1. This is Set 2 — a combined Social Science paper of 100 marks covering History, Political Science, Geography and Economics — each question is tagged with its subject.
2. Section A (Q1–20) carries 1 mark each — MCQ and assertion–reason.
3. Section B (Q21–27) carries 2 marks each — very short answers (≤40 words).
4. Section C (Q28–35) carries 3 marks each — short answers (≤60 words).
5. Section D (Q36–41) carries 5 marks each — long answers (≤120 words).
6. Section E (Q42–44) are source/case-based, 4 marks each (1+1+2).
7. These questions are set even harder than Set 1 and the board paper. Attempt all, then open "Show answer". Assertion–Reason key: (a) Both A and R true and R is the correct explanation of A; (b) Both true but R is not the correct explanation; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.
Section A — Objective (20 × 1 = 20)
MCQ and assertion–reason across all four subjects. Even tougher than Set 1 — read every distractor.
1Q1.HISTORY In Frédéric Sorrieu's 1848 print, peoples of the world are shown marching past the statue of:
Liberty
Justice (holding scales)
Napoleon
Marianne seated on a throne
Show answer
(a) Liberty — Sorrieu's utopian vision shows the peoples of Europe and America, grouped as distinct nations, offering homage to the Statue of Liberty as they march toward it; shattered absolutist symbols lie on the ground.
1Q2.Assertion (A):HISTORY The Treaty of Vienna (1815) was conservative in spirit. Reason (R): It sought to restore the monarchies overthrown by Napoleon and to preserve the old order.Show answer
(a) Both true and R explains A. The 1815 settlement, led by Metternich, aimed to undo most of Napoleon's changes and restore the conservative monarchical order — exactly why it is called conservative.
1Q3.HISTORY The Zollverein in the German states was a:
customs union that abolished tariff barriers
military alliance
secret revolutionary society
royal marriage treaty
Show answer
(a) The Zollverein (1834) was a customs union that abolished internal tariffs and created a common economic zone — binding the German states economically and fuelling nationalism.
1Q4.HISTORY The idea that mass production and high wages could go together is called:
Fordism
Proto-industrialisation
Rinderpest
The Corn Law system
Show answer
(a) Fordism — Henry Ford's assembly-line method sharply cut costs and raised output, enabling higher wages and cheaper cars (the T-Model), a model later copied worldwide.
1Q5.HISTORY Gandhiji's FIRST satyagraha in India (1917) was at:
Champaran
Dandi
Kheda
Ahmedabad
Show answer
(a) Champaran (1917) — against the oppressive indigo plantation system in Bihar; Kheda (1918, revenue) and the Ahmedabad mill strike (1918) followed.
1Q6.POL SCI The 1956 Act that made Sinhala the sole official language of Sri Lanka is an example of:
majoritarianism
power sharing
secularism
federalism
Show answer
(a) majoritarianism — the majority Sinhala community used its numerical dominance to impose its will, alienating the Tamils and eventually triggering civil war.
1Q7.Assertion (A):POL SCI In India, ‘Education’ was shifted so that both the Union and the states can legislate on it. Reason (R): Education is placed in the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule.Show answer
(a) Both true and R explains A. Subjects on the Concurrent List (education, forests, trade unions, marriage) can be legislated on by both the Centre and states — which is why both can make laws on education.
1Q8.POL SCI The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992) are significant because they:
made the third tier (local self-government) a constitutional reality
abolished the states
created the Election Commission
gave residuary powers to states
Show answer
(a) They made local self-government (panchayats and municipalities) a constitutionally mandated third tier, with regular elections, reserved seats and State Election Commissions.
1Q9.POL SCI ‘Defection’ in politics means:
an elected member changing party allegiance after the election
voting in secret
boycotting an election
forming a coalition
Show answer
(a) Defection is an elected representative switching the party on whose ticket they were elected — often for office or money; the anti-defection law was made to curb it.
1Q10.POL SCI Which is a feminist demand of the women's movement?
Equal wages and a larger share in political representation
A single official religion
Abolition of elections
More trade barriers
Show answer
(a) Feminist movements demand equality — equal wages, education and a greater share in political decision-making (e.g. reservation of seats for women).
1Q11.GEOGRAPHY Black soil (regur) is agriculturally important mainly because it:
retains moisture and is ideal for cotton
is rich in humus and found in hills
is sandy and drains quickly
forms only in heavy-rainfall laterite zones
Show answer
(a) Black soil is made of fine clayey material that holds moisture and is rich in lime, iron, magnesia — ideal for cotton (‘black cotton soil’); it develops cracks in summer, aiding aeration.
1Q12.Assertion (A):GEOGRAPHY ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in India in 1973. Reason (R): It aimed to protect the tiger — an endangered species — and its habitat from extinction.Show answer
(a) Both true and R explains A. Project Tiger (1973) was a major conservation programme to save the dwindling tiger population by protecting tigers and their reserves.
1Q13.GEOGRAPHY Which mineral is the chief ore of aluminium, with major reserves in Odisha?
Bauxite
Hematite
Manganese
Mica
Show answer
(a) Bauxite — aluminium is extracted from bauxite; Odisha (e.g. Panchpatmali in Koraput) is the largest producer.
1Q14.GEOGRAPHY Which river valley project did Nehru call among the ‘temples of modern India’ and lies on the Sutlej?
Bhakra-Nangal
Hirakud
Damodar Valley
Nagarjuna Sagar
Show answer
(a) Bhakra-Nangal on the Sutlej — a multi-purpose project for irrigation and hydel power; Hirakud is on the Mahanadi.
1Q15.GEOGRAPHY Which transport mode is MOST suitable for carrying crude oil and natural gas overland?
Pipelines
Roadways
Airways
Railways
Show answer
(a) Pipelines — they move liquids and gases continuously over long distances with minimal running cost and no trans-shipment losses.
1Q16.Assertion (A):ECONOMICS Banks are willing to lend to poor women organised in Self-Help Groups even without collateral. Reason (R): In an SHG the group decides the terms and is collectively responsible for repayment.Show answer
(a) Both true and R explains A. Peer responsibility within the SHG ensures repayment, so banks lend to the group without demanding individual collateral.
1Q17.ECONOMICS The problem of ‘double coincidence of wants’ is solved by:
using money as a medium of exchange
the barter system
demonetisation
collateral
Show answer
(a) Money, accepted by everyone, acts as an intermediate, so a seller need not find someone who both wants his good and offers what he needs — unlike barter.
1Q18.ECONOMICS Which is a feature of the UN-organised (organised) sector?
Regular salary with provident fund and paid leave
No job security
No fixed working hours
Work outside government rules
Show answer
(a) Organised-sector workers get regular, secure jobs with fixed hours, paid leave, provident fund, gratuity and pension — unlike the unorganised sector.
1Q19.ECONOMICS A Multinational Corporation (MNC) is best defined as a company that:
owns or controls production in more than one country
exports to one country only
is owned by a foreign government
produces only in its home country
Show answer
(a) An MNC owns or controls production in more than one nation, locating it where costs are low and markets are near.
1Q20.ECONOMICS A shop refuses to sell toothpaste unless you also buy a toothbrush. This violates the consumer's:
Right to Choose
Right to Safety
Right to Information
Right to Representation
Show answer
(a) Right to Choose — the consumer is forced into a tied purchase instead of freely choosing what to buy.
Section B — Very Short Answer (7 × 2 = 14)
Answer in about 40 words each.
2Q21.HISTORY Who were ‘indentured labourers’ and why is indenture called a ‘new system of slavery’?Show answer
Indentured labourers were bonded workers (mostly from India) taken to plantations/mines abroad on a contract promising return after some years. It is called a ‘new system of slavery’ because of deceptive recruitment, harsh living/working conditions, low wages and few legal rights — little better than slavery.
2Q22.HISTORY Why did some workers in Britain oppose the Spinning Jenny?Show answer
The Spinning Jenny (James Hargreaves) let one worker spin many spindles at once, so fewer hands were needed. Women who survived on hand spinning feared unemployment and so attacked and opposed the new machines.
2Q23.POL SCI How did Sri Lanka's majoritarian measures affect Sri Lankan Tamils?Show answer
Making Sinhala the sole official language, favouring Sinhala applicants for jobs/universities and giving Buddhism state protection made Tamils feel alienated and discriminated against. Their demands were repeatedly denied, leading to a demand for autonomy and eventually a civil war.
2Q24.POL SCI Explain ‘horizontal’ distribution of power with an example.Show answer
Horizontal distribution shares power among organs at the same level — the legislature, executive and judiciary. Each is placed at the same level, so none has unlimited power; they exercise checks and balances on one another — e.g. courts can review executive and legislative actions.
2Q25.GEOGRAPHY Name the three categories of forests in India on the basis of ownership/management.Show answer
(1) Reserved forests — the most valuable, strictly protected, over half of forest land; (2) Protected forests — protected from further depletion; and (3) Unclassed forests — other forests and wastelands belonging to the government, communities or individuals.
2Q26.GEOGRAPHY State two advantages of non-conventional (renewable) sources of energy.Show answer
(1) They are inexhaustible/renewable (solar, wind, tidal) and will not run out like fossil fuels; and (2) they are clean and pollution-free, reducing greenhouse gases and health hazards — making development more sustainable.
2Q27.ECONOMICS State two differences between formal and informal sources of credit.Show answer
(1) Supervision: formal sources (banks, cooperatives) are supervised by the RBI; informal sources (moneylenders, traders) have no supervision. (2) Interest: formal credit is cheaper, while informal lenders charge very high interest and may use unfair means.
Section C — Short Answer (8 × 3 = 24)
Answer in about 60 words each. At least one question joins two subjects.
3Q28.HISTORY How did the Civil Disobedience Movement (1930) differ from the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22)? Give three points.Show answer
(1) In non-cooperation people refused to cooperate with the government (boycott of schools, titles, councils); in civil disobedience they broke colonial laws openly (e.g. making salt). (2) Civil disobedience began with the Dandi Salt March. (3) It had wider participation — women, peasants, business groups — and a clearer demand for purna swaraj.
3Q29.HISTORY How did print culture reach and empower women, workers and the poor in India and Europe? Give three points.Show answer
(1) Women: novels, journals and reformist writing reached them; some, like Rashsundari Debi and Tarabai Shinde, wrote about their own lives. (2) Workers: cheap penny chapbooks and libraries spread literacy; some workers wrote political tracts. (3) Poor/lower castes: reformers like Jyotiba Phule and Periyar used print to question caste injustice — print spread new, questioning ideas.
3Q30.POL SCI Explain how caste can take various forms in politics.Show answer
(1) Parties choose candidates keeping caste composition in mind and appeal to caste sentiments for votes. (2) Governments are formed balancing caste/community representation. (3) Caste consciousness is used to mobilise voters. But no party wins only on one caste's votes, and politics also changes caste — so caste and politics shape each other.
3Q31.POL SCI ‘Democracy accommodates social diversity better than other forms of government.’ Explain with examples.Show answer
Democracy evolves mechanisms to negotiate differences — power sharing among communities, regions and levels — so conflicts are handled by peaceful competition and compromise, not violence. For example, Belgium accommodated its language groups through power sharing, avoiding the kind of civil war that majoritarian Sri Lanka suffered. Thus democracy reduces the possibility of social tensions exploding.
3Q32.GEOGRAPHY Explain any three institutional and technical reforms introduced to improve Indian agriculture after Independence.Show answer
(1) Land reforms — abolition of zamindari, land ceilings, consolidation of holdings and the Bhoodan-Gramdan movement. (2) The Green Revolution — HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers and assured irrigation raised output. (3) Institutional support — Minimum Support Price, crop insurance, Kisan Credit Cards, subsidised credit and Grameen banks — to protect and fund farmers.
3Q33.GEOGRAPHY(Joins Geography & Economics.) How does the manufacturing sector help reduce dependence on agriculture and promote overall development?Show answer
Manufacturing creates jobs in the secondary and tertiary sectors, drawing surplus/underemployed workers out of agriculture. It adds value to raw materials (raising farm incomes through agro-industries), earns foreign exchange through exports, and brings in modern technology. By diversifying the economy away from farming, it raises incomes and is seen as the key to modernisation and prosperity.
3Q34.ECONOMICS Explain the three factors that have enabled globalisation.Show answer
(1) Technology — faster, cheaper transport (containers, air freight) and especially IT (telecom, computers, internet) allow goods, services and information to move worldwide at low cost. (2) Liberalisation — removing trade and investment barriers (India, around 1991). (3) Pressure from the WTO, which pushes countries to liberalise trade and investment.
3Q35.ECONOMICS ‘Credit can be a boon or a curse.’ Explain with the examples of Salim and Swapna.Show answer
Credit helps when the activity succeeds: Salim borrowed for a festival order, completed it, profited and repaid — credit raised his earnings (a boon). It harms when the activity fails: Swapna borrowed for groundnut; pests destroyed the crop; unable to repay, she fell into a debt-trap and sold land (a curse). So credit's value depends on the risk and support against loss.
Section D — Long Answer (6 × 5 = 30)
Answer in about 120 words each. Each needs more than one concept.
5Q36.HISTORY Describe the significance of the Salt March (1930) and explain why salt was chosen as the symbol of protest.Show answer
Mahatma Gandhi chose salt because it was consumed by rich and poor alike, and the state's monopoly and tax on it was one of the most oppressive and universally felt faces of British rule — making it a powerful unifying symbol. On 12 March 1930 Gandhi marched about 240 miles from Sabarmati to Dandi and, on 6 April, broke the salt law by making salt from seawater. Its significance: it launched the Civil Disobedience Movement; it drew mass participation including women; it won worldwide attention and exposed colonial injustice; and it forced the British to negotiate (Gandhi-Irwin Pact, Round Table Conference). It showed the power of non-violent defiance of unjust law.
5Q37.HISTORY ‘The pre-modern world shrank greatly in the nineteenth century.’ Explain the three types of flows that linked the world, with examples.Show answer
Economists identify three flows in international exchange: (1) flow of trade — mainly in goods such as cloth and wheat (e.g. Britain importing food after repealing the Corn Laws); (2) flow of labour — the migration of people seeking work, such as indentured labourers from India to the Caribbean, Mauritius and Fiji; and (3) flow of capital — short- and long-term investments over long distances (e.g. British capital financing railways and plantations abroad). Earlier, the Silk Routes and the exchange of foods (potatoes, chillies to the Old World) had already linked distant regions. Technology — railways, steamships, the telegraph — accelerated these flows, shrinking the world.
5Q38.POL SCI ‘India has practised decentralisation and federal power sharing.’ Explain how, with at least four points.Show answer
(1) Three-tier government — Union, State and (after 1992) Local self-government, each with its own jurisdiction. (2) Division of subjects — Union, State and Concurrent Lists, with residuary powers to the Centre. (3) Linguistic states were created so that people speaking a language could govern themselves, strengthening unity. (4) A three-language formula and respect for regional languages accommodated diversity. (5) The 73rd/74th Amendments (1992) gave constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities, with reserved seats for women, SCs and STs and State Election Commissions. Together these show India's working federal and decentralised power sharing — a key reason democracy has held together such a diverse country.
5Q39.GEOGRAPHY Why is the conservation of minerals essential? Suggest measures, and explain the uneven distribution of minerals in India.Show answer
Minerals are finite and non-renewable, take millions of years to form and are being rapidly depleted, while mining is costly and causes environmental damage — so conservation is essential. Measures: use minerals in a planned, sustainable way; recycle metals (scrap); use substitutes and improved technology to reduce wastage; and reclaim mined land. Distribution: minerals are unevenly spread — peninsular India (the Chhotanagpur plateau, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand) is rich in metallic minerals and coal; the western sedimentary basins (Gujarat, Assam, offshore Mumbai High) have petroleum and natural gas; and Rajasthan has non-ferrous minerals. This unevenness makes planning and transport important.
5Q40.GEOGRAPHY Explain the importance of the manufacturing sector, and describe the measures taken to control industrial pollution of water and air.Show answer
Importance: manufacturing modernises agriculture, reduces dependence on farming by creating jobs, brings in foreign exchange through exports, reduces regional disparities when industries are set up in backward areas, and is regarded as the backbone of development. But industries pollute air, water, land and noise. Control measures: (1) minimise water use and recycle/reuse water in phases; (2) harvest rainwater to meet needs; (3) treat effluents (mechanical, biological and chemical treatment) before releasing them into rivers; (4) fit smokestack scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators and inertial separators to reduce air pollution; and (5) use silencers and better machinery to cut noise. Strict enforcement of pollution norms is essential for sustainable industrialisation.
5Q41.ECONOMICS Explain the role of banks in the economy and why the expansion of formal-sector credit is important for development.Show answer
Role of banks: banks accept deposits from those with surplus money (paying interest) and keep only about 5% as cash; they lend the major portion as loans to those who need funds, thus mediating between depositors and borrowers, and earn income from the interest spread. The RBI supervises banks, ensuring they keep the required cash balance and lend to small borrowers too. Why expand formal credit: informal lenders charge very high interest, cause debt-traps and discourage enterprise; the formal sector meets only about half of rural needs, and the poor depend on costly informal credit. Expanding cheap, formal credit and distributing it to the poor lets people invest in farming, business and industry — so it is crucial for development.
Section E — Source / Case-Based (3 × 4 = 12)
Read each source and answer the sub-parts (1 + 1 + 2 marks).
4Q42.
POL SCI ‘Belgium has a complex ethnic make-up: 59% of the people in the Flemish region speak Dutch, 40% in the Wallonia region speak French, and the capital Brussels has a French-speaking majority though the country is Dutch-majority. Between 1970 and 1993 the leaders amended the constitution four times to share power among the communities.’
(42.1) Which community is in a minority in the country but a majority in Brussels? (1) (42.2) Name the special kind of government Belgium created for cultural matters. (1) (42.3) What lesson does the Belgian model teach about managing diversity? (2)Show answer
(42.1) The French-speaking community (a minority in Belgium as a whole, but a majority in Brussels). (42.2) The Community Government, elected by each language group for cultural, educational and language matters. (42.3) It teaches that respecting and sharing power among all communities — rather than majority domination — can accommodate deep diversity peacefully and hold a country together, in sharp contrast to Sri Lanka's majoritarianism.
4Q43.
GEOGRAPHY ‘India receives nearly the whole of its annual rainfall in a few rainy months from the south-west monsoon. The monsoon is also uncertain and uneven: Mawsynram gets the world's highest rainfall while large parts of Rajasthan and the Deccan interior are drought-prone. Much of the rain runs off quickly into the sea.’
(43.1) Name the winds that bring most of India's rainfall. (1) (43.2) State one method to conserve this seasonal rainwater. (1) (43.3) Why is water conservation and management essential in India? (2)Show answer
(43.1) The south-west monsoon winds. (43.2)Rainwater harvesting (e.g. rooftop tanks, check dams, tankas/khadins, bamboo drip systems). (43.3) Because rainfall is seasonal, uncertain and unevenly distributed and much water runs off or is lost, while demand from a large population, irrigation and industry is rising and groundwater is falling — so storing, recharging and using water judiciously is essential to prevent scarcity and ensure year-round supply.
4Q44.
ECONOMICS ‘Chinese manufacturers, learning that toys sell at high prices in India, began exporting cheap, new-design plastic toys. Within a year 70-80% of Indian toy shops had replaced Indian toys with Chinese ones. Toys became cheaper for Indian buyers, Chinese makers expanded, but Indian toy-makers faced heavy losses.’
(44.1) What process does this illustrate? (1) (44.2) Who gained and who lost? (1) (44.3) What could the government do to protect Indian toy-makers, and what is the trade-off? (2)Show answer
(44.1)Foreign trade and the integration of markets under globalisation. (44.2)Gainers: Indian consumers (cheaper toys, more choice) and Chinese makers; losers: Indian toy-makers. (44.3) The government could impose a tax (tariff) or quota on toy imports — a trade barrier — and support Indian producers with better infrastructure, technology and cheap credit. The trade-off: barriers protect domestic producers but reduce consumer choice and raise prices, so they must be used carefully and temporarily.
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