CBSE Class 12 Sociology Sample Paper 2026 27 with Solutions PDF Download

SECTION-A

1. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason(R). Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below as the correct answer:
Assertion (A): As per the Theory of Demographic Transition, in the first stage of population growth, the population is high.
Reason (R): The Theory of Demographic Transition suggests that population growth is linked to overall levels of economic development. [1 Mark]
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 and R is true.

Answer: d) A is false and R is true.

In the first stage, both the birth rate and the death rate are high, so population growth is low, not high. R is true: the theory links population growth to the overall level of economic development.

Teacher's Note:
a) Stage 1: high birth rate and high death rate, so low growth.
b) Stage 2 (transition) is the stage of population explosion, not Stage 1.

2. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason(R). Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below as the correct answer:
Assertion(A): In matrilineal societies, women exercise control over property and are decision makers in public affairs.
Reason(R): Matrilineal societies pass on property from mother to daughter. [1 Mark]
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 and R is true.

Answer: d) A is false and R is true.

In matrilineal societies, property does pass from mother to daughter. But women do not enjoy real control over it or over public affairs; effective authority usually lies with men, such as the mother's brother.

Teacher's Note:
a) Matriliny is about the line of inheritance, not about who holds power.
b) Do not confuse matrilineal with matriarchal.

3. Which of the following is not true for Demographic Dividend?
I. Demographic Dividend implies high dependency ratio.
II. Realising the potential of Demographic Dividend is based on factors such as employment opportunities, provision of opportunities for education.
III. Demographic dividend implies change of age-structure. [1 Mark]
a) I. only.
b) I. and III.
c) II. and III.
d) I. and II.

Answer: a) I. only.

A demographic dividend arises when the share of the working-age population is large, which means a low dependency ratio. So statement I is not true, while II and III are true.

Teacher's Note:
a) Dividend = more workers, fewer dependents = low dependency ratio.
b) Read "not true" carefully and pick only the false statement.

4. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason(R). Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below as the correct answer:
Assertion(A): Men migrate singly, or leaving their families in the village.
Reason(R): Migrants have little time to socialise and whatever little time and money they can spend is with other migrant workers. [1 Mark]
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 and R is true.

Answer: b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

Both statements are true about migrant workers. But the lack of time to socialise does not explain why men migrate alone and leave their families behind.

Teacher's Note:
a) Check whether R gives the cause of A, not just whether both are true.
b) Here R describes the life of migrants after migration.

5. British administrators_____________________. [1 Mark]
a) wanted to understand the complexities of caste in an effort to learn how to govern the country efficiently.
b) did not want to conduct any kind of surveys in India.
c) were veteran ethnologists and knew a great deal about the Indian social structure.
d) introduced changes to social institutions and these efforts were all deliberate.

Answer: a) wanted to understand the complexities of caste in an effort to learn how to govern the country efficiently.

Colonial administrators studied caste through surveys and the census because they wanted to govern the country efficiently. They were not all expert ethnologists, and many of the changes they caused were unintended.

Teacher's Note:
a) The census was the main tool for collecting information on caste.
b) Options b), c) and d) are too absolute to be correct.

6. Civil liberties organisations- [1 Mark]
a) are only involved in campaigns for the rights of the tribal community.
b) have not been involved in any recent initiatives for protection of the rights of citizens.
c) have been particularly important in keeping a watch on the state.
d) are under the purview of the market.

Answer: c) have been particularly important in keeping a watch on the state.

Civil liberties organisations are part of civil society. They keep a watch on the state and try to make it obey the law and protect citizens' rights.

Teacher's Note:
a) Civil society lies outside both the state and the market.
b) Words like "only" and "not involved in any" signal wrong options.

7. Which of the following is true about "assimilationist" and "integrationist" policies? [1 Mark]
a) They are synonymous.
b) "Assimilationist" policies are used to enhance political legitimacy while "integrationist" policies are used for integration of tribes into the mainstream.
c) "Assimilationist" policies allow communities the freedom to practice their identities.
d) Both these policies try to establish singular national identities through various interventions.

Answer: d) Both these policies try to establish singular national identities through various interventions.

Both assimilationist and integrationist policies try to create a single national identity. They differ in method, but neither gives communities full freedom to keep their separate identities.

Teacher's Note:
a) The two terms are not synonymous; they differ in approach.
b) The common feature is the aim of one national identity.

8. Which of the following is not true regarding the definition of 'Modernity' as given by Rudolph and Rudolph? [1 Mark]
a) Modernity assumes that local ties give way to universal commitments.
b) The individual rather than the group is the primary unit of the society and politics.
c) Science takes precedence over the sacred and the non-rational.
d) Fatalism rather than mastery orient the attitude of people towards material and human environment.

Answer: d) Fatalism rather than mastery orient the attitude of people towards material and human environment.

According to Rudolph and Rudolph, in modernity it is mastery, not fatalism, that orients people's attitude towards the material and human environment. Option d) reverses this.

Teacher's Note:
a) Modernity: universal ties, the individual, science, mastery.
b) The "not true" option reverses one of these features.

9. Stree Purush Tulana is an important publication because________________. [1 Mark]
a) it questions the social stratification based on gender.
b) it reinforces the existing social order based on gender.
c) it reinforces a matriarchal system.
d) it prevents social change.

Answer: a) it questions the social stratification based on gender.

Stree Purush Tulana, written by Tarabai Shinde, protested against the double standards of a male-dominated society. It questioned inequality based on gender.

Teacher's Note:
a) The book was a protest, so it could not reinforce the existing order.
b) Link it with the theme of gender in social reform.

10. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason(R). Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below as the correct answer:
Assertion(A): Overwork is built into the structure of outsourced projects.
Reason(R): Project timelines are underestimated in terms of man-days which allows organisations to successfully compete in the global market and ensure that the work is done in less time and with less expenditure, [1 Mark]
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 and R is true.

Answer: a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Because timelines are underestimated in man-days to win global contracts, employees must work long hours to finish on time. So R explains why overwork is built into outsourced projects.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: underestimated man-days, long working hours, IT outsourcing.
b) R gives the cause; A gives the result.

Based on your reading of the given passage, answer Q11. and 12.

The guerrilla movement was heralded by the forcible cutting of crops from the land of a rich landlord at Garudabhadra, near Boddapadu in the plains area on 24 November 1968. More significant was the action in the hill tracts the next day, when in Pedagottili village of the Parvatipuram Agency area, about 250 Girijans from several villages armed with bows, arrows and spears... raided the house of a ...landlord cum moneylender... and took possession of his hoarded paddy, rice, other food grains and property worth about Rs. 20,000. They also seized documents.
Source- NCERT, Textbook, Class XII Sociology

11. Which of the following is true for the New Social Movements? [1 Mark]
a) They used old methods of agitation.
b) They worked within the ambit of political parties.
c) They were fighting for causes such as exploitation at the hands of zamindars.
d) Their ideology was strongly anti-urban.

Answer: d) Their ideology was strongly anti-urban.

The new farmers' movements were organised outside political parties, used new methods such as blocking roads and railways, and had an ideology that was strongly anti-state and anti-urban. Fighting zamindari exploitation was a feature of the older peasant movements.

Teacher's Note:
a) New movements: non-party, new methods, anti-state and anti-urban.
b) Old movements: against zamindars and moneylenders.

12. Which of the following about the evolution of peasant movement is not true? [1 Mark]
a) Peasant movements have always been global in nature.
b) Initially, peasant movements were disjointed.
c) Between 1920s and 1940s various peasant organisations emerged.
d) The methods of agitation have evolved such as blocking roads and railways.

Answer: a) Peasant movements have always been global in nature.

Peasant movements began as local and disjointed struggles. Organised peasant bodies emerged between the 1920s and 1940s, and methods later changed. They were not always global in nature.

Teacher's Note:
a) "Always" makes option a) the false statement.
b) Remember the sequence: local and scattered, then organised, then new methods.

Based on your reading of the given passage, answer Q13. and 14.

I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in the circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, figments of their imagination. Indeed, everything and anything except me (Ellison, 1952:3).

13. "I am invisible" because________________.
I) people only see their own perception about me.
II) society has distorted my image.
III) society is built in a manner that does not cater to my needs. [1 Mark]
a) I. only
b) I. and II., only.
c) III. only.
d) I., II., III.

Answer: d) I., II., III.

People see only their own imagination (I), the "distorting glass" shows a distorted image (II), and society is not built to meet the needs of such persons (III). All three explain the sense of being invisible.

Teacher's Note:
a) The passage is used to explain how the disabled are made invisible by society.
b) Disability is a social construct, not only a physical condition.

14. I. National Trust Act was passed in 1999.
II. Information on disability was collected during the Population Enumeration Phase of the Census last conducted, through Household Schedule.
III. Attempt was made to collect information on eight types of disabilities as against five in Census 2001.
IV. Legislations to ensure the rights of the disabled were created such as Persons with Disabilities Act 1995.
Identify the correct order. [1 Mark]
a) I., II., III., IV.
b) III., IV., II., I.
c) IV., I., III., II.
d) IV., III., I., II.

Answer: c) IV., I., III., II.

The Persons with Disabilities Act came in 1995 and the National Trust Act in 1999. The later Census then tried to cover eight types of disability, and collected this information in its Population Enumeration Phase through the Household Schedule.

Teacher's Note:
a) Anchor the order with the years: 1995, then 1999.
b) The Census statements come after both Acts.

15. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason(R). Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below as the correct answer:
Assertion(A): For Indian nationalists the issue of economic exploitation under colonial rule was a central issue.
Reason(R): Modern ideas made people realise that poverty was preventable. [1 Mark]
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 and R is true.

Answer: a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.

Modern ideas made people see that poverty was not natural or inevitable but could be prevented. This is why economic exploitation under colonial rule became a central issue for Indian nationalists.

Teacher's Note:
a) Poverty seen as preventable led to the demand to end exploitation.
b) R gives the reason behind the nationalists' focus in A.

16. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason(R). Choose the appropriate answer from the options given below as the correct answer:
Assertion(A): Ecological isolation of tribals has never been absolute.
Reason(R): Literally meaning 'original inhabitants', the term 'Adivasis' was coined in the 1930s as part of the struggle against the intrusion by the colonial government. [1 Mark]
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 and R is true.

Answer: b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.

Tribes have always had contact with other communities, so their isolation was never absolute. The term 'Adivasi' was indeed coined in the 1930s, but its origin does not explain the lack of isolation.

Teacher's Note:
a) 'Adivasi' connotes political awareness and assertion of rights.
b) Both are true facts, but they are about different things.

SECTION-B

17. "India has a very young population that is, the majority of Indians tend to be young, and the average age is also less than that for most other countries. But the age composition of the Indian population is expected to change significantly in the next two decades. Most of this change will be at the two ends of the age spectrum."
Which age categories will experience change? Illustrate a consequence of this change in the age spectrum. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. The change will be at the two ends of the age spectrum, that is, the 0-14 years age group and the 60+ age group.
2. Consequence: the dependency ratio will increase, which will put the economy under pressure.

Teacher's Note:
a) Name both groups, 0-14 and 60+, for the first mark.
b) Link the change to the dependency ratio for the second mark.

18. "A South American proverb says - "If hard labour were really such a good thing, the rich would keep it all for themselves!" All over the world, back-breaking work like stone breaking, digging, carrying heavy weights, pulling rickshaws or carts is invariably done by the poor. And yet they rarely improve their life chances."
Identify and define the reason why the hard-working poor are not able to improve their life chances. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. The reason is social stratification. It is a system by which categories of people in a society are ranked in a hierarchy, which shapes their identity, relations and access to resources and opportunities.
2. Hard work and ability matter, but all other things are not equal. Group differences, not individual effort, explain social inequality and exclusion.

Teacher's Note:
a) Identify "social stratification" and give its definition.
b) Stress that the differences are group-based, not individual.

OR

"From the late nineteenth century onwards, the colonial government reserved most forest tracts for its own use, severing the rights that Adivasis had long exercised to use the forest for gathering produce and shifting cultivation."
How did colonialism impact the livelihood opportunities of the Adivasis? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Forests were now protected to maximise timber production for the colonial government.
2. This took away the mainstay of the Adivasis' livelihood, making their lives poorer and more insecure.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: timber production, loss of forest rights.
b) End with the effect: poorer and more insecure lives.

19. "Agrarian society can be understood in terms of its class structure. But we must also remember the structure is itself through the caste system. In rural areas, there is a complex relationship between caste and class."
Establish the relation between caste and class in the agrarian structure. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. The relationship between caste and class is complex and not always straightforward. We may expect higher castes to have more land and income, with class falling as one moves down the caste hierarchy.
2. This is broadly true but not exact. For example, in most areas the Brahmins, the highest caste, are not major landowners, so they fall outside the agrarian structure though they are part of rural society.

Teacher's Note:
a) Say "broadly true but not exactly" to show the complexity.
b) The Brahmin example earns the second mark.

20. How does community identity establish a sense of stable identity for human beings to operate in this world? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Questions like "Who am I?" and "What goals should I have?" arise from childhood. We answer them through socialisation by our family and community.
2. Socialisation involves continuous dialogue, negotiation and even struggle with significant others. The community gives us our language (mother tongue) and cultural values, which anchor our self-identity.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: socialisation, significant others, mother tongue, cultural values.
b) End with the idea that the community anchors self-identity.

21. Show the relation between prejudice, stereotype and discrimination. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Prejudices are pre-conceived opinions or attitudes held by members of one group towards another. They are often grounded in stereotypes, which are fixed characterisations of a group of people.
2. Discrimination is the actual behaviour towards another group or individual, based on prejudice arising from stereotypes.

Teacher's Note:
a) Chain: stereotype leads to prejudice, and prejudice leads to discrimination.
b) Prejudice is an attitude; discrimination is behaviour.

22. Exemplify the concept of "state-nation". [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. A "state-nation" is one where various "nations" can co-exist peacefully and cooperatively in a single state polity.
2. Citizens can identify with both their country and their other cultural identities, trust common institutions and support democratic politics. This consolidates and deepens democracy.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: many nations, one state, peaceful co-existence.
b) Mention dual identity with the country and with one's culture.

OR

What is the difference between privileged minority and minority as defined in the sociological sense? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Privileged minorities, such as extremely wealthy people, are small in number but are not usually called minorities.
2. In the sociological sense, a minority forms a collectivity with strong group solidarity and a feeling of belonging. This is linked to disadvantage, since prejudice and discrimination heighten intra-group loyalty.

Teacher's Note:
a) Sociological minority = small numbers + solidarity + disadvantage.
b) Numbers alone do not make a group a minority.

23. How does common sense justify the everydayness of social inequality and exclusion? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. For most people in India, social inequality and exclusion are everyday facts of life, so they appear inevitable and almost natural.
2. Even when seen as avoidable, they are thought to be 'deserved' or 'justified', as it is believed the marginalised have not worked hard or lack ability.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: natural, inevitable, deserved, justified.
b) Common sense blames the individual, not the social structure.

24. "Many of the great works of sociology were written at a time when industrialisation was new and machinery was assuming great importance. Thinkers like Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim associated a number of social features with industry." Highlight any two such features. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Urbanisation and the loss of face-to-face relationships of rural areas, replaced by anonymous professional relationships in modern factories and workplaces.
2. A detailed division of labour, in which people often do not see the end result of their work because they produce only one small part of a product.

Teacher's Note:
a) Other accepted feature: repetitive, exhausting work, which Marx called alienation.
b) Give only two features, as asked.

25. "Durkheim's writings about the division of labour in society, forms of religious life mirror his concern about how social structures enable social integration. Karl Marx offered a different view of violent collective action."
Why is the study of social movements important for Sociology? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Social movements were once seen as forces that led to disorder, and scholars were concerned about how social structures enable social integration.
2. Other scholars believe that protestors had their own shared understanding of right and wrong that informed their actions.

Teacher's Note:
a) Contrast the two views: disorder versus a shared sense of right and wrong.
b) Durkheim stands for social integration; Marx for a different view of collective action.

SECTION-C

26. "In many regions in the 19th century, large tracts of land in Maharashtra were given over to cotton cultivation, and cotton farmers became directly linked to the world market. However, the pace and spread of change rapidly increased after Independence, as the government promoted modern methods of cultivation and attempted to modernise the rural economy through various strategies."
What interventions and efforts were made by the government to transform the rural economy and agriculture? [4 Marks]

Answer:
1. The government promoted modern methods of cultivation and tried to modernise the rural economy through other strategies.
2. The state invested in rural infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, roads and electricity.
3. It provided agricultural inputs, including credit through banks and cooperatives.
4. Since regular agricultural growth needs uninterrupted power supply to rural India, the 'Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna' was launched in 2014.

Teacher's Note:
a) Four points: modern methods, infrastructure, inputs and credit, power supply.
b) Naming the 2014 scheme adds precision to the answer.

OR

"The policy of liberalisation that India has been following since the late 1980s have had a very significant impact on agriculture and rural society. The policy entails participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO), which aims to bring about a freer international trading system and requires the opening up of Indian markets to imports."
Incorporation of agriculture into the larger global market had a direct effect on the farmers and rural society. Comment. [4 Marks]

Answer:
1. Contract farming: in regions such as Punjab and Karnataka, farmers enter into contracts with multinational companies (such as PepsiCo) to grow certain crops.
2. The government has scaled down its agricultural development programmes, and 'agricultural extension' agents have been replaced in villages by agents of seed, fertiliser and pesticide companies.
3. Multinationals have entered this sector as sellers of agricultural inputs such as seeds, pesticides and fertilisers.
4. This has increased farmers' dependence on expensive fertilisers and pesticides, reduced their profits, pushed many into debt and created an ecological crisis in rural areas.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: contract farming, MNC agents, costly inputs, debt, ecological crisis.
b) "Comment" needs the effect on farmers, so end with point 4.

27. To what extent has the development activity of the state and the growth of private industry impacted caste system? [4 Marks]

Answer:
1. Modern industry created all kinds of new jobs for which there were no caste rules. Urban collective living also made caste-segregated social interaction difficult to maintain.
2. Modern educated Indians, attracted to liberal ideas of individualism and meritocracy, began to abandon the more extreme caste practices.
3. However, caste proved resilient. Recruitment to industrial jobs, as in the textile mills of Mumbai (then Bombay) and the jute mills of Kolkata (then Calcutta), continued along caste and kinship lines.
4. Caste has proved strongest in the cultural and domestic spheres; endogamy, or marrying within the caste, largely remained.

Teacher's Note:
a) "To what extent" needs both sides: weakening and persistence of caste.
b) Endogamy is the key example of caste surviving.

28. "National cohesion does not require the imposition of a single identity and the denunciation of diversity." Comment. [4 Marks]

Answer:
1. National cohesion can be built through a commitment to pluralism, institutional accommodation and conflict resolution through democratic means.
2. Building a multicultural democracy requires recognising the shortcomings of historical nation-building exercises.
3. It also requires recognising the benefits of multiple and complementary identities.
4. Efforts must be made to build the loyalties of all groups in society through identification, trust and support.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: pluralism, accommodation, democratic conflict resolution, multiple identities.
b) The point is that diversity and unity can go together.

29. Highlight some of the ways in which colonialism lives on in contemporary India. [4 Marks]

Answer:
1. Our parliamentary and legal systems, and our police and educational systems, are built very much on the British model.
2. We drive on the left side of the road like the British.
3. 'Cutlets' are on the menu of many roadside eateries and canteens.
4. Many school uniforms include neck-ties, and a very popular biscuit manufacturer is actually named after Britain.

Teacher's Note:
a) Any four examples are enough for 4 marks.
b) Mix institutional examples with everyday ones.

30. Sanskritization as a concept has been criticised at different levels. State four criticisms. [4 Marks]

Answer:
1. It exaggerates social mobility.
2. It justifies a model that rests on inequality and exclusion.
3. Since it involves adopting upper caste rites and rituals, it leads to secluding girls and women, adopting dowry instead of bride-price, and practising caste discrimination against other groups.
4. Its ideology accepts the ways of the 'upper caste' as superior and those of the 'lower caste' as inferior.

Teacher's Note:
a) Another accepted criticism: erosion of Dalit culture.
b) Write exactly four criticisms, one per line.

31. "The seasonal demand for agricultural labour increased in the prosperous Green Revolution regions. These migrant workers have been termed as 'Footloose Labour' by Jan Breman but this does not imply freedom."
Elaborate on this contradiction. [4 Marks]

Answer:
1. Landless labourers migrate in search of work because of growing inequalities in rural areas.
2. Though they move from place to place, these migrant workers do not have any rights.
3. They are not paid even the minimum wage.
4. Wealthy farmers prefer to employ migrant workers because they are easily exploited, so their mobility is not real freedom.

Teacher's Note:
a) "Footloose" means mobile, but the mobility comes from compulsion.
b) Keywords: no rights, below minimum wage, easily exploited.

32. "The imperatives of 'development' have governed attitudes towards tribes and shaped the policies of the state. National Development involved the building of large dams, factories and mines."
These imperatives lead to an uneven socio-economic development.
Elaborate on the given statement. [4 Marks]

Answer:
1. Tribal areas lie in mineral-rich and forest-covered parts of the country, so tribals paid a disproportionate price for dams, factories and mines. Development benefited the mainstream at the expense of the tribes.
2. Forests were systematically exploited in British times, and this trend continued after independence.
3. The coming of private property in land hurt tribals, whose community-based collective ownership was placed at a disadvantage.
4. Heavy in-migration of non-tribals into tribal regions threatens tribal communities and cultures and speeds up exploitation; for example, industrial areas of Jharkhand have seen a dilution of the tribal share of population.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: disproportionate price, forest exploitation, private property, in-migration.
b) The Jharkhand example strengthens point 4.

SECTION-D

33. Answer the questions given below based on the reading of the data given in the table.
Source: Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections (2006) of the National Commission on Population [6 Marks]

[Figure: Two population pyramids side by side, titled "Uttar Pradesh 2026" and "Kerala 2026". Each shows age groups from 0-4 yrs at the bottom to 80+ yrs at the top, with Males (blue bars) on the left and Females (red bars) on the right; the x-axis is "Percentage of Population" (0 to 10 on each side for Uttar Pradesh, 0 to 8 on each side for Kerala). The Uttar Pradesh pyramid is widest at the base and narrows steadily towards the older age groups. The Kerala pyramid is narrower at the base, widest in the middle age groups, and has broader bars at the older ages.]

a) How does a population pyramid facilitate demographic studies? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Population pyramids show the effect of a gradual fall in the birth rate and a rise in life expectancy.
2. They give a much more detailed version of age-grouped data, which gives a visual sense of the age structure of the population.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: age-grouped data, visual sense of age structure.
b) Mention birth rate and life expectancy trends.

b) Give two points of difference between the population pyramids of Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Uttar Pradesh has a high number of dependents compared with Kerala, as its pyramid has a very broad base of young age groups.
2. Kerala experiences a clear demographic window of opportunity, with larger proportions in the working age groups.

Teacher's Note:
a) Read the shape: broad base (UP) versus bulging middle (Kerala).
b) Link the shapes to dependency and the demographic window.

c) How does demographic dividend impact the economy of a region? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. The age structure gives a low dependency ratio, which results in better economic gains.
2. A growing labour force can deliver unexpected benefits in terms of growth and prosperity.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: low dependency ratio, growing labour force.
b) The benefit depends on the working-age population finding work.

For Visually Impaired Candidates (in lieu of Q. 33)

"There are wide regional variations in the age structure as well. While a state like Kerala is beginning to acquire an age structure like that of the developed countries, Uttar Pradesh presents a very different picture with high proportions in the younger age groups and relatively low proportions among the aged. India as a whole is somewhere in the middle, because it includes states like Uttar Pradesh as well as states that are more like Kerala."

a) How does a population pyramid facilitate demographic studies? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Population pyramids show the effect of a gradual fall in the birth rate and a rise in life expectancy.
2. They give a much more detailed version of age-grouped data, which gives a visual sense of the age structure of the population.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: age-grouped data, visual sense of age structure.
b) Mention birth rate and life expectancy trends.

b) Give two points of difference between the population pyramids of Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Uttar Pradesh has a high number of dependents compared with Kerala, with high proportions in the younger age groups.
2. Kerala, with an age structure like that of developed countries, experiences a clear demographic window of opportunity.

Teacher's Note:
a) Use the passage: UP is young, Kerala is like the developed countries.
b) Link the difference to dependency and the demographic window.

c) How does demographic dividend impact the economy of a region? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. The age structure gives a low dependency ratio, which results in better economic gains.
2. A growing labour force can deliver unexpected benefits in terms of growth and prosperity.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: low dependency ratio, growing labour force.
b) The benefit depends on the working-age population finding work.

34. "Only a small percentage of people get jobs through advertisements or through the employment exchange. People who are self-employed, like plumbers, electricians and carpenters at one end and teachers who give private tuitions, architects and freelance photographers at the other end, all rely on personal contacts. They hope that their work will be an advertisement for them. Mobile phones have made life much easier for plumbers and others who can now cater to a wider circle of people."
Examine the traditional social practices that are used to find jobs and state how this process has witnessed a change. [6 Marks]

Answer:
1. Contractor system: casual workers, for example at construction sites and brickworks, are recruited through contractors. The contractor goes to villages and loans money, including the cost of travel to the work site. This loan is treated as an advance wage, and the worker works without wages until it is repaid.
2. Jobber system: earlier, workers in mills were recruited through jobbers. The importance of the jobber has now declined, and the management and unions play an important role in recruitment.
3. Badli workers substitute for regular permanent workers who are on leave, but they are not given the same status and security.
4. Employment opportunities now have two components: a job in an organisation as a casual wage labourer or a regular salaried employee, and self-employment.
5. Government schemes such as 'MUDRA' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' have been floated to generate employment and self-employment.
6. These schemes support all sections of society, including the marginalised sections.

Teacher's Note:
a) Explain the contractor system in detail, as the scheme asks for elaboration.
b) Show the change: decline of the jobber, role of unions, government schemes.
c) Keep within the 200-word limit.

35. "Social movements often arise with the aim of bringing about changes on a public issue, such as ensuring the right of the tribal population to use the forests or the right of displaced people to settlement and compensation. While social movements seek to bring in social change, counter movements sometimes arise in defence of status quo."

a) Give two instances of counter movements. [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. The campaign against the abolition of sati by the Dharma Sabha.
2. When reformers demanded education for girls, many people protested against it.

Teacher's Note:
a) A counter movement defends the status quo against a reform.
b) Any other relevant example is accepted.

b) 'Social movements cannot change society easily'. Why? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Social movements go against entrenched interests and values.
2. So there is bound to be opposition and resistance, although over a period of time changes do take place.

Teacher's Note:
a) Keywords: entrenched interests, opposition, resistance.
b) Add that change still happens over time.

c) What are the distinct modes of protest? [2 Marks]

Answer:
1. Candle and torch light processions.
2. Use of black cloth as a sign of protest.

Teacher's Note:
a) Any other relevant mode of protest is accepted.
b) Give two modes for 2 marks.