CBSE Class 12 History Sample Paper 2023

Section A

1 Identify the ruler of the Satvahana dynasty with the help of following information:
➢ He claimed to be both a unique Brahmana and a destroyer of the pride of Kshatriyas.
➢ He also claimed to have ensured that there was no intermarriage amongst members of the four varnas.
Options:
A.Gotami-puta Siri-Vijaya-Satakani
B.Gotami-puta Siri Satakani
C.Gotami-puta sami-Siri-Yana-Satakani
D.Vasithi-puta (sami-)Siri Pulumayi

Answer: B

2 Who among the following had issued the first gold coins in the first century CE?
A.The Yaudheyas
B.The Parthians
C.The Guptas
D.The Kushanas

Answer: D

3 Match the following and select the correct option 

A. 1 - b, 2- c, 3 -d , 4- a
B. 1 - a, 2- d, 3 -c , 4- b
C. 1 - c, 2- b, 3 -d , 4- a
D. 1 - d, 2- a, 3 -b , 4- c

Answer: A

4 Which one of the following statements is the correct explanation of ‘Endogamy’?
A. Marriage outside a kin group.
B. Marriage within a kin group.
C. A woman having several husbands.
D.A man having several wives.

Answer: B

5 Identify the given image from the following options: 

Options:
A. Sculpture of a Gupta king
B. Sculpture of a Maurya king
C. Sculpture of a Kushana king
D. Sculpture of a Chola king

Answer: C

OR

Who among the following was the composer of Prayaga Prashasti?
A. Banbhatta
B. Charak
C. Harisena
D. Surdas

Answer: C

6 “Be lamps unto yourselves as all of you must work out your own liberation.”
Identify the essence of the words of Buddha from the options given below:
A. One should connect to inner being.
B. One should live life of brahmacharya
C. One should focus and express feelings
D. One should spread religion everywhere.

Answer: A

7 Which one among the following dynasties built the Hiriya canal?
A. Sangama dynasty
B. Tuluva dynasty
C. Saluva dynasty
D. Aravidu dynasty

Answer: A

8 Fill in the blank :
The local merchants of the Vijayanagara empire who participated in the trade of horses were called-----------------:
A. Gajapati
B. Mahanayakas
C. Kudirai Chettis
D. Narapati

Answer: C

9 Find out the correct chronological order of ‘the Chishti Silsila’ from the following options :
I. Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya
II. Shaikh Fariduddin Ganj – Shakar
III. Shaikh Nasiruddin Chiragh-i Delhi
IV. Shaikh Muinuddin Sijzi
Options:
A. I, II, III & IV
B. II, III ,IV & I
C. III,II, I & IV
D. IV,II,I & III

Answer: D

10 Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion(A) and the other labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Archaeologists and historians find Harappan script enigmatic Reason (R): The Harrapan script remains undeciphered till date.
A.Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R)is the correct explanation of (A)
B.Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
C.(A) is correct, but (R) is not correct
D. (R) is correct, but (A) is not correct

Answer: A

11 Complete the following with the correct option Kitab ul Hind : Al-Biruni , Rihla :………………. :
A. Ibn Hawqal
B. Ibn Jubayr
C. Ibn Qalaqis
D. Ibn Battuta

Answer: D

12 Which among the following is Correctly matched?
List I                       List II
CENTRE                LEADER
A. Delhi                  Nana Saheb
B. Kanpur               Kunwar Singh
C. Arrah                 Bahadur Shah
D. Lucknow            Birjis Qadr

Answer: D

13 Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion(A) and the other labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): The Santhals were given land and persuaded to settle in the rocky upper part of Rajmahal Hills.
Reason (R): The British perceived Paharias and Santhals as ideal settlers
A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R)is the correct explanation of (A)
B. Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
C. (A) is correct, but (R) is not correct
D. (R) is correct, but (A) is not correct

Answer: C

14 Consider the following statements and select the correct from the following option:
I. François Bernier was closely associated with the Prince Dara Shukoh.
II.Bernier travelled to several parts of the country, and wrote accounts
III.He dedicated his major writing to the king of France and Aurangzeb.
Options
A. II & III
B. II &III
C. I & II
D. I & III

Answer: C

15 From which of the following regions Ahom rulers belonged to?
A. Delhi
B. Orissa
C. Ajmer
D. Assam

Answer: D

16 Which one of the following metallic coins was more prevalent during the Mughal Empire.?
A. Gold
B. Copper
C. Bronze
D. Silver

Answer: D

17 Who among the following Introduced Permanent Settlement in Bengal?
A. Lord Cornwallis
B. Lord Dalhousie
C. Lord Irwin
D. Lord Bentinck

Answer: A

18 Which of the following options is correct?
A. Gandhi ji started Quit India Mission in 1930.
B. Gandhiji gave his first speech in Champaran
C. Gandhiji worked as radical nationalist leader
D. Gandhi considered G.K. Gokhale as his political mentor

Answer: D

19 Find out from the following pairs which one is NOT correctly matched:
A. Lord Wellesley: Subsidiary Alliance
B. Lord Dalhousie: Doctrine of Lapse
C. Lord Henry Hardinge: Introduced the Enfield rifles
D. Lord Canning: Religious Disabilities Act

Answer: D

20 Who among the following was the President of Constituent Assembly?
A. Jawahar Lal Nehru
B. B.R. Ambedkar
C. Rajendra Prasad
D. Vallabh Bhai Patel

Answer: C

21 Which one of the following languages was favored by Gandhiji as the national language?
A. Hindi
B. Urdu
C. Hindustani
D. English

Answer: C

SECTION B
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

22 Describe any three sources to know about Harrapan civilization.
Answer: 
i. The Harappan seal
ii. Distinctive Artefact
iii. Beads, Weights, Blades
iv. Terracotta Bull
v. Copper Tools
vi. Reservoir At Dholavira
vii. Faience Pots
viii. A Terracotta Figurine
ix. “Priest-King” Stone Statue
x. Any other relevant point

OR

Describe any three features of Harrapan drainage system.
Answer: 
i. Harappan cities had the carefully planned drainage system
ii. Roads and streets were laid out along an approximate “grid” pattern, intersecting at right angles.
iii. Streets with drains were laid out first and then houses were built along them.
iv. Drainages were made with burned bricks
v. The drains were made of mortar, lime and gypsum.
vi. They were covered with big bricks and stones which could be lifted easily to clean the drains.
vii. Lime stones were used as cesspits
viii. Any other relevant point

23 “Magadha was the most powerful Mahajanpada ‘. Examine the statement 
Answer: 
i. Magadha was a region where agriculture was productive.
ii. The Ganga and its tributaries provided a means of cheap and convenient communication.
iii. Iron mines were accessible and provided resources for tools and weapons.
iv. Elephants, an important of the army, were found in forests in the region
v. Ambitious kings, of whom Bimbisara, Ajatasattu and Mahapadma Nanda are the best known, and their ministers, who helped implement their policies
vi. Any other relevant point

24 Analyze the concept of the Asiatic mode of production as stated by Karl Marx.
Answer: 
i. The idea of Bernier based on differences between Mughal India and Europe on the lack of private property was further developed by Karl Marx as the concept of the Asiatic mode of production
ii. Marx argued that in India (and other Asian countries), before colonialism, surplus was appropriated by the state.
iii. This led to the emergence of a society that was composed of a large number of autonomous and egalitarian village communities.
iv. The imperial court presided over these village communities, respecting their autonomy as long as the flow of surplus was unimpeded.
v. This was regarded as a stagnant system
vi. Any other relevant point

25 Describe the features of water resources of Vijayanagar empire.
Answer: 
i. The natural basin of Vijayanagar was formed by the river Tungabhadra.
ii. A number of streams flow down to the river from these rocky outcrops
iii. Embankments were built along the streams to create reservoirs
iv. Elaborate arrangements were made to store rainwater
v. The most important tank was Kamalapuram tank.
vi. One of the most prominent waterworks was the Hiriya canal.
vii. The canal drew water from a dam across the Tungabhadra
viii. Water resources irrigated the cultivated valley that separated the “Sacred Centre” from the “Urban Core”.
ix. Any other relevant point

26 “The power of the Jotedars was more effective than that of the zamindars.
Justify the statement with suitable arguments.
Answer: 
i. Jotedars were located in the villages unlike zamindars
ii.Jotedars exercised direct control over a considerable section of poor villagers
iii.They fiercely resisted efforts by zamindars to increase the jama of the village
iv.They prevented zamindari officials from executing their duties
v.They mobilised ryots who were dependent on them
vi.They deliberately delayed payments of revenue to the zamindar.
vii.Jotedars were often amongst the purchasers in the auction of land
viii. Any other relevant point

27 “Art and literature helped in keeping alive the memory of 1857.” Explain with examples from Indian perspective.
Answer: 
i. The leaders of the revolt were presented as heroic figures leading the country into battle
ii. It helped in rousing the people to righteous indignation against oppressive imperial rule
iii. Heroic poems were written about the velour of Lakshmi Bai
iv. Rani fought for the freedom of her motherland.
v. Rani of Jhansi was represented as a masculine figure chasing the enemy, slaying British soldiers and valiantly fighting till her last
vi. In popular prints Rani Lakshmi Bai is usually portrayed in battle armor, with a sword in hand and riding a horse - a symbol of the determination to resist injustice and alien rule
vii. Subhadra Kumari Chauhan wrote: “Khoob lari mardani woh to Jhansi wali rani thi”
viii. Any other relevant point

OR

‘Rumours and prophesies played an important role in the Revolt of 1857.’ Explain the statement with example.
Answer: 
i. Cartridges of the Enfield rifles -Bullets coated with the fat of cows and pigs and that biting those bullets would corrupt their caste and religion.
ii. Flour-According to rumors the British had mixed the bone dust of cows and pigs into the flour that was sold in the market.
iii. Chapattis -Reports came from various parts of North India that chapattis were being distributed from village to village.
iv. Lota and khalasi issue- khalasi from a lower caste asked a Brahmin sepoy to give him some water from his container of water. The sepoy refused to give him his container saying that touch by a lower caste would pollute the water.
v. Any other relevant point

Please refer to attached file for CBSE Class 12 History Sample Paper