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Read the given source… (Social Science 2026 32/5/1 Q8)

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Social ScienceCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2026, set 32/5/1 · 4 marks · Case-based

CBSE Class 10 Social Science 2026: question 8

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2026, paper 32/5/1, section A, question 8, for 4 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q8 · 4 marks · Case-basedCompetency-basedNationalism in India

Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow :

The sense of collective belonging

As the national movement developed, nationalist leaders became more and more aware of such icons and symbols in unifying people and inspiring in them a feeling of nationalism. Another means of creating a feeling of nationalism was through reinterpretation of history. By the end of the nineteenth century many Indians began feeling that to instill a sense of pride in the nation, Indian history had to be thought about differently. The British saw Indians as backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves. In response, Indians began looking into the past to discover India’s great achievements. They wrote about the glorious developments in ancient times when art and architecture, science and mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy, crafts and trade had flourished. This glorious time, in their view, was followed by a history of decline, when India was colonised. These nationalist histories urged the readers to take pride in India’s great achievements in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions of life under British rule.

  1. (8.1)

    How did icons help to unite Indians during the freedom struggle ?

    1 mark
  2. (8.2)

    Why did nationalists feel the need to rewrite Indian history ?

    1 mark
  3. (8.3)

    How did nationalist histories portray India’s past and present ?

    2 marks

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 32/5/1.

Hints

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

Hint 1

Look at the passage's first sentence for the role of icons.

Hint 2

Contrast how the British saw Indians with how nationalists saw the past.

Hint 3

Describe the past and the present separately.

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. (8.1) Devotion to an icon such as Bharat Mata came to be seen as a sign of nationalism, and the carrying of the national flag became a symbol of resistance. This united people with a common feeling.

    1 mark

  2. (8.2) The British portrayed Indians as backward and primitive and unable to rule themselves. In response, nationalists looked to the past to find India's achievements and to instill pride and inspire struggle against British rule.

    1 mark

  3. (8.3) The past was shown as glorious, with art, architecture, science, mathematics, religion, law, crafts and trade flourishing.

    1 mark

  4. The present was shown as a time of decline and misery after India was colonised. Readers were urged to take pride in the past and to struggle to change life under British rule.

    1 mark

Answer: (8.1) Icons like Bharat Mata and the flag created shared feeling and became symbols of resistance. (8.2) To counter the British view of Indians as backward and to build pride. (8.3) Past: glorious achievements; present: decline and misery under colonial rule.

Where the marks are

  • Role of icons, e.g. Bharat Mata or the flag (1 mark)
  • Reason for rewriting history (1 mark)
  • Glorious past (1 mark)
  • Decline and misery under colonialism, a call to struggle (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Nationalism in India, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2026 board paper, set 32/5/1: 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.