Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

In Victorian Britain, many industries — gas works, breweries, printing, and waterfront repair — experienced peak demand only in certain seasons. Industrialists hired workers for the season and dismissed them once demand fell. This meant workers like Will Thorne had to walk hundreds of miles seeking seasonal jobs, sleeping under haystacks or in abandoned buildings, with no guarantee of employment on arrival.

This seasonality reveals that industrialisation did not immediately improve workers' living standards. Wages alone do not indicate welfare — the number of days employed determined actual income. After the busy season ended, workers returned to the streets, seeking odd jobs. At best, 10% of urban population remained extremely poor; during slumps, unemployment rose to 35–75% in some regions.

Source: Chapter 4, Section 2 — Hand Labour and Steam Power; Section 2.1 — Life of the Workers

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• The examiner expects two parts: (1) how seasonality shaped workers' lives, and (2) what it reveals about the limits of industrialisation improving living standards.
• Use specific evidence: Will Thorne's account, gas works/breweries, the 10% and 35–75% unemployment statistics.
• Key concept: wages ≠ welfare — days of employment matter. State this explicitly.
• Avoid padding; keep it to 3 focused points within the word limit.