Secondary 4 Chinese History Practice Paper: Qin Unification And Centralisation, Han Politics And Foreign Relations, Wei-Jin Aristocracy And Ethnic Integration, Sui-Tang Institutions And Economy, The An Lushan Rebellion And Provincial Commands, Source Analysis And Comparison

Secondary 4 Chinese History Practice Paper: Qin Unification and Centralisation, Han Politics and Foreign Relations, Wei-Jin Aristocracy and Ethnic Integration, Sui-Tang Institutions and Economy, the An Lushan Rebellion and Provincial Commands, Source Analysis and Comparison

2026-11-14

Chinese History – Secondary 4 – Practice Paper

S4 Chinese History paper, 24 parts: Qin commanderies, corvee, Hexi mileage, salt prices, Wei-Jin ranks, Sui-Tang land and tax, An Lushan ratios.

Paper details　S4 Chinese History practice paper, 24 parts and 100 marks, covering Qin centralisation, Han frontier policy, Wei-Jin society, Sui-Tang institutions, the An Lushan Rebellion; all figures computed in code and asserted.

Section A: Qin Unification and Centralisation (17 marks)

Source A: Qin first divided the empire into 36 commanderies, later expanding to more than 40 after campaigns in the south and north; population about 20 million in about 4 million households.
Source B: The Qin land tax was one tenth of produce; men aged 23 to 56 served one month of corvee labour a year plus frontier garrison duty.
Source C: The Qin sent censors to supervise commanderies; governors and magistrates were appointed and dismissed by the centre and could not inherit their posts.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
1	(a) With reference to Source A, calculate the percentage increase in Qin commanderies from 36 to 48 (one decimal place).	Answer: The increase is (48 – 36) / 36 x 100 per cent, about 33.3 per cent. Marking points: correct formula (2 marks); correct value (1 mark); percentage sign and one decimal place (1 mark). A common error is treating 48 / 36 as the increase.
2	(b) If there were about 4000000 households across 48 commanderies, calculate the average number of households per commandery (whole number).	Answer: 4000000 divided by 48 is about 83,333 households. Marking points: correct setup (2 marks); correct division and rounding (2 marks); note the significance for taxation and corvee.
3	(c) From Source B, calculate one month of annual corvee as a percentage of the year (one decimal place) and state its effect on farming households.	Answer: 1 / 12 x 100 is about 8.3 per cent. Effect: labour is withdrawn in the busy season, harming cultivation and harvest, and overdue service may be fined or commuted. Marking points: calculation (2 marks); two effects (2 marks).
4	(d) To what extent did the Qin commandery system strengthen central power? Answer with reference to Sources A to C and your own knowledge.	Answer: Both sides should be argued. Strengthened: governors appointed and dismissed by the centre, no inheritance; censors supervising commanderies; unified registration and taxation. Limits: slow transport and document flow, local discretion, and harsh law that provoked revolt. Marking points: clear stance (1 mark); two supporting points (2 marks); one limiting point (1 mark); conclusion (1 mark).

Section B: Han Politics and Foreign Relations (17 marks)

Source A: The route from Chang an west to Dunhuang is about 1,900 li; a caravan covers about 30 li a day.
Source B: Emperor Wu of Han set up the four commanderies of Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang across about 1,000 li to open the Western Regions.
Source C: Salt was a state monopoly; the cost was 200 coins per shi and the official price 260 coins.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
5	(a) From Source A, calculate the number of days a caravan needs from Chang an to Dunhuang (one decimal place).	Answer: 1900 divided by 30 is about 63.3 days. Marking points: setup (2 marks); value (1 mark); note that real travel needs stops for supply (1 mark).
6	(b) From Source B, calculate the average east-west extent of each of the four Hexi commanderies (one decimal place).	Answer: 1000 divided by 4 is 250.0 li. Marking points: setup (2 marks); value (1 mark); note that the four commanderies guarded the corridor route (1 mark).
7	(c) From Source C, calculate the percentage rise of the official salt price over cost (one decimal place) and explain the aim of the monopoly.	Answer: The rise is (260 – 200) / 200 x 100 per cent, i.e. 30.0 per cent. Aims: raise central revenue, curb merchant accumulation, and fund the war against the Xiongnu. Marking points: calculation (2 marks); two aims (2 marks).
8	(d) “Emperor Wu of Han put defence first and economic gain second in foreign policy.” Do you agree? Discuss with reference to the sources and your knowledge.	Answer: Agreement: the four Hexi commanderies, walls and Western Regions policy aimed to cut off the Xiongnu, so defence came first. Counter: the salt and iron monopoly and Silk Road trade brought large revenue, so economic motives mattered too. Marking points: stance (1 mark); two points each side (3 marks); weighing the two (1 mark).

Section C: Wei-Jin Aristocracy and Ethnic Integration (17 marks)

Source A: Under the nine-rank system the impartial judges graded talent; the top grade took about 15 per cent and the rest were middle and lower grades.
Source B: In the late Western Jin the northern population fell from 12 million to 9 million while the south rose from 5 million to 8 million.
Source C: On a great estate about 40 per cent were tenant clients, the rest retainers and free peasants.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
9	(a) From Source A, if the judges graded 200 people, calculate how many entered the top grade and their percentage (whole number).	Answer: 200 x 15 per cent is 30 people, or 15 per cent. Marking points: number (2 marks); percentage (1 mark); note that most were sons of great families (1 mark).
10	(b) From Source B, calculate the percentage change in the northern and southern populations (one decimal place each) and state the causes.	Answer: North (900 – 1200) / 1200 x 100 is -25.0 per cent; south (800 – 500) / 500 x 100 is plus 60.0 per cent. Causes: war and dynastic change in the north drove migration south, while the south was more stable and refugee prefectures attracted displaced people. Marking points: two calculations (1 mark each); causes (2 marks).
11	(c) From Source C, if an estate held 2,500 people, calculate the tenants and the remaining population (whole numbers).	Answer: tenants are 2,500 x 40 per cent, i.e. 1,000 people, leaving 1,500. Marking points: tenants (2 marks); remainder (1 mark); note that clientage weakened central registration (1 mark).
12	(d) Some argue that ethnic integration in the Wei-Jin period resulted mainly from military conquest. To what extent do you agree?	Answer: Force mattered, as northern regimes ruled by military superiority. But integration also came through institutions and culture: the equal-field system, moving the capital to Luoyang, adopting Han surnames and dress, intermarriage, and exchange in Buddhism and Confucianism. Marking points: stance (1 mark); military point (1 mark); two cultural points (2 marks); conclusion (1 mark).

Section D: Sui-Tang Institutions and Economy (17 marks)

Source A: Under the equal-field system a male adult received 100 mu, 80 mu of oral-field land and 20 mu of hereditary land; one mu is about 666.7 square metres.
Source B: Under the zu-yong-diao system each adult paid 2 shi of grain a year, 20 days of labour service and 2 zhang of silk cloth.
Source C: In the Zhenguan era about 1,000 candidates sat the examinations each year and about 20 passed as jinshi.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
13	(a) From Source A, if a county had 5,000 adult males, calculate the total land allotted in mu and convert it to square kilometres (one mu is 666.7 square metres, one decimal place).	Answer: 5,000 x 100 is 500,000 mu; 500,000 x 666.7 square metres is about 333.4 square kilometres. Marking points: mu total (1 mark); conversion (2 marks); area value (1 mark).
14	(b) From Source B, calculate the total grain rent those adult males owed each year (shi) and explain the principle of the zu-yong-diao system.	Answer: 5,000 x 2 is 10,000 shi. Principle: assessed per adult, grain from land, labour service commuted, cloth from the household, combining payment in kind with service. Marking points: calculation (2 marks); two principles (2 marks).
15	(c) From Source C, calculate the jinshi pass rate in the Zhenguan era (one decimal place) and comment on its effect on social mobility.	Answer: The pass rate is 20 / 1000 x 100 per cent, i.e. 2.0 per cent. Effect: it opened nominally to all educated men but the rate was very low, so established families and better schooling still dominated; over time it spread learning and shifted selection power to the centre. Marking points: calculation (2 marks); two-sided effect (1 mark each).
16	(d) “The three departments and six ministries were the main institutional reason for Tang political stability.” Do you agree? Argue your case.	Answer: Agreement: the drafting, reviewing and executing departments divided and checked one another, and the six ministries divided work clearly for efficiency. Counter: stability also rested on the militia, equal-field and tax systems and on individual rulers, and the institutions decayed after the mid-Xuanzong period. Marking points: stance (1 mark); two institutional points (2 marks); one counter-point (1 mark); conclusion (1 mark).

Section E: The An Lushan Rebellion and Provincial Commands (17 marks)

Source A: In the Tianbao era frontier armies numbered about 490,000 while the central guard was about 120,000.
Source B: The An Lushan Rebellion began in 755 and was put down in 763.
Source C: Registered households fell from about 9 million to about 2.9 million under court control, while provincial commands grew to more than 40.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
17	(a) From Source A, calculate how many times the frontier armies outnumbered the central guard (two decimal places).	Answer: 49 divided by 12 is about 4.08 times. Marking points: setup (2 marks); value (1 mark); note the imbalance of strong frontiers and a weak centre (1 mark).
18	(b) From Source B, calculate how many years the An Lushan Rebellion lasted.	Answer: 763 minus 755 is 8 years. Marking points: calculation (1 mark); explanation that years of war wrecked registration and taxation (3 marks).
19	(c) From Source C, calculate the percentage fall in households under court control (one decimal place) and explain the fiscal consequence.	Answer: (900 – 290) / 900 x 100 is about 67.8 per cent. Consequence: far fewer taxable households, the two-tax reform taxed assets instead, central revenue relied on the south, and provinces withheld revenue. Marking points: calculation (2 marks); two consequences (2 marks).
20	(d) Did the provincial commands inevitably cause the fall of the Tang? Discuss with reference to the sources and your knowledge.	Answer: “Inevitable” is too strong. At first the commands served frontier defence and local order and some obeyed the court; over time hereditary posts in Hebei, withheld taxes and repeated mutinies eroded central authority, and with eunuch dominance and rebellions the dynasty fell. Marking points: questioning inevitability (1 mark); one positive role (1 mark); two negative roles (2 marks); conclusion (1 mark).

Section F: Source Analysis and Comparison (15 marks)

Source A: The Sui Grand Canal is about 2,700 li long and a convoy travels about 45 li a day downstream.
Source B: Tang Chang an covered about 84 square kilometres and held about one million people.
Source C: Qin had 36 commanderies while Tang had more than 300 prefectures.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
21	(a) From Source A, calculate the days a convoy needs to travel the full canal downstream (one decimal place).	Answer: 2700 divided by 45 is 60.0 days. Marking points: setup (2 marks); value (1 mark); note that the canal shortened north-south transport time (1 mark).
22	(b) From Source B, calculate the population density of Chang an (people per square kilometre, whole number).	Answer: 1,000,000 divided by 84 is about 11,905 people per square kilometre. Marking points: setup (2 marks); value (1 mark); note the pressure on ward markets and grain supply (1 mark).
23	(c) From Source C, calculate how many times more Tang prefectures there were than Qin commanderies (one decimal place) and explain the difference.	Answer: 300 divided by 36 is about 8.3 times. Reasons: a larger territory and population led to finer prefecture and county divisions, while Qin commanderies covered wider areas. Marking points: calculation (2 marks); two reasons (2 marks).
24	(d) Using Sources A to C, identify one continuity and one change in transport and administration between Qin and Tang.	Answer: Continuity: both linked capital and provinces by water and roads and stressed central control. Change: Qin mainly used two tiers of commandery and county, while Tang added circuits and more tiers, and the canal carried southern revenue north. Marking points: continuity (1 mark); change (1 mark); clarity (1 mark).

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