Chapter 3 Utility Practice Question

Source B
An account of an Indian immigrant.

After the drought wiped out his crops, Mr Veerasamy Sivalingam, 24, was forced to leave his village near Madras (present-day Chennai) to find a job in the city. But the jobs were scarce so he decided to come to Singapore in 1822. According to Mr Veerasamy, “The moment I landed, I heard some men calling for labourers. Two sahibs* wanted to move a hill and dump it in a river. They offered us a rupee a day. Back in Madras, I dig the earth every day but still my belly remains empty. Here, I do the same but will never go hungry.”

* sahibs- Arabic term for gentleman

Adapted from ‘Journey through 1000 years of Asia’s History’ by the Straits Times, 2000

a) How useful is the source in explaining the reasons why immigrants came to Singapore? Explain your answer. [6m]

Remember the steps that we discussed in class!