How do you answer enquiry skills in modern studies?

Answer 1

To demostrate enquiry skills, you will need to show that you can appraise and evaluate information about social and political institutions, processes and issues. To do so you need to recognise lack of objectivity in a source.

Detect bias, exaggeration and selective use of facts

• At Foundation level, the sources you're given will be simple and the example of exaggeration will be obvious.
• At General Level, the examples of exaggeration won't be so obvious and the sources will be more complicated. You'll have to give reasons for your answer.
• At Credit Level, questions will use the phrase, 'to what extent has (NAME) been selective in their use of facts. The sources will be quite long and complex and the examples of selective use of facts will not be obvious. You'll have to explain your answer in some detail.

At Foundation and General Levels, it is helpful for you to substitute the word, 'wrong' for the words 'bias' or 'exaggeration' in a question. This will make it easier to understand and therefore answer. At Credit Level, it may be that part of the view is correct whilst other parts are not. What you have to do in answering this type of question is to come to an overall conclusion as to the degree of selectivity. You might use phrases such as -

• The person is being slightly selective. The evidence shows that most of what he/she says is true or correct with only a little bit wrong or false.
• The person is being fairly selective. The evidence shows that what he/she says is about 50/50 true and false.
• The person is being very selective. The evidence shows that most of what he/she says is wrong or false with only a little bit true or correct.