"Since the end of the Cold War in 1991, the world has been remade by globalization — the dramatic increase in cross-border flows of goods, capital, ideas, and people, accelerated by digital technology and championed by international institutions like the World Trade Organization. Yet globalization has produced winners and losers, and the 21st century has seen powerful backlash movements — religious, nationalist, and populist — that reject the cosmopolitan vision of an integrated world."
— Adapted from a modern world history textbook
A
Identify ONE specific example from the period 1991–present that supports the author's claim that globalization has dramatically increased cross-border flows.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
"China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 dramatically increased global flows of manufactured goods and capital, as Chinese factories produced inexpensive consumer products for global markets while attracting hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign direct investment, making China the world's largest exporter by 2009."
Why it scores: Names a specific country (China), specific event (WTO entry, 2001), specific flows (manufactured goods, capital, FDI), and specific outcome (largest exporter by 2009).
B
Identify ONE specific example from the period 1991–present that supports the author's claim about the role of digital technology in globalization.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
"The Arab Spring (2010–12) saw protesters in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to organize mass demonstrations and share information across borders, toppling long-standing authoritarian regimes — demonstrating how digital technology enabled rapid transnational political movements impossible before the internet age."
Why it scores: Names a specific event (Arab Spring), specific dates (2010–12), specific countries, specific technology (social media platforms named), and specific outcome (toppling regimes through transnational organization).
C
Explain ONE specific way backlash movements in the 21st century have rejected globalization.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
"The 2016 Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom, in which voters chose to leave the European Union, was driven significantly by populist anti-immigration and anti-globalization sentiment, particularly in deindustrializing regions that felt left behind by globalization. Similar nationalist-populist movements emerged with the election of Donald Trump in the United States in 2016 — who promised tariffs against China and withdrawal from international trade agreements — illustrating how globalization's perceived losers have driven significant political realignments."
Why it scores: Names specific events (Brexit, Trump election), specific dates (2016), specific policies (anti-immigration, tariffs, withdrawal from trade agreements), and explains the connection to globalization's economic effects.
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.