CBSE Class X Social Science Question Paper
Time Allowed: 3 Hours Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
The question paper is divided into five sections: A, B, C, D, and E.
All questions are compulsory. However, there is an internal choice in
some questions.
Marks are indicated against each question.
Questions from 1 to 20 are objective type questions (MCQs) carrying
1 mark each.
Questions from 21 to 24 are very short answer type questions
carrying 2 marks each.
Questions from 25 to 29 are short answer type questions carrying 3
marks each.
Questions from 30 to 35 are long answer type questions carrying 5
marks each.
Questions 36 and 37 are case-based questions carrying 4 marks
each.
Question 38 is a map-based question carrying 5 marks.
Section A: Objective Type Questions (1x20=20)
1. The name of the allegory of the French nation was: a) Britannia b)
Germania c) Marianne d) La Patrie
2. Who presided over the Treaty of Vienna in 1815? a) Duke Metternich
b) Giuseppe Garibaldi c) Otto von Bismarck d) Lord Byron
3. The Simon Commission was boycotted by Indians because: a) it had
only British members. b) it proposed partition of India. c) it
promoted untouchability. d) it was against the formation of a
Constituent Assembly.
4. Which of the following is an example of a non-renewable
resource? a) Hydel power b) Wind energy c) Coal d) Wildlife
5. What is shifting agriculture also known as in North-Eastern India?
a) Beas b) Jhumming c) Milpa d) Pama Dabai
6. Per capita income is the total income of a country divided by its: a)
total population. b) working population. c) total land area. d) number
of employed people.
7. The service sector is also known as the: a) primary sector. b)
secondary sector. c) tertiary sector. d) unorganised sector.
8. Which of the following is an example of vertical power sharing? a)
Power shared between judiciary and executive. b) Power shared
between central and state governments. c) Power shared between
different social groups. d) Power shared between different political
parties.
9. What is a coming together federation? a) A large country divides
its power among states. b) Independent states come together to
form a larger unit. c) All powers are with the central government. d)
The states can secede from the federation at will.
10. The Gandhian idea of Swaraj was described as: a) political
freedom for the nation. b) self-rule for the villages. c) spiritual
emancipation. d) all of the above.
11. Which crop is an example of plantation agriculture? a) Rice
b) Wheat c) Coffee d) Jowar
12. What does the term 'civil disobedience' mean? a) Breaking
the law violently. b) Refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and
commands of a government. c) Supporting the government in its
policies. d) Peaceful negotiations with the authorities.
13. Which of the following is an indicator of human
development? a) Per capita income b) Infant mortality rate c)
Literacy rate d) All of the above
14. The Forests and Wildlife Act, 1972 was introduced to: a)
promote the felling of trees for wood. b) provide land to tribal
communities. c) protect endangered species and their habitats. d)
encourage hunting.
15. The 'feminization of poverty' refers to: a) the increasing
number of women in leadership positions. b) the disproportionate
number of women among the world's poor. c) the increasing number
of women joining the workforce. d) the social empowerment of
women.
16. Which of the following is a key feature of a unitary
government? a) Power is distributed among different levels. b) The
central government is supreme. c) The constitution is rigid. d) There
are independent courts.
17. The 'Aligarh Movement' was started by: a) Muhammad Ali
Jinnah b) Sir Syed Ahmad Khan c) Maulana Azad d) Muhammad Iqbal
18. The term 'casteism' refers to: a) the practice of social
equality. b) a system where a person's identity is based on their
caste. c) the belief that caste is not important. d) the promotion of
inter-caste marriages.
19. Which of the following is a major source of irrigation in
India? a) Canals b) Wells and tubewells c) Tanks d) All of the above
20. What is the main aim of a Multi-Purpose River Project? a)
To generate hydroelectricity only. b) To provide water for irrigation
only. c) To control floods only. d) To achieve multiple objectives like
irrigation, power generation, and flood control.
Section B: Very Short Answer Questions (2x4=8)
21. What is the significance of the 'Allegory' in nationalist
movements?
22. Why is the tertiary sector also called the service sector?
23. What is the 'Community Government' in Belgium?
24. Distinguish between 'resources' and 'stock' with an example
of each.
Section C: Short Answer Questions (3x5=15)
25. Explain any three differences between a federal and
a unitary form of government.
26. How did the First World War help in the growth of the
national movement in India? Explain any three points.
27. Why are minerals considered a non-renewable resource?
Explain with reasons.
28. Describe the three major cropping seasons in India.
29. What are the major threats to India's forests and wildlife?
Explain any three.
Section D: Long Answer Questions (5x6=30)
30. Explain the role of culture in creating the idea of the nation in
Europe. OR Describe the process of the unification of Britain. How
was it different from other nationalist movements?
31. What are the different types of social divisions in a society?
Give examples from India. OR How is religion a major cause of
social division in India? Explain the problems caused by this division.
32. Evaluate the methods of struggle used by the non-
cooperation movement. How did it impact the Indian National
Movement? OR Explain the reasons for the launch of the Khilafat
and Non-Cooperation Movement. Why was it called off by
Gandhiji?
33. Explain the importance of Multi-Purpose River Projects.
What are some of the social and environmental problems caused by
them? OR Explain the different types of rain-fed farming in India.
How are they different from irrigated farming?
34. Compare the organised and unorganised sectors of the
Indian economy based on terms of employment, wages, and
security. OR Analyze the importance of the tertiary sector in the
Indian economy. Why is it growing so rapidly?
35. Explain the concept of 'resource planning'. Why is it
essential for sustainable development? OR Explain the significance
of land resources for human beings. What are the major reasons
for land degradation in India?
Section E: Case-Based Questions (4x2=8)
36. Read the source and answer the questions that follow:
"Development is a comprehensive term which includes an increase in real
per capita income, improvement in living standards of the people,
reduction in poverty, illiteracy, etc. Different people may have different
development goals. What may be development for one may not be
development for the other. It may even be destructive for the other. For
example, the construction of a dam may be a development goal for a
power company but it may lead to the displacement of tribal people,
thereby being destructive for them."
a) What are the main components of development? (1)
b) Why do different people have different development goals? (1)
c) Explain with an example how a development goal for one person can be
destructive for another. (2)
37. Read the source and answer the questions that follow:
"A major test for Indian federalism is the language policy. Our Constitution
did not give the status of national language to any one language. Hindi
was identified as the official language. But there are 22 other languages
recognised as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution. States too have
their own official languages. This has helped in avoiding the kind of
situation that Sri Lanka faced."
a) Why did the Indian Constitution not declare any language as the
national language? (1) b) What is the status of Hindi in India's official
language policy? (1) c) How has India's flexible language policy
strengthened federalism in the country? (2)
Section F: Map Based Question (1x5=5)
38. On an outline map of India, locate and label the following:
a) A place where the **Dandi March** started. (1)
b) The site of the **Jallianwala Bagh** massacre. (1)
c) The major **iron ore belt** located in Odisha and Jharkhand. (1)
d) A major **coffee-producing state**. (1)
e) The state with the **highest density of population** as per the 2011
census. (1)
