IB MYP Individuals and Societies – Superpowers, empires and supra-national alliances 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 – the IB holds copyright in its own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available through your school or the IB store.

This practice set covers superpowers, empires and supra-national alliances for IB MYP Individuals and Societies. It is aligned to the International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Individuals and societies, from 2014, which lists this topic among the on-screen examination topics. It suits MYP years 4 and 5; there is no SL/HL split. MYP has no prescribed content list – schools design their own units – and this set covers a topic the brief names.

Each question is labelled with the criterion it mainly trains. Real MYP work is judged against criterion level descriptors (levels 1–8), so the [1] points below are a revision aid, not IB marks. Norland, Estavia, Porthmere, the Merovan Empire and the Northern Shield Pact are fictional.

Learn the content first with the study guide, and see criteria in practice questions. Course links: IB MYP Individuals and Societies course hub · printable checklist.

Questions

1. (Criterion A) Define the term superpower and identify two indicators used to judge whether a state is one. [3]

2. (Criterion A) Distinguish between an intergovernmental organisation and a supranational one, giving a real example of each. [4]

3. (Criterion A) For each organisation, state the year it was founded: (a) United Nations, (b) NATO, (c) ASEAN, (d) African Union. [4]

4. (Criterion A) Explain two reasons why the Soviet Union declined and broke up in 1991. [4]

5. (Criterion B) The table gives figures for three fictional states in the same year.

State	GDP (billion dollars)	Population (million)	Defence spending (billion dollars)
Norland	2,400	60	72
Estavia	900	150	36
Porthmere	1,500	25	15

(a) Calculate the GDP per capita of each state. [2] (b) Calculate each state’s defence spending as a percentage of its GDP. [2] (c) Suggest which state has the strongest claim to be the regional great power, and state one piece of further evidence you would need. [2]

6. (Criterion B) A student plans an investigation with the research question “Is NATO good?”

(a) Explain why this research question is weak. [2] (b) Rewrite it as a focused research question. [1] (c) Suggest two sources of different types the student should use, and why. [2]

7. (Criterion D) Read Source A.

Source A – original text written for Marlbridge. An imagined speech by Norland’s foreign minister to its parliament, in the year Norland applied to join the Northern Shield Pact: “Alone, we are a small nation beside a large and restless neighbour. Inside the Pact, an attack on us is an attack on twelve nations. Some say we give away our freedom. I say we buy the security that makes freedom possible.”

Explain one value and one limitation of Source A for a historian investigating why Norland joined the Northern Shield Pact. [4]

8. (Criterion D) Read Source B, then compare it with Source A.

Source B – original text written for Marlbridge. An imagined editorial in The Estavian Courier, a fictional newspaper in neighbouring Estavia, a week after Norland joined the Pact: “Norland’s leaders speak of safety. In truth they have invited foreign troops to our border. The Pact is not a shield; it is a spear pointed at Estavia.”

Compare and contrast the usefulness of Sources A and B for a historian studying reactions to Norland joining the Pact. [6]

9. (Criteria B and D) The table shows the revenue and war spending of the fictional Merovan Empire (million silver crowns).

Year	1720	1760	1800	1840
Total revenue	40	64	56	32
War spending	12	16	28	24

(a) Calculate war spending as a percentage of revenue in 1760 and in 1840. [2] (b) Calculate the percentage change in total revenue from 1760 to 1840. [1] (c) Explain how the data could support the idea of imperial overstretch, and one limitation of using it alone. [3]

10. (Criterion C) Plan a one-page briefing for a youth assembly on how ASEAN and the African Union each try to keep peace among their members. Give its structure and the main points of each section. [6]

11. (Criteria A, C and D – extended response) “Economic strength is the most important factor in making a state a superpower.” To what extent do you agree? Refer to at least two real states in your answer. [10]

Answers

1. A state able to project power across the whole world [1] in several fields at once (military, economic, political, cultural) [1]. Any two indicators: total GDP; defence spending or nuclear weapons; a permanent UN Security Council seat; global cultural reach [1]. Examiner insight: A definition that says only “a very powerful country” misses the idea of global reach across several fields and stays in the lower levels.

2. Intergovernmental: states cooperate but keep full sovereignty; decisions need their agreement [1]; example: NATO, ASEAN or the AU [1]. Supranational: states pool sovereignty, so a body above the state makes binding rules [1]; example: the European Union [1]. Examiner insight: “Distinguish” needs the difference stated for both terms; describing only one and implying the other earns half.

3. (a) 1945 [1] (b) 1949 [1] (c) 1967 [1] (d) 2002 [1] Examiner insight: Giving 1963 for the AU confuses it with the OAU it replaced, and loses that mark.

4. Economic stagnation meant the state could not match Western living standards and the cost of the arms race [1], which weakened support for Communist rule [1]. The war in Afghanistan (1979–1989) cost lives and money [1] and damaged the army’s prestige; other valid reasons: Gorbachev’s reforms from 1985, nationalist movements in the republics, the collapse of Communist rule in Eastern Europe in 1989 [1]. Examiner insight: “Explain” needs a reason plus how it led to decline; a list of dated events earns only the identification marks.

5. (a) Norland 2,400 bn ÷ 60 m = 40,000 dollars; Estavia 900 bn ÷ 150 m = 6,000 dollars; Porthmere 1,500 bn ÷ 25 m = 60,000 dollars [1] correct method shown [1]. (b) Norland 72 ÷ 2,400 × 100 = 3%; Estavia 36 ÷ 900 × 100 = 4%; Porthmere 15 ÷ 1,500 × 100 = 1% [1] method shown [1]. (c) Norland: largest total GDP (half the three states’ combined GDP) and the largest defence budget in total [1]. Further evidence, any one: alliances, military reach, diplomatic influence, cultural reach [1]. Examiner insight: Choosing Porthmere for its high GDP per capita confuses average wealth with total capacity and loses the (c) judgement mark.

6. (a) “Good” is undefined, so it cannot be measured [1], and there is no time frame, place or aspect of NATO [1]. (b) For example: “How far did NATO membership change Poland’s defence spending between 1999 and 2019?” [1] (c) A primary source such as a government defence report, to show official commitments [1]; a secondary source such as an academic study with independent statistics, to measure change and give an outside view [1]. Examiner insight: A rewritten question with no time frame or measurable focus gets no credit.

7. Value: it is by Norland’s foreign minister at the time of the decision [1], so it shows the government’s official reasons for joining – fear of a larger neighbour and collective defence [1]. Limitation: its purpose is to persuade parliament to approve membership [1], so it may stress security and hide other motives, such as trade, and does not show public opinion [1]. Examiner insight: A limitation such as “it is only a short extract” earns little; tie the limitation to the speaker’s purpose.

8. Similarity: both date from the time Norland joined and both deal with security, so both show reactions [1]. Difference in origin: A is Norland’s government; B is a newspaper in a neighbouring state that feels threatened [1]. A shows the official Norland view [1]; B shows hostile reaction in Estavia and how the Pact could raise tension [1]. Both are one-sided: neither shows Norland’s public or other Pact members [1]. Judgement: B is more useful for reactions, since A is the decision-maker’s own case, but a historian needs both [1]. Examiner insight: Evaluating A and then B separately, with no comparison words and no final judgement, keeps an answer in the lower bands.

9. (a) 1760: 16 ÷ 64 × 100 = 25% [1]; 1840: 24 ÷ 32 × 100 = 75% [1]. (b) (32 − 64) ÷ 64 × 100 = −50% [1]. (c) War spending took a rising share of a falling revenue, so the money left for everything else fell from 48 to 8 million crowns [1], which fits overstretch: military commitments costing more than the economy can support [1]. Limitation: it shows spending, not why wars or falling revenue happened; records of revolts or trade are also needed [1]. Examiner insight: A trend described without any figures (“war spending went up a lot”) misses the data mark.

10. Heading and short introduction naming both organisations and the purpose [1]. ASEAN section: founded 1967; consultation and consensus; non-interference keeps diverse members talking [1]. AU section: founded 2002, replacing the OAU; suspends members after coups; may intervene in grave cases such as genocide [1]. Comparison on a shared criterion: ASEAN avoids interfering; the AU can act inside a member state [1]. Conclusion on limits, such as reliance on members’ will [1]. Style for audience: clear headings, plain language, key terms explained [1]. Examiner insight: Criterion C rewards format and audience as well as content, so a plan with correct facts but no structure loses those points.

11. Model plan:

• Introduction: define superpower and state a line of argument, such as “economic strength is necessary but not sufficient” [1].
• For: a large economy pays for military power; the US economy funded global armed forces and alliances in the Cold War [1].
• For: economic weakness can end superpower status; Soviet stagnation helped cause the 1991 collapse [1].
• For: China’s rise to the world’s second-largest economy underpins its growing influence [1].
• Against: military power matters independently; the Soviet Union was a superpower with a much smaller economy than the US, through nuclear weapons and armed forces [1].
• Against: political power – a Security Council veto, leading alliances such as NATO – gives influence beyond wealth [1].
• Against: soft power; cultural and educational reach shapes how others see a country [1].
• Linking factors: economic strength makes the others possible, but becomes power only with political will and alliances [1].
• Balanced treatment of the debate about China, with evidence on both sides [1].
• Conclusion: a supported judgement on “to what extent”, such as “the most important foundation, but not enough alone” [1]. Examiner insight: Criterion D needs a judgement on “to what extent”; an essay that lists factors and never decides stays out of the top band.

Where marks are usually lost

• Using GDP per capita instead of total GDP to judge capacity for power.
• Confusing the African Union (2002) with the OAU (1963).
• Calling NATO, ASEAN or the AU supranational.
• Value and limitation points that do not come from the source’s origin or purpose.
• Source comparisons with no comparison words and no final judgement.
• Describing data trends without quoting figures or percentage changes.
• Extended answers that list factors but never judge “to what extent”.

Next steps

• Revision notes for this unit
• Study guide for this unit
• Source-evaluation exam preparation
• Visit the IB MYP Individuals and Societies course hub.
• Print the IB MYP Individuals and Societies checklist.
• Try all free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Individuals and societies, from 2014. The brief lists this topic among the on-screen examination topics and names the four criteria used in these labels. Norland, Estavia, Porthmere, the Merovan Empire, the Northern Shield Pact and Sources A and B are fictional.