AHSEC| CLASS 12| HISTORY| QUESTION PAPER

AHSEC| CLASS 12| HISTORY| QUESTION PAPER - 2017| H.S. 2ND YEAR

2017
HISTORY
Full Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 30
Time: 3 hours
The figures in the margin indicate full marks for the questions

1. Answer the following questions: 1x12=12

a) Who first deciphered Brahmi and Kharosthi Scripts?

b) What was the Kutagarashala?

c) By which name Assam was known in ancient times?

d) Where did peasant revolt first take place in Assam?

e) Who is the writer of the ‘Rihla’?

f) Where was Guru Nanak born?

g) What was Milkiyat?

h) Who wrote the Humayun Nama?

i) What was Damin-i-koh?

j) When was the first all-India Census carried out?

k) Who represented the Congress in the Second Round Table Conference?

l) Who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution?

2. Answer the following questions in brief: 2x12=24

a) Mention any two characteristics of the Harappan civilization.

b) Write any two duties fixed by the Manusmriti for the Chandalas.

c) What was the original name of Ajan Pir? Why is he known as Ajan Pir?

d) What do you understand by the Innerline Regulation Act of 1873?

e) What were the technologies used in medieval India to increase agricultural production?

f) What do you mean by saguna and nirguna categories of the Bhakti traditions?

g) Who first discovered Hampi and when?

h) Why did Abu’l Fazl describe painting as ‘magical art’?

i) Name the two leaders of the Khilafat Movement.

j) Why did Gandhiji consider Hindustani to be the national language of India?

k) What were qasbah and ganj?

l) Why was Gandhiji’s Salt March important in the Indian National Movement?

3. Answer the following questions: (any eight) 5x8=40

a) Mention the causes of the rise of Magadha.

b) Write a note on the economic condition of Ancient Assam.

c) Give a brief description of the administrative system of the Ahoms.

d) Who was Al-Biruni? What did he say about the caste system.

e) Who were the amara-nayakas? What role did they play in the Vijayanagara empire? 1+5=6

f) Write a note on the nobility of the Mughals.

g) What was Permanent Settlement? Why did the Zamindars fail to meet the revenue demand?

h) What were the measures adopted by the British to suppress the Revolt of 1857?

i) What is communalism? Mention the causes which contributed to the growth of communalism in India.

j) What do you mean by Oral source? How does it help in writing the history of the partition of India?

4. Read the given passages carefully and the questions that follow:

a) How artefacts are identified

Processing of food required grinding equipment as well as vessels for mixing, blending and cooking. These were made of stone, metal and terracotta. This is an excerpt from one of the earliest reports on excavations at Mohenjodaro, the best known Harappan site:

Saddle querns …. Are found in considerable numbers ….. and they seem to have been the only means in use for grinding cereals. As a rule, they were roughly made of hard, gritty, igneous rock or sandstone and mostly show signs of hard usage. As their bases are usually convex, they must have been set in the earth or in mud to prevent their rocking. Two main types have been found: those on which another smaller stone was pushed or rolled to and fro, and others with which a second stone was used as a pounder, eventually making a large cavity in the neither stone. Querns of the former type were probably used solely for grain; the second type possible only for pounding herbs and spices for making curries. In fact, stones of this latter type are dubbed “curry stones” by our workmen and our cook asked for the loan of one from the museum for use in the kitchen.

FROM ERNEST MACKAY, Further Excavations at Mohenjodaro, 1937.

Questions:

1) What was the equipment used for grinding cereals? 1

2) What were the materials used for making grinding equipment? 2

3) What were the types of grinding equipment? How were they used? 1+2=3

a) How could men and women acquire wealth?

For men, the Manusmriti declares, there are seven means of acquiring wealth: inheritance, finding, purchase, conquest, investment, work, and acceptance of gifts from good people.

For women, there are six means of acquiring wealth: what was given in front of the fire (marriage) or the bridal procession, or as a token of affection, and what she got from her brother, mother or father. She could also acquire wealth through any subsequent gift and whatever her “affectionate” husband might give her.

Questions:

1) What were the means of acquiring wealth for men and women? 4

2) Do you think that the means of acquiring wealth differentiated men and women? If so, how? 2

b) ‘Great’ and ‘little’ traditions

The terms great and little traditions were coined by a sociologist named Robert Redfield in the twentieth century to describe the cultural practices of peasant societies. He found that peasants observed rituals and customs that emanated from dominant social categories, including priests and rulers. These he classified as part of a great tradition. At the same time, peasants also followed local practices that did not necessarily correspond with those of the great tradition. These he included within the category of little tradition. He also noticed that both great and little traditions changed over time, through a process of interaction.

While scholars accepted the significance of these categories and processes, they are often uncomfortable with the hierarchy suggested by the terms great and little. The use of quotation marks for “great” and “little” is one way of indicating this.

Questions:

1) Who coined the terms ‘great’ and ‘little’ tradition and why? 2

2) What do ‘great’ and ‘little’ tradition mean? 3

3) How do these traditions change? 1

b) 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 and 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.

Questions:

1) Who were the amil-guzars? 1

2) What was the medium of land revenue collection? 1

3) What were the methods of collection land revenue in kind? 4

c) What maps reveal and conceal

The development of survey methods, accurate scientific instruments and British imperial needs meant that maps were prepared with great care. The Survey of India was established in 1878. While the maps that were prepared give us a lot of information, they also reflect the bias of the British rulers. Large settlements of the poor in towns went unmarked on maps because they seemed unimportant to the rulers. As a result it was assumed that these blank spaces on the map were available for other development schemes. When these schemes were undertaken, the poor were evicted.

Questions:

1) When was the Department of Survey of India established? 1

2) To which source do the survey reports and maps belong? 1

3) How do the maps prepared by the British reflect their biasness? 4

c) “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 the 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 slaves 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 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 …..

Questions:

1) Who are according to N. G. Ranga the real minorities? 1

2) Why are they the real minorities? 3

3) Why do they need protection? 2

5. Draw a map of India and mark the following places? 3+3=6

Pataliputra, Agra, Amritsar, Chennai, Kolkata and Garhgaon

Write a note on the Revolt of 1857 in Assam. 6

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