STS Midterm Exam

HOLY CROSS COLLEGE OF SASA
Km. 9, Sasa Davao City
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
Name: Chirstian U. Namuag___________Score: _____________ Rating: ___Course and

Year: BSIT-1ST-YEAR____Date and Schedule of Exam: October 28, 2020__________
Instructor: Stephanie Mae C. Salcedo
Test I. Essay. Limit your answers in 5-8 sentences only.

1. What is the role of science and technology in nation building?
The importance of science and technology in a given society cannot be

under-estimated. It is a well-known fact that no nation can develop without
advancing in the areas of science and technology. It is true that advancements in
science and technology has negatively affected humanity. For example, the role
atomic weapons played during the second World War and the consequent wars
in Africa, the Middle-East, among others, was devastating. From this angle,
religious-centred societies and people have viewed science and technology as
enemies of humanity and tools of immorality.
2. How does the development of science and technology affect the society and the
environment?
Many of the other answers suggest technological innovation is a double-edged

sword in the sense that there’s a gain in productivity yet more problems that
come with it. While I wouldn’t dispute this claim completely, it’s wrong to think
that we should cease to develop technology to solve our problems. In fact, if we
cease to develop technology, the current issues we have will never be solved.
Ideally, innovation leads to a technology with more benefits than a previous
technology with lesser issues down the line. Take transportation. Not counting
walking, we started with horse-riding. Horses can travel faster than a human can,
but raising a lot of horses at once isn’t very cost-effective. Moreover, there is
pollution from manure and horse fart everywhere.
3. Explain the following phrases:

a. Science and technology are important in the world, and growing more so, and
this presents both problems and opportunities to humanity.
The simplest form of technology is the development and use of basic tools.
The prehistoric discovery of how to control fire and the later Neolithic
Revolution increased the available sources of food, and the invention of the
wheel helped humans to travel in and control their environment.
Developments in historic times have lessened physical barriers to
communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale, such
as the printing press, telephone, and Internet. Technology has develop
advanced economies, such as the modern global economy, and has lead to
the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce by-products
known as pollution, and deplete natural resources to the detriment of Earth's
environment. Innovations influence the values of society and raise new
questions in the ethics of technology.
b. How we treat and use science and technology affects what is produced and
what effects it has.
Science and technology are key drivers to development, because

technological and scientific revolutions. underpin economic advances,
improvements. in health systems, education and infrastructure. Products are
transforming business. practices across the economy, as well as the lives of
all who have access to their effects.
Test II. Read each article and answer the questions that follow. Limit your answers in
3-5 sentences only.

Article 1: Employment and the Economy
Perhaps the most fundamental and direct impact that technology has on the everyday life of most people
is economic in nature. The issue of jobs and unemployment is one that strikes a chord of concern in just
about every person. While competition between machinery and human labor has long existed in the realm
of physical tasks, it has only recently been introduced into the domain of mental work. Much as heavy
machinery has eliminated the need for physical exertion on the part of humans, so too does modern
technology, in the form of microchips and computers, bring with it the potential to eliminate mental
drudgery. Does this mean, however, that humans will no longer have any purpose to serve in the world?
To gain some perspective on the issue, we can take a look at the past. At the beginning of the 20th
century in the United States, jobs in factories and agriculture were disappearing at a rapid rate. But with
the loss of those jobs came the potential for millions of new jobs and economic development in new
industries. Indeed the macroeconomic trend of the past century has been overwhelmingly positive. Jobs
have grown 10-fold in the United States (from 12 million in 1870 to 116 million in 1985) and the
percentage of people employed has grown from 21 percent to 48 percent. Per-capita gross national
product, as well as the average earning power of jobs, has increased 600 percent in constant dollars
during the same period. Today, new manufacturing technologies are rapidly reducing the number of
production jobs. The advent of new technology is projected to rapidly decrease the demand for clerical
workers and other such semiskilled and unskilled workers.
a. How will the development of more advanced software affect our economy? The issue of jobs and
unemployment is one that strikes a chord of concern in just about every person. While
competition between machinery and human labor has long existed in the realm of physical tasks,
it has only recently been introduced into the domain of mental work. Much as heavy machinery
has eliminated.
b. Is technology bound to provide for economic growth? Yes because new jobs and economic
development in new industries. Indeed the macroeconomic trend of the past century has been
overwhelmingly positive.
c. Is it possible for computers and technology to truly replace humanity? Yes, robots will replace
humans for many jobs, just as innovative farming equipment. replaced humans and horses during
the industrial revolution. Factory floors deploy robots that are increasingly driven by machine
learning algorithms such that they can adjust to people working alongside them.

Article 2: Society
Computers, which have revolutionized the workplace, are similarly infiltrating society. They have brought
about innumerable advances in education and personal communication.
Slowly but surely, computers have begun to infiltrate the classroom. Though not yet optimized for
education, the personal computer has much potential in this arena. Wireless networks can allow for the
easy sharing of courseware, submissions by students of papers, exams, courseware responses, and
other creations. The networking of information can provide students with instant access to vast amounts
of information and knowledge.
The realm of communications has likewise seen immense change. We are provided with new ways to
communicate with each other, such as email and instant messaging. Documents placed on the internet
are sources of information for the rest of the world. Vast databases allow for the easy storage of
information. Global positioning satellites allow us to track our exact location and find our way to various
destinations.
a. What social problems will arise with such progress? Will we become increasingly dependent on
our computers to the point of social breakdown? Computers, which have revolutionized the
workplace, are similarly infiltrating society. They have brought about innumerable advances in
education and personal communication. Slowly but surely, computers have begun to infiltrate the
classroom.
b. As Theodore Kaczynski wrote, "technology is a more powerful social force than the aspiration for
freedom, …while technological progress AS A WHOLE continually narrows our sphere of
freedom, each new technical advance CONSIDERED BY ITSELF appears to be desirable." Will
technology be so ingrained in society as to destroy it and imprison humanity?This situation
illustrates the push and pull effect of new technologies. Humanity solves one problem, but the
unintended side effects of the solution create new ones. Thus far civilization has stayed one step
ahead of its problems. But philosopher Nick Bostrom worries we might not always be so lucky.

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HOLY CROSS COLLEGE OF SASA

Km. 9, Sasa Davao City

Name: Chirstian U. Namuag_Score: _ Rating: _Course and

Test I. Essay. Limit your answers in 5-8 sentences only.

The importance of science and technology in a given society cannot be

Many of the other answers suggest technological innovation is a double-edged

3. Explain the following phrases:

Science and technology are key drivers to development, because

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STS Midterm Exam

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Copyright:

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STS Midterm Exam

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HOLY CROSS COLLEGE OF SASA

Km. 9, Sasa Davao City

Name: ​Chirstian U. Namuag​___________Score: _____________ Rating: ___Course and

Test I. Essay. Limit your answers in 5-8 sentences only.

The importance of science and technology in a given society cannot be

Many of the other answers suggest technological innovation is a double-edged

3. Explain the following phrases:

Science and technology are key drivers to development, because

You might also like

Name: Chirstian U. Namuag_Score: _ Rating: _Course and