Series OSS Code. No. 61/1
HISTORY
Time allowed : 3 hours Maximum Marks : 100
General Instructions :
(i) Answer all the questions. Marks are indicated against each question.
(ii) Answers to questions carrying 2 marks (Part A Questions no. 1 to 5) should not exceed 30 words each.
(iii) Answers to questions carrying 5 marks (Part B - Ques.no. 6-16) should not exceed 100 words each.
(iv) Answers to questions carrying 8 marks (Part C - Questions no. 17 and 18) should not exceed 250 words each.
(v) Part D has questions based on three sources.
(vi) Attach the maps with the answer scripts (Part E).
PART A
Answer all the questions given below.
1. Mention the internal functioning of the, Buddhist Sanghas.
2. Mention the major crop of Western India during 17th century. How did it come to India ?
3. Give a brief description of Lotus Mahal, situated in the Royal Centre . in the Vijayanagara empire.
4. Mention two changes that were seen in the network of trade in the urban centres from the mid 18th century.
5. Mention two features of the Fort St. George of White Town, where most of the Europeans lived.
PART B
SECTION I
Answer any three of the following questions.
6. Describe briefly the sources used for reconstructing the history of the Gupta rulers.
7. “An understanding of the function of an artefact is often shaped by its resemblance with present day things.” Support your answer with suitable evidence. 5
8. What did B.B. Lal note about the houses in the second phase of the Mahabharata period (c. twelfth - seventh centuries BCE) ? Explain. 5
9. Critically examine why Sanchi survived while Amaravati did not. 5
SECTION II
Answer any two of the following questions.
10. Explain the views of Bernier about a more complex social reality of the Mughal Empire. 5
11. Describe the significance of temple building in the Sacred Centre of Vijayanagara. 5
12. “Granting of titles to men of merit was an important aspect of Mughal polity.” Justify the statement with suitable evidence. 5
SECTION III
13. Critically examine the experiences of injustice felt by ryots on the refusal of extending loans to them after 1830s.
14. Examine the proclamations issued by the rebels in 1857 and. explain why did they want to reject everything associated with the British rule in India.
15. Describe briefly the changes that came about in the Indian towns during the 18th century.
16. Explain the reasons why the plan, suggested by the Cabinet Missions was finally not accepted by the Congress and the Muslim League.
PART C
17. Explain the variety of sources used by the historians to reconstruct histories of religious traditions. 8
OR
Explain how the biography of the saint poetess Mirabai has been primarily constructed. How did she defy the norms of society
18. Explain the ideas expressed by Gandhiji in his address at the time of opening of Banaras Hindu University in February 1916. Did he put his precepts into practice ? Give examples. 8
OR
How do autobiographies, Government records and newspapers help us in knowing about Gandhiji ? Explain.
PART D (Source Based Questions)
Read the following extracts (questions no. 19 to 21) carefully and answer the questions that follow.
19. The wealthy Shudra
This story, based on a Buddhist text in Pali known as the Majjhintia Nikaya, is part of a dialogue between a king named Avantiputta add a disciple of the Buddha named Kachchana. While it may not be’ literally true, it reveals Buddhist attitudes towards varna.
Avantiputta asked Kachchana what he thought about
Brahmanas who held that they were the best caste and
that all other castes were low; that Brahmanas were a
fair caste while all other castes were dark; that only
Brahmanas were pure, not, non-Brahmanas; that Brahmanas
were sons of Brahma, born of his mouth, born of Brahma,
formed by Brahma, heirs to Brahma.
Kachchana replied : “What if a Shudra were wealthy
... would another Shudra.... or a “Kshatriya or a Brahmana
or a Vaishya.... speak politely to him ?”
Avantiputta replied that if a Shudra had wealth or corn
or gold or silver, he could have as his obedient servant
another Shudra to get up earlier than he, to go to rest
later, to carry out his orders, to speak politely; or he
could even have a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya as
his obedient servant.
Kachchana asked : “This being so, are not these four
varnas exactly the same ?”
Avantiputta conceded that there was no difference amongst
the varnas on this count.
(i) What did Avantiputta want to know from Kachchana about Brahmanas ? 3
(ii) What was Kachchana’s reply ? Explain. 2
(iii) If a Shudra had wealth, would Brahmanas and others speak to him politely ? Give reasons. 3
OR
A mother’s advice
The Mahabharata describes how, when war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas became almost inevitable, Gandhari made one last appeal to her eldest son Duryodhana :
By making peace you honour your father and me, as well
as your well-wishers ... it is the wise man in control
of his senses who guards his kingdom. Greed and anger
drag a man away from his profits; by defeating these
two enemies a king conquers the earth... You will happily
enjoy the earth, my son, along with the wise and heroic
Pandavas ... There is no good in a war, no law (dharma)
and profit (artha), let alone happiness; nor is there
(necessarily) victory in the end - don’t set your mind
on war ...
Duryodhana did not listen to this advice and fought and lost the war.
(i) Explain briefly Gandhari’s appeal to Duryodhana. 3
(ii) Do you agree with Gandhari’s advice to Duryodhana ? Give two
arguments in support of your answer. 3
(iii) Why did Duryodhana not listen to his mother’s advice ? Give two
possible reasons. 2
20. How tanks were built
About a tank constructed by Krishnadeva Raya, Paes wrote:
The king made a tank ... at the mouth of two hills so that
all the water which comes from either one side or the other
collects there; and, besides this, water comes to it from
more than three leagues (approximately 15 kilometers) by pipes
which run along the lower parts of the range outside.
This water is brought from a lake which itself overflows into
a little river. The tank has three large pillars handsomely
carved with figures; these connect above with certain pipes
by which they get water when they have to irrigate their gardens
and rice-fields. In order to make this tank the said king broke
down a hill ... In the tank I saw so many people at work that
there must have been fifteen or twenty thousand men, looking
like ants ...
(i) Explain briefly where the tank was constructed.
(ii) Explain briefly the sources of water for the tanks.
(iii) Explain briefly the advantages of constructing .tanks.
OR
Cash or kind ?
The Ain on land revenue collection :
Let him (the amil-guzar) not make it a practice of taking only
in cash but also in kind. The latter is effected in several ways.
First, kankut. in the Hindi. language kan signifies grain, and
kut, estimates ... If any doubts arise, the crops should be cut
ate’ estimated in three, lots, the good, the middling, and the
inferior, and the hesitation removed. Often, too, the land taken
by appraisement, gives a sufficiently accurate return. Secondly,
batai, also called bhaoli, the crops are reaped and stacked and
divided by agreement in the presence of the parties. But in this case
several intelligent inspectors are required; otherwise, the
evil-minded’ and false. are given to deception. Thirdly, khet-batai,
when they divide the fields after they are sown. Fourthly, lang batai,
after cutting the grain, they form it in heaps and divide it among
themselves, and each takes his share home and turns it to profit.
(i) Explain the term kankut.
(ii) Explain the system of batai or bhaoli system of land revenue collection.
(iii) Explain the system of lang batai.
(iv) Which system of land revenue collection, do you think, is better and why ?
21. “The real minorities are the masses of this country”
Welcoming the Objectives Resolution introduced by Jawaharlal Nehru, N.G. Ranga said :
Sir, there is a lot of talk about minorities. Who are the real
minorities ? Not the Hindus in the so-called Pakistan
provinces, not the Sikhs, not even the Muslims. No, the real
minorities are ‘the masses of this country. These people are
so depressed and oppressed and suppressed till now that
they are not able to , take advantage of the ordinary civil
rights. What is the position ? You go to the tribal areas.
According to law, their own traditional law, their tribal law,
their lands cannot be alienated; Yet our merchants go there,
and in the so-called free market they are able to snatch their
lands. Thus, even though the law goes against this snatching
away of their lands, still the merchants are able to turn the
tribal people into veritable slams by various kinds of bonds,
and make them hereditary bond-slaves. Let us go to the
ordinary villagers. There. goes the money-lender with his
money and he. is able to get the villagers in his pocket. There
is the landlord himself; the zamindar, and the malguzar and
there are the various other people who are able to exploit
these poor villagers. There is no elementary education even
among these people. These are the real minorities that need
protection and assurances of protection. In order to give
them the necessary protection, we will need much more than
this Resolution ...
(i) How is the notion of minority defined by N.G. Ranga ?
(ii) Do you agree with Ranga ? If not, mention who are the real
minorities according to you and why.
(iii) Explain the conditions of ordinary villagers.
(iv) Describe the living conditions of the tribals.
OR
“I believe separate electorates will be suicidal to the minorities”
During the debate on 27 August 1947, Govind Ballabh Pant said :
I believe separate electorates will be suicidal to the minorities
and will do them tremendous harm. If they are isolated for ever,
they can never convert themselves into a majority and the feeling
of frustration will cripple them even from the very beginning. What
is it that you desire and what is our ultimate objective ? Do the
minorities always want to remain as minorities or do they ever
expect to form an integral part of a great nation and as such to
guide and control its destinies ? If they do, can they ever achieve
that aspiration and that ideal if they are isolated from the rest of
the community ? I think it would be extremely dangerous for them if
they were segregated from the rest of the community and kept aloof
in an air-tight compartment where they would have to rely on others
even for the air they breathe ... The minorities if they are returned
by separate electorates can never have any effective voice.
(i) How will separate electorates prove suicidal to the minorities ?
Explain the views of G.B. Pant. 4
(ii) Will the creation of separate electorates solve the problem of minorities ? If so, how ? 3
(iii) Suggest any one way to solve the problem of minorities. I
PART E
22. On the given political outline map of India mark and label any five Harappan sites. 5
OR
On the given political outline map of India mark and label the following centres of Revolt of 1857 :
Lucknow, Azamgarh, Jabalpur, Agra, Delhi.
23. On the given political outline map of India 5 centers of National Movement have been marked as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Identify and write their names on the line drawn near them.
Note : The following questions are only for the Blind Candidates in lieu of the map questions (Q. No. 22 and 23).
22. Mention any five territories under Babar, Akbar and Aurangzeb. 5
OR
Mention any five important Mahajanapadas and cities.
23. Mention the names of any five centres of National Movement. 5