FAQS ON SBQ & SEQ SKILLS
What are Source-based Questions (SBQs)?
Source-based questions form part (70%) of the GCE ‘O’ Levels assessment items for 2204/01 Social Studies.
The assessment objectives are:
Objective 1: Knowledge
Candidates should be able to:
Objective 3: Interpreting and Evaluating Sources/Given Information
Candidates should be able to:
Source-based questions form part (70%) of the GCE ‘O’ Levels assessment items for 2204/01 Social Studies.
The assessment objectives are:
Objective 1: Knowledge
Candidates should be able to:
- demonstrate relevant factual knowledge.
Objective 3: Interpreting and Evaluating Sources/Given Information
Candidates should be able to:
- comprehend and extract relevant information;
- draw inferences from given information;
- analyse and evaluate evidence;
- compare and contrast different views;
- distinguish between fact, opinion and judgement;
- recognise values and detect bias; and
- draw conclusions based on reasoned consideration of evidence and arguments.
What are the different types of SBQs?
There are generally 5 standard types of source-based questions that are examinable at the GCE ‘O’ Levels. They are namely– Inference, Comparison, Reliability, Utility and Assertion types of questions. Besides the standard types of source-based questions, there are also non-standard (e.g. hybrid questions) types of source-based questions which are variants of the standard types and/or marry different types of questions into one.
There are generally 5 standard types of source-based questions that are examinable at the GCE ‘O’ Levels. They are namely– Inference, Comparison, Reliability, Utility and Assertion types of questions. Besides the standard types of source-based questions, there are also non-standard (e.g. hybrid questions) types of source-based questions which are variants of the standard types and/or marry different types of questions into one.
What does it mean to make an Inference?
In a Nutshell
General guidelines for writing an Inference answer
In a Nutshell
- To infer means to draw a conclusion about an issue by using information that is available to you (source content) and what you already know (contextual knowledge).
- To infer is also to read “between the lines” of a piece of content and derive some messages from it.
- Make use of your contextual knowledge to interpret/ make sense of the clues/ details in the source.
- Then draw a conclusion about the source and infer the purpose of the author where necessary.
General guidelines for writing an Inference answer
- Use contextual knowledge to interpret/make sense of the clues/ details in the source.
- Then, draw a conclusion about the source and infer the ‘purpose’ of the author where necessary.
- 2 distinct statements of inference (in content) + supporting evidence from the source should suffice.
- Each inference must be followed immediately by support from the source.
- Infer the ‘purpose’ of the author where necessary.
- No need to bring in/write on contextual knowledge, except when inferring ‘purpose’.
- Proper paragraphing is advisable, with one paragraph for each inference + supporting evidence.
- Paraphrasing (repeating details) the source ≠ making an inference.
What does it mean to Compare & Contrast?
In a Nutshell
General guidelines for writing a Comparison answer
In a Nutshell
- To compare and contrast means to look for similarities and differences between two or more sources.
- In order to compare sources, you need to refer to some common criteria/basis/factors for comparison, so that your comparisons are matching.
- Then, draw a conclusion on how the two sources are similar/different or how similar/different the two sources are.
General guidelines for writing a Comparison answer
- There are generally 4 areas you should consider when comparing and/or contrasting sources– they are namely Provenance, Content, Tone/ Point of View and Purpose.
- In making valid and reasonable comparisons in the Content between two or more sources, you will need to refer to some common factors, so as to ensure that your comparisons are matching.
- Then, draw a conclusion on how the two sources are similar/different or how similar/different are the two sources.
What does it mean to test for/ prove Reliability?
In a Nutshell
General guidelines for writing a Reliability answer
In a Nutshell
- To evaluate a source for reliability is to examine how reliable, truthful, accurate, authentic or credible the source is, so as to enable you to decide on how much you can believe or trust the source.
- It also requires you to examine further and not take the source content at face value.
General guidelines for writing a Reliability answer
- To evaluate the reliability of a source, detect whether there is/are bias in the source.
- Consider the items in the mnemonic “SOLAR-OF” in helping you to detect bias and raise doubts about the reliability of the source:
- Slant (Biased)
- Is the source one-sided?
- Does it contain only typical information?
- Over-generalisations (Typicality)
- Does the source contain sweeping claims/statements which may not be true for everyone/ every situation?
- Loaded language (Tone/ Choice of Words)
- Does it contain words that suggest additional meaning that lead readers to think in certain way?
- Association (Provenance/ Purpose)
- Does it link an opinion/concept to a famous person or organization who may or may not be an expert/authority in the subject?
- Does the author of the source want to influence the audience to think or act in a certain way?
- Repetition (Choice of Words)
- Does it have half-truths which seem to become accepted as “fact-like” as they can be made to stick in the mind by simply repeating it often enough.
- Opinion as Fact (Accuracy)
- Does it contain information which are points of view and not based on certainty/cannot be verified?
- Does it contain information that can be checked, and shown to be true or false, right or wrong?
- When you have detected that the source is doubtful as it contains some form of bias, you will need to determine it's reliability by:
- checking the source against other sources/ contextual knowledge by doing cross-referencing*;
- discussing on the treatment of the source content (i.e. choice of words used), and;
- evaluating the purpose (hidden motive) of the author
- Remember to draw a conclusion on whether you think the source can be believed/ trusted/ proven/ is reliable after working on either aspects as stated above.
- Notes on Cross-referencing*
- Cross-referencing is a process of checking the reliability of a specific aspect of a base source (content) by comparing it:
- against what another source says, or;
- against what the background information says, or;
- against one’s own knowledge.
- When doing a cross-referencing, it must be clear in the answer:
- that a check is being made (i.e. raise your doubt or affirm your belief in the reliability of the base source);
- what exactly is being checked on (i.e. the base source content), and;
- what exactly it is being checked against (i.e. the cross-reference content).
- Cross-refer to other sources to prove (confirm) or disprove (challenge) what the base source is stating. The choice of other sources/ information to cross-refer to will depend on their relevance and reliability too. Avoid cross-referring to a clearly unreliable source, or political cartoon.
What does it mean to evaluate Utility/ Usefulness?
In a Nutshell
General guidelines for writing an Utility answer
In a Nutshell
- To evaluate a source for usefulness is to weigh the relevance of the source in helping us understand an issue, via the evaluation of the sufficiency and reliablity of the source.
- Hence, it is to judge how much the source helps you to understand a topic/ issue better by studying what it tells you and does not tell you.
- It is also to judge how accurate reliable (accurate) a source is, so as to determine its accuracy in uncovering the topic/ issue.
General guidelines for writing an Utility answer
- Evaluate a source for its utility (i.e. usefulness) by first identifying the specific topic/ issue in the question.
- Study the source to find out what you need to know about the topic/ issue. Then, examine what the source does tell you (useful) and determine if there is a limitation in the information provided.
- Use your contextual knowledge or other sources to see what information is missing (i.e. the process is like checking for the missing pieces in a jigsaw puzzle).
- Depending on the topic/ issue, sometimes it may be necessary to consider the reliability of the source (especially when you are trying to understand the facts) and if it affects how you can use the information.
- A reliable source certainly means that a source is generally useful as we can trust/ believe in the accuracy of the source.
- Conversely, an unreliable source can diminish the usefulness of a source, since the facts/ information are inaccurate.
- However, it does not mean that all unreliable sources are useless. The apparent unreliability of the source can allow us to understand why people would think or act in a certain way on the topic/ issue.
What does it mean to examine an Assertion?
In a Nutshell
General guidelines for writing an Assertion answer
In a Nutshell
- An assertion is essentially a conclusion/ interpretation that has already been made on an issue.
- However, most interpretations are not fully accurate, so we have to use our contextual knowledge to examine whether the source contains some elements of truth.
- Prove the accuracy of the assertion by checking on evidences in the sources.
General guidelines for writing an Assertion answer
- Examine the assertion of a source by first identifying what topic/ issue is being presented in the question.
- Study the sources to find out how the assertion presents itself in the sources.
- Then, comment on the sources and state how far they prove the assertion to be true or how far they agree with the assertion.
- Use your contextual knowledge to discuss other aspects of the topic/ issue that the assertion has not raised.
Are there samples of the different types of SBQs?
Below is a list of sample questions for each type of SBQs. Please note that the list is not exhaustive.
A list of Inference questions
A list of Comparison questions
1-sided
2-sided
A list of Reliability questions
A list of Utility questions
A list of Assertion questions
Below is a list of sample questions for each type of SBQs. Please note that the list is not exhaustive.
A list of Inference questions
- What does Source X tell you about…?
- What is the cartoon trying to show?
- What can you tell about…? Explain your answer.
- Does Source X argue for or against…? Explain your answer.
- Do you think the author of the source is for or against…? Explain your answer.
- Look at Source X. Was this cartoon drawn by a… or a…?
- What is the cartoonist attitude towards the…? Explain your answer.
- What impression of… is given in Source X? Explain your answer.
- What is the message of Source X? Explain your answer.
- Why do you think the artist drew this cartoon?
- Would the artist in Source X been pleased with the person who wrote Source Y?
- What point is the cartoonist making about...?
- How far would X have been happy with the report in Source X?
A list of Comparison questions
1-sided
- How are Sources X and Y similar?
- How do Sources X and Y differ?
- In what ways are Sources X and Y similar?
- In what ways do Sources X and Y differ?
- Contrast/ Differentiate between Sources X and Y.
2-sided
- How similar are Sources X and Y?
- How different are Sources X and Y?
- To what extent/ How far is Source X similar to Source Y?
- To what extent/ How far is Source X different from Source Y?
- Compare Sources X and Y.
A list of Reliability questions
- Do you think Source X is fair…? Explain your answer.
- Do you believe/ trust what Source X says about…? Explain your answer.
- Does Source X prove/ show that…? Explain your answer.
- Do you think Source X provides a balanced view about…? Explain your answer.
- Is Source X reliable as evidence of…? Explain your answer.
- Sources X and Y give two differing accounts of… Which source is not telling the truth/ believable/ fair? Explain your answer.
- Sources X and Y give two differing accounts of… Does that mean that one of them is wrong? Explain your answer.
- In what ways is Source X reliable? Explain your answer.
- How reliable/ trustworthy is Source X? Explain your answer.
- To what extent/ How far is Source X reliable? Explain your answer.
- To what extent do you believe/trust what Source X says about…? Explain your answer.
- How authentic/ truthful is Source X?
- How far does Source X show that Source Y is wrong?
- Are you surprised by what Source X says about...? Explain your answer.
- Having read Source X, are you surprised by Source Y?
- Are you convinced by X's explanation in Source Y?
- Which source would you trust more as evidence about...? Explain your answer.
- Is one of these sources more reliable than the others about...?
- Which of these sources is more reliable as evidence about...?
A list of Utility questions
- What/ How much can we learn from Source X? Explain your answer.
- In what ways is Source X useful? Explain your answer.
- How does Source X help us understand…? Explain your answer.
- Which source is more useful as evidence about…? Explain your answer.
- Is Source X of any use to your understanding of…? Explain your answer.
- How useful is Source X for finding out about…? Explain your answer.
- How useful are Sources X and Y to your understanding on…? Explain your answer.
- How useful will this source be to a person who is interested in…? Explain your answer.
- To what extent is Source X useful? Explain your answer.
- In what ways is this source useful…? Explain your answer.
- To what extent/ How far do Sources X and Y help you understand…? Explain your answer.
A list of Assertion questions
- Do the sources show/ support/ agree…? Explain your answer.
- Do the sources support the view that…? Explain your answer.
- To what extent/How far does Source X support Source Y in…? Explain your answer.
- “… …” How far do the sources show/ support/ agree with the statement? Explain your answer.
What are Structured-essay Questions (SEQs)?
Structured-essay questions form part (30%) of the GCE ‘O’ Levels assessment items for 2204/01 Social Studies.
The assessment objectives are:
Objective 1: Knowledge
Candidates should be able to:
Objective 2: Constructing Explanations
Candidates should be able to:
Structured-essay questions form part (30%) of the GCE ‘O’ Levels assessment items for 2204/01 Social Studies.
The assessment objectives are:
Objective 1: Knowledge
Candidates should be able to:
- demonstrate relevant factual knowledge.
Objective 2: Constructing Explanations
Candidates should be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of concepts and terms appropriate to the syllabus;
- select, organise and apply the concepts, terms and facts learnt; and
- make judgements, recommendations and decisions.
What are the different types of SEQs?
In structured-essay questions, you are required to identify, describe and explain factors in relation to the Question Focus or issue in the question. The factors discussed could be on:
The Question Focus (QF) in a Factor-based Question is essentially the issue that needs to be addressed via the explanation of factors in the ‘body’ section of the essay.
The 2 parts in an SEQ are:
In structured-essay questions, you are required to identify, describe and explain factors in relation to the Question Focus or issue in the question. The factors discussed could be on:
- causes/ reasons
- consequences/ impact/ effect
- measures/ strategies
The Question Focus (QF) in a Factor-based Question is essentially the issue that needs to be addressed via the explanation of factors in the ‘body’ section of the essay.
The 2 parts in an SEQ are:
- Question part (a): explain 1 factor
- Question part (b): explain 2 other factors + an evaluation on relative importance/ impact/ significance/ effectiveness/ etc. of the 2 other factors
