CBSE Class 10 Social Science: sample paper 2024-25

1. Nationalists saw folklore as the true culture of the people, so recording it revived pride in tradition and national identity. Option B is correct.

   1 mark

Answer: B

1. Plains are flat with fertile soil and easy transport, so they support agriculture and industry. Option A is correct.

   1 mark

Answer: A

1. State B has both high literacy and a very low infant mortality rate, which shows health care and education reach all. Option D is correct.

   1 mark

Answer: D

1. As per NCERT, Andhra Pradesh (with J&K, Uttarakhand, Kerala, etc.) has a large percentage of its forest area under reserved forests, so 1–b. Haryana (with Bihar, Punjab, Odisha, etc.) has the bulk of its forests under protected forests, so 2–c. All North-Eastern states have a very high percentage of unclassed forests, so 3–a. Hence 1(b), 2(c), 3(a), which is option (D).

   1 mark

Answer: (D) 1(b), 2(c), 3(a)

1. Statement 1 is true. Statement 4 is true. Statement 2 is false because JFM began in 1988. Statement 3 is false because Odisha passed the first resolution. So 1 and 4, option C.

   1 mark

Answer: C

1. Belgium's central government shared power with regional governments, so it is a holding-together federation. Option C is correct.

   1 mark

Answer: C

1. Ethnic is a social division based on culture (d). Majoritarianism is the belief that the majority should rule (c). Civil war is a violent conflict within a country (b). A unitary system has one or two levels of government (a). Option D.

   1 mark

Answer: D

1. Credit helps meet production expenses, complete work on time and raise income (1, 2, 3). Statement 4 is wrong because credit does not mean taking more credit habitually. Option C.

   1 mark

Answer: C

1. These states have special provisions because of their social and historical circumstances. Option C.

   1 mark

Answer: C

1. The caricature shows Napoleon as a postman dropping letters, which stand for the territories he lost after his defeat. Option C.

   1 mark

Answer: C

1. MNCs and ICT advances drive globalisation. Nationalisation and trade barriers oppose it. Statement 4 is excluded in the scheme, so 1 and 2, option A.

   1 mark

Answer: A

1. India is a Union of States, and power-sharing is a basic feature. It is not easy to change, and changes need a two-thirds majority, so 3 and 4 are wrong. Option A.

   1 mark

Answer: A

1. The order is the Simon Commission boycott (1928), the Poorna Swaraj resolution (Dec 1929), the 11 demands letter (Jan 1930), then the Salt March (Mar 1930). So 1, 2, 3, 4, option D.

   1 mark

Answer: D

1. High primary-sector employment arises because the economy is largely agrarian and too few service jobs exist, so II and III are true. Option B.

   1 mark

Answer: B

1. Statement I is correct. Statement II is wrong because caricatures ridiculed, not praised, the fascination with Western tastes. Option A.

   1 mark

Answer: A

1. Corruption stories show that even democracies have shortcomings. Option D.

   1 mark

Answer: D

1. India's linguistic and regional diversity gave rise to many regional parties at the same level. Option C.

   1 mark

Answer: C

1. Greater foreign investment and trade link countries' production and markets, which is integration. Option D.

   1 mark

Answer: D

1. Equal treatment of women means they can now legally struggle for their rights more easily. Option B.

   1 mark

Answer: B

1. Statement I is correct. Statement II is wrong because it is the minority community, not the majority, that may seek a separate political unit. Option A.

   1 mark

Answer: A

1. Agriculture and industry are interdependent and move hand in hand. Agro-based industries (cotton textiles, sugar, jute, edible oil) depend on farms for raw materials, and farming gains from industry's growth.

   1 mark

2. Industry supplies irrigation pumps, fertilisers, pesticides, insecticides, PVC pipes, machines and tools to farmers. This raises agricultural productivity, and agro-industries have given agriculture a major boost.

   1 mark

Answer: Industry takes raw materials from agriculture and sells inputs such as pumps and fertilisers to farmers, so the two grow together.

1. The silk routes were land and sea routes linking Asia with Europe and northern Africa. They existed before the Christian Era and thrived till about the 15th century. They were named for the West-bound Chinese silk. Chinese pottery and Indian and Southeast Asian textiles and spices travelled along them, and gold and silver flowed from Europe to Asia.

   1 mark

2. Cultural exchange went with trade. Buddhism spread from India in several directions along these routes. Early Christian missionaries and, later, Muslim preachers also travelled by them to Asia.

   1 mark

Answer: The silk routes carried goods such as silk, pottery, textiles, spices and precious metals, and also spread religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.

1. The humble potato helped Europe's poor eat better and live longer once it was introduced.

   1 mark

2. Ireland's poorest peasants depended so heavily on potatoes that when disease destroyed the crop in the mid-1840s (the Irish Potato Famine), hundreds of thousands died of starvation. So a new crop can decide survival and well-being.

   1 mark

Answer: The potato improved the diet and lifespan of Europe's poor, but the potato blight of the 1840s caused mass starvation in Ireland.

1. Power sharing is the spirit of democracy. Democratic rule means sharing power with those affected by it, and who have to live with its effects. In India, with its huge population and diversity, power is shared among governments at different levels and among social groups.

   1 mark

2. People have a right to be consulted on how they are governed. A government is legitimate when citizens acquire a stake in the system through participation. This is why power sharing suits India's diversity.

   1 mark

Answer: India's diversity needs shared power, since a legitimate democracy gives affected people a say and a stake in governance.

1. Decentralisation means taking power from the Central and State governments and giving it to local governments. Many problems are best settled locally, as people know their local problems better and have better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things efficiently.

   1 mark

2. At the local level people can directly participate in decision making. This builds a habit of democratic participation and realises local self-government, so local government upholds decentralisation.

   1 mark

Answer: Local government brings decisions closer to the people, with better knowledge and direct participation, and so upholds decentralisation.

1. Print was no longer used only by scholar-officials. Merchants used print in everyday life to collect trade information.

   1 mark

2. Reading became a leisure activity. The new readers preferred fiction, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces and romantic plays.

   1 mark

3. Rich women began to read and some published their own poetry and plays. Wives of scholar-officials published their works and courtesans wrote about their lives.

   1 mark

Answer: In 17th-century China, print was used by merchants, spread as leisure reading and was taken up by women readers and writers.

1. This is disguised unemployment: more people work than the farm needs. The three extra people can take up other work that adds to family income, such as building dams, canals or roads in the village.

   1 mark

2. The government can invest in the transport and storage of crops and in better rural roads. It can promote cold storage, dal mills and honey collection centres near forests, and food-processing units for potato, tomato, fruits and rice. These give farmers better prices and create jobs.

   1 mark

3. Cheap loans at low interest can help rural people start new ventures, which reduces underemployment.

   1 mark

Answer: Move surplus workers to non-farm jobs: public works, storage and processing industries, and cheap rural credit.

1. Sunil's unorganised sector has small, scattered units that are largely outside government control. The rules exist but are not followed. Jobs are low-paid and irregular.

   1 mark

2. There is no overtime pay, paid leave, holiday pay or sick leave, whereas Raman in the organised sector gets these, along with provident fund, gratuity, medical benefits and a pension.

   1 mark

3. Employment is insecure: workers can be asked to leave without reason or in slack seasons, and much depends on the employer's whims. Raman enjoys job security and fixed working hours.

   1 mark

Answer: Sunil is dissatisfied because his job is low-paid, has no benefits and is insecure, unlike Raman's.

1. The term is horticulture, the cultivation of fruits and vegetables.

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2. India is one of the major producers of fruits and vegetables in the world.

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3. It produces both tropical and temperate fruits, and about 13% of the world's vegetables.

   1 mark

Answer: Horticulture is the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. India is a leading producer of tropical and temperate fruits and makes about 13% of the world's vegetables.

1. Political empowerment: the Women's Reservation Bill, 2023 reserves seats for women in legislatures.

   1 mark

2. Literacy rates among women have improved, and women now have equal rights as men in their father's property.

   1 mark

3. Women are seen in all fields of development, such as science, economy, education, media and corporate sectors.

   1 mark

Answer: Examples: Women's Reservation Bill 2023, better literacy and equal property rights, and presence in all fields.

1. Basic services such as hospitals, schools, post, police, courts, banks, transport and defence are needed in every country. In a developing country the government must provide them, which expands the tertiary sector.

   1 mark

2. The growth of agriculture and industry raises demand for transport, trade and storage services.

   1 mark

3. Rising incomes lead people to demand more services such as eating out, tourism, shopping, private hospitals and schools. New ICT-based services have also grown rapidly.

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Answer: The tertiary sector grew because of the need for basic services, the growth of the primary and secondary sectors, rising incomes and new ICT services.

1. Contour ploughing: ploughing along the contour lines slows the flow of water down slopes.

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2. Terrace farming: steps are cut on slopes to restrict erosion. The western and central Himalayas have well-developed terraces.

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3. Strip cropping: large fields are divided into strips, and strips of grass left between crops break the force of the wind.

   1 mark

4. Shelter belts: rows of trees planted to create shelter act in the same way against wind. They have helped stabilise sand dunes and the desert in western India.

   1 mark

5. Wind, glaciers and water cause natural erosion, so these methods check the natural forces by slowing water and wind. Afforestation is another measure.

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Answer: Measures against natural erosion: contour ploughing, terrace farming, strip cropping and shelter belts.

1. Black soil (regur) is ideal for cotton, jowar and sugarcane. It is typical of the Deccan trap (basalt) region and is formed from lava flows.

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2. It covers the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and extends south-east along the Godavari and Krishna valleys.

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3. It is made of extremely fine clayey material and holds moisture well.

   1 mark

4. It is rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime, but poor in phosphoric content.

   1 mark

5. It develops deep cracks in hot weather, which aerates the soil. It is sticky when wet, so it must be tilled right after the first shower or in the pre-monsoon period.

   1 mark

Answer: Black soil is suitable. It is clayey, moisture-retentive, rich in lime and potash, poor in phosphorus, and cracks when dry.

1. Nationalism grew not only through wars but also through culture. Art, poetry, stories and music helped shape national feelings.

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2. Romantic artists and poets criticised the glorification of reason and science. They stressed emotion, intuition and mystical feelings, and tried to create a sense of shared heritage and a common cultural past as the basis of a nation.

   1 mark

3. Herder claimed that true German culture lay among the common people (das volk). Folk songs, poetry and dances expressed the volksgeist, so collecting folk culture was essential to nation-building.

   1 mark

4. Vernacular language and local folklore carried the nationalist message to illiterate audiences. In partitioned Poland, national feeling was kept alive by music, and Karol Kurpinski turned the polonaise and mazurka into nationalist symbols.

   1 mark

5. Language also served nationalism. After the Russian occupation, Polish was forced out of schools, and after the 1831 revolt the clergy used Polish for Church gatherings and teaching. Priests were jailed or sent to Siberia, and Polish became a symbol of resistance.

   1 mark

Answer: Romanticism built nationalism through a shared cultural heritage, folk culture, vernacular language and music, as in Germany and Poland.

1. After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria met at Vienna under the Austrian Chancellor Metternich. The Treaty of Vienna (1815) reflected conservatism, the belief that traditional institutions such as monarchy, Church, social hierarchy, property and the family should be preserved.

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2. Its aim was to undo the changes of the Napoleonic wars and restore the overthrown monarchies. The Bourbon dynasty was restored in France, which lost the territories it had annexed.

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3. States were set up on France's boundaries to check its future expansion, such as the Kingdom of the Netherlands including Belgium in the north, and Genoa added to Piedmont in the south.

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4. Prussia received territory on its western frontier, and Austria gained control of northern Italy. The German Confederation of 39 states set up by Napoleon was left untouched.

   1 mark

5. In the east, Russia was given part of Poland and Prussia a portion of Saxony. All of this aimed to restore monarchies and create a new conservative order.

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Answer: The Treaty of Vienna restored monarchies and the old order and contained France, which shows conservatism.

1. Without parties every candidate would be independent. No promises could be made for governing, and the usefulness of the government formed would be uncertain.

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2. No one would be responsible for running the country, as elected representatives would be accountable only to their own constituencies.

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3. There would be no agency to gather and present different views on issues to the government.

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4. No one would bring representatives together to form a responsible government.

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5. There would be no mechanism to support the government, make policies, and justify or oppose them. So parties are necessary for democracy.

   1 mark

Answer: Parties are essential: they provide responsible government, accountability, a channel for views, and support and opposition to policy.

1. Lack of internal democracy: power is concentrated in one or a few leaders. Parties do not keep membership registers, hold meetings or conduct regular internal elections. Ordinary members get little information and cannot influence decisions.

   1 mark

2. Dynastic succession: since procedures are not open, an ordinary worker finds it hard to rise. Leaders favour their own family members, and top posts are often held by one family.

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3. Money and muscle power: parties focus on winning elections and nominate candidates who have or can raise money. Rich donors and companies influence party policies.

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4. Lack of meaningful choice: ideological differences among parties have declined, as between Britain's Labour and Conservative parties, which differ only in details.

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5. Leaders too are hardly different, and they keep shifting from one party to another. So these challenges affect democratic functioning.

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Answer: Challenges: no internal democracy, dynastic succession, money and muscle power, lack of meaningful choice, and leaders shifting parties.

1. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are small groups of rural poor, mostly women, who pool their savings and lend to members. They help members become self-reliant in saving and earning, so Miss X can use one to start her savoury food store.

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2. Credit: The group's pooled savings give her a loan for the shop at a reasonable interest rate. SHGs also help members get bank loans at low interest.

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3. No collateral: Loans are given on the strength of the group's trust and members' regular savings, so she does not need to pledge property or security.

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4. Skills and training: SHGs arrange training, for example in food preparation, costing and business management. This helps her run and expand the store successfully.

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5. Empowerment and living standard: The extra income from the store raises her family's standard of living. The group also gives her social support and confidence, and makes her economically independent through self-employment.

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Answer: SHGs give Miss X collateral-free, low-interest credit, training, self-employment and social support, so she can start the savoury store and raise her family's income and living standard.

1. In a barter system, goods are exchanged directly, so a double coincidence of wants is essential. This means each party must want exactly what the other has to offer.

   1 mark

2. Money acts as the intermediate step. A person sells goods for money and then buys what they need with it. This removes the need for a double coincidence of wants.

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3. Since money serves as the intermediary in exchange, it is called a medium of exchange. It makes trade easier.

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4. Modern money is currency, meaning paper notes and coins. Unlike grain, cattle or precious metals used earlier, it has no use of its own.

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5. It is accepted because the government authorises it. The RBI issues notes on behalf of the central government, no one else may issue currency, and the law says the rupee cannot be refused in settling payments in India.

   1 mark

Answer: Money removes the double coincidence of wants by acting as a medium of exchange. Modern currency in India is accepted because the government authorises it and the RBI issues it.

1. (i) The British introduced the Rowlatt Act to suppress growing nationalist agitation and political activity in India. It allowed them to detain political prisoners without trial.

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2. (ii) The Act curbed freedom of speech, press and assembly. Indians could not freely express political views or hold meetings without risk of arrest.

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3. (ii) The power to arrest and detain without trial for two years was misused. This created fear among people and caused widespread anger and resentment against British rule.

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4. (iii) Gandhiji responded by launching a nationwide non-violent Satyagraha, beginning with a hartal on 6 April 1919. His reason was that the Act was unjust, since it was passed despite the united opposition of Indian members and denied people a fair trial.

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Answer: (i) To suppress nationalist activity. (ii) Loss of civil liberties, misuse of detention and fear among people. (iii) Gandhiji launched a non-violent Satyagraha, with a hartal on 6 April, because the Act was unjust.

1. (i) One reason is over-exploitation or excessive use of water. Unequal access to water among social groups is another reason.

   1 mark

2. (ii) Water is scarce in Rajasthan and women walk long distances to fetch it. A submersible pump would give a ready supply from groundwater.

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3. (iii) Water conservation is crucial because water is needed to sustain life, and clean water supply is limited by over-use and unequal access.

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4. (iii) One key to effective management is rainwater harvesting. Collecting and storing rain recharges groundwater. Building dams, reservoirs and canals is another measure.

   1 mark

Answer: (i) Over-exploitation or unequal access. (ii) To get water without walking long distances. (iii) Conservation sustains life and clean supply; rainwater harvesting is one key.

1. (i) UNDP compares countries on the educational levels of people, their health status and per capita income.

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2. (ii) Human development is the process of enhancing people's range of choices. It expands their opportunities for education, health care, income and empowerment.

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3. (ii) It also covers the full range of human choices, from a sound physical environment to economic, political and social freedom.

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4. (iii) Other aspects are life expectancy and access to public facilities such as safe drinking water, sanitation, roads and electricity.

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Answer: (i) Education, health and per capita income. (ii) Widening people's choices and opportunities in education, health, income and freedom. (iii) Life expectancy and access to water, sanitation, roads and electricity.

1. (a) A is Kheda in Gujarat, where the Peasant Satyagraha took place. Write 'Kheda' on line A.

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2. (a) B is Calcutta (Kolkata), the venue of the Indian National Congress session of September 1920. Write 'Calcutta' on line B.

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3. (b) Locate and label any three of these with suitable symbols: Pune (software technology park, Maharashtra); Bokaro (coal mine, Jharkhand); Tehri (tallest dam, Uttarakhand); Haldia (seaport, West Bengal). Each correct one earns 1 mark.

   3 marks

Answer: (a) A: Kheda (Gujarat); B: Calcutta. (b) Any three: Pune, Bokaro, Tehri Dam, Haldia.