Q1
mcq
1 mark
Assertion (A): Female literacy has been rising faster than male literacy. Reason (R): Literacy varies considerably across genders, across regions, and across social groups.
- A. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- B. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- C. Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- D. Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
Correct Answer: B —
Solution
Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion. Female literacy has indeed been rising faster than male literacy in India, but this is a specific trend. The Reason is a general statement that literacy differs across gender, region, and social group. It does not explain why female literacy has been rising faster than male literacy. Hence, option (B) is correct.
Q2
mcq
Assertion (A) : Some communities were characterised as ‘martial races’, some others as effeminate or cowardly, yet others as untrustworthy. Reason (R) : Stereotypes are fixed and inflexible characterisations of a group of people.
- A. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- B. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- C. Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- D. Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
Correct Answer: A —
Solution
Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion. During colonial rule, certain communities were labelled as 'martial races', while others were described as effeminate, cowardly, or untrustworthy. This happened because stereotypes are fixed and inflexible generalisations about a group of people. Such stereotypes were used to classify communities in a biased and rigid manner. Therefore, option (A) is correct.
Q3
mcq
_________ is a characteristic of the second/transitional stage in population growth of society. (I) High death rate and population explosion (II) Population explosion (III) Low sex ratio (IV) High maternal mortality rate Options :
- A. Only (I)
- B. Only (II)
- C. (II) and (III)
- D. Only (IV)
Correct Answer: B —
Solution
The correct answer is Only (II) Population explosion. The second or transitional stage of population growth is marked by a rapid fall in death rate while birth rate remains high, causing a population explosion. High death rate is not a feature of this stage. Low sex ratio and high maternal mortality rate are not defining characteristics of this demographic stage. Therefore, option (B) is correct.
Q4
mcq
Assertion (A) : The government sells its shares in several public sector companies as part of the process of disinvestment. Reason (R) : Many government workers are scared that they will lose their job after disinvestment.
- A. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- B. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- C. Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- D. Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
Correct Answer: B —
Solution
Both the Assertion and the Reason are true, but the Reason is not the correct explanation of the Assertion. Disinvestment means the government sells its shares in public sector companies. It is also true that many government workers fear losing their jobs after disinvestment. However, this fear does not explain the process of disinvestment itself; it is a consequence or concern arising from it. Therefore, option (B) is correct.
Q5
mcq
Which of the following are not the changes brought about by colonialism to the caste system ?
- A. Numbering and recording of castes through census.
- B. Hundreds of petitions were addressed to the Census Commissioner by representatives of different castes claiming a higher position in the social scale.
- C. Linking castes to traditional occupations.
- D. Making ‘Schedules’ of castes for special treatment by the State.
Correct Answer: C —
Solution
The correct answer is (C) Linking castes to traditional occupations. This was not a new change brought about by colonialism, because the caste system had long associated castes with hereditary occupations even before colonial rule. The other options are colonial changes: caste enumeration in the census, caste petitions for higher status, and special scheduling of castes by the State. Therefore, option (C) is correct.
Q6
mcq
Which of the following institutional incentives helps to build a feeling of unity in diversity ?
- A. Citizens can find the institutional and political space to identify with both their country and cultural identities.
- B. Citizens cannot build trust in common institutions.
- C. Citizens do not participate in and support democratic politics.
- D. Explicit efforts are not required to end the cultural exclusion of diverse groups.
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Q7
mcq
An authoritarian state is the opposite of a democratic state because :
- A. It is a state in which people have no voice.
- B. Those in power are accountable to everyone.
- C. The state responds well to the needs of the people.
- D. Authoritarian state does not abolish civil liberties.
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Q8
mcq
Assertion (A) : Sanskritisation operated similarly in different parts of the country.
Reason (R) : In regions where the non-Sanskritic were dominant, it was their influence that was stronger.
- A. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- B. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- C. Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- D. Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
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Q9
mcq
Which of the following is a public perception of disability ?
- A. Disabilities are not understood as biologically given.
- B. The disabled person is not seen as a victim.
- C. Disability is not linked with an individual’s self-perception.
- D. The idea of disability suggests that they are in need of help.
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Q10
mcq
Assertion (A): India is still largely an agricultural country. Reason (R): Very few people in India have access to secure jobs.
- A. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- B. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- C. Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- D. Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
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Q12
mcq
Which of the following is not true about Karl Marx’s view on violent collective action ?
- A. ‘Crowds’ and ‘mobs’ were not made up of anarchic hooligans out to destroy society.
- B. Poor people in urban areas had a good reason for protesting.
- C. They often resorted to public protest because they had no other way of expressing their anger against deprivation.
- D. ‘Crowds’ and ‘mobs’ have no shared understanding of right and wrong.
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The term ‘Adivasi’ connotes political awareness and the assertion of rights. Literally meaning ‘original inhabitants’, the term was coined in the 1930s as part of the struggle against the intrusion by the colonial government and outside settlers and moneylenders.
Q13
mcq
Which of the following is not true about Adivasis ?
- A. Their economic conditions were better than the non-Adivasis.
- B. They are found mainly in the north-eastern parts of India.
- C. They were believed to be the people of the forest.
- D. They had practised shifting cultivation.
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Q14
mcq
Write the following statements in the correct order :
- A. (III), (I), (II), (IV)
- B. (I), (II), (III), (IV)
- C. (IV), (I), (III), (II)
- D. (III), (II), (IV), (I)
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Q15
mcq
Which statement is true regarding the many-sided and paradoxical impact of the English language in India?
- A. English is not widely used in India.
- B. We do not have an impressive body of literary writings by Indians in English.
- C. The knowledge of English has given Indians an edge in the global market.
- D. For those who were traditionally deprived of access to formal education, such as Dalits, knowledge of English did not open doors of opportunities.
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Q16
mcq
Assertion (A) : Constitutional provisions define the powers of the States and the Centre.
Reason (R) : Respecting regional sentiments is not just a matter of creating States but it has to be backed up with an institutional structure.
- A. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- B. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- C. Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- D. Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
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Q18
short answer
2 marks
(a) “Social exclusion is not accidental but systematic – it is the result of structural features of society.”
In the context of the above statement, highlight the meaning of social ex
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Q18
short answer
2 marks
“Untouchability is an extreme and vicious aspect of the caste system.” Explain any two dimensions of untouchability.
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Q19
short answer
2 marks
“Many of our cultural practices and patterns can be traced to our agricultural background. There is a close relationship between agriculture and culture.” Give one reason to support the given statement and name any two agriculture-related festivals.
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Q20
short answer
2 marks
“Our community provides us the language (our mother tongue) and the cultural values through which we comprehend the world. It also anchors our self-identity. Community identity is what we ‘are’ rather than what we have ‘become’.” How can you say that community identity is ascriptive ?
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Q21
short answer
2 marks
The ‘Schedules’ listing the castes and tribes recognised as deserving of special treatment because of the massive discrimination practiced against them were drawn up in 1935, by the British Indian government. Post-independence, which was the most important initiative taken by the government to compensate for this discrimination ? Write briefly about it.
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Q22
short answer
2 marks
(a) The notion of minority groups usually involves some sort of a relative disadvantage. Exemplify the statement.
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Q22
short answer
2 marks
(b) Highlight the meaning of Secularism in both, the Western and Indian context.
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Q23
short answer
2 marks
“In a country where half the children in the age group of 5 – 14 years are out of school, how can there be space for children with disabilities, especially if a segregated schooling is being advocated for them ?” State two ways by which a disabled child can achieve autonomy.
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Q24
short answer
2 marks
“In India, over 90% of the work, whether it is in agriculture, industry or services is in the unorganised or informal sector.” What are the social implications of this small size of the organised sector ?
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Q25
short answer
2 marks
“In our current information age, social movements around the globe are able to join together in huge regional and international networks.” Give suitable examples to support the statement.
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Q26
long answer
4 marks
“Globalisation of agriculture or the incorporation of agriculture into the larger global market – a process that has had direct effects on farmers and rural society.” Discuss the role of ‘contract farming’ in this process of globalisation.
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Q27
long answer
4 marks
“The post-independent Indian state inherited and reflected the contradictions of the pre-independent period.” Comment on the given statement with respect to the role of caste in the public sphere.
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Q28
long answer
4 marks
“In Indian nationalism, the dominant trend was marked by an inclusive and democratic vision.” Explain.
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Q29
long answer
4 marks
“A considerable part of ritual in India has a direct reference to the pursuit of secular ends. Rituals have secular dimensions as distinct from secular goals.” Justify with the help of suitable examples.
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Q30
long answer
4 marks
“Jan Breman identified the change in the nature of relationship between landlords and agricultural workers.” Explain the meaning of the phrase ‘from patronage to exploitation’ stated by him.
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Q31
long answer
4 marks
(a) “Cities played a key role in the economic system of empires.” Elucidate the statement with the help of suitable examples.
OR
(b) “The laws of a colonised country did not have to stick to the democratic norms that the British back home had to follow.” In what ways did the colonial laws favour the owners and managers of the tea industry ?
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Q32
long answer
4 marks
“Because the tribal areas were located in mineral-rich and forest-covered parts of the country, tribals have paid a disproportionate price for the development of the rest of Indian society.” How has national development been a challenge for the tribal population of India, post-Independence ?
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Q33
short answer
The Rural and Urban population in India (1901 – 2011) is given below :
Based on the above data, answer the following questions.
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Q33
short answer
2 marks
‘Rural-urban migration is preferred for ‘social reasons’. Mention any two reasons.
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Q33
long answer
4 marks
‘It is not a question of numbers alone, processes of modern development ensure that the economic and social significance of the agrarian-rural way of life declines relative to the significance of the industrial way of life.’ Highlight the reasons for the decline in the agrarian-rural way of life.
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Q34
long answer
6 marks
‘Home-based work is an important part of the economy.’ Elaborate on the functioning of any one ‘Home-based’ Industry.
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Q35
long answer
6 marks
How have the women’s movements evolved over the period of history ?
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