Students must start practicing the questions from CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 History with Solutions Set 4 are designed as per the revised syllabus.
CBSE Sample Papers for Class 11 History Set 4 with Solutions
Time : 3 Hours
Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
- The 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 – Questions 1 to 21 are MCQs of 1 mark each.
- Section B – Questions no. 22 to 27 are Short Answer Type Questions, matching 3 marks each. Answer for each question should not exceed 60-84) words.
- Questions 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 – Questions 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 choice 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.
Mongol Empire was founded by: [1]
(A) Genghis Khan
(B) Alexander
(C) Timur
(D) Both A and C are correct
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The famous Mongol Empire was founded by the Ghengis Khan who was the greatest Mongol ruler of all time.
Question 2.
What was the purpose of constructing the Great Wall of China? [1]
(A) To export goods
(B) Protection from intruders
(C) Trade route
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: The Great Wall of China was constructed to ensure protection from the foreign invaders.
Question 3.
What is the meaning of Mesopotamia? [1]
(A) Land between two rivers
(B) Land between two mountains
(C) Both (A) and (B)
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The meaning of the Mesopotamia is the land between the two rivers.
Question 4.
Why Mesopotamian civilisation is important to the Europeans? [1]
(A) It has reference to the Old Testament, the first part of Bible, which made them anxious about the civilisation.
(B) Zeal of knowing the past cultures made Europeans more connected to the civilisations.
(C) Advancement in historical approach
(D) None of the above.
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The land of Mesopotamia has been referred in the first part of the Bible known as the Old Testament.
Question 5.
What are the achievements of the Mesopotamian civilisation? [1]
(A) Writing
(B) Urban institution
(C) Technology
(D) All of the above
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: The Mesopotamian Civilisation made historical developments in the areas of writing, urban institution and technology.
Question 6.
Name the dynasty that emerged around 225 CE in Rome: [1]
(A) Sasanians
(B) Hun
(C) Julio-Claudian
(D) Theodosian
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The dynasty that emerged around 225 CE in Rome was the Sassanians.
Question 7.
Identify the place: [1]
Huge place where gladiators fought with beasts It could accommodate 60,000 people.
(A) Amphitheatre
(B) Colosseum
(C) Assembly hail
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: Colosseum was a huge place in Rome where the gladiators fought with the beats and with each other for entertaining the audiences.
Question 8.
Name the adopted son of Augustus who ruled from 1437CE: 1[]
(A) Nero
(B) Tiberius
(C) Trajan
(D) Claudian
Answer:
Option (B) is correct.
Explanation: Tiberius was the adopted son of Augustus who ruled the Roman Empire after his death.
Question 9.
What is a manor? [1]
(A) An estate of the lord with various features like small families, hunting fences, blacksmiths, and carpenter
(B) A church in the French society
(C) A castle to protect the empire from the intruders
(D) None of the above.
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: Manor are the estates of the lord with various features like small families, hunting fences, blacksmiths and carpenters.
Question 10.
Who were knights? [1]
(A) Efficient cavalry replacing the peasants-fighters
(B) The slaves of the lords
(C) Subordinate of the king
(D) Chieftains
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: Knights were the efficient warriors who were trained in military skills and were taken in service whenever any war took place.
Question 11.
Who were monks? [1]
(A) People living alone and living a life in wisdom
(B) The papacy
(C) Chiefs
(D) Serfs
Answer:
Option (A) is correct
Explanation: Monks were the people who preferred to live alone to gain wisdom and spiritual experiences.
Question 12.
Why American empire like Spain and Portugal did not expand after 17th century? [1]
(A) European imperialism
(B) Economic stagnation
(C) Internal wars
(D) All of the above
Answer:
Option (D) is correct
Explanation: The empires of Spain and Portugal did not expanded in America after 17th century due to internal rifts, domination of Britain and France, and several other reasons.
Question 13.
The earliest inhabitants of North America came from: [1]
(A) Asia
(B) Africa
(C) Australia
(D) Europe
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The earliest inhabitants on the continent of North America came from Asia.
Question 14.
In the eighteenth century, western Europeans defined ‘civilised’ people in terms of: [1]
(A) literacy
(B) an organised religion
(C) urbanism
(D) all of the above.
Answer:
Option (D) is correct
Explanation: The Western people in the eighteenth century used to describe the civilised people in terms of literacy, an organised religion, and urbanism.
Question 15.
I was an 18th century French philosopher and I wrote the book Discourse on Inequality. Identify me from the given picture. [1]
(A) Jean Jacque Rousseau
(B) Dante
(C) John Locke
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The remark “Untouched by the corruptions of ‘civilisations’ was given by Jean Jacque Rousseau.
Question 16.
The early reformers such as …………………….. tried to use traditional ideas in new and different ways to meet the challenges posed by the West. [1]
(A) Kang Youwei
(B) Liang Qichao
(C) Mao Zedong
(D) Both A and B are correct
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: The reformers like Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao innovated the traditional ideas and used them to neuralise the influence of the West.
Question 17.
When did the first opium war happened in China? [1]
(A) 1839-42
(B) 1840-1842
(C) 1839-43
(D) 1839-44
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The First Opium war in China which was won by the British took place between 1839 to 1842.
Question 18.
The Manchu empire was overthrown and a republic was established in: [1]
(A) 1911
(B) 1912
(C) 1991
(D) 1990
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: The Manchu Empire in China was fallen in 1911 and the Republic got established.
Question 19.
San min Chui programme was called the: [1]
(A) April thesis
(B) Three principals
(C) Prince
(D) Testimonial
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: San Min Chui programme was popularly known as the April Thesis.
Question 20.
Sun Yat-Sen’s ideas became the basis of the political philosophy of the ……………………… . [1]
(A) Guomindang
(B) Duma
(C) San min Chui
(D) None of the above
Answer:
Option (A) is correct.
Explanation: Sun Yat Sen’s three principles became the guiding philosophy of the Chinese Republic. 1
Question 21.
The one-tenth of the total produce of peasants were taken as tax by church, the tax was called ……………………… . [1]
(A) Toll
(B) Taile
(C) Frank
(D) Tithe
Answer:
Option (D) is correct.
Explanation: Tithe was the one-tenth tax which was taken by the Church from the peasants from their produce.
Section-B
Short answer Type Questions.
Question 22.
Describe the geographical location of Mesopotamia. [3]
OR
What was the basis of the Inca economy? [3]
Answer:
Mesopotamia was a part of the modern-day Iraq. It had mountains, steppes, deserts, and irrigated zone. It lay in the area between the two rivers Euphrates and Tigris. These rivers brought silt with them that made the agriculture of Mesopotamia very productive even though the region did not get enough rainfall.
OR
Agriculture was the basis of the Inca economy. As the land was not very fertile, agriculture required more time and labour. The peasants generally used to grow many varieties of tubers such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, the Okinawa, tarwhine, etc., and the coca leaf. Advanced agricultural techniques were used in cultivating maize in most parts of the Inca territories. The Inca people practiced terrace cultivation and crop rotation and irrigated their fields.
Question 23.
Describe the socio-political feature of feudalism. [3]
Answer:
The king was considered as the owner of all land which he distributed among his nobles. The nobles were the vassals of the king from whom they derived their authority. The peasants were subordinate to the nobility; they were vassals of the nobles. It was
marked by small states and no central force. The feudal lords were the most powerful force and the king was dependent on them for military help and money. There were frequent conflicts among the lords to expand their hold over the land.
Question 24.
State the features of Humanistic thought. [3]
Answer:
The Humanist thought implied that religious teachings alone could not provide answers to a holistic life. This culture was labeled as Humanism by the historians in the 19th century. By the early 15th century, the term ‘humanist’ was used for masters who taught grammar, poetry, history, moral philosophy, and rhetoric. These subjects were not drawn from or connected with religion, and emphasised skills developed by individuals through discussion and debate.
Question 25.
Discuss some characteristics of the natives of America. [3]
Answer:
The earliest inhabitants of North America came from Asia over 30,000 years ago on a land bridge across the Bering Strait, and during the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago they moved further south. These peoples Lived in bands, in villages along river valleys. They ate fish and meat, and cultivated vegetables and maize. They often went on long journeys in search of meat, chiefly that of bison, the wild buffalo that roamed the grasslands.
An important feature of their tradition was that of making formal alliances and friendships and exchanging gifts. Goods were obtained not by buying them, but as gifts. Numerous languages were spoken in North America, though these were not written down. They believed that time moved in cycles, and each tribe had accounts about their origins and their earlier history which were passed on from one generation to the next. They were skilled craftspeople and wove beautiful textiles. They could read the land – they could understand the climates and different landscapes in the way literate people read written texts.
Question 26.
Japan’s transformation into a modern society can be seen also in the changes in everyday life – elucidate. [3]
Answer:
Japan’s transformation into a modern society can be seen in the changes in everyday life of the people. The patriarchal household system comprised many generations living together under the control of the head of the house, but as more people became affluent, new ideas of the family spread. The new home was that of the nuclear family, where husband and wife lived as breadwinners and homemakers.
This new concept of domesticity in turn generated demands for new types of domestic goods, new types of family entertainments, and new forms of housing. In the 1920s, construction companies made cheap housing available for a down payment of 200 yen and a monthly installment of 12 yen for ten years – this at a time when the salary of a bank employee was 40 yen per month.
Question 27.
How did Japan re-emerge as a world economy after the Second World War? [3]
OR
From early 1960s, Japan emerged as a prominent country in the world facing different challenges as well as gaining other achievements- how would you describe such circumstances? [3]
Answer:
Japan’s attempt to carve out a colonial empire ended with its defeat by the Allied forces. The major political thinkers argued and opined that Hiroshima and Nagasaki was just the threat to end the war. While others pointed out that it was unnecessary to cause such destruction upon human life. In between 1945 – 1947, a new constitution was introduced in Japan and the army was demilitarized.
Agrarian reforms, the re-establishment of trade unions, and an attempt to dismantle the zaibatsu or large monopoly houses that dominated the Japanese economy were also carried out. Political parties were revived and the first post-war elections held in 1946 where women voted for the first time.
The rapid rebuilding of the Japanese economy after its shattering defeat was called a post-war ‘miracle’. But it was more than that – it was firmly rooted in its long history. The constitution was democratized only now, but the Japanese had a historic tradition of popular struggles and intellectual engagement with how to broaden political participation.
The social cohesion of the pre-war years was strengthened, allowing for a dose working of the government, bureaucracy and industry, US support, as well as the demand created by the Korean and the Vietnamese wars also helped the Japanese economy.
OR
The 1964 Olympics held in Tokyo marked a symbolic coming of age. In much of the same way, the network of high-speed Shinkansen or bullet trains started in 1964, which ran at 200 miles per hour (now it is 300 miles per hour) have come to represent the ability of the Japanese to use advanced technologies to produce better and cheaper goods.
The 1960s saw the growth of civil society movements as industrialization had been pushed with utter disregard to its effect on health and the environment. Cadmium poisoning, which led to a painful disease, was an early indicator, followed by mercury poisoning in Minamata in the 1960s and problems caused by air pollution in the early 1970s.
Grassroots pressure groups began to demand recognition of these problems as well as compensation for the victims. Government action and new legal regulations helped to improve conditions. From the mid-1980s there has been an increasing interest in environmental issues as Japan enacted some of the strictest environmental controls in the world. Today, as a developed country it faces the challenge of using its political and technological capabilities to maintain its position as a leading world power.
Section-C
Long Answer Type Questions.
Question 28.
Write a short note on slavery prevalent in the Roman Empire. [8]
OR
Give some of the major differences between the two superpowers Rome and Iran? [8]
Answer:
The Roman economy was run on slavery. It was so deeply rooted that even Christianity did not challenge this institution as bulk of the labour in the economy, whether in agriculture, mining, or handicraft production was performed by the slaves. Roman law recognised slaves as a form of property.
The state exercised strict control over the slaves. The authority of the master over the slave was absolute and they suffered complete legal deprivation. They were bought and sold like commodities in the market and were made to work beyond their capacity.
Many private employers cast their agreements with workers in the form of debt contracts to ensure tighter control over them. Various methods for constant supervision of workers, both free and slaves, were developed. It was a general presumption that without supervision no work would ever get done. For example:
- To make supervision tasks easier, workers were sometimes grouped into manageable groups i.e. squads of ten.
- Slaves who worked in gangs were usually chained, as runaway slaves were a constant problem.
- In frankincense factories of Alexandria, Piny the Elder, told that a seal was put on the aprons of workers. They were required to wear a mask to cover their heads, Before leaving the premises, they had to take off all their clothes.
- A law of 398 referred to workers being branded so that they could be recognised and retrieved if they tried to run away.
OR
The empires of the two superpowers Rome and Iran lay next to each other separated by a narrow strip of land along the river Euphrates.
- Rome dominated the Mediterranean and all the regions around the sea in both directions north as well as south while Iran controlled the whole area south of the Caspian Sea down to east Arabia and sometimes large parts of Afghanistan as well.
- The Roman Empire was culturally more diverse than France. It was a mosaic of territories and cultures that were chiefly bound together, by a common system of government regardless of where they lived or what language they spoke. In contrast, in Iran, the Parthians and later the Sasanian dynasty in this period ruled over a population that was largely Iranian.
- The distinctive feature of the Romans was that they had a paid professional army whose soldiers put in a minimum of 25 years of service. In contrast to this, the Iranians had a conscripted army i.e. which was forcibly recruited. Military service was compulsory for certain groups or categories of the population.
Question 29.
Why did Genghis Khan feel the need to fragment the Mongol tribes into new social and military groupings? [8]
OR
How do later reflections on the ‘Yasa’ bring out the uneasy relationship they had with the memory of Genghis Khan? [8]
Answer:
Genghis Khan felt the need to fragment the Mongol tribes into new social and military groupings because:
- He wanted to control and discipline his nomadic hordes as many new members had entered his army and it had become a heterogeneous mass of people.
- The Mongols as hunters and gatherers formed the armed forces as per requirements. He wanted to form an organised military by erasing the old system.
- He included groups like Turkic Uighurs who accepted his authority willingly and accommodated defeated people like the Kereyits.
- He wanted to scrape the old tribal identities of the different groups in his confederacy. As members of a clan and tribe were organised into a particular unit as per the old Steppe system, there were more possibilities of a revolt. He wanted to improve this system.
- Thus, introducing a new system, he organized new military units called ‘Turnan” which was the largest unit of soldiers. It included 10,000 soldiers from different tribes and clans. This helped weaken the rebellious notions of different tribes and clans and also forestalled any threat that his sons could face in ruling the empire collectively.
OR
‘Yasa’ were the rules and regulations that were approved by the ‘Qurultai’ during the reign of Genghis Khan. These rules were concerned with the Mongol army, hunting, postage system, social order etc. Simply put, they were a compilation of the customs and traditions of the Mongol tribal society.
By the mid-13th century, the Mongols had emerged as a unified people and created the largest empire the world had known. Although they dominated the region politically, they were still in minority. The societies they ruled over had their own culture
and traditions that could not be ignored. Genghis Khan had earlier condemned the people of Bukhara in the ‘Yasa and called them the sinners. This had created a lot of problems for his successors as the memories of Genghis Khan made the relations uneasy.
The later Mongols therefore, neither applied his rules on their subjects nor could they condemn them altogether. They tried to overcome this problem by laying claim Genghis Khan as a ‘lawgiver’ like Moses and Solomon. This helped the rulers to coerce the Mongols around a body of rules and shared beliefs and gave them the confidence to retain their identity and impose their law on defeated subjects, which was vital in the establishment of the Mongol universal dominion.
Question 30.
Discuss the factor responsible for the decline of feudalism. [8]
OR
Describe the contribution made by the Medieval church in the fields of education, drama, music and architecture. [8]
Answer:
Feudalism was a dynamic social system. The 10th- 13th centuries comprised the classical age of Western feudalism. However, by the 14th and 15th centuries, feudalism began to decline due to the interplay of a number of factors.
(i) Depopulation or demographic changes: The 14th century saw depopulation due to famines. E.g. in Europe between 1315 and 1317. The outbreak of bubonic plague called the Black Death intensified this. This led to a shortage of labour, wage rates rose and the agricultural prices crashed. The income of the lords decreased dramatically. They tried to revert from their money contracts to the earlier mode of labour services but faced resistance from the peasants who resisted coercion from the lords. This contributed to the decline of feudalism.
(ii) Social Unrest: The peasant unrest reached a hilt in the 14th century, especially in Western Europe. They organised widespread resistance and there were open revolts by peasants e.g. in 1358 in France and 1381 in England. Often these revolts
turned violent. Though they were crushed, these revolts ensured that the old feudal system of privileges could not be re-imposed on the peasantry. This led to a decline in serfdom, the mainstay of feudal economy.
Changes in the political system: The weakening socioeconomic base of feudalism was accompanied by political changes. The new political system was that of powerful monarchies in France under Louis XI and in England under Henry VIII and in Spain under Ferdinand. These monarchs crushed the power of feudal lords and centralized all power in their hands. They are called the ‘absolute monarchies’.
(iii) Military changes: The new military technology of gunpowder which was more advanced was the monopoly of the king and the outdated weapons of the feudal lords were no match. Also, the kings raised a permanent standing army loyal to the king which was professionally trained which also curbed the power of the lords as the king was no longer dependent on them for military support.
(iv) Economic Changes: The rise of towns and cities weakened feudalism as they were based on monetary economy that offered the peasants and the serfs prospect of paid work and freedom from the lord’s control. Many people in towns were escaped serfs and free peasants who provided the unskilled Labour force. This led to a rapid decline of feudalism. The growth of trade and industry led to the growth of a new middle class. They were against hereditary feudal privileges. Skilled craftsmen began to be organised into guilds that led to expansion of trade and commerce and decline of feudalism.
OR
During the medieval Ages, the work of imparting education to the people was done by the church. Only the priests were able to read and write and they provided education to monks through medium of Latin. Drama became the most powerful medium of education. Plays were written in the local dialects to entertain as well as to educate the people.
Miracle plays were enacted on the lives of the saints usually depicting the struggle between good and bad. These were usually enacted in churches and the actors were mostly drawn from the clergymen through laymen. Church singing was chiefly chorus, new melodies were tried and developed.
The notable buildings during the Middle Ages were either castles or the churches, which provided the best specimen of the medieval architecture in Europe. The churches were built in imitation of the Roman basilica and had spacious central halls and
round arches with rows of columns. Massive walls supported the barrel-vaulted heavy ceiling.
Later on, Gothic style was developed for windows to provide more light into the church. The stained glass window panels added beauty to the buildings and the churches began to be regarded as the best specimen of Gothic architecture.
Section-D
Source-based Questions.
Question 31.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions.
Iraq is a land of diverse environments. In the northeast lie green, undulating plains, gradually rising to tree-covered mountain ranges with clear streams and wildflowers, with enough rainfall to grow crops. Here, agriculture began between 7000 BCE and 6000 BCE. In the north, there is a stretch of upland called a steppe, where animal herding offers people a better livelihood than agriculture – after the winter rains, sheep and goats feed on the grasses and low shrubs that grow here. The south is a desert – and this is where the first cities and writing emerged. This desert could support cities because the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, which rise in the northern mountains, carry loads of silt (fine mud). When they flood or when their water is let out on to the fields, fertile silt is deposited.
1. When did agriculture begin in Mesopotamia? [1]
2. What is the present location of Mesopotamia? [1]
3. Why the Mesopotamian life flourished even after being situated near a desert? [2]
Answer:
1. In Mesopotamia agriculture began around 7000- 5000 BCE.
2. Iraq is the present-day location of Mesopotamia. 1
3. This desert could support cities because the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, which rise in the northern mountains, carry loads of silt (fine mud) which make the land fertile for agriculture.
Question 32.
Read the following passage and answer the following questions.
The Manorial Estate
A lord had his own manor-house. He also controlled villages — some lords controlled hundreds of villages – where peasants lived. A small manorial estate could contain a dozen families, while larger estates might include fifty or sixty. Almost everything needed for daily life was found on the estate: grain was grown in the fields, blacksmiths and carpenters maintained the lord’s implements and repaired his weapons, while stonemasons looked after his buildings. Women spun and wove fabric, and children worked in the lord’s wine presses.
The estate had extensive woodlands and forests where the lords hunted. They contained pastures where his cattle and his horses grazed. There was a church on the estate and a castle for defense. From the thirteenth century, some castles were made bigger for use as a residence for a knight’s family. In fact, in England, castles were practically unknown before the Norman Conquest and developed as centers of political administration and military power under the feudal system. The manor could not be completely self-sufficient because salt, millstones, and metalware had to be obtained from outside sources. Those lords who wanted a luxurious lifestyle and were keen to buy rich furnishings, musical instruments, and ornaments not locally produced, had to get these from other places.
1. How many families lived in a small manor? [1]
2. What was the function of women in the manorial estate? [1]
3. What was the importance of the castle in England? [2]
Answer:
1. A small manorial estate could contain a dozen families, while larger estates might include fifty or sixty.
2. Women spun and weaved fabric, and children worked in the lord’s wine presses.
3. In England castles were practically unknown before the Norman Conquest and developed as centers of political administration and military power under the feudal system.
Question 33.
Read the following passage and answer the following questions. Formal education was not the only way through which humanists shaped the minds of their age. Art, architecture, and books were wonderfully effective in transmitting humanist ideas. Artists were inspired by studying works of the past. The material remains of Roman culture were sought with as much excitement as ancient texts: a thousand years after the fall of Rome, fragments of art were discovered in the ruins of ancient Rome and other deserted cities. Their admiration for the figures of ‘perfectly’ proportioned men and women sculpted so many centuries ago, made Italian sculptors want to continue that tradition. In 1416, Donatello (1386- 1466) broke new ground with his lifelike statues. Artists’ concern to be accurate was helped by the work of scientists. To study bone structures, artists went to the laboratories of medical schools. Andreas Vesalius (1514-64), a Belgian and a professor of medicine at the University of Padua, was the first to dissect the human body. This was the beginning of modern physiology.
1. Who is the sculptor? What is it called? [1]
2. What does it show? [1]
3. Give a brief history of the sculpture during the period. [2]
Answer:
1. The sculptor is Michelangelo Buonarroti.
2. He made ‘The Pieta’. It shows Mother Mary with dead Christ across her knees.
3. Humanism and realism found brilliant expression in sculpture. Though the artists used biblical subjects they had little to do with traditional religious attitudes, physical aspects of man’s existence, beauty, and harmony were celebrated. To study bone structures, artists went to laboratories of medical schools. An important feature was the emergence of free-standing sculpture i.e. sculptures were not directly carved on the wall surface as part of the building.
Section-E
Map-based Questions.
Question 34.1.
On the given political map of the World, locate and label the following:
(A) Iran
(B) Iraq
(C) Saudi Arabia
Answer:
Question 34.2.
Identify the water bodies marked as A & B.
Answer:
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