The History and Culture of Pakistan (9236): Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions. The section structure and marks follow the specification’s own Paper 1 layout; examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past and specimen papers available free from your board.

Related: The History and Culture of Pakistan revision notes

This is a complete practice paper built to the structure the 9236 specification sets for Paper 1 (1 hour 30 minutes, 77 marks). Section A (28 marks) is on the compulsory topic The Pakistan movement (1857–1947); Section B (28 marks) is on the compulsory topic Pakistan into the 21st Century: from independence to 2022; Section C (21 marks) is on the optional topic you have studied — either Islam in the subcontinent (c700–c1831) or The Mughal Empire (c1526–c1850s). The specification says Sections A and B contain multiple-choice, short and extended response questions and Section C short and extended response questions; the individual question tariffs used here (1, 2, 4, 6 and 9 marks) follow the board’s published specimen paper.

Answer all of Question 1 (Section A) and all of Question 2 (Section B). In Section C answer either Question 3 or Question 4, not both.

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Section A — The Pakistan movement (1857–1947)

1. Answer all parts of this question.

(01.1) In which year was the All-India Muslim League founded? [1]

A: 1885   B: 1906   C: 1916   D: 1940

(01.2) Who wrote the pamphlet Now or Never (1933), which proposed the name “Pakistan”? [1]

A: Allama Muhammad Iqbal   B: Chaudhry Rahmat Ali   C: Muhammad Ali Jauhar   D: Liaquat Ali Khan

(01.3) State two reasons why many Muslims welcomed the partition of Bengal in 1905. [2]

(01.4) Which Viceroy announced the plan of 3 June 1947 for the partition of British India? [1]

A: Lord Irwin   B: Lord Linlithgow   C: Lord Mountbatten   D: Lord Wavell

(01.5) Identify two recommendations of the Nehru Report (1928). [2]

(01.6) State two features of the Government of India Act (1935). [2]

(01.7) Identify and explain two ways in which the work of Syed Ahmad Khan was important for the Muslims of the subcontinent. [4]

(01.8) Analyse two consequences of the War of Independence (1857) for Muslims in the subcontinent. [6]

(01.9) “Muhammad Ali Jinnah always wanted a separate Muslim state.”

How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer using the statement above and your contextual knowledge. [9]

Section B — Pakistan into the 21st Century: from independence to 2022

2. Answer all parts of this question.

(02.1) Which amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, passed in 2010, renamed the North-West Frontier Province as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? [1]

A: the Eighth Amendment   B: the Thirteenth Amendment   C: the Seventeenth Amendment   D: the Eighteenth Amendment

(02.2) Dr Sania Nishtar led which federal government poverty-alleviation programme, launched in 2019? [1]

A: Ehsaas   B: Clean Green Pakistan   C: Naya Pakistan Housing   D: Vision 2025

(02.3) State two principles set out in the Objectives Resolution (1949). [2]

(02.4) Which party won the largest number of seats in the National Assembly in the general election of 2018? [1]

A: Muttahida Qaumi Movement   B: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)   C: Pakistan Peoples Party   D: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

(02.5) Identify two ways in which the government of Pakistan responded to the Covid-19 pandemic. [2]

(02.6) Identify two features of Pakistan’s relationship with the People’s Republic of China. [2]

(02.7) Identify and explain two changes made by the Eighteenth Amendment (2010). [4]

(02.8) Analyse two impacts on Pakistan of the US-led war in Afghanistan after 2001. [6]

(02.9) “Pakistan’s relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) between 2008 and 2022 did more to help Pakistan than to harm it.”

How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer using the statement above and your contextual knowledge. [9]

Section C — optional topics

Answer either Question 3 or Question 4.

Islam in the subcontinent (c700–c1831)

3. Answer all parts of this question.

(03.1) State two key features of Sufism. [2]

(03.2) Identify and explain two ways in which Muhammad bin Qasim’s conquest of Sindh was important for Islam in the subcontinent. [4]

(03.3) Analyse two reasons why the work of Ahmad Sirhindi was important for Islam in the subcontinent. [6]

(03.4) Which of the following was the more significant part of Shah Waliullah’s work?

• his translation of the Qur’an into Persian
• his efforts to bring about political change

Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points. [9]

The Mughal Empire (c1526–c1850s)

4. Answer all parts of this question.

(04.1) State two achievements of Emperor Shah Jahan. [2]

(04.2) Identify and explain two ways in which Akbar strengthened the administration of the Mughal Empire. [4]

(04.3) Analyse two reasons why the Battle of Plassey (1757) was important for the Indian subcontinent. [6]

(04.4) Which of the following was the more important cause of the Mughal Empire’s weakness at the time of Aurangzeb’s death in 1707?

• the cost of his campaigns in the Deccan
• opposition to his religious policies

Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points. [9]

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Answers

Multiple-choice questions score 1 mark. “State” and “Identify” questions score 1 mark per valid point. “Identify and explain” questions score 1 mark for each point identified and 1 further mark for its explanation. The 6-mark and 9-mark questions are marked by levels of response; the level tables are set out after the answers. Indicative content is a guide, not a checklist — other valid points should also be credited.

1. (01.1) B: 1906 [1].

(01.2) B: Chaudhry Rahmat Ali [1]. (Allama Iqbal proposed a Muslim state in the north-west in his Allahabad address of 1930, but did not coin the name.)

(01.3) Any two, 1 mark each [2]: the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam had a Muslim majority; Muslims would have more influence in government there; it offered better opportunities for Muslims in education and employment; Dhaka, as a provincial capital, would develop; it freed eastern Bengal’s Muslims from the domination of Calcutta’s Hindu landlords and professionals.

(01.4) C: Lord Mountbatten [1].

(01.5) Any two, 1 mark each [2]: India should have dominion status; separate electorates should end and be replaced by joint electorates; seats should be reserved for Muslims only at the centre and in provinces where they were a minority, not in Muslim-majority provinces; the central government should hold the residuary powers.

(01.6) Any two, 1 mark each [2]: the provinces were given autonomy, with elected ministers responsible for most provincial subjects; dyarchy was ended in the provinces; it proposed an all-India federation of the provinces and the princely states (which never came into effect); separate electorates were kept; Sindh was separated from Bombay and made a province; the right to vote was extended to many more people; the Governor-General and governors kept special powers.

(01.7) Two ways, each 1 mark for identification and 1 for explanation [2 + 2 = 4]:

• he promoted modern education (1) — he founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875, teaching modern subjects alongside Islamic studies, which produced educated Muslims able to compete for government posts (1);
• he worked to rebuild trust between the British and Muslims (1) — writings such as The Causes of the Indian Revolt and The Loyal Muhammadans of India argued that Muslims were not the enemies of British rule, reducing discrimination against them (1);
• he developed the idea that Hindus and Muslims were separate nations (1) — this became the basis on which later leaders argued for separate Muslim political rights (1).

(01.8) Mark by the Analysis (6) table. Indicative content:

• the British held Muslims mainly responsible for the uprising, so Muslims lost positions in the army and government service and were distrusted for decades, which weakened them economically;
• the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled, ending the last symbol of Muslim political authority in India;
• the East India Company was replaced by direct rule of the Crown, and English became more important in government, leaving Muslims who had avoided English education further behind;
• the weakness of the Muslim position led reformers such as Syed Ahmad Khan to seek a new approach based on reconciliation with the British and modern education, beginning the path towards Muslim political organisation.

(01.9) Mark by the Evaluation (9) table. Indicative content:

• Disagree: Jinnah began his political career as a member of the Indian National Congress and worked for Hindu–Muslim unity; he was called an “ambassador of Hindu–Muslim unity” and helped bring about the Lucknow Pact of 1916 between Congress and the League; even his Fourteen Points of 1929 sought safeguards for Muslims within a federal India rather than a separate state; in 1946 the League accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan, which would have kept India united.
• Agree (in part): from the late 1930s his position changed; the experience of Congress rule in the provinces in 1937–39 convinced him Muslims could not be protected in a Hindu-majority India; he led the League in adopting the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and campaigned for Pakistan in the 1945–46 elections.
• Judgement: for example, the demand for a separate state was a response to changing circumstances rather than a lifelong aim, so the statement is largely inaccurate.

2. (02.1) D: the Eighteenth Amendment [1].

(02.2) A: Ehsaas [1].

(02.3) Any two, 1 mark each [2]: sovereignty belongs to Allah alone; authority is to be exercised by the people through their elected representatives as a sacred trust; the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as taught by Islam are to be observed; Muslims are to be enabled to live according to the teachings of Islam; minorities are to be free to profess and practise their religions; Pakistan is to be a federation; the independence of the judiciary is to be secured; fundamental rights are to be guaranteed.

(02.4) D: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf [1].

(02.5) Any two, 1 mark each [2]: a National Command and Operation Centre was set up to co-ordinate the response; lockdowns were imposed, later replaced by targeted “smart lockdowns”; schools and educational institutions were closed; emergency cash payments were made to poor families through the Ehsaas programme; a relief package supported businesses and the construction industry; a national vaccination campaign began in 2021.

(02.6) Any two, 1 mark each [2]: close military co-operation, including the joint production of the JF-17 Thunder aircraft; large Chinese investment in infrastructure and energy through the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC); the development of Gwadar port; co-operation in agriculture; China’s diplomatic support for Pakistan; strong trade links.

(02.7) Two changes, each 1 mark for identification and 1 for explanation [2 + 2 = 4]:

• it removed the President’s power to dissolve the National Assembly (1), restoring a parliamentary system in which the Prime Minister and parliament hold the main executive power (1);
• it abolished the Concurrent Legislative List (1), transferring many subjects to the provinces and increasing provincial autonomy (1);
• it renamed the North-West Frontier Province as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1), recognising the identity of the province’s Pakhtun people (1);
• it made free and compulsory education a constitutional right (1) for children aged five to sixteen (1);
• it created a judicial commission to recommend appointments of judges (1), reducing the President’s personal influence over the courts (1).

(02.8) Mark by the Analysis (6) table. Indicative content:

• Pakistan became a key ally of the USA and received large amounts of military and economic aid, for example under the Kerry–Lugar–Berman Act of 2009;
• militant violence spread into Pakistan: the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan was formed in 2007, and attacks such as that on the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014 killed many civilians;
• the army launched major operations against militants, such as Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan from 2014, which displaced many people from the tribal areas;
• relations with the USA were damaged by US drone strikes and by the raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011;
• the conflict damaged the economy, discouraging investment and tourism, and Pakistan continued to host large numbers of Afghan refugees.

(02.9) Mark by the Evaluation (9) table. Indicative content:

• Helped: IMF loans helped Pakistan avoid defaulting on its debts during balance-of-payments crises, including a Stand-By Arrangement agreed in 2008 during the world economic crisis, an Extended Fund Facility in 2013 and another in 2019; an IMF programme reassured other lenders and investors; reforms linked to the programmes aimed to widen the tax base and strengthen the independence of the State Bank of Pakistan.
• Harmed: the conditions attached to the loans required cuts to energy subsidies and higher taxes, which raised electricity and fuel prices; devaluation of the rupee pushed up inflation and the cost of imports; spending cuts limited development; repeated programmes showed that the loans did not solve Pakistan’s underlying economic problems and increased its debts.
• Judgement: for example, the IMF prevented short-term crises from becoming default, but did not by itself create lasting economic stability.

3. (03.1) Any two, 1 mark each [2]: it is the mystical, spiritual dimension of Islam; it seeks closeness to Allah through inner purification and love; followers learn under a spiritual guide (pir or shaikh); Sufis belong to orders (silsilas) such as the Chishti, Suhrawardi, Qadiri and Naqshbandi; worship includes remembrance of Allah (dhikr); Sufi saints and their shrines helped spread Islam in the subcontinent.

(03.2) Two ways, each 1 mark for identification and 1 for explanation [2 + 2 = 4]:

• it brought Sindh under Muslim rule as part of the Umayyad Caliphate (1), so Sindh became known as Bab-ul-Islam, the gateway of Islam into the subcontinent (1);
• it led to the spread of the faith (1) as Arab settlers, traders and scholars came to Sindh and some of the local people accepted Islam (1);
• non-Muslims were allowed to keep their religion on payment of jizya (1), which showed a tolerant form of Muslim rule and reduced resistance (1);
• mosques were built and Islamic learning was established (1), making Sindh a centre of Muslim culture (1).

(03.3) Mark by the Analysis (6) table. Indicative content:

• he opposed the religious ideas promoted at Akbar’s court, such as Din-i-Ilahi, which he believed corrupted Islam, and called for a return to the Sharia;
• through his letters to nobles at the court of Jahangir he tried to influence the rulers of the empire; he was imprisoned by Jahangir but later released;
• he taught that Sufism must follow the Sharia, bringing the Naqshbandi order and Islamic law closer together;
• he became known as Mujaddid Alf Thani, the renewer of Islam in the second millennium, and his ideas influenced later reformers, including Shah Waliullah, and religious developments under Aurangzeb.

(03.4) Mark by the Evaluation (9) table. Answers must refer to both bullet points. Indicative content:

• Translation of the Qur’an: Persian was the language of educated Muslims, so the translation allowed them to read and understand the Qur’an for themselves rather than relying on scholars; it was opposed by some ulama at the time but was widely read; his sons later translated the Qur’an into Urdu, extending the work to more people; it supported his aim of uniting Muslims around the Qur’an and Hadith.
• Political change: he saw that the decline of the Mughal Empire left Muslims weak and divided; he wrote to Muslim rulers and nobles, including Ahmad Shah Abdali, urging action against the Marathas; Abdali defeated the Marathas at Panipat in 1761, but he returned to Afghanistan and Mughal power was not restored, so the political aim was only partly achieved.
• Judgement: for example, the translation had the more lasting effect on the religious life of Muslims, while his political efforts brought only short-term results.

4. (04.1) Any two, 1 mark each [2]: he built the Taj Mahal at Agra; he built the Red Fort and the new city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi; he built the Jama Masjid in Delhi; he laid out the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore; he extended Mughal territory in the Deccan; his reign is seen as a high point of Mughal architecture and wealth.

(04.2) Two ways, each 1 mark for identification and 1 for explanation [2 + 2 = 4]:

• he introduced the mansabdari system (1), giving officials ranks that fixed their pay and the troops they kept, so nobles depended on the emperor rather than on inherited power (1);
• he reformed land revenue with Raja Todar Mal (1), basing tax on the measured land and its average produce, which gave the state a regular income (1);
• he divided the empire into provinces (subahs) (1), each with governors and officials answerable to the centre, making the empire easier to control (1);
• his policy of religious tolerance, including ending the jizya (1), and his alliances with Rajput rulers won the loyalty of many Hindu subjects (1).

(04.3) Mark by the Analysis (6) table. Indicative content:

• Robert Clive’s East India Company forces defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal, helped by the betrayal of his commander Mir Jafar, whom the Company then made Nawab;
• the Company gained control over Bengal, one of the richest provinces of the subcontinent, and its revenues paid for further expansion;
• it turned the Company from a trading company into a political and military power;
• it prepared the way for later British victories, such as at Buxar in 1764, and for British expansion across the subcontinent at the expense of Mughal authority.

(04.4) Mark by the Evaluation (9) table. Answers must refer to both bullet points. Indicative content:

• Deccan campaigns: Aurangzeb spent the last decades of his reign fighting in the Deccan; he conquered Bijapur and Golconda, bringing the empire to its greatest size, but the wars cost huge sums and drained the treasury; the Marathas kept up their resistance; his long absence from the north weakened control there.
• Opposition to religious policies: his reimposition of the jizya in 1679 and other religious policies alienated many Hindu subjects; the Rajputs rebelled; the execution of the Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur made the Sikhs lasting enemies; Jat and other rebellions grew.
• Links and judgement: the two were connected — Maratha resistance was partly fuelled by religious opposition, and the costs of war were made worse by rebellions elsewhere; for example, an answer might judge the Deccan campaigns more important because they exhausted the resources the empire needed to deal with every other problem.

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Levels of response used in these answers

The bands below follow the structure of the levels-of-response marking in OxfordAQA’s published 9236/1 specimen mark scheme. The wording is Marlbridge’s own summary.

Analysis (6) — 01.8, 02.8, 03.3, 04.3

Level	Marks	What the answer does
3	5–6	Detailed, accurate knowledge; developed explanation and analysis of two points, supported by relevant examples
2	3–4	Mostly accurate knowledge; clear explanation with some support, examples generally relevant
1	1–2	Limited knowledge; basic points identified with little development
0	0	Nothing creditable

Evaluation (9) — 01.9, 02.9, 03.4, 04.4

Level	Marks	What the answer does
3	7–9	Detailed, accurate knowledge; developed explanation and analysis (of both bullet points, where given); reasoned evaluation reaching a substantiated judgement
2	4–6	Mostly accurate knowledge; clear explanation with partial support; some evaluation reaching a partly supported judgement
1	1–3	Limited knowledge; basic points with little development; judgement, if any, is limited
0	0	Nothing creditable

Mark check. Section A: 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 9 = 28. Section B: 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 9 = 28. Section C: 2 + 4 + 6 + 9 = 21 for either option. Paper: 28 + 28 + 21 = 77.

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Approaching the 9-mark questions

The 9-mark questions reward sustained, evidence-based judgement. State a clear position early rather than leaving the judgement to a final sentence; support it with specific, accurately dated evidence rather than general narrative; weigh it against the alternative view the question invites (did Jinnah’s position genuinely change, or was it constant; did IMF support help more than it hurt); and finish with a conclusion that follows from the evidence you have weighed. Where the question gives two bullet points, you must deal with both to reach the top level.

Where marks are usually lost

• Treating the multiple-choice and short questions as a place to rush: they are almost a third of the marks in Sections A and B.
• On “identify and explain” questions, naming two points without explaining either, which caps the answer at 2 of the 4 marks.
• On “analyse” questions, describing events without showing how or why they led to the consequence or outcome asked about.
• Attributing the name “Pakistan” to Iqbal instead of Rahmat Ali.
• Treating Jinnah’s demand for partition as a constant position rather than a response to changing circumstances.
• Answering both Section C options, or answering from the option you have not studied.

Timing

With 90 minutes for 77 marks, allow a little over a minute a mark: about 32 minutes each for Sections A and B and about 24 minutes for Section C.