Beliefs in Society | AQA A-Level Sociology (7192)
Beliefs in Society
- 116 questions
- 10 subtopics
- Paper 2: Topics in Sociology, two of eight
- Paper 2
Beliefs in Society is one of the optional topics on Paper 2.
It sets religion beside ideology and science as a belief system, works through the theories of religion and religious organisations, examines who is religious and why, and closes on secularisation, fundamentalism and religion worldwide.
Sample questions from Beliefs in Society
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Ideology and science as belief systems
Why did Popper consider science an open belief system?
Show the answer
Because scientific knowledge claims can be tested against evidence and rejected if falsified, unlike closed systems that protect their claims from disproof. -
Functionalist views of religion
How do religious rituals create social cohesion?
Show the answer
By bringing people together in collective activities that reinforce shared beliefs and create a sense of belonging to a moral community. -
Marxist and feminist views of religion
In what way does religion distract from material conditions in the Marxist view?
Show the answer
Religion focuses attention on spiritual matters and the afterlife rather than on the economic exploitation and material deprivation workers experience in this life. -
Religion as a force for social change
How did the ascetic lifestyle contribute to capitalism according to Weber?
Show the answer
Calvinists lived frugally and avoided luxury consumption, meaning profits were saved and reinvested rather than spent. -
Churches, sects, denominations and cults
What is a cult?
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A loosely organised religious movement with individualistic beliefs, tolerant of other beliefs, making few demands on members, often focused on self-improvement or spiritual experience. -
New religious movements and New Age movements
What characterises world-affirming NRMs?
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They accept the goals of wider society but offer new means to achieve them, such as techniques for self-improvement, success, or unlocking human potential. -
Religion, gender, ethnicity, age and social class
How do levels of religious participation among minority ethnic groups compare to white British people?
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Minority ethnic groups in Britain show higher levels of religious participation than the white British population. -
Secularisation
How has education become secularised through structural differentiation?
Show the answer
Education is now provided by secular institutions rather than religious ones, removing a key function religion previously performed.
The 10 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Ideology and science as belief systems | Ideology, Popper's falsificationism, Kuhn's paradigms, and why religion is described as a closed belief system. | 11 |
| Functionalist views of religion | Durkheim on the collective conscience and the sacred, Malinowski, Parsons, and civil religion. | 10 |
| Marxist and feminist views of religion | Religion as the opium of the people and a source of false consciousness, and the feminist case that religion is patriarchal. | 10 |
| Religion as a force for social change | Weber on Calvinism and the spirit of capitalism, liberation theology, and Bruce on when religion promotes change. | 11 |
| Churches, sects, denominations and cults | Troeltsch and Niebuhr on the four organisation types, and why sects rarely outlive their founders. | 10 |
| New religious movements and New Age movements | Wallis's typology, New Age beliefs, theodicy, and relative deprivation as an explanation of membership. | 11 |
| Religion, gender, ethnicity, age and social class | Why women are more religious than men, religion as cultural defence and transition, and the generational decline thesis. | 11 |
| Secularisation | Weber's rationalisation, structural differentiation, Berger's sacred canopy, and the evidence Bruce and Wilson use. | 13 |
| Believing without belonging and postmodern religion | Davie on believing without belonging and vicarious religion, spiritual shopping, and religious market theory. | 12 |
| Globalisation, fundamentalism and religion worldwide | Pentecostalism, the rise of fundamentalism, Huntington's clash of civilisations, and existential security theory. | 17 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Sociology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,116 questions with their answers.