Students can access the CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 History with Solutions and marking scheme Term 2 Set 4 will help students in understanding the difficulty level of the exam.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 History Term 2 Set 4 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.
Explain Abul Fazl’s concept of sovereignty and justice in Akbar’s regime. (3)
Or
Why did Akbar built a new city at Fatehpur Sikri? What architectural developments were made by Akbar to the capital city ?
Answer:
Abu’l Fazl defined sovereignty as a social contract where the emperor protects the four essences of his subjects namely life property, honour and faith and in return demands obedience and share of resources. Only just sovereigns were thought to be able to honour the contract with the power of divine guidance.
As to the idea of justice a number of symbols were created for visual representation of the idea of justice which came to stand for the highest virtue of Mughal monarchy.
One of the favourite symbols used by artists was the motif of the lion and the lamb peacefully nestling next to each other. This meant to signify that in the realm of the Mughal monarch both the strong and the weak could exist in harmony.
Or
In 1570, Akbar decided to built a new capital. The main reason for building a new city at Fatehpur Sikri was.
1. Sikri was located on the direct road to Ajmer where the Dargah of Shaikh Muinuddin Chishti had become an important pilgrimage site.
2. The Mughal emperors had a close relationship with Sufis of Chishti Silsila.
Akbar made architectural developments in the city. These included
3. Akbar commissioned the construction of white marble tomb of Salim Muinuddin Chishti next to the majestic mosque at Sikri.
4. The enormous arched gateway, The Buland Darwaza was built to remind the visitors of Mughal victory of Gujarat.
Question 2.
Explain the following concepts (3)
(i) Komish
(ii) Chahar taslim
(iii) Shab-i-Barat
Answer:
(i) Komish was a form of ceremonial salutation in which the courtier placed his palm of his right hand against his forehead and bent his head. It suggested that the subject placed his head- the seat of the senses and the mind- into the hand of humility presenting it to the royal assembly.
(ii) Chahar taslim is a mode of salutation which begins with placing the back of the right hand on the ground and raising it gently till the person stands erect when he puts his palm on his hand upon the crown of his head. It is done (chahar) four times. Taslim literally means submission.
(iii) Shab-e-Barat is full moon night on the 14 shaban the eighth month of the Hijri
calender. It is celebrated with prayers and fireworks in the subcontinent. It is the night when destinies of the Muslims for the coming year are said to be determined and sins forgiven.
Question 3.
Define Romanticisim and explain its features with special reference to William Flodges two paintings. (3)
Answer:
The ideals of Romanticism was a tradition of thought that celebrated nature and admired the magnificence and power. Romantics felt that to commune with nature the artist had to represent nature as an idyll.
The two paintings of William Flodges, a British artist who accompanied Captain Cook on his second voyage to the Pacific, were on the ideals of Romanticism. They were
(i) A View of the Hill Village of Rajmahal In search of unknown, Hodges went to the Rajmahal Hills. He found flat landscapes monotonous and discovered the beauty in roughness, irregularity and variety. A landscape that colonial officials found dangerous and wild people with turbulant tribes appears in the painting of Hodges as exotic and idyllic.
(ii) A View of Jangal Territory It was also based on Romanticism ideals. Here we can see the forested low hills and rocky upper ranges nowhere actually above 2000 feet.
By centering the hills and viewing them from below, Hodges emphasises their inaccessibility.
Question 4.
Explain the Khilafat Movement. Why did Gandhi sought to join the movement with Non-Cooperation Movement? (3)
Answer:
The Khilafat Movement (1919-1920) was a movement of Indian Muslims led by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali that demanded the following
(i) The Turkish Sultan or Khalifa must retain control over the erstwhile Ottoman empire Jazirat- ul- Arab (Arabia, Syria, Iraq. Palestine) must remain under Muslim Sovereignty.
(ii) The Khilifa must be left with sufficient territory to enable him to defend the Islamic Faith
The Congress supported the movement and Mahatma Gandhi sought to cojoin it to the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Gandhi hoped by coupling Non-Cooperation Movement with the Khilafat, India’s two major religious communities Hindus and Muslims could collectively bring the end of colonial rule. These movements unleashed a surge of popular action that was altogether unprecedented in Colonial India.
Section – B
Long Answer Questions
Question 5.
Explain the economic, political and social life of the Paharis. (6)
Answer:
The economic life of Paharis was
- They cleared patches of forest by cutting bushes and undergrowth. On these patches enriched by potash from ash the Paharis grew a variety of millets for consumption.
- They cultivated on the land for few years and then let it fallow to recover its fertility and moved to a new area.
- From forests they collected mahua a flower for food, silk cocoons and resin for sale and wood for charcoal production.
- The undergrowth provided fodder for cattle.
The social life of Paharis was
- They lived in hutments with tamarind groves and rested in shades of mango trees.
- They considered the entire land as their land, the basis of their identity as well as survival.
- They resisted intrusion of outsiders on their lands.
- The chief maintained the unity of group, settled disputes and led tribes in battles with other tribes and plains in people.
The political life of the Paharis was.
(i) The base of Paharis was the hills they regularly raided the plains where settled agriculturists lived. These raids were necessary for survival particularly in years of scarcity.
(ii) They found ways of asserting power over the settled communities and they were a means of negotiating political relations with outsiders.
(iii) The zamindars paid attribute to Paharis to purchase peace.
(iv) Traders gave a small amount to the hill folk for permission to use the passes controlled by them. Once the toll was paid the Paharia protected the traders ensuring that their goods were not plundered.
Question 6.
The Revolt of 1857 was led by rulers from different states. How was the initial reluctance to participate in the revolt turned into acceptance by the rulers? (6)
Or
What were the reasons for the Revolt of 1857?
Answer:
The initial reluctance of the rulers to lead the revolt of 1857 was turned into acceptance due to the following reasons.
(i) One of the first acts of sepoys of Meerut was to rush to Delhi to appeal the Mughal emperor to accept the leadership of the revolt. Bahadur Shah, the Mughal emperor initially rejected the plea but later conscented when the sepoys had moved into the Mughal court within the Red Fort in defiance of court ettiquitte. This led the emperor no option but to consent to lead the revolt.
(ii) In Kanpur, the sepoys and the people of town gave Nana Sahib the, successor of Peshwa Baji Rao II no choice but to lead the revolt as their leader.
(iii) In Jhansi, the rani was forced by popular pressure to assume leadership in the uprising.
(iv) In Awadh, the displacement of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and the annexation of the state made the young son of the ruler Brijis Qadir as their leader. The leaders were not everywhere belonging to the elite section. But the rulers gave potential leadership to the Revolt of 1857 after initial reluctance.
Or
The reasons for the 1857 Revolt were
(i) The rumour floating amongst the sepoys that the cartridges of the enfield rifles were greased by fat of cows and pigs. Another rumour that had hatched a gigantic conspiracy to destroy the caste and religion of Hindus and Muslims.
The rumour stated that the flour sold in the towns and cantonments was mixed with bone dust of cows and pigs. There was a far that the Britishers wanted to convert Indians to Christianity.
(ii) The cause was aggravated by the activities of Christian missionaries. In the situation of uncertainly rumours spread With rapid swiftness.
(iii) The Subsidiary alliance devised by Lord Wellesley which was objectionable to the Indian rulers.
(iv) Another reason was territorial annexations by Lord Dalhousie.
(v) The emotional upheavel was aggravated by immediate material losses. The removal of Nawab led to the dissolation of the court and its culture. The whole range of people musicians, dancers, poets, artisans, cooks, retainers, administrative officials all lost their jobs.
(vi) The displaced taluqdars of their possession of land also aggravated the cause.
(vii) The grievances of the peasants were carried over to the sepoy lines since the vast majority of sepoys were recruited from villages of Awadh.
(viii) Sepoy’s discontent was another reason. They complained of low pays and difficulty of getting leave. The racial discrimination by the British officers towards the Indian sepoys further raised discontent among sepoys.
Question 7.
What were the dominant voices of the Constituent Assembly? (6)
Or
Making of the Indian Constitution was a result of debate, discussion and delebration among nationalist leaders and experts. Explain in this context of the statement the making of the Constitution.
Answer:
The Constituent Assembly had 300 members. The dominant voices among these members were
(i) It was Nehru who moved the crucial’ Objectives resolution’ as well as the resolution proposing the National Flag of India be a horizontal tricolor saffron, white and green in equal propotion with a wheel in navy blue in the centre.
(ii) Patel on the other hand worked mostly behind the scenes playing key role in the drafting of several reports and working to reconcile opposing points of view.
(iii) Rajendra Prasad’s role was as a president of the assembly where he had to steer the discussion along constructive lines while making sure all members had equal chance to speak.
(iv) Besides the Congress trio there was another important member of the assembly a lawyer and economist BR Ambedkar. He served as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution.
(v) Serving with BR Ambedkar were two other lawyers KM Munshi and Alladi Krishnaswami Aiyar both gave crutial inputs in the drafting of the Constitution.
Others were BN Rao, constitutional advisor to the Government of India, who prepared a series of background papers bases on a close study of the political systems of other countries and the Chief Draughtsman S.N.Mukherjee, who had the ability to put complex proposals in clear legal language.
Or
Constitution of India was the result of more than 3 years of debate, discussion and deliberation among nationalist leaders and Constitutional experts.This culminated into making of lengthiest written Constitution of the world. Following points gives an account of making of Indian Constitution.
(i) It was drafted by the Constituent Assembly of India, which was formed under the provisions of Cabinet Mission Plan in May, 1946 as the Muslim League chose to boycott the Constituent Assembly pressing its demand for Pakistan with a separate Constitution. 82% of the members of the Constituent Assembly were members of the Congress.
(ii) Under the Presidentship of Rajendra Prasad, the assembly created many important committees for focused deliberations on specific features of constitution. Constitutional experts and eminent public figures were also invited in Constitution making process.
(iii) Public opinion also influenced the Constitution making process of India. The linguistic minorities demanded protection to their mother tongue while religious minorities also asked for special safeguards.
(iv) Under the Chairmanship of BR Ambedkar, the Drafting Committee studied more than 50 Constitutions of various countries and incorporated several features from these Constitution such as Preamble and Fundamental Rights from Constitution of USA.
Section – C
Source Based Questions
Question 8.
Read the source given below and answer the following questions.
In Praise of Taswir
Abu’l Fazl held the art of painting in high esteem: Drawing the likeness of anything is called taswir. His Majesty from his earliest youth, has shown a great predilection for this art, and gives it every encouragement, as he looks upon it as a means both of study and amusement.
A very large number of painters have been set to work. Each week, several supervisors and clerks of the imperial workshop submit before the emperor the work done by each artist, and his Majesty gives a reward and increases the monthly salaries of the artists according to the excellence displayed.
Most excellent painters are now to be found, and masterpieces, worthy of a Bihzad, may be placed at the side of the wonderful works of the European painters who have attained worldwide fame.
The minuteness in detail, the general finish and the boldness of execution now observed in pictures are incomparable; even inanimate objects look as if they have life. More than a hundred painters have become famous masters of the art. This is especially true of the Hindu artists.
Their pictures surpass our conception of things. Few, indeed, in the whole world are found equal to them.
(i) What was the reason for tension between rulers and Ulama? (1)
(ii) Name the book that was written by Abu’l Fazl. (1)
(iii) Why Abu’l Fazl feels that paintings were important for the emperor? (2)
Answer:
(i) Painting showing emperor and his court and people was a constant tension between rulers and Ulama.
(ii) Ain-i-Akbari was written by Abu’l Fazl.
(iii) Abu’l Fazl feels that paintings were important for the emperor because they were used as a matter of amusement. He also described paintings as magical art because it has power to make inanimate objects looks like they possessed life.
Question 9.
Read the source given below and answer the following questions.
“Tomorrow we shall break the Salt Tax Law” On 5th April, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi spoke at Dandi:
When I left Sabarmati with my companions for this seaside hamlet of Dandi, I was not certain in my mind that we would be allowed to reach this place. Even while I was at Sabarmati there was a rumour that I might be arrested. I had thought that the ’ government might perhaps let my party come as far as Dandi, but not me certainly.
If someone says that this betrays imperfect faith on my part, I shall not deny the charge.
That I have reached here is in no small measure due to the power of peace and non-violence: that power is universally felt. The government may, if it wishes, congratulate itself on acting as it has done, or it could have arrested every one of us. In saying that it did not have the courage to arrest this army of peace, we praise it. It felt ashamed to arrest such an army.
He is a civilised man who feels ashamed to do anything which his neighbours would disapprove. The government deserves to be congratulated on not arresting us, even if it desisted only from fear of world opinion. Tomorrow we shall break the salt tax law. Whether the government will tolerate that is a different question.
It may not tolerate it, but it deserves congratulations on the patience and forbearance it has displayed in regard to this party… What if I and all the eminent leaders in Gujarat and in the rest of the country are arrested? This movement is based on the faith that when a whole nation is roused and on the march no leader is necessary.
(i) Where and why did Gandhiji started his Dandi March? (1)
(ii) Why was Salt March notable? (1)
(iii) “The power of peace and non-violence are universally felt.” Why did Gandhiji said so? (2)
Answer:
(i) Gandhiji started his Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram on 5th April 1930 on the shore of Dandi to break the Salt Law.
(ii) Salt March was notable because for the first time European and American press started following Indian National Movement.
(iii) Gandhiji said so as he believed that he had come to Dandi along with large number of fellow Indian to break Salt Law only because of peace and non-violence. British CO did not arrested them because it lacked the 2 courage to arrest army of peace or may be just because of fear of world opinion.
Section – D
Map Based Question
Question 10.
(i) Identify the place marked as A in the map given below where Gandhi launched the Dandi March. (1)
(ii) Locate any one of the following areas on a political Map of India. (1)
(a) Smdh Or
(b) Delhi
Answer:
