1

Paper 1hr 10 min (35 minutes)

3 x sbq questions = 2 x inference, 1 x comparison
2 x 10marks question
Section A: Source-Based Questions
Question 1 is compulsory for all students
Study the sources and Question 1 carefully, then answer all parts of the
question.
For each question part, you should use the source(s) you are told to use to
help you answer the question. In answering the questions you should also use
your knowledge of the topic to help you understand the sources.
1 (a) Study Source A.
What can you infer about the life of the Europeans living in
Singapore during the early 20th century? Explain your answer.

(4m)

(b) Study Source B.

What can you learn from this source about the attitude of
early Singapore settlers? Explain your answer.

(5m)

(c) Study Source C and D

How different are sources C and D? Explain your answer.

(6m)

2
How was life different among the people in colonial Singapore before
World War II?
Source A :

Chek Jawa House, a European styled cottage built in the 1930s

by former Chief Surveyor of Singapore Landon Williams

Source B :

Adapted from an account by Chanan Bal Singh, a Sikh who

came from India in late 1939

Houses here did not have any electricity or gas at all. People also rarely
burnt or cooked using Kerosene oil, because it was expensive for us.
People used wood instead, because it was the cheapest. People would
also sew their own clothes using their own sewing machine, instead of
giving them to the tailor. And when children grew up, they also learnt to
sew their own clothes

Source C :

A description of the Chinese population in Singapore during the

19th and early 20th century

As the port developed, much larger numbers of Chinese coolies flocked to

Singapore looking for work. These migrants workers were generally male,
poor and uneducated, and had left China to escape the political and
economic disasters in their country. They aspired to make their fortune in
Southeast Asia and return home to China, but most were doomed to a life
of low paying unskilled labour.

3
Source D :

An account about early Malay migrants in Singapore by C.M.

Turnbull, a historian

By the late 19th century, Singapore was known as the economic and
cultural centre of the Malay Muslim world. Many would be pilgrims came to
work in Singapore in order to accumulate enough money for their
pilgrimage. Others stopped off to work in Singapore on their returned
journey in order to pay off debts incurred on the pilgrimage. Many of the
Malay and Indonesian immigrants assimilated quietly and unobtrusively.
They adhered to Muslim religion and customs, and married freely with the
established Malay population. Of all the immigrant peoples, they kept the
fewest links with original homeland.

Section B: Structured Question

Question 2 and 3 is compulsory for all students
Study Question 2 and 3 carefully, and answer all parts of the question. Write
your answers in complete sentences on the writing paper provided.
2.

This question is on Singapores connection to the world up till

the 19th century.

(a)

(b)

3.

State three reasons why Singapore was chosen as a

British port.

(3m)

Explain the reactions of the Dutch and the British towards

the founding of Singapore.
(7m)

This question is on the reasons people came to Colonial

Singapore.

(a)

Give three examples of jobs available with the opening of

Singapore as a free port.
(3m)

(b)

Explain how conditions in Java forced people to come to

Singapore during the 19th century and early 20th century. (7m)
~

End of Paper

ANSWERS for Secondary 1 Semestral Assessment Two 2014

Section A (SBQ)
1 (a) Study Source A
What can you infer about the life of the Europeans living in Singapore
during the early 20th century? Explain your answer. (4m)
Level
L1

Band descriptor
Answers based on provenance/ Description

Marks
1m

e.g.
The source shows a picture of a European styled house
e.g
The source shows the picture of a well built house

L2

Inference, unsupported

2m

e.g. I can infer that the life of the Europeans was pleasant/
comfortable / wealthy

L3

Inference, well supported and explained

Point
I can infer that the life of the Europeans was pleasant/
comfortable / wealthy
Evidence
The house is huge and well-built
The house is built elegantly with two story and large front
porch
Explanation
This suggest that during the 20th century, the Europeans in
Singapore were likely wealthy as they have the means to
build such an elegant house. This is evidence of a
comfortable/ pleasant lifestyle
Award 3 marks for inference not well supported or explained
Award 4 marks for inference, well supported and explained.

3-4m

1 (b) Study Source B.

What can you learn from this source about the mindset of
early Singapore settlers? Explain your answer.

(5m)

Level Band descriptor

L1

Answers based on provenance or description of source, no

explanation

Marks
1m

e.g.
The source is an account by an Indian immigrant
e.g
The source talks about how people live in Singapore in the early
20th century
L2

Inference, unsupported.

2-3 m

e.g. I can learn from Source B that the early settlers had a selfreliant / self-dependent attitude
Or
e.g. I can learn from Source B that the early settlers in Singapore
had a resilient / problem solving attitude
Award 2 marks for one inference, unsupported
Award 3 marks for two inferences, unsupported.
L3

Inference, well supported and explained

Point
I can learn from Source B that the attitude of early settlers
was one of self-reliance / self-dependent
Evidence
From Source B, People would also sew their own clothes
using their own sewing machine, instead of giving them to
the tailor. And when children grew up, they also learnt to
sew their own clothes
Explanation
This shows that early settlers depended on themselves to
meet some of their basic needs, such as clothing. This
suggests that early settlers saw that if their needs can be
met without depending on others, they would choose not to

4m5m

6
Level Band descriptor
depend on others

Marks

OR
Point
I can learn from Source B that the early settlers in
Singapore had a resilient / problem solving attitude
Evidence
From Source B, Houses here did not have any electricity or
gas at all. People also rarely burnt or cooked using
Kerosene oil, because it was expensive for us. People used
wood instead
Explain
This suggest that despite not having access to basic
facilities, early settlers were able to find alternative, such as
wood, to meet their needs, highlighting their resilience/
resourcefulness
Award 4 marks for one inference, well supported and explained.
Award 5 marks for two inferences, supported and explained.

1 (c) Study Source C and D

How different are sources C and D in tell you about the
immigrants in Singapore? Explain your answer.

(6m)

Level Band descriptor

L1

Different in source type or invalid and unclear matching

Marks
1m

e.g The sources are different in that one source talks about the
Chinese immigrants while the other source talks about the Malay
immigrants
L2

Answer based on provenance OR similarity/differences based 2m

on the sources being an account about immigrants
e.g. Both sources are different as they talk about the different race
of the early immigrants
e.g. Both sources are similar as they are accounts about migrants
that came to Singapore in the late 19th century, early 20th century

7
Level Band descriptor

Marks

L3

3m4m

Similar/Different in content or tone, but no support.

e.g.
Sources C and D are similar in showing that in both sources the
immigrants were attracted to Singapore because of better job
prospects
AND/OR
e.g.
Sources C and D are different in their perspective on how the
immigrants view Singapore and their homeland. In Source C, most
of the immigrants saw Singapore as a temporary stopover while in
Source D, most of the immigrants were more willing to settle in
Singapore permanently
Award 3 marks for either similarity OR difference.
Award 4 marks for both similarity AND difference
L4

Similar OR/AND different in content, well explained with

support from source.
e.g
Sources C and D are similar in showing that in both sources the
immigrants were attracted to Singapore because of better job
prospects

This can be supported in Source C, which states that;

larger numbers of Chinese coolies flocked to Singapore
looking for work. and They aspired to make their fortune
in Southeast Asia and return home to China This suggest
that many Chinese immigrants came to Singapore because
the believed it had a better job prospect than back in their
homeland.

Similarly, Source D states that, Many would be pilgrims

came to work in Singapore in order to accumulate enough
money for their pilgrimage. Others stopped off to work in
Singapore on their returned journey in order to pay off
debts incurred on the pilgrimage. This suggests that many
of the Malay Muslim immigrants were attracted to
Singapore because of its job prospects. They believed that
the many jobs available would help fund or pay off their
pilgrimage.

OR/AND

5m6m

8
Level Band descriptor

Marks

e.g
Sources C and D are different in their willingness to accept
Singapore as a permanent residence. In Source C, most of the
immigrants saw Singapore as a temporary stopover while in
Source D, most of the immigrants were more willing to settle in
Singapore permanently

From Source C, They aspired to make their fortune in

Southeast Asia and return home to China. This implies that
they saw Singapore merely as a place to better their
economic prospect before returning to their homeland and
had no intention to settle permanently in Singapore

However, Source D states that, Many of the Malay and

Indonesian immigrants assimilated quietly and
unobtrusively. And they kept the fewest links with
original homeland. This suggests that they were more
willing to make Singapore their permanent residence.

Award 5 marks for either similarity OR difference well-explained.

Award 6 marks for both similarity AND difference well-explained.

Section B (Structured Question)

2(a)

State three reasons why Singapore was chosen as a British port. (3m)

Award 1 mark per valid reason, up to a total of 3 marks for three valid reasons

Strategic Location- Convenient and far more central in the Straits of Melaka
Possess a good/ deep Harbor to function as a British port
Supply of drinking water
No presence of Dutch

9
2(b)

Explain the reactions of the Dutch and the British towards the founding of
Singapore.
(7m)

Level Band descriptor

L1

Describe the situation

Marks
1m2m

e.g: Raffles decided to support Tengku Hussein as the rightful

sultan of Johor
e.g: On 6 February 1819, Raffles, the new Sultan Hussein and the
Temenggong signed a treaty that allowed the British to set up a
trading port in Singapore
e.g: The Dutch were displeased with Raffles actions. The British
was also initially displeased with Raffles actions however they
were eventually convinced about the importance of Singapore
Award 1 mark for description of the situation
Award 2 marks for correctly identifying the reaction of the Dutch
and the British
L2

Identifies the reasons without elaboration

3m4m

e.g The Dutch were extremely displeased with Raffles actions.

By signing the treaty with Tengku Hussein, Raffles had given the
British a valuable foothold in Singapore.
e.g The British were initially displeased with Raffles actions as
well. They were afraid that Raffles actions would sour the
relations between the British and the Dutch
e.g The British eventually came to realise Singapores importance
in bettering their trade
Award 3 marks for identifying one reason for the reaction of the
Dutch and the British
Award 4 marks for identifying the remaining reasons for the
reaction of the Dutch and the British
L3

Elaborates on the identified reasons

The Dutch were extremely displeased with Raffles actions. By
signing the treaty with Tengku Hussein, Raffles had given the
British a valuable foothold in Singapore. The use of Singapore as a
British port would potentially break the Dutch trade monopoly
hence affecting their profit.

5-7m

10
Level Band descriptor
The British were initially displeased with Raffles actions as well.
They were afraid that Raffles actions would sour the relations
between the British and the Dutch and may cause the Dutch to use
force to drive the British out of Singapore. Furthermore, the
British had also hoped to use Holland as a buffer state against
powerful forces such as France in Europe

Marks

Eventually, the British realised Singapore s importance to the

protection and expansion of British trade in China and the Malay
Archipelago. Thus, they decide Singapore was worth keeping.
Award 5 marks for one reason identified and elaborate
Award 6 marks for two reasons identified and elaborate
Award 7 marks for three reasons identified and elaborate

3(a)

Give three examples of jobs available with the opening of Singapore as a

free port
(3m)

Award 1 mark per valid reason, up to a total of 3 marks for three valid answers

Coolies
Merchants
Labourers
Farmer
Traders
Richkshaw puller

11
3(b)

Explain how conditions in Java forced people to come to Singapore during

the 19th century and early 20th century.
(7m)

Level Band descriptor

L1

Describe the situation

Marks
1m2m

e.g: Many people left their homeland because of poor living

conditions
e.g: Poverty and Starvation caused by overpopulation
Award 1 mark for description of situation
Award 2 marks for identifying that overpopulation forced people to
leave Java
L2

Identifies the reason without elaboration

3m4m

e.g For example in Java, the introduction of the Cultivation

System by the Dutch led to the Javanese people being unable to
produce enough food to cope with the rapidly growing population.
Under the Cultivation System, land was used to grow export crops
/ cash crops such as sugarcane and indigo instead of rice.
Award 3 marks for identifying Cultivation System as the main factor
Award 4 marks for identifying and elaborating on what the
Cultivation System was about
L3

Elaborates on the identified reasons

In Java, the introduction of the Cultivation System by the Dutch led
to the Javanese people being unable to produce enough food to cope
with the rapidly growing population. Under the cultivation system,
cash crops such as indigo and sugarcane were produced for the
Dutch to export for trade. This led to subsequent outbreak of
famines as the Javanese were made to grow cash crops instead
of rice to feed themselves. The shortage of rice coupled with
the rapidly growing population led to starvation which forced
people to make their way to Singapore in order to survive.
Award 5 marks for identifying how the Cultivation System and
overpopulation are related
Award 6- 7 marks for answers that are well-elaborated and wellexplained

5-7m