Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 History with Solutions Set 2 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 History Set 2 with Solutions
Time : 3 Hours
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
- Question paper comprises five Sections — A, B, C, D, and E. There are 34 questions in the question paper. All questions are compulsory.
- Section A – Question 1 to 21 are MCQs of 1 mark each.
- Section B – Question no. 22 to 27 are Short Answer Type questions, carrying 3 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 60-80 words.
- ‘Section C – Question no 28 to 30 are Long Answer Type questions, carrying 8 marks each. Answer to each question should not exceed 300-350 words.
- Section D – Question no. 31 to 33 are Source based questions with three sub-questions and are of 4 marks each.
- Section-E – Question no. 34 is Map-based, carrying 5 marks that includes the identification and location of significant test items. Attach the map with the answer book
- There is no overall choice in the question paper. However, an internal choke has been provided in few questions. Only one of the choices in such questions has to be attempted.
Section-A
Objective Type Questions.
Question 1.
………………………… was a good example of Urban Centre prospering on trade in Mesopotamia. [1]
(A) Mari
(B) Akkad
(C) Assyria
(D) Uruk
Answer:
Option (A) is correct
Explanation: Mari became an important trading centre in Mesopotamian civilization and acted as a center point of exchange of goods from various regions.
Question 2.
Who ruled the city of Uruk? [1]
(A) Gilgamesh
(B) Enmerkar
(C) Cheops
(D) Both (A) and (B)
Answer:
Option (D) is correct
Explanation: Gilgamesh and Enmerkar both were the important rulers of the Uruk and made numerous contributions in its development.
Question 3.
What was the monetary system in the late Roman Empire? [1]
(A) Barter system
(B) Silver based currency
(C) Gold currency
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (B) is correct
Explanation: The Late Roman Empire used silver-based currency for monetary transactions.
Question 4.
I was a Roman emperor and I introduced the Roman calendar. Identify me from the given picture. [1]
(A) Augustus
(B) Hadrian
(C) Marcus Aurelius
(D) Julius Caesar
Answer:
Option (D) is correct
Explanation: The Roman emperor who introduced the Roman calendar was Julius Caesar. The Julian calendar was a solar calendar that Caesar introduced in 46 BC. The Julian calendar was used throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. It remained in use in Europe until the 16th century, when it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar.
Question 5.
The Egyptian army defeated the Mongols – choose the correct reason from the given options. [1]
(A) Mongols were more interested in invading China
(B) Mongols were less defensive
(C) Mongols did not have arms to fight
(D) None of the above.
Answer:
Option (A) is correct
Explanation: The Mongol army after the death of the Chenghis Khan became more convinced to establish their authority over China due to which they suffered defeat at several places.
Question 6.
The ancient Roman Empire was spread across three continents – find the correct one. [1]
(A) Europe, Australia, Eurasia
(B) Europe, Asia, Australia
(C) Europe, Asia, Africa
(D) Europe, Africa, Australia
Answer:
Option (C) is correct
Explanation: The Ancient Roman Empire was a vast empire which covered the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Question 7.
What was the official language of the Roman Empire? [1]
(A) Latin
(B) Greek
(C) Aramaic
(D) Both A and B
Answer:
Option (D) is correct
Explanation: The two main languages spoken in the European Empire was Latin and Greek.
Question 8.
Who were the vassals of the king in French society? [1]
(A) Nobles
(B) Big landholders
(C) Chieftains
(D) Both A and B
Answer:
Option (D) is correct
Explanation: The Nobles and the big landowners were the vassals of the King in the French society.
Question 9.
What does monastery mean? [1]
(A) Church
(B) A temple-like structure to worship
(C) A building in which monks live
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (C) is correct
Explanation: Monasteries are buildings which are developed for the monks for the purpose of meditation and other spiritual activities.
Question 10.
Identify the name of the order. [1]
It had its own laws
They could levy taxes
They did not depend on kings
(A) Clergy
(B) Nobility
(C) Peasantry
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (B) is correct
Explanation: The clergies in the medieval Europe were all powerful and could levy taxes and regulated their own laws.
Question 11.
Who wrote the book Prince? [1]
(A) Niccole Machiavelli
(B) Niccole Michelangelo
(C) Brunette
(D) Raphael
Answer:
Option (A) is correct
Explanation: “Prince” was one of the most famous works of Niccolo Machiavelli which was related to the state administration.
Question 12.
Name the German theologist who launched a campaign against the church for the sale of indulgence? [1]
(A) Martin Luther
(B) Columbus
(C) Nicholas
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (A) is correct
Explanation: Martin Luther was a German priest who questioned several practices of the Church, the most controversial was the sale of indulgence by the Church.
Question 13.
Who popularised the idea of Martin Luther in Europe? [1]
(A) Jean Calvin
(B) Ulrich Zwingle
(C) Nicaea’s
(D) Both A and B
Answer:
Option (D) is correct
Explanation: The ideas of the Martin Luther in Europe was popularised by Jean Calvin and Ulrich Zwingle.
Question 14.
The dominant ethnic group of China: [1]
(A) Yue
(B) Wu
(C) Han
(D) All of the above
Answer:
Option (C) is correct
Explanation: Han is one of the major dominant ethnic group in China which has ruled over the nation as well.
Question 15.
The staple food of North China: [1]
(A) Wheat
(B) Rice
(C) Fiery cuisine
(D) Dumplings
Answer:
Option (A) is correct
Explanation: The people of the North China were the significant consumers of Wheat.
Question 16.
Assertion: Historians believe that people from Asia were the earliest inhabitants of North America. [1]
Reason: The oldest artifact found is an arrow print which is 11,000 years old.
(A) A is true R is false
(B) R is true but A is false
(C) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(D) Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A
Answer:
Option (C) is correct
Explanation: The earliest inhabitants of the North America were from Asia which was established by several archaeological evidences.
Question 17.
Christopher Columbus discovered the continent of America in: [1]
(A) 1493
(B) 1492
(C) 1592
(D) 1593
Answer:
Option (B) is correct
Explanation: The discovery of the continent of America was made by Christopher Columbus in the year 1492.
Question 18.
Match the following: [1]
Colum 1 | Colum 2 |
A. Hopis | (i) Native tribes who live near California. |
B. Natives | (ii) The dark-complexioned people whose Land Columbus mistook for India. |
C. Red Indians | (iii) The indigenous people of South and North America. |
D. Native Americans | (iv) A person born in the place he/she lives in. |
(A) A-(i) B-(ii) C-(iii) D-(iv)
(B) A-(i) B-(iv) C-(ii) D-(iii)
(C) A-(iii) B-(iv) C-(ii) D-(i)
(D) A-(iv) B-(iii) C-(ii) D-(iv)
Answer:
(B) A-(i) B-(iv) C-(ii) D-(iii)
Question 19.
Who were shoguns? [1]
(A) Military lords in the name of emperor
(B) Chieftains
(C) Popes of the church
(D) None of the above.
Answer:
Option (A) is correct
Explanation: Shoguns were the military commanders who were very powerful but were under the control of the Emperor of Japan.
Question 20.
Who used the term ‘Japan must shed its Asian characteristics and expel Asia? [1]
(A) Fukuzawa Zukichi
(B) Fukuzawa Yukichi
(C) Fukuva Yukichi
(D) Fukuzawa Lukichi
Answer:
Option (B) is correct
Explanation: The line “Japan must shed its Asian characteristics and expel Asia” was said by Fukuzawa Yukichi.
Question 21.
Who were the early European/British settlers in Australia? [1]
(A) Convicts who had been Deported from Africa
(B) Convicts who had been deported from England
(C) The Australian tribals
(D) All of the above
Answer:
Option (B) is correct
Explanation: The earliest settlers in the Australia were convicts who had been deported from England.
Section-B
Short answer Type Questions.
Question 22.
Mention one of the striking feature of the Roman urban life.
OR
How did the division of labour encourage urbanisation? [3]
Answer:
Public baths were a striking feature of Roman urban life. It is said that one Iranian ruler tried to introduce it in Iran but encountered the wrath of the clergy as water was considered a sacred element and public bathing was considered desecration. The Urban population also enjoyed a much higher level of entertainment. For instance, one calendar tells us that spectacular shows filled no less than 176 days of the year.
OR
City life and clustering makes sense only when there are several persons engaged in diverse non-food producing occupations such as metallurgy, seal carving, administration, etc. Division of labour plays an important part in industrial and commercial growth. It played a vital role in the growth of urbanization in the city. Various necessities were taken care of by the people engaged in different occupations and this provided a great boost to urbanisation. Thus, an expert in seal making obtained tools of stone and bronze from others, and his daily requirements such as earthen pots, grains and clothes, etc. were also supplied by other people who were in these occupations.
Question 23.
Write a note on the economic reforms undertaken by Augustus. [3]
Answer:
‘Augustus’ reign in the history of Roman Empire is known for remarkable progress in the economic sphere. He paid personal attention to economic reforms and improved means of transport for the development of trade and commerce within and outside the state. He also took steps to improve agriculture and commerce. He maintained commercial relations between the Roman Empire and other countries.
Question 24.
What was the condition of women in l5j century Europe? [3]
Answer:
The condition of women did not changed through revival, while the men enjoyed the individuality and citizenship, women were excluded from such privileges. The men of the rich family were part of public life; they joined a business and were the ultimate decision-makers of the family. Women had no say to any vital decisions and/or family decisions, their rights and existence was limited as a housekeepers. Ample dowry was provided during the time of the marriage, marriages were often considered as business alliances. If the family was unable to arrange dowry those women were sent to convents and live their life as nuns.
Question 25.
What was the new school system in Japan from 1870s? [3]
Answer:
A new school system began to be built from the 1870s in Japan. Schooling was compulsory for boys and girls and by 1910 it almost became universal. Tuition fees were minimal. The curriculum had been based on Western models but by the 1870s, while emphasising modern ideas, stress was placed on loyalty and the study of Japanese history. The ministry of Education in Japan exercised control over the curriculum and in the selection of textbooks in school, as well as in teachers’ training, to create youth who will be loyal to government and become good citizen.
Question 26.
How did the Roman cities treat the countryside? [3]
Answer:
There was custom in the Roman cities to collect and store the grain for the whole year immediately after the harvest. Wheat, barley, beans and lentils were collected from the peasants and the peasants were left with very lIttle grain and pulses for their own use. They used to consume the leftover grain in the winter. In the summer, when they had no grain left, they ate unhealthy food, twigs and shoots of trees and bushes and roots of inedible plants. Thus, the Roman cities treated the countryside very shabbily.
Question 27.
To integrate the nation, the Meiji government imposed a new administrative structure by altering old village and domain boundaries- Discuss. [3]
OR
Discuss the military reforms introduced under Meiji Restoration. [3]
Answer:
To integrate the nation, the Meiji government imposed a new administrative structure by altering old village and domain boundaries. The administrative unit had to have revenue adequate to maintain the local schools and health facilities, as well as to serve as a recruitment center for the military. All young men over twenty had to serve for a specific period of military service.
A modern military force was developed. A legal system was set up to regulate the formation of political groups, control the holding of meetings, and impose strict censorship. In all these measures, the government had to face opposition. The military and the bureaucracy were put under the direct command of the emperor. This meant that even after a constitution was enacted, these two groups remained outside the control of the government. In all these measures the government faced opposition.
OR
Military: An army based on the European model was established. Military service was declared universal and obligatory, soldiers were recruited at the age of twenty. They served for three years in the active army and four years in the reserve. A national army thus came into existence. European officers were called to train them. In addition, dockyards and arsenals were constructed. Military was put under the direct command of the emperor.
Section-C
Long Answer Type Questions.
Question 28.
Muhammad laid the foundations of a new political structure. Discuss. [8]
OR
Not till the 1920s did things begin to improve for the native peoples of the USA and Canada. Comment. [8]
Answer:
When Prophet Muhammad passed away in 632 CE, the state was not a territorially well-defined entity. Medina and Mecca were the focal points of government and it was only after another half a century that Arab state was given a concrete shape. Yet, it cannot be denied that Muhammad laid the foundations of a new political structure by a process of consolidation and protection from external dangers
- He managed to replace tribal organisation with a state which encompassed a large number of tribes.
- He was no longer just a religious leader but looked upon as a lawgiver.
- The Umma, his followers were converted into a wider community to include polytheists and Jews of Medina. The Umma also constituted the armed forces.
- Though the income of the state came from raids, they made equitable distribution of booty. One-fifth of the booty went directly to the Prophet so that the state had independent finance.
- In addition, regular voluntary contributions were levied on the tribes which accepted Muhammad’s leadership. This developed into an independent tax called ‘Zakat’ which all Muslims had to pay.
- With the conquest of Mecca, his reputation as a religious and political leader too was established. He made conversions the sole criterion for membership of the community and within a short time, he was able to unite a large area under the new faith, Islam.
- Mecca was cleansed of all idols and faith was consolidated by adding and refining rituals and ethical principles. In time, Medina became administrative capital, and Mecca the religious center of the emerging nascent Islamic state.
OR
In the 1950s and 1960s, the US and Canadian governments thought of ending all provisions for the natives in the hope that they would join the mainstream and adopt the European culture. But the natives did not want this. In 1954, with the Declaration of Indian Rights, prepared by them, they agreed to take up the US citizenship on the condition that their reservations would not be taken away and their traditions would not be interfered with. A similar development occurred in Canada.
In 1969, the government announced that they would not recognise aboriginal rights. The natives organised a series of demonstrations and debates but the question could not be resolved until 1982, when the Constitution Act accepted the existing
aboriginal and treaty rights of the natives. Today, even though the natives have been greatly reduced in numbers, they have been able to assert their right to their own culture and particularly in Canada to their sacred land in a way their ancestors could not have done in the 1880s.
Question 29.
Discuss about the achievements of Chengis Khan. [8]
OR
Genghis Khan’s unprecedented success was the result of his astounding military achievements and rapid courier system. Explain. [8]
Answer:
Ghengis Khan was the greatest leader of the tribe in Mongolia who was born around 1162 CE to the Kiyat tribe. One of the major achievements of Ghengis Khan was that he consolidated the Mongolian tribe. He organised the Mongolian people into effective and disciplinary force.
He conquered China in 1209 CE. The Great Wall of China was breached in the year 1213 and he sacked Peking in 1215.
He further defeated Qara Khita in 1218 and expanded his Mongolian territory to Tranxonia, Khwarazm, Bukhara Samarkand Gurgunj Nishapur Herat in 1219 to 1221. It is evident that wherever Ghengis khan stepped its foot the land suffered a massive setback and destruction. Genghis Khan not only conquered north China but built a vast empire but also contributed lot to the improvement of civil administration in the empire.
OR
Genghis Khan spent most of his life in military combat. His military achievements were astounding and were largely a result of his ability to innovate and transform different aspects oI Steppe combat into extremely effective military strategies. The horse riding skills of the Mongols and the Turks provided speed and mobility to the army, their abilities as rapid shooting archers from horseback were further perfected during regular hunting expeditions. The Steppe cavalry always travelled lightly and moved quickly. It brought with it, the knowledge of the terrain and weather, and therefore carried out campaigns in the middle of winter, treating frozen rivers as highways. Genghis Khan also learnt the importance of siege engines and Naphtha bombardment very quickly. His engineers prepared light portable equipment which was used against opponents with devastating effects.
Question 30.
How would you evaluate the limited power of the Meiji Constitution in the Japanese parliament? [8]
OR
State-centered nationalism found full expression in the 1930s and 1940s- discuss how Japan combat with the West while being modern? [8]
Answer:
(a) The Meiji Constitution was based on a restricted franchise and created a Diet with limited powers. The leaders who brought about the imperial restoration continued to exercise power and even established political parties.
(b) Between 1918 and 1931, popularly elected prime ministers formed cabinets. Thereafter, they lost power to national unity cabinets formed across party lines. The emperor was the commander of the forces and from 1890 this was interpreted to mean that the army and the navy had independent control.
(c) In 1899, the prime minister ordered that only serving generals and admirals could become ministers. This strengthened of the military. together with the expansion of Japan’s colonial empire, was connected with the fear that Japan was at the mercy of the Western powers.
(d) This fear was used to silence opposition to military expansion and to higher taxes to fund the armed forces.
OR
State-centered nationalism found full expression in the 1930s and 1940s as Japan launched wars to extend its empire in China and other parts of Asia, a war that merged into the Second World War after Japan attacked the USA at Pearl Harbor.
This period saw greater controls on society, the repression and imprisonment of dissidents, as well as the formation of patriotic societies, many of them women’s organisations, to support the war. An influential symposium on ‘Overcoming Modernity’ in 1943 debated the dilemma of how to combat the West while being modern. A musician, Moroi Saburo, posed the question of how to rescue music from the art of sensory stimulation and restore it to an art of the spirit.
He was not rejecting Western music but trying to find a way that went beyond merely rewriting or playing Japanese music on Western instruments. The philosopher Nishitani Meiji defined ‘modern’ as the unity of three streams of Western thought:
the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the rise of natural sciences. He argued that Japan’s ‘moral energy’ had helped it to escape colonisation and it was its duty to establish a new world order, a Greater East Asia. For this a new vision that would integrate science and religion was necessary.
Section-D
Source-based Questions.
Question 31.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions.
The Warka Head
This woman’s head was sculpted in white marble at Uruk before 3000 BCE. The eyes and eyebrows would probably have taken lapis lazuli (blue) and shell (white) and bitumen (black) inlays, respectively. There is a groove along the top of the head, perhaps for an ornament. This is a world-famous piece of sculpture, admired for the delicate modeling of the woman’s mouth, chin, and cheeks. And it was modeled in a hard stone that would have been imported from a distance. Beginning with the procurement of stone, list all the specialists who would be involved in the production of such a piece of sculpture.
1. The famous Warka Head was discovered from which ancient civilisation? [1]
2. Describe the features of the Warka Head. [2]
3. How it was made? [1]
Answer:
1. The famous Warka head was discovered in the ruins of Uruk in the Mesopotamian civilisation.
2. The eyes and eyebrows were structured out of shells, lapis lazuli and bitumen inlays.
3. It was made out of hard stone imported from distant land.
Question 32.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions.
“The use of the Quran as a source material for the history of early Islam has posed some problems. The first is that it is scripture, a text vested with religious authority. Theologians generally believed that as the speech of God (Kalam Allah) it has to be understood literally but rationalists among them gave wider interpretations to the Quran. In 833, the Abbasid caliph Al-Mamun imposed the view (in a trial of faith or mihna) that the Quran is God’s creation rather than his speech. The second problem is that the Quran very often speaks in metaphor and unlike the Old Testament (tawrat), it does not narrate events but only refers to them. Medieval Islamic scholars thus had to make sense of many verses with the help of Hadith. Many Hadith were written to help the reading of the Quran.”
1. What problems arise in using The Quran as a source material for the history of early Islam? Mention two problems. [2]
2. Why were the Hadiths written? [1]
3. Who was Al-Mamum and what view did he impose? [1]
Answer:
1. The first problem is that it’s a scripture, a text vested with religious authority. And the second problem is that it speaks in metaphors and unlike the Old Testament does not narrate events.
2. The Hadiths were written to interpret the Quran.
3. Al-Mamum was the Abbasid Caliph. He imposed the view that Quran is God’s creation rather than his speech.
Question 33.
Read the following passage and answer the following questions.
As in the Americas, human habitation in Australia has a long history. The ‘aborigines’ (a general name given to a number of different societies) began to arrive on the continent over ₹ 40,000 years ago (possibly even earlier). They came from New Guinea, which was connected to Australia by a land bridge. In the natives’ traditions, they did not come to Australia but had always been there. The past centuries were called the ‘Dreamtime’ – something difficult for Europeans to understand, since the distinction between past and present is blurred. In the late eighteenth century, there were between 350 and 750 native communities in Australia each with its own language (even today 200 of these languages are spoken). There is another large group of indigenous people living in the north, called the Torres Strait Islanders. The term ‘Aborigine’ is not used for these as they are believed to have migrated from elsewhere and belong to a different race. Together, they make up 2.4 percent of Australia’s population in 2005. Australia is sparsely populated, and even now most of the towns are along the coast (where the British first arrived in 1770) because the central region is an arid desert.
1. Who were known as aborigines? [1]
2. What was the population of Torres Strait in Australia as recorded in 2005? [1]
3. How many native communities were there in Australia in 18th century? [2]
Answer:
1. A general name given to the different societies of human inhabitants living in Australia were known as aborigines.
2. It was 2.4% of the total population of Australia.
3. 350 to 750 native communities were there in total in Australia during the end of the eighteenth century.
Section-E
Map-based Questions.
Question 34.1.
In the political world map marked & label the following: Africa, Australia, and South America. [3]
Answer:
Question 34.2.
Identify two water bodies marked as A and B on the same map. [2]
Answer: