Organisation : Department of Basic Education
Exam : National Senior Certificate Examinations
Document Type : NSC Sample Question Paper
Subject : History
Category : Grade 12
Year : 2017
Website : https://www.education.gov.za/2017FebMarchNSCExamPapers.aspx
Download Sample Question Paper :
Paper 1 : https://www.southafricain.com/uploads/10909-HistoryP1.pdf
Paper 2 : https://www.southafricain.com/uploads/10909-HistoryP2.pdf
Memo 1 : https://www.southafricain.com/uploads/10909-P1Memo.pdf
Memo 2 : https://www.southafricain.com/uploads/10909-P2Memo.pdf
Education NSC Examination History Question Paper
Marks : 150
Time : 3 hours
** This question paper consists of 9 pages and an addendum of 14 pages.
Related : Department of Basic NSC Examination Geography Question Paper 2017 : www.southafricain.com/10902.html
Instructions & Information
1. This question paper consists of SECTION A and SECTION B based on the prescribed content framework in the CAPS document.
SECTION A: SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: THE COLD WAR: THE ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR
QUESTION 2: INDEPENDENT AFRICA: CASE STUDY – ANGOLA
QUESTION 3: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE 1970s: CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
SECTION B: ESSAY QUESTIONS
QUESTION 4: EXTENSION OF THE COLD WAR: CASE STUDY – VIETNAM
QUESTION 5: INDEPENDENT AFRICA: COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY – THE CONGO AND TANZANIA
QUESTION 6: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE 1970s: BLACK POWER MOVEMENT
2. SECTION A consists of THREE source-based questions. Source material that is required to answer these questions will be found in the ADDENDUM.
3. SECTION B consists of THREE essay questions.
4. Answer THREE questions as follows:
4.1 At least ONE must be a source-based question and at least ONE must be an essay question.
4.2 The THIRD question may be either a source-based question or an essay question.
5. You are advised to spend at least ONE hour per question.
6. When answering questions, you should apply your knowledge, skills and insight.
7. You will be disadvantaged by merely rewriting the sources as answers.
8. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this question paper.
9. Write clearly and legibly.
Sample Question
SECTION A
SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS
Answer at least ONE question, but not more than TWO questions, in this section. Source material that is required to answer these questions may be found in the ADDENDUM.
QUESTION 1 :
HOW DID THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE SOVIET UNION RESPOND TO THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IN EUROPE AFTER 1945?
Study Sources 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D and answer the questions that follow.
1.1 Refer to Source 1A.
1.1.1 Define the term containment in the context of the Cold War in Europe after 1945. (1 x 2) (2)
1.1.2 Why, according to the source, was the Marshall Plan introduced in Europe? Give TWO reasons. (2 x 1) (2)
1.1.3 How, according to the source, did Stalin respond to America’s aid plan to Europe? (2 x 1) (2)
1.1.4 Explain how the Marshall Plan was implemented in Europe. (2 x 2) (4)
1.1.5 Why, according to the information in the source, was the COMECON formed? (1 x 2) (2)
1.2 Use Source 1B.
1.2.1 Quote TWO pieces of evidence from the source that suggest that Bellows believed that the Marshall Plan was a ‘great and original initiative’. (2 x 1) (2)
1.2.2 Comment on why you think the United States of America did not want to fall within the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence. (2 x 2) (4)
1.2.3 State TWO ways in which the counterpart fund was used to rebuild damaged infrastructure in Europe. (2 x 1) (2)
QUESTION 2:
WHAT WERE THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF CUBA’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE BATTLE OF CUITO CUANAVALE BETWEEN 1987 AND 1988?
Study Sources 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D and answer the questions that follow.
2.1 Refer to Source 2A.
2.1.1 What, according to the source, was the outcome of Operation Modular? (1 x 2)
2.1.2 Select TWO pieces of evidence in the source which suggest that South Africa intended to continue fighting in Angola after the battle at the Lomba River. (2 x 1)
2.1.3 Explain the significance of the statement, ‘Pretoria (South African government) was now openly leading the war in Angola’, in the context of the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. (1 x 2)
2.1.4 Using the information in the source and your own knowledge, comment on why Jose Eduardo Dos Santos requested military assistance from Fidel Castro. (2 x 2)
2.6 Using the information in the relevant sources and your own knowledge, write a paragraph of about EIGHT lines (about 80 words), explaining the causes and consequences of Cuba’s involvement in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale between 1987 and 1988.
QUESTION 3:
WHAT IMPACT DID THE CLOSURE OF HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, IN 1958?
Study Sources 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D and answer the questions that follow.
3.1 Refer to Source 3A.
3.1.1 How, according to Governor Faubus, would the closure of high schools in Little Rock affect the following people:
(a) Parents (1 x 1) (1)
(b) Students (1 x 1) (1)
3.3 Consult Source 3C.
3.3.1 Explain the intention of this photograph in the context of the closure of schools by Governor Faubus. (2 x 2) (4)
3.3.2 Comment on whether the activity depicted in the photograph supported the claim that 1958 to 1959 was regarded as the Lost Year for learners in Little Rock. (2 x 2)(4)
SECTION B
ESSAY QUESTIONS :
Answer at least ONE question, but not more than TWO questions, in this section.
Your essay should be about THREE pages long.
QUESTION 4 : EXTENSION OF THE COLD WAR: CASE STUDY – VIETNAM
The United States of America lost the war in Vietnam because of intense opposition to the war within the country, rather than because of military failure on the battlefields of Vietnam between 1963 and 1973. Evaluate the accuracy of this statement. Use relevant historical evidence to support your line of argument. [50]
QUESTION 5 : INDEPENDENT AFRICA: COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY – THE CONGO AND TANZANIA
Mobuto Seso Seko (the Congo) and Julius Nyerere (Tanzania) both attempted to ‘Africanise’ their economies after attaining independence. However, these policies were a total failure in both countries. Critically discuss this statement with reference to the aims, implementation and effects of Mobutu and Nyerere’s economic policies in their respective countries from 1960. [50]
QUESTION 6: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE 1970s: BLACK POWER MOVEMENT
Explain to what extent you agree that the ideas and actions of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael and the Black Panther Party gave African Americans a new sense of identity in the United States of America during the 1960s. Use relevant evidence to support your line of argument.