Pariksha SaathiPedagogy
CTET Social Studies (SST) MCQ with Answers, Paper 2
756 practice questions on Social Studies and its Pedagogy (Paper II) for CTET Paper II (Social Studies/Social Science), with answers; most also have an explanation or a worked solution. Try each one before you open its answer.
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Q.151
A student asks a question about the history of an old temple in the town, which the teacher cannot answer. The best response of the teacher is:
- A 'That is not in our syllabus, so leave it.'
- B 'Let's find out together: whom could we ask, and what could we read?'
- C To make up an answer quickly so that the students do not lose respect
- D To tell the student to stop asking difficult questions
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) 'Let's find out together: whom could we ask, and what could we read?'
A teacher who learns alongside students models enquiry, shows that knowledge comes from investigation, and turns the question into a small local history project.
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Q.152
After the revolt of 1857, the British changed the pattern of recruitment to the army. From which groups did they decide to recruit more soldiers?
- A The Gurkhas, Sikhs and Pathans
- B The high-caste sepoys of Awadh and Bihar
- C The Santhals, Mundas and Khonds
- D The peasants of central and south India
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) The Gurkhas, Sikhs and Pathans
Instead of recruiting soldiers from Awadh, Bihar, central India and south India, the British decided to recruit more from among the Gurkhas, Sikhs and Pathans. This was one of several steps taken to make another such revolt less likely.
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Q.153
Class 6 students measure their classroom in footsteps and draw it on paper, letting 1 cm stand for one footstep. This activity mainly introduces the idea of:
- A Direction, by turning the drawing to face north
- B Scale: a fixed ratio between ground distance and paper distance
- C Symbols, by marking the doors and windows
- D Relief, by showing which parts of the classroom floor are higher
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Scale: a fixed ratio between ground distance and paper distance
Representing every footstep by the same length on paper gives students a concrete feel for scale before they use ratio scales such as 1:50,000 in atlases.
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Q.154
A teacher asks two questions: (i) 'What was the capital of the Mauryan empire?' (ii) 'In what different ways could a village deal with a shortage of drinking water?' These two questions are, respectively:
- A Divergent and convergent
- B Probing and redirected
- C Convergent and divergent
- D Rhetorical and leading
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Convergent and divergent
Question (i) has one expected correct answer (Pataliputra), so it is convergent; question (ii) invites many acceptable answers and creative thinking, so it is divergent.
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Q.155
Students investigate, 'Why does our locality face water shortage every summer?' Arrange their enquiry steps in order: (i) collect data by survey and observation; (ii) frame the question and possible explanations; (iii) analyse the data and draw conclusions; (iv) present findings and suggest action.
- A (ii), (i), (iii), (iv)
- B (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
- C (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
- D (i), (iii), (ii), (iv)
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) (ii), (i), (iii), (iv)
Enquiry begins with a question and tentative explanations, which guide what data to collect. The data are then analysed to reach conclusions, which are finally shared and used to suggest action.
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Q.156
Some cases in Indian courts take many years to be decided. Which saying is used to describe the harm this causes to people seeking justice?
- A 'Innocent until proven guilty'
- B 'Equality before the law'
- C 'Rule of law'
- D 'Justice delayed is justice denied'
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) 'Justice delayed is justice denied'
Long delays mean that people may not get justice in time, which is why it is said that 'justice delayed is justice denied'. Delay, along with the cost of going to court, limits access to justice, especially for the poor.
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Q.157
TISCO began producing steel in 1912. Which development soon helped it grow into a major steel producer?
- A The colonial government banned all imports of steel into India from 1912 onwards
- B The Indian princely states agreed to buy every tonne of steel that it produced
- C In the First World War British steel imports fell, so the railways turned to TISCO
- D Wootz steel makers from south India joined the company in very large numbers
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) In the First World War British steel imports fell, so the railways turned to TISCO
When the First World War broke out in 1914, British steel was needed for the war in Europe, so imports into India fell and the Indian Railways turned to TISCO for rails. By 1919 the colonial government was buying 90 per cent of the steel TISCO made.
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Q.158
Which of the following is a benefit of high tides?
- A They make the sea water less salty near the coast
- B They stop the formation of sea caves and arches
- C They raise the water level near the shore, helping ships reach the harbour
- D They prevent earthquakes along the coast
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) They raise the water level near the shore, helping ships reach the harbour
High tides raise the water level close to the shore, which helps ships arrive at the harbour more easily; they also help in fishing, and tides are used to generate electricity in some places. They do not change salinity or prevent earthquakes.
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Q.159
A teacher begins a lesson by telling a story about a day in the life of a bead-maker in a Harappan city. To keep the story sound as history, she should also:
- A Present the story as a complete and exact record of what actually happened
- B Ask students to learn the story by heart for the test
- C Show the evidence behind the story and say which details are imagined
- D Avoid telling students that any part of the story is imagined
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Show the evidence behind the story and say which details are imagined
A narrative makes the past vivid, but students must learn to separate what the evidence (beads, tools and workshops found at sites) shows from what the storyteller has imagined.
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Q.160
During the nineteenth century, towns such as Machlipatnam, Surat and Seringapatam lost much of their population and importance. Historians describe this process as:
- A de-urbanisation
- B industrialisation
- C suburbanisation
- D modernisation
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) de-urbanisation
As trade moved to new centres such as the Presidency cities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, and older centres of regional power collapsed after their rulers were defeated, towns like Machlipatnam, Surat and Seringapatam were de-urbanised. They shrank rather than grew.
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Q.161
Match the methods of extracting minerals with their descriptions:
(a) Open-cast mining (b) Shaft mining (c) Quarrying
1. Deep bores called shafts are made to reach mineral deposits lying at great depths
2. Minerals at shallow depths are taken out by removing the surface layer
3. Minerals lying very near the surface are simply dug out
- A a-2, b-1, c-3
- B a-1, b-2, c-3
- C a-3, b-1, c-2
- D a-2, b-3, c-1
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) a-2, b-1, c-3
Open-cast mining removes the surface layer to reach minerals at shallow depths, shaft mining makes deep bores called shafts to reach deposits far below, and quarrying simply digs out minerals lying near the surface. Petroleum and natural gas are taken out by drilling.
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Q.162
The All India Muslim League was formed at Dacca in 1906 by a group of Muslim landlords and nawabs. Which statement about its early stand is correct?
- A It opposed the partition of Bengal and helped lead the Swadeshi movement
- B It merged with the Indian National Congress soon after it was formed
- C It demanded an immediate end to British rule over the whole of India
- D It backed the partition of Bengal and sought separate Muslim electorates
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) It backed the partition of Bengal and sought separate Muslim electorates
The League supported the partition of Bengal and desired separate electorates for Muslims, a demand the government conceded in 1909. Later, in 1916, the Congress and the League signed the Lucknow Pact and decided to work together.
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Q.163
The Kandariya Mahadeva temple at Khajuraho, dedicated to Shiva, was built in the eleventh century by rulers of which dynasty?
- A Chandela
- B Chola
- C Pallava
- D Rashtrakuta
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Chandela
The Kandariya Mahadeva temple was built by the Chandelas, most likely under Vidyadhara, around 1025-1050. NCERT's Our Pasts II says it was built in 999 by king Dhangadeva, but that date and king belong to an earlier Shiva temple at Khajuraho, usually identified as the Vishvanatha temple. Such large, richly carved temples were also a way for kings to display their power, wealth and devotion.
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Q.164
In a state, MLAs from both the ruling party and the opposition debate a new health law in the Legislative Assembly. After it is passed, the Health Minister and the Health Department carry it out. This shows that:
- A The Assembly makes laws, and the executive carries them out
- B The opposition implements laws, while ministers only debate them
- C The Governor makes laws, while MLAs implement them
- D Courts make laws, while the Assembly implements them
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) The Assembly makes laws, and the executive carries them out
The Legislative Assembly, made up of all MLAs, debates and passes laws and questions the government. The Chief Minister, the ministers and their departments form the executive, which implements those laws.
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Q.165
In which heat zone is the mid-day Sun exactly overhead at least once a year at every place?
- A The Torrid Zone
- B The North Temperate Zone
- C The South Temperate Zone
- D The Frigid Zones
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) The Torrid Zone
Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn the mid-day Sun is exactly overhead at least once a year, so this area receives the most heat and is called the Torrid Zone. In the temperate and frigid zones the mid-day Sun is never directly overhead.
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Q.166
Before students assess one another's posters on the Constitution, the teacher teaches them to mention two things done well and one specific suggestion for improvement. This mainly makes peer assessment:
- A Competitive and focused only on marks
- B Quick and limited to giving grades
- C Dependent entirely on the teacher's view
- D Constructive, specific and respectful
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Constructive, specific and respectful
A simple structure such as 'two strengths and one suggestion' keeps peer feedback kind and useful, so that both the giver and the receiver learn from it.
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Q.167
A school history textbook published in 1955 would be a PRIMARY source for a researcher studying:
- A The administration of the Mauryan empire
- B The causes of the Revolt of 1857
- C How history was taught in Indian schools in the 1950s
- D Town planning in the Harappan cities
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) How history was taught in Indian schools in the 1950s
Whether a source is primary depends on the question asked. For ancient or colonial events the textbook is a secondary source, but it is first-hand evidence of the ideas and teaching of its own time.
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Q.168
Assertion (A): Mineral fuels such as coal and petroleum are found in sedimentary strata.
Reason (R): Metallic minerals are mostly found in igneous and metamorphic rock formations.
Choose the correct option.
- A A and R are both correct, and R explains A
- B A and R are both correct, but R does not explain A
- C A is correct, but R is wrong
- D A is wrong, but R is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) A and R are both correct, but R does not explain A
Both statements are true: coal and petroleum, like non-metallic minerals such as limestone, occur in sedimentary strata, and metallic minerals occur mostly in igneous and metamorphic rocks. But where metallic minerals occur does not explain why fuels occur in sedimentary layers, which is because buried plant and animal remains changed into fuels there.
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Q.169
NCERT's Class VII textbook notes that, to help working mothers, a law made crèche facilities compulsory for organisations with more than how many women employees?
- A 10
- B 30
- C 50
- D 100
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) 30
The textbook states that organisations with more than 30 women employees had to provide crèches; for factories this was the rule in the Factories Act, 1948. The law has since changed: under the Code on Social Security, 2020 (Section 67), in force since 21 November 2025, every establishment with 50 or more employees must provide a crèche. The government has also set up anganwadis (child-care centres) in many villages, which reduces the burden of care work on women.
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Q.170
Facing Mongol attacks, Muhammad Tughluq emptied the oldest of the four cities of Delhi (Dehli-i Kuhna) to garrison soldiers there, and sent its residents to a new capital in the south. This capital was:
- A Siri
- B Daulatabad
- C Tughluqabad
- D Jahanpanah
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Daulatabad
The residents of Dehli-i Kuhna were sent to Daulatabad in the south, a move that was resented. Siri was the garrison town built earlier by Alauddin Khalji for his soldiers.
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Q.171
Consider the following steps taken by the Company before 1857: 1. The name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company. 2. A law of 1850 allowed an Indian who converted to Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors. 3. A law of 1856 laid down that new recruits to the Company's army had to agree to serve overseas if required. Which of these were actually taken?
- A 1 and 2 only
- B 2 and 3 only
- C 1, 2 and 3
- D 1 only
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Correct answer: (C) 1, 2 and 3
All three steps were taken, and each fed the discontent behind the revolt: the first insulted the Mughal king, the second made people fear for their religion, and the third alarmed sepoys who believed that crossing the sea would cost them their religion and caste.
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Q.172
Consider these statements: 1. Shankara, an advocate of Advaita, considered the world around us to be an illusion (maya) and preached the path of knowledge. 2. Ramanuja held that the soul, even when united with the Supreme God, remains distinct. 3. Ramanuja rejected devotion to Vishnu as a means of attaining salvation. Which are correct?
- A 1 only
- B 2 and 3 only
- C 1, 2 and 3
- D 1 and 2 only
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) 1 and 2 only
Shankara, born in Kerala in the eighth century, taught the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme God, regarded the world as maya, and preached renunciation and knowledge. Ramanuja, born in Tamil Nadu in the eleventh century and influenced by the Alvars, taught Vishishtadvaita and held that intense devotion to Vishnu was the best means of salvation, so statement 3 is wrong.
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Q.173
A teacher shows where Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Pataliputra and Delhi are located and asks what they have in common. Students conclude that many important cities grew up near rivers. This way of teaching is the:
- A Deductive method, moving from a stated rule to particular examples
- B Lecture method, in which the teacher states the conclusion first
- C Drill method, in which students repeat a fact until they remember it
- D Inductive method, moving from specific examples to a generalisation
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Inductive method, moving from specific examples to a generalisation
In the inductive method learners study particular cases and arrive at the general principle themselves. In the deductive method the rule is given first and then applied to examples.
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Q.174
Which layer of the Earth lies just beneath the crust and extends to a depth of about 2,900 km below it?
- A Mantle
- B Core
- C Sial
- D Sima
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Mantle
The mantle lies just below the crust and extends to about 2,900 km below it; beneath it is the core, made mainly of nickel and iron. Sial and sima are the materials of the continental and the oceanic crust.
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Q.175
As a river meanders across a flat plain, a loop of the meander may get cut off from the main channel. The lake formed in this way is called:
- A a crater lake
- B an ox-bow lake
- C a lagoon
- D a delta
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) an ox-bow lake
Erosion and deposition narrow the neck of a meander loop until the river cuts across it, leaving the loop as a cut-off or ox-bow lake. A lagoon is a coastal water body, and a crater lake fills the crater of a volcano.
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Q.176
Assertion (A): Fossils of plants and animals are commonly found in sedimentary rocks.
Reason (R): Sedimentary rocks form from layers of deposited sediment, in which the remains of dead organisms can be buried and preserved.
Choose the correct option.
- 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, but R is true
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Sedimentary rocks form when loose sediments are deposited layer upon layer and compressed; remains of plants and animals trapped in these layers are preserved as fossils. So R correctly explains A.
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Q.177
The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 is important for women in rural areas because it:
- A Reserved one-third of panchayat seats for women
- B Gave daughters equal rights with sons in family land
- C Made the registration of all marriages compulsory
- D Fixed a minimum wage for women agricultural labourers
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Gave daughters equal rights with sons in family land
Under the 2005 amendment, sons, daughters and their mothers can get an equal share in family property, including agricultural land, which earlier usually went only to sons. Reservation of panchayat seats for women came from the 73rd Amendment.
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Q.178
After the indigo rebellion, many planters moved to Bihar. Which development of the late nineteenth century then severely affected their business?
- A The discovery of synthetic dyes
- B A ban on indigo imports into Britain
- C An order of the Indigo Commission closing all factories
- D The return of woad as Europe's main blue dye
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) The discovery of synthetic dyes
With the discovery of synthetic dyes in the late nineteenth century, the indigo planters' business was severely affected. The Indigo Commission had not closed the factories, and woad never regained its place.
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Q.179
Which statement about India's island groups is correct?
- A The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in the Arabian Sea
- B Lakshadweep lies in the Bay of Bengal
- C The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are coral islands off the coast of Kerala
- D Lakshadweep is a group of coral islands in the Arabian Sea
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Lakshadweep is a group of coral islands in the Arabian Sea
The Lakshadweep Islands, off the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea, are coral islands. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie to the south-east of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal.
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Q.180
Herders who move with their animals from place to place live in settlements occupied only for a short time. Such settlements are called:
- A urban settlements
- B temporary settlements
- C compact settlements
- D permanent settlements
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) temporary settlements
Settlements occupied for a short time are temporary settlements; people of deep forests, hot and cold deserts and mountains who practise hunting, gathering, shifting cultivation or seasonal movement with herds often live in them. 'Compact' describes how closely houses are built, not how long they are occupied.
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Q.181
A Class 7 lesson uses the story of one small farmer's family to explain how farmers fall into debt. Before students draw conclusions about all farmers in India, the teacher should encourage them to:
- A Treat the family's story as true for every farmer in every part of India
- B Compare it with other cases and data, as one case may not represent all
- C Memorise the names and details of the family members
- D Skip the story and read only the summary at the end
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Compare it with other cases and data, as one case may not represent all
A case study lets students examine an idea in depth through a real situation, but one case cannot stand for all; generalisations need comparison with other cases and wider information.
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Q.182
Under colonial rule, cultivators in different regions were persuaded or forced to grow crops needed in Europe. Match the crop with the region: A. Jute B. Tea C. Wheat D. Cotton; 1. Assam 2. Punjab 3. Bengal 4. Maharashtra
- A A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
- B A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
- C A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
- D A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
The British expanded the cultivation of jute in Bengal, tea in Assam, wheat in Punjab and cotton in Maharashtra and Punjab, as well as sugarcane in the United Provinces and rice in Madras. Every other option places jute, tea or wheat in the wrong region.
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Q.183
Consider the following statements: 1. In the Vajji sangha, women, dasas and kammakaras could take part in the assemblies. 2. Both the Buddha and Mahavira belonged to ganas or sanghas. Which of these is/are correct?
- A Only 1
- B Only 2
- C Both 1 and 2
- D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) Only 2
In the Vajji sangha, with its capital at Vaishali, many men met in assemblies, but women, dasas and kammakaras could not take part, so statement 1 is wrong. The Buddha belonged to the Sakya gana and Mahavira to the Lichchhavis, who were part of the Vajji sangha.
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Q.184
Assertion (A): Mixed farming means growing two or more crops together in the same field at the same time.
Reason (R): In mixed farming, the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and for rearing livestock.
Choose the correct option.
- A A and R are both correct, and R explains A
- B A and R are both correct, but R does not explain A
- C A is correct, but R is wrong
- D A is wrong, but R is correct
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) A is wrong, but R is correct
Mixed farming combines growing food and fodder crops with rearing livestock, as in Europe, the eastern USA and New Zealand. Growing two or more crops together in one field is mixed cropping or intercropping, so A is wrong while R is correct.
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Q.185
India's longitudes extend from about 68° E to about 97° E. Why was the meridian of 82½° E chosen for Indian Standard Time?
- A It passes through New Delhi, the national capital
- B It is the easternmost meridian of the Indian mainland
- C It passes through Kanyakumari, the southern tip of the mainland
- D It lies roughly in the middle of India's east-west extent
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) It lies roughly in the middle of India's east-west extent
A meridian near the middle of the country keeps the gap between standard time and local time small at both the eastern and western ends. New Delhi and Kanyakumari both lie well to the west of 82½° E.
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Q.186
Consider the following as reasons for separating religion from the State in a democracy:
1. To prevent the dominant religious group from discriminating against or excluding members of other religions.
2. To allow the State to decide how each religious community must interpret its own teachings.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A 1 only
- B 2 only
- C Both 1 and 2
- D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) 1 only
Separation guards against the tyranny of the majority and protects each person's freedom to follow, leave or interpret a religion differently. Statement 2 is the opposite: letting the State decide interpretations would take away that freedom.
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Q.187
Following Macaulay's minute, the English Education Act of 1835 was introduced. What did it decide?
- A Sanskrit and Persian would become the medium of instruction in all government colleges
- B Village pathshalas would receive government grants only if they taught in English
- C Every Indian child would receive free primary education in the mother tongue
- D English for higher education, and an end to promoting Oriental institutions
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) English for higher education, and an end to promoting Oriental institutions
The Act made English the medium of instruction for higher education and stopped the promotion of Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and the Benaras Sanskrit College. Macaulay had argued that a knowledge of English would let Indians read some of the finest literature in the world.
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Q.188
About 2000 years ago the Kushanas ruled over Central Asia and north-west India and controlled much of the Silk Route. Their two major centres of power were:
- A Peshawar and Mathura
- B Taxila and Ujjain
- C Pataliputra and Rajagriha
- D Kanchipuram and Madurai
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Peshawar and Mathura
The two major centres of Kushana power were Peshawar and Mathura, and Taxila was also part of their kingdom. The Kushanas were among the earliest rulers of the subcontinent to issue gold coins.
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Q.189
According to the NCF 2005 Position Paper on Teaching of Social Sciences, social science carries a normative responsibility of creating and widening the popular base for which human values?
- A Obedience, loyalty, discipline and respect for authority
- B Competition, efficiency, ambition and individual success
- C Tradition, hierarchy, conformity and the existing social order
- D Freedom, trust, mutual respect and respect for diversity
Show answer
Correct answer: (D) Freedom, trust, mutual respect and respect for diversity
The Position Paper says social science carries a normative responsibility of creating and widening the popular base for human values such as freedom, trust, mutual respect and respect for diversity. Obedience and loyalty were the stress of the older colonial-era civics, which the paper moves away from.
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Q.190
The Second Five Year Plan, formulated in 1956, focused strongly on:
- A agriculture alone, with no role for industry
- B replacing the public sector with private companies in every field of industry
- C developing heavy industries such as steel and building large dams
- D cutting off trade with all other countries
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) developing heavy industries such as steel and building large dams
The Second Five Year Plan focused strongly on heavy industries such as steel and on large dams, with these sectors under the control of the state; steel plants such as the one at Bhilai followed. Some critics felt it put too little emphasis on agriculture.
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Q.191
The Congress leaders of its first twenty years, often called the Moderates, put forward many demands. Which of the following was NOT one of them?
- A Holding the civil service examinations in India as well as in London
- B Separating the judiciary from the executive
- C Complete independence from British rule at once
- D Repealing the Arms Act and ensuring freedom of speech
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) Complete independence from British rule at once
The Moderates sought reforms within British rule: a greater voice for Indians, civil service examinations in India, separation of the judiciary from the executive, repeal of the Arms Act and freedom of speech. The Congress resolved to fight for Purna Swaraj only in 1929.
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Q.192
Chola inscriptions mention several categories of land. Match them: A. Vellanvagai B. Shalabhoga C. Devadana D. Pallichchhandam; 1. Land for the maintenance of a school 2. Land gifted to temples 3. Land of non-brahmana peasant proprietors 4. Land donated to Jaina institutions
- A A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
- B A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
- C A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
- D A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
Vellanvagai was land of non-brahmana peasant proprietors, shalabhoga land for maintaining a school, devadana (or tirunamattukkani) land gifted to temples, and pallichchhandam land donated to Jaina institutions. Land gifted to brahmanas was called brahmadeya.
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Q.193
Students learn that medieval manuscripts were copied by hand and that scribes made small changes, so copies of the same text came to differ. What does this teach about historical method?
- A Historians compare different copies to work out what the author first wrote
- B Hand-copied texts are unreliable and should never be used as historical sources
- C The longest copy of a text is always the most accurate one
- D Printed textbooks have removed the need to study manuscripts
Show answer
Correct answer: (A) Historians compare different copies to work out what the author first wrote
Because copying introduced changes that grew over the centuries, historians read several manuscript versions of the same text to guess what the original said. Such sources remain valuable but must be handled critically.
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Q.194
Consider these statements about Mauryan administration: 1. The area around Pataliputra was under the direct control of the emperor. 2. Every province was governed by an assembly elected by its people. 3. People in forested regions were more or less independent but were expected to provide elephants, timber, honey and wax. Which are correct?
- A 1 only
- B 2 and 3 only
- C 1 and 3 only
- D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: (C) 1 and 3 only
The emperor directly controlled the area around Pataliputra, while other areas were ruled from provincial capitals such as Taxila or Ujjain, often by royal princes; there were no elected provincial assemblies. Forest peoples were largely independent but may have been expected to supply elephants, timber, honey and wax.
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Q.195
In the ashvamedha (horse sacrifice), a horse was let loose to wander freely, guarded by the raja's men. If other rajas stopped the horse when it entered their lands, they:
- A had to pay a fine to the priests
- B had to fight the raja who was performing the sacrifice
- C were invited to the sacrifice as equal partners of the raja performing it
- D had to sacrifice the horse in their own kingdom
Show answer
Correct answer: (B) had to fight the raja who was performing the sacrifice
Stopping the horse was a challenge, so those rajas had to fight. Rajas who let the horse pass accepted that the raja performing the sacrifice was stronger, and they were then invited to the sacrifice.
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Q.196
Which statement about Harshavardhana is correct?
- A He defeated Pulakeshin II in battle and conquered the whole of the Deccan
- B He ruled over the far south from his capital at Kanchipuram
- C He was the last and greatest ruler of the Gupta dynasty
- D Banabhatta, his court poet, wrote his biography, the Harshacharita
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Correct answer: (D) Banabhatta, his court poet, wrote his biography, the Harshacharita
Banabhatta wrote the Harshacharita in Sanskrit. Harsha tried to cross the Narmada to march into the Deccan but was stopped by the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II; Kanchipuram was the capital of the Pallavas.
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Q.197
In 1770, a few years after the Company became the Diwan of Bengal, a terrible famine struck Bengal and killed about ten million people. Roughly what share of Bengal's population was wiped out?
- A About one-tenth
- B About half
- C About one-third
- D About two-thirds
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Correct answer: (C) About one-third
By contemporary estimates, the famine of 1770 killed about ten million people, roughly one-third of the population of Bengal. It came when the Company's heavy revenue demands had already pushed the Bengal economy into crisis.
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Q.198
'If you had been a member of the Constituent Assembly, which Fundamental Right would you have added, and why?' This is an example of:
- A A simple recall question
- B A yes/no question
- C An open-ended, reflective question that encourages reasoning and the expression of values
- D An objective-type question with one correct answer
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Correct answer: (C) An open-ended, reflective question that encourages reasoning and the expression of values
Reflective questions invite learners to take a position and justify it, developing critical thinking and value clarification. They have many acceptable answers and must be assessed with criteria for reasoning, not a key.
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Q.199
Dense forests with hardwood trees such as rosewood, ebony and mahogany, in which there is no particular season for the trees to shed their leaves, are:
- A tropical evergreen forests
- B tropical deciduous forests
- C temperate evergreen forests
- D coniferous forests
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Correct answer: (A) tropical evergreen forests
Tropical evergreen (rain) forests grow near the Equator, where it is hot and rainy all year, so the trees never shed all their leaves in one season. Deciduous forests shed their leaves in one season, and coniferous forests have softwood trees.
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Q.200
Megasthenes, who wrote an account of the Mauryan court and the city of Pataliputra, was sent as an ambassador to the court of Chandragupta Maurya by:
- A Alexander of Macedonia
- B Darius of Iran
- C Seleucus Nicator
- D the Kushana king Kanishka
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Correct answer: (C) Seleucus Nicator
Megasthenes was sent by Seleucus Nicator, the Greek ruler of West Asia. Alexander lived before Chandragupta's rule, and the Kushana ruler Kanishka came much later.
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How these questions were made
Authored by an AI assistant (Claude) from its own general knowledge of stable, well-established facts (no live lookup) - not reviewed by a subject-matter expert; verify against an official source before relying on any fact.