To compare two policies, choose shared criteria such as aim, method and documented effect, then write each criterion as one sentence that names both policies. This keeps the two sides in the same place.
This lesson is part of world conflict and occupation. The command words are explained in decoding state, explain, compare and evaluate commands.
What is a comparison grid?
A grid lists the same criteria down the side and the two policies across the top. You fill each cell before you write a word of the answer.
The grid forces both policies to be described on the same terms. It also shows where the shared points are.
Worked example: two Japanese occupation policies
During the Japanese occupation, the authorities used many policies. Take two that are recorded for Singapore, which was part of the same occupation: Policy A, the Sook Ching executions, and Policy B, the issue of a new currency known as banana money.
| Criterion | Policy A: Sook Ching executions | Policy B: banana money |
|---|---|---|
| Aim | remove people suspected of being anti-Japanese | pay for the occupation with new notes |
| Method | people suspected of being anti-Japanese were executed 1 | a new local currency was issued 2 |
| Documented effect | the exact number killed is unknown because written records are lacking 1 | the notes lost value through hyperinflation until almost nothing could be bought 2 |
Check the aims and how each policy applied on the peninsula against your textbook, because the criteria are what the question asks you to compare.
Now turn one row into a comparing sentence: “Both policies served the occupation, but Policy A took lives, while Policy B took the value of people’s money.”
A second sentence covers the effect: “The toll of Policy A is unknown because records are lacking, whereas Policy B left the notes almost worthless, so both caused severe hardship, but only one effect is recorded in detail.” The last clause is the shared point.
The mistake of two summaries
The common slip is to write one paragraph on Policy A and one on Policy B, and never join them. Each paragraph is correct, but the question asked for a comparison.
The repair is to use the grid row by row. Each sentence contains both policy names and a link word such as “both”, “whereas” or “in contrast”.
Check yourself
Compare Policy A (Sook Ching executions) and Policy B (banana money) on method only, using the grid.
Answer
A good answer: “Policy A relied on executing people suspected of being anti-Japanese 1, whereas Policy B relied on issuing a new currency 2. Both were ways of controlling the local population, but one used force against people and the other used money.”
Check that each sentence names both policies and uses a link word.
What to study next
When the comparison is clear, sharpen the cause and effect language. Continue with distinguishing causes from consequences, then try the practice set.
The evidence-to-explanation planner helps you attach a record to each effect. For a teacher to check your comparison paragraphs, see online one-to-one Sejarah tuition.