SS S4 Prelims 2021 Question Paper

Class Index Number Name : __________________________________________ This question paper consists of 7 printed pages. METHODIST GIRLS’ SCHOOL Founded in 1887 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2021 SECONDARY 4 Humanities (Social Studies) Monday 2272/2273/2274/1 2 August 2021 1 hour 45 minutes INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Do not open this paper until instructed to do so. Write your class, index number and name on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper. Section A Answer all questions. Section B Answer both questions. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question. The maximum mark for this paper is 50 marks. Answer Questions 6 and 7 on a fresh sheet of paper. At the end of the paper, fasten your responses securely together in different sections. Hand in Sections A and B separately.

Page 2 of 7 Methodist Girls’ School Social Studies Secondary 4 Preliminary Examination 2021 Section A (Source-Based Case Study) Answer all questions. Being Part of a Globalised Word 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 were 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. Do you think the Chinese business experts are optimistic about China’s bilateral trade during the United States (US)-China trade war? Explain your answer, using details of the source. [5] 2 Study Sources B and C. How similar are these two sources? Explain your answer. [6] 3 Study Sources D and E. Does Source E prove Source D wrong? Explain your answer. [7] 4 Study Source F. How useful is this source as evidence about the response to cultural identity in a globalised world? Explain your answer. [7] 5 “Globalisation brings about benefits only.” Using sources in this case study, explain how far you would agree with this statement. [10]

Page 3 of 7 Methodist Girls’ School Social Studies Secondary 4 Preliminary Examination 2021 What are the responses to globalisation? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. Globalisation is a process of interconnection and interdependence of economic and cultural activities around the world. It creates tensions due to the uneven impacts. The United States (US) and China, the world's two largest economies, have been locked in a trade battle that started during the former US President Trump’s administration in 2018. The US-China trade war has seen the US and China impose tariffs on one another's goods and services, causing high prices. This is worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in late 2019, resulting in the shutting of borders and a worldwide economic recession. However, China continues to trade with other partners such as ASEAN by establishing the ASEAN*-China Free Trade Area where trade in the area can enjoy tariff elimination and guarantee of market access. By 2018, ASEAN’s share of the global economy has expanded. ASEAN was ranked fourth after the European Union (EU), China, and the US in global trade of goods and services . The spread of global brands, global connectivity, and the Internet in the global economy has also broken down identity as a strictly national idea. Cultural exchanges can result in cultural hybridisation and diversity where there is a fusion of foreign and local cultures, leading to diverse responses. Study the following sources to consider the responses to globalisation. Source A: From a report on a Chinese news site, September 2020, by Chinese business experts about China’s bilateral* trade during the US-China trade war. Source: General Administration of Customs *ASEAN: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional organisation that addresses economic, security, and political issues. Its members are Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. *Bilateral: Involving two groups or countries: for example, China-ASEAN, China-EU, China-US

Page 4 of 7 Methodist Girls’ School Social Studies Secondary 4 Preliminary Examination 2021 Source B: From an online Japanese newspaper on the China-owned app, TikTok. It is a user- friendly short video app that allows users to create fast-moving content and share it on their mobile phones with the world, February 2021. TikTok has found widespread success overseas. India, along with the United States (US) was one of its biggest markets out of the 100-plus countries where it is available. It aggressively sold advertising space to Indian companies and in 2019 announced plans to invest $1 billion in India. TikTok was a source of joy for India’s users especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. India’s TikTok users received millions of followers worldwide by mimicking Bollywood * entertainment. However, Indian and US officials are suspicious of TikTok for illegally extracting user data for the Chinese government. India banned TikTok in June 2020. Subsequently, TikTok’s company left India, retrenching local employees. Yet many similar apps have launched in India since the ban. TikTok has also been embroiled in the US-China trade war when the former US President Trump threatened to shut TikTok down in late 2020 but a US judge overturned it. *Bollywood: A blend of India’s popular film industry, based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and America’s Hollywood film culture. Source C: A cartoon on TikTok users around the world, 2021.

Page 5 of 7 Methodist Girls’ School Social Studies Secondary 4 Preliminary Examination 2021 Source D : From a paper by a Japanese academic on national identity and globalisation, 2015. Due to Japan’s constant desire for progress, many of the old traditions are forgotten and society now sustains a culture that predominantly revolves around consumerism. Matcha* has entered the efficient system of mechanical mass production that sees the increase in sales. However, matcha has become just another commodity, removed from its cultural context. None of these large fast food multinational corporations (MNCs) prepare matcha in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony setting. Like Starbucks, they may preserve the term matcha but many of these matcha drinks are often blended with milk and sugar to weaken the bitter taste that is often undesirable for Western taste. Even Asian bubble tea houses discard the traditional for “modern” sweetness as they advertise bubble green tea milkshakes. When cultures are blended together, it is questionable whether or not they are able to retain their authenticity and unique national identity. *matcha: Japan’s powdered green tea Source E: An interview conducted in 2020 with Hollywood celebrity Chase Tang, a 32-year-old Taiwanese-Canadian actor and Pr esotea Global brand ambassador. Presotea Global is a Taiwanese bubble tea company that has over 400 locations globally. Growing up in Toronto’s Chinatown, I was ashamed to be associated with Asian things such as bubble tea when it was unknown back then in the West. With the rise of social media came a shift in bubble tea trends. Now, everybody takes pictures of their drinks. For many Asians, bubble tea is a symbol of our unique and special culture that is becoming widely accepted within the Western food and beverage industry. Likewise, my work as an actor is another cultural bridge between the East and the West. Now, bubble tea makes me feel proud as an Asian. I am honoured to represent Presotea Globa