The 8 Mark "In What Ways" Question: America 1840-1895 (Q5) (AQA GCSE History): Revision Note
Exam code: 8145
Summary of Question Five
Question Five requires you to explain how a group or development was affected by a key event or change
This question will require you to use second-order concepts in your answer
Amount of marks | 8 |
|---|---|
The time that you should spend on the question | No more than 10 minutes |
An example of the type of question you may encounter can be seen below:
In previous years, this question has focused on the following topics in American history:
Year of Exam | Question Topic |
|---|---|
2018 | All Americans and ‘Manifest Destiny’ (opens in a new tab) |
2019 | Americans and the Civil War (opens in a new tab) |
2020 | Homesteaders and new farming techniques (opens in a new tab) |
2021 | Americans affected by slavery (opens in a new tab) |
2022 | Southern States affected by the American Civil War (opens in a new tab) |
Sample 1 | Plains Indians and the arrival of white settlers |
Sample 2 | Americans and railways in the West |
What are Second-Order Concepts?
Second-order concepts are:
Cause and consequence
Change and continuity
Similarities and differences
Historical significance
For the example question, the second-order concept is cause and consequence
The question is asking you to explain the consequences of the concept of "Manifest Destiny" on the lives of Americans
These second-order concepts allow you to:
Understand history
Give a complex explanation
How to Answer an “In What Ways” Question
When answering an "In What Ways" question, you need to:
Read the question carefully
Include specific and relevant knowledge
Explain the changes in the group or development mentioned in the question
In America: 1840- 1895 unit, these tend to focus on groups who have witnessed the most amount of change over the period such as:
Americans
Plains Indians
Americans in the South
Americans in the North
Homesteaders
In the example question, the identified group are Americans
This change can be shown by how the experiences of the group identified differed due to:
Time
Social developments
Economic developments
Political developments
War
It is important to remember that not everyone in America would have been affected by the event or development in the topic
Explaining this in your answer will help you to access Level 4 (7-8 marks)
“In What Ways” Question Structure
Your answer should consist of:
Specific relevant knowledge
Complex explanations showing:
The relevant second-order concept
How not all Americans were affected by the event or development outlined in the question
Your answers could be written in PEE paragraphs:
P- Make a point about the question
E- Include knowledge to support the point you have made
Focused on the group or development mentioned in the question
Show knowledge to demonstrate the relevant second-order concept
E- Explain the question
Focus on the key demands of the questions
Include a complex explanation showing your understanding of the second-order concept
To achieve full marks, you need to repeat this twice
Worked Example of an “In What Ways” Question
Worked Example
In what ways were the lives of all Americans affected by the belief in "Manifest Destiny"?
[8 marks]
Answer:
One way in which the lives of all Americans were affected by the belief in "Manifest Destiny" as it encouraged people to move west. In the short term, the move to western America affected many white settlers as they faced hardships as they struggled to grow food and establish homes. However, in the long term, white settlers prospered. The formation of homesteads, towns, roads and railways created a new, settled and prosperous life for many American families. However, the opposite happened to the Plains Indians who, partly as a result of Manifest Destiny, suffered hardship, war, and deprivation as many Americans were encouraged to move west.
Another way in which the lives of all Americans were affected by the belief in "Manifest Destiny" was due to God’s will. Many white settlers were encouraged to move west due to the Manifest Destiny belief that it was God’s will that the whole of the United States should be a Christian continent. This affected the Plains Indians' lives as they were seen as savages who were standing in the way of God’s will and were removed from the land, which resulted in conflict and the destruction of their way of life. This also affected white settlers' lives because it encouraged white settlers to be content with the conditions they faced in the West. Such as the little rainfall and natural disasters because they were doing God’s work which gave them the drive to succeed.
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