Social Science Class - X
Sample Paper - 1998 (Part -IV)
(Solved)

Section A - HISTORY

Q9) Examine the factors and forces responsible for the partition of India in 1947.

Ans. 9) Partition of India in 1947 was not the result of any single factor but there were many forces responsible for this :-

(1) Two-Nation Theory - The two nation theory provided a basis for the demand of Pakistan. Jinnah propounded this theory in 1940. According to Jinnah, the Hindus & the Muslims are fundamentally two distinct nations because their religion, culture, traditions, literature, economic system, laws of inheritance, succession & marriage are different. To bind together two such nations in a single state is bound to lead to discontent & destruction of the future of the government. So he demanded Pakistan on the basis of the two nation theory.

(2) British Policy to Weaken India - The Resolution of complete independence was passed in the Lahore session of the Congress in 1929. The British now believed that free India would not be friendly towards them, so they planned to create such a situation that two parts might continue fighting against each other.

(3) A smaller Unified & Strong India was Better than A Larger and Weak India - The Congressmen were now convinced that it would be useless to try to force the League to join the Union of India. In their opinion a smaller, unified & strong India would be better than a larger & weak India.

(4) To Avert a Civil War - The English had followed the policy of 'Divide and Rule' to maintain their Empire & to protect their interests. They openly abetted the Muslim communalism & offered them high offices & tried to give them licenses for keeping fire-arms. They planned a partition of the land & fanned the flames of a Civil War. Thus, compelled by circumstances, the Congress party in her eagerness to avert a civil war agreed to the partition of India.

(5) Failure of Interim Government - Under the Cabinet Mission plan, Lord Wavell had requested Pt. Nehru to form an Interim Government. The League initially boycotted it. Thereafter violence broke out in Calcutta, Noakhali & Tripura & a state of fear & insecurity spread throughout the country. Subsequently, the League agreed to join it, not with the intention to support it but to wreck it. The Muslim League leaders spurned the principle of collective responsibility & started putting hurdles in the day-to-day work of the government. Thus the congress was forced to accept partition as the only alternative.

(6) Communal Riots - The failure of Interim Government led to the worsening of the communal situation & the riots broke out in other parts of the country like Bihar, U.P., Lahore etc. The armed forces were still under the British command. It was felt too difficult to maintain peace & order in the country and more.

(7) Efforts of Lord Mountbatten - The riots were rampant & chaos prevailed all over the country. All efforts by the government to ensure peace had failed. Lord Mountbatten concluded that under such circumstances partition was the only solution. After protracted consultation with both the League & the Congress, he declared what is known as the 'Mountbatten Plan". According to this plan, India was divided into two parts in 1947.

OR

Explain the main differences between the "Extremist" and 'Moderate' nationalist leaders in India in the early years of the 20th century. Examine the impact of the 'Extremists' on the nationalist movement. (Marks 6)

Ans. There were several differences between the Moderates & the Extremists regarding their aims & methods to achieve them:-

(1) The moderates wanted to achieve self-government within the British empire & not absolute independence. They demanded certain reforms & concessions from the British. On the other hand, Extremists aimed at Swaraj or total freedom which was the remedy of all the ills.

(2) The Moderates were loyal to the British rule & the English crown. They considered the British rule as a boon for India. The Extremists were not loyal to the British rule & wanted to uproot it from India.

(3) The moderates believed in adopting constitutional & peaceful methods to achieve their objectives. They held meetings, took out processions, delivered speeches & passed resolutions & submitted appeals & petitions to the govt. to accept their demands. They had full faith in the British sense of justice & fair play. The Extremists had no faith in the British sense of justice & fairplay. They believed in breaking the hold of British imperialism by revolutions, by making people self-reliant & by bringing national awakening.

(4) The Extremists believed in non-cooperation & adopted the programmed of boycott against foreign goods, propagation of Swadeshi & a system of national education etc., The Moderates had no faith in such principles & had full faith in the policy of co-operation.

(5) The Extremists believed in the supremacy of the Indian culture & civilization, religion & traditions & wanted to reconstruct the Indian society on these models. 
The moderates, however, were in favour of the British institutions, ideals & literature.

(6) The moderates believed that the people of India were not fit for self-government. But Extremists believed that the people of India were fit to rule themselves & self-government could not be denied to them because they were unfit to rule.

(7) Under the Moderates the national movement was not a popular movement. It had no touch with the masses. But the movement under the Extremists derived strength& power from the masses.
The Extremists tried to cripple the administration by the weapons of non-cooperation & boycott. They propagated the use of swadeshi which helped in the survival of Indian handicrafts and industries. The Boycott & Swadeshi movements gave impetus to the nationalistic sentiments & united the whole nation in a bid to cast away the yoke of the foreign rule.
By their speeches & writings the Extremists filled the Indian people with fearlessness & infused in them such courage that they stood up as a rock to challenge the British imperialism. Though the Extremists had never preached a bloody revolution, yet their ideals & activities were sufficient to make the public opinion more violent & aggressive & produce a class of such revolutionaries who were ready to sacrifice their lives & property, blood & bones, body & soul for their motherland. In this way, the Extremists played a very important part in the freedom movement of India.

Q10) Explain any three main objectives of the United Nations

Ans10) Three main objectives of the United Nations:-

(a) To maintain international peace & security - This was essential in order to avoid a third world war. Therefore, it aims to solve all the international disputes amicably.

(b) To develop friendly relations among nations - this was a corollary of the first objective. It was essential to maintain international peace & security.

(c) To achieve international cooperation in solving international economic, social, cultural & humanitarian problems.

OR

List any three methods of agitations used during the Non-cooperation Movement. (Marks 3)

Ans. Non-cooperation movement involved the following methods of agitation.

(a) People boycotted all government functions, thousands of Indians left the government jobs. The lawyers gave up their legal practice. Students left their schools and colleges. Teachers also resigned in large numbers. People boycotted the elections to the assembly and the Provincial council. They resigned from the nominated seats in local bodies.

(b) The people began to use Swadeshi & boycotted foreign goods which were burnt at the crossroads. Khadi became the symbol of freedom. The Takla & Charkha appeared in every house.

(c) Women gave up purdah to join the struggle and offered their jewellery for Tilak Fund and gladly went to jail. Many labourers also joined the movement and observed strikes. The people of rural areas refused to pay taxes. People also refused to obey government orders.


SECTION B - CIVICS


Q11) Mention any two main ideals before the Indian nation? (Marks 2)

Ans11) The constitution of India shows that the task before India is not only to stay together as an independent nation but also to set up a society which was secular, democratic and socialist. The ideas of freedom and equality thus came up as the most important ones.
A democratic government ensures freedom for all citizens. The Indian constitution gives a list of freedoms in the Fundamental Rights. People, within the prescribed limits, can do what they want. However freedom without equality is meaningless. Two people can be free together only if they are equal and if both of them have the right to freedom. Equality includes political equality, social equality and economic equality. The goal, therefore, is striving for a society which ensures equal opportunity for all.

Q12) What is meant by "regionalism" in the Indian Context ? (Marks 2)

Ans12) The phenomenon of regionalism starts with the identification of parts of territory as separate regions. A particular territory is set apart as a region over a period of time, when different variables operate in different degrees such as geography, topography, religion, language, usages and customs, socio-economic and political stages of development, common historical traditions and experiences, a common way of living and a widely prevalent sentiment of togetherness.
Sometimes, more economic development takes place in few select areas leading to inequality in regional development. A feeling of grievance may arise in the people due to the fact that their region has been discriminated and as a result the people there are socially and economically backward. In India, this has led to the demand for more autonomy and separate statehood. "Regionalism", however in its extreme form, is not healthy. It means feelings of hatred against others, simply because they do not belong to that region.

Q13) Explain the role which opposition parties play in a democracy. (Marks 3)

Ans13) The presence of opposition is the most distinctive characteristic of parliamentary democracy. If the government represents the legitimised consent, then the opposition represents the legitimised dissent.

(1) A good opposition can and should expose the mistakes, the shortcomings, the failures the deviations, the betrayals and the lack of honesty and integrity of the government.

(2) The opposition party also works outside the Legislature. It organises demonstrations, calls for meetings and through the media highlights the failure of the Government.

(3) Public opinion is generated about the Government policies. Government often abandons unpopular policies because of public pressure aroused by the opposition.

Q14) Mention any three steps taken by the Government for removing inequalities between men & women in India. (Marks 3)

Ans14) India is a patriachal society. To bring women at par with men, the government as taken many steps, some of which are enumerated below :

(a) The Indian constitution mentions the right of equality. It states that there shall be no discrimination between individuals on the basis of caste, sex or place of birth.

(b) The Government ensures that equal wages are provided to both men & women for the same kind of work.

(c) The Panchayati Raj Act provides that at least 30% of the seats in local bodies be reserved for women.

Q15) Explain with examples, the main features of India's foreign policy. (Marks 4)

b India's foreign policy, acquired its specific orientation in the phase of global interdependence of states and system that emerged in the post-second world war period. The main features of India's foreign policy can be listed as follows :

(a) Non-Alignment - The division of the world into two power blocks led to the beginning of the cold war. India, however, decided to stay away from this block politics and pursue an independent foreign policy. It was all the more essential given the fact that India needed aid from both the blocs for her speedy economic development.

(b) Peaceful Co-existence - Peaceful co-existence of nations of diverse ideologies and interests is an important principles of our foreign policy. In keeping with this principle, India signed the Panchsheel agreement with China with included mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful co-existence. These are principles of behaviour of sovereign states in their foreign relations. These are normal expectations from civilized nations in their behaviour with each other.

(c) Anti-imperialism - Having been a victim of British imperialism for a long time, India decided to oppose all forms of colonialism and imperialism. Therefore, it decided to extend full support to the cause of freedom of dependent peoples of Asia and Africa. For eg. She extended full support to the freedom struggles in Indo-China, Malaya, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, and Ghana. In its new incarnation, colonialism seeks to dominate independent developing countries through various instruments of exploitation. India is therefore campaining for a more equitable economic order.

(d) Opposition to Racial Discrimination - India firmly believes in equality of all human beings and is therefore opposed to all forms of racial discrimination. India gave full support to the victims of racial discriminations in South Africa. It was only after the majority government was set up in that country that India established diplomatic relations with her.

(e) Support to the United Nations - India is one of the founder members of the United Nations, and many of its speicialised agencies. Most of her goals coincide with the objectives of the UN. Therefore, she tries to achieve her goals by strengthening the UN. Her belief in international peace and security and opposition to destructive areas has found a stronger forums in the UN.