Social Science:Test
1
Grade 4
Leaders: Joseph Stalin
Read the following extract and answer the questions which follow:
Joseph Stalin was a powerful Communist leader in the early years of the Soviet Union. He was
a dictator who terrorised the population and sent many people to prisons and labour camps.
Joseph Stalin was born in 1878 in Georgia, which was a Russian province at that time. He had a
very troubled childhood. His father often got drunk and beat him up. After school he joined
a Marxist organisation where he took part in strikes and violent attacks. During this period
Stalin was arrested and had to go to prison many times. He was sent to Siberia after he had
created the party newspaper Pravda.
Lenin, who was leader of the Communists during the Russian Revolution, admired Stalin for the
hard work he did for the party. He helped Stalin reach a high position in the Central Committee of
the Communist Party.
When Lenin died in 1924 Joseph Stalin fought for the leadership of the party. By 1928 he
had removed all of his enemies and became the sole leader of the Soviet Union. During the
1930s he started five year development plans and focused on improving the country’s industry.
One of the Communist leader’s greatest tasks was to collectivise farming. The government took
away land from rich farmers and created state-owned farms. However, they did not produce
enough food for the people and many starved.
While he was leader Joseph Stalin steadily increased his power. He got rid of those who
threatened him or were against his reforms. Many of his enemies were shot or sent to Siberia.
Stalin also created a secret police and a big intelligence agency. A network of spies collected
information from all over the world.
Although Stalin was a ruthless leader he also did things that helped the Russians. He gave
women education and jobs. Transportation throughout the country was improved and new railway
lines were built.
In his private life, Joseph Stalin married twice. His first wife Ekaterina died four years after they
had married .Their son Yakov was never really close to his father. When the Germans
captured Yakov, they wanted to trade him for a German officer, but Stalin refused and said that
he had millions of sons. The Germans must free all or none of them.
Joseph Stalin died of a stroke in 1953. It was rumoured that he may have been poisoned.
Adapted from http://www.english-online.at/people/stalin/joseph-stalin-communist-dictator.htm
Vocabulary:
Communist - a person who supports Communism (Communism is an economic and social system
where all wealth is owned in common and not individually.)
dictator -
a leader with total control over his followers and makes all decisions without
consulting his followers
terrorised -
to fill someone with terror or extreme fear
collectivise - organise an industry so that it is owned publicly or in full by the Government
reforms -
the process of correcting a practice or a set of ideas
Social Science:Test
Grade 4
2
Leaders: Nelson Mandela
Read the following extracts and answer the questions which follow:
Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero
whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel
Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more
than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the centre of the most compelling
and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head
of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward
multi-racial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for
human rights and racial equality.
To millions of people around the world, Nelson Mandela stands, as no other living figure does, for
the triumph of dignity and hope over despair and hatred, of self-discipline and love over
persecution and evil.
Adapted from http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/Mandela/Mandela.html
“Like all Xhosa children, I learnt by watching others… The chief had meetings with the people to
talk about things that worried them. When I was a boy, I went to listen to the chief. The chief
gave everyone a chance to talk first. Only at the end of the meeting, as the sun was setting,
would the chief speak.
I learnt that it is important to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say
before talking myself… A good leader stays at the back.”
Adapted from “The Long Walk to Freedom”.
Vocabulary:
moral -
being concerned with the right or wrong behaviour
oppression - being controlled in an unfair and unjust manner
compelling - overwhelming, attracting attention
revered -
admired, treated with deep respect
persecution - unfair or abusive treatment
Social Science:Test
Grade 4
3
Leaders
Question 1:
State whether the following are TRUE or FALSE. In each question, provide a
reason for your answer.
(10)
TRUE/FALSE
1. Joseph Stalin made decisions after consulting with his followers and officials. ___________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. People who were against Stalin’s ideas and plans were treated badly.
_____________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Joseph Stalin was the choice of the people to follow in Lenin’s footsteps.
_____________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Nelson Mandela’s life mission was to fight against unfair treatment.
_____________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Nelson Mandela believed that all leaders lead from the front.
_____________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Question 2:
Answer the following questions in full sentences:
1. Provide proof from the passage that Joseph Stalin did not have a good relationship with his
son.
(2)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. What is Nelson Mandela a symbol of to millions of people around the world?
(3)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Social Science:Test
4
Grade 4
Leaders
3. What was the most important lesson that Nelson Mandela learnt from the chief of their village?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________ (2)
4. Rewrite Nelson Mandela’s quotation on leadership in your own words.
(2)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5. Compare the childhood of Nelson M andela to that of Joseph Stalin and discuss how
their upbringing influenced their leadership.
(4)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. Communism is an economic and social system where all the wealth of the people of the
country is owned by everyone, and not individually. Stalin took away land from rich farmers
and turned it into farms owned by the government. The government then paid workers who
worked on the farm.
Can you think of one positive and one negative associated with this type of leadership in
government?
(4)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
7. Why do you think there were rumours that Stalin was poisoned?
(2)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
8. Why was the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nelson Mandela?
(2)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Social Science:Test
Grade 4
5
Leaders
9. In the table below, list 5 qualities of a good leader. Give examples of how/how not Stalin and
Mandela showed these qualities in their leadership.
Qualities of a Good
Leader
Joseph Stalin
(15)
Nelson Mandela
10.Think of any leader that you have come across in your life (at school, at home, on the
sport’s field, in your family) and explain why this person was a good or bad leader.
(5)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Social Science:Test
6
Grade 4
Memo:
Question 1:
State whether the following are TRUE or FALSE. In each question, provide a
reason for your answer.
Joseph Stalin made decisions after consulting with his followers and officials.
(10)
FALSE
Joseph Stalin was a dictator, which means that he had complete control and made decisions
without consulting anyone.
2. People who were against Stalin’s ideas and plans were treated badly.
TRUE
Stalin killed the people who disagreed with him, or he sent them to Siberia. He had spies all over
the world to help him find the people who were against him.
3. Joseph Stalin was the choice of the people to follow in Lenin’s footsteps.
FALSE
Stalin had to fight for the leadership of the Soviet Union and basically removed anyone who was
against him. It was not a fair election or vote as people were threatened to vote for him.
4. Nelson Mandela’s life mission was to fight against unfair treatment.
TRUE
Nelson Mandela wanted to stop any unfair control or treatment of people of any race. He wanted
everyone to be treated the same and to have the same opportunities.
5. Nelson Mandela believed that all leaders lead from the front.
FALSE
Nelson Mandela believed that good leaders first listened to their people and rather lead from
the back. Only in danger situations should a leader be at the front.
Question 2:
Answer the following questions in full sentences:
1. Provide proof from the passage that Joseph Stalin did not have a good relationship with his
son.
(2)
(Proof form the passage means ‘quote’). “Their son Yakov was never really close to his father.”
2. What is Nelson Mandela a symbol of to millions of people around the world?
(3)
Nelson Mandela is a symbol of hope, self-discipline and love that will always win over hatred,
disrespect, unfair treatment and evil.
3. What was the most important lesson that Nelson Mandela learnt from the chief of their
village?
A good leader listens to his followers, before he talks. A good leader leads from the back.
4. Rewrite Nelson Mandela’s quotation on leadership in your own words.
(2)
People will see you as a good leader if you lead from behind and never be quick to take the
praise if things go well. Good leaders only lead from the front when their team is in danger.
Social Science:Test
7
Grade 4
Memo:
5. Compare the childhood of Nelson M andela to that of Joseph Stalin and discuss how
their upbringing influenced their style of leadership.
(4)
Joseph Stalin had a difficult childhood. His father drank too much and also hurt him.
Nelson Mandela had a carefree childhood, playing in the streets of the village where they lived. He
talked a lot about the good influence of his father and also of the chiefs of the village. I think their
upbringing definitely influenced their style of leadership. Stalin was used to being told what to do,
never having a choice, violence, etc. and it was clear in his leadership style. Mandela followed the
leadership style of the chiefs in his village and the example his mother and father had set for him.
(This is an advanced question, encourage students to think about how your upbringing can
influence your life.)
6. Communism is an economic and social system where all the wealth of the people of the country
is owned by everyone, and not individually. Stalin took away land from rich farmers and turned
it into farms owned by the government. The government then paid workers who worked on the
farm.
Can you think of one positive and one negative associated with this type of leadership in
government?
(2)
Positives:
Negatives:
Everyone has the same, there is no
difference in class.
People are very reliant on their
community and the government.
There is not enough food for everyone.
The government becomes rich and the
people stay poor.
7. Why do you think there were rumours that Stalin was poisoned?
(2)
The people did not like Stalin as he was not a good leader. Many people wanted to see him
dead.
8. Why was the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nelson Mandela?
(2)
Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, because after being released from prison,
his only focus was to bring South Africans together as a nation. He wanted peace and unity in
the country and did not try to get back at the people who put him in prison.
Answer to Question 9 on the next page:
10. Think of any leader that you have come across in your life (at school, at home, on the
sport’s field, in your family) and explain why this person was a good or bad leader.
(5)
Own answer - examples: use the 7 qualities of a good leader (next page) and measure your
headmaster of your school, the captain of your sport’s team, your father, your grandfather,
etc. against these guidelines.
Social Science:Test
Grade 4
8
Memo:
9. In the table below, list 5 qualities of a good leader. Give examples of how/how not Stalin and
Mandela showed these qualities in their leadership.
Qualities of a Good
Leader
(15)
Joseph Stalin
Nelson Mandela
A good leader listens to
others before making
decisions.
Joseph Stalin did not listen
to his followers. He was a
dictator who made all the
decisions and enforced
them.
Mandela always first
listened to what others had
to say, before he spoke or
made decisions.
A good leader cares about
what everyone can gain
from decisions made.
Stalin made decisions only
to suit his needs. He
decided that all farms had
to be owned by the
government without
thinking of where the food
will come from to feed his
followers.
Mandela thought of what
would be best for his
people and South Africa in
all the decisions he made.
A good leader is humble
and doesn’t bully people
into making decisions.
Stalin forced the people to
vote for him as leader of
the Soviet Union. He took
the praise for any
successes.
Mandela was elected
president in a free election
and always led from the
back, never taking praise
for successes.
Stalin did not worry if
A good leader wants to
people were satisfied or not
make sure that everyone is
with his decisions, he did
happy and satisfied with
what he wanted, for his
decisions made.
own good.
Mandela always made sure
that everyone was
satisfied. He believed no
one should be made to feel
stupid, even if you did not
agree with the person’s
ideas.
A good leader works as
part of a team.
Stalin was a dictator and
ignored his team/advisors.
Nelson Mandela worked
with the government of
President de Klerk when he
was released from prison,
trying to find solutions for
South Africa.
A good leader is fair and
does not have to always
get his own way.
Stalin was not a fair leader.
He only wanted people
around him that believed in
his dream for the Soviet
Union.
Mandela was always fair in
all his dealings with people
and never let the hatred of
the past interfere with his
leadership.
A good leader does not
Stalin either killed people
force people to believe
or sent them to Siberia if
something they don’t agree
they disagreed with him.
with.
Mandela never forced
anyone to believe in him.
People all over the world
loved Mandela.