General Instructions:
- The question paper comprises Six Sections: A, B, C, D, E and F.
- There are 37 questions in total.
- All questions are compulsory.
- Section A contains Questions 1β20. Each question carries 1 mark.
- Section B contains Questions 21β24. Each question carries 2 marks.
- Section C contains Questions 25β29. Each question carries 3 marks.
- Section D contains Questions 30β33. Each question carries 5 marks.
- Section E contains Questions 34β36. Each case-based question carries 4 marks.
- Section F contains Question 37, carrying 5 marks, based on map skills (History 2 marks, Geography 3 marks).
- Internal choices are provided in selected questions.
- Adoption of the Constitution of India
- Appointment of the Drafting Committee
- First meeting of the Constituent Assembly
- Enforcement of the Constitution of India
Reason (R): The southern half of India lies in the tropical zone while the northern half lies in the sub-tropical zone. [1]
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Reason (R): All family members work on small fragmented farm plots even when the work requires fewer hands. [1]
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
The abolition of censorship was one of the most revolutionary social measures enacted in France after 1789. In the Old Regime, all written materials and cultural activities could be published only after they had been approved by the censors of the King. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression to be a natural right. Newspapers, pamphlets, books, and printed pictures flooded the towns of France, from where they traveled rapidly into the countryside. They all described and discussed the events and changes taking place in France.
(b) Which historic declaration recognized freedom of speech as a natural right? [1]
(c) Explain two impacts of the abolition of censorship on the everyday life of common French citizens. [2]
Rivers have played a fundamental role throughout human history. Water from rivers is a basic natural resource essential for various human activities. River banks have attracted settlers from ancient times, which have now grown into big metropolitan cities. In a developing country like India, where agriculture is the primary livelihood of the majority of the population, rivers are vital for irrigation, navigation, and hydroelectric power generation. However, increasing domestic, municipal, industrial, and agricultural demand for water is severely affecting water quality and reducing river volume.
(b) Name two ancient civilizations or historical cities that developed along river banks. [1]
(c) Explain two major causes of rising river water pollution in India. [2]
The Constitution is the supreme law of the country. It determines the relationship among citizens and also between the citizens and the government. It generates a degree of trust and coordination necessary for diverse groups to live together. It lays down how the government will be constituted and specifies who will have the power to take which decisions. Most importantly, it puts limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the rights of the citizens are, ensuring that the state does not turn authoritarian.
(b) Why is trust and coordination essential in a diverse country like India? [1]
(c) Explain two ways in which the Constitution limits the authority of the government. [2]
Two features A and B related to the French Revolution and World War II are marked on the outline map of the world / Europe. Identify them:
A. The region of Alsace-Lorraine ceded by Germany after the First World War (France / Germany border).
B. An Allied Power nation during the Second World War (United States of America / Great Britain / USSR). [2]
(b) Geography Map Item β 3 Marks
Locate and label ANY THREE of the following with appropriate symbols on the outline map of India:
(i) Doda Betta β Highest mountain peak in the Nilgiri Hills
(ii) Loktak Lake β Freshwater lake in Manipur
(iii) Kaveri River β East flowing peninsular river in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
(iv) Northern Circar β Northern part of the Eastern Coastal Plain [3]
First meeting of Constituent Assembly (Dec 1946) β Drafting Committee appointed (Aug 1947) β Constitution adopted (26 Nov 1949) β Constitution enforced (26 Jan 1950).
- Tributary: A smaller stream or river that joins and contributes water to a larger main river (e.g., Yamuna is a tributary of Ganga).
- Distributary: A stream that branches off and flows away from a main river channel near its mouth/delta due to silt deposition (e.g., Hooghly is a distributary of Ganga).
- Modern populations are too large for all citizens to sit together and make collective daily administrative decisions directly.
- Citizens do not have the specialized time, desire, or technical skills to participate in every governmental policy decision.
- Good healthcare ensures an individual resists illness, maintains regular attendance, and works at optimal physical and mental efficiency.
- It increases life expectancy and maximizes the total productive earning years of the workforce, directly boosting GDP.
- Article 48: Gave the President emergency powers to suspend civil rights, rule by decree, and dismiss regional governments.
- Proportional Representation: Made achieving a single-party majority virtually impossible, leading to short-lived, unstable coalition cabinets (twenty different cabinets in 239 days).
- Loss of Public Trust: The democratic republic was blamed for accepting the humiliating Treaty of Versailles, resulting in total loss of confidence in parliamentary democracy.
- Western Coastal Plain: Narrow strip sandwiched between the Western Ghats and Arabian Sea; divided into Konkan (north), Kannad (centre), and Malabar Coast (south), marked by lagoons/kayals.
- Eastern Coastal Plain: Wide and level plain along the Bay of Bengal; divided into Northern Circar (north) and Coromandel Coast (south), featuring large fertile deltas formed by Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri.
- The Eastern Coast is characterized by expansive saltwater lakes like Chilika and Pulicat.
- Intense low-pressure trough develops over northwestern India and the Thar Desert by late May.
- Sudden influx of moisture-laden South-West trade winds from the Indian Ocean causes a dramatic surge in rainfall, known as the ‘burst’ of the monsoon.
- Accompanied by violent thunderstorms, heavy overcast skies, and a sharp drop in daytime temperatures.
- Members were elected by provincial legislative assemblies representing all major religious, regional, and social groups (Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, SCs, STs).
- Represented diverse ideological viewpoints, including liberals, socialists, and legal scholars from across all provinces and princely states.
- Deliberations were conducted in an open, consensual, and democratic manner through systematic debate on every constitutional clause.
- Seasonal Unemployment: Occurs when workers cannot find jobs during specific agricultural off-seasons (e.g., agricultural landless laborers between sowing and harvesting).
- Educated Unemployment: Occurs when educated individuals with matriculation, graduation, or postgraduate degrees fail to secure suitable employment matching their skill level in urban areas.
- Seasonal unemployment is rural and resource-dependent; educated unemployment is urban and structural.
- Social Groups: Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) households face historical marginalization and high incidence of poverty.
- Economic Groups: Rural agricultural wage labor households and urban casual/construction labor households who lack stable income.
- Within Families: Women, elderly persons, and female infants are the ‘poorest of the poor’ as they are systematically denied equal access to family resources.
- Causes: Severe food and bread shortages during a harsh winter, devastating Russian military casualties in World War I, and deep resentment against the autocracy of Tsar Nicholas II.
- Outbreak: On 22 February, a lockout at a factory triggered sympathy strikes by workers in 50 factories; women led demonstrations on International Women’s Day.
- Mutiny: The Tsar suspended the Duma and ordered cavalry to shoot at demonstrators, but soldiers mutinied and joined the striking workers.
- Petrograd Soviet: Striking workers and soldiers gathered in the Duma building to form the Petrograd Soviet.
- Consequences: Military commanders advised the Tsar to abdicate on 2 March 1917, ending centuries of Tsarist autocracy and establishing a Provisional Government.
- Euphemistic Language: Mass killings were termed ‘Special Treatment’ (Sonderbehandlung) or ‘Final Solution’ (EndlΓΆsung); deportation was called ‘Evacuation’.
- Media and Radio: Radio broadcasts, films (such as ‘The Eternal Jew’), and print were strictly controlled by the Propaganda Ministry under Joseph Goebbels to glorify Hitler.
- Visual Propaganda: Stereotypical caricatures portrayed Jews as vermin, rats, and evil money-lenders to create deep psychological disgust.
- Hitler’s Speeches: Grand rallies and theatrical parades (e.g., Nuremberg rallies) with swastika banners were staged to create a sense of unity and hypnotic obedience.
- Indoctrination of Youth: Schools and youth groups used propaganda to make racial science and obedience to the FΓΌhrer seem natural.
- Bhabar: Narrow pebble belt (8β16 km) along the Shiwalik foothills where Himalayan streams disappear underground into porous coarse sediments.
- Terai: Marshy, wet, and swampy lowland south of Bhabar where streams re-emerge; originally dense forest, now cleared for agriculture and settling migrants.
- Bhangar: Terraces of older alluvium lying above river floodplains; contains calcareous nodule formations called ‘Kankar’.
- Khadar: New alluvial deposits in river floodplains renewed annually by floodwaters; highly fertile, fine-grained, and suitable for intensive crop cultivation.
- Economic Value: Level terrain, rich alluvial soil, abundant groundwater, and perennial rivers make the Northern Plains the primary agricultural granary and industrial core of India.
- Four Seasons: The Cold Weather Season (Winter), Hot Weather Season (Summer), Advancing Monsoon Season (Rainy), and Retreating Monsoon Season (Transition).
- Advancing Monsoon Mechanism: Low pressure over northwestern India pulls the South-East trade winds across the equator into the Indian subcontinent as the South-West Monsoon.
- Arabian Sea Branch: Hits the Western Ghats causing heavy orographic rainfall (>250 cm) on the windward coast, progressing over the Deccan and central plains.
- Bay of Bengal Branch: Moves along the coast and strikes northeastern mountains (causing extreme rainfall in Cherrapunji and Mawsynram) before turning west along the Ganga plain.
- Rainfall Distribution: Rainfall decreases from east to west and south to north, determining the agricultural rhythm of the country.
- Constitutional Autonomy: Set up under Article 324; enjoys complete independence from the executive, with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) having security of tenure.
- Implementation of Code of Conduct: Enforces the Model Code of Conduct, prohibiting hate speech, voter bribery, and misuse of state machinery.
- Control over Bureaucracy: During election periods, government officers and police deployed on election duties operate directly under the control and orders of the Election Commission.
- Voters’ List & Schedules: Prepares and updates the electoral rolls and decides the entire election schedule from nominations to counting.
- Power to Order Repolls: Can cancel polls and order fresh elections in any booth or entire constituency in case of rigging or booth-capturing.
- Legislature (Parliament): Supreme law-making authority, debates policies, approves the national budget, and exercises democratic oversight over the government.
- Executive (PM & Council of Ministers): Implements laws passed by Parliament and runs daily administration; remains in office only as long as it commands the confidence of the Lok Sabha.
- Judiciary (Supreme Court & High Courts): Independent organ that interprets the Constitution and resolves disputes between citizens, states, and the Centre.
- System of Checks and Balances: Parliament can impeach judges for misconduct; the Judiciary can declare any legislative act unconstitutional through Judicial Review.
- Protection of Rights: The Judiciary acts as the guardian of Fundamental Rights, ensuring executive orders do not infringe constitutional freedoms.
- Buffer Stock Creation: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) procures surplus wheat and rice from farmers at Minimum Support Price (MSP) announced before the sowing season.
- Purpose of Buffer Stock: Maintains grain reserves to distribute food in deficit areas and during natural calamities (droughts, floods), stabilizing market prices.
- Public Distribution System (PDS): Procured grain is channeled to poor households through a network of around 5.5 lakh Fair Price Shops (Ration Shops) across India.
- Subsidized Categories: Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) provides 35 kg of grain at βΉ2/kg for wheat and βΉ3/kg for rice to the poorest families; BPL and APL families receive grains at subsidized Issue Prices.
- Food Security Impact: Prevents famine, mitigates chronic hunger, ensures price stability, and protects vulnerable populations against inflation.
- Causes: Destruction of traditional textile and craft industries under British rule, heavy population growth, slow growth of industrial employment, and unequal land distribution.
- MGNREGA Objective: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act guarantees 100 days of wage employment per year to every rural household.
- Women Empowerment: Constitutionally reserves one-third of all generated jobs for rural women.
- Sustainable Asset Creation: Projects focus on drought-proofing, soil conservation, afforestation, and canal desilting to improve rural ecology.
- Unemployment Allowance: Mandates payment of a daily unemployment allowance if an applicant is not provided employment within 15 days of applying.
- (a) The Old Regime (absolute French monarchy). [1]
- (b) The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. [1]
- (c) Allowed free circulation of newspapers, books, and pamphlets, enabling ordinary citizens to openly criticize royal policies, debate laws, and express diverse political views. [2]
- (a) Agriculture (irrigation). [1]
- (b) Indus Valley Civilization (along River Indus) / Pataliputra and Varanasi (along River Ganga). [1]
- (c) Unchecked discharge of untreated industrial effluents and dumping of untreated domestic sewage and garbage into river channels. [2]
- (a) The supreme fundamental legal document that determines the organization of government and the rights of citizens. [1]
- (b) Because India has diverse religious, linguistic, and cultural communities, and clear constitutional rules ensure peaceful coexistence without fear of domination. [1]
- (c) By guaranteeing fundamental rights that no government can violate, and by instituting an independent judiciary with the power of judicial review. [2]
- A β Alsace-Lorraine (Border of France & Germany)
- B β United States of America / Great Britain / USSR (Allied Powers)
- (i) Doda Betta β Tamil Nadu (Highest peak in the Nilgiri Hills)
- (ii) Loktak Lake β Manipur (Freshwater lake famous for phumdis)
- (iii) Kaveri River β Originates in Brahmagiri Hills (Karnataka), flowing into Bay of Bengal
- (iv) Northern Circar β Coastal plain of Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh
