Hi Susie! I'm back to ask the Modern scholar more questions!
I'm currently studying the Origins of Arab and Israeli conflict but I'm finding it really hard to write essays and form my ideas very quickly, especially in exam conditions. What would your recommend is the best way to attack a question in modern with limited time? Also, how many quotes from historians/specific documents (in this case the articles made by the League of Nations - the Palestinian Constitution) should you know before walking into an exam?
Hey Claudia
Taking 5 minutes to plan out a response if you need is a-okay! So don't worry if, when you look at a question, you don't immediately have an answer. Personally, I found that often times the questions are a lot simpler than they may appear - like just going through the syllabus (shaping your analysis around the question of course) will do the trick! For me, my default structure was either syllabus or thematic - like if I couldn't personally identify the critical "factors", I would work out the themes, so how does the question relate to the political, social, economic, militaristic/strategic landscape of the conflict? That kinda thing
But yeah, my main tip is don't overthink it! Often the simpler the better
In terms of quotes, I always aimed to have 1-2 for each syllabus dot point, however don't freak out if you can't remember them. Though they are fantastic as they count as detail, it is way more important that YOU have a strong analysis, not that you can parrot the most amount of historians
Hope this helps!
Susie