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1. Question 1 : Explain any four reasons how the
initial enthusiasm of the people of France soon
turned to hostility after Napoleon’s takeover of
France.
Answer : Initially the French Armies were welcomed as
harbingers of liberty. But the initial enthusiasm soon
turned to hostility. Because people gradually understood
that the new administrative arrangements did not go
hand in hand with political freedom. The four factors
which seemed to outweigh the advantages of the
administrative changes are:
● Increased taxation on people.
● Strict censorship on printing media and books.
● Forced recruitment into the French Armies to
satisfy the imperialist ambition.
● Restriction on Freedom.

2. Question 2 : “The first clear expression of
nationalism came with the ‘French
Revolution’ in 1789.” Examine the statement.
Answer : The first clear expression of nationalism
came up with the French Revolution 1789.
Revolutionaries in France took many important
steps to create a sense of collective identity which
were:
1. The idea of la patrie (the fatherland), and le
citoyen (the citizen) emphasised the notion
of a united community enjoying equal rights
under a constitution.
2. A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen
to replace the former royal standard.

3. ● Estates General was elected and renamed as
National Assembly.
● New hymns were composed, oaths taken and
martyrs commemorated,all in the name of
the nation.
● Regional dialects were discouraged and
French, as it was spoken and written in Paris,
became the common language of the nation.

4. Question 3 : Why did Nationalist Tensions emerge in Balkans after 1871?
Answer :
1. The Balkans was an area with geographic and ethnic diversity but a lart part
of it was under the Ottoman Empire. As the wave of nationalism hit Europe,
various Balkan identities started seeking independence.
2. But the Balkan states were jealous of each other and started fighting over
territory. This created Internal conflict.
3. Big European nations with enormous political power such as Britain, Russia,
Germany etc started fighting among each other over for controlling Balkan
area (for its rich resources). This created Big Power Rivalry over Balkan.

5. Question 4 : Why did Mahatma Gandhi decide to launch a nationwide
Satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act, 1919? Explain any three
reasons.
Answer : Gandhiji decided to launch a nationwide satyagraha against the
proposed Rowlatt Act (1919) because of the following reasons:
● The Act had been hurriedly passed through the Imperial Legislative
Council despite the united opposition of the Indian members.
● It gave the government enormous powers to repress political activities.
● It allowed detention of political prisoners without trial for two years.

6. Question 5 : Who launched the Khilafat
Movement? Why was the movement launched?
Answer : The Khilafat Movement was a united
struggle launched by Muhammad Ali & Shaukat Ali.
The movement was launched because of following
reasons :
➔ It was launched by Muslims in British India to
influence the British Government and to protect
the Ottoman empire during the aftermath of First
World War. The First World War had ended with
the defeat of Ottoman Turkey.
➔ There was a fear that the power of the spiritual
head of the Islamic world (Khalifa) would be
curtailed

7. Question 6 : Why is modern currency
accepted as a medium of exchange without
any use of its own? Find out the reason.
Answer : Modern currency is accepted as a medium
of exchange because:
1. It is authorised by the government of India.
2. It is issued by the apex bank on behalf of the
government.
3. No other individual is allowed to issue
currency.
4. The law of the country legalises its use as a
medium of payment and setting transactions.
5. No one in a country can refuse payment made
in the currency of that country.

8. Question 7 : Why do we need to expand formal sources of credit in
India? Explain.
Answer :
To save people from the exploitation of Informal sector : In the absence of loans
from formal sector, people depend on informal sector for credit and get charged
very high rate of interests.
To contribute in national building : More affordable and available loans from
formal sector in Rural India will lead to improvement in agriculture, opening of
small business and overall prosperity in villages.
Higher Standard of living : It would lead to higher incomes and improve the
condition of the rural poor. People can also start a business or set up a small scale
industry

9. Question 8 : Differentiate between horizontal and vertical division of powers.
Horizontal Power Sharing Vertical Power Sharing
Power is shared among different organs of govt
such as the legislature, executive and judiciary.
Power is shared among different organs of govt
such as union, state and local levels of govt.
The organs of the govt are placed at the same
level to exercise different powers.
The power involves the highest and the lower
levels of govt.
It keeps a check on the use of power of govt. No concept of checks and balance.
Ensures the concept of the expansion of
democracy.
Promotes the concept of deepening of
democracy.

10. Question 9 : Describe any three ‘majoritarian measures’ taken by the Sri
Lankan Government to establish Sinhala supremacy.
Answer :
● In the year 1956, an act was passed, which established Sinhala as the official
language to be used in Sri Lanka disregarding the minority group of Tamils. The
passing of this act created a feeling of alienation among the minority group, i.e.
Sri Lankan Tamils and they started to feel left-out from the society.
● The government then started adopting and formulating government policies that
favoured the Sinhala people in government jobs and for university positions,
which made the Sri Lankan Tamils feel ousted.
● The Sri Lankan Government further proclaimed that they shall foster and protect
only Buddhism as their State religion and refused to cater to any other religion
disregarding the religion of Sri Lankan Tamils.

11. Question 10 : State major steps taken by the Indian Government
towards decentralization in 1992.
Answer :
1. Constitution mandate to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
2. Reservation of seats in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these
institutions for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward
Classes. Reservation of at least 1/3rd of all positions for women.
3. Creation of an independent institution called the State Election Commission
in each state to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.
4. The State governments are required to share some powers and revenue
with local government bodies. The nature of sharing varies from state to
state.

12. Question 11 : Why is the growth rate in
agriculture decelerating? How did the
Government of India make efforts to
modernise agriculture? Explain.
Answer : The growth rate in agriculture is
decelerating due to the following reasons.
1. Reduction in public investment in agriculture
especially for irrigation, power, rural roads,
etc.
2. Subsidy on fertilisers has decreased leading
to increase in the cost of production.
3. Increase in import of agricultural goods.
4. Lack of employment in agriculture.
5. Erratic nature of monsoon rainfall.

13. To modernise agriculture the Government of
India has taken concerted efforts like the
following.
● Setting up of Indian Council of Agricultural
Research.
● Setting up of agricultural universities,
veterinary services and animal breeding
centres.
● Horticulture development.
● Research and development in the field of
meteorology and weather forecast.
■
● Facility of Kisan Credit Card and PAIS
(Personal Accidental Insurance Scheme)

14. Question 12 : Why is NREGA also called the Right to work? Explain the
objectives of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005.
Answer : Every state or region in India has potential for increasing the income and
employment in that area. Recognising this, the Central Government in India has passed
an act called the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005,
Main objectives of the NREGA 2005 are:
● To implement the Right to Work in 200(initially) districts of India.
● To guarantee 100 days of employment in a year by the Government. In case the
Government fails, it offers unemployment allowance.
● To give preference to the type of work that will help increase the production from
land.

15. Question 13 : ‘Tertiary sector is playing a significant role in the development
of Indian Economy’. Justify the statement.
Answer : Basic services: Services such as hospitals, educational institutions, post and
telegraph services, transport, banks, insurance companies, are in this group.
● Globalization: Due to globalization, people have become aware of new services
and activities, and communication because of which the tertiary sector has gained
importance.
● Development of primary and secondary sector: The development of agriculture
and industry leads to the development of services such as transport, trade and
storage.
● Rise in information technology: Over the past decade or so, certain new services,
such as those based on information and communication technology have become
important and essential.

16. Question 14 : What are Stock Resources? Elaborate the 3 steps in resource
planning.
Answer : Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human
needs but human beings do not have the appropriate technology to access these,
are including in Stock Resources.
Three stages of resource planning are:
● Identification and inventory of resources across the region of the country, which
involve surveying, mapping and measuring the quality as well as quantity of the
resources.
● Planning for the development of the resources by using appropriate skill,
technology and institutional set up.
● Proper resource development plans matching with overall national development
plans.

17. Question 15 : “Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect
national or state boundaries.” Justify the statement.
Answer : It is true that the consequences of environmental degradation is now a global
issue and discussed all over the world. They are not restricted to the nation or state
boundary. The consequences are felt in the surrounding states, nations and also globally.
For example:
● Air pollution through massive thermal power plant and other sources, in India
causes pollution in Nepal, Bangladesh, etc.
● Our neighbours also experience increase in asthma and other lung diseases. Acid
rain, climate change, etc are some issues which are transcontinental in
consequences.
For e.g. Deforestation in Brazil has caused disturbance in rainfall pattern throughout
South America. Land Degradation and dam burst like conditions in China affect India and
Bangladesh as it brings massive siltation and flood consequences.

18. Question 16 : What is Secularism? Mention any 3 provisions of the Indian
Constitution that makes it a secular state.
Answer : The Indian Constitution embodies the positive concept of secularism, i.e.,
giving equal respect to all religions or protecting all religions equally.
Indian constitution has following three provisions that make India a secular state :
1. The constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to
profess, practice, and propagate any religion
2. The constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion
3. There is no official religion in India. Our constitution doesn’t give a special
status to any religion.

19. Question 17 : Why are multipurpose river valley projects called ‘The
Temples of Modern India’? Who first made this statement?
Answer : Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed that multipurpose projects are ‘The
Temples of Modern India’, because :
● They were thought of as the vehicle that would lead the nation to
development and progress.
● He believed that these projects with their integrated water resource
management approach would integrate development of agriculture and the
village economy with rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban
economy.

20. Question 18 : What were the IMF and the World Bank designed for? What made
them shift their attention towards developing countries? (2015)
Answer: International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank were designed to meet
the financial requirements of industrial countries in the post war economy.
They were known as the Bretton Woods Twins. They were not equipped to deal with
the challenges of poverty and lack of development in the former colonies. Fortunately,
Europe and Japan rapidly rebuilt their economies and grew less dependent on the IMF
and the World Bank.
As a result, IMF and the World Bank began to shift their attention more towards
developing countries. The major challenge before the newly independent and
developing countries was to help the majority of the people to come out of the severe
poverty.

21. Question 19 : What are indentured labourers? How were they recruited?
Explain the condition of the indentured labourers who went to work in different
parts of the world. (2012)
Answer : Indentured labour was a practice introduced by the British in the nineteenth
century. Indentured labour refers to bonded labour under contract. The labourer works for an
employer for a specified period of time.
In the 19th century hundreds of thousands of Indian labourers were hired as Indentured
labourers in following ways :
1. Recruitment was done by agents employed by the plantation owners and paid a
small commission.
2. Agents also sometimes tempted these migrants by providing false information
regarding their destinations, modes of travel, the nature of work and living and
working conditions. Sometimes agents even forcibly abducted less willing workers

22. Question 19 : What are indentured labourers? How were they recruited?
Explain the condition of the indentured labourers who went to work in different
parts of the world. (2012)
Answer : Indentured labour was a practice introduced by the British in the nineteenth
century. Indentured labour refers to bonded labour under contract. The labourer works for an
employer for a specified period of time.
In the 19th century hundreds of thousands of Indian labourers were hired as Indentured
labourers in following ways :
1. Recruitment was done by agents employed by the plantation owners and paid a
small commission.
2. Agents also sometimes tempted these migrants by providing false information
regarding their destinations, modes of travel, the nature of work and living and
working conditions. Sometimes agents even forcibly abducted less willing workers

23. Question 20 : Following questions carry 1 mark
each :
a) Which Indian state is the leading producer
of rice?
b) Mark the place on map where Gandhiji
broke salt law by making salt?
c) Mark Hirakud Dam on Indian Political Map
d) Which nation became the International
creditor after WWI?
e) Map work : Out of following mark the state
which has arid soil :
● Uttar Pradesh
● Tamil Nadu
● Rajasthan
● Assam
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