ICSE Class 9 History and Civics Sample Question Paper 3 with Answers
Part-I
(Attempt all questions from this part)
Question 1.
(a) When did the Constituent Assembly set up a Drafting Committee? Who was the chairman of the Drafting Committee ?
(b) When did India celebrate the Republic Day’s Golden Jubilee ?
(c) What does the Preamble of India describe ?
(d) Which Article of the Indian Constitution prohibits the employment of children under the age of 14 years ?
(e) Which Article of the Indian Constitution abolishes all titles like Rai Sahib and Maharaja ?
(f) Which Indian state has the highest number of constituencies ?
(g) Who was the first Election Commissioner of India ?
(h) What does Local Self-Government mean ?
(i) Who elects the President, Senior Vice-President and a Junior Vice-President from amongst themselves in the Municipal Corporation ?
(j) Who is the ‘First Citizen’ of the town or city ?
Answer:
(a) On 29th August, 1947, the Constituent Assembly set up a Drafting Committee to prepare the draft Constitution of India. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.
(b) On 26th January, 2000, India celebrated the Republic Day’s Golden Jubilee.
(c) The Preamble of India describes the ‘soul and spirit’ of the Constitution of India.
(d) Article 24 of the Indian Constitution prohibits the employment of children under 14 years of age in any factory or mine.
(e) Article 18 of the Indian Constitution abolishes all extravagant titles, such as ‘Rai Sahib’ or ‘Maharaja’.
(f) Uttar Pradesh in India has the highest number of constituencies i.e., 80.
(g) Sukumar Sen was the first Election Commissioner of the Independent Republic of India.
(h) Local Self-Government is an elected body that experiences a certain degree of autonomy and serves as a government unit for local affairs.
(i) The Councillor elects the President, Junior Vice-President and Senior Vice-President of the Municipal Corporation.
(j) The Mayor is the ‘First Citizen’ of the town or city.
Question 2.
(a) What are the most important sites of the Harappan Civilization that are situated in Gujarat ?
(b) Name the two divisions of the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
(c) What does the Sanskrit word ‘Arya’ mean ?
(d) Who were staunchly against the practices of Yajnas or expensive rituals in the 6th century B.C. ?
(e) Where is the Ashokan Pillar situated in India ?
(f) What does the term ‘Sangam’ denote ?
(g) Name the church in the Fort Kochi that signifies the prevalence of composite culture.
(h) What does the term ‘Renaissance’ mean ?
(i) Who painted the portrait of Sistine Madonna during the high noon of Italian Renaissance?
(j) Who is regarded as the ‘Morning star of Reformation’ ?
Answer:
The most important sites of the Harappan Civilization that are situated in Gujarat are
(a) Lothal, Dholavira, Rangpur, Gola, Rojdi and Dhoro.
(b) The two divisions of the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are the raised area called as ‘citadel’ and the ‘lower town’.
(c) The Sanskrit term ‘Arya’ means civilized or noble.
(d) The Kshatriya rulers and Vaishya businessmen vehemently protested against the practices of Yajnas or expensive rituals in the 6th century B.C.
(e) The Ashokan Pillar is situated in Vaishali, Bihar.
(f) The term ‘Sangam’ means ‘assembly’ or ‘association’.
(g) St. Francis of Assisi is situated in the Fort Kochi that signifies the presence of composite culture.
(h) The term ‘Renaissance’ means ‘re-birth’ or reconstruction.
(i) Rafael painted Sistine Madonna during the high noon of Italian Renaissance.
(j) John Wycliffe is regarded as the ‘Morning Star of Reformation’.
Part – II
Section – A
(Attempt any two questions from this Section)
Question 3.
With reference to the salient features of the Indian Constitution, answer the following questions:
(a) What is Habeas Corpus? What is Mandamus?
(b) In which part of the article of the Indian Constitution, the Fundamental Duties were inserted ?
(c) Explain the Fundamental Duties as per Article 51 A of the 86th Amendment Act of 2002.
Answer:
(a) Habeas corpus literally means “You may have the body”. It is recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, to bring the prisoner to court and to determine whether the detention is lawful or not. Mandamus is a latin word which means ‘we command’. The writ is issued when a petition is filed against any public official or unit who is not performing his or her duty.
(b) The Fundamental Duties were inserted in Article 51A of Part IV of the Constitution, and they were published by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976.
(c) As per Article 51A of the 86th Amendment Act, 2002 of the Indian Constitution, the Fundamental Duties of every Indian Citizen are as follows :
(i) To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.
(ii) To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
(iii) To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so.
(iv) To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India, transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women.
(v) To protect and improve the natural environment,’ including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures.
(vi) To provide opportunities for education to his child or as the case may be, ward between the ages of 6 and 14 years.
Question 4.
With reference to the Elections of India, answer the following questions:
(a) What do you mean by ‘Mid-Term Election’?
(b) State the advantages and disadvantages of Direct and Indirect Elections.
(c) Explain any three functions of the Election Commission.
Answer:
(a) Mid-term Election is a type of election that occurs when the full term of five years of State Assemblies or Lok Sabha has not been completed and the house has to be dissolved. This type of election is held to bring a new house in power.
(b) (i) Advantages of Direct Elections :
1. As the voters elect their representatives directly, direct elections are considered to be a more democratic method of election.
2. It educates people regarding the government activities and helps in choosing appropriate candidates. It also encourages people to play an active role in politics.
3. It empowers people and make the elected representatives accountable for their actions.
(ii) Disadvantages of Direct Elections
1. Direct elections are very expensive. It incurs huge expenditure on the public exchequer. For example in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, a whopping sum of Rs. 30,000 crore was spent by the government, political parties and candidates. Out of this, the Election Commission alone spent Rs. 3,426 crores.
2. Illiterate voters sometimes gets misguided by false propaganda and sometimes cast their vote taking into consideration factors like caste, religion etc. This may result in the election of undeserving candidates. There are also instances of Cash for vote.
3. Since conducting direct elections are a massive exercise, ensuring free and fair elections at all the polling booths may not be possible. There are some instances of booth capturing, violence, intimidation of election officials etc., which undermines the credentials of the election process.
(iii) Advantages of Indirect elections
1. Indirect elections are less expensive.
2. It is more suited for elections in large countries.
(iv) Disadvantages of Indirect elections
1. Since tire number of voters are very small, there exists a possibility of corruption, bribery, horse trading etc.
2. It is less democratic because people do not have direct opportunity to elect; they instead do it through their representatives. So, this may not reflect the true will of the people.
(c) The three functions of the Election Commission are as follows :
(i) Electoral Rolls : Election commission prepares electoral rolls and gets them revised
before every election so as to add the names of those who have turned 18 years and to remove the names of those who have moved out of a constituency.
(ii) Scrutiny of Nomination Papers: The Election Commission examines the nomination papers of the candidates. These papers are accepted if found in order, but rejected otherwise. This duty is performed by the Returning Officer who notifies to all the contesting candidates the date, time and place for the formal scrutiny of nomination papers.
(iii) Recognition to Political Parties: Election Commision give recognition to the political parties as all India Parties or Regional parties on the basis of the votes received by them in the last general elections.
(iv) Supervision : It supervises the election machinery throughout the country to ensure ” that elections are held in a free and fair manner.
Question 5.
With reference to the Local Self-Government (Rural), explain the following questions:
(a) Explain any two functions of Panchayat Samiti.
(b) State the composition of Gram Panchayat.
(c) What do you mean by ‘Gram Sabha’?
Answer:
(a) The Panchayat Samiti meets at regular intervals to take stock of the activities and discuss developmental matters of local interest. The two functions of the Panchayat Samiti are as follows :
(i) Delegated functions : The delegated functions include implementation and coordination of policies of development as determined by the state government. It is through the samitis that the state government implements the developmental projects at the grass-root level and associates the people with such activities through schemes like Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana, Indira Awas Yojana, Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)
(ii) Community development function : The function of community development includes the planning and implementation of social welfare programmes especially in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, education, etc. Through this programme, the Samiti gets a chance to tackle the peculiar problems of the area and provides an opportunity to implement the developmental projects for the area.
(iii) Supervision function : The duty of coordinating and supervising the work of Gram Panchayat rests with the Panchayat Samiti. It also scrutinizes the budget of the Panchayats and proposes necessary changes in it.
(b) The members of Gram Panchayat are elected by the Gram Sabha. The Pradhan (President) and the Vice – President of the Gram Sabha are the ex-officio members of the Gram Panchayat. Only those persons can become members of the Panchayat:
- Who attain an age prescribed.
- Who are registered voters in the panchayat area.
- Mentally sound people.
- Who are not disqualified under any law.
Panchayat does not means that it will have only five members. The number of members varies from state to state. The state government determines the number of Panch according to proportion of the village.
(c) Gram Sabha is a grass-root organization, comprising of all the adult population of the village. In other words, it is the general body consisting of all the voters, residing in the jurisdiction of a Gram Panchayat, which extends over one village or a group of villages. The Gram Sabha elects the ‘Gram Pradhan’ for the tenure of 5 years.
Section – B
(Attempt any three questions from this section)
Question 6.
With reference to the Gupta Period in the 4th – 5th centuries A.D, explain the following questions:
(a) Explain the contributions of the writers and poets during the Gupta Period.
(b) Who was the founder of the Nalanda university? Where was it located in India? When was it established ?
(c) What do you know about the Nalanda university?
Answer:
(a) The contributions of the writers and poets during the Gupta Period were as follows:
(i) India witnessed a great advancement in the field of literature under the Gupta monarchs.
(ii) The Guptas made Sanskrit as their court language and wrote all their documents and inscriptions in the same language.
(iii) Kalidasa was the greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist that India had ever produced. The four major poetic work of Kalidasa are Raghuvamsha, Ritusamhara, Kumara- sambhava. and Meghaduta. The three popular dramas of kalidasa are Vikramorvasiyam, Malavikagnimitram. and Abhijhanasakuntalam.
(iv) Visakhadatta, the renowned author of Mudrarakshasa, was another great poet and dramatist of the Gupta period.
(v) Harisena, the renowned author of the famous poem ‘Prashasti’ inscribed on the Allahabad Pillar was another great poet of that period, who flourished during the reign of Samudragupta.
(vi) Amarasimha, the author of the famous ‘Amarkosa’ also belonged to the Gupta period.
(vii) Bharavi, the author of ‘Kiratarjuniya’ is also flourished during the Gupta period.
(viii)Sudraka was another great author of the Gupta period. He was the author of ‘Mrcchakatika’.
(ix) It was during the Gupta period that the great Tanchtantra’ a storehouse of wonderful stories was written.
(b) The Nalanda University was founded by the Gupta ruler, Kumaragupta I, son of Chandragupta-EL It is situated at Rajgir in Bihar. The Nalanda University was established in the 5th century A.D.
(c) The salient features of Nalanda University are as follows :
- The university had 10 temples, many classrooms, meditation centers and a big library.
- Initially it was a Buddhist monastery but later became a university.
- Subjects like Hinduism, logic, astronomy, grammar were taught at Nalanda University and it attracted students from all over India and neighbouring countries.
- It flourished under the rule of the Guptas and was later patronized by Harshavardhan.
- It acted as a guiding light to people up to the 12th century A.D.
Question 7.
With reference to emergence of composite culture, explain the following questions :
(a) Explain the impact of Sufism in your own words.
(b) Explain the meaning of the Bhakti Movement.
(c) Enumerate the similarities between Bhakti and Sufi saints.
Answer:
(a) The impact of Sufism can be understood in the following manner :
(i) It propagated the spirit of universal brotherhood among Hindus and Muslims.
(ii) It played a significant role in propagating feelings of tolerance among the Muslim rulers.
(iii) It spawned the feelings of religious syncretism among its disciples.
(iv) A number of Sufi principles had similarity with those of the Bhakti cult. Hence, it led to the popularity of the Bhakti Movement.
(b) The meaning of the word ‘Bhakti’ is ‘Devotion to God.’ The movement originated as a reaction against ritualism and caste division in India. The Bhakti movement was started by the Saivite and Vaishnava saints of South India in the 8th century and became very popular in the 11th and 12th centuries. They were known as Nayanars and Alvars respectively and they preached ‘personal devotion to God as a means to reach God.’
(c) The similarities between Bhakti and Sufi Saints are :
(i) Emphasized on salvation through love and devotion to the supreme God
(ii) Condemned rituals and idol worship
(iii) Composed devotional songs in local languages that were understood by people
(iv) Criticized social barriers of caste, class, religion and challenged orthodoxy
Question 8.
With reference to the Industrial Revolution, study^ the picture and answer the following questions :
(a) Identify the instrument in the above picture.
(b) Who was the founder of the instrument? When was it founded?
(c) State the importance of the instrument in reference to the Industrial Revolution.
Answer:
(a) The name of the instrument given in the above picture is Steam Engine.
(b) James Watt invented the Steam Engine in 1775.
(c) It is noted that water and wind were earlier used for running machines, neither of them was a dependable source of energy. Besides, these sources of energy could not be used for running large factories. The use of these energy sources to run big factories became possible with the invention of the Steam engine by James Watt in 1775. This discovery of steam as a power source spurred the growth of the Industrial Revolution. While steam to run locomotives was introduced in A.D. 1813, railway trains started running with help of steam in A.D. 1830, leading to the initiation of the Industrial Revolution.
Question 9.
With reference to the Chola Dynasty, explain the following questions:
(a) Explain in your words about the provincial Government of the Chola Dynasty.
(b) Who granted a village at Nagapattinam in the Malay Peninsula to a Buddhist vihara? What was the name of the vihara?
(c) Explain the contribution of Rajendra Chola in reference to conquest and consolidation of territories.
Answer:
(a) The Ghola kingdom was divided into several provinces known as Mandalams. Each province was placed under the charge of a Viceroy. The provinces were further sub divided into kottams. Each kottam was sub divided into a number of districts or nadus. All these territorial divisions had their respective assemblies comprising of notable persons. The assembly of Mandalam was consulted before taking any decision such as exemption of land revenue because of severe drought in the province.
(b) Rajaraja-I granted a village to a Buddhist monastery at Nagapattinam in the Malay Peninsula. The name of the vihara is ‘Chudamani Vihara’.
(c) Rajendra Chola I, the son of Rajaraja Chola I, the great Chola king of South India, succeeded his father in 1014 C.E. as the Chola emperor. During his reign, he extended the influences of the vast Chola Empire to the banks of the river Ganga in the north and across the ocean. Rajendra’s territories extended to coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Maldives, conquering the kings of Srivijaya (Sumatra, Java, and Malaya in South-East Asia) and the Pegu islands with his fleet of ships. He defeated Mahipala, the Pala king of Bengal and Bihar.
To commemorate his victory, he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Rajendra stood as the first Indian king to take his armies overseas. He also built a temple for Shiva at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, similar in design to the Thanjavur Brihadisvara temple built by Rajaraja Chola. He assumed the titles Parakesari and Yuddhamalla.
Question 10.
With reference to the Delhi Sultanate, explain the following questions:
(a) Explain any two projects undertaken by Muhammad Bin Tughlaq during his regime.
(b) Explain the revenue reforms of Ala-ud-din Khilji.
(c) What do you understand by the terms ‘Sijda’ and ‘Paibos’?
Answer:
(a) In this segment, ‘Transfer of Capital’ and ‘Token Currency’ projects will be discussed in detail.
(i) Transfer of Capital: In A.D. 1327, Tughlaq passed an order to shift the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (in present-day Maharashtra) in the Deccan region of south India to establish control over the fertile land of the Deccan plateau and to create a more accessible capital since his empire had grown more in the south. He also felt that it would make him safe from the Mongol invasions, which were mainly aimed at Delhi and regions in north India. Delhi was in the grip of severe famine during that period. All facilities were provided for those who were required to migrate to Daulatabad. The general public of Delhi was not in favour of shifting the base to Daulatabad. After couple of years, he decided to abandon Daulatabad as he could not control north India from Delhi.
(ii) In AD 1329 Muhammad-bin Tughlaq had introduced bronze tanka instead of Silver tankas due to shortage of silver. This experiment failed owing to the circulation of fake or forged coins an a large scale that caused chaos in commerce and trade. The currency became devalued and later it was withdrawn from the market.
(b) Ala-ud-din Khilji implemented a number of revenue and taxation measures which aimed at establishing an authoritative and despotic state. Some of the measures are as under—
(i) He brought all the land of his kingdom under his direct control and introduced the practice of measuring the land and fixing the state share accordingly.
(ii) He revoked all land grants made as gifts to muslim clerics or muslim landlords.
(iii) He increased the land revenue from one third to one half to be paid in cash.
(c) The customs of Sijda and Paibos were introduced by Balban, the most powerful ruler of the slave dynasty. Sijda means bending in front of the king and worshipping him while Paibos means kissing the feet of the king.