CLASS XII HISTORY SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR REVISION

CLASS XII

HISTORY SAMPLE   QUESTIONS

Q.Mention any two ways of propagation of Dhamma by the Ashoka.                      2

Q.State any two ideas of Karl Marx on the Asiatic mode of production given in the 19th century. 2

Q. Examine any two concerns of health which had given shape to Calcutta town planning during late 18th century.                                                                                                             2

Q.Critically examine the social order of caste hierarchies laid in Dharamshastra & Dharma sutras.                                                                                                                                     4

 Q.Analyze the causes of the decline of Vijayanagara Empire.                                  4

Q.How does the Ain-i-Akbari lay down the physical arrangements of the Mughal court? Explain 4

Q. Examine the Fifth Report submitted to the British Parliament in 1813.               4

Q.Explain the demands of the 1857 rebellions from the British govt.                       4

Q.‘Buddha laid stress on right conduct and values’. In the light of above message, explain his teachings on life                                                                                                   8

Q.In the mid First millennium BCE, the religious thinkers tried to understand the mysteries of existence and relationship between human being and the cosmic world’. Explain     8

12. Explain the role of zamindars in the Mughal India during 16th -17th century.     8

                                                                                                                                     8

Examine the role of Panchayats in the rural society of Mughal Empire.

13. Describe the sources from which we can reconstruct the political career of Gandhiji and the history of nationalist movement.                                                                              8

OR 8 How did the Salt March of 1930 mark a critical important stage in the progress of the anti-imperialist struggle in India? Explain.                                                                    8

THERE CANNOT BE ANY DIVIDED LOYALITY Gobind Ballabh pant argued that in order to become loyal citizens, people had to stop focusing only on the community and the self: For the success of the democracy one must train him in the art of self- discipline. In democracies one should care less for him and more for others. There cannot be any divided loyalty. All loyalties must exclusively be centered on the state. If in a democracy, you create rival loyalties, or you create a system in which any individual or group, instead of suppressing his extravagance, cares not for larger or other interest, then democracy is doomed.

i. Why G.B. Pant wanted to see people as loyal citizens? 2

ii. What are criteria for the success of democracy? 2

iii. How does G.B. Pant define the attributes of a loyal citizen? 3                            2+2+3=7

RITUALS AND THE REAL WORLD

Here is a vachana composed by Basavanna;

When they see a serpent carved in stone they pour milk on it.

If a real serpent comes they say: ‘kill’, ‘kill’.

To the servant of the god who could eat if served they say; ‘Go away’, ‘Go away’!

But to the image of the god which cannot eat they offer dishes of food.

i. Who was Basavanna? 2

ii. From which cult & region he belonged to? 2

iii. Describe Basavanna’s attitude towards rituals. 3                                                  2+2+3=7

THE MOST ANCIENT SYSTEM YET DISCOVERED About the drains, Mackay noted: “It is certainly the most complete ancient System as yet discovered.” Every house was connected to the street drains. The main channels were made of bricks set in mortar and were covered with loose bricks that could be removed for cleaning. In some cases, limestone was used for the covers. House drains first emptied into a sump or cesspit into which solid matter settled while wastewater flowed out into the street drains. Very long drainage channels were provided at intervals with sumps for Cleaning. It is a wonder of archaeology that “little heaps of material, mostly sand, have frequently been found lying alongside drainage channels, which shows… that the debris was not always carted away when the drain was cleared.” From Ernest Mackay, Early Indus Civilization, 1948 drainage systems were not unique to the larger cities, but were found in smaller settlements as well. At Lothal for example, while houses were built of mud bricks, drains were made from burnt bricks.

i. Why has MacKay described this system as complete ancient drainage system? 2

ii. Was the drainage system similar in large & small settlements of Harappa? Support your answer with Facts. 3

iii. How were the drains covered? 2                                                                                    2+3+2=7

MAP QUESTIONS (2+3=5)

17. On the given political outline map of India, locate and label the following with appropriate symbols 1x2=2

a. Lothal

b. Delhi, the imperial capital of Mughal

17.2 On the same outline map of India, three centres related to the Indian National Movement have been marked as A, B and C. identify them and write their correct names on the lines drawn near them. 1x3=3

Q.Why did Akbar show high respect towards the inter-faith debates? Give two reasons    2

 Q.How did Kushanas of first century BCE exemplify themselves with high status?

State any two significant ways                                                                                               2

Q.Compare the racial divide of ‘Black Town’ and ‘White Town’ in colonial India .            2

Q. ‘Epigraphy alone does not provide a full understanding of political and economic

history.’ Justify the statement with its four limitations                                                          4

Q. How have archaeologists used evidence from material remains to piece together

parts of a fascinating Harappa history? Explain                                                                     4

 Q.Why were agricultural tracts incorporated within the fortified area of the

Vijayanagara Empire? Give reasons                                                                                       4

Q. Abu’l Fazl had shaped and articulated the ideas associated with the reign of

Akbar‘. Substantiate the statement in the context Mughal court.                                          4

 Q.What was the Limitation Law of 1859? State its impacts on the ryots.                            4

Q. Critically evaluate Governor General Lord Dalhousie’s policy towards Awadh

during 1850s .                                                                                                                         4

Q.How did Siddhartha come to be known as the Buddha? Explain his philosophy

mentioned in the Sutta-Pitaka .                                                                                  4+4= 8

Q.Describe the sculptural aspects of Sanchi Stupa . State the reasons for the

survival of this Stupa                                                                                                  4+4=8

Q.Analyze the condition of forest dwellers in the Mughal agrarian society.                   8

Q.Examine the role of the village Panchayats in the Mughal period                          8

Q.‘Non cooperation became the epoch in the life of India and of Gandhiji‘. Justify

this statement with examples                                                                                    8

Q.Buried under the debris of the violence and pain of Indian partition is an

enormous history of help, humanity & harmony’. Explain                                         8

SOURCE BASED QUESTIONS

 Read the following excerpt carefully and answer the questions that follow:

. Proper social roles

Here is a story from the Adi Parvan of the Mahabharata:

Once Drona, a Brahmana who taught archery to the Kuru princes, was approached by

Ekalavya, a forest dwelling nishada (a hunting community). When Drona, who knew the

dharma, refused to have him as his pupil, Ekalavya returned to the forest, prepared an

image of Drona out of clay, and treating it as his teacher, began to practise on his own.

In due course, he acquired great skill in archery. One day, the Kuru princes went

hunting and their dog, wandering in the woods, came upon Ekalavya. When the dog

smelt the dark nishada wrapped in black deer skin, his body caked with dirt, it began to

bark. Annoyed, Ekalavya shot seven arrows into its mouth. When the dog returned to

the Pandavas, they were amazed at this superb display of archery. They tracked down

Ekalavya, who introduced himself as a pupil of Drona. Drona had once told his favourite

student Arjuna, that he would be unrivalled amongst his pupils. Arjuna now reminded

Drona about this. Drona approached Ekalavya, who immediately acknowledged and

honoured him as his teacher. When Drona demanded his right thumb as his fee,

Ekalavya unhesitatingly cut it off and offered it. But thereafter, when he shot with his

remaining fingers, he was no longer as fast as he had been before. Thus, Drona kept

his word: no one was better than Arjuna.

Why did Drona refuse to have Eklavya as his pupil? 2

What did Drona demand from Eklavya? How did Eklavya react on it? 3

 Why did Drona ask for such type of gurudakshina? Give reasons. 2

Read the following excerpt carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Education and Entertainment

This is what Ibn Juzayy, who was deputed to write what Ibn Battuta dictated, said in his

introduction:

A gracious direction was transmitted (by the ruler) that he (Ibn Battuta) should dictate anaccount of the cities which he had seen in his travel, and of the interesting events whichhad clung to his memory, and that he should speak of those whom he had met of therulers of countries, of their distinguished men of learning, and their pious saints.Accordingly, he dictated upon these subjects a narrative which gave entertainment tothe mind and delight to the ears and eyes, with a variety of curious particulars by theexposition of which he gave edification and of marvellous things, by referring to which he aroused interest.

Who was Ibn Batuta? 2

 Mention any three exciting things which he noticed in India . 3

How has Ibn Batuta accounted his travelling experience in Rihla? 2

Read the following excerpt carefully and answer the questions that follow:

“The real minorities are the masses of this country’

Welcoming the Objectives Resolution introduced by Jawaharlal Nehru, N.G.

Ranga said:

Sir, there is a lot of talk about minorities. Who are the real minorities? Not the Hindus in the so-called Pakistan provinces, not the Sikhs, not even the Muslims.No, the real minorities are the masses of this country. These people are sodepressed and oppressed and suppressed till now that they are notable to takeadvantage of the ordinary civil rights.What is the position? You go to the tribal areas. According to law, their owntraditional law, their tribal law, their lands cannot be alienated. Yet ourmerchants go there, and in the so-called free market they are able to snatch theirlands. Thus,even though the law goes against this snatching away of their lands,still the merchants are able to turn the tribal people into veritable slaves byvarious kinds of bonds, and make them hereditary bond-slaves. Let us go to theordinary villagers. There goes the money-lender with his money and he is able toget the villagers in his pocket. There is the landlord himself, the zamindar, andthe malguzar and there are the various other people who are able to exploitthese poor villagers. There is no elementary education even among thesepeople. These are the real minorities that need protection and assurances ofprotection. In order to give them the necessary protection, we will need muchmore than this Resolution ...

 On which aspect N G Ranga has drawn attention? 3

 Mention the gulf that separated the broad masses of Indians 2

What kind of protection was needed for the real minority 2

Q.Mention any two strategies that were used to increase agricultural production from the 6thcentury BCE. 2

Q. State any two problems faced by Al Biruni in writing an account of India. 2

Q.What was the attitude of Indian National Congress towards the Second WorldWar? 2

Q.Describe the growth of temple architecture in the early Indian period. 4

Q.On the basis of artifacts how can you trace the agricultural development in

Harappancivilization.4

Q.Explain the main features of Mauryan administration. 4

Q.Mention the main teachings of Buddism.4

Q. Explain that How did the village headman regulated the village society during Mughalperiod. 4

Q. Who were Nayakas and Amara Nayakas? Describe their role in the administration ofVijyanagara Empire. 4

Q. Mention the main features of Mughal provincial administration. 4

Q.List any five ways in which the taluqdars of Awadh were affected by the British policy.4

Q.. What were the suggestions’ of CabinetMission . 4

Q. Describe the life style of the Pahariyas in the late 19th century.4

Q. What steps would have been taken to create better unity among the people in the revoltof 1857? 4

Q.Explain Why the Zamindars were central to the agrarian relations in the Mughal period?8

Explain How the fortification and roads in the city of Vijyanagara were unique and

Impressive?

Q.Explain any four changes that came about in the social life in the new cities under colonialrule. 8

What were the causes of Quit India Movement of 1942? Mention its importance in the National Movement.8

Passage Based Questions

Read the given Extract carefully and answer the questions that follow:

In praise of Samudragupta

This is an excerpt from the PrayagaPrashasti:

He was without an antagonist on earth; he, by the overflowing of the multitude of (his)

many good qualities adorned by hundreds of good actions, has wiped off the fame of other

kings with the soles of (his) feet; (he is) Purusha(the Supreme Being), being the cause of

the prosperity of the good and the destruction of the bad (he is)incomprehensible; (he is)

one whose tender heart can be captured only by devotion and humility; (he is)possessed of

compassion; (he is) the giver of many hundred-thousands of cows; (his) mind has received

ceremonial initiation for the uplift of the miserable, the poor, the forlorn and the suffering;

(he is) resplendent and embodied kindness to mankind; (he is) equal to (the gods) Kubera

(the god ofwealth), Varuna (the god of the ocean), Indra (the god of rains) and Yama (the

god of death)…

(i) What do you meant by prashasti? Who was the author of this prashasti? 2+1=3

(ii) Who was Samudragupta?2

(iii) Which features of Samudragupta are given in this passage? 2

Sanchi in the nineteenth century

The most wonderful ancient buildings in the state of Bhopal are at Sanchi Kanakhera, a

small village under the brow of a hill some 20 miles north-east of Bhopal which we visited

yesterday. We inspected the stone sculptures and statues of the Buddha and an ancient

gateway … The ruins appear to be the object of great interest to European gentlemen.Major Alexander Cunningham … stayed several weeks in this neighbourhood andexamined these ruins most carefully. He took drawings of the place, deciphered theinscription, and bored shafts down these domes. The results of his investigations weredescribed by him in an English work …

(i) Name two begums of Bhopal Whose given grants for Sanchi Stupa.2

(ii) Who was Cunningham?2

2(iii) What steps have taken by Bhopal’s begum to preserve SanchiStuppa?3

Rituals and the real world

18. Here is a vachana composed by Basavanna:When they see a serpent carved in stone

they pour milk on it.If a real serpent comes they say: “Kill. Kill.”To the servant of the godwho could eat if served they say:“Go away! Go away!”But to the image of the god whichcannot eat they offer dishes of food

i) Who was Bassavanna? 1

ii) Which religious community was founded by him? 2

(iii)Are these traditions followed even today? 2

(iv)Mention any two teachings of this religious society. 2

How tanks were built

About a tank constructed by Krishna deva Raya, Paes wrote:

The king made a tank … at the mouth of two hills so that all the water which comes from

either

one side or the other collects there; and, besides this, water comes to it from more than

three

leagues (approximately 15kilometres) by pipes which run along the lower parts of the

range outside. This water is brought from a lake which itself overflows into a little river.

The tank has three large pillars handsomely carved with figures; these connect above with

certain pipes by which they get water when they have to irrigate their gardens and ricefields.

In order to make this tank the said king broke down a hill … In the tank I saw so

many people at work that there must have been fifteen or twenty thousand

(i)Who was Krishna Deva Raya? Mention his two achievements. 1+2=3

(ii)Why did water management important for Vijyanagara? 3

(iii)How did Krishnadeva Raya built water tank? 2

Charkha.

19) Mahatma Gandhi was profoundly critical of the modern age in which machines

enslaved humans and displaced labour. He saw the charkha as a symbol of a human society

that would not glorify machines and technology. The spinning wheel, moreover, could

provide the poor with supplementary income and make them self-reliant. What I object to,

is the craze for machinery as such. The craze is for what they call labour saving machinery.

Men go on “saving labour”,till thousands are without work and thrown on the open streets

to die of starvation. I want to save time and labour, not for a fraction of mankind, but for

all; I want the concentration of wealth, not in the hands of few, but in the hands of all.

YOUNG INDIA, I3 NOVEMBER 1924

(i)Why did Gandhiji supported charkha? 3

(ii)For this purpose What steps taken by Gandhiji? 3

(iii)Mention any two achievements of Ganiji. 2

What should the qualities of a national language be ?

A few months before his death Mahatma Gandhi reiterated his views on the language

question: This Hindustani should be neither Sanskritised Hindi nor Persianised Urdu but

a combination of both. It should also freely admit words wherever necessary from

the different regional languages and also assimilate words from foreign languages,

provided

that they can mix well and easily with our national language. Thus our national language

must

develop into a rich and powerful instrument capable of expressing the whole gamut

of human thought and feelings. To confine oneself to Hindi or Urdu would be crime

against intelligence and the spirit of patriotism

.

(i)Why did Gandhiji supported Hindustani as National language? 3

(ii)What were the features of Hindustani language? 2

(iii)How did constituent assembly solved the issue of National language 3

MAP QUESTION

Mark any five sites of Harappa civilization on an outline political map of India. 5

OR

Mark any five centers of the revolt of 1857 on an outline political map of India.