Half-Yearly Exam

Class – 10th – Session 2023-24 SET - A

Social Science (087) Code No. 01/09

Candidate must write the Code on the

title page of the answer-book.
Roll. No.

Time allowed- 03 Hours Date- 01/09/2023 Maximum Marks- 80

Instructions: -
1. Question paper comprises Six sections: - A, B, C, D, E and F. There are 37 questions in the question
paper.
2. Section A – Question no. 1 to 20 are objective type questions of 1 mark each.
3. Section B – Question no. 21 to 24 are very short answer type questions, carrying 2 marks each. Answer to
each question should not exceed 40 words.
4. Section C – Question no. 25 to 29 are short answer type questions, carrying 3 marks each. Answer to each
question should not exceed 60 words.
5. Section D – Question no. 30 to 33 are long answer type questions, carrying 5 marks each. Answer to each
question should not exceed 120 words.
6. Section E – Question no. 34 to 36 are source based questions, carrying 4 marks each.
7 Section F – Question no. 37 is map based, carrying 5 marks with two parts 37 (a) from History (2 marks)
and 37 (b) from Geography (3 marks).
8. There is no overall choice in the question paper. However, an Internal Choice has been provided in few
questions. Only one of the choice in such questions have to be attempted.

(Section – A)
Multiple Choice Questions :- 20×1=20
1. Who among the following formed the secret society called ‘Young Italy’?
(a) Otto Von Bismarck (b) Giuseppe Mazzini
(c) Johann Gottfried Herder (d) Duke Metternich
2. Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in _____________ .

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 (a) January, 1916 (b) January, 1915 (c) March, 1921 (d) April, 1917
3. Gandhiji decided to participate in Round Table Conference in London after :
(a) Poona Pact (b) Gandhi-Irwin Pact
(c) Simon Commission Report (d) Dandi March
4. Which of the following is not a cause of water scarcity?
(a) Growing population (b) Growing of water intensive crop
(c) Expansion of irrigation facilities (d) Water harvesting technique
5. Kamal uses high yielding variety (HYV) seeds and chemical fertilisers to increase his wheat
production.
Which type of farming is Kamal practicing?
(a) Intensive subsistence farming (b) Primitive subsistence farming
(c) Commercial farming (d) Organic farming
6. Find the incorrect option from the following:
(a) Groundnut is a Kharif crop and accounts for about half of the major oil seeds produced in the
country.
(b) Gujarat was the largest producer of groundnut followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu in
2015.16.
(c) Linseed and mustard are Kharif crops.
(d) Sesamum is a Kharif crop in north and Rabi crop in south India.
7. Column A Column B
(i) Power shared among different organs (A) 18 per cent
of government
(ii) Tamil speakers (B) 80 per cent

(iii) Dutch speakers (C) Coalition government

(iv) Power shared by two or more (D) Separation of powers

political parties
(v) French speakers (E) 20 per cent

(a) (i)-(D), (ii)-(A), (iii)-(E), (iv)-(C), (v)-(B) (b) (i)-(A), (ii)-(B), (iii)-(C), (iv)-(E), (v)-(D)
(c) (i)-(B), (ii)-(C), (iii)-(E), (iv)-(A), (v)-(D) (d) (i)-(E), (ii)-(B), (iii)-(A), (iv)-(D), (v)-(C
8. When we speak of gender divisions, we usually refer to :
(a) biological difference between men and women.
(b) unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women.
(c) unequal child sex ratio.
(d) absence of voting rights for women in democracies.

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9. Column A Column B
(i) Union of India (A) President

(ii) State (B) Sarpanch

(iii) Muncipal Corporation (C) Governor

(iv) Gram Panchayat (D) Mayor

(a) (i)-(B), (ii)-(A), (iii)-(C), (iv)-(D) (b) (i)-(A), (ii)-(C), (iii)-(D), (iv)-(B)
(c) (i)-(D), (ii)-(A), (iii)-(C), (iv)-(B) (d) (i)-(D), (ii)-(C), (iii)-(A), (iv)-(B)
Directions (10 to 11) : In the following questions, a statement of assertion (A) is followed by a
statement of reason (R). Mark the correct choice as :
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false and R is true.
10. Assertion (A) : The Silk Routes are a good example of pre-modern trade and cultural links
between distant parts of the world.
Reason (R) : The name ‘Silk Routes’ points to the importance of West-bound Chinese silk cargoes
along this route.
11. Assertion (A) : India has a Federal system.
Reason (R) : Under a unitary system, either there is only one level of government or the sub-
units are subordinate to Central Government.
12. Which of the following social reformers took initiatives to end the oppressive caste system from
the society?
(a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (c) Periyar (d) All of these
13. Column A Column B
(i) Congress Party (A) National Democratic Alliance

(ii) Bharatiya Janata Party (B) State Party

(iii) Communist Party of India-Marxist (C) United Progressive Alliance

(iv) Telugu Desam Party (D) Left Front

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

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14. According to per capital income prepared by the World Bank in 2017, in which category is India
included –
(a) rich countries (b) middle income countires
(c) low middle income countires (d) None of the above
15. Which of the following is not a criterion for comparing development of different countires?
(a) Educational level of the people (b) People’s material possessions
(c) Their health status (d) Their per capita income
16. Arrange the following in the correct sequence :
(i) Transporting cloth to the workshops (ii) Sale in shops and showrooms
(iii) Spinning the yarn (iv) Weaving of the fabric
(a) (i)-(iv)-(iii)-(ii) (b) (iii)-(iv)-(i)-(ii)
(c) (iv)-(i)-(ii)-(iii) (d) (iii)-(iv)-(ii)-(i)
17. Column A Column B
(i) Organised sector (A) Railways

(ii) Public sector (B) Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited

(iii) Private sector (C) Agriculture and farming

(iv) Primary sector (D) Job security

(a) (i)-(D), (ii)-(A), (iii)-(B), (iv)-(C) (b) (i)-(D), (ii)-(C), (iii)-(A), (iv)-(B)
(c) (i)-(C), (ii)-(A), (iii)-(B), (iv)-(D) (d) (i)-(B), (ii)-(C), (iii)-(D), (iv)-(A)
18. Match the correct options:
Column A Column B
(i) Barter system (A) Supervises the functioning of banks

(ii) Debt-trap (B) Commodity for commodity exchange

system
(iii) Formal sector loans (C) Pushes the borrower into a situation
from which recovery is very painful
(iv) Reserve Bank of India (D) Loans from banks and cooperatives

(a) (i)-(A), (ii)-(B), (iii)-(C), (iv)-(D) (b) (i)-(B), (ii)-(C), (iii)-(D), (iv)-(A)
(c) (i)-(D), (ii)-(C), (iii)-(B), (iv)-(A) (d) (i)-(C), (ii)-(A), (iii)-(B), (iv)-(D)
19. Which of the following institutions in India prints money?
(a) RBI (b) FCI (c) SBI (d) NTTI Aayog

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20. Analyze the information given below, considering one of the following correct options:
Mohan is an agricultural labourer. There are several months in a year when he has no work and
needs credit to meet his daily expenses. He depends upon his employer, the landowner for
credit who charges an interest rate of 5 per cent per month. Mohan repays the money by
working physically for the landowner on his farmland.
Over the years his debt will –
(a) Increase – because of increasing interest and non-payment of monthly amount.
(b) Remain constant – as he is working for the employer but is repaying less.
(c) Reduce – as amount equivalent to his salary is being counted as monthly repayment.
(d) Be totally repaid – as he is repaying the debt in the form of physical labour.

(Section – B)
Answer the following questions in 40 words :- 4×2=8
21. How did Silk Routes link the world?
22. Write a note on good practices towards conserving forest and wildlife.
23. Examine the standard of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies.
OR
What factors have brought about a change on the Indian Caste System in modern times? Explain.
24. Why is organised sector preferred by the employees? Explain.

(Section – C)
Answer the following questions in 60 words :- 5×3=15
25. Explain the measures and practices introduced by the French Revolutionaries to create a sense
of collective identity.
OR
Describe the process of unification of Italy.
26. How can we conserve energy resources?
27. Give reasons why power sharing is desirable?
28. How is criterion used by the UNDP different from measuring the development of a country?
Explain.
29. Why do we need to expand formal sources of credit?

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 (Section – D)
Answer the following questions in 120 words :- 4×5=20
30. How had a variety of cultural processes developed a sense of collective belongingness in India
during the 19th Century? Explain.
OR
Who organised the dalits into the ‘Depressed Classes Association in 1930? Why was the ‘Salt
March’ considered an effective symbol of resistance against colonalism? Explain.
31. What is manufacturing? What is importance of manufacturing? Explain.
OR
Classify industries on the basis of ownership.
32. What is a political party? What are the various functions of a political party?
OR
What is partisanship? What Challenges are faced by political parties?
33. Highlight any five reasons for the importance of tertiary sector in India.
OR
What is G.D.P? Explain the three sectors of economic activities with the help of giving examples
of each.

(Section – E)
Case-Based Questions :- 3×4=12
34. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, European governments were driven by a spirit of
conservatism. Conservatives believed that established traditional institutions of state and
society like the monarchy, the Church, social hierarchies, property and the family should be
preserved. Most conservatives, however, did not propose a return to the society of pre-
revolutionary days. Rather, they realised, from the changes initiated by Napoleon, that
modernization could in fact strengthen traditional institutions like the monarchy. It could
make state's power more effective and stronger. A modern army, an efficient bureaucracy, a
dynamic economy, the abolition of feudalism and serfdom could strengthen the autocratic
monarchies of Europe. In 1815, representatives of the European powers who had collectively
defeated Napoleon, met at Vienna to draw up a settlement for Europe. The Congress was
hosted by the Austrian Chancellor Duke Metternich. The delegates drew up the Treaty of
Vienna of 1815 with the objective of undoing most of the changes that had come about in
Europe during the Napoleonic wars. The Bourbon dynasty, which had been deposed during the
French Revolution, was restored to power, and France lost the territories it had annexed under
Napoleon. A series of states were set up on the boundaries of France to prevent French
expansion in future.

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 (i) When and where Napoleon was defeated? (1)
(ii) By whom the Vienna Congress, 1915 was hosted? (1)
(iii) What was Conservatism? Explain. (2)
35. Read the following source and answer the following questions:
We have shared our land with the past generations and will have to do so with future
generations too. Ninety- five percent of our basic needs for food, shelter and clothing are
obtained from the land. Human activities have not only brought about the degradation of land,
but have also aggravated the pace of natural forces to cause damage to the land. Some human
activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, mining and quarrying too have contributed
significantly to land degradation. Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is
complete leaving deep scars and traces of overburdening. In states like Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha deforestation due to mining has caused severe land
degradation. In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra overgrazing is
one of the main reasons for land degradation. In the states of Punjab, Haryana, and western
Uttar Pradesh, overirrigation is responsible for land degradation due to water logging leading
to an increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil. The mineral processing like the grinding of
limestone for the cement industry and calcite and soapstone for the ceramic industry generate
a huge quantity of dust in the atmosphere. It retards the process of infiltration of water into
the soil after it settles down on the land. In recent years, industrial effluents as waste have
become a major source of land and water pollution in many parts of the country.
(i) With whom do we share our land? (1)
(ii) Name two Indian states which are deforested due to mining and overgrazing activities which
have contributed in the land degradation as well. (1)
(iii) Name two activities that lead to land degradation. (2)
36. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Let us get back to the contrast between Belgium and Sri Lanka that we saw in the last chapter.
You would recall that one of the key changes made in the Constitution of Belgium was to reduce
the power of the Central Government and to give these powers to the regional governments.
Regional governments existed in Belgium even earlier. They had their roles and powers. But all
these powers were given to these governments and could be withdrawn by the Central
Government. The change that took place in 1993 was that the regional governments were given
constitutional powers that were no longer dependent on the central government. Thus, Belgium
shifted from a unitary to a federal form of government. Sri Lanka continues to be, for all
practical purposes, a unitary system where the national government has all the powers. Tamil
leaders want Sri Lanka to become a federal system.

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 Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central
authority and various constituent units of the country. Usually, a federation has two levels of
government. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few
subjects of common national interest. The others are governments at the level of provinces or
states that look after much of the day-to- day administering of their state. Both these levels of
governments enjoy their power independent of the other.
In this sense, federations are contrasted with unitary governments. Under the unitary system,
either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central
government. The central government can pass on orders to the provincial or the local
government. But in a federal system, the central government government cannot order the
state government to do something. State government has powers of its own for which it is not
answerable to the central government. Both these governments are separately answerable to
the people.
(i) What change took place in 1993 in Belgium? (1)
(ii) What is Federalism? (1)
(iii) ‘Federations are contrasted with unitary government’. Explain. (2)

(Section – F)
Map-Based Question
37. (a) Two places A and B have been marked on the given outine map of India. Indentify them and
Write their correct names on the lines drawn near them.
(i) The place where M.K.Gandhiji organised a styagrah in favour of Indigo farmers. (1)
(ii) The place where September 1920 Indian National Congress session was held. (1)
(b) On the same outline map of India locate and label any three of the following with suitable
symbols. (3×1=3)
(i) Sardar Sarovar Dam
(ii) Kudremukh iron mine
(iii) Bhilai Iron and Steel Plant
(iv) Major producer state of tea

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Student Name- …………………….. Roll No- ………………….. Class & Sec- ……………………………………………
Q. no. 37

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