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IB History HL practice questions

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Question 1Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In the IB History Paper 1 source-based paper, what is the primary purpose of the origin section of an OPCVL analysis of a source?

  1. To evaluate how typical the source's viewpoint was in its historical context
  2. To summarize the main argument the source makes about the historical event
  3. To compare the source's content with the candidate's own prior knowledge
  4. To establish who produced the source, when, where, and for what audience or purpose Correct answer.

Explanation

Origin concerns the provenance of a source: its author, date, place of production, and intended audience or purpose. Establishing this groundwork allows the candidate to then judge value and limitations in a reasoned way.

Question 2Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A Paper 1 question asks a candidate to compare and contrast the views of two sources on the causes of a conflict. Which approach best meets the demands of this question type?

  1. State which source is more reliable overall and explain why the other is biased
  2. Identify explicit points of agreement and disagreement between the two sources and support each with brief quotation or paraphrase Correct answer.
  3. Write a narrative account of the conflict's causes drawn from the candidate's own knowledge
  4. Analyze each source separately using origin, purpose, content, value, and limitation

Explanation

A compare-and-contrast question requires the candidate to set the sources side by side, identifying where their views converge and diverge, with textual support. It is not a reliability judgment or a free-standing narrative.

Question 3Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

When a Paper 1 question asks 'With reference to their origin and purpose, assess the value and limitations of Source C for historians studying X', what must the answer explicitly connect?

  1. The candidate's own opinion about whether the source is trustworthy in general
  2. The length and detail of the source compared with the other sources in the pack
  3. The number of factual errors the source contains relative to established chronology
  4. The source's provenance and intended function to specific insights or constraints for the named historical inquiry Correct answer.

Explanation

Value-and-limitation questions require linking origin and purpose to what the source can and cannot reliably reveal about the specific topic named in the question. Generic statements about bias without that link score poorly.

Question 4Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In the IB History Paper 1 source-based paper, which element of OPCVL is most directly concerned with why a source was created and the effect its author hoped it would have?

  1. Content
  2. Origin
  3. Value
  4. Purpose Correct answer.

Explanation

Purpose addresses the author's intention and the effect the source was designed to produce, such as persuading, justifying, or recording. Origin covers who and when; content covers what is said; value covers usefulness to the historian.

Question 5Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A candidate is asked to evaluate the usefulness of a propaganda poster from a wartime government for a study of civilian morale. Which reasoning best reflects sound source evaluation?

  1. The poster's usefulness depends entirely on whether the candidate personally finds its imagery convincing
  2. The poster is valuable as evidence of the government's intended message but limited as a direct record of actual civilian attitudes Correct answer.
  3. The poster is worthless because propaganda is by definition unreliable and should be dismissed
  4. The poster is fully reliable because governments possessed accurate information about their populations

Explanation

A propaganda source can be valuable for revealing the message a government wished to project while being limited for measuring genuine public opinion. Sound evaluation distinguishes what a source can and cannot show.

Question 6Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In a Paper 1 source-based question, what does the command term 'analyse' typically require a candidate to do?

  1. List the main points in the order they appear in the sources
  2. Describe the sources in detail without drawing any inferences
  3. Break down the material into its components and explain how they relate to reach a reasoned conclusion Correct answer.
  4. State a personal opinion about the sources without supporting evidence

Explanation

'Analyse' asks the candidate to decompose the material and explain the relationships among its parts to build an argument. It goes beyond description or listing toward reasoned interpretation.

Question 7Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which statement best explains why historians treat a private diary written during an event differently from a memoir written decades later?

  1. The diary is always more accurate because it was written by hand rather than printed
  2. The diary is closer to the event and less reshaped by hindsight, while the memoir may reflect later reflection or selective memory Correct answer.
  3. The memoir is always more valuable because the author had more time to research the event
  4. Neither source can be useful because both are personal rather than official records

Explanation

Proximity to events affects the kind of evidence a source offers: a contemporaneous diary captures immediate impressions, whereas a later memoir is filtered through hindsight and memory. Both can be valuable, but for different reasons.

Question 8Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A Paper 1 question asks candidates to use the sources and their own knowledge to assess a historical claim. What is the appropriate role of own knowledge in such an answer?

  1. It should be excluded because Paper 1 is purely a source-comprehension exercise
  2. It should replace the sources entirely because own knowledge is more reliable
  3. It should be integrated to corroborate, challenge, or contextualize the evidence drawn from the sources Correct answer.
  4. It should be confined to a single concluding sentence that lists relevant facts

Explanation

When the question invites own knowledge, candidates should weave it into their argument to test and situate the sources' evidence. It complements rather than replaces source analysis.

Question 9Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In source evaluation, what is meant by describing a source as having a 'limitation of purpose'?

  1. The author's intention shaped what was included or omitted, restricting what the source can tell a historian Correct answer.
  2. The source is too short to contain any useful information
  3. The source's author was unaware of the historical significance of the events described
  4. The source was written in a language the historian cannot read

Explanation

A limitation of purpose arises when the author's intent, such as persuading or justifying, means certain information was emphasized or left out. This constrains the questions the source can reliably answer.

Question 10Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which of the following best characterizes a 'primary source' as used in the IB History Paper 1 paper?

  1. A source produced by a participant or witness at or near the time of the events it describes Correct answer.
  2. A textbook chapter summarizing several historians' interpretations of an event
  3. A collection of essays written long after the events by academics
  4. A documentary film made by a modern scholar using archival footage

Explanation

A primary source originates from the period or from participants and witnesses close to the events. It provides direct, contemporaneous evidence rather than later synthesis or interpretation.

Question 11Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

When two sources in a Paper 1 pack offer conflicting accounts of the same event, what is the most sophisticated way to handle the conflict?

  1. Average the two accounts to produce a middle version of events
  2. Investigate each source's origin and purpose to explain why the accounts differ, then weigh the evidence Correct answer.
  3. Conclude that the event cannot be known and refuse to evaluate either source
  4. Assume the longer source is more accurate and rely on it

Explanation

Conflicting accounts are best addressed by examining why the sources differ, using origin and purpose to explain perspective, and then weighing which is better supported. The conflict itself becomes evidence about viewpoint.

Question 12Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which command term in a Paper 1 question most directly calls for the candidate to judge the merit or significance of a source's evidence?

  1. Describe
  2. Outline
  3. Evaluate Correct answer.
  4. Identify

Explanation

'Evaluate' asks the candidate to make a judgment about worth, reliability, or significance, supported by reasoning. It is a higher-order command term than describe, identify, or outline.

Question 13Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A candidate writes: 'Source A is biased because it was written by a politician.' Why is this reasoning insufficient for a Paper 1 evaluation?

  1. It labels the source biased without explaining how the author's position shaped the content or its value for a specific inquiry Correct answer.
  2. It does not quote the source's exact wording in full
  3. It uses the word 'biased', which is never permitted in source evaluation
  4. It fails to state the politician's name and full political career

Explanation

Merely naming an author's occupation as the reason for bias is a generic assertion. Effective evaluation explains how that position influenced what the source says and what it can or cannot reveal about the historical question.

Question 14Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In a Paper 1 question asking 'What can be inferred from Source B about the attitudes of its author?', which approach is most appropriate?

  1. Discuss the source's origin and purpose in detail without referring to its content
  2. Restate the source's explicit statements without drawing any conclusion
  3. Compare Source B to Source A rather than examining Source B's own language
  4. Draw a conclusion not explicitly stated in the text and justify it with specific words or phrases from the source Correct answer.

Explanation

Inference requires moving beyond what is literally stated to a justified conclusion, supported by textual evidence. The candidate must show how specific wording supports the inference drawn.

Question 15Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which factor most affects the value of a statistical table from a government ministry as a source for a historian studying wartime production?

  1. Whether the table was published in the capital city or elsewhere
  2. Whether the ministry had incentives to overstate or understate figures and how the data were compiled Correct answer.
  3. Whether the table uses a large or small font
  4. Whether the historian personally finds statistics easy to understand

Explanation

The value of statistical evidence depends on how the data were collected and whether the producing body had reasons to distort them. These factors bear directly on reliability and interpretation.

Question 16Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A candidate is asked to assess the usefulness of a speech by a national leader for a study of public opinion. Which judgment is most defensible?

  1. It has no value whatsoever because speeches are always entirely fabricated
  2. It is directly reliable as a measure of public opinion because leaders understood their populations
  3. It is useful for revealing the leader's intended message but of limited use for measuring what the public actually thought Correct answer.
  4. It is useful only if the historian agrees with the leader's political position

Explanation

A leader's speech is strong evidence of the message the leadership wanted to convey but weak as direct evidence of popular attitudes. Recognizing this distinction is central to sound evaluation.

Question 17Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In Paper 1, when a question asks candidates to 'compare the values and limitations' of two sources, what must the answer do beyond assessing each source separately?

  1. Explicitly relate the two assessments, showing where one source is more or less useful than the other and why Correct answer.
  2. Decide which source the candidate prefers and ignore the other
  3. Provide a full OPCVL of each source in two completely separate paragraphs
  4. Summarize the content of both sources without assessing value

Explanation

A comparison requires an explicit relationship between the two assessments, indicating relative strengths and weaknesses. Two unconnected analyses would be description rather than comparison.

Question 18Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which of the following best describes the concept of 'corroboration' in source-based history?

  1. Describing a source's content without reference to any other source
  2. Using independent sources to confirm or challenge a claim, strengthening confidence in the evidence Correct answer.
  3. Rejecting all sources that disagree with the candidate's prior assumptions
  4. Copying one source's claims into an answer as though they were established fact

Explanation

Corroboration involves checking a claim against other independent sources to see whether it holds up. Agreement across independent sources increases confidence, while disagreement invites further investigation.

Question 19Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A candidate evaluating a cartoon published in an opposition newspaper should recognize that its chief value lies in which of the following?

  1. Establishing exact dates and casualty figures for the historian
  2. Revealing the arguments and emotions of its creator's political viewpoint at that moment Correct answer.
  3. Providing an objective, neutral record of the events it depicts
  4. Demonstrating that the government's official position was correct

Explanation

A political cartoon is most valuable for showing the perspective, arguments, and mood of a particular viewpoint. It is not a neutral record or a source of precise factual data.

Question 20Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which statement about the role of 'own knowledge' in a Paper 1 'compare and contrast' question is most accurate?

  1. Own knowledge should appear only in the introduction to define key terms
  2. Own knowledge should dominate the answer because sources are secondary to facts
  3. Own knowledge should mainly be used to contextualize or test the sources' claims, not to replace comparison of the sources Correct answer.
  4. Own knowledge should be excluded entirely because the question is about the sources

Explanation

In comparison questions the sources remain central, with own knowledge used to contextualize and test their claims. It supports rather than supplants the comparison.

Question 21Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

What does the 'content' element of OPCVL refer to when analyzing a source?

  1. The reasons the historian chose to include the source in a study
  2. The circumstances in which the source was discovered by historians
  3. The physical condition and legibility of the document
  4. What the source says or shows, including its main arguments and key details Correct answer.

Explanation

Content concerns the substance of the source: its claims, arguments, and key details. It is distinguished from origin (who and when) and purpose (why it was made).

Question 22Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A candidate claims a source is 'valuable because it was written at the time'. Which refinement would most improve this evaluation?

  1. Explaining what specifically the source's contemporaneity allows the historian to conclude about the topic Correct answer.
  2. Noting that the author was well known at the time
  3. Adding the exact date of composition to the sentence
  4. Stating that the source is valuable because it is old

Explanation

Claiming value from contemporaneity alone is vague. A strong evaluation specifies what the source's proximity to events enables the historian to establish about the particular topic under study.

Question 23Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In the context of Paper 1, what is the main function of the sources in the source booklet?

  1. To serve as exemplars of good historical writing for candidates to imitate
  2. To supply all the factual content candidates need without any own knowledge
  3. To provide the evidential basis that candidates must interpret and evaluate in their answers Correct answer.
  4. To replace the need for candidates to make judgments about reliability

Explanation

The source booklet supplies the evidence candidates must interpret, compare, and evaluate. Candidates are expected to analyze and judge the sources, not merely absorb them as facts.

Question 24Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A source produced by a defeated government after the war, seeking to explain its wartime decisions, should be evaluated with particular attention to which factor?

  1. The number of pages the source contains
  2. The length of time that has passed since the events, which guarantees objectivity
  3. The author's potential interest in justifying past actions and shaping how they are remembered Correct answer.
  4. The fact that the author held office, which makes the account neutral

Explanation

A post-defeat account may be shaped by the desire to justify decisions and influence memory. Recognizing this potential purpose is essential to assessing what the source can reliably reveal.

Question 25Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which of the following is the best example of a question that requires candidates to synthesize the evidence of several sources?

  1. Using the sources and your own knowledge, assess how far the sources support the view that X was the main cause of the conflict Correct answer.
  2. Describe the content of Source A in your own words
  3. Explain what the phrase in Source C most likely means
  4. Identify the author of Source B and state when it was written

Explanation

A question asking how far multiple sources support a claim requires weighing and combining the evidence of several sources to reach a judgment. It is a synthesis task rather than a single-source comprehension task.

Question 26Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A Paper 1 source pack on an authoritarian state includes a propaganda poster and a secret police report. Which pairing correctly matches each source to the kind of evidence it most directly offers?

  1. The poster as evidence of private popular belief and the police report as evidence of published propaganda
  2. The poster as evidence of intended public messaging and the police report as evidence of internal official concerns Correct answer.
  3. The poster as evidence of economic output and the police report as evidence of foreign diplomatic opinion
  4. The poster as evidence of judicial procedure and the police report as evidence of electoral behaviour

Explanation

Purpose shapes what a source can reliably show: a propaganda poster reveals what a regime wanted people to think, while an internal police report reveals what officials worried about. Neither source directly measures private belief or economic output, so matching each to its institutional function is the sound approach.

Question 27Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which command term in a Paper 1 question requires candidates to set out the main points of a source's argument clearly, without necessarily judging it?

  1. Describe Correct answer.
  2. Analyse
  3. Evaluate
  4. Compare

Explanation

Command terms carry precise demands in IB History. 'Describe' asks for a clear account of what is present or stated, whereas 'evaluate' and 'analyse' require judgement or decomposition of the material. Confusing description with evaluation is a common cause of wasted time in Paper 1.

Question 28Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A candidate is given a photograph of a wartime factory taken by an official government photographer. Which judgement best captures its value and its limitation?

  1. It is valuable as a statistical record, but limited because it lacks a written caption
  2. It is valuable as evidence of workers' opinions, but limited because it was taken indoors
  3. It is valuable as a neutral record of reality, but limited because photographs cannot show people
  4. It is valuable as evidence of what officials chose to display, but limited as evidence of typical working conditions Correct answer.

Explanation

Official photography is shaped by the purposes of the commissioning body, so its chief value lies in revealing what a regime wanted to present. Its limitation is that staging, selection and framing mean it cannot be read as a transparent record of ordinary conditions. This value-limitation pairing is the standard analytical move in Paper 1.

Question 29Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

When a Paper 1 question asks candidates to 'compare' two sources, which approach best meets the demand of the command term?

  1. Explaining the historical background without referring to the sources
  2. Summarising each source separately in turn and leaving the reader to draw conclusions
  3. Judging which source is more reliable and discarding the weaker one
  4. Identifying both similarities and differences, supported by brief quotation or reference Correct answer.

Explanation

Comparison requires explicit treatment of both similarities and differences, ideally organised around points of contact rather than sequential summary. Referring to specific wording keeps the comparison grounded in the sources. A one-sided judgement of reliability does not fulfil the command term.

Question 30Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A memoir published twenty years after the events it describes is used in a Paper 1 pack. Which factor most strengthens its value as historical evidence?

  1. The author held a senior position with direct access to the events described Correct answer.
  2. The memoir covers a long period of time
  3. The author writes in an engaging and persuasive style
  4. The memoir was printed by a large commercial publisher

Explanation

Proximity to events and access to decision-making are the strongest grounds for valuing a retrospective account, because they give the author relevant firsthand knowledge. Publication details and literary quality affect reception, not access to evidence. The passage of time remains a limitation that must still be acknowledged.

Question 31Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In OPCVL analysis, which question is most directly concerned with a source's 'origin'?

  1. What does the source say about the event it describes?
  2. What does the source leave out about the event?
  3. How typical is the source compared with other evidence?
  4. Who produced the source, and in what circumstances? Correct answer.

Explanation

Origin concerns authorship and the circumstances of production: who made the source, when, where and in what role. Content concerns what the source says, while omissions and typicality belong to discussions of limitation and value. Keeping these categories distinct prevents muddled OPCVL paragraphs.

Question 32Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A candidate writes that a government report is 'unreliable because it comes from a government'. Which revision best improves the evaluation?

  1. The report is unreliable because all official documents contain deliberate falsehoods
  2. The report's value lies in showing official thinking, though its purpose may lead it to present policy favourably Correct answer.
  3. The report is reliable because governments employ trained researchers
  4. The report is useless because it was not written by an ordinary citizen

Explanation

Sound evaluation avoids blanket assumptions about a whole category of source and instead links purpose to specific consequences for content. A government report can be valuable evidence of official assumptions and priorities even where it presents policy in a favourable light. This replaces a general prejudice with a reasoned judgement.

Question 33Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which statement best explains why the 'values' of a source must be discussed alongside its 'limitations' in Paper 1?

  1. Because limitations apply only to sources produced after the event
  2. Because a source judged only by its flaws cannot be used as evidence for anything Correct answer.
  3. Because examiners require an equal number of words for each category
  4. Because most sources are equally valuable and limited in all respects

Explanation

Every source is useful for something, even if not for the question originally imagined. Identifying value ensures that the source is actually used as evidence, which is the point of source analysis. Treating limitations alone produces a dismissive evaluation that fails to answer the question.

Question 34Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A source pack contains a treaty article and a newspaper editorial reacting to that treaty. Which question would best require candidates to synthesise evidence across both sources?

  1. How did the editorial's interpretation of the treaty differ from what the treaty text actually provided? Correct answer.
  2. What does the treaty article state about territorial arrangements?
  3. Which of the two documents is longer?
  4. When was the newspaper editorial published?

Explanation

Synthesis requires combining evidence from more than one source to reach a conclusion that neither supports alone. Comparing the editorial's claims with the treaty's actual provisions demands exactly that movement between sources. Questions about one document in isolation or about superficial features do not require synthesis.

Question 35Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which feature of a cartoon published in an opposition newspaper most affects how a historian should use it as evidence?

  1. The number of colours used in printing
  2. The physical size of the original page
  3. The name of the printing press used
  4. Its use of exaggeration and symbolism to convey a critical viewpoint Correct answer.

Explanation

Political cartoons communicate through caricature and symbolism, and their viewpoint is deliberately partial. Their value lies in revealing the arguments and anxieties of the group that produced them, while their limitation is that they distort for effect. Recognising the visual conventions is therefore central to using them well.

Question 36Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A Paper 1 question asks candidates to assess the significance of a single source for a particular enquiry. Which approach best addresses the demand?

  1. Describing the source's contents in full detail
  2. Comparing the source with a textbook account of the period
  3. Listing every possible limitation of the source
  4. Judging how far the source contributes to answering the specific enquiry, given its origin and content Correct answer.

Explanation

Significance is relative to the enquiry being pursued, so the answer must connect the source's origin and content to that specific question. A source can be significant for one enquiry and marginal for another. Exhaustive description or a list of limitations does not establish significance.

Question 37Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which statement about a source produced by a defeated state after the war to explain its wartime decisions is most accurate?

  1. It is valuable for revealing how the regime later justified its actions, while limited as a record of decision-making at the time Correct answer.
  2. It has no value because it was written by politicians
  3. It should be dismissed because the author lost the war
  4. It should be treated as a neutral record because it was written after reflection

Explanation

Retrospective justification is valuable evidence of the author's later position and of the narrative the regime wished to establish. It is weaker as a record of what actually happened during the war, since memory, self-interest and political context shape the account. Separating these two uses is the key evaluative move.

Question 38Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

In a Paper 1 answer, what is the most appropriate role for a candidate's own knowledge?

  1. It should be avoided because Paper 1 tests only source skills
  2. It should be used only to identify the author of each source
  3. It should be used to contextualise and test the sources, while the sources remain central Correct answer.
  4. It should replace the sources entirely when the candidate knows the topic well

Explanation

Paper 1 rewards the integration of contextual knowledge with source evidence, for example to identify omissions or to explain allusions. Own knowledge supports the analysis of sources rather than substituting for them. Answers that ignore the sources cannot meet the assessment objectives.

Question 39Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

A candidate must judge the usefulness of a set of sources for a question about popular attitudes in a state with strict censorship. Which reasoning is strongest?

  1. Censored sources reveal official messaging and, through their silences and emphases, hint at what authorities feared, though they cannot directly report private opinion Correct answer.
  2. Censored sources are useless for studying popular attitudes
  3. Censored sources are reliable because censorship guarantees accuracy
  4. Censored sources are useful only for studying economic statistics

Explanation

In a censored environment, sources rarely record private opinion directly, but they can be read for what the authorities chose to promote or suppress. This yields indirect evidence about official priorities and anxieties. The limitation regarding private attitudes must still be stated explicitly.

Question 40Prescribed subject (Paper 1 source-based study)

Which question best tests whether a candidate understands the difference between a source's 'purpose' and its 'content'?

  1. How long is the source?
  2. Who published the source?
  3. When was the source written?
  4. What does the source say, and why was it produced? Correct answer.

Explanation

Content concerns what the source states, while purpose concerns the intention behind its production. Asking both together forces candidates to distinguish description from explanation of motive. Questions about date, publisher or length address origin or format rather than this distinction.

Question 41World history topics (Paper 2)

Which treaty formally ended the First World War and imposed reparations and territorial losses on Germany in 1919?

  1. The Treaty of Trianon
  2. The Treaty of Versailles Correct answer.
  3. The Treaty of Sèvres
  4. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Explanation

The Treaty of Versailles was the settlement signed with Germany in June 1919, and it contained the war-guilt clause, disarmament provisions and the reparations obligation. The other treaties in the Paris settlement dealt with different defeated states.

Question 42World history topics (Paper 2)

Which development is most closely associated with Stalin's First Five-Year Plan launched in 1928?

  1. The dissolution of the Comintern in favour of collective security
  2. The introduction of the rouble convertibility on world markets
  3. Rapid collectivisation of agriculture and forced industrial targets Correct answer.
  4. The New Economic Policy's partial return to market exchange

Explanation

The First Five-Year Plan set ambitious output targets for heavy industry and was accompanied by the drive to collectivise peasant farms, which was intended to extract grain and fund industrialisation. The NEP had preceded it and was effectively abandoned.

Question 43World history topics (Paper 2)

Which policy did the Chinese Communist Party adopt in 1923 to build a united front against warlords and foreign imperialism?

  1. The New Life Movement
  2. The First United Front with the Guomindang Correct answer.
  3. The Great Leap Forward
  4. The Long March

Explanation

In 1923 the CCP, on Comintern advice, agreed to cooperate with Sun Yat-sen's Guomindang, forming the First United Front. This alliance collapsed in 1927 when Chiang Kai-shek purged communists.

Question 44World history topics (Paper 2)

Which event is conventionally taken as the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936?

  1. The founding of the Falange
  2. The abdication of Alfonso XIII
  3. The military rising against the Republican government in July Correct answer.
  4. The bombing of Guernica

Explanation

The civil war began with a military uprising in July 1936 led by generals including Franco, Mola and Sanjurjo against the Popular Front government. Guernica came later, in 1937.

Question 45World history topics (Paper 2)

Which organisation was created in 1949 as a collective defence alliance of Western states during the early Cold War?

  1. The European Coal and Steel Community
  2. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Correct answer.
  3. The Warsaw Pact
  4. The Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation

Explanation

NATO was established by the North Atlantic Treaty in April 1949 as a collective defence arrangement among the United States, Canada and Western European states. The Warsaw Pact was the Soviet-led response, created in 1955.

Question 46World history topics (Paper 2)

Which leader came to power in Cuba in 1959 after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista?

  1. Fidel Castro Correct answer.
  2. Salvador Allende
  3. Jacobo Árbenz
  4. Daniel Ortega

Explanation

Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement defeated Batista's forces and took power in January 1959, later aligning Cuba with the Soviet Union. The other figures led different Latin American governments.

Question 47World history topics (Paper 2)

Which policy did Mikhail Gorbachev introduce in the late 1980s to permit greater openness and criticism in Soviet public life?

  1. Uskorenie
  2. Glasnost Correct answer.
  3. Perestroika
  4. Détente

Explanation

Glasnost, meaning openness, relaxed censorship and allowed greater public discussion of Soviet problems. Perestroika was the parallel programme of economic and political restructuring.

Question 48World history topics (Paper 2)

Which body was established by the Charter of the United Nations in 1945 to maintain international peace and security?

  1. The League of Nations Council
  2. The Council of Europe
  3. The Comintern
  4. The Security Council Correct answer.

Explanation

The UN Charter created the Security Council with permanent members holding veto power as the primary organ responsible for international peace and security. The League had been replaced, and the Comintern was a Soviet party organisation.

Question 49World history topics (Paper 2)

Why did the United States announce the Truman Doctrine in 1947?

  1. To establish the Marshall Plan's administrative agency
  2. To pledge economic and military aid to states resisting communist pressure, beginning with Greece and Turkey Correct answer.
  3. To create a permanent peacetime alliance with the Soviet Union
  4. To withdraw American forces from Western Europe

Explanation

The Truman Doctrine committed the United States to supporting free peoples resisting subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressure, with aid to Greece and Turkey as the immediate case. It marked a shift from wartime cooperation to containment.

Question 50World history topics (Paper 2)

How did the Nazi–Soviet Pact of August 1939 contribute to the outbreak of the Second World War?

  1. It removed the risk of a two-front war for Germany, allowing the invasion of Poland in September Correct answer.
  2. It restored the Polish corridor to Germany by peaceful agreement
  3. It guaranteed British neutrality in any German attack on Poland
  4. It committed the Soviet Union to join the Axis war effort against Britain

Explanation

The secret protocol divided eastern Europe into spheres of influence and assured Hitler that the USSR would not oppose an attack on Poland, removing the danger of a two-front conflict. Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939.