| Date | May 2021 | Marks available | 4 | Reference code | 21M.1.BP.TZ0.14 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Analyse | Question number | 14 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Source M Statement of purpose adopted in 1960 by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), revised 29 April 1962.
We affirm [state] the philosophical or religious ideal of nonviolence as the foundation of our purpose …
Through nonviolence, courage displaces fear; love transforms hate. Acceptance dissipates [banishes] prejudice; hope ends despair. Peace dominates war; faith reconciles doubt. Mutual respect cancels hatred. Justice for all overcomes injustice … Love is the central theme of nonviolence.
Love is the force by which God binds man to himself and man to man. Such love goes to the extreme; it remains loving and forgiving even in the midst of hostility. It matches the capacity of evil to inflict suffering with an even more enduring capacity to absorb evil, all the while persisting in love …
Nonviolence nurtures [encourages] the atmosphere in which reconciliation and justice become actual possibilities.
[Source: Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, 1960. Statement of purpose. [pdf] Available at: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai3/protest/text2/snccstatementofpurpose.pdf [accessed 8 May 2019]. Source adapted.]
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source M for an historian studying the African American struggle for civil rights during the period 1954–1965.
Markscheme
Value:
- The source gives insight into the contemporary attitudes of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee.
- It offers the arguments used in favour of non-violence.
- It demonstrates how students were involved in the struggle for civil rights.
Limitations:
- It does not show how effective the outcome of the non-violent approach was.
- The source only offers the perspective of one organization.
- It is seeking to persuade in favour of non-violence, ignoring other approaches.
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]. Origin, purpose and content should be used as supporting evidence to make relevant comments on the value and limitations. For [4] there must be at least one reference to each of them in either the value or the limitations.
Examiners report
Most candidates analysed the origin, purpose and content of the source to find some value and limitations. In general, candidates seem to have a better understanding of what is required and how to approach this question. Stronger responses gave clear and specific explanations of value and limitations. However, there were a proportion of responses that merely described the origin and purpose and others that described the provenance at length before going on to explain value and limitations which wasted valuable time. Some candidates did not refer to one of the elements in their response, for example no reference to purpose or to content. To attain full marks, candidates should be aware that they need to make valid comments on the value and limitations of the source drawn from its origin, purpose and content.
