| Date | May 2019 | Marks available | 4 | Reference code | 19M.1.BP.TZ0.2 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Analyse | Question number | 2 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
The sources and questions relate to case study 1: Genghis Khan c1200–1227 — Leadership: rise to power; uniting of rival tribes.
Source C
An unknown author, likely a member of the Borjigids (the imperial clan of Genghis Khan), describes the lead up to the fight against the Naimans, in the record of the affairs of the Borjigids, often known as Secret History of the Mongols (c1228).
Alakush [Khan of the Ongguts] sent a messenger to Chingis [Genghis] saying “Tayang of the Naimans is going to come and snatch your bows and arrows, and he asked me to be his right hand. I refused and now wish to inform you of this.” When Chingis received this message, he held a council. Many of those present said, “Our horses are lean, it is a bad moment for us” … [but others] said “the Naimans think that because their country is large and their people many they have the right to brag. Here is our opportunity to seize their bows and arrows” …
On the sixteenth day of the fourth month of the Year of the Rat (1204) Chingis [Genghis] went off to fight against the Naimans … Chingis with his main army reached the Sa’ari Steppe and camped there. Dodai-cherbi [a military commander] said to Chingis “We are few in number and have travelled a long way. We had better turn out our horses to graze and establish decoy troops in large numbers all over the Sa’ari Steppe (that is people of all kinds, other than combatants [fighters], were to be disguised as soldiers). At night, everyone should light five fires. The Naimans are great in force, but their ruler is timid and weak. He has never been far from home and will certainly be bewildered [confused] and deceived. Then, when our horses have eaten enough, we will push back their scouts, make straight for their main camp and fall upon them before they have time to draw up in battle order. In this way we should be sure to win.” Chingis took his advice.
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source C for an historian studying the rise to power of Genghis Khan.
Markscheme
Value:
- It was written soon after the death of Genghis and is therefore virtually contemporary.
- It was probably written by an eyewitness to Genghis’s rise to power.
- It provides details of Genghis’s methods, for example his use of a council and/or his military strategies.
Limitations:
- As it is likely written by a fellow Borjigid, it may seek to magnify the achievements of the clan.
- The source reveals little of Genghis’s actions.
- It is a general account of the Borjigids, as such information on Genghis’s rise to power may be limited.
The focus of the question is on the value and limitations of the source. If only value or limitations are discussed, award a maximum of [2]. Origins, purpose and content should be used as supporting evidence to make relevant comments on the values and limitations. For [4] there must be at least one reference to each of them in either the values or the limitations.
Examiners report
Many candidates approached this question effectively, and most responses offered at least one clear point of value and/or limitation. Nevertheless, as suggested above, some responses tended to describe or explain the origin, purpose and content. Although these candidates often went on to comment on the value and limitations of the source, valuable time was wasted on description. There were a few responses that merely stated that the source was a primary or secondary source without further clarification or explanation of its value or limitation.
