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CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 History Set 3 with Solutions
Time: 3 Hours.
Max. Marks: 70
General Instructions:
- Question paper comprises five Sections – A, B, C, D and E. There are 34 questions in the question paper. All questions are compulsory.
- Section A – Question 1 to 21 are MCQs of 1 mark each.
- Section B – Question no. 22 to 27 are Short Answer Type Questions, carrying 3 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 60-80 words.
- Section C – Question no. 28 to 30 are Long Answer Type Questions, carrying 8 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 300-350 words.
- Section D – Question no. 31 to 33 are Source based questions with three sub questions and are of 4 marks each.
- Section E – Question no. 34 is Map based, carrying 5 marks that includes the identification and location of significant test items. Attach the map with the answer book.
Section – A (21 Marks)
Question 1.
Identify the ruler of the with the following set of information: [1]
• They generally ruled over the Southern areas of India
• They generally adopted the name of their mothers.
A. Kushanas
B. Sakas
C. Satavahanas
D. Chalukyas
Answer:
C. Satavahanas
Question 2.
Which of the following men persuaded the Buddhist monks to allow the entry of women in the Sangha? [1]
A. Ananda
B. Mogaliputta Tissa
C. Siddhartha
D. None of the above
Answer:
A. Ananda
Question 3.
Match the following and select the correct option: [1]
| List- I | List – II |
| 1. Endogamy | a. Marriage outside clan |
| 2. Exogamy | b. A man having many wives |
| 3. Polygamy | c. A woman having several husbands |
| 4. Polyandry | d. Marriage within same clan |
A. 1 – b, 2- c, 3 -d, 4- a
B. 1 – a, 2- d, 3 -c, 4- b
C. 1 – c, 2- b, 3 -d, 4- a
D. 1 – d, 2- a, 3 -b, 4- c
Answer:
D. 1 – d, 2- a, 3 -b, 4- c
Question 4.
Due to which of the following the Buddhist monks were known as Bhikhus? [1]
A. They lived on alms.
B. They always lived in the state of fasting.
C. They followed the ideas of Buddha.
D. They renounced God.
Answer:
A. They lived on alms.
Question 5.
Identify the given image from the following options: [1]
A. Scene from Mahabharata
B. Scene from Ramayana
C. Scene from Tripitaka
D. Scene from Battle of Kalinga
Answer:
A. Scene from Mahabharata
Question 6.
Buddha gave his first sermon at ________. [1]
A. Sarnath
B. Vaishali
C. Kushingara
D. Lumbini
Answer:
A. Sarnath
Question 7.
Krishnadeva Raya belonged to the ________ dynasty. [1]
A. Saluva
B. Tuluva
C. Chola
D. Sangama
Answer:
B. Tuluva
Question 8.
Fill in the blank :
The Mughal texts were generally written in the ________ language. [1]
A. Arabic
B. Urdu
C. Persian
D. Hindi
Answer:
C. Persian
Question 9.
Find out the correct chronological order of the following events related to the Vijayanagara Empire from the following options : [1]
I. Establishment of Sangama Dynasty
II. Construction of Virupaksha Temple
III. Battle of Rakshas Tangdi
IV. Death of Deva Raya II
Options:
A. I, II, IV & III
B. II, III, IV & I
C. Ill, II, I & IV
D. IV, II, I & III
Answer:
A. I, II, IV & III
Question 10.
Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R). [1]
Assertion (A): The centre of the Mughal power was the court.
Reason (R): The Mughals were religiously tolerant.
A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
B. Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
C. (A) is correct, but (R) is not correct.
D. (R) is correct, but (A) is not correct.
Answer:
B. Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Question 11.
Complete the following with the correct option :
Nicolo De Conti : Italy :: Afanasy Nikitin : ________. [1]
A. Russia
B. Italy
C. Portugal
D. Britain
Answer:
A. Russia
Question 12.
Which among the following is correctly matched? [1]
| List – I | List – II |
| A. Jizya | Land Tax |
| B. Harem | Women Household |
| C. Taj Mahal | Jehangir |
| D. Red Fort | Akbar |
Answer:
B. Harem – Women Household
Question 13.
Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R). [1]
Assertion (A): Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was against the idea of the separate electorates.
Reason (R): He felt that the separate electorates can break the unity of the nation.
A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
B. Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
C. (A) is correct, but (R) is not correct.
D. (R) is correct, but (A) is not correct.
Answer:
A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Question 14.
Consider the following statements and select the correct from the following options: [1]
I. It took approximately two years and nine months for its formation.
II. It had eleven sessions in total.
III. All the drafts of the constitution were thoroughly discussed.
Options :
A. II & III
B. I &III
C. I, II & III
D. I & II
Answer:
C. I, II & III
Question 15.
Which of the following leaders moved the “Objectives Resolution”? [1]
A. Jawahar Lai Nehru
B. Sardar Patel
C. Rajendra Prasad
D. C.R. Das
Answer:
A. Jawahar Lai Nehru
Question 16.
Who has written the Prayag Prashasti? [1]
A. Harisena
B. Kalidasa
C. Banabhatta
D. None of these
Answer:
A. Harisena
Question 17.
In which of the following places does the birth of Buddha take place? [1]
A. Lumbini
B. Bodh Gaya
C. Kushinagar
D. Sarnath
Answer:
A. Lumbini
Question 18.
Which of the following rulers rebuilt Sudarshana Lake? [1]
A. Gautami-putra Siri-Satakami
B. Rudradaman
C. Ashoka
D. Harsha
Answer:
B. Rudradaman
Question 19.
Find out from the following pairs which one is NOT correctly matched: [1]
A. John Marshall: ASI
B. Alexander Cunningham: First DG ASI
C. Harappa : Daya Ram Sahni
D. Mohenjodaro: Colin Campbell
Answer:
D. Mohenjodaro: Colin Campbell
Question 20.
Who was the last Mughal ruler? [1]
A. Shah Alam II
B. Bahadur Shah Zafar
C. Farukh Siyar
D. Dara Shikoh
Answer:
B. Bahadur Shah Zafar
Question 21.
The Kingdom of Awadh was formally annexed to the British Empire in: [1]
A. 1846
B. 1856
C. 1866
D. 1860
Answer:
B. 1856
Section – B (18 Marks)
Question 22.
What were the six means of acquiring wealth for women as per the Manusmriti? [3]
OR
What kind of wealth women were allowed to possess?
Answer:
A woman had the right to all the gifts she received during her marriage, the gifts that she received as affection from her relatives, i.e., her brother, father and mother solely belong to her. Apart from this, the gifts that were given by her husband as a token of affection also belong to her.
OR
Women generally did not have any share in the property of their parents. However, they had the right to possess some forms of wealth.
1. The gifts that she received during her marriage were possessed by her and she had the sole right over them.
2. These gifts can be carried forward to her children and her husband had no right over them.
Question 23.
Describe the ceremonies performed in Mahanavami Dibba. [3]
Answer:
The ceremonies performed on the occasion included worship of the image, worship of the state horse, and the sacrifice of buffaloes and other animals. Dances, wrestling matches, and processions of caparisoned horses, elephants and chariots and soldiers, as well as ritual presentations before the king and his guests by the chief nayakas and subordinate kings marked the occasion.
These ceremonies were imbued with deep symbolic meanings. On the last day of the festival the king inspected his army and the armies of the nayakas in a grand ceremony in an open field. On this occasion the nayakas brought rich gifts for the king as well as the stipulated tribute.
Question 24.
Why Gandhi was regarded as the ‘people’s’ leader? [3]
Answer:
Gandhi was regarded as the people’s leader and most of the people referred Gandhiji, as their “Mahatma”. They appreciated the fact that he dressed like them, lived like them, and spoke their language. He spent part of each day working on the charkha (spinning wheel), and encouraged other nationalists to do likewise. Gandhiji appeared to the Indian peasant as a saviour, who would rescue them from high taxes and oppressive officials and restore dignity and autonomy to their lives.
Question 25.
How the members of the Constituent Assembly were elected? [3]
Answer:
The members of the Constituent Assembly were indirectly elected:
1. The elections to the Provincial Legislatures were held during the years 1945-1946.
2. The members that were elected in the Provincial Legislatures chose the representatives of the Constituent Assembly.
Question 26.
What were the sources of revenue of village panchayats during the Mughal rule in India? [3]
Answer:
According to the Ain-i-Akbari, the sources of revenue of village panchayats during the Mughal rule in India were mainly as follows:
1. A Panchayat derived its funds from contributions made by individuals to a common financial pool.
2. Panchayats also had the authority to levy fines.
3. Different types of agricultural taxes were used as a source of revenue.
Question 27.
What was the fixed set of events that were observed during the riots in the Bombay Deccan?
OR
Why did the zamindars regularly default on the payment of rents on their estates to the British government? [3]
Answer:
The revolt in the Bombay Deccan expanded to over 6,500 square km of area in a short time. Some of the fixed events that took place during the riots were:
1. The sahukars were attacked at almost every place of revolt.
2. The account books of the sahukars and the debt bonds were burned down by the ryots.
3. The sahukars used to flee the village to save their lives, leaving behind their properties and belongings.
OR
There were several reasons behind this:
1. The initial demands of the rents by the British government were very high. This was done by the government because in future the prices of the lands would increase significantly.
2. The agricultural output was low during the 1790s due to which the farmers were unable to pay their rents. Due to this, the zamindars did not have sufficient revenue.
3. The revenue collected was invariable and did not consider the period of bad harvest, famine and natural disasters.
4. The Permanent Settlement Act also limited the powers of the zamindars during its initial period.
5. All the powers of the zamindars and provisions related to their lands were regulated by the British government.
Section – C (24 Marks)
Question 28.
Discuss in detail the drainage system of the Harappan cities?
OR
Discuss the features of the residential buildings in Mohenjodaro? [8]
Answer:
One of the most astonishing features of the Harappan civilisation was the drainage system of their cities. It was very carefully planned. Some of its features are:
1. The streets and towns in the cities were laid out in a grid pattern intersecting at the right angles.
2. The streets had proper drains at regular intervals having a fixed pattern.
3. Every house was connected with the drainage system for carrying out the waste to the disposal centre.
4. There were cesspits at regular intervals so that any issue with the blockage of the drainage can be easily resolved.
5. The drainage system of the Harappan cities was the sign of the engineering genius of the people of Harappa.
OR
The Lower Town in the Mohenjodaro have numerous examples of residential buildings:
1. Many of the buildings were centred around the courtyard and the rooms were spread on all the sides.
2. The courtyard served as the main Centre of several activities like weaving, cooking, etc.
3. The residential buildings gave special emphasis to privacy as there were no windows in the walls closer to the ground.
4. Houses used to have their bathrooms whose drainage system was connected to the streets.
Question 29.
Examine why Bernier described the Mughal towns as the ‘Camp Towns’.
OR
Explain Al-Biruni’s description of caste system. [8]
Answer:
Bernier described Mughal cities as ‘camp towns’.
The reasons were as follows:
1. By camp towns, he means those towns that depended for their survival on the imperial court.
2. He believed that these towns came into existence when the imperial court moved in the area and rapidly lost their importance when imperial court moved out.
3. These towns became significant with the royal patronage, basically they did not have any other social and economic foundations.
4. During the Mughal period, 15 per cent of the population lived in these ‘camp towns’ according to Bernier.
OR
1. Al-Birurii’s description of the caste system was influenced by his study of the Sanskrit texts.
2. These texts were written by the Brahmanas and followed the four divisions of varna.
3. Al-Biruni accepted this division. According to him, the Brahmana was created from the head of God, Brahma and regarded as the highest caste of society.
4. The next caste in the order was Kashatriyas, who were created from the shoulders and hands of Brahma.
5. After them followed the Vaishyas, who were created from the thigh of Brahma.
6. The Shudras were created from the feet of Brahma.
7. However, as these classes differed from each other, they lived together in the same town and villages, mixed together in the same houses and lodgings.
8. In real life, this system was not quite as rigid.
Question 30.
What were some of the ways using which the zamindars maintained control over their estates even after defaulting on the payment of rents?
OR
What were the features of the Fifth Report? Explain in detail. [8]
Answer:
There were several methods used by the zamindars to maintain their control over their lands. By taking the example of Raja of Burdwan, it can be understood as follows:
1. There were fictitious manoeuvres of the land. The Raja used to transfer some of his estates to his mother’s name as the British declared that the property of the women would not be taken over.
2. During the auctions of the lands, the agents of the Raja used to purchase the land.
3. The purchased land by the agents of the Raja again defaulted on the payment of rents and the land was again auctioned. This process continued until the zamindars got their lands back.
4. Even if the lands were taken over by other zamindars of different districts, it was very difficult for them to establish their authority over the lands. The agents of new zamindars faced resistance from the guards of the former zamindars.
5. Even the local people stayed loyal to their zamindars and resisted the takeover of the estates by other zamindars.
OR
The Fifth Report was an important report that highlighted the working of the East India Company in India and the issues faced by them.
Some of the features of the report were:
1. The report was submitted to the British Parliament in the year 1813 and it was a 1002-page-long report.
2. The report consisted of the petitions produced by the zamindars and the ryots during the Permanent Settlement Act in Bengal.
3. The reports produced by the Collectors employed in different districts were also mentioned in the document.
4. The statistical reports related to the revenue of the districts in Bengal and other parts were also mentioned in the report.
5. The matters related to the administration of judicial and revenue matters in the states of Bengal and Madras were also a part of the report.
Section – D (12 Marks)
Question 31.
Read the following source carefully and answer the questions that follow: [4]
To some extent, exchanges were facilitated by the introduction of coinage. Punch-marked coins made of silver and copper (c. sixth century BCE onwards) were amongst the earliest to be minted and used. These have been recovered from excavations at several sites throughout the subcontinent. Numismatists have studied these and other coins to reconstruct possible commercial networks.
Attempts made to identify the symbols on punch-marked coins with specific ruling dynasties, including the Mauryas, suggest that these were issued by kings. It is also likely that merchants, bankers and town’s people issued some of these coins. The first coins to bear the names and images of rulers were issued by the Indo-Greeks, who established control over the north-western part of the subcontinent c. second century BCE.
(i) What was the medium used for exchanging different commodities?
Answer:
Punch-marked coins became an important medium for the exchange of goods. They were generally made of silver and copper.
(ii) Who are Numismatists?
Answer:
Numismatists are the professionals who studies about the coins. They study different aspects related to the origin, utility, design and other specifications of the coins.
(iii) Who issued the coins?
Answer:
The coins were generally issued by the ruler of the ruling dynasty. But there are possibilities that some of the rich merchants and bankers would have also issued coins for trading purposes.
Question 32.
Read the following source carefully and answer the questions that follow: [4]
We often take the terms Hindu and Muslim for granted, as labels for religious communities. Yet, these terms did not gain currency for a very long time. Historians who have studied Sanskrit texts and inscriptions dating between the eighth and fourteenth centuries point out that the term musalman or Muslim was virtually never used.
Instead, people were occasionally identified in terms of the region from which they came. So, the Turkish rulers were designated as Turushka, Tajika were people from Tajikistan and Parashika were people from Persia. Sometimes, terms used for other people were applied to the new migrants. For instance, the Turks and Afghans were referred to as Shakas and Yavanas (a term used for Greeks).
A more general term for these migrant communities was mlechchha, indicating that they did not observe the norms of caste society and spoke languages that were not derived from Sanskrit. Such terms sometimes had a derogatory connotation, but they rarely denoted a distinct religious community of Muslims in opposition to Hindus.
(i) The usage of the term Hindu and Muslim was not common in early times. Comment.
Answer:
According to historians, the common terms Hindu and Muslims for representing religious communities were not been used commonly for a long period.
(ii) What identification pattern was used for the people having different descent?
Answer:
The people were generally named and identified after the region of their origin. For example, the Turkish rulers were referred to as Turushka, Tajika were the people belonging from Tajikistan.
(iii) Who were designated as “Mlechchha”?
Answer:
Mlechachha was the term used for the migrant communities in India. These communities generally did not observe the norms of the caste society. In addition, they did not speak the Sanskrit language.
Question 33.
Read the following source carefully and answer the questions that follow: [4]
Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was dethroned and exiled to Calcutta on the plea that the region was being misgoverned. The British government also wrongly assumed that Wajid Ali Shah was an unpopular ruler. On the contrary, he was widely loved, and when he left his beloved Lucknow, there were many who followed him all the way to Kanpur singing songs of lament.
The widespread sense of grief and loss at the Nawab’s exile was recorded by many contemporary which did not wail out the cry of agony in separation of Jan-i-Alam.” One folk song bemoaned that “the honourable English came and took the country” (Angrez Bahadur ain, mulklailinho).
This emotional upheaval was aggravated by immediate material losses. The removal of the Nawab led to the dissolution of the court and its culture. Thus a whole range of people -musicians, dancers, poets, artisans, cooks, retainers, and administrative officials and so on- lost their livelihood.
(i) Why did people bemoan and show an emotional upheaval?
Answer:
People bemoaned and showed the emotional upheaval due to:
1. Allegation of misrule and maladministration on Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.
2. Nawab was removed.
3. Dissolution of court and culture.
4. They were in grief because Nawab was overthrown.
(ii) What human values are revealed in the above passage?
Answer:
Human values revealed in the passage:
1. Affection for the nawab.
2. Respect for the ruler.
3. Patriotic feelings for the region.
(iii) Who lost their livelihood?
Answer:
Musicians, dancers, poets, artisans, cooks, retainers, and administrative officials and so on- lost their livelihood.
Section – E (5 Marks)
Question 34.
34.1.
On the given political map of India, locate and label the following with appropriate symbols: [3]
I. Rakhigarhi – Indus Valley Site
II. Kaushambi – Ashokan Pillar Inscription
III. Amritsar – A Main Centre of the National Movement
OR
Ujjain – Capital of Avanti
34.2. On the same outline map, two places have been marked as ‘A’ and ‘B’, as the centres of the Revolt of 1857. Identify them and write their correct names on the lines drawn near them. [2]
Answer:
