Edexcel IGCSE History: A Divided Union, Civil Rights in the USA, 1945–74 — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board. The extracts below are entirely invented for this exercise — none is a real historian’s work, and none should be treated or cited as one.

Related: Civil rights revision notes | Civil rights study guide

These questions practise the three Depth Study question types of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1 Paper 1 across the five key topics of “A divided union: civil rights in the USA, 1945–74”. Answer guidance follows the questions.

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Question 1 — the Red Scare and the 1950s

Extract A (invented for this exercise).

“McCarthy never found a single spy. What he found was something more useful to him: a country frightened enough to believe that he might.”

1(a) What impression does the author give about McCarthy’s influence? You must use Extract A to explain your answer. [6]

1(b) Explain two effects of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56). [8]

1(c) “The Supreme Court was the main reason for progress in civil rights in the 1950s.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• Brown v Board of Education (1954)
• Little Rock (1957)

You must also use information of your own.

Question 2 — protest, 1960–68

Extract B (invented for this exercise).

“King’s genius was to make the violence of his opponents do his work for him. In Birmingham and Selma, the cameras carried his argument into every living room in America.”

2(a) What impression does the author give about King’s methods? You must use Extract B to explain your answer. [6]

2(b) Explain two effects of the growth of Black Power in the later 1960s. [8]

2(c) “The work of Martin Luther King was the main reason for the civil rights laws of 1964 and 1965.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the March on Washington (1963)
• Mississippi Freedom Summer (1964)

You must also use information of your own.

Question 3 — other protest and Watergate

3(b) Explain two effects of the Watergate scandal on US politics. [8]

3(c) “The women’s movement achieved little in the years 1961–74.” How far do you agree? [16]

You may use the following in your answer:

• the work of Betty Friedan and NOW
• the opposition of Phyllis Schlafly

You must also use information of your own.

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Answers and mark guidance

1(a) [6]

The author suggests McCarthy’s power came from public fear, not evidence. “Never found a single spy” stresses the emptiness of his claims; “something more useful” and “frightened enough to believe” imply he exploited Cold War anxiety for his own ends.

1(b) [8]

• Bus segregation ended: the Supreme Court’s 1956 ruling (Browder v Gayle) declared Montgomery’s bus segregation unconstitutional.
• New leadership and methods: King became a national figure, and the success of a mass, non-violent boycott led to the founding of the SCLC (1957) and inspired later campaigns.

1(c) [16]

Agree: Brown (1954) overturned the legal basis of school segregation; the Court’s 1956 ruling ended Montgomery’s bus segregation; court rulings gave protesters legal backing.

Other factors: the NAACP brought the cases; grassroots action (Parks, the Montgomery Improvement Association, the Little Rock Nine); Eisenhower’s use of troops at Little Rock; media coverage of the Till case; the Civil Rights Act 1957. Limits: Brown set no deadline; Southern resistance and the KKK revival.

Judgement: the Court provided the legal framework, but change required protest and, at times, federal force.

2(a) [6]

The author presents King as a shrewd strategist who used publicity. “Genius” is admiring; “make the violence of his opponents do his work” suggests deliberate provocation of a violent response; “carried his argument into every living room” stresses the role of television.

2(b) [8]

• Divisions in the movement: SNCC under Carmichael moved away from non-violence and integration, splitting from King and the SCLC and losing some white support.
• Black pride and community action: the Black Panthers ran breakfast and health programmes; symbolic protests such as the 1968 Olympics raised international awareness.

2(c) [16]

Agree: Birmingham’s images and the March on Washington helped push Kennedy and then Johnson to pass the 1964 Act; Selma led directly to the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Other factors: SNCC, CORE and local activists (sit-ins, Freedom Rides, Freedom Summer); Johnson’s political skill in Congress after Kennedy’s assassination; the media; the violence of opponents; the fear of more radical alternatives such as Malcolm X.

Judgement: King’s leadership was central to national campaigns, but he relied on local activists and on presidents willing to act.

3(b) [8]

• Restraints on the presidency: the War Powers Act (1973) limited the president’s power to send troops abroad, and the Congressional Budget Control Act (1974) strengthened Congress over spending.
• Loss of trust in government: Nixon’s resignation and Ford’s pardon left many Americans cynical about politicians; new election finance and privacy laws (1974) tried to restore confidence.

3(c) [16]

Agree (little achieved): the Equal Rights Amendment was not ratified; opposition from Schlafly and conservatives; continuing pay gaps and few women in senior jobs.

Disagree: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Commission (1961); The Feminine Mystique (1963); NOW (1966) fought discrimination; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 banned sex discrimination in employment; Roe v Wade (1973); women’s liberation changed attitudes.

Judgement: significant legal and cultural gains, but resistance limited further change.

Where marks are usually lost

• Over-narrating events without linking them to the question.
• Confusing the 1957, 1964 and 1965 Acts.
• Using only King as evidence in essays about the movement as a whole.

Source: question patterns modelled on the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) specification, Issue 5, February 2026, Paper 1.

Frequently asked questions

How is each Paper 1 depth study question structured? Each 4HI1 Paper 1 question has three parts: (a) what impression an extract gives (6 marks), (b) explain two effects (8 marks) and (c) a ‘how far do you agree’ essay (16 marks), with bullet prompts and your own knowledge.

Which events do these questions cover? McCarthyism and the Red Scare, the civil rights campaigns of 1960–68, other protest movements and the Watergate scandal.

Which Acts are most often confused? The Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; learn what each did.

Are these real Edexcel past-paper questions? No. They are original questions written in the style of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History 4HI1; use them alongside the official past papers and mark schemes.