How far do you agree with the following interpretation... (16 marks)
(Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar: 3 marks)
The main purpose of this question is to reach a fully supported judgement about the accuracy of the given interpretation. You will need to analyse and evaluate how and why interpretations of the issue differ. Full consideration of the authorship of the interpretation is crucially important in reaching your judgement, ie who wrote it, why and when.
You should also look to demonstrate historical understanding of the key feature in the question. In reaching your judgement about the accuracy of the interpretation you should recognise that there are different interpretations of the given issue.
As well as carefully considering the authorship of the interpretation discuss the intended audience of the interpretation. The attribution will provide clues about the intended audience as well as why the interpretation was formed.
Make sure you reach a judgement and provide plenty of historical knowledge to support your answer. Three marks are added to this question for the correct use of spelling, punctuation and grammar and specialist terms, making the total 19.
Example:
Read the interpretation below and then answer the question which follows.
鈥楧uring Elizabeth's reign the profits of the rich were, and were known to be, made at the expense of the poor. The poor were without rights in every sense. High rents, the threat of eviction and becoming a vagabond, a wage freeze during a price rise, the poor flocking into the towns, all made sure that the majority barely had enough to survive on.鈥
Christopher Hill, an historian who specialised in social history, writing in his book Reformation to Industrial Revolution, published in 1967.
How far do you agree with this interpretation of life for poor people in Elizabethan times?
Tips:
- Read the interpretation carefully.
- Look carefully at both the content and attribution (ie the authorship).
- The information about authorship will provide clues about why it was written and who the intended audience is.
- Look carefully at who wrote the interpretation and use this to reach a judgment about its accuracy.
- Consider other interpretations of the issue and use these to inform your judgement.
- Be guided by the number of marks for the question and the number of lines provided in the answer booklet as to how much you write.