WVCS 223

10 August 2023
Assessment 1 - MEMO
20 marks

1. In social constructionism, the production and reinforcement of knowledge

and meaning occur through:
a. Empirical inquiry
b. Pedagogy
c. Interaction
d. Epistemology

2. In Berger and Luckmann’s schema in The Social Construction of Reality,

what is the third step in the cycle of externalization, objectification,
____________?
a. Extrapolation.
b. Internalization.
c. Reification.
d. Clarification.

3. If someone says to you that there are no objective facts and that everything
is socially constructed, what perspective are they promoting?
a. Strong social constructionism.
b. Weak social constructionism.
c. Speculative social constructionism.
d. Antisocial constructionism.

4. Are we able to change social constructs or do they exist forever?

a. No, once they are in place they become realities for us and so we
cannot change them because we no longer see them as social
constructs.
b. Yes, we can change them by recognising that they are social
constructs and creating better ones to replace them.
5. Weak social constructionism would argue that:
a. The results of scientific research are subjective and part of social
meaning making.
b. Social constructionism is dangerous because it weakens society.
c. Scientific research can reveal objective information about the world.
d. All knowledge is a social construct.

6. Social constructionism is a theoretical perspective focused on how

behaviours and knowledge are shaped solely by individual cognitive
processes.
a. True
b. False

7. According to social constructionism, which type of facts are dependent on

the shared ways of thinking and representing the world that groups of people
develop collaboratively?
a. Universal facts that are true regardless of cultural influences.
b. Objective facts that are established by scientific evidence.
c. Subjective facts that vary based on individual perspectives.
d. Socially constructed facts that emerge through collaborative processes.

8. According to Lock and Strong (2010), what is the main aspect of human
activities and behaviours that social constructionism is concerned with?
a. The biological and genetic factors that influence behaviours.
b. The physical environment's impact on human actions.
c. The interpretation of meaning and understanding in human activities
and behaviour.
d. The role of language in shaping social interactions.

9. People socially construct reality when they use agreed-upon and shared
meanings communicated through their language. In other words, our
worldview(s) and beliefs about reality are social inventions facilitated through
language. Thus, without the presence of humans or language to validate those
ideas, such social constructs would not exist. Additionally, social constructs
have inherent value. According to the statement, what role does language play
in the development of social constructs and shared understanding of reality?
a. Language merely serves as a tool for communication between
individuals.
b. Language has no impact on social constructs and shared
understanding.
c. Language contributes to our general knowledge and helps socially
construct reality.
d. Language is irrelevant in shaping people's worldviews and beliefs
about reality.

10. In South Africa, a new cultural practice emerged where communities began
hosting annual storytelling festivals to preserve their oral traditions and
history. During these festivals, elders pass down knowledge to the younger
generation through stories, songs, and dances. What phase of social
construct does this scenario exemplify?
a. Externalization
b. Objectivation
c. Internalization
d. Indigenous Knowledge

11. According to Icelandic philosopher Ásta, the methods below enable an

individual to bring into awareness unjust social constructs that maintain
practices and experiences of oppression.
a. Socialising, and exposing
b. Questioning, exposing and debunking
c. Stating, following-up, exposing
d. Debunking, stating, questioning

12. Which of the following figure(s) hold the belief that ‘social construction
work is critical of the status quo’.
a. Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann
b. Simone de Beauvoir
 c. Ian Hackling
d. Tom Strong

13. Simone de Beauvoir and Elder-Vass argue that ______ would be produced
differently had it been presented in a different civilisation?
a. money
b. gender
c. biology
d. race

14. Which structure of thought is present when you want to identify a social
construct?
a. Logical thought
b. Abstract thought
c. Symbolic thought
d. Divergent thought
e.
15. Which of the following represents social construct?
a. Money
b. Gender
c. Race
d. All of the above

16. Which one of the following does not depict an example of social construct
a. Water
b. Gender
c. Education
d. None of the above

17. Read the following statement and fill in the missing words.

Simone De Beauvoir contends that no biological, psychological, or economic

……. determines the figure that human females present in society.

a. Power
 b. Fate
c. Freedom
d. Cluster

18. Social constructs are:

a. Subjective
b. Objective
c. Subjective and context-dependent
d. Objective and context-base
e. All the above

19. Ian Hackling argues that social constructs play no significant role in our
society.
a. True
b. False

20. With the growing concern of environmental challenges in South Africa, a

social constructionist perspective is the only framework worth referring to,
because environmental problems are socially constructed?
a. True
b. False