Class XII – History Sample Paper – 4

Ans. (C) Indra

Explanation: Indra is regarded as the ruler of all waters, be it the seas, oceans, rivers or lakes, or the rain that falls from the sky.

Ans. (C) Special officers appointed by Ashoka to spread the message of dhamma.

Explanation: The Dhamma mahamatras were officers who helped in propagating the message of Dhamma and also enabling the emperor to keep in touch with the public opinion. The duties of the Dhamma mahamatras are explained in the major rock edict no V, built by Ashoka.

Ans. (A) Satavahana dynasty

Explanation: Names of several generations of Satavahana rulers have been recovered from various inscriptions. Every name has a uniform title raja and every name ends with the term ‘puta’, a Prakrit word meaning “son”.

Ans. (B) Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh.

Explanation: The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the oldest stone structures in India, and an important monument of Indian Architecture. It was originally commissioned by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE.

Ans. (B) Patriliny

Explanation: Patriliny means tracing descent from father to son, grandson and so on. Matriliny term is used when descent is traced through the mother.

Ans. (D) 2,4

Explanation: Evidences of canal irrigation have been found at a site called shortughai. Copper was brought from Kolar region of Karnataka.

Ans. (A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation to A

Ans. (A) Ibn Battuta

Explanation: According to Ibn Battuta, the Indian cities were full of opportunities for those people who had the Zeal, resources and were skilful. 2. He described Delhi as a large and will-populated city. Daulatabad was no less than Delhi in size.

Ans. (A) Shariya

Explanation: Sharia law is a religious law that lays down governing principles for spiritual, mental, and physical behavior that must be followed by Muslims. Regarded as God’s command for Muslims, Sharia law is essentially Islam’s legal system.

Ans. (D) Guru Nanak appointed one of his disciples, Arjan, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru).

Explanation: Guru Nanak appointed one of his disciples, Angad, to succeed him as the preceptor (guru). There were total 10 sikh Gurus.

Ans. (B) Virupaksha

Explanation: It is part of the group of monuments in Hampi, the temple is dedicated to Virupaksha-a form of Shiva, it is a main pilgrimage center in Hampi. Built by Lakkan Dandesha a Nayaka (chieftain) under the ruler Devaraya ii of the Vijayanagara Empire built in the 17th century.

Ans. (B) Sangarna dynasty

Explanation: The city and its first dynasty were founded in 1336 by five sons of Sangama, of whom Harihara and Bukka became the city’s first kings. In time Vijayanagar became the greatest empire of southern India.

Ans. (D) 1-(ii), 2-(iii), 3-(i)

Explanation: The Ain-i-Akbari is a 16th-century detailed document recording the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu’l Fazl in the Persian language.

The Kitab-ul-Hind is a Arabic text covering topics like religion and philosophy, festivals, astronomy, alchemy, manners and customs, social life, weights and measures, iconography, legislation, and metrologywritten by Al-Biruni

Amir Khusro’s Hasht Bihisht uses a legend about Bahram V Gur as its frame story and, in the style of One Thousand and One Nights, introduces folktales told by seven princesses.

Ans. (B) Maize

Explanation: Portuguese traders brought New World imports like tomatoes, potatoes, and chilies, which have become deeply integrated into Indian dishes Arab traders brought coffee and asafoetida powder. India’s periods of conquest have also greatly shaped the development of its cuisines.

Ans. (D) These patches were enriched by nitrogen from the ash.

Explanation: In shifting cultivation A piece of land is temporarily used for cultivation and then is abandoned. The other name of shifting cultivation is Swidden agriculture

Ans. (A) Awadh

Explanation: Mirza Wajid Ali Shah was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856.

Ans. (A) The British refused him the pension of Peshwa Baji Rao II.

Explanation: After the death of Peshwa Bajirao II, Nana Saheb was not accepted as the heir by the British as he was the adopted son of the Peshwa and they also refused to give him a pension. All this led him to participate in the Revolt of 1857.

Ans. (C) Direct Action Day

Explanation: The Muslim League Council proclaimed 16th August 1946 as Direct Action Day in order to accentuate their demand for a separate Muslim homeland after the British left the Indian subcontinent. Their main aim was to attain a different country with a Muslim majority.

Ans. (B) Declaration of Poorna Swaraj.

Explanation: The Indian National Congress, on 19 December 1929, passed the historic ‘Purna Swaraj’ – (total independence) resolution at its Lahore session. A public declaration was made on 26 January 1930 a day which the Congress Party urged Indians to celebrate as ‘Independence Day.

Ans. (A) Mahatma Gandhi

Explanation: Mohandas Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi, joined the fight in 1914 and led the country to independence, using his method of nonviolent protest known as satyagraha. He encouraged Indians to stop buying British goods, avoid paying taxes to the British government, and take part in peaceful protests and marches.

Ans. (B) Jawaharlal Nehru

Explanation: The National flag of India is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (Kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel which represents the chakra

Ans. The archeologists give different opinion about the Harappan society. Most widely understood opinion are as follows:Some archaeologists suggest that during Harappan civilization everyone enjoyed equal status had no social norms in particular.

• Some scholars opine that there was not a single ruler but several rulers like Mohenjodaro had a separate ruler, Harappans had another. In the same way, other regions had rulers too.

• Some scholars also argued that there was a single state given the similarity in artefacts, the evidence for planned settlements, the standardized ratio of brick size and the establishments near source of raw material.

• Other theory seems to be the most plausible as it is unlikely that entire communities could have collectively made and implemented such complex decisions.

Ans. Some evidences to prove that the text of Mahabharata was dynamic are as follows:

• Mahabharat was originally written by Veda Vyasa in Sanskrit. Over the centuries, version of Mahabharata was written in a variety of languages through an ongoing process of dialogue between peoples, communities, and those who wrote the texts.

• Three poets successfully translated the greatest epic into Telugu and are also famously known as Kavithrayam. They are Sri Nannaya, Sri Tikkana, Sri Yerrapragada.

• Several stories that originated in specific regions or circulated amongst certain people found their way into the epic.

• The central story of the epic was often retold in different ways, and episodes were depicted in sculpture and painting.

• They also provided themes for a wide range of performing arts i.e. plays, dance and other kinds of narrations.

Ans. Asoka was the first ruler to inscribe his messages on stone surfaces and polished pillars. The major rock edicts explain that the Mauryan administration especially about Asokan period. Some important inscriptions are discussed below:

• The name of Asoka was not mentioned in the inscriptions. Instead, the titles like ‘Devanampiya’ (beloved of the God) and ‘Piyadassi’ (pleasant to behold) were mentioned.

• Asoka condemned the desire for fame and glory. He stressed on popularity of Dhamma.

• Dhamma included respect towards elders, generosity towards Brahmanas and those who renounced worldly life, treating slaves and servants kindly and respect for religions and traditions.

Ans. The agriculture in medieval India was mostly commercial not only for subsistence. The sources mention Jahangir and jins-i-kamil or perfect crops The subsistence and commercial production were intertwined in an average peasant’s holding in the following ways:

• The peasants were encouraged to grow commercial crops like cotton and sugar for revenue. These two crops were jins-i-kamil par excellence.

• Cotton was grown over a large territory, spreading over central India and the Deccan plateau. Bengal was famous for its sugar production.

Some other cash crops like oilseeds (mustard) and lentils were also grown.

Some new crops like maize, tomatoes, potatoes, chillies, pineapple and papaya reached India from the different parts of the world. It depicts that subsistence and commercial production were closely intertwined.

Ans. The Vitthala temple is an important Hindu shrine located in Vijayanagara empire. The uniqueness and magnificence of this temple can be understood. through the following points:

• The Vitthala temple is popularly known for its splendid architecture and exceptional craftsmanship. The iconic temple has amazing stone structures such as musical pillars. It has 56 musical pillars and they all were carved out of huge single pieces of resonant stone.

• The principle deity of this temple was Vitthala, a form of Vishnu, which is generally worshipped in Maharashtra.

• A characteristic feature of this temple complexes is the chariot streets that extended from the temple gopuram in a straight line.

These streets were paved with stone slabs and lined with pillared pavilions in which merchants set up their shops.

• The temple has several halls and a unique shrine designed as a chariot.

• The principle deity of this temple was Vitthala, a form of Vishnu, which is generally worshipped in Maharashtra.

Ans. The following mentioned steps were taken by British to reduce the influence of zamindars in Bengal :-

• The Company disbanded the troop organised by zamindars, custom duties were abolished and ‘cutcheries’ or local court organised by zamindars were brought under supervision of company.

• The company appointed collector and gave power to supervise these courts, over the period of time. collectorate emerged as centre of authority.

• Power to organize the local justice and local police, was also abolished.

• The Permanent Settlement system was also limited, the power to the zamindars to collect rent from the ryots and manage their zamindari was also limited.

Ans. Gandhiji perceived that any struggle can be successful when masses support it. For participating in any movement masses must know the aim of movement. In India through local languages or mother tongue, communication with public could be done easily. So, Gandhiji advised nationalist to use mother tongue.

• Gandhiji believed masses will be more connected to movement when there will be communication in mother tongue. Gandhiji believed that mother tongue will play an adhesive role in the society to bring mass on a single platform. Englishmen considered that English is superior to other language. Usage of Indian languages for communication will change this perception and will surely restore the pride in Indian languages. Therefore, considering all above factors Gandhiji stressed on use of mother tongue.

• After the successful launch of Non-Cooperation Movement Gandhiji called for denial of all voluntary associations with the British and as responded very optimistically to it. Students refused going to the schools and colleges run by the government, lawyers refused to attend courts. There were strikes in factories, mills and workshops, peasants stopped paying taxes, tribes violated forest laws, forests were burnt and liquor shops were picketed.

• Non-Cooperation Movement was a big success as masses participated without any difference of caste, creed, religion, economic and education, status and language. Non-Cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi played seminal role in uniting different regions of India as country and promoted a sense of nationhood among the fellow Indians.

Ans. The following listed arguments were made in favour of protection of depressed classes in the Constituent Assembly:

• It was realised that the depressed classes especially tribals and untouchables needed special attention and safeguards to raise their status in society and provide them equality. But some members of the depressed class emphasized that the problem of the “Untouchables” could not be resolved through protection and safeguards alone.

These members believed that the disabilities of the depressed class were caused by the social norms and the moral values of caste divided society. The depressed class had been left in isolation with this belief that they are not born to be fit in the civil society.

Their suffering was due to their systematic Marginalisation. They had no access to education and also had no share in the administration. Thus, in the Constituent Assembly many recognised that social discrimination could not solve only through constitutional legislation, there had to be a change in the attitudes within society.

Ans. The teachings of Gautam Buddha’s have been reconstructed from the stories found mainly in the Sutta Pitaka in the following ways:

• Although some stories suggest the Buddha had miraculous powers while others suggest that the Buddha tried to convince people through reason and persuasion rather than through displays of supernatural powers.

• Once a grief-stricken mother, whose son just passed away came to the Buddha to bring her son back to life, he sympathetically convinced her about theinevitability of death rather than bring her son back to life. These types of stories were narrated in the language spoken by ordinary people, so that they could easily understand.

• In Sutta Pitaka, the Buddha explained five ways through which a master could look after his servants and employees. These were:

• assigning them work according to their strength.

• supplying them with food and wages.

• tending them in sickness.

• sharing delicacies with them.

• granting leaves at times.

In Sutta Pitaka, also give instructions on code of conduct with parents, teachers and wife.

Ans. One of the most distinctive features of Harappan Civilisation was its carefully planned drainage system. If we look at the plan of the Lower Town, we can find that roads and streets were laid out along an approximate ‘grid’ pattern, intersecting at right angles. Every house had one wall alongside the street having drain connected to the street drain to flow out domestic waste water. It seems that streets with drains were laid out first and then houses built along them.

Mackay said about the drains, “It is certainly the most complete ancient system as yet discovered”. According to him, 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. Sometimes limestone was used for the covers. In Harappa, house drains first emptied into a sump or cesspit into which solid matter settled while waste water flowed out into the street drains. Very long drainage channels were provided at intervals with sumps for cleaning. Little heaps of material mostly sand were found lying alongside drainage channels, it meant that the debris was not always carted away when the drain was cleared.

Drainage systems were mostly found in smaller settlement, but were not unique to the larger cities. For example, at Lothal while houses were built of mud bricks, drains were made of burnt bricks. Therefore, we can say that Harappan cities have carefully planned drainage system.

Ans. The major feature of the Chishti order in India was tradition of austerity, including maintaining a distance from worldly power. However, this did not mean a situation of absolute isolation from political power.

• The sufis accepted unsolicited grants and donations from the political elites. The Sultans in turn set up charitable trusts (auqaf) as endowments for hospices and granted tax-free land (inam).

• The Chishtis accepted donations in cash and rather than accumulating donations, they preferred to use these fully on immediate requirements such as food, clothing, living quarters and ritual necessities (such as sama).

• All this enhanced the moral authority of the shaikhs, which in turn attracted people from all walks of life.

• Further, their piety and scholarship, and people’s belief in their miraculous powers made sufis popular among the masses, whose support kings wished to secure.

• Kings did not simply demonstrated their association with sufis; they also required legitimating from them. When the Turks set up the Delhi Sultanate, they resisted the insistence of the ulama on imposing shari’a as state law because they anticipated opposition from their subjects, the majority of whom were non-Muslims. The Sultans wanted their tombs to be in the vicinity of sufi shrines and hospices.

• However, there were instances of conflict between the Sultans and the sufis. To assert their authority, both expected that certain rituals be performed such as prostration and kissing of the feet. Occasionally the sufi shaikh was addressed with high-sounding titles. For example, the disciples of Nizamuddin Auliya addressed him as Sultan-ul-Mashaikh (literally, Sultan amongst Shaikhs).

• Other sufis such as the Suhrawardi under the Delhi Sultans and the Naqshbandi under the Mughals were also associated with the state. However, the modes of their association were not the same as those of the Chishtis. In some cases, sufis accepted courtly offices.

Ans. Al-Biruni wrote the voluminous text ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’ in which he elaborately discussed about the social life of India. According to him, the conception of the pollution intrinsic to the caste system in India was contrary to the law of nature. Al-Biruni tried to explain the caste system by looking for parallels in other societies. He noted that in ancient Persia, four social categories were recognised. These were kings and princes; monks, fire-priests and lawyers; physicians, astronomers and other scientists and peasants and artisans. He further explained that Social Divisions not Unique to India: In other words, he attempted to suggest that social divisions were not unique to India. At the same time, he pointed out that within Islam all men were considered equal, differing only in their observance of piety (deep respect for God).

Rejection of Notion of Pollution: In spite of his acceptance of the Brahmanical description of the caste system, Al-Biruni disapproved the notion of pollution. He remarked that everything which

falls into a state of impurity strives and succeeds in regaining its original condition of purity, e.g. the sun cleanses the air, and the salt in the sea prevents the water from becoming polluted.,

Cycle of Purification Important for Life on Earth: Al- Biruni believed that if there were no phenomenon of removing impurity, then the life on Earth would have been impossible. Hence, the conception of social pollution intrinsic to the caste system, was according to him, contrary to the laws of nature.

Al-Biruni’s description of caste system was deeply influenced by his study of normative Sanskrit texts, thus he described caste system from the point of view of Brahmanas. But in real life, the caste system was not so rigid.

Ans. The Nawab of Awadh was loyal to the British East India Company from the very beginning. But, the loyalty of Awadh was of no significance to Lord Dalhousie’s imperialistic ambitions. Awadh could not be annexed on the basis of the Doctrine of Lapse as Wajid Ali Shah, as the Nawab of Awadh had several successors. So, the British especially Lord Dalhousie used a number of mischievous tricks to annex the Awadh and dispossessed the taluqdars. These were:

• On 13th February, 1856, Awadh was annexed to the British empire on the grounds of mal administration.

• Nawab Wazid Ali Sahib was sent to Calcutta with an annual pension of Rs 12 lakh. With the dissolution of the royal administration, large number of courtiers, officials and taluqdars became jobless

• Jagirs of taluqdars were confiscated. This upheaval was aggravated by immediate material losses.

• The British were not willing to tolerate the power of the taluqdars.

• With the removal of Nawab, all taluqdars of the Awadh were also dispossessed, taluqdars were disarmed and their forts were destroyed.

• With a new revenue system i.e. Summary Settlement, taluqdars lost their very large share of revenue from land. Wherever possible, taluqdars were removed and settlement was done directly with peasant.

• British believed that this would increase the flow of revenue to the company and peasants would also be freed from oppression of taluqdar. This annexation of Awadh meant complete breakdown of social order.

Ans. It was not easy for the Britishers to suppress the revolt. Even then they took various steps to suppress and crush the rebels. Some steps taken by British are as follows:

• Use of Military Power on a Gigantic Scale:

The British used military power on a gigantic scale. But, this held their absolute control over the means of communication. Their control over the railways enabled them to send quick military support to different parts of the country.

• 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 in wrecking plans of the rebels by taking immediate action against them. Thus, the British tried their best to maintain their absolute control over the means of communication in order to suppress the revolt.

• 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 was most important to suppress the revolt. Therefore, in June 1857, the British attacked Delhi from two directions. Captain Hudson arrested the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II and Begum Zinat Mahal from the Tomb of Humayun on 21st September, 1857.

• 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.

Ans. The Prayaga Prashasti also known as the Allahabad pillar inscription was composed in Sanskrit by Harisena. This Prashasti said that Samudragupta was without an antagonist on Earth and was adorned by hundreds of good actions.

Ans. The qualities of the ruler described in the excerpt are:

• The ruler should be powerful with plethora of good qualities.

• He should bring prosperity.

• The ruler should have compassion and should try for the upliftment of the miserable, the poor and the forlorn.

Ans. The values shown in the above-mentioned passage are relevant in the contemporary society to a great extent. The rulers ought to have positive attitude for the welfare of his countrymen. He should try incessantly to bring prosperity and equality in all walks of life.

Ans. Emperor Akbar classified lands in the following ways:

• Polaj: The land which is annually cultivated for each crop in succession and is never allowed to lie fallow.

• Parauti: The land is left out for cultivation for a time that it may recover its strength.

• Chachar: The land that has lain fallow for 3 or 4 years.

• Banjar: The land is uncultivated for 5 years and more.

Ans. The first two types of lands were divided into three classes, viz. good, middling and bad. The producer of each sort was added together and the third of this represents the medium produce, on-third part of which is exacted as the Royal dues.

Ans. I think Kankut was a better method. The term ‘Kankut’ is a combination of two terms:

• Kan which signifies grain and

• Kut signifies estimates.

• If any doubt arose, the crops were cut and estimated in three lots, the good, the middling and the inferior. Thus, the peasant could give tax in kinds not in cash.

Ans. He started Dandi March to break the salt law. Salt law gave British government a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of salt. The state monopoly was very unpopular and by breaking a salt law Gandhiji hoped to mobilise a wider discontent against British rule.

Ans. It was notable because, for the first time, European and American press started following Indian National Movement and for the very first time large number of women participated in the movement.

Ans. Gandhiji believed that he had come to Dandi alongwith large number of fellow Indians to break salt law only because of peace and non-violence. Otherwise, British government would have arrested him and fellow follower. British did not arrested them because it lacked the courage to arrest army of peace or may be just because of fear of world opinion. Therefore, he said peace and non-violence is universally felt.

Ans.