Students can access the CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 History with Solutions and marking scheme Term 2 Set 6 will help students in understanding the difficulty level of the exam.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 History Term 2 Set 6 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 the relationship between the Mughals and the Safavids. (3)
Or
Explain the relevance of the following
(i) Jhorakha Darshan
(ii) Diwan-i-Am
(iii) Diwan-i-Khas
Answer:
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran and is often considered the beginning of modem Persian history. Almost simultaneously the Mughal dynasty ruled major parts of India.
A common foe in the Uzbeks led the two empires closer together. The political and diplomatic relations between the two dynasties was hinged on the control of the frontier defined by the Hindukush mountains that separated Afghanistan from the regions of Iran and Central Asia.
Early conquerers sought to make way to the Indian subcontinent by crossing the Hindukush to get an access to the North Indian region. To counter this problem it was essential for the Mughals to control the strategic posts of Kabul and Qandhar.
Qandhar became a bone of contention between Safavids and Mughals. Qandhar was under the possession of Humayun. It was reconquered by Akbar in 1595. The Safavids continued to maintain diplomatic relations with the Mughals but continued to stake claims at Qandhar. Jahangir sent a diplomatic envoy in order to retain Qandhar but the mission failed. In 1622 Persian army besieged Qandhar by defeating the Mughals.
Or
(i) Jhorakha Darshan It was introduced by Akbar with the objective of broadening the acceptance of the imperial authority as a part of popular faith. The emperor began his day at sunrise with personal religious devotions or prayers and then appeared on a small balcony the Jharokha facing the east. Below a crowd of people including soldiers, peasants, craftsmen, peasants women and sick children waited for a view, darshan of the emperor.
(ii) Diwan-i-Am After spending an hour at the Jhorakha the emperor walked to the public hall of audience, the Diwan-i-Am to conduct primary business of his government and made requests.
(iii) Diwan-i-Khas In Diwan-i-Khas, the emperor held private audiences and discussed confidential matters. High state officials placed their petitions before him and tax officials presented their accounts. Occasionally, the emperor viewed the works of highly reputed artists or building plans of architects.
Question 2.
The members of the Constituent Assembly agreed to a complex system of fiscal federalism. Explain the provisions. (3)
Answer:
The members of Constitutional Assembly agreed to the complex system of fiscal federalism in which centre was provided with more power to levy, collect and appropriate taxes in comparison to the state. The provision of fiscal federalism were.
- In case of some taxes such as custom duties and company taxes, all the proceeds were retained by the centre.
- In the case of other taxes such as income tax and excise, the proceeds were shared by both the centre and the states.
- Income from some other taxes such as estate duties was wholly assigned to the state.
- Some taxes such as land and property taxes, sales tax and tax on bottled liquor could be levied and collected by the states on their own.
Question 3.
Did Quit India Movement transform the nature of Indian National Movement? (3)
Answer:
Yes, Quit India Movement transformed the nature of Indian National Movement which was started in 1942 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in the following ways.
(i) The Quit India Movement had created and developed the feelings of political awakening and consciousness among the people of India for the first time.
(ii) Public reaction was immediate and spontaneous. There were demonstrations and processions everywhere. Every city and town observed a hartal. Public life virtually came to a standstill.
(iii) It showed Indian’s anger against imperialism unitedly. Very soon the situation went completely out of control of the Britishers. The symbols of British authority, like, the rail track bridges, post office, police stations were either blown off or burnt at several places.
(iv) The British authority temporarily broke down in many areas and independent government were proclaimed in Satara district of Maharashtra and Medinipur in Bengal. In fact, this movement had shaken the foundation of the British Raj in India. It became clear that the British would no longer find it possible to rule India against the wishes of its people.
Question 4.
How did Damin-i-Koh came into being in the areas of Rajmahal Hills? (3)
Answer:
Damin-i-Koh was the name given to the forested hilly areas of Rajmahal hills in present day Jharkhand state. This area was demarcated as land of Santhal and they were persuaded to carry out settled agriculture in this area.
After carrying out survey andmapping of the area it was declared as Damin-i-Koh in 1832. Britishers created Damin-i-Koh to serve their two fold purpose. They were
(i) After introduction of permanent settlement they wanted expansion of agricultural activities which can increase their land revenue collection.
(ii) They also wanted to drove out Paharias who were constantly raiding the nearby plain settlements. Thus, demarcation of separate area for Santhal led to the clearing of forest and migration of Santhal from various regions of Eastern Indian to this region.
Section -B
Long Answer Questions
Question 5.
Did Mughal paintings assert Mughal authority? What other aspects of Mughal life do the paintings give information about? (6)
Answer:
Mughal school of painting was considered as a landmark in History. Court historians tried to show the power of Mughal kings through paintings. They were used as a medium to assert Mughal authority in the following ways
(i) Kings symbolised as God Froml7th century, Mughal artists began to depict the Mughal emperors wearing the halo (bright light surrounding the head). They saw this on European paintings of Christ and the Virgin Mary to symbolise the light of God.
(ii) Dynamic Authority Akbar is shown holding the globe. This tries to portray the emperor as a dynamic authority, as well as an enlightened soul. In one of the scene in Badshah Nama, Jahangir presents a turban jewel to prince Khurram. This shows the dynastic change and absolute monarchy.
The other aspects of Mughal life reflected by Mughal paintings are
(i) The Mughal paintings reflect the values of justice, cooperation, faith and peaceful co-existence. In one of the scene from Badshah Nama, emperor is shown sitting with ministers and interacting. This depicts equality and cooperation.
(ii) The motif of a lion and lamb peacefully nestling to each other in one painting, depicts harmony.
(iii) The paintings also show emperors protecting their subjects and in return the subjects expressing their faith and loyalty. This shows that Mughal monarchy prevailed on peace, harmony and loyalty of the subjects.
Question 6.
What measures were adopted by British to subdue the Revolt of 1857? (6)
Or
Hindu Muslim unity was the reason why 1857 Revolt was considered the First War of Independence. Do you agree?
Answer:
It was not easy for the Britishers to suppress the Revolt of 1857. The measures they took to crush the rebels were
(i) Passing of Laws to help the Troops: The British passed several laws to help the troops before sending them to re-occupy North India. The military officers were also empowered to try and punish the rebel Indians.
The ordinary process of law and trial were ignored by them. With the help of new laws and the new reinforcements coming from Britain, the British started the process of suppressing the revolt. British thought to reconquer Delhi which was most important to suppress the revolt. Therefore, in June 1857, the British attacked Delhi from two directions.
(ii) Resorting to Diplomacy: The British while resorting to diplomacy kept away the educated Indians and zamindars from the rebels. The British created a rift between rebels and the zamindars by promising the latter to give back their estates.
(iii) Use of Military Power on a Gigantic Scale The British used military power on a gigantic scale. Their absolute control over the means of communication and their control over the railways enabled them to send quick military support to different parts of the country.
(iv) Communication System The telegraph system helped the British to get timely information about the incidents occurring in different parts of the country. Consequently, they were successful to work out plans to take immediate action against rebels. Thus, the British tried their best to maintain their absolute control over the means of communication in order to suppress the revolt.
(v) Brutal Means of Punishment The Company undertook brutal measures to punish the rebels where revolt has been repressed. They were blow from guns or hanged from gallows. In addition to satisfying the urge for vengeance and retribution, it also gave a stem message to rebellious sepoys and peasants at other places.
Or
The 1857 Revolt was the first war of independence against the Britishers. It saw massive participation from all sections of society. However, the extent of Hindu-Muslim unity shown in this mutual struggle is unprecedented in Indian history. Following points highlight the extent of their unity.
(i) It was jointly led by the rulers and leaders from both the communities leaders like Nana Sahib, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Maulvi Ahmed Shah, Tantya Tope, Rani Laxmibai and Hazarat Mahal played significant role in this revolt.
(ii) The rebel proclamations in 1857 repeatedly appealed to all sections of the population, irrespective of their caste or creed. The proclamations that was issued under the name of Bahadur Shah Zafar appealed to the people to jointly fight against Britishers.
(iii) In sepoy’s controlled territories such as in Meerut and Delhi, the religious sentiments of both these communities were taken care of, as evidenced from proclamations banning the cow slaughter.
(iv) Many attempts by Britisher to create a wedge between this two communities failed because of the Hindu-Muslim unity. For instance, they spent ₹ 50,000 to incite the Hindu population against the Muslims in Bareilly but both these communities, co-operated each other in their joint struggle against common enemy.
(v) At many centres of revolt in Northern India, the religious leaders of both these communities urged the communities to come together in their struggle against common enemy. For instance, in Ayodhya Maulana Ameer Ali and Baba Ramcharan Das, took lead in organising the armed resistance to the British rule. Thus, unity shown by both these community was watershed event in the Revolt of 1857.
Question 7.
What were the causes and consequences of the Permanent Settlement in Bengal? (6)
Or
Explain the features of life of Paharis. What impact did the push by Britishers for ! settled agriculture have on their life?
Answer:
The Permanent Settlement of Bengal was brought into effect by the East India Company headed by the Governor-General Lord Cornwallis in 1793. Under this agreement, land revenue was fixed between the Company and the Zamindars.
It was signed amid the agrarian crisis in Bengal accompanied by recurrent famines. British believed that by securing property rights and permanency in the rate of revenue demand will encourage investment in agriculture. Apart from these other causes leading to permanent settlement in Bengal were
(i) Firstly, Company kept the revenue price high with an idea that if the initial price would be low, then they would never be able to claim a share of increased income from land when prices rose and cultivation expanded. Hence, the Company argued that the burden on samindars would decline with expanded agricultural production and price rise.
(ii) Secondly, during the 1790s, the prices of agricultural produce were decreased with made the ryots difficult to pay their dues to the zamindar.
(iii) Thirdly, as the revenue was fixed, it had to be paid punctually on time regardless of the harvest. A law was introduced which came to be known as the Sunset Law. According to the law, if payment did not come in by sunset of the specified data, the zamindari was liable to be auctioned.
(iv) Fourthly, the power of the zamindar was initially limited to collect rent from the ryots and manage his zamindari.
The consequences of Permanent Settlement were
(i) The zamindar’s troops were disbanded, custom duties abolished and their cutcheries (courts) were brought under the supervision of a collector appointed by the Company.
(ii) They lost the power to organise local justice and the local police. The collectorate emerged as an alternative centre of authority.
(iii) An officer of the zamindar, the amlah, came to the village at the time of rent collection to keep an eye on the process.
(iv) Bad harvests and low prices made the ryots difficult to pay dues to the zamindars.
(v) Sometimes, ryots deliberately delayed the revenue payment. Rich ryots and village headmen, jotedars and Mandals were against the zamindars.
(vi) The judicial process was long drawn to prosecute defaulters. In Burdwan, there were over 30,000 pending suits for arrears of rent payment in 1798.
Or
The features of the life of Paharias is
- They lived on forest produce and practised shifting cultivation.
- They cleared patches of forest by cutting bushes and burning the undergrowth.
These patches of land was enriched by the potash from the ash. Then they grew a variety of pulses and millets on this patches of land.
Section – C
Source Based Questions
Question 8.
Read the source given below and answer the following questions.
Ambedkar on Separate Electorates
In response to Mahatma Gandhi’s opposition to the demand for separate electorates for the Depressed Classes, Ambedkar wrote: Here is a class which is undoubtedly not ip a position to sustain itself in the struggle for existence.
The religion, to which they are! tied, instead of providing them an honourable place, brands them as lepers, not fit for ordinary intercourse. Economically, it is a class entirely dependent upon the high-caste Hindus for earning its daily bread with a ho independent way of living open to it.
Nor are all ways closed by reason of the social prejudices of the Hindus but there is no definite attempt all through our Hindu Society to bolt every possible door so as not to allow the Depressed Classes any opportunity to rise in the scale of life.
In these circumstances, it would be granted by all fairminded persons that as the only path for a community so handicapped to succeed in the struggle for life against organised tyranny, some share of political power in order that it may protect itself is a paramount necessity.
(i) Who proposed the concept of separate electorate for the first time? (1)
(ii) Who was BR Ambedkar? (1)
(iii) What was the role of BR Ambedkar in history of India? (2)
Answer:
(i) The question of separate electorates was first posed by B Pocker Bahudar.
(ii) Ambedkar was a lawyer and economist.
(iii) Ambedkar’s role is remembered in history as a person who drafted the Constitution and who gave inputs in the framing of the Constitution.
Question 9.
Read the source given below and answer the following questions.
Abul Fazl gives a Vivid Account of Akbar’s Darbar. Whenever his Majesty (Akbar) holds court (darbar) a large drum was beaten, the sounds of which were accompanied by Divine praise. In this manner, people! of all classes received notice.
His Majesty’s sons and grandchildren, the grandees of the court and all other men who had 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, gave 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, were in waiting. Clever jugglers and funny tumblers also were anxious to exhibit their dexterity and agility.
(i) Mention different forms of salutations to the ruler. (1)
(ii) How did emperors begin his day? (1)
(iii) Explain main activities taking place in darbar of Akbar. (2)
Answer:
(i) The different forms of salutation to the rulers were Sijda and Zaminbos.
(ii) Emperor started his day at sunrise with personal religious prayers.
(iii) The main activities taking place in darbar of Akabr are
- Whenever Akbar holds court, a large drum was beaten and sounds were accompanied by Divine praise.
- Akbar’s sons and grand children, the grandees of the court and all other men who had admittance, attend to make the komish and remain standing in their proper places.
Section – D
Map Based Question
Question 10.
(i) Locate any one of the following place on a political Map of India. (1)
(a) Berar Or
(b) Masulipatnam
(ii) Identify the place marked as A on the map given below where violence occurred and it led to the ending of Non-Cooperation Movement. (1)
Answer:
