Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Proto-industrialisation refers to the phase of large-scale industrial production for international markets that existed before the factory system developed. It was not based on factories; goods were produced by peasants and artisans working in their homes in the countryside, under the control of town-based merchants.

One reason merchants preferred the countryside: In towns, powerful craft and trade guilds controlled production, regulated prices, and restricted entry of new merchants. Rulers granted guilds monopoly rights over specific trades, making it very difficult for new merchants to set up business. So they moved to the countryside to organise production freely.

Source: Chapter 4 – The Age of Industrialisation, Section 1 (Before the Industrial Revolution)

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• This is a 3-mark question: ~1 mark for defining proto-industrialisation, ~2 marks for the reason with explanation.
• Examiners expect the key term guilds and their role (monopoly, restricted entry) in the reason — just naming "guilds" without explaining is insufficient for full marks.
• Keep the answer crisp; the definition needs only 1–2 lines.