"Between 1945 and 1991, the world was divided by the Cold War — a global rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that shaped almost every international conflict and political development. At the same time, dozens of newly independent nations emerged from European colonialism in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. The intersection of these two transformations — superpower rivalry and decolonization — defined the second half of the 20th century."
— Adapted from a modern world history textbook
A
Identify ONE specific example from the period 1945–1991 of how the Cold War influenced a conflict in a decolonizing region.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
"The Vietnam War (1955–75) became a Cold War proxy conflict when the United States intervened militarily to prevent the communist North, supported by the Soviet Union and China, from unifying Vietnam — illustrating how decolonization in Indochina from France was reshaped by superpower rivalry."
Why it scores: Names a specific conflict (Vietnam War), specific dates (1955–75), specific decolonizing country (from French rule), specific superpower involvement (US vs. USSR/China), and clearly ties decolonization to Cold War dynamics.
B
Identify ONE specific example from the period 1945–1991 of newly independent nations attempting to chart a path independent of the Cold War superpowers.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
"The Non-Aligned Movement, formally established at the Bandung Conference in 1955 and later led by figures like India's Jawaharlal Nehru, Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Yugoslavia's Tito, brought together newly independent nations from Asia and Africa that refused to join either the US or Soviet bloc — asserting a third path for the decolonizing world."
Why it scores: Names a specific movement (Non-Aligned Movement), specific event (Bandung Conference, 1955), specific leaders from multiple regions, and clearly explains how this represented an alternative to Cold War alignment.
C
Explain ONE specific way the Cold War ended in 1989–1991.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
"Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms — glasnost (political openness) and perestroika (economic restructuring) — beginning in 1985 inadvertently destabilized the Soviet system. As economic problems mounted and nationalist movements gained strength in Soviet republics and Eastern European satellite states, the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, and the Soviet Union formally dissolved in December 1991, ending the bipolar Cold War world."
Why it scores: Names a specific leader (Gorbachev), specific reforms (glasnost, perestroika), specific dates (1985, 1989, 1991), and specific events (Berlin Wall, Soviet dissolution) — connecting causes to outcomes.
How to score points on SAQs
Be specific. "Religion was important" doesn't score. "Mansa Musa's 1324 hajj to Mecca" does.
Name names and places. Graders look for concrete proper nouns — empires, rulers, religions, regions.
Stay in the time period. Unit 6 is 1900–Present. Don't write about World War I or the Cold War — those belong to later units.
Answer the actual question. If it asks "identify," give an example. If it asks "explain," give an example PLUS a sentence connecting it to the prompt.
Keep it tight. 1–3 sentences per part is plenty. Long answers don't score higher; they just waste exam time.