# Social Sciences Grade 8 P2 November Mock 2026 QP (Eng) > Grade 8 Social Sciences Paper 2 question paper from the November Mock Exam 2026 (English), 11 pages. Read online or download the free PDF. - Page: https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-8-social-sciences-2026-november-mock-exam-question-paper-paper-2-history/73826b30-6703-4cea-bf44-1b6b6ec13b59 - Updated: 2026-10-29 - Subject: Social Sciences - Grade: Grade 8 - Language: English - Document type: Question paper - Year: 2026 - Exam period: November Mock Exam - Paper: 2 - Publisher: Hlayiso - Curriculum: CAPS - Pages: 11 Breadcrumbs: [Home](https://www.hlayiso.com/) › [Library](https://www.hlayiso.com/library) › [Grade 8](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-8) › [Social Sciences](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-8/social-sciences) › [Social Sciences Grade 8 P2 November Mock 2026 QP (Eng)](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-8-social-sciences-2026-november-mock-exam-question-paper-paper-2-history/73826b30-6703-4cea-bf44-1b6b6ec13b59) ## About this document Social Sciences · Grade 8 · November Mock Exam · 2026 · English. Question paper, 11 pages. Read online or download the PDF. Read it free online on the page above; download the PDF from there. ## Matching paper and memo - [Grade 8 Social Sciences P2 (History) November 2026 Mock Memo](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-8-social-sciences-2026-november-mock-exam-memorandum-paper-2-history/65b8f91c-1a01-437c-afc8-d5cd0e7f3b36) — Memo · 2026 · Eng ## Document text Text extracted from the PDF. Layout, diagrams and tables may not survive extraction. ### Page 1 Mock hlayiso mock exams Practice Series: Grade 8 Exam Preparation WWW.HLAYISO.COM SENIOR PHASE END-OF-YEAR EXAMINATION GRADE 8 SOCIAL SCIENCES P2 HISTORY NOVEMBER 2026 (MOCK) MARKS: 75 TIME: 1½ hours This question paper consists of 11 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 2 Social Sciences/P2 2 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION 1. This question paper consists of TWO sections: SECTION A: THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA (40) QUESTIONS 1, 2 and 3 SECTION B: WORLD WAR I (1914–1918) (35) QUESTIONS 4, 5 and 6 2. Answer ALL the questions. 3. Write ALL your answers in the ANSWER BOOK. 4. Start EACH section on a NEW page. 5. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this question paper. 6. ALL the sources (texts, a cartoon, a poster and a letter) are included in this question paper. Read them carefully, but do NOT copy out large parts of a source as your answer. 7. Use the mark allocation as a guide to the length of your answers. For example, (2 x 2) (4) means TWO facts of 2 marks each; (2 x 1) (2) means TWO short facts of 1 mark each. 8. Where a question asks you to use your OWN KNOWLEDGE, you may use information that is not in the source. 9. Answer in FULL SENTENCES, except when you are asked to name, identify, list or choose. 10. QUESTIONS 3 and 6 must be answered as paragraphs (about EIGHT lines each), not as a list of points. 11. Write neatly and legibly. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 3 Social Sciences/P2 3 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock SECTION A: THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA QUESTION 1: COLONISATION OF AFRICA: SHORT QUESTIONS 1.1 Various options are given as possible answers to the following questions. Choose the correct answer and write only the letter (A–D) next to the question number (1.1.1–1.1.5) in the ANSWER BOOK, e.g. 1.1.6 D. 1.1.1 The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 was called by the German Chancellor … A Cecil John Rhodes. B King Leopold II. (1) C Otto von Bismarck. D Kaiser Wilhelm II. 1.1.2 Which ONE of the following African countries was NOT colonised by a European power by 1914? A Ethiopia B Kenya (1) C Nigeria D Angola 1.1.3 The medicine that protected Europeans against malaria, so that they could travel into the interior of Africa, was … A penicillin. B quinine. (1) C aspirin. D insulin. 1.1.4 The Maxim gun, which helped Europeans to defeat much larger African armies, was an early … A cannon. B musket. (1) C rifle. D machine gun. 1.1.5 Missionaries went to Africa in the nineteenth century mainly to … A mine gold and diamonds. B spread Christianity. (1) C build railways. D buy slaves. (5 x 1) (5) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 4 Social Sciences/P2 4 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock 1.2 Choose a colony from COLUMN B that was ruled by the European country in COLUMN A in 1914. Write only the letter (A–F) next to the question number (1.2.1–1.2.5) in the ANSWER BOOK, e.g. 1.2.6 G. COLUMN A COLUMN B 1.2.1 Belgium A Algeria 1.2.2 Germany B Angola 1.2.3 Portugal C Kenya 1.2.4 Italy D Congo 1.2.5 France E Libya F South West Africa (Namibia) (5 x 1) (5) [10] QUESTION 2: THE BERLIN CONFERENCE AND THE COLONISATION OF THE GOLD COAST 2.1 The Berlin Conference, 1884–1885 Study SOURCES 2A and 2B and answer the questions that follow. SOURCE 2A The following summary was written by the examiner from historical accounts of the Berlin Conference. By the 1880s European countries were racing one another to claim land in Africa. Their factories needed raw materials such as cotton, rubber, palm oil and minerals, and they wanted new markets where they could sell their goods. Owning colonies also made a country look powerful. Because the race for land could easily lead to war between the European countries, the German Chancellor invited the European powers and the United States to a conference in Berlin. The delegates* met from November 1884 to February 1885. They agreed on rules for claiming African land: a country had to tell the others about its claim and had to show that it really controlled the area. They also agreed that ships of all nations could trade freely on the Congo and Niger rivers. Not a single African ruler was invited to the conference. Within about thirty years almost the whole continent had been divided among seven European countries. [Compiled by the examiner from historical accounts] *delegates: people sent to a meeting to speak and vote for their country Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 5 Social Sciences/P2 5 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock SOURCE 2B A cartoon drawn by the examiner in the style of nineteenth-century cartoons about the Scramble for Africa. It shows the leaders of seven European countries sitting down to a cake shaped like Africa. “There is enough for everybody, gentlemen – as long as we all keep to the rules.” NO ENTRY – MEMBERS ONLY AFRICA AFRICAN RULER BELGIUM BRITAIN FRANCE GERMANY PORTUGAL SPAIN ITALY BERLIN, 1884: DINNER IS SERVED 2.1.1 According to SOURCE 2A, give TWO reasons why European countries wanted colonies in Africa. (2 x 1) (2) 2.1.2 According to SOURCE 2A, why did the German Chancellor call the Berlin Conference? (1 x 1) (1) 2.1.3 Explain ONE rule that the European powers agreed on at the Berlin Conference. (1 x 2) (2) 2.1.4 What does the cake (labelled AFRICA) on the table in SOURCE 2B represent? (1 x 1) (1) 2.1.5 Explain the message of the cartoonist by referring to the African ruler standing outside the door. (1 x 2) (2) 2.1.6 Do you think the decisions taken at the Berlin Conference were fair to the people of Africa? Give a reason for your answer. (1 x 2) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 6 Social Sciences/P2 6 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock 2.2 Case study: The Ashanti and the colonisation of the Gold Coast Study SOURCE 2C and answer the questions that follow. SOURCE 2C The following summary was written by the examiner from historical accounts of the Ashanti kingdom (in present-day Ghana). The Ashanti (Asante) kingdom grew rich from gold mining and trade. The first Europeans to trade on this coast were the Portuguese, who built Elmina Castle in 1482. Later the Dutch and the British also built forts along what Europeans called the ‘Gold Coast’, and traded in gold, ivory and, for a long time, slaves. In the nineteenth century the British also wanted the region’s cocoa, timber and palm oil. The British fought several wars against the Ashanti. In 1896 they sent the Ashanti king, Prempeh I, into exile. In 1900 the British governor demanded to be given the Golden Stool so that he could sit on it. For the Ashanti the Golden Stool was sacred: it held the soul of the whole nation, and not even the king sat on it. The demand caused great anger. Yaa Asantewaa, the queen mother of Ejisu, led the Ashanti in the War of the Golden Stool. The British, with modern rifles and machine guns, won the war after several months. Yaa Asantewaa was sent into exile, and in 1902 the Ashanti kingdom became part of the British Gold Coast colony. However, the British never captured the Golden Stool, because the Ashanti had hidden it. [Compiled by the examiner from historical accounts] 2.2.1 Which European country was the first to trade on the Gold Coast, according to the source? (1 x 1) (1) 2.2.2 Name the woman who led the Ashanti in the War of the Golden Stool. (1 x 1) (1) 2.2.3 List TWO products from the Gold Coast that the British wanted, according to the source. (2 x 1) (2) 2.2.4 Explain why the governor’s demand for the Golden Stool made the Ashanti so angry. (1 x 2) (2) 2.2.5 Use the source and your OWN KNOWLEDGE to explain TWO reasons why the British were able to defeat African kingdoms such as the Ashanti. (2 x 2) (4) 2.2.6 How useful would SOURCE 2C be to a historian who wants to understand how the Ashanti people felt about colonisation? Give a reason for your answer. (1 x 2) (2) [22] Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 7 Social Sciences/P2 7 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock QUESTION 3: PARAGRAPH QUESTION Write a paragraph of about EIGHT lines. Your paragraph must have an introductory sentence, the main facts and a concluding sentence. 3.1 Use the information in the sources and your OWN KNOWLEDGE to explain WHY European countries colonised Africa in the late nineteenth century and HOW they were able to take control of most of the continent so quickly. (8) [8] TOTAL SECTION A: 40 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 8 Social Sciences/P2 8 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock SECTION B: WORLD WAR I (1914–1918) QUESTION 4: WORLD WAR I: SHORT QUESTIONS 4.1 Various options are given as possible answers to the following questions. Choose the correct answer and write only the letter (A–D) next to the question number (4.1.1–4.1.5) in the ANSWER BOOK, e.g. 4.1.6 D. 4.1.1 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated on 28 June 1914 in the city of … A Berlin. B Vienna. (1) C Sarajevo. D Paris. 4.1.2 A law that forces men of a certain age to join the armed forces is called … A conscription. B propaganda. (1) C nationalism. D an armistice. 4.1.3 A person who refused to fight in the war because he believed that killing was wrong was called a/an … A traitor. B conscientious objector. (1) C volunteer. D suffragette. 4.1.4 The women in Britain who used protests and civil disobedience to win the right to vote, led by Emmeline Pankhurst, were known as the … A nurses. B munitionettes. (1) C suffragettes. D pacifists. 4.1.5 The peace treaty that the Allies forced Germany to sign in 1919 was the Treaty of … A Vereeniging. B Berlin. (1) C London. D Versailles. (5 x 1) (5) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 9 Social Sciences/P2 9 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock 4.2 In 1914 Germany belonged to the Central Powers. State whether each of the following countries fought on the side of the ALLIES or the CENTRAL POWERS in World War I. Write only ‘Allies’ or ‘Central Powers’ next to the question number (4.2.1–4.2.5) in the ANSWER BOOK. 4.2.1 Britain (1) 4.2.2 Austria-Hungary (1) 4.2.3 France (1) 4.2.4 The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) (1) 4.2.5 Russia (1) (5 x 1) (5) [10] QUESTION 5: EXPERIENCES OF WORLD WAR I 5.1 Propaganda and recruitment Study SOURCE 5A and answer the questions that follow. SOURCE 5A A recruitment poster designed by the examiner in the style of British posters of 1914–1915. BRITAIN IS CALLING! YOUR FRIENDS ARE ALREADY AT THE FRONT ? THIS PLACE IS KEPT FOR YOU JOIN THE ARMY TODAY – DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND! 5.1.1 Define the term propaganda. (1 x 2) (2) 5.1.2 Give TWO ways in which the poster tries to persuade young men to join the army. (2 x 1) (2) 5.1.3 Explain why the British government needed posters like this one in 1914 and 1915. (1 x 2) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 10 Social Sciences/P2 10 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock 5.2 Trench warfare on the Western Front Study SOURCE 5B and answer the questions that follow. SOURCE 5B The following is an imagined letter by a young soldier to his mother, written by the examiner and based on many soldiers’ letters and diaries from the Western Front. Northern France, November 1916 Dear Mother, Thank you for the socks – they are the most precious thing I own. It has rained for nine days and the water in our trench comes up to my knees. Our feet are always wet, and two of my friends have been sent back with trench foot. At night the rats run over us while we try to sleep, and the lice never let us rest. The German trench is only about two hundred metres away. The ground between us is called No Man’s Land: mud, shell holes and barbed wire. When we were ordered to go ‘over the top’ last month, the machine guns cut us down before we were halfway across. Of the forty men in my platoon, only fifteen came back. Please do not worry about me. Tell Father I am doing my duty. Your loving son, Tom [Examiner-written, based on soldiers’ letters and diaries] 5.2.1 List TWO difficult conditions that the soldiers lived in, according to the letter. (2 x 1) (2) 5.2.2 Explain why it was so dangerous to attack across No Man’s Land. (1 x 2) (2) 5.2.3 Why do you think the soldier ends his letter with “Please do not worry about me”? (1 x 2) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 11 Social Sciences/P2 11 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 Senior Phase Mock 5.3 South Africa and World War I Study SOURCE 5C and answer the questions that follow. SOURCE 5C The following summary was written by the examiner from historical accounts. South Africa was part of the British Empire, so it entered the war on Britain’s side in 1914. White South Africans served as soldiers. In July 1916 the South African Brigade fought in the Battle of Delville Wood in France and suffered very heavy losses. Black African South Africans were not allowed to serve as armed soldiers. More than 20 000 of them joined the South African Native Labour Contingent (SANLC) and went to France to load ships, build roads and cut wood. On 21 February 1917 the troopship SS Mendi, carrying SANLC members, sank in thick fog off the south coast of England after another ship crashed into it. More than 600 men died. For many years their sacrifice was hardly remembered in South Africa. [Compiled by the examiner from historical accounts] 5.3.1 Name the ship that sank on 21 February 1917. (1 x 1) (1) 5.3.2 Use your OWN KNOWLEDGE to explain why black African South Africans were not allowed to fight as armed soldiers in World War I. (1 x 2) (2) 5.3.3 Why do you think the men who died on the SS Mendi were hardly remembered in South Africa for many years? (1 x 2) (2) [17] QUESTION 6: PARAGRAPH QUESTION Write a paragraph of about EIGHT lines. Your paragraph must have an introductory sentence, the main facts and a concluding sentence. 6.1 “The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand started World War I, but it was not the only cause of the war.” Use your OWN KNOWLEDGE to explain the LONG-TERM and SHORT-TERM causes of World War I. (8) [8] TOTAL SECTION B: 35 GRAND TOTAL: 75 Copyright reserved ## Related documents - [Grade 8 Social Sciences P1 (Geography) November 2026 Mock Memo](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-8-social-sciences-2026-november-mock-exam-memorandum-paper-1-geography/b22032ff-105e-400c-8b0a-d3e2207617c6) — Social Sciences · Memo · 2026 · Eng - [CAPS SP SOCIAL SCIENCE GR 7-9](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/caps-sp-social-science-gr-7-9/a0b47288-db90-4b74-b9f7-0185f2ef1623) — Social Sciences · CAPS · Eng - [GRADE 8 TERM 1 Exemplar 4 1 2](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-8-social-sciences-2020-march-test-question-paper/9256b8ff-3119-4957-af64-668e4003acac) — Social Sciences · QP · 2020 - [History SBA grade 8 Exemplar 3 2](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-8-social-sciences-2020-march-test-question-paper/251e764e-93ea-45aa-b430-0b1cf570578d) — Social Sciences · QP · 2020 - [Lesson Plan Grade 8 SS History T4 W1 1](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/lesson-plan-grade-8-ss-history-t4-w1-1/f925f548-063d-4d78-b6a9-c694a4a9a234) — Social Sciences · QP · 2020 - [Lesson Plan Grade 8 SS History T4 W2 1](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/lesson-plan-grade-8-ss-history-t4-w2-1/f982325c-8cec-4992-9e4c-aec7f710421e) — Social Sciences · QP · 2020 ## More from Grade 8 Social Sciences - [EC CHE SS Geography Grade 8 March 2025 QP and Memo](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/ec-che-ss-geography-grade-8-march-2025-qp-and-memo/38d65a6b-f23c-4bf2-98dc-6da6f8d55b47) — QP + Memo · 2025 - [GP History Gr 8 WORKBOOK Term 3 MEMo](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/gp-history-gr-8-workbook-term-3-memo/a564024b-e248-4ca4-8166-47d6db51beb4) — Memo · 2021 - [Lesson Plan Grade 8 SS History T4 W3](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/lesson-plan-grade-8-ss-history-t4-w3/c477f4cf-1e28-4339-b168-0da0d233149c) — QP · 2020 - [GR 8 SW GEO MEMO](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/gr-8-sw-geo-memo/db2ef8c0-9bd6-4c61-9879-5d8fe29c56fa) — Memo · 2019 - [GR 8 SW GESK VRAESTEL](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/gr-8-sw-gesk-vraestel/049a3c99-886d-4d31-bbf8-d9beb19a15a6) — QP · 2019 - [Social Science June 2018 1](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/social-science-june-2018-1/6a47c211-b1ac-4a11-af77-671bb9693368) — QP · 2018 ## Collection - [Grade 8 past papers](https://www.hlayiso.com/grade-8/past-papers) --- Hlayiso: free CAPS and IEB past papers, memos, notes and study guides for South African learners. 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