Topical Issues in Society is one of 9 topics in the Grade 10 Religion Studies CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. Which of the following is listed as one of the specific South African topical issues CAPS requires learners to choose from and study?
Substance abuse
Colonial-era architecture
International trade agreements
The history of Roman sculpture
Answer: Substance abuse — Substance abuse is one of the specific South African topical issues listed in CAPS, alongside crime, teenage pregnancy and suicide.
Easy
2. What four-part structure does CAPS require a learner to apply when studying a chosen South African topical issue?
Causes, how it manifests in society, consequences, and how it is understood and managed from a variety of religious perspectives
Only a list of statistics with no further analysis required
A single essay describing the issue with no required structure at all
A comparison to an identical issue in a different country only
Answer: Causes, how it manifests in society, consequences, and how it is understood and managed from a variety of religious perspectives — CAPS requires analysing each chosen issue through a consistent structure: causes, how it manifests in society, consequences, and how it is understood and managed from a variety of religious perspectives.
Medium
3. Name one underlying cause frequently linked by researchers and religious commentators to crime in South Africa, alongside unemployment and inequality.
Answer: poverty — Crime is frequently linked by researchers and religious commentators to underlying causes such as poverty, unemployment, inequality and a breakdown of community or family structure.
