Cambridge IGCSE History American BES 0409 — 2025 May/June Paper 2 · Variant 0

1 Study Source A. What can you learn from this source about westward expansion? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [6]

2 Study Source B. How useful is this source to a historian studying the settlement of Salt Lake City? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [7]

3 Study Source C. How reliable is this source as evidence of the effectiveness of the Homestead Act of 1862? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [7]

4 Study Sources D and E. Why do these sources differ in their views of the California Gold Rush? Explain your answer using details from the sources and your knowledge. [10]

5 Study all the sources (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). “The discovery of gold in California was the major cause of people migrating west.” To what extent do you agree? Explain your answer using details from all the sources and your knowledge. [15] Depth Study B: The Women’s Suffrage Movement 1866–1920 Read the background information and then answer all the questions. Use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources, as appropriate. Background information During the period 1866 to 1890, the women’s suffrage movement continued to campaign for the right to be granted the vote. It faced many obstacles and met with mixed success.

6 Study Source A. What can you learn from this source about women’s suffrage in the late 1880s? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [6]

7 Study Source B. How useful is this source to a historian studying the success of the state-by-state campaign for women’s suffrage organized by the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA)? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [7]

8 Study Source C. How reliable is this source as evidence of the depth of support for the suffrage cause in the 1880s? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [7]

9 Study Sources D and E. Why do these sources differ in their opinion of the right of women to obtain the vote? Explain your answer using details from the sources and your knowledge. [10]

10 Study all the sources (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). “The movement for women’s suffrage faced considerable opposition and made little progress between 1866 and 1890.” To what extent do you agree? Explain your answer using details from all the sources and your knowledge. [15] Depth Study C: The United States and the World 1880–1917 Read the background information and then answer all the questions. Use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources, as appropriate. Background information After the end of the Spanish–American War, the United States became more actively involved in the affairs of Central and South America. There were many reasons for this involvement.

11 Study Source A. What is the message of this source? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [6]

12 Study Source B. How useful is this source to a historian studying US foreign policy in the early twentieth century? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [7]

13 Study Source C. How reliable is this source as evidence of views about US relations with other countries? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [7]

14 Study Sources D and E. Why do these sources disagree about the reasons why the United States became involved in the affairs of Nicaragua after 1909? Explain your answer using details from the sources and your knowledge. [10]

15 Study all the sources (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). “The desire to extend its business interests overseas was the main reason the United States got involved in the affairs of Central and South America during the early twentieth century.” To what extent do you agree? Explain your answer using details from all the sources and your knowledge. [15] Depth Study D: American Society and Popular Culture c.1920–1970 Read the background information and then answer all the questions. Use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources, as appropriate. Background information The 1920s was a decade of great change in American society. These changes resulted in the emergence of what became known as the Jazz Age.

16 Study Source A. What can you learn from this source about the lifestyle of women in the 1920s? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [6]

17 Study Source B. How useful is this source to a historian studying the impact of the radio upon life in America in the 1920s? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [7]

18 Study Source C. How reliable is this source as evidence of the impact of Hollywood movies upon young Americans? Explain your answer using details from the source and your knowledge. [7]

19 Study Sources D and E. Why do these sources differ in their attitude towards the teaching of the theory of evolution in schools in the 1920s? Explain your answer using details from the sources and your knowledge. [10]

20 Study all the sources (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). “Most Americans embraced the changes affecting US society in the 1920s.” To what extent do you agree? Explain your answer using details from all the sources and your knowledge. [15]