Students can access the CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 History with Solutions and marking scheme Term 2 Set 2 will help students in understanding the difficulty level of the exam.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 History Term 2 Set 2 with Solutions
Time allowed: 2 Hours
Maximum Marks: 40
General Instructions:
- This Question paper is divided into four sections-Section A, B, C and D.
- All questions are compulsory.
- Section-A: Question no. 1 to 4 are Short Answer type questions of 3 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 80 words.
- Section-B: Question no. 5 to 7 are Long Answer type questions, carrying 6 marks. Answer to this question should not exceed 150-200 words.
- Section-C: Question no. 8 and 9 are Case Based questions, carrying 4 marks each with subparts.
- Section-D: Question no. 10 is map based, carrying 2 marks.
- There is no overall choice in the question paper. However, an internal choice has been
provided in a few questions. Only one of the choices in such questions have to be attempted. - In addition to this, separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary.
Section – A
Short Answer Questions
Question 1.
Why is a chronicle considered to be ‘a useful source’ in reconstructing the past? (3)
Answer:
Chronicles are an important source for historians to reconstruct the past because
- They provide details and information about events rather than time and order in which they happened.
- They provide important evidence if they are produced close to the site of events they describe and give valuable evidence about the event.
- They provide a chronological series of events.
- They are an indispensable source of information for any historian who wishes to write about Mughal history.
- It is a repository of factual information about the institutions of Mughal State.
- They were conveyers of meanings that Mughal rulers wanted to impose in their regime.
- They give a glimpse of imperial ideologies created to be disseminated.
- They were written in order to project an enlightened vision of the kingdom.
Question 2.
Give a brief account of the creation of manuscripts in Mughal India.
Answer:
A manuscript was traditionally any document written by hand on paper, bark, cloth, metal, palm leaf etc. They are useful sources of information. The creation of manuscripts in Mughal India and people involved in the production were:
(1) The center of manuscript production was the imperial Kitabkhana.
(2) The creation of manuscripts involved a number of people performing a variety of tasks. Paper makers were needed to prepare folios of the manuscripts, scribes or calligraphers to copy the text, gliders to illuminate the pages, painters to illustrate the scenes from the text, bookbinders to gather the individual folios and set them within ornamental covers.
(3) People involved in the actual production of the manuscript also got recognition in the form of titles and awards.
(4) Calligraphers and painters held high social standing while paper maker and bookbinders remained anonymous artisans.
(5) The finished manuscript was a work of intellectual wealth and beauty. It exemplified the power of the emperor.
Question 3.
Differentiate between moderates and extremists. (3)
Answer:
| Moderates | Extremists |
| Moderates were leaders who believed in liberalism and moderate politics. Among the various leaders who were the moderates included Dadabhai Naoroji, S.N. Banerjee, Pherozshah Mehta and others. | Extremists believed in militant nationalism. The leaders who were Extremists were Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal and Bal Gangadhar Tilak |
| The supporters of Moderates were the upper middle class and the zamindars. | The supporters of Extremists were educated middle class and lower sections of the population of India. |
| Moderates believed in reforms with the support of the British government. | Extremists believed in complete independence from the British. |
| Moderates were loyal to the crown they wanted changes in the Constitution and increased participation of Indians in the government. | Extremists were against the British government and wanted complete Independence. |
| The methods of Moderates were Constitutional. | Extremists didn’t believe in Constitutional methods. |
Question 4.
What was the Permanent Settlement introduced by the Britishers in India? Explain its features. (3)
Or
Why did the auction of Burdwan district take place? (3)
Answer:
Permanent Settlement was an agreement between East India Company and Bengali landlords to fix revenue to be raised from the land that had far reaching consequences for both agricultural productivity and methods in the entire British empire.
It was introduced in Bengal and Bihar and later in the South district of Madras and later in Varanasi. The system eventually spread all over North India by a series of regulations dated 1st May, 1793. These regulations were remained in place until Charter Act of 1833.
The feature of Permanent Settlement were
- The zamindars were made hereditary owners of the land under their possession. They and their successors exercised total control over their lands.
- The zamindars could purchase and sell lands.
- The state had no direct contact with the peasantry.
- The company’s share of revenue was fixed with the zamindars on a permanent basis.
- It involved three parties the British government, zamindars and the ryot or peasants.
- The estates who failed to pay the amount of tax to the British Government were auctioned to recover the amount.
Or
The auction of Burdwan district took place because the estates of Burdwan district failed to pay the amount of revenue to the British government. The Bengal area after the Permanent Settlement saw 75 percent of zamindars changed hands after Permanent Settlement due to failure of Tax payments as agreed according to the clauses of the settlement with the British government.
The East India Company had fixed the revenue that each zamindar had to pay. The states which failed to pay the revenue were to be auctioned to recover the revenue. Since, the raja had accumulated huge arrears his estates had to be put for auction.
In 1797, auction of Burdwan was a big public event. Numerous purchasers came to the auction and the estates were sold to the highest bidder. Many purchasers turned out to be the servants of the raja who bought the land on behalf of their master.
Section – B
Long Answer Questions
Question 5.
Explain the role of rebels like Shah Mai and Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah in the Revolt of 1857. (6)
Answer:
The role of rebels like Shah Mai and Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah in the Revolt of 1857 was
(i) Shah Mai was a local villager who led a band of farmers in fighting against the British forces during the conflict of 1857.
(ii) Shah Mai mobilised the headmen and the cultivators of eighty four villages urging people to revolt against the Britishers.
(iii) Their revolt turned into a rebellion as Shah Mai’s men attacked government buildings destroyed bridges over the river etc to prevent government officials from entering the village. Shah Mai was killed in the battle of 1857 but his remarkable contribution in the 1857 Revolt cannot be forgotton.
(iv) Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah was another leader who mobilised the masses against the British rule in India. Educated in Hyderabad, he became a preacher.
(v) In 1856 he moved from village to village preaching religious war against the British and urging people to rebel. He came to be known for his courage and power. Both Shah Mai and Maulvi Ahmadullah khan in their own distinctive ways participated and led the Revolt of 1857.
Question 6.
Divergent forces shaped the Constitution. Explain. (6)
Or
Expain the divergent views on the language debate in the Constituent Assembly of India.
Answer:
Many historical forces contributed to give the Constitution its present shape. These can be studied by the following:
(i) Constituent Assembly : First and foremost is the influence of the Constituent Assembly in shaping the Constitution. It was elected in October 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan. Its members were chosen on the basis of the provincial elections of 1946. The members sent by the Princely States were also included in the Constituent Assembly.
(ii) Representation of Different Interests and Groups : Some members of the Constituent Assembly were socialists in their views, whereas some others were supporters of the rights of ‘Zamindars’. Representation to different religions and castes was also given. Similarly, independent members and women were also nominated. All these members played their part in shaping the Constitution.
(iii) Views of Legal Experts A particular attention was given to ensure that some legal experts were also included in the Constituent Assembly. Dr BR Ambedkar, who was a renowned lawyer was one of the most influential members. He was also the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution. KM Munshi and Alladi Krishnaswamy Aiyar were other legal experts in the Assembly.
(iv) Public Opinion Suggestions from the public were also welcomed. It had the effect of creating a sense of collective participation and had a considerable influence on the discussions of the Constituent Assembly.
(v) Linguistic and Religious Minorities Linguistic minorities demanded ‘freedom of speech in mother-tongue’ and the ‘redistribution of provinces on linguistic basis.’ In the same way, religious minorities demanded special safeguards. Thus, the present Constitution of India is the by product of many historical forces which played constructive role in making it as a living document.
Or
The language issue was intensely debated in the Constituent Assembly. RV Dhulekar, Shrimati G Durgabai, Shri Shankarrao Deo and TA Ramalingam Chettiar were prominent members of the Constituent Assembly who gave their remarkable views on language.
(i) View of RV Dhulekar : RV Dhulekar, a Congressman from the United Provinces, made a strong plea that Hindi must be used as the language of the Constitution making. According to him, those people who does not understand Hindustani, they should not participate in the making of the Constitution. Many members of the assembly became agitated and the controversy regarding language continued over the next three years.
(ii) View of Shrimati G Durgabai Shrimati : G Durgabai from Madras expressed her worry that this controversy made the non-Hindi speaking people to think that other powerful languages of India would be neglected and it was an obstacle for the composite culture of our nation. She accepted Hindustani as the language of the people.
But its character was changed, as it took many Urdu words and regional vocabulary. Durgabai believed that this composite character of Hindustani was bound to create anxieties and fears among different language groups.
(iii) View of Shri Shankarrao Deo : He was member of Assembly from Bombay. He stated that as a Congressmen and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi he had accepted Hindustani as a language of the nation. However, he cautioned the Assembly not to raise fear and suspicions of linguistic minorities.
(iv) View of TA Ramalingam Chettiar: He was member of Assembly from Madras, he emphasised that whatever was done had to be done with caution. He further argued that there should be mutual adjustments and no question of forcing things on people.
Question 7.
Gandhi transformed the Indian National Movement making it a Mass movement. Explain the methods he adopted to make it into a Mass movement. (6)
Or
Primary sources of the British period help the present day historian to reconstruct the political career of Gandhiji and the history of National Movement. Explain.
Answer:
Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the National Movement did not merely remain a movement of the intellectuals and the professionals. Thousands of farmers, labourers and artisans started participating in it. Hence, soon it became a mass movement.
The methods adopted by Gandhiji for this were.
(i) Gandhiji Popularised the Simple Way of Living : Gandhiji lived a simple life which was liked by the common people. He wore clothes like a poor farmer or a worker. His way of living was also like a common man. He believed in simplicity. All these inspired the common people.
(ii) Use of ‘Charkha’ to break Social Customs : The Charkha symbolised the importance of manual labours and also self-reliance. Gandhiji himself worked on the spinning wheel. He also inspired others to operate the spinning wheel. The job of spinning cotton helped Gandhiji to break the wall of distinction between mental and physical labour prevalent in the traditional caste system.
(iii) Rumours about Miracles of Gandhiji : The rumours that spread about the miracles of Gandhiji made him very popular. He had become a household name due to which most of the people jumped in the struggle for freedom and whole heartedly participated in the National Movement for freedom.
(iv) Participation of Women : Moved by Gandhiji’s call, women began to participate in the National Movement. In urban areas, they came from high caste families and in rural areas, they came from rich peasant households. In this way, Gandhiji changed the way of Indian Politics.
Or
(i) The primary sources of the British that help the present-day historians to reconstruct the political career of Gandhiji and the history of National Movement are
(ii) Public Voice and Private Scripts : The first important source is the writing and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi and his contemporaries including his associates and political adversaries. Speeches make us understand the public voice of an individual whereas private letter give a glimpse of his or her private thoughts.
Mahatma Gandhi used to publish the letters written to him in his journal, ‘Harijan’. Nehru also edited letters written to him during the national movement and published A Bunch of Old Letters’.
(iii) Autobiography : It give us an account of the past related to the person. They are often rich in human detail. But autobiographies are to be read and interpreted carefully as they are retrospective accounts written very often from memory.
Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography ‘My Experiment with Truth’ throw light on his various facet about his personalilty. Similarly other freedom fighter’s autobiography also helps in reconstruction of the history of National Movement.
(iv) Government Records : Compared to the public voice and private scripts and autobiography, the government records presents a vivid picture about Gandhiji and history of national movement. It comprised of letters and reports written by policemen and other officials who viewed it from the different perspective.
For example, in fortnightly reports prepared by Home Department, the Salt March was seen as a drama, a desperate effort of Gandhiji to mobilise unwilling people against the British Raj, who were happy under the British rule. These sources suffer from biasness and prejudice against Gandhiji and national movement.
(v) Newspaper : The newspaper, published in English as well as in different Indian languages, tracked Mahatma Gandhi’s movements and reported on his activities. It also gives an account of people’s reaction.
Similar to the government accounts, they may also suffer from biasness and prejudices, as they were published by people who had their own political opinions and world views. For example, the newspaper report from London gave different account of the same event when compared it with an Indian nationalist paper.
Section – C
Source Based Questions
Question 8.
Read the source given below and answer the following questions.
Abu’l Fazl gives a vivid account of Akbar’s darbar:
Whenever his Majesty (Akbar) holds court (darbar) a large drum is beaten, the sounds of which are accompanied by Divine praise. In this manner, people of all classes receive notice. His Majesty’s sons and grandchildren, the grandees of the Court and all other men who have admittance, attend to make the komish and remain standing in their proper places.
Learned men of renown and skilful mechanics pay their respects; and the officers of justice present their reports. His Majesty, with his usual insights, gives orders and settles everything in a satisfactory manner.
During the whole time, skilful gladiators and wrestlers from all countries hold themselves in readiness and singers, male and female, are in waiting. Clever jugglers and funny tumblers also are anxious to exhibit their dexterity and agility.
(i) Name the people or person who did not attend to make the Komish in Akbar’s darbar. (1)
(ii) Name the book that was written by Abu’l Fazl. (1)
(iii) What is Komish? (2)
Answer:
(i) Women of the imperial household did not attend to make the Komish in Akbar’s darbar.
(ii) Ain-i-Akbari was written by Abu’l Fazl.
(iii) Komish is a ceremonial salutation where the courtier placed his palm of his right hand against his forehead and bend his forehead.
Question 9.
Read the source given below and answer the following questions.
The Accessible Emperor : In the account of his experiences, Monserrate, who was a member of the first Jesuit mission, says: It is hard to exaggerate how accessible he (Akbar) makes himself to all who wish audience of him.
For he creates an opportunity almost every day for any of the common people or of the nobles to see him and to converse with him; and he endeavours to show himself pleasant spoken and affable rather than severe towards all who come to speak with him.
It is very remarkable that how great an effect this courtesy and affability has in attaching him to the minds of his subjects.
(i) Who were Jesuits? How did they establish their network in India? (1)
(ii) How did Monserrate accord his experience about the Akbar? (1)
(iii) How had Akbar’s courtesy brought affability for his subjects? Explain. (2)
Answer:
(i) Jesuits were members of society of Jesus, a Roman catholic order of priests. Jesuits established their network in India through Akbar as he was very friendly with every religion and same was the case with Jesuits.
(ii) Monserrate who was a member of the first Jesuit mission, says that Akbar was accessible to everyone i.e. from common man to nobles. He also created opportunity almost every day for common people and nobles to see him and to talk with him.
(iii) Affability means being friendly. Akbar’s courtesy brought affability for his subjects in following ways
- He made himself accessible to everyone i.e. from common people to nobles.
- He also created opportunity every day for all the common people and noble to see him and talk with him.
Section – C
Map Based Question
Question 10.
(i) Identify the place marked as A on the map given below, where the first Satyagraha movement in 1917 took place which was led by Mahatma Gandhi. (1)
(ii) Locate any one of the following places on the Map of India. (1)
(a) Bengal Or
(b) Bombay
Answer:
