Secular Worldviews is one of 9 topics in the Grade 12 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. A secular worldview, in CAPS Religion Studies, is best described as:
A comprehensive framework for understanding reality, meaning and value that does not rely on belief in a god or gods
A framework that is identical to every religious worldview
A term with no defined meaning in Religion Studies
A worldview that only exists in South Africa
Answer: A comprehensive framework for understanding reality, meaning and value that does not rely on belief in a god or gods — A secular worldview is a comprehensive framework for understanding reality, meaning and value that does not rely on belief in a god or gods or on traditional religious authority as its basis.
Easy
2. The four secular worldviews stipulated in CAPS Grade 12 Religion Studies are:
Atheism, agnosticism, humanism and materialism
Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism
Doctrine, dogma, myth and parable
Karma, dharma, samsara and moksha
Answer: Atheism, agnosticism, humanism and materialism — The four stipulated secular worldviews in CAPS Grade 12 Religion Studies are atheism, agnosticism, humanism and materialism.
Medium
3. Name the historical period, associated with increased emphasis on reason, empirical evidence and individual rights, during which secularism accelerated notably in Western societies.
Answer: The Enlightenment — Secularism accelerated notably during the European Enlightenment (from roughly the seventeenth century), a period associated with increased emphasis on reason, empirical evidence and individual rights.
