Information
This question is designed to test knowledge and understanding and is worth seven marks.
When you are asked the question ‘Why?’, you are expected to find more than one reason. You would not be asked a question with just one reason for the answer. Similarly, you would not be asked to give every possible reason you can think of, but would be expected to find two or three important reasons for an event occurring.
Do remember that you would be expected to explain the reasons as well. You would not be asked to write all you know about that person, event or historical occurrence. What would be needed would only be the information that would be necessary to answer the question.
If you are answering a question which requires continuous prose, it is always a good idea to make a brief plan. This plan ought to show what you will include in each paragraph. The best idea is to write a paragraph on each idea.
What we would have to do now would be to write a paragraph on each of these, providing enough information to explain how each factor led to something. It would be good to start your answer with a direct response to the question. There would be no need to waste time with lengthy background information as it is unlikely that marks would be awarded for such introductions.
Examples
Why did Pakistan choose Urdu as its national language in 1947? [7]
Urdu’s history;
The status given by poets, writers and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan;
Its unifying role in the struggle for independence.
Suggested Response:
One of the good reasons why Urdu became the national language in Pakistan is its long history. It was widely use in the Mughal period and dates back as far as the Sultans of Delhi. In its early stages, it was used by the Muslim armies and became widely spoken and understood in many parts of the subcontinent. So, it was natural that such a well-known and established language would be chosen.
Another reason for Urdu being chosen was its high status. Some of the finest early poets, such as Amir Khusrou wrote in Urdu and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s school at Aligarh became a centre for Urdu study. Many religious books, including the Quran, were translated into Urdu. So, it was considered an important language with a rich literary tradition.
Perhaps, the major reason for Urdu being chosen was the fact that it was so closely associated with the Pakistan Movement. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan supported it and the Muslim League was formed not only to defend Muslim interest, but also to protect Urdu. The Quaid-e-Azam (RA) was particularly keen to promote Urdu as he saw it as a unifying force. Since Pakistan was a new country, it was very appropriate to pick a language which had played a part in unifying Muslims.
Comments on Answer:
This answer is very good:
It addresses the question straight away by saying ‘One of the reasons why Urdu became the national language in Pakistan is…’
Three reasons are identified. You could score very good marks with just two clear reasons, but three should get excellent marks.
Why did the Muslim League do better in the 1945 elections than it had in 1937? [7]
Why did the Muslim League do bad in 1937?
It was the first major election the League had fought;
The Muslim party was split;
The League needed to improve its organisation and planning.
Why did the Muslim League do well in 1945?
Since 1937, the Muslim League had campaigned effectively to let Muslims know exactly what it stood for.
The period of Congress Rule from 1937-39, made Muslims see the need to stand up for their rights.
Now the Muslim League had passed the Pakistan Resolution and the divide between Hindu and Muslim was much more obvious.
Suggested Response:
The Muslim League did not do well in the 1937 election for a number of reasons. The party was split, it had not contested a major election before and it was poorly organised. In 1945 things were different. The League was now more united and better organised. It also had a stronger message of the Pakistan Resolution. Another important point was that Congress had run the government in the period 1937-39. During this time, it introduced a series of measures which threatened Muslim culture and identity.
For example, the singing of Bande Mataram and the introduction of the Wardha Scheme were both considered by Muslims as attempts to undermine their culture, subvert a love for Islam amongst their children and convert them to Hinduism. When acts such as forbidding Muslims to eat beef or deliberately disrupting worship in the mosques are committed, one can see why Muslims had become increasingly worried. This led them to support Muslim interests against the Hindu Congress party.
Comments on Answer:
After establishing a good plan, much of the answer is just listing reasons. This is certainly true for the 1937 part and for the first part of the section on 1945. This is identifying reasons instead of explaining reasons and so is not likely to be a good answer.
However, the answer is improved by the part of the Congress tyranny. Here the answer identifies a reason for the League’s support and explains why that reason produced support. This explanation is likely to be a very good answer.
However, as only one reason is explained, this is unlikely to achieve good marks. To improve the answer, the student would have to explain at least three of the reasons which led to more support for the League; for example, how did the Pakistan Resolution lead to more votes?
Why were the relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan poor in the period 1945-65? [7]
Border disputes, including the Pakhtoon issue;
Afghanistan’s friendly relations with the Soviet Union;
Afghanistan’s neutrality in Pakistan’s war with India.
Suggested Response:
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan were poor for three main reasons. They had a disagreement over border areas. Pakistan was suspicious for Afghanistan’s friendship with the Soviet Unions, and was particularly offended when Afghanistan remained neutral in the 1965 War with India.
In 1947, when Pakistan was created, the Afghan Government laid claim to parts of the NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). A referendum had been held which proved that the people wanted to be part of Pakistan, but Afghanistan did not accept this and so relations were not good. It argued that the ‘Pakhtoons’ living in Pakistan wanted to join with Afghanistan to form Pakhtoonistan. Afghanistan was the only country to vote against Pakistan joining the United Nations Organisation in 1947. That made relations worse.
Even when Pakistan called for official talks in Karachi in 1947, the Afghan government repeated its demand for the establishment of Pakhtoonistan and asked for a right of access to the sea through Pakistan. It was suggested by Pakistan that if the demand for Pakhtoonistan was dropped, the access to the sea might be given.
Afghanistan rejected this offer and instead signed a ‘trade and transit’ agreement with the Soviet Union, gaining access to the sea that way and making good relations with Pakistan unnecessary. So, relations did not improve. In fact, as Pakistan was shortly to side with the USA in the Cold War (Liaquat Ali Khan visited the USA in 1950 and Pakistan and the USA signed the Mutual Defence Assistance Agreement in May 1954), so it found it difficult to be on good terms with a pro-Soviet Afghanistan.
Relations hit a low point in March 1955, when Afghans attacked and ransacked the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul. Pakistan closed the border and cut off diplomatic relations for several months in protest. Afghanistan also refused to join the Regional Cooperation for Develop in 1964 because Pakistan was a member. Relations could not be good because Afghanistan did not want good relations. This was seen very clearly when it remained neutral in the war between Pakistan and India in 1965. Pakistan knew that the majority of Afghans supported Pakistan in the war and was angered that the government decided to stay neutral.
Comments on Answer:
This could be considered an excellent answer.
It quickly established three main reasons for poor relations.
It would be a good answer with just two clear reasons, but three should be an excellent answer.
Comments
Post a Comment