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Updated November 2026. Here are KCSE history paper 2 questions and answers you can use for timed practice: original questions in the KCSE style, each followed by the marking points that earn credit. KCSE History and Government Paper 2 (311/2) is the world history and government paper. It lasts 2 hours 30 minutes, is out of 100 marks, and sits on Thursday 12 November 2026 from 2.00 to 4.30 pm on the KNEC 2026 KCSE timetable, the day after Paper 1.
These are original CBC Guide questions with worked answers. They are not an official KNEC paper or marking scheme.
Paper 2 Format at a Glance
Section A has 17 short compulsory questions worth 25 marks in total. In Section B you answer any three questions (15 marks each, 45 marks). In Section C you answer any two (15 marks each, 30 marks). As in Paper 1, longer questions are usually split into a 5-mark part (a) asking you to state or identify, and a 10-mark part (b) asking you to explain or describe, where each well-explained point is worth 2 marks.
Topics Covered by History Paper 2
- Early human evolution, the development of agriculture, trade, transport, communication and industrialisation.
- Urbanisation (for example Meroe, Kilwa, London and Johannesburg) and African kingdoms such as Buganda, the Shona and the Asante.
- The partition of Africa, colonial administration (British indirect rule in Nigeria, French assimilation in Senegal) and African resistance.
- The two World Wars, the Cold War, decolonisation and international bodies such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the African Union.
- Government systems of the United States, the United Kingdom and India.
KCSE History Paper 2 Questions and Answers: Section A
1. Name two sources of information on history that rely on written records. (2 marks)
Answer: Archives; books and journals; newspapers; diaries; inscriptions. Any two.
2. Identify the main reason why early people lived near water sources. (1 mark)
Answer: To get drinking water for themselves and the animals they hunted (animals came to drink there).
3. State two principal organs of the United Nations. (2 marks)
Answer: The General Assembly; the Security Council; the Economic and Social Council; the International Court of Justice; the Secretariat; the Trusteeship Council. These are set out in the Charter of the United Nations, Article 7.
4. Name the leader of the Mandinka resistance against the French. (1 mark)
Answer: Samori Toure.
Section B and C Practice With Worked Answers
5. (a) State five factors that led to the Agrarian Revolution in Britain. (5 marks)
Marking points: rising population needing more food; the enclosure system; new inventions such as the seed drill; scientific research and agricultural societies; availability of capital from trade; improved transport for farm produce; new crops such as turnips and clover in crop rotation.
(b) Explain five effects of the Agrarian Revolution in Britain. (10 marks)
Marking points: (i) Food production rose, which supported a larger population. (ii) Enclosure pushed small farmers off the land, so many migrated to towns. (iii) Displaced people became labour for the new factories, which fed the Industrial Revolution. (iv) Demand for farm machinery stimulated iron and engineering industries. (v) Surplus produce encouraged trade and the growth of transport. (vi) Landowners grew richer, widening the gap between rich and poor. Any five, each explained, 2 marks each.
6. (a) Give five functions of the British Prime Minister. (5 marks)
Marking points: leads the government and chairs the Cabinet; appoints and dismisses ministers; advises the monarch, including on dissolution of Parliament; leads the majority party in the House of Commons; represents the country abroad; coordinates government policy.
(b) Explain five ways the Constitution of the United States limits the power of the President. (10 marks)
Marking points: Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority in both houses; the Senate must approve treaties and senior appointments; Congress controls the budget, so the President cannot spend without appropriations; the President can be impeached by the House and removed by the Senate; the Supreme Court can declare presidential actions unconstitutional; the Twenty-second Amendment limits the President to two elected terms. Explain each in a full sentence for both marks.
Exam-Room Tips for Paper 2
Choose your Section B and C questions in the first five minutes, and pick the ones where you can write five clear points in part (b). Use names, dates and places: “the Berlin Conference of 1884–85” is stronger than “a meeting in Europe”. Because Paper 2 follows Paper 1 by just a day, revise the government of the UK, USA and India early, since those Section C questions are often the best-scoring choices.
Need full timed papers? The first questions on every CBC Guide paper are free. A Day Pass (KSh 20) or Weekly Pass unlocks complete 311/2 practice papers with worked answers, paid once with no auto-renewal. See all passes.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is KCSE History Paper 2 (311/2) in 2026?
According to the KNEC 2026 timetable, 311/2 is on Thursday 12 November 2026 from 2.00 to 4.30 pm.
What does KCSE History and Government Paper 2 cover?
World history and government: early humans, agriculture, trade, industrialisation, colonialism in Africa, world wars, international relations and the governments of the USA, UK and India.
How many questions do I answer in History Paper 2?
All Section A questions, any three in Section B and any two in Section C, for a total of 100 marks.
Is this the KNEC marking scheme for History Paper 2?
No. These are original practice questions with worked marking points written by CBC Guide in the KCSE format.