NHHS 2025 HIST PRELIM P2 QP

Page 1 of 15 CANDIDATE NAME CENTRE CLASS INDEX NUMBER NUMBER HUMANITIES (HISTORY) 2261/02 Paper 2 The Making of the 20th Century Modern World, 1910s-1991 26 August 2025 1 hour 50 minutes No Additional materials are required. S 2 3 8 6

Nan Hua High School Preliminary Examination 2025 History 2174/02 Page 2 of 15 Section A: Source-Based Case Study 1 (a) Study Source A. What is the source implying about the Korean War? Using your own knowledge and details from the source, explain your answer. [5] Level Descriptor Marks L1 Describes source without an inference E.g. The source shows how Mao Zedong is shovelling his soldiers into a cannon. 1 L2 Sub-message, supported Award 3 marks for use of contextual knowledge E.g. The source is implying that China was whole-heartedly involved in the Korean War. From the source, I can see that Mao Zedong is shovelling his soldiers into the barrel of a cannon. There are also a lot more platoons of soldiers stationed at the base of the cannon, as though they are waiting to be shovelled into it as well. This indicates that China was supporting North Korea in the conflict by sending his own soldiers, and Mao was willing to send more soldiers as long as the conflict continues. 2-3 L3 Message, supported and explained Award 4 marks for valid message with source content use, and 5 marks for contextual knowledge made with reference to the cartoon being published when the Korean War was going on. E.g. The source is implying that Soviet Union was only providing military support to China during the Korean War, while Chinese soldiers were the ones being sent to fight in the war directly. From the source, I can see that Stalin was standing behind Mao, looking with a smile on his face, while Mao was shovelling his soldiers into the barrel of a cannon. The caption also reads, “Always glad to loan my neighbours a shovel.” This suggests that Soviet Unio n had backed China militarily during the Korean War, providing weapons and support, but didn’t deploy any Soviet troops. Instead, Mao was sending Chinese soldiers to fight and die in large numbers while Stalin watched behind the scenes. [4m] As this cartoon was published at the height of the Korean war, the cartoonist could be criticising how Soviet Union supplied arms and logistics, avoiding direct involvement in the combat, while the Chinese forces intervened directly to support North Korea, resulting in massive Chinese casualties. [5m] 4-5

Nan Hua High School Preliminary Examination 2025 History 2174/02 Page 3 of 15 1 (b) Study Source B. How useful is this source about China’s entry into the Korean War? Explain your answer. [6] Level Descriptor Marks L1 Answers based on undeveloped provenance E.g. Source B is useful because it shows the perspective of an ex-military officer from the Chinese Communist Party. 1 L2 Useful / Not useful based on source content E.g. Source B is useful in showing that China’s entry into the Korean War was due to the need to safeguard their security. Source B shows that “this ignores the historical fact that the US military insisted on crossing the 38 th Parallel, posing a great threat to China’s security. The Americans had forced the Chinese forces to enter North Korea.” This means that due to the presence of American troops in North Korea, China felt the need to safeguard their border, and therefore decided to enter the Korean War. 2 L3 L2 + Useful / Not useful based on cross-reference E.g. L2 + This is supported by my contextual knowledge that MacArthur had ignored Truman’s advice to limit operations north of the 38 th Parallel, and continued advancing towards the Yalu River even with China’s warning that it would intervene if it happened. MacArthur was even willing to use nuclear weapons on China if necessary. This shows that the actions of the US was perceived by China to be aggressive, which resulted to China’s entry into the war to defend its interest. Since my contextual knowledge supports Source B, it makes source B reliable hence useful. 3-4 L4 L2 + Useful / Not useful based on analysis of provenance Award 6m for answers that are well-explained. E.g. L2 + This source was published in a government website, which would have a vested interest to protect the image of the Chinese Communist Party, thus it would be biased in its portrayal of China’s entry into the Korean War, in order to justify China’s entry into the Korean War. This affects the reliability and hence usefulness of the source. 5-6

Nan Hua High School Preliminary Examination 2025 History 2174/02 Page 4 of 15 1 (c) Study Source C. Why do you think Kim Il Sung made this speech? Explain your answer. [5] Level Descriptor Marks L1 Reference to source content e.g. Kim Il Sung made this speech to inform the Koreans that the Americans would destroy Korea and enslave its people. 1 L2 Sub-message Award the higher mark of the level for more developed answers. E.g. Kim Il Sung made this speech to persuade Koreans that the Americans were going to colonise Korea and exploit Korea’s resources if left unchecked. In his speech, he mentioned that the Americans are “implementing their long meditated predatory plan of conquering the Korean people by force of arms and intimidation, enslaving them and plunging them into poverty and starvation.” This reflects Kim’s perception on the reason for the Americans’ involvement in the Korean War. 2 L3 Context E.g. Kim Il Sung made this speech because the Korean War had started a few months back, and the United States was getting involved by supporting South Korea through the UN forces. Kim did not want the North Korean forces to be driven back as they had been advancing rapidly, taking over most of South Korea. 3 L4 Main message E.g. Kim Il Sung made this speech to persuade Koreans that the US was preventing the unification of Korea for ulterior motives. In his speech, he mentioned that the Americans are “implementing their long meditated predatory plan of conquering the Korean people by force of arms and intimidation, enslaving them and plunging them into poverty and starvation.” This reflects Kim’s perception that the Americans wanted to take over control of Korea and exploit its resources, which will result in the deterioration of people’s standard of living. 3-4 L5 Reason based on purpose (Because of what he wanted the Koreans to do.) 4-5

Nan Hua High School Preliminary Examination 2025 History 2174/02 Page 5 of 15 E.g. Kim Il Sung made this speech to persuade [PV] Koreans [A] that the US was preventing the unification of Korea for ulterior motives [M]. In his speech, he mentioned that the Americans are “implementing their long meditated predatory plan of conquering the Korean people by force of arms and intimidation, enslaving them and plunging them into poverty and starvation.” This reflects Kim’s perception that the Americans wanted to take over control of Korea and exploit its resources, which will result in the deterioration of people’s standard of living. Kim made this speech when the United States became involved in the Korean War by supporting South Korea through the UN forces. As the North Korean forces had advanced rapidly and had taken over most of South Korea, the involvement of the UN forces had thrown off the plans of North Korea. [C] Thus, Kim made this speech to rally the Koreans against the UN forces [O], in the name of protecting Korea’s independence and preventing the US from taking over control of Korea. 1 (d) Study Sources D and E. How far does Source D make you surprised by what Source E shows about the involvement of the