History exam patternIn the O level examination, there are five Questions out of which, the candidates can choose any three. Each question has three parts and carries 25 marks each.Part A consists of an answer of a short question from the source given in the Question Paper, which carries 4 marks in total.Part B will always be ‘Why’ type questions the examiners will expect you to give more than one reason in the answer. They are not asking you for every possible reason you can think of, but will expect you to find tow or three important reasons for an answer. The examiners are not asking you to tell everything you know about the question. Instead, they want you to use only the information that is necessary to answer the question. Always make a brief plan before you answer a question and start your answer with a direct response to the question. There is no need to waste time with lengthy background information and there are no marks given to such information. This part of Question will carry 7 marks.Part ‘C’ Questions sometimes will be based on three topics or persons, or whether you agree with a comment, or whether you think a policy or person was successful. You must make sure that you give both sides of the argument and finally give your opinion. The best way to plan to answer this question is to treat it like two halves. Take each side of the answer and list what you think should go in. once you have made the plan, and then you need to start the answer by addressing the question straight away. If you work your way through your plan like this, you can expect a very high mark. To score full marks however, you need to add a final judgment.   This question will carry 14 marks. It is of utmost importance to give evaluation of the points you present in your answer, it will take you to the top marks.                             Causes of the Downfall of the Mughal EmpireThere were many reasons for the downfall of the Mughal Empire. When the British entered the sub-continent the Mughal Empire was already weak. Indians were not united because they belonged to

different cultures, territories and religions, as they were fighting amongst each other, which divided them and made them weak.   After the death of Mughal Emperor there was a problems of succession. When Shah Jahan fell ill, his four sons started fighting for the power even though he was alive. Huge sums were wasted in fighting to succeed the throne, which continued to erode the empire.  Many historians blame Aurangzeb for the decline of the Empire. The Empire had become so huge that it was very difficult to control, for this reason, he introduced the Mansabdari system, which was not effective and was not efficiently supervised by the Emperor.Feudal system was very common at that time due to which many taxes were imposed on the farmers as a result the agriculture was destroyed. They were also very cruel to the local people so wherever Mughal forces settled they destroyed the crops to show their power. Many Mughal emperors interfered into the religious matters of the non-Muslims Akbar introduced Deen-e-Ilahi, which was mixture of Hinduism and Islam. It was totally unpopular amongst the people. Aurangzeb imposed the Jizia tax on non-Muslims, which further worsened the condition. Many non-Muslims were also converted to Islam by force. The Mughal Rulers, Nawabs and Princes in the Empire were leading lavish lifestyle. They were indulged in a very luxurious life became extravagant which made them arrogant and neglected their duties they slowly went bankrupt. Many Mughal emperors were inefficient, incapable and had no caliber to run the state. They moved away from Islamic teachings and ignored Islamic way of life. The nobles in the King’s court were slowly gaining power and were taking over the decision-making rights.The communication between the different provinces of the Empire was very difficult therefore; the emperor did not know what was happening around the Empire. By the time, the Emperor would find out about a problem it would be too late. It would take months to implement a remedy for a problem. As there were many different kinds of cultures and people, the emperor had to face many rebellions. The cost of crushing these rebellions was very high. The Mughal forces were very weak in war affairs while they were not trained properly the power of Mughals was declining such as during the rule of Aurangzeb he was unable to defeat the Marhatas in Dacca. Marathas were growing rapidly within the empire that the Mughals were not able to defeat.As compared to the Mughal forces, the Western forces were very strong and well equipped with latest weapons. There was no Navy in the Mughal forces while the British were having a very strong and well-managed Navy. They were technologically much more advanced than the Mughals and started interfering in the political affairs of the Empire and one day overcame the whole of Mughal Empire.                               PAST PAPER/MARK SCHEME/EXAMINER REPORT                              (Please use these mark schemes as a guide not as an answer)(c) ‘The policies of Aurangzeb were the main reason for the decline of the MughalEmpire.’ Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer. [14]LEVEL 1: Simplistic statement He was an important ruler. (1–2)LEVEL 2:Description of reasons in generalHe taxed non-Muslims and destroyed number of Hindu templs(3-6)LEVEL 3: Explains one factor (7–10)LEVEL 4: Explains more than one factor including Aurangzeb’s policies Aurangzeb had an intolerant attitude to non-Muslims. He introduced a tax on non-Muslims called the Jizya. He destroyed Hindu temples and tried to ban Hindu practices. Taxation was high as he had to pay for the cost of military campaigns such as the Deccan Wars and he spent highly on luxurious palaces. Because of these, he became an unpopular ruler. After his death, Mughal Emperors were renowned for living an extravagant lifestyle and spending money with little thought to the effect it had on the economy of the Empire. This led to inefficiencies and a lack of interest in the running of the Empire. The absence of a definite line of succession led to a significant amount of in fighting amongst his successors, which, also led to instability and the downfall of the Empire. (9–13)LEVEL 5: As Level 4 – also produces a judgment or evaluation. (14)Part (c) on the reasons why the Mughal Empire declined was generally well answered but to reach a Level 4 mark, candidates had to ensure that they included the policies of Aurangzeb as well as other reasons since this was included in the stem of the question. However for the weaker candidates

there was a similar problem to previous years whereby those candidates who merely identified the reasons why the Empire declined e.g. corrupt, weak successors, no law of succession, the British etc. then they would only ever achieve a Level 2 mark. As explained in previous years the art of agood answer to this or any part (c) question, is to explain why, for example, these reasons failed to prevent the decline of the Empire. However on the other hand, there were many candidates who were able to recognize the demands of the question, were able to answer it well and gain near or maximum marks. The East India Company and British Colonial rule in the Sub-Continent.The first Europeans to enter the sub-continent were the Portuguese in 1498 under VASCO DEGAMA, who were in search of spices and Christians. They established the city of GOA in 1510. They were followed by a chain of foreigner including the Dutch, the French and the British. In the year 1600 Queen Elizabeth 1 granted a charter to British East India Company to trade in Africa. However, many foreigners (the Dutch) had already established trade there, therefore the East India Company moved to India. In the 1608, the first ship reached at Surat but Jehangir did not allow them to trade with India so they did not get favorable support from the Mughals due to the Portuguese influence. In 1612, Shah Jahan allowed them to trade with India. Sir Thomas Roe gained the consideration of the Mughals. The company started their trade and shifted their head quarter to Bombay in 1662. Robert Clive made EIC strong enough to defeat the French. In 1686 when Aurangzeb came in power he suspected the EIC of using their own coins and avoided the payment of the taxes so he fought, and defeated them, they were forgiven after they paid a heavy fine. In 1690, EIC was so prosperous that they established the city of Calcutta. Till the early 18th century the EIC had three main bases namely Madras, Calcutta and Bombay, which were called as “PRESIDENCIES”. By 1740, about 10% revenue of British was generated in India. The EIC defeated the Dutch easily but the French were the main competitors against them. In 1751 French were defeated in the Wars of Acrot and Pondicherry by EIC. Now they were able to monopolize trade in India. In 1757 due to French insistence, the Nawab of Bengal Siraj_ ud_ Daula attacked EIC in Calcutta in which he was defeated in the famous battle of Plassey due to the treachery of his general Mir Jafar. In 1764 battle of Boxar was fought in which EIC defeated Mir Qasim, Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and the Nawab of Oudh and got the control over the revenue of Bengal, Behar and Orisa. EIC made huge profit due to its monopoly of trade. Local people were exploited many of them died in serious famines; the British Parliament condemned EIC and passed a regulation act in 1773 to make EIC directly responsible to the British Parliament. Then in 1784, the British Govt passed the India Act and took the direct control of Indian affairs, appointed Governor General who would have control of the three presidencies and there would be provincial Governors and commander in chief of the armed forces. EIC lost the administrative powers and continued to trade.In 1784 the first British Governor General Warren Hastings signed a treaty with the Marathas ending the first Maratha war so they got the chance to extend their control in other areas with their help. In 1799, Marathas helped the British to invade Mysore. Tipu the Sultan of Mysore was killed and the British took his lands. In 1803, British entered Delhi Mughal Emperor Shah Alam was forced to accept that he was ruling under British protection. Therefore, by the time the British entered Delhi the Mughal control ceased to exist. In 1818 British defeated Marathas and they were forced to accept British control. In 1833, The Indian Charter Act was passed which said that Indians could be part of civil service administering India. They employed about 1000 administrators in Indian Civil Service, who were chosen by open public examination those exams were held in England and in English. So India was governed by an able but entirely British group of officers. Later on, in 1829, British banned the practice of Suttee and in 1834, they made English as the official language of administration and in 1835; Thomas Macaulay decided that English would be the language in which education will be given. In 1843 British conquered Sindh without any possible justification but as an excuse to regain their pride, which they lost in Afghanistan and did not want that Sindh should fall in the hands of Ranjit Singh the ruler of Punjab because he did not help them in Afghanistan campaign. In 1849, they conquered Punjab and NWFP after the death of Ranjit Singh. Ghulab Singh Dogra who helped British was given Kashmir as a reward. In 1848, Governor General Dalhousie extended the British control by introducing the Doctrine of Lapse that any ruler died

without a natural heir his state will lapse to the British. So Satara, Nagpur and Jhansi fell into British hands. This was an unpopular policy, which caused much resentment in India and convinced Indians that British were greedy land grabbers.  The British assumption of power in the Subcontinent had taken less than 100 years from the Battle of Plassey.    (b) Why was Britain successful in increasing its control of some parts of the subcontinent in the years 1750 to 1850?LEVEL 1:Simplistic statement. (1) They were good fighters.LEVEL 2: Identifies reasons. (2–4) They had more resources and better-quality weapons.LEVEL 3: Explains reasons. (5–7) The Battles of Plassey and Buxar gave the British the vast riches of Bengal and favourable trading rights with the local nawabs. This provided massive new resources which the British could use to consolidate its control. The British also introduced governors-general into the provinces who administered them on British lines and provided yet more control. The East India Company army, using its vast local resources and superior weapons and skills, was increasingly taking control of more land. The Indian states were disunited politically and militarily – a situation of which the British took full advantagethe question focused on the reasons why the British were successful in increasing its control of some parts of the sub-continent. For those candidates who had been well prepared for the examination this caused few problems for them and many answers from these candidates were accurate and relevant scoring a good mark within Level 3. Why was EIC interested in the Indian Sub-Continent.There many reasons for the formation of EIC in the sub-continent. The splendor and wealth of the Mughals attracted the EIC to India. They wanted to spend sometime in the sub-continent. Due to the various trade opportunities like spices, cotton, cloth, diamond, gold and even opium. India was considered as the world most important trading centre because of its vast resources. Its products and metal works were highly valued in Britain. They wanted to establish a base in this region because of its important geographic location and they could easily keep an eye on the surrounding countries. British wanted to take benefit from the weak position of the Govt, they were having a fear that if they would not capture the area then French, Dutch and Portuguese would capture the wealth of this region. After 1818, the end of the Maratha power prepared the way for the eventual British takeover of India. Explain why the East India Company got involved in the sub-continent during the seventeenth century.LEVEL 1: Simplistic statement. (1) They were interested in the country.LEVEL 2: Identifies reasons. (2–4) To trade and extend their sphere of influence in the East.LEVEL 3: Explains reasons. (5–7)Traders reported evidence of immense wealth in the sub-Continent which led to the EIC establishing a trading base there since they saw a profitable future. It also wanted to establish its influence in the sub-Continent and to oust the Dutch and Portuguese. The EIC also wanted to establish a strategic port in the sub-continent that would protect its trading interests there.It caused few problems as most candidates were able to explain why the East India Company got involved in the sub-continent. As a result many candidates scored a Level 3mark, often reaching the maximum allowable. Why were the British able to conquer India?By the time, British entered Subcontinent the Mughal Empire was already in decline. They did not face any serious challenge when they were expanding their influence in India. At that time there was no strong uniting force in India, it was a collection of disunited territories with a variety of different rulers, religions, culture and civilizations. The Indian often fought with each other and allied the British to attack their neighbours as Marathas helped the British to defeat Tipu the Sultan of Mysore and helped them against the Mughals. Many Rulers of India were feudal lords who loved wealth and paid little attention to their empire, lived luxurious life and ignored their estates, which declined sharply. Indians were technologically far behind than British. They were not skilled diplomats,

inefficient rulers and had a very weak army with lack of modern weapons. On the other hand, British were much more advanced than Indians, technologically and militarily because of the Industrial Revolution, they had the superior weapons; means of communication and had the confidence that they will prosper. They considered themselves as superior to the Indians and wanted their superior culture to spread in India. There were great opportunities for profitable trade and for imposing efficient British administrative system on a country, which was in stagnation and decline. They foresaw that they would succeed and believed that they were destined to rule the large parts of the world. Britain with a population of only about 10 million people was able to take over a huge land of 350 million people.