SET 1 SOCIAL STUDIES – social issues, parliamentary democracy TTO-4
This SET contains open and multiple-choice questions. You are free to start with either part.
In brackets you find the marks you can get for each subquestion.
PART A: OPEN QUESTIONS
Question 1
Read the article below and answer question 1 on the back of this page.
'No discrimination' in veil row
A Muslim classroom assistant suspended by a school for wearing a veil in lessons
has lost her claim of religious discrimination at a tribunal.
Aishah Azmi, 23, was asked to remove the veil after the Church of England school in
Dewsbury, West Yorks, said pupils found it hard to understand her.
The tribunal dismissed her claims of religious discrimination and
harassment on religious grounds.
But Kirklees Council (a local education authority) was ordered to
pay her £1,100 for victimising her. Mrs Azmi, a married mother-of-
one, said she would be appealing against the decision to dismiss
her religious discrimination claims. In a statement she criticised
ministers who had intervened in the case and said it made her
"fearful of the consequences for Muslim women in this country who
want to work".
She said: "However, I am pleased that the tribunal has recognised
the victimising way in which the school and the local education
authority have handled this matter and the distress that it has
caused me."
The case attracted comments from the prime minister, who backed Kirklees Council for
suspending Mrs Azmi. Tony Blair said the wearing of a full-face veil was a "mark of
separation" and made some "outside the community feel uncomfortable".
The government's Race minister, Phil Woolas, demanded Mrs Azmi to be sacked,
accusing her of "denying the right of children to a full education". Mrs Azmi, who is
originally from Cardiff, said: "Muslim women who wear the veils are not aliens, and
politicians need to recognise that what they say can have a very dangerous impact on the
lives of the minorities they treat as outcasts. "I will continue to uphold my religious beliefs
and urge Muslims to engage in dialogue with the wider community, despite the attacks that
are being made upon them."
Headfield Church of England Junior School, which has 546 pupils, suspended Mrs Azmi
because it said pupils found it hard to understand her during lessons. Kirklees Council said
the decision was taken after a monitoring period in which the impact of wearing the veil on
the teaching and learning was studied. It said: "In this case the school and local authority
had to balance the rights of the children to receive the best quality education possible and
Mrs Azmi's desire to express her cultural beliefs by wearing a veil in class. "The education
of the children is of paramount importance and it is disappointing that the school was
unable to reach a compromise with Mrs Azmi in this case."
Source: news.bbc.co.uk, 19 October 2006
P.T.O.
1
, Question 1
a.) While using the four characteristics of any social issue, draw a conclusion if a teacher
wearing a veil in class (and the problems this may cause) qualifies as a social issue. (2)
b.) In social studies, we use four different points of view to analyse any social issue.
Name those four points of view and describe briefly how you can recognize all four of
them in the text ‘'No discrimination' in veil row”. (2)
c.) The freedom to express your religion is in our Constitution. Name 2 other regulations
from the Dutch Constitution. (1)
d.) In the text you can find proof that the division of powers has not been executed perfectly
during this case. Explain, with the help of an example from the text, why the division of
powers is being insufficiently processed here. (2)
Question 2
Read the text below about the last national elections (2006) and answer the next questions.
Reading carefully and using the context will help you a lot in answering question a.)!
CDA-SP-PvdA a non-starter
The next Dutch government will not include both the SP and the CDA, Rein Jan
Hoekstra, the man charged with putting a new government together, said at a news
conference late Monday afternoon. Hoekstra said the differences between the two
triumphing parties were too numerous, too fundamental and too serious to be
bridged.
The …(1)… emerged as the biggest party at last month's general election but the …(2)…
gained the most seats. Hoekstra began his task by investigating the possibility of a …(3)…
between the CDA, PvdA and SP.
'Marijnissen and I got on well, but it is all about the credibility of the parties involved', said
Jan Peter Balkenende, most probably the next …(4)… of the Netherlands, yesterday.
'I am critical about everything Balkenende is proud of', SP leader Jan Marijnissen says in
today's Volkskrant.
Labour leader Wouter Bos said he was very disappointed. Marijnissen had missed a
'golden opportunity,' he said. 'This was the only chance for the SP to form a strong …(5)…-
wing block in a …(3)… To walk away before we got down to serious negotiations is the
easy way out.' Among the issues, which divided the SP and CDA, were Dutch involvement
in Afghanistan, income policy, defence spending and corporate taxes.
A slim majority (53%) of Labour voters do not want their party to take part in a …(3)…
which excludes the SP, according to a poll by Maurice de Hond on Tuesday. But 77% of
CDA voters said there was no point in continuing talks with the SP, the poll said.
The pull-out of the SP means Hoekstra must now try to piece together a new …(3)….
Orthodox religious party …(6)… - which is left-leaning on some issues - is the next logical
choice of …(3)… partner. But its opposition to abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage may
also prove a stumbling block. The left-wing greens …(7)… are another candidate.
Hoekstra will now talk again to all the party leaders about the next step in the formation
process. Most probably the queen will appoint a new …(8)… within a few days to replace
Hoekstra.
Source: Dutchnews.nl, 11 December 2006
a.) Fill in the correct words on the numbered dots in the text below. (Number 3 occurs more
than once, which means that the same word fits in each case.) (4)
b.) The cabinet formation consists of four phases. Explain in which phase the formation was
at the time of the article’s publication. (2)
c.) Name the other 3 phases and place them all in the correct order. (2)
d.) Read lines 16-18 (‘Among the … till … taxes’) carefully. Choose two of the issues
mentioned and explain how they must have divided CDA and SP, considering their
ideals and goals. (2)
Continue this question on page 3….
2
This SET contains open and multiple-choice questions. You are free to start with either part.
In brackets you find the marks you can get for each subquestion.
PART A: OPEN QUESTIONS
Question 1
Read the article below and answer question 1 on the back of this page.
'No discrimination' in veil row
A Muslim classroom assistant suspended by a school for wearing a veil in lessons
has lost her claim of religious discrimination at a tribunal.
Aishah Azmi, 23, was asked to remove the veil after the Church of England school in
Dewsbury, West Yorks, said pupils found it hard to understand her.
The tribunal dismissed her claims of religious discrimination and
harassment on religious grounds.
But Kirklees Council (a local education authority) was ordered to
pay her £1,100 for victimising her. Mrs Azmi, a married mother-of-
one, said she would be appealing against the decision to dismiss
her religious discrimination claims. In a statement she criticised
ministers who had intervened in the case and said it made her
"fearful of the consequences for Muslim women in this country who
want to work".
She said: "However, I am pleased that the tribunal has recognised
the victimising way in which the school and the local education
authority have handled this matter and the distress that it has
caused me."
The case attracted comments from the prime minister, who backed Kirklees Council for
suspending Mrs Azmi. Tony Blair said the wearing of a full-face veil was a "mark of
separation" and made some "outside the community feel uncomfortable".
The government's Race minister, Phil Woolas, demanded Mrs Azmi to be sacked,
accusing her of "denying the right of children to a full education". Mrs Azmi, who is
originally from Cardiff, said: "Muslim women who wear the veils are not aliens, and
politicians need to recognise that what they say can have a very dangerous impact on the
lives of the minorities they treat as outcasts. "I will continue to uphold my religious beliefs
and urge Muslims to engage in dialogue with the wider community, despite the attacks that
are being made upon them."
Headfield Church of England Junior School, which has 546 pupils, suspended Mrs Azmi
because it said pupils found it hard to understand her during lessons. Kirklees Council said
the decision was taken after a monitoring period in which the impact of wearing the veil on
the teaching and learning was studied. It said: "In this case the school and local authority
had to balance the rights of the children to receive the best quality education possible and
Mrs Azmi's desire to express her cultural beliefs by wearing a veil in class. "The education
of the children is of paramount importance and it is disappointing that the school was
unable to reach a compromise with Mrs Azmi in this case."
Source: news.bbc.co.uk, 19 October 2006
P.T.O.
1
, Question 1
a.) While using the four characteristics of any social issue, draw a conclusion if a teacher
wearing a veil in class (and the problems this may cause) qualifies as a social issue. (2)
b.) In social studies, we use four different points of view to analyse any social issue.
Name those four points of view and describe briefly how you can recognize all four of
them in the text ‘'No discrimination' in veil row”. (2)
c.) The freedom to express your religion is in our Constitution. Name 2 other regulations
from the Dutch Constitution. (1)
d.) In the text you can find proof that the division of powers has not been executed perfectly
during this case. Explain, with the help of an example from the text, why the division of
powers is being insufficiently processed here. (2)
Question 2
Read the text below about the last national elections (2006) and answer the next questions.
Reading carefully and using the context will help you a lot in answering question a.)!
CDA-SP-PvdA a non-starter
The next Dutch government will not include both the SP and the CDA, Rein Jan
Hoekstra, the man charged with putting a new government together, said at a news
conference late Monday afternoon. Hoekstra said the differences between the two
triumphing parties were too numerous, too fundamental and too serious to be
bridged.
The …(1)… emerged as the biggest party at last month's general election but the …(2)…
gained the most seats. Hoekstra began his task by investigating the possibility of a …(3)…
between the CDA, PvdA and SP.
'Marijnissen and I got on well, but it is all about the credibility of the parties involved', said
Jan Peter Balkenende, most probably the next …(4)… of the Netherlands, yesterday.
'I am critical about everything Balkenende is proud of', SP leader Jan Marijnissen says in
today's Volkskrant.
Labour leader Wouter Bos said he was very disappointed. Marijnissen had missed a
'golden opportunity,' he said. 'This was the only chance for the SP to form a strong …(5)…-
wing block in a …(3)… To walk away before we got down to serious negotiations is the
easy way out.' Among the issues, which divided the SP and CDA, were Dutch involvement
in Afghanistan, income policy, defence spending and corporate taxes.
A slim majority (53%) of Labour voters do not want their party to take part in a …(3)…
which excludes the SP, according to a poll by Maurice de Hond on Tuesday. But 77% of
CDA voters said there was no point in continuing talks with the SP, the poll said.
The pull-out of the SP means Hoekstra must now try to piece together a new …(3)….
Orthodox religious party …(6)… - which is left-leaning on some issues - is the next logical
choice of …(3)… partner. But its opposition to abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage may
also prove a stumbling block. The left-wing greens …(7)… are another candidate.
Hoekstra will now talk again to all the party leaders about the next step in the formation
process. Most probably the queen will appoint a new …(8)… within a few days to replace
Hoekstra.
Source: Dutchnews.nl, 11 December 2006
a.) Fill in the correct words on the numbered dots in the text below. (Number 3 occurs more
than once, which means that the same word fits in each case.) (4)
b.) The cabinet formation consists of four phases. Explain in which phase the formation was
at the time of the article’s publication. (2)
c.) Name the other 3 phases and place them all in the correct order. (2)
d.) Read lines 16-18 (‘Among the … till … taxes’) carefully. Choose two of the issues
mentioned and explain how they must have divided CDA and SP, considering their
ideals and goals. (2)
Continue this question on page 3….
2
