HSC Modern History Question Thread

[LegalEagle24/7]

Hi 
I'm currently studying WW1 and don't understand the "tit for tat" strategy implemented. Can someone please explain it? Thanks xx

[kristineyr]

Hello!

I was just given an essay to write on the origins of WWI. "Discuss the origins of WWI". During the time that we learnt this in class (last term, year 11), I was going through extremely hard family/personal hardship and wasn't able to absorb as much information on this topic as I would have liked to. I told my teacher that I wanted to severely improve my marks, so he gave me this task to help me get into the mood of things again!

How would you recommend setting out this essay? I'll pretty much have to research information from scratch... What events should I centre it on? Any tips? I'd appreciate the help so much. I don't know what I'm doing!

[sudodds]

Hello!

I was just given an essay to write on the origins of WWI. "Discuss the origins of WWI". During the time that we learnt this in class (last term, year 11), I was going through extremely hard family/personal hardship and wasn't able to absorb as much information on this topic as I would have liked to. I told my teacher that I wanted to severely improve my marks, so he gave me this task to help me get into the mood of things again!

How would you recommend setting out this essay? I'll pretty much have to research information from scratch... What events should I centre it on? Any tips? I'd appreciate the help so much. I don't know what I'm doing!

Hey! Good on you for trying to get into the swing of things again If it makes you feel better, missing content in year 11 won't have any impact on year 12 - completely new topics so no stress

It's been a while since I studied this, but I believe that a good way to structure an essay on the origins of WW1 would be according to the causes So a paragraph on (or at least touch on within a paragraph) Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism and the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Hope this helps!

Good luck,

Susie

[owidjaja]

Hello!

I was just given an essay to write on the origins of WWI. "Discuss the origins of WWI". During the time that we learnt this in class (last term, year 11), I was going through extremely hard family/personal hardship and wasn't able to absorb as much information on this topic as I would have liked to. I told my teacher that I wanted to severely improve my marks, so he gave me this task to help me get into the mood of things again!

How would you recommend setting out this essay? I'll pretty much have to research information from scratch... What events should I centre it on? Any tips? I'd appreciate the help so much. I don't know what I'm doing!

Hello!

I know Susie already responded but I wanted to extend on her points a bit more. Your essay should be based on themes and events that relate to the outbreak of WW1. One point I remember in the marking criteria in my yearly exam is to make sure that your arguments are 'sustained and in logical order'- meaning your essay should be detailed and are structured chronologically. Since looking at origins or causes of WW1 come from a combination of 'themes' and events, I would structure your first few paragraphs with a theme, say:
1. Imperialism- Scramble for Africa, statistics and how competition provoked jealousy
2. Militarism- Weltpolitik

And then mention events:

3. Arms Race/ Anglo-German Naval Race
4. Moroccan Crisis etc

Also, extending on my point on making sure the argument is logical and sustained, try and link your arguments together to kinda show the cause and effect of each theme and/or event to make your essay flow. I know quotes aren't the biggest priority but even mentioning a small quote such as 'Germany demands her place in the sun' or 'Britannia rules the waves' can enhance your arguments since in exams, it's demonstrating your own knowledge; plus they're really easy to memorise!

Hope these tips helped

[~BK~]

hey...
so i've just done eng and that's all over!! (yay!)
and now the nxt exam i hafta think about is history
i was just wondering, i thinks its been asked before (but ah well)...
how important are direct sources in the 25 markers??
mt.

[sudodds]

hey...
so i've just done eng and that's all over!! (yay!)
and now the nxt exam i hafta think about is history
i was just wondering, i thinks its been asked before (but ah well)...
how important are direct sources in the 25 markers??
mt.

Hey! Good job!!!! Hope Paper 1 and 2 treated you (and everyone else well) - I heard they were both pretty hard... but now onto the actually important subject

When you say sources, do you mean historians/quotes? If so, not that important at all! Now, will the top students probably be using quotes? Yes - but that is not why they get band 6's, it's just a natural product of the fact that they've probably studied more and thoroughly. You can write a band 6 essay without quotes. Quotes are only important insofar as they count as detail, which is 100% necessary to include - but detail also includes stats, terminology, intricate facts, etc. etc., not just quotes Quotes a great, but a marker would much rather see your own analysis, than you just parroting a shopping list of historians, so if you do use quotes, make sure that they are backing up YOUR argument, rather than maintaining a point on their own.

Hope this helps!

GET KEEN GUYS (or as keen as you can be for an exam, but you've all worked so hard so you should be keen cos you're gonna smash it!!!)

Susie

[dancing phalanges]

Hey guys,
I have attached a couple of pages of Ken Webb quotes I will be using for the exam
Hopefully they will be enough detail to get me a Band 6
Free for everyone to use! Good luck!

[sudodds]

Hey guys,
I have attached a couple of pages of Ken Webb quotes I will be using for the exam
Hopefully they will be enough detail to get me a Band 6
Free for everyone to use! Good luck!

you almost gave me a heart attack. not kidding. my hands are shaking.

[dancing phalanges]

In all seriousness haha, for people doing conflict in the pacific, this document is bloody amazing for the occupation - i have got all my material for the occupation from it: http://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3123&context=etd
downside = it's 100+ pages haha
hope it helps

[~BK~]

Hey! Good job!!!! Hope Paper 1 and 2 treated you (and everyone else well) - I heard they were both pretty hard... but now onto the actually important subject

When you say sources, do you mean historians/quotes? If so, not that important at all! Now, will the top students probably be using quotes? Yes - but that is not why they get band 6's, it's just a natural product of the fact that they've probably studied more and thoroughly. You can write a band 6 essay without quotes. Quotes are only important insofar as they count as detail, which is 100% necessary to include - but detail also includes stats, terminology, intricate facts, etc. etc., not just quotes Quotes a great, but a marker would much rather see your own analysis, than you just parroting a shopping list of historians, so if you do use quotes, make sure that they are backing up YOUR argument, rather than maintaining a point on their own.

Hope this helps!

GET KEEN GUYS (or as keen as you can be for an exam, but you've all worked so hard so you should be keen cos you're gonna smash it!!!)

Susie

welll... paper 1 and 2 didn't treat me too well, but at least they're over 
thanks heaps for that... one of our history teachers said you don't need direct quotes and the other one said you DEFINITELY have to!!
dunno how i'm gonna remember everything!?.. any tips susie?

[sudodds]

welll... paper 1 and 2 didn't treat me too well, but at least they're over 
thanks heaps for that... one of our history teachers said you don't need direct quotes and the other one said you DEFINITELY have to!!
dunno how i'm gonna remember everything!?.. any tips susie?

Nah you definitely don't need direct quotes - they're just a nice addition

In terms of memorising, I think the best way to memorise is to actually apply the content! Don't just read notes and expect to learn anything - do practice questions, worksheets (such as the ones on this thread!), even look/cover/write/check works! Teaching your friend/family member content is also a great way to remember stuff as well, especially stuff that you may not have realised you couldn't remember (like the easy stuff), because it forces you to go through everything

[dancing phalanges]

Nah you definitely don't need direct quotes - they're just a nice addition

In terms of memorising, I think the best way to memorise is to actually apply the content! Don't just read notes and expect to learn anything - do practice questions, worksheets (such as the ones on this thread!), even look/cover/write/check works! Teaching your friend/family member content is also a great way to remember stuff as well, especially stuff that you may not have realised you couldn't remember (like the easy stuff), because it forces you to go through everything

I would carry my laptop with me and do look cover right check on the train and bus going places as well as at home of course, but it's a good way of making use of the travel time

[daenyy]

anybody have any predictions?? I really hope it's a bolshevik question this year 

[sudodds]

anybody have any predictions?? I really hope it's a bolshevik question this year 

TAKE ALL PREDICTIONS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. NO ONE HAS ANY WAY OF 100% KNOWING WHAT IS IN THE EXAM. DON'T BASE YOUR STUDY AROUND PREDICTIONS.

Now that that is out of the way...

I think there is a good chance that there will be a bolshevik question this year, considering that there was no bolshevik question last year (*cries*) however, at the same time, i wouldn't be surprised if it was a power struggles and soviet foreign policy combination, as they've never done that before, and they know that it would throw of most students who think they can get away with only studying Bolsheviks and Stalinism.

Personality? Predicting something similar to the CSSA trials (shaped by or shaped events related).

WW1 - I think there'll be at least one question related to the last few dot points - specifically events leading to armistice (can't remember ever seeing a question for that one!)

[dancing phalanges]

TAKE ALL PREDICTIONS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. NO ONE HAS ANY WAY OF 100% KNOWING WHAT IS IN THE EXAM. DON'T BASE YOUR STUDY AROUND PREDICTIONS.

Now that that is out of the way...

I think there is a good chance that there will be a bolshevik question this year, considering that there was no bolshevik question last year (*cries*) however, at the same time, i wouldn't be surprised if it was a power struggles and soviet foreign policy combination, as they've never done that before, and they know that it would throw of most students who think they can get away with only studying Bolsheviks and Stalinism.

Personality? Predicting something similar to the CSSA trials (shaped by or shaped events related).

WW1 - I think there'll be at least one question related to the last few dot points - specifically events leading to armistice (can't remember ever seeing a question for that one!)

Hey Susie! I only just discovered the Events leading to Armistice dot point like 2 weeks ago haha, never knew it existed! If there was a question on this would it just involve discussing German home front/starvation, growth of Allied strategies and tactics due to industrial strength and battle of hamel, amiens and argonne (best way of remembering that name because after this battle the germans 'argonne'  )
cheers!