Amarnath Vidya Ashram

Class 12 History Sample Question Paper

Time Allowed: 3 Hours
Maximum Marks: 80

General Instructions:

 Answer all the questions. Marks are indicated against each question.
 Questions 1 to 20 carry 1 mark each (MCQ/Objective type).
 Questions 21 to 23 carry 4 marks each (Short answer type).
 Questions 24 to 26 carry 8 marks each (Long answer type).
 Questions 27 and 28 are map-based questions, each carrying 4 marks.

SECTION A: Multiple Choice Questions (1 mark each)

1. The Harappan Civilization is also known as:

(a) Aryan Civilization
(b) Dravidian Civilization
(c) Indus Valley Civilization
(d) Vedic Civilization

2. The Rigveda is a collection of:

(a) Hymns
(b) Magic Spells
(c) Law Codes
(d) Tales

3. The term 'Dhamma' in Ashoka's inscriptions refers to:

(a) Buddhist rituals
(b) Religious tolerance and ethical behavior
(c) Taxation policy
(d) The Mauryan army

4. Which of the following was a popular form of entertainment during the Mauryan period?
(a) Chess
(b) Archery contests
(c) Theater and drama
(d) Horse racing

5. The Mahajanapadas emerged around which century?

(a) 8th century BCE
(b) 7th century BCE
(c) 6th century BCE
(d) 5th century BCE
6. Which of the following is the correct sequence of the four Ashramas in Hinduism?
(a) Brahmacharya, Vanaprastha, Grihastha, Sannyasa
(b) Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha, Sannyasa
(c) Grihastha, Brahmacharya, Sannyasa, Vanaprastha
(d) Sannyasa, Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha

7. The capital of the Mauryan Empire under Ashoka was:

(a) Pataliputra
(b) Taxila
(c) Ujjain
(d) Kalinga

8. 'Ganas' and 'Sanghas' refer to:

(a) Monarchical states
(b) Aristocratic republics
(c) Democratic assemblies
(d) Trading guilds

9. Which of the following statements is true about Harappan seals?

(a) They were used to mark ownership of goods.
(b) They were purely decorative.
(c) They contain inscriptions in Tamil.
(d) They depict gods and goddesses.

10. Which one of the following is not a part of the Buddhist Tripitaka?
(a) Vinaya Pitaka
(b) Abhidhamma Pitaka
(c) Sutta Pitaka
(d) Arthashastra

11. The early Buddhist texts were written in which language?

(a) Pali
(b) Sanskrit
(c) Prakrit
(d) Tamil

12. Who is the founder of Jainism?

(a) Gautama Buddha
(b) Mahavira
(c) Ashoka
(d) Kanishka

13. The famous traveler Ibn Battuta came from:

(a) Morocco
(b) China
(c) Arabia
(d) Persia

14. Al-Biruni’s famous work that provides insights into Indian society is:
(a) Kitab al-Hind
(b) Indica
(c) *Tarikh-i-Firozshahi

15.According to the varna system, which of the following groups is at the top of the
hierarchy?
(a) Kshatriyas
(b) Vaishyas
(c) Brahmanas
(d) Shudras

16. The epic Mahabharata is believed to have been compiled by:

(a) Valmiki
(b) Ved Vyasa
(c) Kalidasa
(d) Chanakya

17. Ashoka’s edicts were inscribed in which of the following scripts?

(a) Brahmi
(b) Kharosthi
(c) Greek
(d) All of the above

18. Which of the following cities was NOT part of the Mauryan Empire?
(a) Pataliputra
(b) Takshashila
(c) Ujjain
(d) Madurai

19. The script of the Harappan civilization is:

(a) Bilingual
(b) Pictographic
(c) Alphabetic
(d) Cuneiform

20. The main source of information about the Harappan Civilization is:
(a) Archaeological excavations
(b) Vedic texts
(c) Foreign travelers' accounts
(d) Religious texts
SECTION B: Short Answer Questions (4 marks each)

21. What were the salient features of the Harappan urban planning? How did they reflect the
complexity of their society?

22. Explain the causes and consequences of the Second Urbanization (6th century BCE).
How did it contribute to the rise of Mahajanapadas?

23. Discuss the role of Ashoka’s Dhamma in the administration of the Mauryan Empire.
What were the key principles of Dhamma?

SECTION C: Long Answer Questions (8 marks each)

24. Examine the nature of kingship in the early Vedic period. How did it change during the
later Vedic period? Illustrate with suitable examples from Vedic texts.

Or

Analyze the factors that led to the rise of the Vijayanagara

Empire. How did the rulers of Vijayanagara establish their
authority over southern India?

25. Analyze the role of religion in shaping the social and political structures of the Harappan
civilization. How do we interpret religious practices based on archaeological evidence?

Or.

Compare and contrast the Bhakti and Sufi movements in terms of

their approaches to God, religious practices, and social
implications.

26. Discuss the economic and political factors that led to the emergence of the Mauryan
Empire. What were the contributions of Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka to the empire?

Or

What were the key aspects of Francois Bernier's descriptions of

Mughal India? How did his European perspective influence his
portrayal of Indian society?

SECTION D SOURCE BASED QUESTIONS

THE SYSTEM OF VARNAS

This is Al-Biruni’s account of the system of varnas: The highest caste is
the Brahmana, of whom the books of the Hindus tell us that they were
created from the head of Brahman. And as the Brahman is only another
name for the force called nature, and the head is the highest part of
the ......body, the Brahmana is the choice part of the whole genus.
Therefore, the Hindus consider them the very best of mankind. The next
caste is the Kshatriya who were created, as they say, from the shoulders
and hands of Brahman. Their degree is not much below that of the
Brahmana. After them, follow the Vaishya, who were created from the
thigh of Brahman. The Sudras were created from his feet. Between the
latter two classes, there is no very great distance. Much, however, as
these classes differ from each other, they live together in the same towns
and villages, mixed together in the same houses and lodgings.
Q1. Explain Al-Biruni’s account of the system of varnas
Q2. Do you consider this type of division justified? Explain with reasons.

Q3. How was the system not quite rigid in the real life? Explain.

Read the following excerpt carefully and answer any three

questions:
Some of the earliest bhakti movements (c. sixth century) were led by the
Alvars (literally, those who are “immersed” in devotion to Vishnu) and
Nayanars (literally, leaders who were devotees of Shiva). They travelled
from place to place singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their gods. During
their travels the Alvars and Nayanars identified certain shrines as abodes
of their chosen deities. Very often large temples were later built at these
sacred places. These developed as centres of pilgrimage. Singing
compositions of these poet-saints became part of temple rituals in these
shrines, as did worship of the saints’ images. Some historians suggest that
the Alvars and Nayanars initiated a movement of protest against the caste
system and the dominance of Brahmanas or at least attempted to reform
the system. To some extent this is corroborated by the fact that bhaktas
hailed from diverse social backgrounds ranging from Brahmanas to
artisans and cultivators and even from castes considered “untouchable”.
The importance of the traditions of the Alvars and Nayanars was
sometimes indicated by the claim that their compositions were as
important as the Vedas.
1. Choose the correct option:
Assertion (A): The Alvars and Nayanars initiated a
movement of protest against the caste system.
Reason (R): The major anthologies of compositions by the
Alvars, the Nalayira Divyaprabandham, was frequently
described as the Rig Veda, thus claiming that the text was as
significant as the four Vedas in Sanskrit that was cherished by
the Brahmanas.
1. Both A and R are correct and R is the correct
explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are correct but R is not the correct
explanation of A.
 3. A is correct but R is wrong.
4. R is correct but A is wrong.
2. Which of the following was not a part of Alvars?
1. Men
2. Women
3. Pir
4. Brahmanas
3. Which of the following deities were worship by Alvars and
Nayanars?
1. Lord Vishnu
2. Lord Shiva
3. Both (i) and (ii)
4. None of the above
4. Which of the following is a Historians classification of Bhakti
Traditions?
1. Saguna
2. Nirguna
3. Khanqahs
4. Both (i) and (ii)
5. What the king’s officials did?
6. Here is an excerpt from the account of Megasthenes: Of the great
officers of state, some ... superintend the rivers, measure the land,
as is done in Egypt, and inspect the sluices by which water is let out
from the main canals into their branches, so that everyone may
have an equal supply of it. The same persons have charge also of
the huntsmen, and are entrusted with the power of rewarding or
punishing them according to their deserts. They collect taxes, and
superintend the occupations connected with the land; as those of
woodcutters, carpenters, blacksmiths, and miners.

Ques. Explain the role of the sub-committees in coordinating military

activities
. Q3. What did Ashoka do to hold his empire together?

Section E. MAP BASED QUESTIONS

27. On the given political map of India, mark and label the following:
(a) Pataliputra
(b) Lothal
(c) Kalinga
(d) Ujjain
28. On the given political map of India, mark and label the following Mahajanapadas:
(a) Magadha
(b) Kuru
(c) Kosala
(d) Avanti

Note: Attach maps to the answer sheet where needed.