Section A

Fill in the Blanks (10m)

1 401, 500 (Do not award any marks if either one is wrong)
2 Before Common Era
3 dynasty
4 Propaganda
5 irrigation
6 Aryans
7 Western Zhou
8 Sanskrit
9 Maritime
10 Oc-eo

Section B
Source-Based Question (10 marks)

(a Study Sources A.
)
What can you infer from Source A about how writing was used in the (5)
Indus Civilisation?

L1 Lifting from Source

Writing was used to create a raised positive message

1
They are mainly from the major streets leading into and out of the city
gateway, the craft workshop areas and near the houses in the high walled
areas.

Only certain people owned seals.

L2 Inference, Unsupported

Source A tells us that

2-3
Writing was used as a form of communication.

Writing was used to aid to provide information.

Writing was used as a status symbol.

L3 Inference, Supported

Source A tells us that writing was used as a form of communication as

seals were created “with writing in inverse” to “create a raise positive
message”. Writing was used to transmit thoughts between people, thus
making it a form of communication.
4-5

1
 Source A tells us that writing was used to provide information as it shows
us that most writings were found “mainly from the major streets”, “craft
workshop areas” and “near houses” probably indicates that writings were
used to provide information like directions.

Source A also tells us that writing was used as a status symbol as it was
exclusive. It was probably used by people who have power since “only
certain people owned seals”, and the intellects/ literates who were few in
numbers as stated in the source.

(b Study Sources B.
)
What does Source B tell us about Ancient Civilizations? (5)

L1 Lifting from Source/ Description of Source

Source B is a diagram showing scripts of ancient civilizations. 1

L2 Inference, Unsupported

Writings in most ancient civilisations were pictographic.

Ancient civilisations may have exerted influence on each other. 2-3

People in ancient civilisations were mainly concerned with the forces of

nature.

People in ancient civilisations were shallow minded and insular.

(any 2)

L3 Inference, Supported

Source B tells us that the writings in ancient civilisations were pictographic

in nature. The Chinese, Egyptians and Sumerians drew symbols that look
like hills and mountains to symbolize hills and mountains. The writings of
most civilisations used symbols that resemble the object that they are trying
to symbolize, thus rendering them pictographic.

Source B also tells us that the ancient civilisations may have exerted 4-5
influence on each other as we can see that the writings of some
civilisations bore similarities. In Source B, we see how the Ancient Chinese
and Egyptians both used shapes/ symbols that went up and down to transmit
the idea of heights associated with hills and mountains. Thus, it is possible
to infer that the civilisations may have influence each other, making them
absorb the features of the writing of other civilisations into their own writing.

Source B also tells us that people from ancient civilisations are concerned
with the forces of nature. Source B shows us that most symbols were

2
created to represent a certain aspect of nature, like the hills and mountains.
We can thus infer that the people of ancient civilisations were mostly
interested in forces of nature, thus most symbols were created to represent
them.

Source B also tells us that the people in ancient civilisations were insular
and shallow minded. We know this as Source B shows us how in some
civilisations, foreign country share the same symbol/ signs as hilly country
and mountains. We can thus infer that the people in ancient civilisations did
not have much knowledge of the areas beyond their own country and
generalize them to be hilly and difficult.

(any 2)