CBSE Class 12 2025 History 61-4-2 Question Paper Set-2: Download Solutions with Answer Key

Two statements labelled as Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are given below. Read them carefully and select the correct option:


Assertion (A): India was considered a suitable country for cotton cultivation due to its soil, climate, and cheap labour, by the Britishers.
Reason (R): The American Civil War (1861–65) caused a significant drop in raw cotton imports from America, leading Britain to seek alternative sources.

• (A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).
• (B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).
• (C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
• (D) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.

Who amongst the following women was a member of the Constituent Assembly from Bombay?

• (A) Kamala Nehru
• (B) Hansa Mehta
• (C) Purnima Banerji
• (D) Vijayalakshmi Pandit

Which of the following pairs of Committees and their Presidents is correct regarding the Constituent Assembly?

• (A) Advisory Committee – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• (B) Flag Committee – N.G. Ranga
• (C) Steering Committee – J.B. Kripalani
• (D) Supreme Court Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru

Arrange the following events in chronological order and choose the correct option:


I. Peasant Movement in Kheda
II. Gandhi-Irwin Pact
III. Champaran Movement
IV. Noakhali Visit of Gandhiji

• (A) IV, I, II, III
• (B) II, I, III, IV
• (C) III, II, IV, I
• (D) III, I, II, IV

Who amongst the following wrote the line “Khoob Ladi Mardani, Woh To Jhansi Wali Rani Thi”?

• (A) Mahadevi Verma
• (B) Harivansh Rai Bachchan
• (C) Subhadra Kumari Chauhan
• (D) Ramdhari Singh Dinkar

How did David Ricardo’s ideas influence British revenue policies in India?

• (A) Adoption of fixed revenue demands for Ryots
• (B) Taxing landowners’ surplus income based on average rent
• (C) Widespread implementation of Permanent Settlement
• (D) Rejection of revenue in favour of village development

Match the following Column I with Column II and choose the correct option.


Dynasties of Vijayanagara & Contributions
a. Sangama & i. Strengthened military
b. Saluva & ii. Belonged to Krishnadeva Raya
c. Tuluva & iii. Constructed Hiriyu canal
d. Aravidu & iv. Last dynasty of Vijayanagara empire
 

Imagine reading the ‘Nalayira Divyaprabandham’, a significant text in Tamil. Why is this collection often referred to as the Tamil Veda?

• (A) It contains laws and regulations of Tamil society.
• (B) It holds religious significance equivalent to Vedas.
• (C) It is documented as a historical epic based on events.
• (D) It serves as a manual for temple construction.

According to Montesquieu, how did the rulers in Asia manage their subjects? Choose the most appropriate option from the following.

• (A) By promoting private property
• (B) By ensuring economic equality
• (C) By exercising absolute authority
• (D) By decentralizing powers to leaders

Which of the following information were included in the tables of the sarkars in the Ain-i-Akbari?


I. Grants of revenue in charity
II. Total area measured
III. Number of forts
IV. Biographies of officials

Which of the following was the main source of initial information about Hampi’s ruins for Colonel Colin Mackenzie?

• (A) British documents
• (B) Memories of priests
• (C) Foreign travellers account
• (D) Epigraphic inscriptions

Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?

• (A) Shaikh Muinuddin Sijzi – Ajmer
• (B) Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki – Delhi
• (C) Shaikh Fariduddin Ganj-i Shakar – Ajodhan (Pakistan)
• (D) Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya – Agra

Match Column I with Column II and choose the correct option.


Traveller & Country

a. Al-Biruni & i. Morocco

b. Marco Polo & ii. Uzbekistan

c. Ibn Battuta & iii. Italy

d. Abdur Razzaq & iv. Samarkand
 

• (B) a-ii, b-iii, c-i, d-iv
• (C) a-iii, b-iv, c-i, d-ii
• (D) a-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-iii

Why is Mahabharata called a dynamic text? Choose the most suitable option from the following.

• (A) It remains unchanged and consistent in all versions.
• (B) It has been reinterpreted across various contexts.
• (C) It focuses solely on historical facts.
• (D) It is a fixed text with no variations over time.

Fill in the blank with the appropriate word from the given options:

In Jainism, the practice of severe asceticism and non-attachment is intended to achieve, which is liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

• (A) Ahimsa
• (B) Karma
• (C) Moksha
• (D) Dharma

Which of the following statements accurately describe Harappan seals?

• (A) Statements I and II are correct.
• (B) Statements I and III are correct.
• (C) Statements II and III are correct.
• (D) Statements III and IV are correct.

Two statements labelled as Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are given below. Read them carefully and select the correct option:


Assertion (A): The Tripitaka written in Pali is one of the primary collections of Buddhist scriptures.

Reason (R): The Tripitaka consists of three collections, which include the Vinaya Pitaka, the Sutta Pitaka, and the Abhidhamma Pitaka.

• (A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).
• (B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of the Assertion (A).
• (C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
• (D) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.

Refer to the given image of the sandstone sculpture. Which one of the following dynasties does this sculpture of the King represent?

• (A) Gupta
• (B) Maurya
• (C) Kushana
• (D) Satavahana

Identify the ancient rulers of India from the given options using the provided information.

They belonged to an important ruling lineage.
They were the immediate successors of the Mauryas.
They were Brahmanas.

• (A) Mauryas and Guptas
• (B) Nandas and Cholas
• (C) Satavahanas and Kushanas
• (D) Shungas and Kanvas

Which of the following statement best explains the uniformity in urban planning across Harappa?

• (A) Presence of Central authority
• (B) Management by city-states
• (C) Organisation of tribal leadership
• (D) System of nomadic governance

Choose the correct option from the following to fill in the blank regarding the role of leaders in the Revolt of 1857.


Nana Saheb : Kanpur; Kunwar Singh : 

• (A) Gwalior
• (B) Meerut
• (C) Singhbhum
• (D) Arrah

(a) “Historians consider several elements when they analyse the Mahabharata.” Substantiate the statement with suitable examples.

(b) “Many communities during the Mahabharata period had different social practices from Brahmanical ideas.” Substantiate the statement with examples.

How did the patronage of rulers of ancient India influence the growth of Buddhism?

(a) Imagine studying the water management system of the Vijayanagara empire. How did the empire’s water resources support its agriculture and urban development? Explain.

(b) Imagine studying Vijayanagara’s trade records. What information do they reveal about the goods traded and the empire’s economic connections? Explain.

Describe the teachings and philosophy of Kabir Das.

Analyse the impact of the Ryotwari system on the ryots of Bombay.

Explain the arguments in favour of granting more power to the Central government in the Constituent Assembly.

(a) ‘The Mauryan empire had a strong administration.’ Examine the statement.

(b) ‘Mahajanapadas shaped the development of Magadh.’ Examine the statement.

(a) In what ways do the challenges of inscriptional evidences restrict our ability to understand the past? Explain with examples.

(b) In what ways do coins serve as valuable sources for understanding the ancient period? Explain with examples.

(a) Explain the major events and movements that defined India’s political condition between 1939 and 1942.

(b) How did Gandhiji’s Non-Cooperation Movement impact British administration and Indian political activism? Explain.

31.1 Why was Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah called Danka Shah?

31.2 How did British officials react to Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah's growing influence?

31.3 To what extent did Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah's action reflect the resistance against British rule in India?

32.1 How does the research at Rakhigarhi contribute to understanding of ancient civilizations?

32.2 How does the research redefine our understanding of genetic history in South Asia?

32.3 What is the significance of extracting and analyzing DNA from the remains at Rakhigarhi?

33.1 How did Al-Biruni’s description of Sanskrit reflect his engagement with Indian culture?

33.2 What key similarity between Sanskrit and Arabic did Al-Biruni highlight?

33.3 Why did Al-Biruni consider Sanskrit a rich language?

34.1 On the given political outline map of India, locate and label the following with appropriate symbols:



[(i)] Sanchi – A Stupa (Located in Madhya Pradesh)
[(ii)] Kalibanga – Harappan site (Located in northern Rajasthan, near the Ghaggar river)
[(iii)] (a) Panipat – Territory under the control of British (Located in Haryana)
[OR] (b) Vijayanagara – Capital of Vijayanagara empire (Located in Karnataka)



34.2 On the same outline map, two places have been marked as ‘A’ and ‘B’, as the centres of the Revolt of 1857. Identify them and write their correct names on the lines drawn near them.