China after 1949: the People's Republic, the Cultural Revolution and later reforms

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to D, summaries in our words, written today. Card A: On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong declared the People's Republic of China, ending the civil war between the Communist Party and the Nationalists. The Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek, retreated to the island of Taiwan. Card B: In October 1971 the People's Republic took China's seat in the United Nations. In February 1972 President Richard Nixon visited China. Card C: In the Shanghai Communiqué of 1972, the People's Republic affirmed that Taiwan is part of China. The United States acknowledged that Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintained that there is one China. Card D: Both governments held that there is one China, and each claimed to be its rightful government. Until 1979 the United States recognized the Republic of China, on Taiwan, as China's government. In 1979 it set up formal relations with the People's Republic.

2. 1.

   Card C summarizes the 1972 Shanghai Communiqué. Which question is it better evidence for than card A, Ari asks?

   • What the People's Republic and the United States each said about Taiwan in 1972
   • Why the Nationalists left the mainland for Taiwan after the 1949 civil war
   • Whether people living on Taiwan accepted the wording of the 1972 communiqué
   • Whether the United States had formal relations with the People's Republic by early 1972
3. 2.

   Card D is a summary written today. What is it better evidence for than card C, Bo asks?

   • What the People's Republic affirmed about Taiwan in the 1972 communiqué
   • Why Nixon decided to visit China in February 1972, not earlier
   • Whether the two governments settled their dispute about who rules China
   • Which government the United States recognized as China's before 1979
4. 3.

   A student wants to know why the Nationalists went to Taiwan. Cards A to D are all summaries. How far do they help, Esme asks?

   • They explain the move as a reaction to the People's Republic being declared on October 1
   • They give the move and its date but no reasons, so another source is needed
   • They explain it: the United States recognized the Republic of China on Taiwan until 1979
   • They show the Nationalists chose Taiwan to keep their claim to China alive
5. 4.

   A student says the 1972 communiqué settled who should govern China. How do cards C and D answer, Luz asks?

   • Card C records wording about Taiwan, and card D shows two governments still claiming China
   • Neither card helps, since both are summaries written long after the events and cannot be trusted
   • Card C settles it, since the People's Republic and the United States agreed about Taiwan
   • Card D settles it, since the United States recognized the Republic of China until 1979
6. 5.

   Which claim do the four cards support, Milo asks?

   • Nixon's visit in 1972 came before the People's Republic took China's UN seat
   • The People's Republic's UN seat in 1971 ended US recognition of the Republic of China
   • The United States and the People's Republic agreed in 1972 that Taiwan was part of one Chinese state, ending the dispute
   • Two governments each claimed China after 1949, and the US recognized the Republic of China until 1979
7. 6.

   A student summarizes cards B and D: 'The UN seat in 1971 and Nixon's visit in 1972 show the United States accepted the People's Republic as China's government.' What is wrong, Noah asks?

   • A seat and a visit show a change at the UN and contact, while card D dates recognition to 1979
   • The visit came before the seat in the order of events, so it cannot show that the United States accepted anything
   • The visit shows acceptance, but the UN seat is a separate matter
   • The United States voted for the seat in 1971, which card B leaves out
8. 7.

   A student calls 1949 the start of China's division into two governments. Which cards support that, Pia asks?

   • Cards B and C: the UN seat and the communiqué show two governments dealing with other countries
   • Cards A and D: a government on the mainland and one on Taiwan, each claiming to be China
   • Cards A and B: 22 years passed between 1949 and 1971, so the division lasted that long
   • Cards B and C: both mention one China, so the two sides were already agreed

9. Use this

   Cards A and B, summaries in our words, written today. Card A (Columbia University, Asia for Educators): From 1958 the Great Leap Forward organized the countryside into communes. An estimated thirty million people lost their lives to starvation from 1960 to 1962. Card B (Harvard University, Invisible Histories): The famine's toll remains controversial. The official Chinese estimate is 15 million. The consensus of independent scholars is 30 to 35 million.

10. 8.

    Cards A and B give three figures for the famine. Which statement do they best support, Ren asks?

    • The toll was 30 million, because two sources give that number
    • Sources differ on the toll, but the scholars' range and card A's figure cluster near 30 million
    • The official 15 million is the safest figure, because the government kept the records at the time
    • The sources disagree too much to say anything about the size of the famine
11. 9.

    Card A says 'an estimated thirty million.' What does the word 'estimated' tell a reader, Tala asks?

    • The figure is a minimum, so the true toll must be higher
    • The figure is a reckoning from other evidence, not a count of each person
    • The figure comes from an official list of each person, kept at the time
    • The figure is a guess with no evidence behind it, made by scholars who had no records to use
12. 10.

    A student says the scholars' range is double the official estimate. What does card B show, Zee asks?

    • Exactly double, because 30 million is twice 15 million
    • About two to a little over two times: 30 is twice 15, and 35 is about 2.3 times 15
    • Not comparable, because the scholars' figure is a consensus and the official one comes from the government
    • Less than double, because the gap of 15 to 20 million is smaller than 30 million