Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education

Cambridge International Examinations
Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education
SOCIOLOGY 0495/13
Paper 1 October/November 2014
2 hours 30 minutes
No Additional Materials are required.
* 7 5 1 1 2 5 6 1 3 9 *
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST
An answer booklet is provided inside this question paper. You should follow the instructions on the front cover
of the answer booklet. If you need additional answer paper ask the invigilator for a continuation booklet.
Answer Question 1 and three questions from Sections B to D.

The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.
This document consists of 3 printed pages, 1 blank page and 1 insert.
DC (LK) 98895
© UCLES 2014 [Turn over
2
Section A: Research Methods
In their research, sociologists will often ask questions in order to find out information and test
hypotheses. A popular method used for doing this is questionnaires or surveys. A questionnaire
consists of a series of written questions that can be either open or closed. Positivist sociologists tend to
prefer closed questions, whereas interpretivists will opt for open questions instead.
Using questionnaires means a large sample can be researched if a suitable sampling frame can be
found. If a stratified sample is used, then representative data can be collected and generalisations can
be made. Questionnaires typically produce quantitative data and in this way are similar to structured
interviews and official statistics.
1 (a) What is meant by the following terms?
(i) open questions [2]

(ii) structured interview [2]
(iii) sampling frame [2]
(b) Describe one strength and one limitation of using a large sample in sociological research. [4]
(c) Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of using official statistics in sociological
research. [4]
(d) Describe two types of survey used in sociology. [4]
(e) Describe two ways that questionnaires can be distributed. [4]
(f) Describe two strengths and two limitations of using questionnaires in sociological research.
[8]
Section B: Culture and Socialisation
2 The way people behave in society is strongly influenced by the processes of socialisation and
social control. Nurture is therefore thought by sociologists to be more important than nature.
(a) What is meant by the term social control? [2]
(b) Describe two examples of informal social control. [4]
(c) Explain why nurture is thought to be more important than nature in shaping the way people
behave. [6]
(d) To what extent can it be argued that in modern industrial societies the media is the most
important agency of socialisation? [8]
3 Sub-cultures exist in most societies and are particularly popular with young people.
(a) What is meant by the term sub-culture? [2]
(b) Describe two shared values. [4]
(c) Explain why sub-cultures are particularly popular with young people. [6]
(d) To what extent is primary socialisation more influential than secondary socialisation? [8]
© UCLES 2014 0495/13/O/N/14
3
Section C: Social Stratification and Inequality
4 Poverty, which can be absolute or relative, may affect some social groups more than others.
(a) What is meant by the term absolute poverty? [2]
(b) Describe two reasons why individuals may find themselves in a poverty trap. [4]
(c) Explain why some social groups are more likely to experience poverty than others. [6]
(d) To what extent is poverty a feature of modern industrial societies? [8]
5 In all societies individuals have different amounts of status depending upon their social class.
Social class can also affect the job an individual does and their employment opportunities.
(a) What is meant by the term status? [2]
(b) Describe two examples of social classes. [4]
(c) Explain how a person’s employment opportunities may be affected by their social class. [6]
(d) To what extent is de-skilling a feature of employment in modern industrial societies? [8]
Section D: Power and Authority
6 Suffrage is thought by many to be a source of power for individuals in society. How an individual
votes is clearly influenced by their social characteristics.
(a) What is meant by the term suffrage? [2]
(b) Describe two consequences for women of getting the right to vote. [4]
(c) Explain why political representation is thought by many to be biased and unrepresentative of
society. [6]
(d) To what extent do social characteristics such as gender, age, ethnicity and social class affect
voting behaviour? [8]
7 Different societies have very different political systems. How power and authority are organised
and distributed within these societies is a matter of debate.
(a) What is meant by the term authority? [2]
(b) Describe two features of a dictatorship. [4]
(c) Explain how governments in a democracy try to stay in power and win votes. [6]
(d) To what extent do you agree with the Pluralist view that power is widely distributed in
democratic societies? [8]
© UCLES 2014 0495/13/O/N/14

4
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© UCLES 2014 0495/13/O/N/14

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Cambridge International Examinations

Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Answer Question 1 and three questions from Sections B to D.

This document consists of 3 printed pages, 1 blank page and 1 insert.

Section A: Research Methods

1 (a) What is meant by the following terms?

(i) open questions [2]

(d) Describe two types of survey used in sociology. [4]

(e) Describe two ways that questionnaires can be distributed. [4]

Section B: Culture and Socialisation

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

(b) Describe two examples of informal social control. [4]

(a) What is meant by the term sub-culture? [2]

(b) Describe two shared values. [4]

Section C: Social Stratification and Inequality

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

(d) To what extent is poverty a feature of modern industrial societies? [8]

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

(b) Describe two examples of social classes. [4]

Section D: Power and Authority

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

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

(b) Describe two features of a dictatorship. [4]

© UCLES 2014 0495/13/O/N/14

© UCLES 2014 0495/13/O/N/14

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