Year 8 Term 2 Assessment: Revision Guide

Below is a guide to help you study for your assessment. It covers the types of
questions, as well the content you need to study. Remember, you will also have access to
the class PowerPoints in the team.

1. Types of Question

In this test you will have two source questions and three knowledge questions.

Source question 1: Inference/Impression

For this type of question, you will be given a source and you will be tested on your
ability to understand what that source is telling you.

An inference is a conclusion. It’s more than simply repeating what the source says.

For example,

“I like things to happen, and if they don't happen I like to make them happen.” –
Winston Churchill

Inference: From this quote we can infer that Winston Churchill is active and dynamic.
We can tell this because he says he likes to make things happen.

Notice how the source doesn’t use the words active or dynamic? It’s something you’re
able to work out or infer from his words.

Do: Don’t:
Use your own words Just copy what the source says.
Give a reason for your inference
Source question 2: Comparison and Interpretation

For this type of question, you will be given two interpretations and you will be tested on
your ability to compare what these sources are telling you.

You will have to explain how the sources differ and then explain why.

Do:
Use command words: similar, different.
Give evidence from both sources.
Use your own words to explain what is similar/different.

Don’t:
Just copy what the sources say without explaining your comparison.

Knowledge based questions

The knowledge based questions will

expect you to write in structured
paragraphs. You must read the
questions carefully to see how many
paragraphs are expected.

A good structure to use is:

Example PEEL paragraph:

One factor that led to William winning the Battle of Hastings was how tired Harold’s
army was. For example, just twenty days before the Saxon army had fought and
defeated a large Viking army at Stamford Bridge. This was important because the
Saxons won but they lost many of their best warriors and those that were left were
injured and tired – especially when they had to then quickly march 250 miles south to
get to Hastings. This made it more likely that William would win because the Saxon
army was smaller and more tired than it would otherwise have been.
A more challenging structure that some people might be ready to use is PEEKA:

Example PEEKA paragraph:

One reason Christopher Columbus can be seen as a villain can be in the way he treated
the native people of the Americas. He enslaved many of the people in what is now
modern day Dominican Republic and when they tried to protest he killed them and
displayed their bodies in public to scare the others. Actions like this clearly show that
Columbus was a brutal and murderous man who had no care for the lives of the natives.
In addition, when the Spanish King and Queen heard about his actions they were so
horrified that they striped him of his title as governor. Therefore we can clearly see
that Columbus was no hero to the people of the Americas or even the Spanish who had
sent him.
 2. What do I need to know?

Topic 1: The Americas

Christopher Columbus

• Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451.

• His father was a weaver and small-time merchant.

• As a teenager, Christopher went to sea and travelled extensively.

• He eventually made Portugal his base and attempted to gain royal patronage for
a westward voyage to the Orient.

• His attempts in Portugal, France, and England were rejected.

• Columbus then went to Spain and struggled to win backing for his project.

• King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella agreed to sponsor his expedition.

• On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his fleet of three ships set sail across the
Atlantic.

• Ten weeks later, they sighted land on an island in what later became known as
the Bahamas.

• Columbus and his men believed they had reached the Indies and called the
natives "Indians."

• Initial encounters with the indigenous populations were friendly, but the impact
of European contact soon devastated them.

• Columbus explored other islands in the Caribbean, including Cuba and Hispaniola,
before returning to Spain.
 • He was given titles and set off on a second and larger voyage.

• Columbus made two further voyages to the newfound territories but faced
defeat and humiliation.

• He was accused of mismanagement and died on May 20, 1506, as a wealthy but
disappointed man.

The Conquistadors

• The Conquistadors were

Spanish explorers and conquerors
who lived during the 15th and 16th
centuries.

• They were motivated by the

desire for wealth, fame, and
spreading their religion.

• One of the most famous Conquistadors was Hernán Cortés, who conquered the
Aztec Empire in Mexico.

• Another famous Conquistador was Francisco Pizarro, who conquered the Inca
Empire in Peru.

• The Conquistadors used advanced weapons, such as guns and steel armor, which
gave them an advantage over the indigenous peoples they encountered.

• They also brought diseases, like smallpox, which unintentionally caused the
deaths of many native people who had no immunity to these illnesses.

• The Conquistadors often formed alliances with indigenous groups who were
enemies of the empires they aimed to conquer.

• They exploited the weaknesses of the empires they encountered, such as

political divisions or internal conflicts.

• The Conquistadors looted and stole valuable treasures, such as gold and silver,
from the empires they conquered.

• They imposed Spanish rule and forced the indigenous people to convert to
Christianity.
• The Conquistadors had a significant impact on the history and culture of the
Americas, but their actions also led to the decline and destruction of many
indigenous civilizations.
Topic 2: Empire and India (adapted from BBC Bitesize)

Key points
• The British Empire began in the late 1500s under Queen Elizabeth I.
• By 1913 the empire had grown to rule over 400 million people, making it the largest
empire in history.
• British government and society benefitted economically from the empire.
• The people colonised by the British had British laws and customs imposed upon
them, lost their ability to govern themselves and were, in many cases, violently
oppressed.

Why did Britain build an empire?

Britain decided to build an empire for several reasons. These included:

• To gain more money
• To gain more power
• To spread Christianity and British ways of life

Spain built its empire in the 1500s. It controlled 80 per cent of the world’s silver because
it conquered several colonies in Latin America, such as Peru and Mexico. England wanted
the money and power that the Spanish had, but this would require a lot of violence and
force.

The indigenous people in the new colonies were presented to the British public as
‘uncivilised’, because their way of living was different from that of people in Europe. This
meant people began to believe that the British should continue to grow their empire to
bring ‘civilisation’ to these places, even by force. There were also missionaries who
believed it was their duty to travel to new countries and convert people to Christianity.

Video revision:
The Mughal Empire

Key points
• The Mughal Empire began in 1526 and lasted for over 200 years. At its peak it
covered modern day India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• The empire was founded by Babur, a Muslim warrior prince from Central Asia, who
descended from the Mongols.
• The Mughal emperors were Muslim and most of their subjects were Hindu so it
was important that the Mughal emperors supported religious tolerance.

The first three emperors

Akbar takes control of the Mughal Empire

In 1556, Akbar took control of the Mughal Empire. At this time the empire covered the
Punjab and a small area around Delhi, but by the end of his reign, Akbar had expanded
the empire to cover most of modern-day India. Many historians consider his rule to be
the ‘Golden Age’ of the Mughal Empire.

For the first 5 years, the empire was ruled by his guardian since he was only 13. However,
when Akbar turned 18 he quickly began to prove himself as a strong emperor after
forcing his guardian, Bairam Khan, to retire. Once in charge, he began a series of
conquests to expand the Empire.

However, Akbar did not just take over more land. He made changes to the way the empire
was run so that he would be able to maintain such a large empire.
Akbar introduced a new tax system called Dahsala. He also introduced Zamindars, these
were local tax collectors who worked for the emperor. The Zamindars would be important
men in their local area, often Hindus. Their work meant that the emperor could collect
all the money he needed without having to disturb the everyday life of his subjects.

By allowing Indian princes to keep their land and other Hindu noblemen to become
Zamindars he was able to turn his Hindu enemies into allies and supporters of his empire.

Religion and Tolerance

In 1580, Akbar ended the Jizyah. This was a tax that all non-Muslims had to pay to the
emperor, by ending this hated tax he won the support of many Hindus. In the same year
Akbar also introduced something Sulh-I kul, which is an Arabic term that means ‘peace
with all’. As a result of Sulh-I kul, all Muslims and non-Muslims had the same rights.

Although it offended some of his closest Muslim officers, he would also encourage
conversations between Hindus, Parsis, Muslims and Christians at the House of Worship
he built called Ibadat Khana. He even welcomed Jesuits from Europe and had
conversations with them about Christianity.

Aurangzeb: The Bad Emperor?

Aurangzeb was born in 1618, the third son of Shah Jahan and
Mumtaz Mahal.

From the beginning of his rule, it was clear that Aurangzeb

would be a far more strict ruler than the emperors before him.
He was more pious than his father, grandfather, and great
grandfather. He committed to avoiding alcohol and the drug
opium – which had ruined the rule of previous emperors as their
addictions made them unable to rule. He also memorised the
entire Qur’an after becoming emperor.

Although Aurangzeb was committed to justice and was a very

pious man, he was also committed to expanding the empire and
using as much force as he felt necessary to deal with any
threats to his empire. As a result of his use of violence and
force, many have called Aurangzeb a tyrant since he was willing to go against his own
beliefs to deal with rebellious people.

Aurangzeb’s own son even rebelled against him in 1681, he was chased by his father’s men
through different provinces before he escaped to Iran where he died in 1704.
Aurangzeb also spent much of his reign waging wars to grow the Mughal Empire. By the
time of his death in 1707 the Mughal Empire was at its largest. He extended the empire
as far south as Tanjore and Trichinopoly, modern day Thanjavur and Tiruchirappali. As a
result, despite much violence and brutality, Aurangzeb is often remembered as the last
of the great Mughal emperors.

Video
revision:

The East India Company

In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I approved the creation

of the East India Company, a powerful private
trading company. The East India Company was
started by merchants who wanted to trade in Asia
to get spices, cotton and indigo dye and then sell
them in England for profit.

At first, they sailed to the East Indies, which are

now modern-day Indonesia and the Philippines,
and tried to compete with the Dutch, French and Portuguese merchants who were already
there. They failed to compete and The East India Company turned their attention to
southern India.
In 1639, a company representative purchased land in southern India. The East India
Company built Fort St George on this land, which has since become part of the city of
Chennai, now home to over 11 million people.

How did the East India Company take control of India?

Initially English traders were
welcomed by the Mughal rulers. Both
sides realised that there would be
benefits for each of them if they
traded with each other. In exchange
for trading rights the English
brought European products to India.
Throughout the 1600s English trade
in India expanded and English
traders built many trading posts and
factories across India. However, by
the end of the century relations with
the Mughal rulers had worsened.

When further English requests for trading privileges were turned down, the East India
Company blockaded ports and fought battles against the Mughal army. This conflict
became known as the Anglo-Mughal War, and it lasted from 1686 to 1690.

The English lost when the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, defeated the English merchants.
He did not think the merchants were a serious threat and was satisfied with the English
apologising and paying a fine.

Aurangzeb was much more worried about fighting off the Maratha Empire and so did not
impose any harsher punishments on the English.

The Battle of Plassey

By the 1750s the British and French trading companies were the largest in India, and
both wanted to control trade. In 1756 Siraj ud-Daulah became the Nawab of Bengal. He
grew frustrated with the British presence in Bengal and the British East India Company
grew frustrated because they thought he preferred working with the French.

In 1757, ud-Daulah captured Fort William, a British fort in Kolkata, after the British
refused to stop extending the fort. The British, led by Robert Clive, planned to take back
the fort, and the two sides met at Plassey. Ud-Daulah’s army outnumbered the British
army, and some French soldiers joined ud-Daulah. However, the head of the Bengali army,
Mir Jafar, had secretly made a deal with the British, agreeing to switch sides in exchange
for being made the new Nawab of Bengal after ud-Daulah was overthrown. Jafar
promised to work in support of British interests, and the British planned to use him as
a puppet ruler.

Video revision:

The consequences of the Battle of Plassey

Ud-Daulah lost the Battle of Plassey and Mir Jafar was installed as the Nawab of Bengal.
This victory is considered by many historians to be the beginning of British control of
India. However, Britain did not directly rule India at this point, because the East India
Company was still the controlling power rather than the British government.

1757 was a turning point for the East India Company for three main reasons:

• The Battle of Plassey was fought and Siraj ud-Daulah, who preferred the French
to the British, was defeated.

• Competition from the French East

India Company was removed.

• The East India Company established

a puppet ruler in Bengal, Mir Jafar,
to allow them to control India.

Video revision:
Who was Gandhi? (adapted from Bitesize)

• 1869 Mohandas Gandhi was born on October 2, in Porbandar, India.

• 1888 he studied law in London.

• 1893 he moved to South Africa to be a lawyer where he fought against the poor
treatment of Indian immigrants.

• 1915 he returned to India. Many in India were growing angry at Britain’s refusal
to hand over meaningful power despite hundreds of thousands of Indians
fighting to defend Britain during World War One.

• 1919, he launched an organised campaign of passive resistance in response to the

passing of the Rowlatt Act.

Civil disobedience

Gandhi promoted non-violent civil disobedience campaigns in response to the Amritsar

Massacre.

In 1921 he assumed leadership of the Indian National Congress (INC) and led several
nationwide campaigns. These included easing poverty, building religious and ethnic
peaceful harmony, expanding women’s rights and achieving self-rule.

He also became widely known for wearing a simple dhoti and shawl. This was a way of
identifying with India’s rural poor.

The Salt March

In 1930, Gandhi led a major protest, know as the Salt March.

The British had been taxing salt in India for decades but this hurt the poorest people
most.

To show the world the injustice of British rule Gandhi marched to the coast with a
growing number of people to symbolically collect salt from the sea without paying any
tax to the British.

This tax made it difficult for poorer Indians to afford British salt, and it was also
illegal for them to produce their own salt.Anyone found to be making their own salt
could be imprisoned for up to six months.

Gandhi and 78 other leaders marched 240 miles from the Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi.
They were joined by thousands of people who wanted to protest against British rule.
Gandhi led people to boycott British salt, and encouraged them to produce their own
salt from sea water at Dandi.

After this protest, around 60,000 people were arrested, including Gandhi himself. But
the British government accepted that they had to consider some of Gandhi’s requests
and invited him to London.

This was a significant turning point, because it showed that the British government was
starting to seriously consider Indian independence.

India during World War Two

In 1939, World War Two broke out. 250,000 Indians volunteered to fight for Britain
and the Allies.

By 1942, British forces needed more troops. The British government planned
to conscript more Indian soldiers. The INC and other Indian leaders were outraged, so
the British sent a member of the government called Sir Stafford Cripps
to negotiate an agreement. Cripps offered dominion status to India if they agreed to
send more troops, which was turned down as the INC would only accept full
independence.

In August 1942, Gandhi delivered his ‘Quit India’ speech. In this speech, Gandhi
demanded full and immediate independence for India. Many people continued to follow
Gandhi’s instructions to campaign peacefully against British rule. However, there were
other groups who used riots and fires to get the British government’s attention.

By the end of World War Two, the British government was losing control of India.

The end of British rule in India

World War Two ended in 1945. The British government then began to consider how
they might declare India an independent state. Many members of the government still
did not want to, because:

• India was still considered the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire
• Britain would lose access to cheap labour and natural resources
• If India was given full independence, then other nations would soon demand the
same and the British Empire would inevitably fall apart

By 1945, it had become clear that the British were spending more money than they
could afford to keep control of India, especially after World War Two.
The Partition of India

Despite Gandhi’s opposition, on 15 August 1947 the Indian Independence Act divided
British India into two countries, India and Pakistan, declaring both countries free and
independent states. While the independence movement had achieved its main goal of
independence, the new boundaries of India and Pakistan meant that 15 million people
became religious minorities overnight.

In trying to migrate to and from the new states of India and Pakistan, 1 million people
died in the violence that broke out, although some historians estimate that the death
toll may be higher.

Watch the video below to revise the effects of partition.