IMPORTANT TIPS ON PREPARING LEARNERS TO DO WELL IN HISTORY

AND GOVERNMENT.

History is one of the best and interesting subjects to ever imagine of because it cuts across
time,humanity,medicine,art,agriculture,politics and education;

History is based on facts and justification

A good historian must be able to read different texts books, internalize facts, locate the past in
the present day happenings and formulate questions based on the content.

The following tips will help history AND Government students to excel in history and
government

1. DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PAPER 1 AND PAPER 2

History students should be sensitized early enough to distinguish between paper 1 and 2
topics.

PAPER 1-The history of Kenya

PAPER 2-Themes in world

311/1 311/2
PAPER ONE PAPER TWO
1.Introduction to History 1.Introduction to History and Govt
and Govt 2.The Early Man
2.The Peoples of Kenya 3.Development of Agriculture
up to 19th Century 4.Trade
3.Social, Economic and 5.Transport
Political Organization of 6.Communication
Kenyan Communities 7.Development of Industry
4.Contacts between East 8.Urbanisation
Africa and the outside 9.Social, Political and Economic
world organization of African Societies
5.Citizenship 10.Constitutions and constitution
6.National Integration making-sources of British Constitution
7.Constitutions and 11.Democracy and Human Rights
Constitution Making 12.European invasion and the process
8.Democracy and Human of colonization of Africa
Rights 13.Colonial Administration
9.Establishment of 14.Rise of African Nationalism
Colonial Rule in Kenya 15. World Wars 1&2
10.Social and Economic 16.International Relations
Developments in Kenya 17.Cooperation in Africa
during colonial period 18. Social, Economic and Political
11.Political developments Developments and challenges in Africa
and the struggle for since Independence.
Independence in Kenya 19. The Electoral process, functions of
12.Lives and governments in other parts of the

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 Contributions of Kenyan World.
Leaders -Britain
13.Formation, structure -USA
and functions of the Govt -India
of Kenya
14.Social, Economic and
Political Developments
and challenges in Kenya
since Independence
15.National Philosophies
16.Devolved Government
17.Public Revenue and
expenditure

When answering questions for paper 2, never mention anything Kenyan.

Learners should make good and summarized notes from KLB and Oxford history and
government students course books, using their own language, given leading topical questions
by the history teacher.

2. TYPES OF INSTRUCTIONS

a) Cover page instructions-This enables candidates to know the number of sections in a paper
and number of questions to be answered fro, each section e.g

Section A has 17 questions

N/B-QUIZ 1 IN PAPER 1 AND 2 ALWAYS TEST ON TOPIC 1-FORM 1 WORK

8-2mark questions=16 marks

9-1mark question=9 marks

Total marks=25 marks-the candidate answers all questions

Section B has 4 questions with part a and b each carrying 15 marks

The candidate should answer any three questions

Section C has 3 questions with part a and b each carrying 15 marks

The candidate should answer any two questions

TOPICS COMMONLY TESTED ARE:

PAPER 1-

SECTION B- The candidate should answer any three questions

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18 a/b -The peoples of Kenya and/or The social, economic and political organization the
Kenyan Communities-F1 WORK

19a/b –Contacts between East Africa and the outside world –FORM 1 WORK

20a/b –Establishment of colonial rule in Kenya and/or the Social economic and political
development in Kenya during the colonial period.-FORM 3 WORK

21a/b –Political developments and the struggle for independence in Kenya –FORM 3 WORK

Political, social and economic developments and challenges in Kenya since

SECTION C- The candidate should answer any two questions

22a/b-citizenship/national integration-FORM 1 WORK

Constitution and constitution making /democracy and human rights-FORM 2 WORK

23a/b –Formation, structure and functions of the Government of Kenya-FORM 3 WORK

24 a/b -Public revenue and expenditure in Kenya and devolved government-FORM 4

PAPER 2

SECTION B- The candidate should answer any three questions

18a/b –Early man and Development of agriculture-form 1 work

19a/b –Trade/development of transport and communication/development of industry

20a/b –Urbanization/scramble for and partition of Africa

21a/b –Rise of African Nationalism and political and socio-economic organization of the
African societies/social-economic and political developments and challenges in Africa since
independence (DRC-Congo and Tanzania)

SECTION C- The candidate should answer any two questions

22a/b –WORLD WARS/COLONIAL ADMINSTRATION

23a/b –Cooperation in Africa/International Relations

24a/b –Electoral process and functions of Government in U.S.A, Britain and India

N/B-If part a of the questions in the topics above is easier and part b is difficult,do not choose
it because you may get at most 3/12 marks

If part a is hard but part b is easier choose such question you will get atleast 12/15 marks

3. INSTRUCTIONS WITH QUESTIONS

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The history students should understand the key words within the questions since it determines
the kind of answers they will present,e.g

a) Name-giving an identity of something or someone,e.g name the early form of writing that
was discovered in Egypt.

b)state-giving a statement according to what has been asked e.g state three ways in which the
Sumerians reclaimed their land in Mesopotamia.

c) Identify-to pick/to point and explain briefly e.g identify two forms of government in the
world today

d) Define-giving the meaning of something .be simple and clear to the point e.g define the
term rerun of elections

e) Give - present something as it is e.g give two forms of oral traditions.

f) outline/mention-give a description of the main points e.g outline reasons why assimilation
policy failed in Senegal

g)Describe –show how something is like ,its features of facts. e.g Describe the law making
process in Kenya or describe the stages of evolution of man(use this: ADRAHESS-
aegyptopithecus,dryopithecus,ramatpithecus,Australopithecus,Homo-erectus,Homo sapiens,
Homo sapiens sapiens

You will give a detailed account of what is being referred to in question in an orderly way.

h)List-This means to give single words or phrases e.g list two uses of tools used by early
man

i)Account for-Explain reasons for something the way it is

j) Discuss-Explain something by looking at its demerits and merits

k) Illustrate –show by explaining with examples

Distinguish-show the differences of two or more things

N/B-on A quiz that is about the differences, do not tabulate(draw a table) ;use words like but,
where as, while e.g state the difference between absolute monarchy and constitutional
monarchy

On a quiz about similarities;use the word in both e.g what were the similarities between early
agriculture in Egypt and Mesopotamia

m) Explain-to make something clear or give reasons for something depending on the context
in detail e.g explain the results of the migration and settlement of the cushites.

All the underlined words are key and must be well understood to get a good answer.

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Sometimes candidates have the idea but fail to follow instructions and give answers like:

-intermarriages or led to intermarriages

-displacement or led to displacement

In both cases the answers are not well expressed because the questions requires that all its
elements be addressed .The facts should be expressed and justified like this:

1. The migration led to intermarriages resulting from interactions between the cushites
and neighboring communities. give examples of the communities
2. Some communities were displaced as the cushites overpowered them pushed them
away and occupied their areas.

4. TYPES OF QUESTIONS

1. Main only questions-the answer to this question is only one e.g the main reason for the
formation of KAU

Never write more than one response, you will get a zero.

3. Questions on who or names of personalities you can write the surname or full names
4. Questions on functions, you write the doing word/ the verb should be reflected
5. Questions of features or characteristics e.g on early man-consider the physical
appearance-features of Homo rectus-consider the jaws, skin
colour,arms,legs,eyes,height ;answers like He invented fire is wrong since invention
of fire doesn’t appear anywhere on the Homo erectus
6. Open questions the student is not limited to the number of answers to write.e.g what
were the social results of the first world war?12 marks
7. Closed questions-these require a specific number of answers e.g Explain five effects
of the Portuguese rule at the East African Coast

Here only the first five answers are marked whether wrong or correct. In most cases a line is
drawn after the fifth answer to ensure only the first five answers are marked.

Other examples of closed questions are: Explain six social negative effects of partition of
Africa. such a quiz is closed four times i.e. on six,social,negative and effects

5. EMPHASIS ON THE EXAM LANGUAGE

History students should be trained to understand the language used in the question and
respond accordingly e.g

1. What are the challenges facing the county government in Kenya today?
The answers for such question should be in the present tense.
2. What were the effects of early agriculture in Mesopotamia?

The answers to such question should be in the past tense

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 3. What steps should the government take to improve education in Kenya? In such a
question, the answers should be suggestive but not based on the past or the present tense

6. LEARNERS SHOULD PLAN THEIR WORK DURING EXAMS.

a) They should read through the questions especially in sec B and C in order to select
questions they can answer best and present tidy work without cancelling after realizing
there are questions they would have answered in a better manner.

b)They should write short/main points against the question paper in pencil as rough work
as they remember while going through the question in order to have a good flow of the
answers staring with the strongest to the weakest points. Also the points will not
evaporate while answering questions

7. WRITING PRESENTABLE ANSWERS

The art of writing presentable answers should be learnt as early as in form one .e.g

In sec A, the answers should not contain unnecessary details e.g state two reasons why
Christian missionaries came to East Africa.

1. They came to spread Christianity

2. They came to stop slave trade and advocate for legitimate trade

These are enough details for this question. However answers such as:

-Christianity and;

Slave trade should be discouraged as they are not clear

8. In case of a question that require an answer to be abbreviated, the candidates should

Answer:1. It led to the growth or urban centres e.g Mombasa-in such case the whole
answer becomes wrong because the word Mombasa.

10. Candidates should be encouraged to have order at all the time e.g numbering their
questions correctly e.g 18a,18b,
In section B and C, the answers to the part b questions e.g 18 b should be continuous
prose. each point to be presented on its own paragraph well numbered like point
1,2,3,4 and so on

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 A question should always be answered with all its parts following each other e.g the 18 b
should follow 18a

11. KLB and evolving world students text books are the main reference books to be used by
the history students during learning, studying and revising history and government.

12. The students should be exposed to as many past paper questions as possible like the past
KCSE quizzes, mocks, topical questions and marking schemes in order to be versed with
exam language and the content.

13. When answering questions they should always write common points that are likely to
appear in the marking schemes then later write complicated ones.

14. Embrace Group discussions on topical and KCSE quizzes especially in ability groups of
four students. The copies of form 1 and 2 exams should be given to the form 4 weak students
to sit for them to uplift their ability in history and government.

15. Internal history and government contests and symposiums should be organized like
interclass contests e.g form fours against form ones form twos against form threes or form
fours. This will make the form fours to study smarter so that the lower classes cannot beat
them.

16. History and government students should always read ahead of their teacher with leading
topical questions to ensure they are not clueless to a new topic to be covered.

17. Ensure you feed well to keep good health and manage your time by having study
timetable with history and government subject included and avoid irrelevant discussions like
bad company and too much leisure.

18. Always use the last five minutes to go through your work to identify grammatical errors
before you submit it the invigilator.

19. Numbering your answers is accepted

20. Pray for the work done and work yet to be done and have faith in god you will make it.

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