Why are anonymous sources unreliable?

Readers cannot verify who they are or what they know, so the claim cannot be checked.

What should you do with a bargain message?

Check the official website or call the organisation first; do not click the link or transfer money.

Primary General Studies, Media Literacy, Paper 2: sources, scams and deepfakes

2026-10-31

Tutor Prep Guide · Primary General Studies

Ten items on official domains, anonymous sources, forward counts, free Wi-Fi data requests, the minimum age for social platforms, online shopping scam signs, deepfake clues, exponential spread, screen time percentage and the limits of HTTPS.

Focus　A .gov.hk domain is more reliable; a source with no verifiable identity is weak; total reach is forwarders times people per forward; browsing should never need an identity card number; most platforms require users to be 13; a personal account plus very low prices signals a scam; deepfakes often fail at lip sync and face edges; repeating the same multiplier is exponential growth; screen time share divides by 168; HTTPS means encryption, not truth.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10
Suggested time	25
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: Primary General Studies: Media Literacy
Level	P4 to P6

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationThe same claim appears on a government site (.gov.hk), a personal social post and a content farm. Which source is most reliable?
FoundationA post only says that a source revealed something, with no name or position. How reliable is it?
FoundationA message is forwarded by 12 people, each sending it to 8 new friends. How many people receive it?
FoundationA free Wi-Fi network at a shopping mall asks for your identity card number before you can browse. What should you do?
IntermediateWhat is the minimum age most social platforms require to open an account?
IntermediateAn online shop only accepts transfers to a personal account and its prices are far below market. What is the risk?
IntermediateWhen watching a video of a person speaking, how can you suspect it is a deepfake?
ChallengeA message starts with 3 forwards, and in each later round every recipient forwards it to 3 people. How many copies are circulating by the fifth round?
ChallengeScreen time is 2.5 hours a day, 17.5 hours a week. A week has 168 hours. What percentage is that, to one decimal place?
Error redoA classmate says that a padlock and HTTPS mean the content must be true. Is that correct?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	The government site (.gov.hk).	An official domain carries accountability, while personal posts and content farms cannot be verified easily.
2	Not very reliable, so look for another trusted source to confirm it.	When the source cannot be identified, readers have no way to judge the claim.
3	12 × 8 = 96 people.	The total is the number of forwarders times the people each one sends to.
4	Do not enter it; use another network or ask the venue staff.	Browsing does not require an identity card number, so such a request is suspicious.
5	13 years old.	Children below that age face higher privacy and safety risks online.
6	It may be a scam: the goods may never arrive and a refund is hard to obtain.	Legitimate shops use company accounts, so a personal account plus unusually low prices is a warning sign.
7	Check whether the lip movement matches the sound and whether the face edges look unnatural, then verify the original source.	Deepfakes often fail at lip sync and face edges, and checking the source is the safest test.
8	3⁵ = 243 copies.	Multiply by three each round, so five rounds give three to the power of five.
9	17.5 ÷ 168 × 100% ≈ 10.4%.	Find the weekly total first, then divide by 168 and multiply by one hundred.
10	No. HTTPS only means the connection is encrypted; it says nothing about accuracy.	Encryption protects the transfer, and false claims can be published on HTTPS sites too.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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