Edexcel GCSE History sample questions and answers (1HI0)
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63 sample questions and answers
Taken from every option of Edexcel GCSE History, specification 1HI0. The full guide has 2,881.
Paper 2
Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060-88
135 questions in the guide, across 12 subtopics. More from this option
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Anglo-Saxon government, economy and society
How was England governed below the level of the earls?
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Each shire was split into hundreds, both with their own regular courts, and a shire reeve acted for the king in collecting his dues and enforcing his law. -
The last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisis
How did the rising against Tostig end?
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Harold Godwinson refused to fight the rebels and persuaded Edward to outlaw his brother, so Tostig went into exile and Morcar was given Northumbria. -
The Norman invasion, 1060–66
What happened when part of the Norman army fled early in the battle?
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A rumour spread that William was dead, so he raised his helmet to show his face and rallied his men, and the English who had chased downhill were cut off and killed.
Paper 2
British America, 1713-83: Empire and Revolution
114 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this option
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Developments in colonial society
How did the spread of new farms create conflict beyond the colonies themselves?
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Settlers took hunting grounds used by Indigenous nations, which brought raids on the farms and reprisals against Indigenous villages. -
Slavery in North America
Why did tobacco planters turn from indentured servants to enslaved Africans?
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Enslaved workers were held for life and their children were held too, so once bought they never had to be replaced. -
Problems within the colonies
Why had Spain promised freedom to runaways who reached Florida?
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It drained labour from a rival empire and gave Spain settlers and soldiers to help defend St Augustine, so long as they became Catholic.
Paper 2
Conflict in the Middle East, 1945-95
114 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this option
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The British withdrawal and the creation of Israel
What was attacked in Jerusalem in July 1946 and why was that building a target?
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The King David Hotel, which housed the British military and administrative headquarters in Palestine. -
Aftermath of the 1948–49 war
Which body was set up in 1949 to look after the Palestinian refugees, and where did they live?
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UNRWA, the United Nations relief agency, which ran camps in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. -
Increased tension, 1955–63
What did Israeli forces do in Gaza in February 1955?
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They attacked the Egyptian army headquarters there in reprisal for fedayeen raids, killing about 38 Egyptian soldiers.
Paper 1
Crime and Punishment in Britain, c1000-PRESENT
165 questions in the guide, across 13 subtopics. More from this option
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Factors driving change in crime and punishment, c1000–present
Why is the Norman Conquest treated as a turning point?
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William I created new offences such as breaking the Forest Laws and used harsh punishment to hold down a conquered people. -
Nature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1000–c1500
Why did William I create these hunting laws?
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To protect the deer he hunted and to show a conquered country that the new king controlled the land itself. -
Case study: the Church, sanctuary and trial by ordeal
How was Benefit of Clergy claimed in court?
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By reading aloud a set verse from the Bible, which was supposed to prove the reader was a churchman.
Paper 2
Early Elizabethan England, 1558-88
123 questions in the guide, across 12 subtopics. More from this option
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The situation on Elizabeth’s accession
What work did Justices of the Peace do in the counties?
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They were unpaid local gentry who kept order, tried lesser offences and made sure royal orders were carried out. -
The ‘settlement’ of religion
How did the Church reinforce the Queen’s authority?
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Sermons taught that obeying the monarch was God’s will, and compulsory attendance let officials see who was staying away. -
The problem of Mary, Queen of Scots
Why would Elizabeth never name Mary, Queen of Scots as her successor?
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Naming an heir would give discontented subjects a rival to gather around while she was still alive.
Paper 2
Henry VIII and His Ministers, 1509-40
126 questions in the guide, across 12 subtopics. More from this option
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Henry VIII, Renaissance Prince
Through which bodies did a Tudor king rule the country in 1509?
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Through a royal council of trusted advisers, with parliament summoned only for taxes and new laws, and justices of the peace keeping order in each county. -
The rise of Wolsey and his policies
What were the Eltham Ordinances of 1526 meant to do?
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Cut the cost and size of the royal household, which also let Wolsey remove gentlemen of the privy chamber who were rivals for the king’s ear. -
Wolsey, Catherine, the succession and annulment
Which passage of scripture did Henry use to argue his marriage had never been valid?
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A verse in Leviticus warning that a man who takes his brother’s wife will be childless.
Paper 1
London and the Second World War, 1939-45
97 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this option
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London at the outbreak of the Second World War
Why did raids aimed at the wharves kill so many ordinary families?
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Terraced streets of dockworkers' housing stood right against the quays, so bombs meant for cargo sheds fell on homes. -
London at the outbreak of the Second World War
Why did many families dislike using their garden shelter?
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It was cold, cramped and damp, and often flooded because it was dug into the ground. -
The nature of attacks on London
Which raid of 29 December 1940 became known as the Second Great Fire?
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A concentrated incendiary attack on the City that burned out whole streets of offices and warehouses around St Paul's Cathedral.
Paper 3
Mao’s China, 1945-76
175 questions in the guide, across 16 subtopics. More from this option
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The Civil War, 1945–49
Give two weaknesses that damaged the Guomindang in 1946.
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Corruption among its officers and officials, and an economy wrecked by runaway inflation. -
Consolidating the CCP’s hold on power, 1951–52
What did the terror achieve for the new government?
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It destroyed organised opposition and made people so frightened that resistance to later campaigns was rare. -
Early changes in agriculture, 1949–57
What happened to the landlords themselves?
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They were denounced before the village and stripped of everything, and an estimated one to two million were killed.
Paper 1
Medicine in Britain, c1250-PRESENT
159 questions in the guide, across 13 subtopics. More from this option
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Factors driving change in medicine, c1250–present
Name two inventions that made new medical knowledge possible.
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The microscope, which made microbes visible, and the printing press, which spread new findings accurately. -
Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1250–c1500
What was Galen’s Theory of Opposites?
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An imbalance should be corrected with something of the opposite quality, so a patient hot with fever was given cooling foods such as cucumber. -
Case study: the Black Death, 1348–49
Which symptoms did people recognise in a victim of the Black Death?
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Painful dark swellings called buboes in the armpits and groin, with fever and vomiting; some victims coughed blood and died within days.
Paper 1
Migrants in Britain, c800-PRESENT
184 questions in the guide, across 13 subtopics. More from this option
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Factors driving change in migration to Britain, c800–present
What did most newcomers to Britain across the whole period come in search of?
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Work and a better living, with religious freedom and safety from persecution drawing many of the rest. -
The context for migration, c800–c1500
Why was the wool trade so important in attracting migrants?
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Wool was England’s most valuable export, so foreign merchants came to buy it and foreign weavers came to work it into cloth. -
Case study: York under the Vikings
Why was York so well placed for trade?
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It stood on the rivers Ouse and Foss, which gave ships a route to the Humber, the North Sea and northern Europe beyond.
Paper 1
Notting Hill, c1948-c1970
84 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this option
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The local context of Notting Hill
Give two reasons why people left the Caribbean for Britain in the 1950s.
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Unemployment and low wages at home, and the promise of steady, better-paid work in Britain. -
The local context of Notting Hill
What came to be meant by the word 'Rachmanism'?
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The bullying and exploitation of tenants by a slum landlord, named after Rachman once his methods became public after his death in 1962. -
The influence of Caribbean cultures on the area
Which calypso singer who travelled on the Empire Windrush sang about migrant life in Britain?
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Lord Kitchener, whose calypsos described what newcomers found when they arrived.
Paper 3
Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917-41
171 questions in the guide, across 16 subtopics. More from this option
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The growth of opposition to the tsar in early 1917
What effect did wartime inflation have on workers' wages?
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Prices rose far faster than pay, so real earnings fell and many workers could no longer afford bread or fuel. -
The Provisional Government
What was the Petrograd Soviet?
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A council of elected representatives of the workers and soldiers of the capital, which spoke for the factories and the garrison. -
Early consolidation of power, 1917–18
What did the early decrees do to titles and ranks?
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Aristocratic titles and army ranks were swept away, and everyone was to be addressed simply as citizen or comrade.
Paper 2
Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490-c1555
113 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this option
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Spanish exploration, c1490–1512
Name two ambitions abroad that Spanish rulers held around 1490 apart from reaching Asia.
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Seizing ports and territory in North Africa, and winning control in Italy, especially the kingdom of Naples, in competition with France. -
Columbus reaches the Americas
What first convinced Columbus that the islands held gold?
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Taino people wore small gold ornaments in their noses and ears, and told him of an inland region where more could be dug. -
Spanish claims in the Caribbean
Why did the founding of Santo Domingo in 1496 matter?
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Built by his brother Bartholomew on the south coast of Hispaniola, it became the capital of Spanish America and the base from which later expeditions were fitted out.
Paper 2
Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91
120 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this option
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Early tension between East and West
What was settled at Potsdam about taking reparations from Germany?
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Each occupying power would take reparations from its own zone, with the Soviet Union also receiving a share of industrial equipment from the western zones. -
The development of the Cold War
Why did Stalin condemn the Marshall Plan as dollar imperialism?
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He argued the aid was a way of buying influence, since countries taking it would open their economies to the USA and fall under its control. -
The Cold War intensifies
What was the Warsaw Pact, and what prompted its creation in 1955?
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A military alliance of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites, set up after West Germany was allowed to rearm and join NATO.
Paper 2
The American West, c1835-c1895
136 questions in the guide, across 9 subtopics. More from this option
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Indigenous peoples of the Plains: their beliefs and ways of life
What work fell to women in a Plains camp?
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They raised the children, butchered the meat, dressed the hides and put up the tipi, which belonged to them. -
Migration and early settlement
What did the Gold Rush do to California?
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Its population grew so fast that San Francisco became a city within a few years and California entered the Union as a state in 1850. -
Conflict and tension, c1835–c1862
What did the government promise in return at Fort Laramie in 1851?
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Yearly payments of goods worth $50,000 and protection from white settlers who crossed the line.
Paper 1
The British Sector of the Western Front, 1914-18: Injuries, Treatment and the Trenches
92 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this option
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The British sector of the Western Front and the trench system
Why did the Somme fighting of 1916 matter so much to the medical services?
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Wounded men arrived in numbers nobody had planned for, which overwhelmed the evacuation chain and forced it to be reorganised. -
The British sector of the Western Front and the trench system
What was no man's land?
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The open ground between the two front lines, cratered by shellfire and strung with barbed wire. -
Conditions requiring medical treatment on the Western Front
What is shrapnel, and why did it cause such terrible wounds?
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Metal balls and jagged fragments flung out by an exploding shell, which tore through flesh and bone and carried filthy cloth and soil into the body.
Paper 2
The Reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189-1216
144 questions in the guide, across 12 subtopics. More from this option
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The feudal system, 1189–1216
What was knight service?
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The duty of a tenant-in-chief to provide the king with an agreed number of armed knights, normally for forty days of unpaid service each year. -
Kingship and succession, 1189–1216
What did John's behaviour as a young man suggest about his character?
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In Ireland in 1185 he and his companions mocked the Irish lords and pulled their beards, and in 1189 he deserted his dying father to join the rebels, which marked him as rash and disloyal. -
English society, 1189–1216
What made living in a town unhealthy and dangerous?
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Crowded timber houses that burned easily, waste and butchers’ refuse thrown into the streets, and drinking water fouled by both.
Paper 3
The Usa, 1954-75: Conflict at Home and Abroad
169 questions in the guide, across 16 subtopics. More from this option
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The position of Black Americans in the early 1950s
What was a literacy test and how was it used against Black voters?
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A reading and writing test taken before a person could register, marked so harshly by white officials that Black applicants failed while white applicants passed. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott and its impact, 1955–60
What was the Montgomery Improvement Association?
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The organisation set up by local ministers to run the protest, with Martin Luther King as its president. -
Developments, 1960–62
Which student organisation grew out of the sit-in movement?
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SNCC, the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, formed in 1960 to link student protest across the South.
Paper 1
Warfare and British Society, c1250-PRESENT
183 questions in the guide, across 13 subtopics. More from this option
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Factors driving change in warfare, c1250–present
How did advances in weapons technology change the value of body armour?
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Gunpowder weapons and later rifled firearms could pierce armour at a distance, so heavy armour was gradually abandoned. -
The nature of warfare, c1250–c1500
How did the longbow change the way English commanders fought a battle?
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They chose to stand on the defensive and let their archers break up an enemy attack before it ever reached their line. -
Case studies: the battles of Falkirk and Agincourt
How did Edward I break the Scottish formations at Falkirk?
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He pulled his knights back and had his archers shoot into the packed spearmen until gaps opened, then sent the cavalry through the gaps.
Paper 3
Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-39
175 questions in the guide, across 16 subtopics. More from this option
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The origins of the Republic, 1918–19
What was signed on 11 November 1918 and what did it do?
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The armistice, which stopped the fighting in the First World War. -
The ‘Golden Years’: recovery of the Republic, 1924–29
What did the Dawes Plan of 1924 change about reparations?
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Yearly payments were reset to a level Germany could actually manage, with the amount rising as the economy grew. -
Early development of the Nazi Party, 1920–22
When did Hitler take over the party, and with what title?
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In July 1921, when he threatened to resign unless given complete control and became its Führer.
Paper 1
Whitechapel, c1870-c1900: Crime, Policing and the Inner City
102 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this option
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The local context of Whitechapel
Why did clearing slums often leave the poorest residents worse off?
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Their old rooms were demolished but the replacement blocks charged higher rents, so they crowded into whatever slum property was left standing nearby. -
The local context of Whitechapel
What happened to a family admitted to the Whitechapel workhouse?
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They were separated into different wards for men, women and children, put into uniform, and set to dull hard labour such as picking oakum or breaking stones. -
The inhabitants of Whitechapel
What was a common lodging house, and what did a bed in one cost?
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A doss house where a stranger could rent a bed for the night in a shared room, usually for about fourpence.
Edexcel GCSE History Active Recall Guide
The other 2,818 questions, with the answers printed after each section.