IB History Questions by Topic

Every IB History unit, from the Paper 1 prescribed subjects (source analysis) to the Paper 2 world-history topics — authoritarian states, the 20th-century wars, the Cold War and more — with exam-style practice for source questions and comparative essays. Click any topic to start practising.

1,745Questions
39Topics
13Units

Unit 1: Paper 1 — Military Leaders

125 questions
1.1

Genghis Khan (c1200–1227)

65
1.2

Richard I of England (1173–1199)

45
1.3

Paper 1 source skills

15

Unit 2: Paper 1 — Conquest and its Impact

105 questions
2.1

Muslim rule in Spain and the fall of Granada (1492)

45
2.2

Conquest of Mexico and Peru (1519–1551)

45
2.3

Paper 1 source skills (Conquest)

15

Unit 3: Paper 1 — The Move to Global War

120 questions
3.1

Japanese expansion in East Asia (1931–1941)

45
3.2

German and Italian expansion (1933–1940)

75

Unit 4: Paper 1 — Rights and Protest

105 questions
4.1

US civil rights movement (1954–1965)

45
4.2

Apartheid South Africa (1948–1964)

45
4.3

Paper 1 source skills (Rights and protest)

15

Unit 5: Paper 1 — Conflict and Intervention

105 questions
5.1

Rwanda (1990–1998)

45
5.2

Kosovo (1989–2002)

45
5.3

Paper 1 source skills (Conflict and intervention)

15

Unit 6: Paper 2 — Society and Economy (750–1400)

140 questions
6.1

Social structures and governance

45
6.2

The medieval economy

47
6.3

Crisis and change (c1300–1400)

48

Unit 7: Paper 2 — Causes and Effects of Medieval Wars (750–1500)

135 questions
7.1

Causes of medieval wars

45
7.2

The nature and practice of medieval warfare

45
7.3

Effects of medieval wars

45

Unit 12: Paper 2 — Origins, Development and Impact of Industrialization (1750–2005)

145 questions
12.1

Origins and causes of industrialization

50
12.2

Development of industrialization

45
12.3

Impact of industrialization

50

Unit 13: Paper 2 — Independence Movements (1800–2000)

138 questions
13.1

Origins and rise of independence movements

45
13.2

Methods and the achievement of independence

48
13.3

Challenges after independence

45

Unit 14: Paper 2 — Emergence and Development of Democratic States (1848–2000)

144 questions
14.1

Emergence of democratic states

46
14.2

Development of democratic states

50
14.3

The struggle for rights and equality

48

Unit 15: Paper 2 — Authoritarian States (20th Century)

206 questions
15.1

Emergence of authoritarian states

30
15.2

Consolidation and maintenance of power

40
15.3

Aims and results of policies

45
15.4

Case studies (authoritarian leaders)

91

Unit 16: Paper 2 — Causes and Effects of 20th-Century Wars

140 questions
16.1

Causes of war

45
16.2

Practices of war and their impact on outcome

45
16.3

Effects of war

50

Unit 17: Paper 2 — The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries (20th Century)

137 questions
17.1

Rivalry, mistrust and accord

45
17.2

Leaders and nations

45
17.3

Cold War crises

47

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Frequently Asked Questions

What types of questions are in the IB question bank?

Our question bank includes short-answer, data-based, case-study, extended-response, and multiple-choice questions — mirroring exactly what you will see on Papers 1, 2, and 3 in IB exams.

Are these real IB past paper questions?

Our questions are original, IB-style questions written to match the format, difficulty, and command terms used in actual IB exams. They are not reproductions of past papers.

How are questions organised?

Questions are organised by topic code (e.g. Topic 1.1, 2.3) matching the IB syllabus structure. You can also filter by paper type and topic.

Can I practise questions from a specific topic?

Yes! Click any topic below to jump directly into practice mode with questions filtered to that topic. You can further narrow by paper type.

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