IGCSE Sociology Structured Questions: Cambridge (CIE) Revision

Questions

1. Define the term 'socialisation' and distinguish between primary and secondary socialisation, providing an example for each.

2. Outline two reasons for the increase in divorce rates in many modern industrial societies.

3. Explain how social class can influence an individual's educational achievement.

4. Describe two functions of the family from a functionalist perspective.

5. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using questionnaires as a research method in sociology.

6. Distinguish between 'crime' and 'deviance', providing an example for each concept that illustrates the difference.

7. Explain what is meant by 'gender role' and discuss how gender roles are socially constructed.

8. Outline two ways in which the media can influence public opinion.

9. Describe two forms of social mobility and explain how they might occur in a society.

10. Analyse how ethnic identity can be a significant factor in shaping an individual's experiences in society.

Answer Key

1. Socialisation: The process by which individuals learn the norms, values, beliefs, and behaviours of their society. Primary socialisation: Occurs during early childhood, primarily within the family, teaching basic norms and values (e.g., learning to speak, table manners). Secondary socialisation: Occurs later in life through institutions like school, peer groups, workplace, and media, teaching specific roles and behaviours (e.g., learning school rules, professional conduct).

2. Increased divorce rates:

   • Changing social attitudes: Less social stigma attached to divorce, making it more socially acceptable.
   • Easier divorce laws: Legislation has made the process of obtaining a divorce simpler and quicker.
   • Increased financial independence of women: Women are less reliant on their husbands financially, enabling them to leave unhappy marriages.
   • Rising expectations of marriage: People expect more personal fulfilment from marriage, leading to divorce if expectations are not met.

3. Social class and educational achievement:

   • Material deprivation: Lower-class families may lack resources (e.g., books, quiet study space, nutritious food) which can hinder a child's learning.
   • Cultural deprivation: Some sociologists argue that working-class culture may not equip children with the linguistic or cultural capital valued by the education system (e.g., language codes, parental involvement).
   • Parental attitudes and expectations: Middle-class parents often have higher educational aspirations for their children and provide more support.
   • Labelling and streaming: Working-class students may be negatively labelled by teachers, leading to self-fulfilling prophecies and placement in lower streams.

4. Functionalist functions of the family:

   • Primary socialisation: Teaching children the norms and values of society, integrating them into the social structure.
   • Stabilisation of adult personalities: The family provides emotional support and a refuge from the stresses of modern life for adults.
   • Reproduction: Ensuring the continuation of society by bearing and raising children.
   • Economic function: Providing food, shelter, and economic support for its members (though this has shifted somewhat in modern societies).

5. Questionnaires as a research method:

   • Advantages:
     • Cost-effective and time-efficient: Can gather data from a large number of people quickly.
     • High reliability: Standardised questions allow for easy replication and comparison of results.
     • Anonymity: Can encourage honest responses on sensitive topics.
     • Quantitative data: Easy to quantify and analyse statistically.
   • Disadvantages:
     • Lack of depth: May not capture complex nuances or motivations behind answers.
     • Low validity: Respondents might misunderstand questions or give socially desirable answers.
     • Response rates: Can be low, leading to unrepresentative samples.
     • Impersonal: No opportunity for clarification or follow-up questions.

6. Crime vs. Deviance:

   • Deviance: Any behaviour that violates social norms and expectations within a given society or group. It is socially constructed and varies across cultures and time (e.g., wearing unconventional clothing, public nose-picking).
   • Crime: Any behaviour that violates the formal laws of a society, leading to official sanctions (e.g., theft, assault). All crime is deviant, but not all deviance is criminal.
   • Example: Drug use is deviant in many societies, but not all forms are criminal (e.g., alcohol consumption is deviant in some religious contexts but legal in many societies; smoking cannabis is deviant and illegal in many places but legal in others). An example of crime is shoplifting; an example of deviance that is not a crime is picking your nose in public.

7. Gender role and social construction:

   • Gender role: The set of societal norms dictating what types of behaviours, attitudes, and activities are considered appropriate for people based on their perceived sex.
   • Socially constructed: Gender roles are not innate or biologically determined but are learned through socialisation from birth. Families, peers, education, and media teach individuals what is expected of them as 'boys'/'men' or 'girls'/'women' (e.g., boys being encouraged to play with trucks and be assertive, girls with dolls and be nurturing). These roles vary significantly across different cultures and historical periods, demonstrating their social rather than biological origin.

8. Media influence on public opinion:

   • Agenda-setting: The media can influence what the public thinks about by selecting which issues to cover and how prominently to feature them, thereby highlighting certain topics as important.
   • Framing: The media can influence how the public thinks about an issue by the way it presents information, using particular language, images, or selective reporting to shape interpretation and public perception.
   • Moral panics: Media can create public fear and anxiety about particular groups or issues, leading to widespread concern and pressure for social control.
   • Reinforcement: Media can reinforce existing attitudes and beliefs within the audience, strengthening pre-existing opinions rather than changing them.

9. Forms of social mobility:

   • Intragenerational mobility: Refers to a change in social position occurring during a person's lifetime (e.g., starting as a factory worker and becoming a manager within the same company).
   • Intergenerational mobility: Refers to changes in social position from one generation to the next (e.g., a child of a manual labourer becoming a doctor).
   • How they occur: Factors include educational attainment, career choices, marriage/partnerships, economic changes (e.g., growth of service sector creating more professional jobs), and policy changes (e.g., expansion of higher education).

10. Analyse how ethnic identity can be a significant factor in shaping an individual's experiences in society:

    • Ethnic identity refers to a person's sense of belonging to an ethnic group, often based on shared cultural heritage, ancestry, language, or religion. It can significantly shape experiences through:
    • Discrimination and prejudice: Individuals with certain ethnic identities may face discrimination in areas like employment, housing, or justice, leading to unequal opportunities and negative experiences.
    • Cultural practices and traditions: Ethnic identity often involves participation in specific cultural practices (e.g., festivals, food, language) which provides a sense of community, belonging, and shared experience, but can also lead to cultural clashes or misunderstandings in a diverse society.
    • Formation of subcultures and communities: Shared ethnic identity can lead to the formation of ethnic enclaves or communities, offering support networks and a sense of belonging, but potentially leading to social segregation.
    • Identity formation: Ethnic identity plays a crucial role in an individual's self-concept and worldview, influencing their values, beliefs, and interactions with others.