ACSI 2025 HIST PRELIM P2 QP

1 Name: ________________________________ ( ) Class: ________________ Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2025 YEAR FOUR (O-levels) HISTORY PAPER 2 (2174/2) Tuesday 19 August 2025 1 hr 50min INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES • Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so. • Section A: Answer all parts of Question 1. • Section B: Answer two questions. • If you use more than one sheet of writing paper, fasten them together. Attach the answer cover page to the TOP of your answers. • Be careful to number all questions attempted correctly. • The maximum mark for this examination paper is [50 marks]. Section A: __________/30 marks Section B: __________/20 marks Total marks obtained: __________/ 50 marks Parent/ Guardian’s Signature and Date: ____________________ This question paper consists of 6 pages, including the cover page.

2 Section A: Source-Based Case Study Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and then answer all the questions. You may use any of the sources to help you answer the questions, in addition to those sources you are told to use. In answering the questions, you should use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. 1 (a) Study Source A. What is the message of this source? Explain your answer. [5] (b) Study Sources B and C. Having read Source C, are you surprised by Source B? Explain your answer. [6] (c) Study Source D. How useful is this source as evidence of USSR’s actions in the Berlin Crisis? Explain your answer. [6] (d) Study Source E. Is the cartoonist a supporter of Soviet policy in Berlin? Explain your answer. [5] (e) Study all the sources. “Responsibility for the Berlin Blockade lies solely with the USSR.” How far do the sources support this view? Use the sources and your knowledge to explain your answer. [8]

3 The Berlin Crisis of 1948 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. In the early Cold War, the United States pursued a policy of containment to stop the spread of communism using economic, diplomatic, and military tools. This approach was put to the test during the Berlin Crisis of 1948–1949. As the Western Allies— namely the U.S., Britain, and France— moved to unite their zones of Germany and introduced a new currency in West Berlin, tensions rose sharply. These moves signalled the West's intention to rebuild and integrate West Germany, which the Soviet Union saw as a direct threat to its influence and a breach of earlier agreements. In response, the Soviets blocked all land and rail routes to West Berlin on 24 June 1948, effectively cutting the city off to pressure the Allies into withdrawing. This confrontation marked a turning poi