A Level H2 History Practice Paper 4

TuitionGoWhere Exam Practice (AI) — History H2 A-Level

Practice Paper: Source Based Skills (Version 4 of 5)

School: TuitionGoWhere Exam Practice (AI)
Subject: History H2
Level: A-Level
Paper: Practice Paper — Source Based Skills (Version 4)
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Marks: 80
Name: ________________________
Class: ________________________
Date: ________________________

Instructions:

• This paper contains 20 questions across three sections testing source-based skills drawn from the H2 History (9174) syllabus.
• Read all sources carefully before answering.
• Write your answers in the spaces provided.
• Marks for each question are shown in brackets.
• Section marks and total marks are shown at the end of each section.

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Section A: Source Comprehension and Comparison (Questions 1–7)

Total Marks: 28

Read the following sources on Cold War developments, then answer Questions 1–7.

Source A
Extract from a 1946 newspaper editorial in the London Times discussing postwar Europe:
"The Soviet Union's refusal to permit free elections in Poland confirms the deepest fears of the West. A curtain of iron has descended across the continent, dividing liberated Europe into spheres of influence. Britain and America must hold the line."

Source B
From a 1947 Soviet broadcast transcript by Moscow Radio:
"The Marshall Plan is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It is not aid but a chain to bind the economies of Europe to Wall Street. The USSR proposes a separate programme of mutual assistance among socialist states."

Source C
Cartoon titled "The Great Divide" published in a US magazine, 1947.

Generated cartoon for Q4.

Q1. What does Source A mean by the phrase "curtain of iron"? [2]

Q2. According to Source B, what was the Soviet perception of the Marshall Plan? [2]

Q3. Identify one explicit point of agreement between Source A and Source B. [2]

Q4. Using Source C and your own knowledge, explain how the cartoon illustrates the concept of bipolar division in postwar Europe. [4]

Q5. Compare the tone used in Source A and Source B. [4]

Q6. How useful is Source A as evidence of British public opinion in 1946? [6]

Q7. "Both sources confirm that economic aid was a tool of superpower rivalry." How far do Sources A and B support this statement? [8]

Section A Total: 28 marks

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Section B: Multi-Source Evaluation (Questions 8–14)

Total Marks: 28

Read Sources D–H on the end of the Cold War, then answer Questions 8–14.

Source D
Memoir excerpt by a former USSR foreign ministry official, 1992:
"Gorbachev's 'New Thinking' dismantled the confrontational stance. Without his reforms, the wall would still stand. The initiative was ours."

Source E
Speech by US President Reagan, 1987:
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, tear down this wall! Our resolve forced the Soviets to the table. Strength, not concession, ended the standoff."

Source F
Data table: Defence spending as % of GNP, 1980–1989.

Year	USA	USSR
1980	5.2	15.0
1985	6.1	17.0
1989	5.5	11.0

Source G
Polish trade union leaflet, Solidarity, 1988:
"Workers of Gdansk will not wait for Moscow. Our strikes are the true voice of liberation. The people, not politicians, break chains."

Source H
Historian's essay, 2015:
"Post-revisionist scholarship shows the end was a confluence: Gorbachev's retreat, US pressure, and grassroots movements each played a role impossible to isolate."

Q8. What does Source F show about the trend in USSR defence spending by 1989? [2]

Q9. According to Source E, what ended the Cold War? [2]

Q10. Compare the views of Sources D and E on who ended the Cold War. [4]

Q11. How reliable is Source G as evidence of popular dissent in Poland? [6]

Q12. To what extent do Sources D, E, and H agree on the causes of the end of the Cold War? [6]

Q13. Using Sources F and H, assess the value of statistical data versus historiography for understanding the Cold War's end. [4]

Q14. How far do Sources D–H support the view that the end of the Cold War was primarily due to Gorbachev's initiatives? [4]

Section B Total: 28 marks

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Section C: Applied Source Skills (Questions 15–20)

Total Marks: 24

Q15. Define the term "provenance" in source analysis. [2]

Q16. A student claims: "A primary source is always more reliable than a secondary source." Explain why this is not necessarily true. [4]

Q17. Given a speech by a Cold War leader and a later historian's account, state two questions you would ask to evaluate corroboration. [4]

Q18.

Generated graph for Q18.

Using the graph, what does the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991 indicate about the Cold War order? [4]

Q19. Identify two features of a source-based case study question in H2 History Paper 1. [4]

Q20. "Contextualisation requires placing a source in its historical setting." Describe two elements you would include when contextualising a 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis document. [6]

Section C Total: 24 marks

Paper Total: 80 marks