Name & Register No.

Class:

____________________________________________(

Sec ___________

BEDOK VIEW SECONDARY SCHOOL

MID-YEAR EXAMINATIONS 2012

3 May 2012
1 hour 45 minutes

History
Secondary Two Express
Additional material:
1. Cover Page
2. OTAS form

3. Foolscap Papers
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
1. Answer all questions in Section A on the OTAS form provided. Use only a 2B
pencil to shade your answers on OTAS form.
2. Answer all questions in Sections A, B, C and D.
3. Use only a black or dark blue pen for answering.
4. Do not use correction tape or correction fluid.
5. Fasten only the cover page of the question paper on top of your foolscap answers
securely using the string provided.

Setter: Ms Wong Yin Mei

This question paper consists of 10 printed pages, including this cover page.
Do not turn over the page until you are told to do so.

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Section A
Multiple Choice Questions [20m]
Answer all questions on OTAS form.
1. What were the restrictions faced by the British and other European traders in the
Malay Archipelago before 1819?
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
A)
B)
C)
D)

British and European traders were only allowed to trade at Batavia.

British and European traders were charged high fee for using the port.
British and European traders had to share their profits with the Dutch.
British and European traders had to pay heavy taxes on goods sold.
i only
iii only
I, ii and iii
i, ii and iv

2. What were the pull factors for the early immigrants to come to Singapore in the 19th
century?
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
A)
B)
C)
D)

Availability of jobs in Singapore

Wealthy merchants in Singapore
Natural disasters in homeland
Civil wars in homeland
i only
iii only
I, ii and iii
i, ii and iv

3. Why were the different races segregated in the early 19th century?
A)
B)
C)
D)

It was to better utilise land space in Singapore.

It was to improve the haphazard way of buildings being built in Singapore.
It was to facilitate inter-marriages between different races in Singapore.
It was to maintain peace in Singapore.

4. Where were some developments under the Singapore Town plan in 1822?
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
A)
B)
C)
D)

A harbour was built.

Government offices were built.
Land along the seafront was reclaimed.
Roads were widened.
i only
iii only
ii, iii and iv
All of the above

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5. The early Indian immigrants were successful in __________________.

A)
B)
C)
D)

banking and ship building

banking and transportation
ship building and setting up agency houses
transportation and gardening

6. When did the Straits Settlements become a Crown Colony?

A)
B)
C)
D)

1819
1824
1858
1867

7. The Executive Council under the governor of the Straits Settlements was to
______________________.
A)
B)
C)
D)

assist the king or queen of Great Britain to run the colonies around the world
assist the king or queen of Great Britain to make laws
advise the governor and help make laws for the Settlements
advise the governor and help run the Settlements

8. Why were Chinese schools being discriminated by the British colonial government in
the early 20th century?
i)
ii)
iii)
A)
B)
C)
D)

The British believed that Chinese schools bred anti-British feelings among
their students .
The British preferred to concentrate on the English schools to maintain loyalty
among the English-speaking Chinese.
The British preferred to gain the support of the Malays and Indians.
i only
i and ii
ii and iii
All of the above

9. Why did the British colonial government provide grants to schools like Raffles
Institution?
A) To train people in English for jobs in the government offices and trading
companies.
B) To please and gain support from the early immigrants in Singapore.
C) To prevent riots among different races in Singapore.
D) To act in accordance to Singapore Town Plan by Sir Stamford Raffles.

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10. Why was the destruction of the Emden, a German warship, significant to Singapore?
A)
B)
C)
D)

It removed the threat posed to traders coming to Singapore.

It ended World War I in Singapore.
It showed that Singapore was an impregnable fortress.
It encouraged more naval warships to be stationed in Singapore.

11. Why did the Japanese Commander set up his headquarters at the Sultan of
Johore's palace during World War II?
A) It was because the Sultan of Johore was a good friend of Japan.
B) It was because the palace had a high tower which could see targets in
Singapore.
C) It was because the Japanese army needed a military base.
D) it was because the British army planned to surrender in Johore.
12. When did the Japanese invade Singapore during World War II?
A) 31 January 1942
B) 8 February 1942
C) 15 February 1942
D) 16 February 1942
13. Why were Chinese treated harshly during the Japanese Occupation?
A) The Japanese were killed by mainly Chinese during the war.
B) The Japanese disliked the looks of Chinese.
C) The Japanese wanted to show their superiority to Chinese.
D) The Japanese regarded Chinese as threats because they supported the antiJapanese war effort in China.
14. Japanese General ____________ surrendered to the Supreme Allied Commander
for Southeast Asia ______________ after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed.
A) Tomoyuki Yamashita; Arthur Perceival
B) Tomoyuki Yamashita; Lord Louis Moutbatten
C) Seishiro Itagaki; Lord Louis Mountbatten
D) Seishiro Itagaki; Arthur Perceival
15. Why did the British government pass laws to control trade unions in 1947?
A) The British government wanted to control all businesses.
B) The British government wanted to suppress workers in the trade unions.
C) The communist-controlled trade unions stirred up anti-British feelings.
D) The communist-controlled trade unions wanted the government to hold elections.

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16. Which of these statements about the 1948 Elections is true?

i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
A)
B)
C)
D)

It was a step towards democracy in Singapore.

It was the first ever democratic elections.
It was the first fully democratic elections.
It was won by Labour Front.
i only
i and ii
ii, ii and iii
All of the above

17. How many seats in the Legislative Council did the People's Action Party win during
the 1955 Elections?
A)
B)
C)
D)

10
4
3
2

18. Who was Singapores first Chief Minister?

A)
B)
C)
D)

Lim Yew Hock

David Marshall
Sir George Rendel
Sir Stamford Raffles

19. Which of the following statements is correct about the Peoples Action Partys (PAP)
victory in the 1959 Elections?
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
A)
B)
C)
D)

The PAP was the only political party which took part in the elections.
The PAP was well-organised and united.
The PAP promised to improve Singapores health and educational
facilities.
The PAP gained the support from Chinese schools and trade unions.
i only
ii only
i, ii and iii
ii, iii and iv

20. Singapore had its own ____________, ____________ and ___________ for the
first time in 1959.
A)
B)
C)
D)

national pledge, national anthem, national flag

national anthem, state crest, national flag
national pledge, state crest, national anthem
national anthem, state crest, national day

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Section B
Short Sentence Answers [19m]
Answer all the questions on foolscap paper.

1. What was Eunos Abdullah's contribution as a non-official member of the

Legislative Council?

[2]

2. How did William Pickering improve the life of the Chinese community in the
19th century?

[3]

3. What is a 'quarantine' law? Describe how it was carried out in the early 20th
century in Singapore.

[3]

4. What were the reasons why law and order improved by the mid 1920s in
Singapore?

[3]

5. Why did Lim Yew Hock manage to negotiate successfully for Singapore to be
granted internal self-government but not David Marshall?

[3]

6. Give three reasons why the 1959 Elections was significant to Singapore.

[3]

7. What did the Peoples Action Party do to win the confidence and votes of the
people during the 1959 elections?

[2]

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Section C
Source-based Questions [29m]
Read the sources and answer all the questions on foolscap paper.

1. (a)

Study Source A.
What does Source A tell you about Singapore during World War II?
Explain your answer.
[5]

(b)

Study Source B.
What can you infer from Source B about the life of the people during the
Japanese Occupation? Explain your answer.
[5]

(c)

Study Source C.
Why was the poster published? Explain your answer.

(d)

(e)

[6]

Study Sources C and D.

To what extent are Sources C and D different? Explain your answer.

[6]

Study Source E.

[7]

Is Source E reliable in telling you that Japanese treated the people well
during Japanese Occupation? Explain your answer.

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How were the people treated by Japanese during Japanese Occupation?

Source A: A war survivor's description of the situation in Singapore after the British
surrendered.
We were next told to move towards the sea. When all of us were in the water, the
machine guns opened fire. As I fell, I was hit on the face by a bullet. The machine-guns
then stopped firing. The soldiers came round to knife us with their bayonets. I shut my
eyes. A soldier stepped on me to knife my neighbour. After some time, I heard the
sound of lorries driving off.
Adapted from 'When Singapore Was Syonan To' by N. I. Low, 1973

Source B: An account of a local of the daily life during the Japanese Occupation.
Rationing would come. We used to get this terrible mee made from sago flour that
tasted like rubber bands. Cooking oil was scarce so we used palm oil and palm oil has
a lot of Vitamin A. In the beginning, we had a bit of pork.Later on, hardly. We took
mee as a substitute for staple food.

Source C: A poster distributed to the locals in Singapore by the Japanese Military

Government during Japanese Occupation.

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Source D: A British historians view of the Sook Ching Massacre during Japanese
Occupation.
The Sook Ching destroyed Japanese hopes of getting the local Chinese in Singapore
to cooperate. The mass killing of Chinese meant that the Japanese were never
welcomed as saviours in Singapore, even though in other parts of Asia, they had been
seen as saviours when they first entered. They could have taken advantage of their
victory to win the local population over by making their former British masters look
shaky and weak. However, their cruelty made the local Chinese people hate their
presence.

Source E: Headlines of the Japanese newspaper published during World War II on

Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere.

* Nippon refers to Japan

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Section D
Structured Essay Questions [32m]
Answer ALL questions on foolscap paper.

1.

Founder of Singapore

(a)

The following contributed to the founding of modern Singapore:

i. Sir Stamford Raffles
ii. Major William Farquhar
Which of the above would you consider to be the founder of modern
Singapore? Explain your answer.

[10]

2.

External events and their impact on Singapore

(a)

The following external events impacted Singapores development as a trading port

before World War II:
i. Opening of the Suez Canal
ii. Industrial Revolution
Which of the above external events had a greater impact on Singapores
development as a trading port before World War II? Explain your answer.
[10]

3.

Reasons for the fall of Singapore in World War II

(a)

How far do you agree that military superiority of the Japanese was the main
reason for the fall of Singapore in 1942? Explain your answer.

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[12]

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