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UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS

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International General Certificate of Secondary Education

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SOCIOLOGY 0495/02
Paper 2
October/November 2006

1 hour 45 minutes
Additional Materials: Answer Booklet/Paper

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

If you have been given an Answer Booklet, follow the instructions on the front cover of the Booklet.
Write your Centre number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in.
Write in dark blue or black pen.
You may use a soft pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working.
Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid.

Answer any three questions.

At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together.
The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.

This document consists of 4 printed pages.

SP (CW) T12618/1
© UCLES 2006 [Turn over
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Section A: Family

1 The functions performed by families have changed as societies have modernised.

(a) What is meant by the term functions? [2]

(b) Describe two functions that families perform in traditional societies. [4]

(c) How have family functions changed as societies have modernised? [6]

(d) To what extent is the family in decline in modern industrial societies? [8]

2 Over the last century there has been a sharp rise in the divorce rate in most industrial societies.
However, divorce is not the only form of marital breakdown.

(a) What is meant by divorce ? [2]

(b) Describe two other forms of marital breakdown. [4]

(c) Why are divorce rates rising rapidly in most industrial societies? [6]

(d) What are the effects on society of a high divorce rate? [8]

Section B: Education

3 Schools play a major role in the socialisation process and this occurs mainly through the hidden
curriculum. Bowles and Gintis argue that schools are important in preparing young people to be
hard working and obedient members of the workforce.

(a) What is meant by the term hidden curriculum? [2]

(b) Describe two examples of how schools may reinforce gender roles. [4]

(c) What is the role of the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ in relation to educational achievement? [6]

(d) To what extent do schools prepare young people to be obedient members of the workforce?
[8]

© UCLES 2006 0495/02/O/N/06

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4 Some groups benefit more than others from the formal education system in modern industrial
societies.

(a) What is meant by the term formal education? [2]

(b) Describe two ways in which formal education may improve a person’s chances of being
successful in society. [4]

(c) What problems do children from poor families have to overcome in order to be successful at
school? [6]

(d) How far do compensatory education programmes improve the opportunities of children from
poor families? [8]

Section C: Crime, Deviance and Social Control

5 The existence of the ‘dark figure’ means that official crime statistics fail to provide a complete
record of the amount of crime that is committed in society.

(a) What is meant by the term dark figure? [2]

(b) Describe two reasons why some crimes are never reported to the police. [4]

(c) Why might certain types of crime receive more attention from the police than other types of
crime? [6]

(d) How far are victim studies and self-report studies more reliable than the official statistics in
measuring the amount of crime? [8]

6 Police records suggest that it is mainly working class young men living in the inner city who become
involved in juvenile delinquency.

(a) What is meant by the term juvenile delinquency? [2]

(b) Describe two reasons why young women appear to commit fewer crimes than young men.
[4]

(c) Why does so much crime appear to be committed in inner city areas? [6]

(d) How far can the high incidence of crime among young working class men be explained in
terms of the actions of the police? [8]

© UCLES 2006 0495/02/O/N/06 [Turn over

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Section D: Mass Media

7 News reporting may contain bias and distortion. It may also give undue attention to the ‘official’
view of events.

(a) What is meant by the term bias? [2]

(b) Describe two examples of how news reporting may fail to provide an accurate view of
events. [4]

(c) What processes in the gathering and editing of news might lead to distortion in the reporting
of events? [6]

(d) How far do the mass media serve the interests of powerful individuals and social groups? [8]

8 The mass media are a strong influence on the lifestyles of individuals and groups in modern industrial
societies. Film stars and other celebrities take part in advertisements. These advertisements make
an important contribution to influencing lifestyles.

(a) What is meant by the term lifestyle? [2]

(b) Describe two examples of how advertising may influence people’s behaviour. [4]

(c) Why are celebrities often used to promote products in advertisements? [6]

(d) How far do the mass media reinforce gender divisions in modern industrial societies? [8]

Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every reasonable
effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will
be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

University of Cambridge International Examinations is part of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department
of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2006 0495/02/O/N/06