New Curriculum Second Term Nigerian History examination for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: Second Term
Subject: Nigerian History
Time: 2 hours
Total Marks: 70

SECTION A: OBJECTIVES (40 Marks)
Instruction: Answer all 40 questions. Each question carries 1 mark.

1. Why should the achievements of an empire be studied beyond victories in war? (a) craft expertise could not be organised within kingdoms    (b) institutions, arts and exchange reveal other dimensions of society    (c) weapons alone explain cultural identity    (d) political history never concerns trade
2. A writer attributes every Borno crisis to one ruler. What is deficient in that explanation? (a) recognition that rulers sometimes influenced events    (b) interest in imperial decision-making    (c) failure to test structural causes and alternative evidence    (d) attempting to sequence events chronologically
3. Where was the historical Benin Kingdom principally situated in terms of present-day Nigeria? (a) present-day Edo State in southern Nigeria    (b) the Lake Chad basin    (c) the upper Nile highlands    (d) the Sahel bordering the Sahara
4. A rapidly expanding empire meets opposition from its subordinate territories. What conditions should a historian examine? (a) an assumption that tributary regions never act independently    (b) only the ruler’s preferred clothing colours    (c) the claim that territorial growth removes governance needs    (d) military costs, internal rivalries and changing alliances
5. A source links cavalry to control of trading routes in Oyo. Which interpretation fits the evidence? (a) savannah access had no relevance to mobility    (b) military organisation and geography contributed to influence    (c) political control depended solely on bronze casting    (d) all territorial decisions were taken by European parliaments
6. Rival trading routes divert merchants away from an imperial centre. Which political consequence is plausible? (a) declining revenue and weakening central influence    (b) the disappearance of all regional competition    (c) permanent immunity from external pressures    (d) an automatic increase in every imperial tax receipt
7. Several conflicts in a source have no exact dates. How should a student construct the historical chronology? (a) use the sequence exactly as given without evaluating its source    (b) date undated episodes from a single unsupported recollection    (c) assign conflicts to the same period simply to simplify the narrative    (d) mark uncertain sequences rather than invent exact years
8. A study of Benin uses only European military accounts. What is the major source weakness? (a) the inclusion of European eyewitness accounts alongside other evidence    (b) using a narrow and potentially interested source base    (c) the effort to identify the writers and dates of the reports    (d) the decision to discuss military conflict as one historical factor
9. When comparing the achievements of Borno, Benin and Oyo, which approach is strongest? (a) compare one kingdom’s court evidence with another’s trade only    (b) rank empires solely by their military territories    (c) ignore differences in sources and chronology when assigning relative status    (d) assess each in its historical context using comparable evidence
10. Which document would most directly help examine Kanem-Borno’s geographical setting? (a) a coastal navigation chart omitting northern Nigeria    (b) a dated regional map showing Lake Chad and exchange routes    (c) an undated sketch of palace rooms without regional geography    (d) a political map of the Niger delta without northern routes
11. A document refers to both the Alaafin and Oyo Mesi. What does this imply about Oyo’s political organisation? (a) all government consisted only of foreign traders    (b) the king exercised no recognised authority    (c) royal power operated alongside an influential council    (d) the kingdom had no deliberative political institutions
12. What dimensions belong in a balanced evaluation of Borno’s achievements? (a) only the succession dates of two monarchs    (b) a celebratory account that omits economic evidence    (c) institutional, cultural and commercial contributions with their historical contexts    (d) regional geography with no institutional interpretation
13. Which would most weaken an explanation blaming Oyo’s decline solely on foreign attack? (a) maps showing strategic routes    (b) dated records of external pressure    (c) accounts identifying military movements    (d) evidence of serious internal political conflict before the attack
14. Where should an investigation of a royal succession dispute in Borno begin? (a) a modern settlement map without evidence of succession    (b) a list of caravan stopping places without court chronology    (c) accounts of royal authority and elite political relations    (d) a description of seasonal crop production in unrelated districts
15. Why should a historian distinguish Borno’s rise from its eventual decline? (a) avoid studying commerce and administration    (b) track changing conditions rather than assume permanent strengths    (c) prove military organisation never changed    (d) treat both periods as one undated event
16. What mistaken assumption should be avoided when examining relations between political leaders and Islamic scholars in Borno? (a) political and religious influence were identical in every period    (b) records should be examined in their date and context    (c) appointments might reflect changing political needs    (d) different institutions could shape public decisions
17. Why must a historian compare Kanem-Borno maps from different periods instead of relying on one border? (a) all empires possessed identical territories    (b) one modern administrative map proves every earlier border    (c) political control did not necessarily remain geographically fixed    (d) the location of Lake Chad has no relevance to history
18. Why did scholarly networks contribute to Borno’s influence beyond its immediate surroundings? (a) abolished the need for political administration    (b) made agricultural production irrelevant    (c) helped circulate ideas and institutions beyond local boundaries    (d) prevented every form of cultural exchange
19. What additional evidence would help a student interpret a royal Benin art object more reliably? (a) dated accounts and other material evidence about court culture    (b) one account that assumes the object must be a literal event record    (c) an undated praise song treated as complete proof of the artwork    (d) a stylistic comparison without any dating or provenance
20. All these may count among achievements of a historical empire EXCEPT ________. (a) specialised craft traditions    (b) durable administrative institutions    (c) influence on regional commercial networks    (d) a claim of flawless government supported by no evidence
21. The correct next step when two accounts disagree on a ruler’s actions is to ________. (a) compare authorship, timing and independent evidence    (b) assign certainty without checking provenance    (c) erase the contradiction from both accounts    (d) select whichever provides the most dramatic wording
22. Which conclusion would NOT follow from evidence of substantial imperial trade? (a) political security could affect exchange    (b) all households received equal shares of every commercial gain    (c) commerce helped connect communities    (d) trading routes could support towns and states
23. ________ is the geographical region closely associated with the historic Kanem-Borno Empire. (a) the south-western forest belt    (b) the lower Niger basin    (c) the Atlantic coastal plain    (d) Lake Chad
24. What do Benin’s celebrated cast objects and royal craft guilds demonstrate about production? (a) specialised craftsmanship and court-linked patronage    (b) the absence of organised skills transmission    (c) exclusive dependence on nomadic cereal farming    (d) the disappearance of palace institutions
25. How should the combined effect of Oyo’s political organisation and commerce be characterised? (a) a military achievement with no link to commerce    (b) an isolated artistic development unrelated to institutions    (c) a combination of economic and institutional achievement    (d) a pattern of influence determined solely by rainfall
26. Which account of Benin’s rise or decline is least defensible? (a) political organisation influenced resilience    (b) trade connections affected revenue and power    (c) a single event explains every phase without considering wider conditions    (d) external pressures could shape change
27. A record discusses the Oba, palace officers and guilds. What historical structure does it explain? (a) Benin’s political and occupational organisation    (b) regional craft production but no court politics    (c) military campaigns outside Benin without political context    (d) the organisation of Benin trade routes without officeholders
28. Which explanation of imperial decline is most historically defensible? (a) one cause operating identically in every century    (b) an empire’s location having no strategic relevance    (c) multiple interacting political, military and economic pressures    (d) the claim that achievements make decline impossible
29. Why must competing causes of Oyo’s decline be investigated together? (a) succession questions have no historical importance    (b) major political changes usually develop through interacting pressures    (c) historians must produce a single cause for every event    (d) economic conditions never affect political authority
30. Oyo’s historic core was situated chiefly in the ________ region of present-day south-western Nigeria. (a) Zazzau’s northern urban network    (b) Benin’s southern forest setting    (c) Kanem-Borno’s northern regional environment    (d) Yoruba
31. Which inference about the Benin bronzes needs caution? (a) objects may communicate political status    (b) artwork can reveal technical skill    (c) materials and styles may illuminate contacts    (d) every object depicts events exactly as they occurred
32. An exhibition highlights Borno’s scholarship, administration and regional exchange. What aspect of history does it assess? (a) the empire’s cultural and economic achievements    (b) the geography of Lake Chad without institutional evidence    (c) accounts of tax burdens without scholarly or commercial context    (d) the chronology of one unresolved succession dispute
33. Why should a historian separate palace-centred records from accounts by other groups? (a) all occupational guilds had identical interests    (b) every royal narrative must be a dated census    (c) court records cannot be evidence under any circumstances    (d) royal sources may emphasise court authority over wider social experience
34. An account names Borno rulers, court officials and provincial administrators. What is its principal historical subject? (a) the economic roles of caravan route merchants    (b) the environmental features of Lake Chad shorelines    (c) the history of local farming methods alone    (d) socio-political organisation
35. The most defensible exhibition label about Oyo is one that ________. (a) attributes every achievement to a single ruler without context    (b) links evidence of institutions and exchange to clearly dated historical claims    (c) describes Oyo as consistently prosperous without supporting periods    (d) assumes evidence from a rival kingdom establishes Oyo’s institutions
36. Military expansion increases Benin’s reach but breeds resistance among subordinate communities. What longer-term risk may result? (a) make all local taxation irrelevant    (b) strain political relationships and weaken rule    (c) guarantee permanent territorial loyalty    (d) remove the need for diplomacy
37. Which of the following geographic settings best locates historical Kanem-Borno? (a) the Lake Chad basin    (b) the Oyo forest hinterland    (c) the Atlantic shoreline of Benin City    (d) the central Niger delta estuary
38. Which comparison correctly contrasts Benin and Oyo political structures? (a) Benin’s Oba-centred court differed from Oyo’s Alaafin-and-council arrangements    (b) both were governed by the same identical royal council    (c) Oyo adopted its entire palace system from Lake Chad    (d) neither used institutions of chiefly authority
39. The ________ was a central institution of political authority in historical Benin. (a) Kanuri imperial council    (b) Obaship    (c) Oyo Mesi    (d) Trans-Saharan caravan guild
40. What administrative challenge is implied by the existence of delegated provincial authority in an empire? (a) rely exclusively on a single household meeting    (b) operate without any recognised office    (c) coordinate local governance with central leadership    (d) abolish communication with outlying settlements

SECTION B: THEORY (30 Marks)
Instruction: Answer Question 1 and any other TWO questions. Each question carries 10 marks.

Question 1: Kanem-Borno: location and organisation (10 Marks)
(a) Explain the importance of the Lake Chad region to Kanem-Borno and describe two aspects of imperial socio-political organisation. (6 marks)
(b) Explain two limitations of a history based only on court records. (4 marks)

Question 2: Kanem-Borno: change and achievement (10 Marks)
(a) Discuss two interacting factors that may explain both imperial strength and later decline. (4 marks)
(b) Assess three cultural, administrative or commercial achievements of Kanem-Borno with attention to context. (6 marks)

Question 3: Benin: polity and artistic heritage (10 Marks)
(a) Describe the role of the Oba and two other institutions or groups in the Benin Kingdom. (6 marks)
(b) Explain two historical conclusions that can and cannot be drawn from royal cast artworks. (4 marks)

Question 4: Oyo: organisation, decline and comparisons (10 Marks)
(a) Compare the political roles of the Alaafin and Oyo Mesi, stating one implication for royal authority. (4 marks)
(b) Analyse three interacting factors relevant to the strength or decline of the Oyo Empire, drawing a comparison with one other kingdom studied. (6 marks)

Objective Marking Scheme
Question 1 – ✅ (b) institutions, arts and exchange reveal other dimensions of society
Question 2 – ✅ (c) failure to test structural causes and alternative evidence
Question 3 – ✅ (a) present-day Edo State in southern Nigeria
Question 4 – ✅ (d) military costs, internal rivalries and changing alliances
Question 5 – ✅ (b) military organisation and geography contributed to influence
Question 6 – ✅ (a) declining revenue and weakening central influence
Question 7 – ✅ (d) mark uncertain sequences rather than invent exact years
Question 8 – ✅ (b) using a narrow and potentially interested source base
Question 9 – ✅ (d) assess each in its historical context using comparable evidence
Question 10 – ✅ (b) a dated regional map showing Lake Chad and exchange routes
Question 11 – ✅ (c) royal power operated alongside an influential council
Question 12 – ✅ (c) institutional, cultural and commercial contributions with their historical contexts
Question 13 – ✅ (d) evidence of serious internal political conflict before the attack
Question 14 – ✅ (c) accounts of royal authority and elite political relations
Question 15 – ✅ (b) track changing conditions rather than assume permanent strengths
Question 16 – ✅ (a) political and religious influence were identical in every period
Question 17 – ✅ (c) political control did not necessarily remain geographically fixed
Question 18 – ✅ (c) helped circulate ideas and institutions beyond local boundaries
Question 19 – ✅ (a) dated accounts and other material evidence about court culture
Question 20 – ✅ (d) a claim of flawless government supported by no evidence
Question 21 – ✅ (a) compare authorship, timing and independent evidence
Question 22 – ✅ (b) all households received equal shares of every commercial gain
Question 23 – ✅ (d) Lake Chad
Question 24 – ✅ (a) specialised craftsmanship and court-linked patronage
Question 25 – ✅ (c) a combination of economic and institutional achievement
Question 26 – ✅ (c) a single event explains every phase without considering wider conditions
Question 27 – ✅ (a) Benin’s political and occupational organisation
Question 28 – ✅ (c) multiple interacting political, military and economic pressures
Question 29 – ✅ (b) major political changes usually develop through interacting pressures
Question 30 – ✅ (d) Yoruba
Question 31 – ✅ (d) every object depicts events exactly as they occurred
Question 32 – ✅ (a) the empire’s cultural and economic achievements
Question 33 – ✅ (d) royal sources may emphasise court authority over wider social experience
Question 34 – ✅ (d) socio-political organisation
Question 35 – ✅ (b) links evidence of institutions and exchange to clearly dated historical claims
Question 36 – ✅ (b) strain political relationships and weaken rule
Question 37 – ✅ (a) the Lake Chad basin
Question 38 – ✅ (a) Benin’s Oba-centred court differed from Oyo’s Alaafin-and-council arrangements
Question 39 – ✅ (b) Obaship
Question 40 – ✅ (c) coordinate local governance with central leadership

Theory Marking Scheme

Question 1 — Kanem-Borno: location and organisation
(a) Lake Chad strategic regional location/contacts (2); ruler/court/provincial officials/administration two at 2 each. [6 marks]
(b) Elite bias and missing ordinary voices/events, two developed points 2 each. [4 marks]

Question 2 — Kanem-Borno: change and achievement
(a) Commerce, administration, military organisation, external pressure, succession, changing routes; two reasoned factors 2 each. [4 marks]
(b) Three achievements explained at 2 each: scholarly links, trans-regional trade, institutions, urban centres, diplomatic exchanges. [6 marks]

Question 3 — Benin: polity and artistic heritage
(a) Oba leadership (2); chiefs/palace officeholders, guilds/occupational associations, two at 2 each. [6 marks]
(b) Valid skill/patronage/royal imagery (2); cannot infer full impartial chronology or all social experiences without corroboration (2). [4 marks]

Question 4 — Oyo: organisation, decline and comparisons
(a) Alaafin ruler (1), Oyo Mesi council (1), council influence/check on royal authority (2). [4 marks]
(b) Three supported factors 2 each: cavalry/routes, trade, alliances, succession, resistance/internal conflict; comparison incorporated in one factor. [6 marks]