GCSE RS at STM

GCSE Unit 3.1 Exam Questions

Hopefully you will find this helpful with your revision for your end of unit test!

a) What does (KEYWORD) mean? (2)

1 b) Do you think children should follow the same religions as their parents? Give two reasons for your point of view. (4)
2 b) Do you think miracles prove that God exists?
3 b) Do you think God designed the world?
4 b) Do you think God is the cause of the universe?
5 b) Do you think science shows that God did not design the world?
6 b) Do you think the scientific explanation of the universe shows that God exists?
7 b) Do you think unanswered prayers prove that God does not exist?
8 b) Do you think prayer is a waste of time?
9 b) Do you think evil and suffering show that God does not exist?
10 b) Do you think God allows us to suffer?
11 b) Do you think programmes about religion can affect your belief in God?
12 b) Do you think numinous experiences prove that God exists?

1 c) Explain how a Catholic upbringing can lead to, or support, belief in God. (8)
2 c) Explain how religious experience can lead to, or support, belief in God. (8)
3 c) Explain why the design argument leads some people to believe in God. (8)
4 c) Explain how the argument from causation proves that God exists. (8)
5 c) Explain why the scientific explanation of the world leads some people to become atheists or agnostics. (8)
6 c) Explain how Catholics respond to scientific explanations of the world.
7 c) Explain why unanswered prayers may lead some people to become atheists.
8 c) Explain how Catholics respond to unanswered prayers.
9 c) Explain how the existence of evil and suffering may lead some people to deny God’s existence.
10 c) Explain how Catholics respond to the problem of evil and suffering.
11 c) Choose one programme and explain how it might affect someone’s belief about God.
12 c) Explain why some people do not believe in God.

1 d) “A Catholic upbringing leads children to believe in God.”
(i) Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion. (3)
(ii) Give reasons why some people may disagree with you. (3)
2 d) “Religious experiences prove that God exists.”
3 d) “The design argument proves that God exists.”
4 d) “The argument from causation proves that God exists.”
5 d) “Science proves that God did not create the universe.”
6 d) “Science needs God to explain the universe.”
7 d) “God always answers prayers.”
8 d) “Unanswered prayers prove that God does not exist.”
9 d) “A loving God would not let us suffer.”
10 d) “Evil and suffering in the world prove that God does not exist.”
11 d) “Religious programmes on television or the radio encourage you to believe in God.”
12 d) “Considering the evidence, everyone should be an agnostic.”
13 d) “Ideas like the Big Bang make it impossible to believe in God.”
14 d) “If God really loved us, there would be no evil and suffering.”
15 d) “God does not answer prayers.”
16 d) “Miracles do not happen today.”
17 d) “Children should be allowed to make up their minds about whether to believe in God.”
18 d) “There is plenty of evidence that God exists.”
19 d) “No one can be sure that God exists.”
20 d) “The world has been designed by God.”
21 d) “Religious education helps people believe in God.”

I hope this document embeds properly! It was made by a Year 10 RE student in Birmingham. I hope it helps you remember the three important key words that we have learnt in class!

Click here for full screen version

Move the diamonds around until you have what you think is the strongest reason at the top, and the weakest reason at the bottom. Can you explain why you have chosen that order?

I have uploaded a number of slideshows/presentations to the excellent slide sharing site, www.slideshare.net. Other students who are sitting your exams have left messages to say that they have found some of them helpful (and some not so!). Here they all are in one post. Remember, they are all intended just to support your other revision, and do not simply “play” them, but click through each slide at your own paste. Feel free to leave a comment to say whether or not you have found them useful!

Unit J Overview

J1: Beliefs and Values

J2: Community and Tradition

J2: C&T Revision Tasks

J4.1 10 Commandments

J4.2 10 Commandments

J4.3 Law of Moses

J4.4 Displaying Religion

J4.6 Judgement

J4.7 Golden Rule

J4.9 Helping those in need

Unit C Revision Slide

C3 Marriage and Family Life

I am slowly uploading all the key words as flash cards on an excellent site that I have found called Quizlet. You can practice your words, then test yourself, and they seem to really work. I now know that the capital of Alaska is Juneau, which I’ll probably never forget after having a go with another set of cards. You can also sign up and create your own flashcards for any subject that you need to learn either key words for, or you could just make them questions and answers.

Click on the link for the set of key words you want to practice:

Year 10/Resits – Unit J

J1 Beliefs and Values

J2 Community and Tradition

J3 Community and Tradition

J4 Living the Christian Life

Year 11 – Unit C

C1 Believing in God – Click here for a variety of games to test these words.

C2 Matters of Life and Death

C3 Marriage and Family Life

C4 Social Harmony

Drop me a line to let me know how you get on!

Another powerpoint to support Year 11 Revision for the Unit C exam on 12 May 2009.

My Year 11s have seen plenty of domino videos as we have been learning about the Argument for the Existence of God from Causation. So I thought of you all when I read about the new world record that was set today.

During lessons last week, I did not hand out the exam questions, but instead set the homework as revision for this week’s end of unit assessment. The homework this week, therefore, will be to complete the set of exam questions as set for last week.

In the meantime, the key words that you need to know can be downloaded here, from the Edexcel website.

The words are:

agnosticism – not being sure whether God exists
atheism – believing that God does not exist
benevolent – the belief that God is good/kind
causation – the idea that everything has been caused (started off) by something else
conversion – when someone’s life is changed by giving themselves to God
design – when things are connected and seem to have a purpose (eg the eye is designed for seeing)
miracle – something which seems to break a law of science and for which God seems the only explanation
moral evil – actions done by humans which cause suffering
natural evil – things which cause suffering but which have nothing to do with humans eg earthquakes
numinous – the feeling of the presence of something greater than you eg in a church or looking up at the stars
omnipotent – the belief that God is all-powerful
omniscient – the belief that God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen
prayer – an attempt to communicate with God, usually through prayer

Homework is due by Wednesday 15 October.

Answer the following exam questions:

a) Give one example of a natural evil. (2 marks)
b) Outline THREE types of religious experience. (6 marks)
c) Explain how the existence of evil and suffering may lead some people to deny God’s existence. (8 marks)
d) “There is plenty of evidence that God exists.” Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion, showing that you have considered another point of view. (4 marks)

You will be given a worksheet to complete. However, you can also submit your answers here, by clicking on the comments link.

Homework is due by Wednesday 8 October.

Answer the following exam questions:

a) What does benevolent mean? (2 marks)
b) Outline the Argument from Causation. (6 marks)
c) Explain how the search for meaning and purpose in life may lead to or support belief in God. (8 marks)
d) “The theory of evolution proves that God does not exist.” Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion, showing that you have considered another point of view. (4 marks)

You will be given a worksheet to complete. However, you can also submit your answers here, by clicking on the comments link.