Edexcel GCSE History · Option 12

Warfare and British society, c1250–present and London and the Second World War, 1939–45

50 exam-style questions with answers for Option 12 Warfare and British society, c1250–present and London and the Second World War, 1939–45 in Edexcel GCSE History (spec 1HI0). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 1
Describe the composition of a medieval English army. [2 marks]
Answer:
Mounted knights, mainly nobles, formed the elite (1); most of the army was infantry, including archers and foot soldiers from lower social classes (1).
Question 2 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 1
Explain the link between social structure and army command in medieval England. [2 marks]
Answer:
The king and nobles commanded, because they held land in return for providing knights (1); command depended on birth and status, not training (1).
Question 3 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 1
Why was the longbow so effective? [2 marks]
Answer:
It had a long range of about 250 metres and could pierce armour (1); a skilled archer could shoot about 10–12 arrows a minute (1).
Question 4 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 1
What was a schiltron? [1 mark]
Answer:
A tightly packed formation of Scottish spearmen, used to stop cavalry charges.
Question 5 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 1
State two reasons for the decline of the mounted knight. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: longbows killed horses and knights at a distance (1); schiltrons and pikes stopped cavalry charges (1); gunpowder weapons could pierce armour (1); knights were expensive to equip (1).
Question 6 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 2
How were soldiers recruited for medieval armies? [2 marks]
Answer:
Knights owed military service to the king for their land (1); later, commissions of array and paid contracts (indentures) were used to raise men (1).
Question 7 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 2
State two ways war affected civilians in medieval England. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: heavy taxes to pay for war (1); crops and animals taken by armies (1); plunder and destruction in border areas, such as raids by the Scots (1); men taken from farms to fight (1).
Question 8 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 3
Why did Edward I win the Battle of Falkirk (1298)? [2 marks]
Answer:
His longbowmen shot down Wallace's schiltrons (1); then the English cavalry charged through the gaps (1).
Question 9 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 3
Who was William Wallace? [1 mark]
Answer:
The Scottish leader who defeated the English at Stirling Bridge (1297) but lost at Falkirk in 1298.
Question 10 · Option 12, c1250–c1500: 3
State two reasons why Henry V won the Battle of Agincourt (1415). [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: English longbowmen shot down the French (1); the narrow, muddy field stopped French knights in heavy armour (1); stakes protected the archers from cavalry (1); Henry's leadership and choice of position (1).
Question 11 · Option 12, c1500–c1700: 1
What were pikemen? [1 mark]
Answer:
Infantry carrying pikes up to 5 metres long, who protected musketeers from cavalry.
Question 12 · Option 12, c1500–c1700: 1
What were dragoons? [1 mark]
Answer:
Soldiers who rode horses to move quickly but dismounted to fight with muskets.
Question 13 · Option 12, c1500–c1700: 1
State two problems with early muskets. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: slow to reload (1); inaccurate (1); misfired in wet weather (1); matchlocks needed a lit fuse (1).
Question 14 · Option 12, c1500–c1700: 1
What is a standing army? [1 mark]
Answer:
A permanent, professional army kept in peacetime as well as war; England's began after 1660.
Question 15 · Option 12, c1500–c1700: 2
What was the New Model Army? [2 marks]
Answer:
Parliament's professional army, set up in 1645 (1); soldiers were well trained, regularly paid and promoted on ability rather than birth (1).
Question 16 · Option 12, c1500–c1700: 2
What was requisitioning? [1 mark]
Answer:
When armies took food, horses, carts or shelter from civilians for their own use, often without paying.
Question 17 · Option 12, c1500–c1700: 3
State two reasons for Parliament's victory at Naseby (1645). [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: the New Model Army was larger and well disciplined (1); Cromwell's cavalry stayed under control and attacked the royalist infantry (1); Prince Rupert's cavalry chased off the field to attack the baggage train (1).
Question 18 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 1
Why did the role of the cavalry decline after 1700? [1 mark]
Answer:
More accurate rifles and artillery made cavalry charges suicidal.
Question 19 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 1
State two ways weapons changed in the nineteenth century. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: rifles with grooves made guns more accurate (1); the Minié bullet was faster to load (1); breech-loading rifles (1); more powerful field guns and heavy artillery (1).
Question 20 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 1
State two ways industrialisation changed warfare. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: railways moved troops and supplies quickly (1); steamships (1); mass production of weapons and ammunition (1).
Question 21 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 2
State two of Cardwell's army reforms (1868–74). [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: officers could no longer buy their commissions (1); flogging was abolished in peacetime (1); shorter terms of service (1); regiments linked to local areas (1).
Question 22 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 2
How did newspaper reporting affect attitudes to the Crimean War? [2 marks]
Answer:
William Howard Russell's reports in The Times showed the army's poor conditions and leadership (1); public anger led to reforms and the fall of the government in 1855 (1).
Question 23 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 2
Why was photography in the Boer War significant? [1 mark]
Answer:
Photographs brought images of the war and its conditions, including concentration camps, to the public at home.
Question 24 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 3
State two reasons for Wellington's victory at Waterloo (1815). [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: his infantry formed squares that held off French cavalry (1); he chose a strong defensive ridge (1); the Prussian army under Blücher arrived to attack the French flank (1).
Question 25 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 3
What was the Charge of the Light Brigade (1854)? [2 marks]
Answer:
A British cavalry charge at the Battle of Balaclava against Russian guns (1); a confused order led to heavy losses (1).
Question 26 · Option 12, c1700–c1900: 3
Explain Lord Raglan's role at Balaclava. [2 marks]
Answer:
As commander, his order to attack the guns was vague (1); it was misunderstood, so the Light Brigade attacked the wrong guns (1).
Question 27 · Option 12, c1900–present: 1
Why did the army need a logistics corps? [1 mark]
Answer:
Modern armies need huge amounts of fuel, food and ammunition delivered to the front.
Question 28 · Option 12, c1900–present: 1
State two ways new weapons changed warfare in the First World War. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: machine guns made attacks across no man's land deadly (1); heavy artillery (1); tanks (1); poison gas (1); aircraft for reconnaissance (1).
Question 29 · Option 12, c1900–present: 1
How did radar help Britain in the Second World War? [1 mark]
Answer:
It detected enemy aircraft so the RAF could intercept them, for example in the Battle of Britain.
Question 30 · Option 12, c1900–present: 1
State two features of high-tech warfare. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: computer-guided missiles (1); drones (1); satellite surveillance (1); smart bombs (1).
Question 31 · Option 12, c1900–present: 2
When was conscription introduced in the First World War? [1 mark]
Answer:
1916.
Question 32 · Option 12, c1900–present: 2
What was National Service? [1 mark]
Answer:
Compulsory military service for young men after the Second World War, which ended in 1960.
Question 33 · Option 12, c1900–present: 2
State two ways women were recruited in the Second World War. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: women's auxiliary services such as the ATS, WAAF and WRNS (1); conscription of women from 1941 (1); the Land Army (1).
Question 34 · Option 12, c1900–present: 2
State two features of the Home Front in the world wars. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: rationing (1); DORA (1); evacuation (1); air-raid precautions (1); women in war work (1).
Question 35 · Option 12, c1900–present: 2
How did the fear of nuclear war affect civilians after 1945? [1 mark]
Answer:
The government issued civil defence advice such as 'Protect and Survive', and protest groups such as CND formed.
Question 36 · Option 12, c1900–present: 3
Why was the Battle of the Somme (1916) a battle of attrition? [2 marks]
Answer:
Both sides lost huge numbers without much land changing hands (1); the British lost about 57,000 casualties on the first day (1).
Question 37 · Option 12, c1900–present: 3
Why is General Haig's role at the Somme controversial? [2 marks]
Answer:
Critics say he kept attacking despite massive losses (1); supporters say the battle relieved Verdun and wore down the German army (1).
Question 38 · Option 12, c1900–present: 3
Explain why the coalition won the Iraq War (2003) quickly. [2 marks]
Answer:
Precision weapons and air power destroyed Iraqi defences (1); satellite and drone surveillance gave the coalition clear information (1).
Question 39 · Option 12, London historic environment
Why was London a target for German bombers? [2 marks]
Answer:
It was the centre of government (1); its docks and industries were important, and it was easy to find by following the Thames (1).
Question 40 · Option 12, London historic environment
What was an Anderson shelter? [1 mark]
Answer:
A corrugated steel shelter dug into gardens, given free to poorer families.
Question 41 · Option 12, London historic environment
What was Black Saturday (7 September 1940)? [2 marks]
Answer:
The first day of the Blitz on London (1); German bombers attacked the East End docks, killing about 430 people (1).
Question 42 · Option 12, London historic environment
Why were incendiary bombs hard to deal with? [1 mark]
Answer:
They started many fires at once, so fire crews and fire watchers were overwhelmed.
Question 43 · Option 12, London historic environment
What happened at Deptford in November 1944? [1 mark]
Answer:
A V2 rocket hit a Woolworths store in New Cross, killing 168 people.
Question 44 · Option 12, London historic environment
What was 'Mickey's shelter'? [1 mark]
Answer:
A large shelter under railway arches in Stepney, organised by Mickey Davies with first aid and canteens.
Question 45 · Option 12, London historic environment
What happened at Bethnal Green in March 1943? [1 mark]
Answer:
173 people were killed in a crush on the stairs to the underground shelter.
Question 46 · Option 12, London historic environment
What happened at South Hallsville School in September 1940? [1 mark]
Answer:
A bomb hit the school, killing many families waiting to be evacuated.
Question 47 · Option 12, London historic environment
Explain why the Royal Family stayed in London during the Blitz. [2 marks]
Answer:
To boost morale by sharing the danger with Londoners (1); Buckingham Palace was bombed, which made them seem part of the people's war (1).
Question 48 · Option 12, London historic environment
What were the Cabinet War Rooms? [1 mark]
Answer:
The underground headquarters in Whitehall where Churchill and the government ran the war.
Question 49 · Option 12, London historic environment
How was the Tower of London moat used in the war? [1 mark]
Answer:
It was used for allotments as part of the Dig for Victory campaign.
Question 50 · Option 12, London historic environment
What were Mass Observation reports? [1 mark]
Answer:
Reports collected by volunteers recording ordinary people's views and behaviour, useful for studying morale.

← Option 11 Medicine in Britain, c1250–present and The British sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: injuries, treatment and the trenches Option 13 Migrants in Britain, c800–present and Notting Hill, c1948–c1970 →

Warfare and British society, c1250–present and London and the Second World War, 1939–45

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