AQA A-level Sociology (7192): Paper 2 – Culture and identity – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

These questions cover Culture and Identity for AQA A-level Sociology (7192), from the AQA AS and A-level Sociology (7191, 7192) specification, Version 1.2 (14 October 2021). The topic is section 4.2.1 (shown as 3.2.1 in the specification-at-a-glance list) and is assessed in Paper 2: Topics in Sociology, Section A, as one of the option 1 topics.

Revise first with the study guide and the revision notes. For the full course, use the AQA A-level Sociology hub and the 7192 checklist. All towns, groups and data below are fictional.

Questions

1. Define the term “folk culture”. [2]

2. Identify two agencies of secondary socialisation and explain how each one socialises individuals. [4]

3. Explain the difference between seeing identity as “socially caused” and seeing it as “socially constructed”. [4]

4. Explain what is meant by “heteronormativity” and give one way it may shape a person’s identity. [3]

5. A fictional survey asked 400 adults in the fictional town of Ashby Marsh: “Which one of these is most important to how you see yourself?”

Age group (number asked)	My job	My nationality	My style and possessions	My family role
16-29 (120)	15%	10%	45%	30%
30-59 (160)	35%	15%	15%	35%
60 and over (120)	25%	35%	5%	35%

(a) Identify the age group most likely to choose nationality, and state the percentage. [2] (b) Calculate the percentage of all 400 respondents who chose “my style and possessions”. Show your working. [2] (c) Using the data, explain two sociological reasons why younger respondents were more likely than older respondents to choose “my style and possessions”. [6]

6. In the fictional city of Corrow, a group of teenagers calling themselves the “Lantern Kids” meet in a skate park. They mix second-hand clothes with designer trainers, share music playlists online and join or leave the group freely. Some also belong to a gaming group and a church choir.

Using this scenario, explain whether the Lantern Kids are better understood as a subculture or as a neo-tribe. [6]

7. A fictional community sports centre has steps at every entrance, no captioned announcements and coaches who assume wheelchair users “cannot play team sports”. Apply the medical and social models of disability to this scenario. [5]

8. Outline two ways in which globalisation might affect national identity. [4]

9. Evaluate the view that mass culture makes audiences passive. [12]

10. To what extent are gender identities today a matter of individual choice? [15]

11. Discuss sociological views on how far the ethnic identities of young people in the UK are a matter of choice. [12]

Answers

1. The culture of ordinary people in pre-industrial or traditional communities [1], made by those communities themselves and passed on by word of mouth, such as folk songs or local crafts [1]. [2] Examiner insight: The second mark needs the idea of being made by the community, not by an industry; “old culture” alone scores once at most.

2. The education system [1]: teachers use rewards such as praise and sanctions such as detentions to teach norms such as punctuality [1]. The peer group [1]: friends pressure members to conform to shared styles and attitudes, using acceptance or exclusion [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Each agency earns its second mark only when you explain a mechanism, such as sanctions or role models, not just a topic it covers.

3. “Socially caused” means identity is shaped by social structures outside the individual, such as class or the economy [1]; this is the view of structural theories such as functionalism and Marxism [1]. “Socially constructed” means identity is created and negotiated through interaction and shared meanings [1]; this is the view of action theories such as interactionism, and of postmodernism [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Naming the perspectives behind each view turns a definition into a sociological answer.

4. Heteronormativity is the assumption that heterosexuality is the normal or default sexuality [1], built into institutions, media and everyday talk [1]. One effect: a young person who is not heterosexual may feel pressure to hide their identity or to “come out”, because others assume they are straight [1]. [3] Examiner insight: “Give one way” needs a concrete effect on identity, not a second definition.

5. (a) The 60 and over age group [1], at 35% [1]. [2] (b) 45% of 120 = 54; 15% of 160 = 24; 5% of 120 = 6 [1]. 54 + 24 + 6 = 84, and 84 out of 400 = 21% [1]. [2] (c) First reason: postmodernists argue that identity is now built through consumption [1]. Younger people have grown up in a consumer culture with social media where brands and style are used to show who you are [1], which fits the 45% of 16-29s who chose style compared with 5% of over-60s [1]. Second reason: older generations formed identities when work and nation were stronger sources of identity [1]; production-based identities, such as those in industrial communities, were more common in their youth [1], which may explain why 35% of over-60s chose nationality and only 5% chose style [1]. [6] Examiner insight: Application marks need the figures from the table; a general essay on consumption without the data caps the answer.

6. A subculture is a fairly fixed group with shared norms and values distinct from the wider culture, often linked to class [1]. The Lantern Kids share a style and a meeting place, which suggests a subculture [1]. However, members “join or leave the group freely” [1] and also belong to a gaming group and a church choir [1]. This fits the idea of a neo-tribe: loose, temporary groupings that people choose and move between [1]. Mixing second-hand clothes with designer trainers also suggests a pick-and-mix style rather than one fixed code, so the neo-tribe view fits better [1]. [6] Examiner insight: Reach a judgement, and support it with at least two separate details from the scenario.

7. The medical model would locate the problem in the individual’s impairment [1], seeing wheelchair users as unable to take part because of their bodies [1]. The social model would argue that the centre disables people [1] through physical barriers such as the steps and missing captions [1], and through attitudes such as the coaches’ assumptions [1]. [5] Examiner insight: Use each barrier in the scenario; the social model mark depends on naming both physical and attitudinal barriers.

8. Globalisation may weaken national identity through cultural homogenisation [1], as global brands and media make cultures more alike, for example the same films and chains in many countries [1]. It may strengthen national identity as a form of resistance [1], with some groups stressing national traditions or symbols in response to global change or migration [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Two distinct effects are needed; two versions of “weakening” score only once.

9. Indicative content. The real exam marks extended answers with levels of response, not point by point; the points below show the kind of material that gains credit.

• Define mass culture as standardised commercial culture made for large audiences [1].
• Adorno and Horkheimer argued that a culture industry produces formula products [1] that distract people and keep them passive under capitalism [1].
• Conservative critics such as Leavis saw mass culture as lowering standards set by high culture [1].
• Application: a music streaming platform that pushes the same chart songs to millions supports the view [1].
• Evaluation: Strinati argues the theory is elitist [1] and ignores the active choices audiences make [1].
• Gans’s taste cultures suggest different tastes are equally valid, so “passive” is a value judgement [1].
• Fans produce their own content online, such as reviews and remixes, showing active use [1].
• Subculture theorists such as Hebdige show groups reinterpreting mass products to create new meanings [1].
• Postmodernists argue high and popular culture now overlap, weakening the idea of a passive mass [1].
• Conclusion: ownership is concentrated, so the theory has some force, but audiences are more active than it allows [1]. [12]

Examiner insight: Evaluation must test the view with named counter-arguments; describing the Frankfurt School alone stays in the lower bands.

10. Indicative content. The real exam marks extended answers with levels of response, not point by point; the points below show the kind of material that gains credit.

• Define gender identity as how people see themselves, and are seen, as men, women or otherwise [1].
• Postmodern view: gender is now fluid and chosen [1], with wider media images of masculinity and femininity [1].
• Butler argues gender is performative, produced by repeated acts [1], so it can be performed differently [1].
• Giddens: identity is a reflexive project people rework over time [1].
• Sharpe’s later findings show girls’ priorities changed, suggesting identities are not fixed [1].
• Against: Oakley’s canalisation and manipulation show gender is shaped early, before children can choose [1].
• Connell’s hegemonic masculinity shows a dominant ideal that still ranks and polices other masculinities [1].
• Mac an Ghaill links male identity to the economy, showing structure as well as choice [1].
• Feminists note that unequal pay and care work limit women’s choices [1].
• Class shapes which femininities are seen as “respectable”, as Skeggs found among working-class women [1].
• Interactionists show identities are negotiated with others, not simply chosen [1].
• Choice may be greater in some settings, such as cities, than others [1].
• Conclusion: there is more visible variety, but structures and socialisation still constrain choice [1]. [15]

Examiner insight: “To what extent” needs a weighed judgement in the conclusion, not a list of views on each side.

11. Indicative content. The real exam marks extended answers with levels of response, not point by point; the points below show the kind of material that gains credit.

• Define ethnic identity as identification with a group sharing culture, such as religion, language or history [1].
• Hybridity: Gilroy and Back describe hybrid identities that mix cultural sources, and Back studied this among young people [1], suggesting more choice [1].
• Hall argues identity is “becoming” as well as “being”, so it changes over time [1].
• Postmodernists see ethnicity as one option among many in a pick-and-mix identity [1].
• Modood et al.’s Fourth National Survey stressed diversity between minority groups, so there is no single “ethnic” identity to choose or reject [1].
• Against: socialisation in family and religious communities shapes ethnic identity early [1].
• Racism and labelling by others limit choice; Jenkins’s external side of identity applies [1].
• Some young people strengthen ethnic or religious identity as resistance to exclusion [1].
• Class affects access to the consumer goods and spaces used in hybrid styles [1].
• Evaluation: much evidence on hybridity comes from diverse cities and may not apply elsewhere [1].
• Conclusion: young people have more scope than earlier generations, but choice is constrained by family, racism and class [1]. [12]

Examiner insight: Balance needs both active choice and external constraints such as racism; a one-sided account of hybridity cannot reach the top band.

Where marks are usually lost

• Defining terms with the word itself, such as “folk culture is the culture of folk”.
• Naming an agency of socialisation without explaining how it socialises.
• Ignoring the figures in a data question, or misreading percentages as numbers of people.
• Giving the same point twice in different words in “outline two” style questions.
• Applying a theory to the topic in general instead of to the scenario’s details.
• Describing studies without evaluating them, or evaluating with “this is a good point” instead of counter-evidence.
• Writing a one-sided essay on choice without testing it against class, racism or socialisation.
• Leaving out a final judgement on “to what extent” questions.

Next steps

Check your weak areas with the diagnostics. Revisit the study guide, then practise extended writing in other topics, such as the education practice set and the crime and deviance practice set. For research design questions, use the methods in context practice. Want help from a teacher? Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

AQA AS and A-level Sociology (7191, 7192) specification, Version 1.2 (14 October 2021): section 4.2.1 Culture and Identity, Paper 2: Topics in Sociology, Section A (option 1).