DP History · HL / SL · Paper 3 - History of Asia and Oceania

Section 2: Japan in the Age of the Samurai (1180–1333)

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  1. Question 1

    A historian argues that the Taira-Minamoto rivalry should be understood primarily as a symptom of structural change rather than a personal feud between clan leaders. Which piece of evidence best supports this interpretation?
    No clue? Show me the answer
    Correct answerCorrect!Incorrect
    ASamurai loyalty had already shifted toward clan leaders who could reward service with land before the Gempei War began

    Step-by-step walkthrough

    Choose a solution method

    Method #1Direct reasoning

    Step 1: Locate the structural claim

    The question asks for evidence that the rivalry reflected a deeper shift in where loyalty and power resided, not just a clash of personalities.

    Step 2: Recall the key concept

    The content explains that loyalty was moving from the emperor to clan leaders because only clan leaders could reward samurai with land and protection.

    Step 3: Match evidence to claim

    This pre-existing shift toward land-based loyalty, occurring before 1180, is exactly the structural change the historian's interpretation depends on.

    Step 4: Confirm the answer

    Option A directly demonstrates that the shift in loyalty predated and enabled the war, supporting the structural interpretation.

    Method #2Process of elimination

    Step 1: Reject option B

    Generic long-running territorial disputes describe conflict but do not show a structural shift in the source of political loyalty.

    Step 2: Reject option C

    Personal grievance is precisely the 'personal feud' framing the historian's interpretation seeks to move beyond.

    Step 3: Reject option D

    Religious difference is not supported by the content and was not a driver of the Taira-Minamoto conflict.

    Step 4: Confirm option A

    Only option A shows loyalty relocating from the emperor to clan leaders, which is the structural mechanism described in the content.

  2. Question 2

    Why does the content describe Prince Mochihito's 1180 call to arms as a 'trigger' rather than a root cause of the Gempei War?
    No clue? Show me the answer
    Correct answerCorrect!Incorrect
    BIt converted existing rivalry and tensions into open warfare but did not itself create the underlying conditions for conflict
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← Previous topicSection 1: Trade & Exchange: The Silk Road in the Medieval WorldNext topic →Section 4: The Rise & Fall of the Mughal Empire (1526–1712)
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