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History Grade 12 P1 NSC November Mock 2026 QP (Eng)

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Grade 12 History Paper 1 question paper from the NSC November Mock Exam 2026 (English), 9 pages. Read online or download the free PDF.

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NSC November Mock Exam 2026

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Mock hlayiso mock exams Practice Series: Grade 12 NSC Preparation WWW.HLAYISO.COM NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE GRADE 12 HISTORY P1 MOCK EXAMINATION 2026 MARKS: 150 TIME: 3 hours This question paper consists of 9 pages and an addendum of 11 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over
History/P1 2 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION 1. This question paper consists of SECTION A and SECTION B based on the prescribed content framework in the CAPS document. SECTION A: SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS QUESTION 1: THE COLD WAR: CASE STUDY – CUBA QUESTION 2: INDEPENDENT AFRICA: CASE STUDY – ANGOLA QUESTION 3: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE 1970s: THE US CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT SECTION B: ESSAY QUESTIONS QUESTION 4: THE EXTENSION OF THE COLD WAR: CASE STUDY – VIETNAM QUESTION 5: INDEPENDENT AFRICA: COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY – THE CONGO AND TANZANIA QUESTION 6: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE 1970s: THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT 2. SECTION A consists of THREE source-based questions. Source material that is required to answer these questions can be found in the ADDENDUM. 3. SECTION B consists of THREE essay questions. 4. Answer THREE questions as follows: 4.1 At least ONE must be a source-based question and at least ONE must be an essay question. 4.2 The THIRD question can be either a source-based question or an essay question. 5. You are advised to spend at least ONE hour per question. 6. When answering questions, you should apply your knowledge, skills and insight. 7. You will be disadvantaged by merely rewriting the sources as answers. 8. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this question paper. 9. Write neatly and legibly. Copyright reserved Please turn over
History/P1 3 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock SECTION A: SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS Answer at least ONE question, but not more than TWO questions, in this section. Source material to be used to answer these questions is contained in the ADDENDUM. QUESTION 1: HOW DID THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA) RESPOND TO THE PLACING OF SOVIET NUCLEAR MISSILES IN CUBA IN 1962? Study Sources 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D and answer the questions that follow. 1.1 Use Source 1A. 1.1.1 When, according to the source, did Fidel Castro come to power in Cuba? (1 x 1) (1) 1.1.2 Name TWO actions taken by Castro’s government, according to the source, that angered the USA. (2 x 1) (2) 1.1.3 Explain why the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 pushed Castro closer to the Soviet Union. (1 x 2) (2) 1.1.4 Give TWO reasons from the source why Khrushchev decided to place nuclear missiles in Cuba. (2 x 1) (2) 1.1.5 Explain why the American Jupiter missiles in Turkey were a concern to the Soviet Union. (1 x 2) (2) 1.2 Read Source 1B. 1.2.1 Quote evidence from the source which suggests that the USA had been watching military activities in Cuba closely. (1 x 2) (2) 1.2.2 Why do you think Kennedy described Cuba as ‘that imprisoned island’? (1 x 2) (2) 1.2.3 Explain why Kennedy chose to call his action a ‘quarantine’ rather than a ‘blockade’. (1 x 2) (2) 1.2.4 What message did Kennedy send to the Soviet Union by warning of a ‘full retaliatory response’? (1 x 2) (2) 1.2.5 Explain the limitations of this source to a historian researching the reasons why the Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba. (2 x 2) (4) 1.3 Study Source 1C. 1.3.1 On which date, according to the timeline, did an American U-2 spy plane photograph missile sites in Cuba? (1 x 1) (1) 1.3.2 Explain why 27 October 1962 is regarded as the most dangerous day of the crisis. (1 x 2) (2) 1.3.3 Using the information in the source and your own knowledge, explain why Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba on 28 October 1962. (2 x 2) (4) 1.4 Refer to Sources 1B and 1C. Explain how the information in Source 1C supports the evidence in Source 1B regarding the American response to the placing of missiles in Cuba. (2 x 2) (4) Copyright reserved Please turn over
History/P1 4 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 1.5 Consult Source 1D. 1.5.1 List THREE agreements in the source that brought the Cuban Missile Crisis to an end. (3 x 1) (3) 1.5.2 Why do you think the USA insisted that the removal of its missiles from Turkey should be kept secret? (1 x 2) (2) 1.5.3 Explain why Castro felt betrayed by the Soviet Union at the end of the crisis. (1 x 2) (2) 1.5.4 Name the treaty in the source that was signed in 1963. (1 x 1) (1) 1.5.5 Define the term hotline in your own words. (1 x 2) (2) 1.6 Using the information in the relevant sources and your own knowledge, write a paragraph of about EIGHT lines (about 80 words) explaining how the United States of America (USA) responded to the placing of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962. (8) [50] Copyright reserved Please turn over
History/P1 5 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock QUESTION 2: HOW DID FOREIGN INTERVENTION TURN THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER IN ANGOLA INTO A COLD WAR CONFLICT BETWEEN 1974 AND 1976? Study Sources 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D and answer the questions that follow. 2.1 Refer to Source 2A. 2.1.1 Name THREE liberation movements in the source that fought against Portuguese rule in Angola. (3 x 1) (3) 2.1.2 Explain why the Carnation Revolution of April 1974 in Portugal was important for Angola. (1 x 2) (2) 2.1.3 Define the term transitional government in your own words. (1 x 2) (2) 2.1.4 Using the information in the source and your own knowledge, explain why the Alvor Agreement of January 1975 failed to bring peace to Angola. (2 x 2) (4) 2.2 Study Source 2B. 2.2.1 Which superpower, according to the diagram, supported the MPLA? (1 x 1) (1) 2.2.2 Name TWO countries in the diagram that supported UNITA. (2 x 1) (2) 2.2.3 Explain why the USA supported the FNLA and UNITA. (1 x 2) (2) 2.2.4 Explain why South Africa became involved in the conflict in Angola. (2 x 2) (4) 2.2.5 Comment on the limitations of this diagram to a historian researching foreign involvement in Angola between 1974 and 1976. (2 x 2) (4) 2.3 Read Source 2C. 2.3.1 Identify the name given to the Cuban military operation in Angola. (1 x 1) (1) 2.3.2 Quote evidence from the source which suggests that the South African Defence Force (SADF) advanced deep into Angola in 1975. (1 x 2) (2) 2.3.3 Who, according to the source, became the first president of independent Angola? (1 x 1) (1) 2.3.4 Explain the significance of the decision of the US Congress to stop covert aid to groups in Angola. (1 x 2) (2) 2.3.5 Comment on why the SADF withdrew from Angola by March 1976. (1 x 2) (2) 2.4 Refer to Sources 2B and 2C. Explain how the information in Source 2C supports the evidence in Source 2B regarding foreign involvement in Angola. (2 x 2) (4) Copyright reserved Please turn over
History/P1 6 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 2.5 Consult Source 2D. 2.5.1 List TWO consequences of the Angolan civil war mentioned in the source. (2 x 1) (2) 2.5.2 Explain why Angola could be described as a ‘Cold War battlefield’. (1 x 2) (2) 2.5.3 Explain how the conflict in Angola contributed to the independence of Namibia. (1 x 2) (2) 2.6 Using the information in the relevant sources and your own knowledge, write a paragraph of about EIGHT lines (about 80 words) explaining how foreign intervention turned the struggle for power in Angola into a Cold War conflict between 1974 and 1976. (8) [50] Copyright reserved Please turn over
History/P1 7 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock QUESTION 3: HOW DID THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT CHALLENGE SEGREGATION IN SCHOOLS IN THE USA IN THE 1950s? Study Sources 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D and answer the questions that follow. 3.1 Refer to Source 3A. 3.1.1 Name the lawyer in the source who argued the case for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). (1 x 1) (1) 3.1.2 Identify the 1896 Supreme Court decision in the source that had allowed ‘separate but equal’ facilities. (1 x 1) (1) 3.1.3 Define the term segregation in your own words. (1 x 2) (2) 3.1.4 Quote the conclusion that the Supreme Court reached about separate educational facilities. (1 x 2) (2) 3.1.5 Explain what the Supreme Court meant when it stated that segregation ‘generates a feeling of inferiority’ in black children. (1 x 2) (2) 3.1.6 Explain why the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education was significant for the Civil Rights Movement. (2 x 2) (4) 3.2 Study Source 3B. 3.2.1 Explain the messages conveyed by the photograph regarding the way in which the black students arrived at Little Rock Central High School in September 1957. (2 x 2) (4) 3.2.2 Why do you think the black students needed the protection of armed soldiers to attend school? (1 x 2) (2) 3.2.3 Comment on the usefulness of this photograph to a historian researching the resistance to school integration in Little Rock in 1957. (2 x 2) (4) 3.3 Read Source 3C. 3.3.1 Quote evidence from the source which shows that President Eisenhower was determined to uphold the decisions of the courts. (1 x 2) (2) 3.3.2 Name the army division in the source that was sent to Little Rock. (1 x 1) (1) 3.3.3 Who, according to the source, became the first black student to graduate from Little Rock Central High School? (1 x 1) (1) 3.3.4 Using the information in the source and your own knowledge, explain why President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock in September 1957. (2 x 2) (4) 3.3.5 What does the closing of Little Rock’s high schools for the 1958–1959 school year suggest about the attitude of the Arkansas authorities towards integration? (1 x 2) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over
History/P1 8 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 3.4 Refer to Sources 3B and 3C. Explain how the information in Source 3C supports the evidence in Source 3B regarding the role of the federal government in the integration of Little Rock Central High School. (2 x 2) (4) 3.5 Consult Source 3D. 3.5.1 Identify the organisation in the source that Daisy Bates led in Arkansas. (1 x 1) (1) 3.5.2 List THREE ways in the source in which the Little Rock Nine were harassed inside the school. (3 x 1) (3) 3.5.3 Explain why the Little Rock Nine became symbols of the Civil Rights Movement. (1 x 2) (2) 3.6 Using the information in the relevant sources and your own knowledge, write a paragraph of about EIGHT lines (about 80 words) explaining how the Civil Rights Movement challenged segregation in schools in the USA in the 1950s. (8) [50] Copyright reserved Please turn over
History/P1 9 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock SECTION B: ESSAY QUESTIONS Answer at least ONE question, but NOT more than TWO questions, in this section. Your essay should be about THREE pages long. QUESTION 4: THE EXTENSION OF THE COLD WAR: CASE STUDY – VIETNAM Explain to what extent the policy of containment led the United States of America (USA) into the Vietnam War and ultimately to its failure in Vietnam between 1954 and 1975. Use relevant historical evidence to support your line of argument. [50] QUESTION 5: INDEPENDENT AFRICA: COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY – THE CONGO AND TANZANIA Julius Nyerere’s policies in Tanzania were more successful than Mobutu Sese Seko’s policies in the Congo (Zaire) in building a stable and united independent state in the 1960s and 1970s. Critically discuss this statement with reference to the political, economic, social and cultural policies of both leaders. [50] QUESTION 6: CIVIL SOCIETY PROTESTS FROM THE 1950s TO THE 1970s: THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT The Black Power Movement changed the way in which African Americans challenged racial discrimination in the USA during the 1960s and early 1970s. Do you agree with this statement? Support your line of argument with relevant historical evidence. [50] TOTAL: 150 Copyright reserved

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