Practice Exam Questions

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Paper 3 is an essay paper based on the 12 Asian History topics of which students at Island School study three. The paper consists of two questions for each of the 12 topics. Early Modernisation and Imperial Decline in East Asia 1860-1912 is one of those topics. Students must answer any three questions. Ideally you should answer one question from each of the three topics you have studied however you are free to answer both questions from a single topic. Paper 3 is 2 hours 30 minutes in duration which leaves about 50 minutes per essay question. The maximum mark for this paper is 45, with a maximum of 15 marks awarded per essay question. Try these exam essay questions from past papers:

Nov 2020	To what extent was conservative opposition the main reason for the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform (1898)?	"Economic gain was the main reason for the Japanese annexation of Korea (1910)." Discuss.
May 2020	Exam Cancelled - COVID!	​Exam Cancelled - COVID!

Nov 2019	​“The Self-Strengthening Movement (1861–1894) was a complete failure.” Discuss.	Discuss the impact of the Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901) on China.
May 2019	Evaluate the achievements of the Self-Strengthening Movement (1861-1894)	​"Japanese military power was the most important reason for Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)." Discuss.

Nov 2018	To what extent did resentment of foreign infuence cause the Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901)?	​“The impact of social and cultural change in Meiji Japan was extensive.” Discuss.
May 2018	​Evaluate the impact on China of its defeat in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895).	With reference to the period between 1860 and 1894, discuss the causes and effects of the opening of Korea in 1876.
Nov 2017	To what extent was Cixi the most significant obstacle to the success of the Self-Strengthening Movement?	To what extent did the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) change the balance of power in East Asia?
May 2017	Compare and contrast the attempts at modernisation in China and ​Japan in the period up to 1895.	​Evaluate the contribution of Sun Yixian to the causes of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution.
Spec Paper	Examine the factors that led to the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion.	​“The Tonghak Rebellion made Japanese annexation of Korea an inevitability.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Nov 2016	To what extent was conservative opposition responsible for the failure of the Self-Strengthening Movement (1861–1894)?	To what extent did the social and cultural developments of the Meiji period transform Japan?
May 2016	Examine the reasons why the “Double Ten” Nationalist Revolution occurred in China in 1911.	To what extent did Japan challenge the power of the Western nations in East Asia by the early 20th century?​
Nov 2015	Evaluate the reasons for the failure of the Hundred Days Reform Movement and the consequences of that failure for China.	Evaluate the factors that led to Japan’s “opening” of Korea in 1876 and the consequences of this opening for the region.
May 2015	Evaluate the successes and failures of the Self Strengthening Movement in China (1861–1894).	Examine the reasons for, and the results of, Japan’s annexation of Korea in 1910.
Nov 2014	Examine the reasons for the Japanese victory in both the Sino–Japanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo–Japanese War (1904–1905).	To what extent was the Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901) a reaction against the spread of Christianity in China?
May 2014	Analyse the reasons for, and the consequences of, the late Qing (Ch’ing) reforms (1902–1911) in China.	Evaluate whether Japan became a modernized nation during the Meiji period (1868–1912).
Nov 2013	“During the Meiji period, Japan changed its clothes but not its soul.” To what extent is this an accurate assessment of the modernization of the country over that period?	Evaluate the importance of Sun Yixian (Sun Yat-sen) to the Nationalist Revolution in China in 1911.
May 2013	​Discuss the reasons for, and the consequences of, the Hundred Days Reform (1898) in China.	​“Japan’s self-strengthening reform during the Meiji period was successful because it was directed from the top, but the Self-Strengthening Movement in China failed because it was not.” To what extent do you agree with this statement up to 1895?
Nov 2012	“A turning point in China’s history.” To what extent do you agree with this statement on the Boxer Rebellion?	Analyse the causes and consequences of the Tonghak Rebellion of 1894 in Korea.
May 2012	Analyse the reasons for, and the consequences of, the Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901) in China.	​Examine the causes, and the consequences for Korea and the region, of the Sino–Japanese War (1894–1895).
Nov 2011	“Westerners bore some blame for China’s plight but the prime cause was the empire itself and its rulers.” To what extent do you agree with this statement with reference to the period 1850 to 1901 in China?	To what extent did the Sino–Japanese War (1894–1895) and the Russo–Japanese War (1904–1905) change the balance of power in East Asia?
May 2011	To what extent was the 1911 “Double Ten” Nationalist Revolution due to the revolutionary activities of Sun Yixian (Sun Yat-sen)?	“The national goal of the Meiji era (1868–1890) was to become powerful enough to resist being dominated by the Western powers.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Nov 2010	“The Meiji Restoration (1868) was not just a political change, but a real cultural revolution.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	Discuss the consequences for the region of either the Sino–Japanese War (1894–1895) or the Russo–Japanese War (1904–1905).
May 2010	Why did Japan annex Korea in 1910?	​Compare and contrast the Self-Strengthening Movement in China (1861–1894) and the reforms under the Meiji Restoration in Japan (1868–1894).
Nov 2009	“The role of Sun Yatsen (Sun Yat-sen) in the emergence of modern China has been greatly exaggerated.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?	Analyse and assess the impact of the influence of the Empress Dowager Cixi (Tz’u-hsi) upon China’s government between 1861 and 1908.
May 2009	To what extent was the Tonghak Rebellion in Korea in 1894 a response to Western intrusion?	Why did Japan experience rapid modernisation in the second half of the nineteenth century?
Nov 2008	“The new China was born in the treaty ports.” How true is this of the period 1860 to 1912?	To what extent was Sun Yixian (Sun Yat-sen) responsible for bringing about the revolution of 1911 in China?
May 2008	To what extent had Japan become industrialized by 1912, the end of the Meiji period?	​Compare and contrast the Chinese and Japanese approaches to modernization in the period 1860 to 1895.
Nov 2007	With reference to the careers of Zeng Guofan (Tseng Kuo-fan), Zuo Zongtang (T’so Tsung-t’ang) and Li Hongzhang (Li Hung-chang) analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the Qing (Ch’ing) government of China between 1864 and 1895.	“By 1890 Japan had been transformed by the changes introduced under the Meiji Restoration.” How far do you agree with this assessment?
May 2007	Why did the Taewðn-gun’s policy of national isolation fail to protect Korea from foreign intervention in the period 1864–1910?	In what ways, and to what extent, did the Boxer Uprising (1900) and the Boxer Protocol (1901) affect China’s position and international relations in East Asia?
Nov 2006	Compare and contrast the self-strengthening movements of China (1861–94) and Japan (1868–94).	“The ‘Hundred Days Reforms’ (1898) in China had no chance of success.” How far do you agree with this statement?
May 2006	To what extent were changes in Japanese society between 1868 and 1889 reflected in the Meiji Constitution?	​​“During the Meiji period, Japan changed its clothes but not its soul.” Is this a fair assessment of the modernization and westernization which took place over that period?
Nov 2005	Why, and with what consequences for China, did the 100 Days reform of 1898 fail?	Assess the impact of the Tonghak movement upon Korea up to 1895.
May 2005	Why did China fail to modernise effectively between 1861 and 1894?	"Land tax and military reform destroyed feudal Japan". To what extent do you agree with this assessment of the effect of these early Meiji reforms between 1869 and 1912?