Section B SEPARATELY . They will be collected SEPARATELY . [Turn Over

2 The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question. _______________________________________________________________________ This question paper consists of 7 printed pages SECTION A (Source-Based Case Study) Answer all questions. Being Part of a Globalised 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 Study Source A. What is the message of this source? Explain your answer using details from the cartoon. [5] 2 Study Sources B and C. How similar are these two sources? Explain your answer. [7] 3 Study Sources D and E. Having read Source D, was Source E surprising? Explain your answer. [7] 4 Study Source F. How useful is this source in the discussion on cyber threats? Explain your answer. [6] 5 ‘Individual action is the best way to manage cyber threats.’ Using the sources in this case study, explain how far you would agree with this statement. [10] [Turn Over

3 How challenging is it to manage cyber threats? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. With advancements in digital technology, many of our daily activities are carried out online. Improvements in technology have also made it easier for people to access and store information online. This digital connectedness means that cybersecurity becomes an important concern for countries, organisations and individuals. Threats to cybersecurity, also known as cyber threats, pose a significant and growing risk to the global economy, with potential damages estimated in the trillions of dollars. These threats can disrupt businesses, compromise sensitive information, and even impact national security. Study the following sources to find out how cyber threats can be managed. Source A : A cartoon drawn in May 2018 about data security. [Turn Over

4 Source B: A cartoon by an American cartoonist, May 2021. Source C : From an article on the website of a cybersecurity company published in March 2025. With the rapid advancement in technology, the cyber threat landscape has changed. It is more sophisticated and widespread than ever. In fact, global cybercrime costs are expected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Cybersecurity isn’t just about big enterprises and government agencies; it is something businesses of all scales have to be tuned into, including the individual who uses these digital services. Human error remains one of the major contributing factors to cybersecurity breaches and tends to be the weakest link in organisational security defences. Poor passwords and falling for phishing remain some of the most common mistakes. [Turn Over

5 Source D: From a reply by Minister of Education Mr Chan Chun Sing in Parliament, on 10 September 2024. He was responding to a question from a Member of Parliament about the impact of a Mobile Guardian cyberattack that affected 13,000 users from 26 secondary schools. This cyberattack took place in August 2024. Mobile Guardian is a Device Management Application that helps parents manage their children’s learning device. It was most heartening to see many of our students step forward and proactively share their personal notes with classmates and organise study sessions to do revision for their tests and exams together. Despite this incident, we must embrace technology in teaching and learning so that students will be digitally savvy and able to navigate digital environments. All of us can learn from this incident. It is an important reminder for all of us to practise good digital hygiene, including the regular backing up of information. Source E: From an article written by a National University of Singapore Professor, published on 19 September 2024. He was commenting on the same Mobile Guardian cyberattack that took place in August 2024. T his incident with the device management app has sparked concerns about our growing dependence on technology in education. Some online reactions included calling for a return to more traditional methods as the breach disrupted students’ ability to continue their studies as they normally would. However, the real issue is not a dependence on technology. Instead, it is about our failure to equip students with skills to handle technological disruptions that are inevitable in today’s world. If students do not feel empowered by the digital tools given to them, then it is our responsibility as educators and as parents to equip them with the necessary technical and soft skills, so that they are able to gain a sense of autonomy to direct their use of digital tools. Source F: From an interview with Archie Norman published in a British newspaper, July 2025. Norman is the chairman of British retailer Marks & Spencer and in April 2025, there was a cyberattack against Marks & Spencer which forced them to suspend online shopping for nearly seven weeks. British businesses should be legally required to report cyberattacks to the authorities. We have reason to believe there've been two major cyberattacks on large British companies in the last four months which have gone unreported and this meant there was "a big deficit" in knowledge in the cybersecurity space. I don't think it would be regulatory overkill to say [Turn Over

6 if you have a cyber attack a