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Read the given source and… (Social Science 2025 32/4/1 Q35)

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Social ScienceCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2025, set 32/4/1 · 4 marks · Case-based

CBSE Class 10 Social Science 2025: question 35

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2025, paper 32/4/1, section E, question 35, for 4 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q35 · 4 marks · Case-basedCompetency-basedForest and Wildlife Resources

Read the given source and answer the questions that follow:

Sacred Groves – a wealth of diverse and rare species

Nature worship is an age old tribal belief based on the premise that all creations of nature have to be protected. Such beliefs have preserved several virgin forests in pristine form called Sacred Groves (the forests of God and Goddesses). These patches of forest or parts of large forests have been left untouched by the local people and any interference with them is banned.

Certain societies revere a particular tree which they have preserved from time immemorial. The Mundas and the Santhal of Chota Nagpur region worship mahua (Bassia latifolia) and kadamba (Anthocaphalus cadamba) trees, and the tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship the tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and mango (Mangifera indica) trees during weddings. To many of us, peepal and banyan trees are considered sacred.

Indian society comprises several cultures, each with its own set of traditional methods of conserving nature and its creations. Sacred qualities are often ascribed to springs, mountain peaks, plants and animals which are closely protected. You will find troops of macaques and langurs around many temples. They are fed daily and treated as a part of temple devotees. In and around Bishnoi villages in Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck (chinkara), nilgai and peacocks can be seen as an integral part of the community and nobody harms them.

  1. 35.1

    How do sacred groves show the inter-connectivity of spirituality and ecology?

    1 mark
  2. 35.2

    How do tribal practices promote conservation of forests?

    1 mark
  3. 35.3

    Why is conservation of wildlife important for all of us? Explain.

    2 marks

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2025 board paper, set 32/4/1.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Look at what the passage says is banned in sacred groves.

Hint 2

Which trees do the Mundas, Santhals and tribals of Odisha and Bihar revere?

Hint 3

Think about what happens to food chains and to our air and water if species vanish.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. (i) Sacred groves are patches of forest left untouched in the name of gods and goddesses. Sacred qualities are ascribed to springs, mountain peaks, plants and animals, so religious belief protects nature and links spirituality with ecology.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) Tribals worship particular trees: the Mundas and Santhals worship mahua and kadamba, and tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship tamarind and mango at weddings. Such reverence protects these trees and forests from being cut.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) Wildlife conservation maintains ecological balance, because every species has a role in food chains and nature's cycles.

    1 mark

  4. It also preserves biodiversity and our life-support system (air, water, soil), on which human survival depends.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) Sacred qualities are given to groves, plants and animals, so faith protects nature. (ii) Worship of trees such as mahua, kadamba, tamarind and mango preserves them. (iii) Wildlife conservation maintains ecological balance and biodiversity and protects our life-support system.

Where the marks are

  • 35.1: Sacred groves or the worship of nature protect ecology (1 mark)
  • 35.2: Tribal worship of specific trees protects forests (1 mark)
  • 35.3: Maintains ecological balance (1 mark)
  • 35.3: Preserves biodiversity and the life-support system (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Forest and Wildlife Resources, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2025 board paper, set 32/4/1: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.