CDS History · Free notes
World History: CDS History
World History has 15 past-year questions in CDS General Knowledge, from 2016 (II) to 2026 (I), fewer than one a paper. Four of them are on the Industrial Revolution, including the newest two, and those ask what the revolution changed rather than who invented what. The other eleven are single facts spread across two thousand years, from the Greek word barbaros to Hong Kong's return to China in 1997. Each wrong option is a real name or a real date from the same story, so the tables teach the near-misses alongside the answers.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Classical World to the Age of Revolutions
7 PYQsThe Greek, Roman and Arab scholars behind words we still use, the first Europeans to trade in Africa, and the thinkers, dates and laws of the age of revolutions.
Industrial Revolution and the Modern World
8 PYQsWhat the Industrial Revolution was and the machines that started it, then four facts from the twentieth century: China's Guomindang, the atomic bombs, Hong Kong and a war cemetery in Cairo.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 5 reference tables · 13 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 5 reference tables · 13 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (3)
Greek, Roman and Arab learning8 rows
| Name or word | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Barbarian | Greek barbaros, a non-Greek; Romans used it for Germans, Gauls and HunsQ CDS 2018 (I): both statements, the Greek origin and the Roman use, are correct. |
| Eratosthenes | Coined the word geography; measured the earth's circumferenceQ CDS 2019 (II): the Greek who coined geography in the 3rd century BCE. |
| Euclid | Geometry (the Elements) |
| Clio | The Greek muse of history, not a philosopher |
| Al-Khwarizmi | Algorithm (from his name) and algebra (from his book)Q CDS 2019 (I): the scholar who gave the algorithm its name. |
| Ibn al-Haytham | Optics: how light and vision work |
| Ibn Sina | Medicine: the Canon of Medicine |
| Ibn Rushd | Philosophy: commentaries on Aristotle |
The first Europeans on the African coast5 rows
| Event | When |
|---|---|
| Portuguese trading posts on the West African coast | 15th centuryQ CDS 2020 (I): the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Africa as traders. |
| Bartolomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good Hope | 1488 |
| Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut | 1498 |
| The Dutch found Cape Town | 1652 |
| Berlin Conference divides Africa | 1884 to 1885 |
Thinkers, dates and laws of the revolutions7 rows
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1762 | Rousseau publishes The Social ContractQ CDS 2017 (II): the author of The Social Contract. |
| 1789 | Tennis Court Oath; fall of the Bastille |
| 1791 | France's first written constitution |
| 1792 | National Convention meets; France a republic |
| 1804 | Napoleon emperor; Napoleonic Code |
| 1820 | Missouri Compromise |
| 1854 | Kansas-Nebraska Act repeals the Missouri CompromiseQ CDS 2019 (I): the act let the people of each territory decide on slavery. |
Watch out for (6)
- Clio is a muse, not a scholar→ Greek, Roman and Arab learning
- Algorithm and algebra both come from al-Khwarizmi→ Greek, Roman and Arab learning
- Portugal came first, not the Dutch→ The first Europeans on the African coast
- Social contract ideas are not all The Social Contract→ Thinkers, dates and laws of the revolutions
- The French dates are moved by one or two years→ Thinkers, dates and laws of the revolutions
- Kansas-Nebraska gave the choice to the settlers→ Thinkers, dates and laws of the revolutions
Reference tables (2)
The Industrial Revolution: where, what and how7 rows
| Machine | Inventor and what it did |
|---|---|
| Flying shuttle (1733) | John Kay: wove cloth faster |
| Spinning jenny (1764) | James Hargreaves: spun many threads at once, but weak ones |
| Water frame (1769) | Richard Arkwright: driven by a water wheel, spun strong yarnQ CDS 2016 (II): the water frame produced strong threads of yarn. |
| Spinning mule (1779) | Samuel Crompton: strong and fine yarn |
| Power loom (1785) | Edmund Cartwright: weaving by machine |
| Improved steam engine (1769) | James Watt: steam power for mills and mines |
| Rocket locomotive (1829) | George Stephenson: the railway age |
Twentieth-century facts: China, the bomb, Hong Kong6 rows
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| The Guomindang's four great needs | Clothing, food, housing and transportationQ CDS 2016 (II): education and health care are not among the four. |
| Little Boy | Uranium fission bomb dropped on HiroshimaQ CDS 2020 (II): Little Boy was the Hiroshima bomb. |
| Fat Man | Plutonium fission bomb dropped on Nagasaki |
| One country, two systems (1997) | Hong Kong, from BritainQ CDS 2018 (I): Hong Kong became part of China in 1997. |
| One country, two systems (1999) | Macau, from Portugal |
| Heliopolis war cemetery | Cairo, EgyptQ CDS 2023 (II): the cemetery is in Cairo. |
Watch out for (7)
- It began in Britain, not Germany→ The Industrial Revolution: where, what and how
- The water frame made yarn→ The Industrial Revolution: where, what and how
- Dependence on raw materials is a feature, not a mistake→ The Industrial Revolution: where, what and how
- Both 1945 bombs were fission bombs→ Twentieth-century facts: China, the bomb, Hong Kong
- Hong Kong 1997, Macau 1999→ Twentieth-century facts: China, the bomb, Hong Kong
- Heliopolis sounds Greek but is in Egypt→ Twentieth-century facts: China, the bomb, Hong Kong
- The four great needs are material ones→ Twentieth-century facts: China, the bomb, Hong Kong
PYQ weightage by concept
5 concepts · 15 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
5 concepts · 15 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Greek, Roman and Arab learning | 3 | 20% |
| Thinkers, dates and laws of the revolutions | 3 | 20% |
| The first Europeans on the African coast | 1 | 7% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Industrial Revolution: where, what and how | 4 | 27% |
| Twentieth-century facts: China, the bomb, Hong Kong | 4 | 27% |
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past CDS paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.