Name Low KaiNing Index Number 19 Class 2CT

ST. ANTHONY'S CANOSSIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL

Mid-Year Examination 2022
Secondary 2

HISTORY G3

28 April 2022

Setter: Ms Nicole Quek 1 hour 30 minutes

Candidates answer on the Question Paper.

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your name, index number and class on all the work you hand in.
Write your answers on the spaces in the Question Paper.
Write in dark blue or black pen.
Do not use staples, paper clips, and glue or correction fluid.

Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.
The total number of marks for this paper is 37.

37
Name of Subject Teacher: Parent’s Signature:

This document consists of 10 printed pages.

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Who was to be blamed for the Maria Hertogh Riots in 1950?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions.

In December 1950, Singapore was gripped by the Maria Hertogh riots, which left 18 dead and 173
injured. The riots were sparked by a custody battle between Maria’s Dutch-Catholic birth parents,
the Hertoghs, and her Malay foster mother, Che Aminah. Tensions escalated as the media coverage
of the custody battle drew widespread public attention and aroused religious sensitivities. On 2
December, the Supreme Court issued a verdict awarding the custody of Maria to her biological
parents. The court decision sparked off a chain of events which led to the Maria Hertogh riots.

Source A: An account by Rosewita Buang, a female Malay journalist who worked for Utusan
Melayu, a Malay Newspaper.

I bumped into Nadra* by chance at the convent door and she hugged me saying “Aunty Buang,
Aunty Buang, where’s my Ibu (mother in Malay language) now and how is she…? Please help me,
Aunty Buang, I am so unhappy in the convent. If my birth parents love me, they should never leave
me here. Nadra further exclaimed “I’m done with the Hertogh family and I want to be called by my
Malay name Nadra instead of my Catholic name. I do not want to learn about the Catholic religion
and I do not want to wear a Catholic gown!”

*Maria was also known as Nadra, her Malay name.

Source B: An excerpt on one of the causes of the riots taken from “Singapore Journal into
Nationhood” by the National Heritage Board.

The Malay papers, on the other hand presented a picture of a13 year old bewildered and sad about
being parted from the foster mother and her newly-wed husband….news reports were designed to
inflame feelings against the Europeans as anti-Muslim….feelings in the Muslim community were
highly charged. There were strong resentment against the Europeans and the way the case was
being handled.

Source C: An excerpt on one of the causes of the riots taken from the “Tangled Worlds: The story
of Maria Hertogh” by Tom Eames Hughes.

The Riot Commission said that they considered it very regrettable that press photographers and
journalists were permitted to enter the convent. On 3 December, The Sunday Times reproduced
photographs of Maria in the convent, one of which showed her sitting and weeping beside a nun.
Next day, the Singapore Standard, another language newspaper, had a large picture of Maria “all
smiles” with her mother and a friend in a convent. These reports were considered as offensive and
upset the Muslim community.

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Source D: An excerpt of a speech by a Muslim political leader, Karim Ghani, during a meeting the
with Malay and Muslim leaders in Singapore.

Today, an injustice has been enforced against our Muslim brother and Muslim sister, Maria Hertogh.
They are now intimidated in the name of the law – guilty for being husband and wife – punished for
being Muslims. Today, in an English court, they declared their Muslim marriage to be unacceptable.
They have insulted our Muslim traditions, as they cannot bear to see her being brought up by a
Malay Muslim family. We must prove to them that we will not accept such unfairness! There is no
room for negotiation when our fellow Muslim brother and sister are being bullied.

Acknowledgements:

Source A Adapted from https://mothership.sg/2016/09/relive-the-key-moments-of-the-maria-hertogh-riots-as-a-

young-malay-man/

Source B Adapted from eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1686_2010-07-26.html

Source C Adapted from Tangled Worlds: The story of Maria Hertogh” by Tom Eames Hughes

Source D Adapted from Maiden, Haja. The Nadra Tragedy: The Maria Hertogh Controversy. Subang Jaya,
Selangor: Pelanduk Publications, 1989.

the evidence: 'they now intimidated in the name of the law- guilty for being husband and wife-
punished for being muslims'

thie means: Muslim leaders did not agree with the decision made by the British -> insensitive [did

not respect the rules of the Muslim community] -> stirred up the anger among the Muslim

community -> Maria Hertoph riots in the 1950.

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Section A: Source-Based Case Study

Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and then answer all the questions. In
answering the questions you should use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and
evaluate the sources.

1(a) Study Source A

What can you infer about Maria’s feeling? Explain your answer. [5]

I can infer from Source A that Maria felt unhappy with her birth
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parents.This can be seen when she says “I’m done with the Hertogh
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family and I want to be called by my Malay name Nadra instead of my
Catholic name. I do not want to learn about the Catholic religion and I do
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not want to wear a Catholic gown!” This shows that she is very unsatisfied
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with the fact that the was put with her biological parents and wants to be
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with her foster mother instead. She feels that if her biological family had
ever loved her, they would never have left and abandoned her, as could be
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seen when Maria exclaims that "If my birth parents love me, they should
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never leave me here." This shows that she was extremely hurt and
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unhappy with the decision of the jury of giving Maria's biological parents
custody of her. She would much rather have a Malay name and live as a
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Muslim than learn of the Catholic religion and be called by her Catholic
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name. It can be seen that she was fed up with her biological parents and
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is extremely unsatisfied with the fact that she was put back together with
them. She clearly misses her foster mothers as she asks after her when
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she meets Rosewita Buang, saying "Aunty Buang, Aunty Buang, where’s
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my Ibu now and how is she...? " She shows her concern towards her foster
mother, proving how close they are and how much Maria''s foster mother
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cared for her in the time they were together, to make Maria miss her and
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ask after her. Therefore I can infer from Source A that Maria was
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extremely unhappy and unsatisfied with the decision of the jury to give her
biological parents custody of her and that she felt extremely unhappy with
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her birth parents as she felt that if they had cared about her at all, they
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would not have left her.
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1(b) Study Sources B and C.

In what ways are the sources similar? Explain your answer. [6]

Both sources state that the news that were spread after the Maria Hertogh case
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was decided by the jury greatly offended the Muslim community and many negative
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emotions were held towards the Europeans. This can be seen in Source B "There
were strong resentment against the Europeans and the way the case was being
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handled." This shows how the Malays and the Muslim community are unsatisfied
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with how the British and the Europeans dealt with Maria's case and gave her
biological parents custody of her even though they were not present in her life and it
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was her foster mother that took care of her and brought her up. The Muslim
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community feel a strong bond to Maria and are unwilling to let the case go. This can
also be seen in Source C " These reports were considered as offensive and upset
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the Muslim community. " This shows that the Muslims were extremely offended by
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the pictures made public by the news reporters and do not think that Maria was
there of her own free will. This caused resentment towards the Europeans to build
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up in the Muslim and Malay community.
Sources B and C also involve the spreading of picture of Maria crying. This can be
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seen in Source B when it states "the Malay papers, on the other hand presented a
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picture of a 13 year old bewildered and sad about being parted from the foster
mother and her newly-wed husband" , making it seem that Maria is extremely
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heartbroken from being separated from her supposed family and husband. This can
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also be seen in Source C. It is stated in the lines "The Sunday Times reproduced
photographs of Maria in the convent, one of which showed her sitting and weeping
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beside a nun" , apparently showing Maria getting close to the nuns at the convent,
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seemingly having given up the things she has learnt growing up in a Muslim
community. This also greatly offended the Muslim community and caused negative
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feelings and resentment to boil up in the Muslim community, pitting them against
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the Europeans who appear to be extremely biased towards Maria's biological
mother and had will I'll towards her foster mother for being a Malay. The action of
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giving Maria Hertogh's biological mother custody of her has a very bad impression
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on the Muslim community as both of them are European and it appears that the jury
is being racist and siding with someone who shares his origins. Therefore both
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Sources B and C are similar in the fact that they highlight how unsatisfied and
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unhappy the Muslim community is with the European jury and his choice of giving
Maria's biological mother custody of her instead of her foster mother who took care
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of her and raised her for most of her life.
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1(c) Study Source D.

Why did Karim Ghani make this speech? Explain your answer. [6]

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I can learn from Source D that Karim Ghani made this speech to stir up
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
unease and resentment in the Malay Muslim community towards the
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Europeans in order to make them act up against the English. This can be
seen in the lines " Today, in an English court, they declared their Muslim
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
marriage to be unacceptable." He is prompting the rest of the Muslim
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
community to be unhappy with the decision made by the English court.. He
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also states that " They have insulted our Muslim traditions, as they
cannot bear to see her being brought up by a Malay Muslim family. "
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This causes the rest of the Muslim community listening to his speech to
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feel uneasy and start harbouring resentment towards the English for
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labelling the marriage of Maria and her husband unacceptable when she
was clearly brought up in the Malay community and can thus marry a
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Muslim man. Karim Ghani also prompted them to act against the British
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and fight for Maria's foster mother's legal custody of her. Karim Ghani
voiced the concerns of his fellow Muslims and set a common goal for all
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of them to work towards. His speech caused the Muslim community to
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harbour resentment towards the English Court by telling them how they
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deemed Maria Hertogh's marriage with another Muslim man unacceptable,
and caused greater unease and prompted their rebellion by telling them
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that they cannot keep quiet in that situation and that they must fight back.
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Therefore Karim Ghani made this speech to prompt the Muslim
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community to rebel against the English by making the think that the
English was being biased and unfair.
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Section B: Structured Questions

Answer ALL the questions in the space provided.

This question is on Singapore during post-war

2(a) List three problems the local people faced immediately after the Japanese surrender. [3]

Food shortages
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Housing shortages
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Work shortages
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2(b) Explain how the British resolved any two post-war problems. [7]

Due to the war, many gangsters took advantage of the disarray to break
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into houses and cause chaos, stealing things from under the owner's
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noses. The British fixed this problem by quickly distributing people

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assigned to rebuilding houses as soon as possible so that people will not

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make a big fuss. This allowed the British to quickly regain the local's trust
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and support, allowing them to rule over Singapore once again. The
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problem of not having enough resources was solved as soon as possible
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by looking for other places where such materials can be found and
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finding any means necessary to get them as long as it is in their power.
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Thus the post-war problem of housing shortages can be relatively easily
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dealt with.
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The problem of work shortages were not so easy to solve. As many had
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their work and education interrupted by the war, and many were left
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jobless, not being able to earn money, trust in the British will start to
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waver. Thus, the British had to find the fastest way for people left without
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jobs to find one. However, not all were suitable for every job, and the
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This question is on the aspirations of the people after 1945.

3 (a) Name three political parties in Singapore in the 1950s. [3]

Labour Front
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Peoples Action Party
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Democratic Party
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3 (b) Explain two reasons why the 1959 Election was a significant event for Singapore? [7]

It was the very first election after the 1955 election when Singapore gained
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

internal self government. The 1959 Election marked Singapore's first

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general election after gaining self-government from British colonial rule.

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The election was a crucial step towards Singapore's journey to eventual

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independence. It granted Singaporeans a degree of autonomy in managing
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their internal affairs, laying the groundwork for the nation-building process.
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The People's Action Party (PAP), led by Lee Kuan Yew, won a landslide
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victory in this election, forming the first fully elected government in
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Singapore's history. This outcome reflected the desire of the Singaporean
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
people for change and their aspiration for self-determination. This election
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also paved the way that leads to what Singapore is now. It prepared
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Singapore for its evolutions and the many sacrifices made after the time
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by our founding fathers that built Singapore into what it is today. The
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overwhelming victory of the PAP underscored the electorate's confidence
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in the party's ability to lead Singapore towards a brighter future. With a
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mandate secured, the PAP embarked on a series of bold and ambitious
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policies aimed at driving economic growth, social development, and
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nation-building. These efforts laid the groundwork for Singapore's
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