History Optional Question Paper – 2012: Paper-1

SECTION – A

Q1. Identify the following places marked on the map supplied to you and write short notes of about 40 words on each of them in your answer book. Locational hints for each of the places marked on the map are given below seriatim: 3 × 20 = 60 marks

  • (i) A prehistoric state
  • (ii) A chalcolithic site
  • (iii) A religious centre
  • (iv) A prehistoric site
  • (v) An art centre
  • (vi) A prehistoric site
  • (vii) An art centre
  • (viii) A port
  • (ix) A capital town
  • (x) A prehistoric site
  • (xi) A post Mauryan town
  • (xii) An art centre
  • (xiii) A prehistoric site
  • (xiv) A chalcolithic site
  • (xv) A chalcolithic site
  • (xvi) A chalcolithic site
  • (xvii) A prehistoric site
  • (xviii) An art centre
  • (xix) A chalcolithic site
  • (xx) A chalcolithic site

Q2 (a) Evaluate the significance of seals and sealing in the reconstruction of socio-economic and religious life of the Harappan people. 30 marks
(b) Justify Pliny’s statement that Rome was being drained out of its gold by India during the first century of the Christian era. 30 marks

Q3 (a) Discuss the extent, settlement patterns and subsistence economy of the megalithic cultures. 30 marks
(b) Assess the education system in early India and identify important educational institutions of the period.
30 marks

Q4 (a) Examine the role of adhyaksa in the Mauryan administration. 30 marks

(b) Analyse the vibrant cultural activities in peninsular India during 550-750 CE. Compare and contrast with the situation in contemporary North India. 30 marks

SECTION – B

Q5. Write the short notes in not more than 150 words on each of the following: 12 × 5 = 60 marks

(a) Evaluate Rajatarangini as a source of history.

(b) Medieval Indian towns were merely an extension of villages. Comment.

(c) Assess the contribution of the Acharyas in the development of the ideological basis of Bhakti.

(d) Discuss the Caurapancasika and Jain styles of paintings. Can the Caurapancasika style truly be called the precursor of pothi format?
(e) Give social background to the rise of the Maratha movement during the seventeenth century.

Q6 (a) What kind of change were visualized by historians on Indian feudalism? Examine critically. 30 marks

(b) Analyse the racial composition and the role of nobility under the successors of Iltutmish. How did it affect the contemporary politics? 30 marks

Q7 (a) Evaluate the role of nadu and nagaram in the growth of urbanization under the Cholas. 30 marks

(b) How did the Mongol invasions affect the Delhi Sultanate the north-western frontier policy of the Delhi Sultans? 30 marks

Q8 (a) State the structure of medieval village society in Northern India. What were the passive forms of resistance of the peasants in the medieval period? 30 marks
(b) How was the Afghan nobility responsible for the decline of the Afghan empires? Discuss. 30 marks


History Optional Question Paper – 2012: Paper-2

(SECTION – A)

Q1. Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each: 12 × 5 = 60 marks(a) “The current practice of categorization of ‘Early Modern India’ is based on a shift from the old imperialist periodization of ‘Muslim India’ — ‘British India’ to the more secularist one of ‘Medieval India’ — ‘Modern India’, which puts Indian history in a universalists chronological structure.”
(b) “Compared to their English counterpart, the French East India Company enjoyed little discretionary power and had to always look up to Paris for all major decisions. This partly explains the failure of the French in India.”
(c) “The peasant movement of the second half of the nineteenth century lacked a positive conception of an alternative society — a conception which would unite the people in a common struggle on a wide regional and all-India plane and help develop long-term political developments.”
(d) “Plantations and mines, jute mills, banking, insurance, shipping and export-import concerns in India were run through a system of interlocking managing agencies.”
(e) “Nehru’s policy of Non-Alignment came to symbolize the struggle of India and other newly independent nations to retain and strengthen their independence from colonialism.”

Q2 (a) “The forces of free trade and the British determination of create a political and administrative environment conducive to trade and investment has shaped the British policy towards Indian in the first half of the nineteenth century.” — Elucidate. 30 marks
(b) “The contact of the new Indian middle class with the West proved to be a catalyst. The social and religious movements launched by Rammohan or Iswar Charidra Vidyasagar have to be understood in context.” — Elaborate. 30 marks

Q3 (a) “The railways, instead of serving as the catalyst of the industrial revolution as in Western Europe and the USA, acted in India as the catalyst of complete colonization’.”— Examine 30 marks
(b) “The Santhal hool began in July 1855. The core of the movement was economic, the basic cause of the uprising was agrarian discount.” — Elucidate. 30 marks

Q4 (a) “Nehru favoured the policy of integrating the tribal people in Indian society, of making them an integral part of the Indian nation even while maintaining their distinct identity and culture.” — Elaborate with special reference to Northeastern India. 30 marks
(b) “The Chipko became famous as the first major environmental movement in post-colonial Indian and gave rise to the understanding that environmental issues are often women’s issues because they suffer most from its deterioration.” — Explain 30 marks

SECTION – B

Q5. Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each: 12 × 5 = 60 marks

(a) “The despotic rules of Europe were influenced by the philosophy of Enlighten and began to follow a benevolent policy toward their subjects.”
(b) “The American Revolution was essentially an economic conflict between American capitalism and British mercantilism.
(c) “The connection between the philosophers’ ideas and the outbreak of the French Revolution (1789) is somewhat remote and indirect.”
(d) “The process of industrialization in some other countries of Europe was different from that in England.”

(e) “With the Cold War over and the Soviet Union gone, the face of international diplomacy has undergone a metamorphosis.”

Q6 (a) “The impact of the French Revolution (1789) was initially confined to Europe, but that of the Russian Revolution (1917) was global.” — Critically review. 30 marks
(b) “Any single explanation for the outbreak of the First World War is likely to be too simple. An amalgam of factors intellectual, social, economic as well as political and diplomatic contributed to this horrifying conflict of monumental proportions.” — Explain. 30 marks

Q7(a) How did Napoleon fuse the France of the ancient regime with the France of the post-revolutionary era? 30 marks
(b) Was German unification achieved more by ‘coal and iron’ rather than by ‘blood and iron’? 30 marks
Q8 (a) “The announcement of certain of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949 by Mao Zedong ended the civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party (KMT).” —
Elaborate. 30 marks

(b) “The Arab nationalism had a peculiar character. It stood for national independence for separate Arab States as well as for the unity of all Arabs irrespective of their state boundaries.” — Examine. 30 marks


History Optional Question Paper – 2012: Paper-1

(SECTION – A)

Q1. Mark the following places on the map supplied to you and write short descriptive notes on them: 3 × 20 = 60marks

  • (i) Chirand
  • (ii) Kargil
  • (iii) Basohli
  • (iv) Lalitgiri
  • (v) Mandu
  • (vi) Penukonda
  • (vii) Samugarh
  • (viii) Vilinam
  • (ix) Sigiria
  • (x) Vikaramasila
  • (xi) Mukhalingam
  • (xii) Halebid
  • (xiii) Sanghol
  • (xiv) Kumbharia
  • (xv) Sirpur
  • (xvi) Pangudaria
  • (xvii) Amarkantak
    (xviii) Kibbanhalli
  • (xix) Jorwe
  • (xx) Badaun

Q2. Trace the development of urbanization from the third millennium B.C.E. to 6th century B.C.E. 60 marks

Q3 (a) Evaluate the conceptual basis of the Vedic deities. 30 marks

(b) Assess the importance of Jain tents and their relevance to humanity. 30 marks

Q4 (a) Evaluate the introduction of iron technology in the development of human history of ancient India. 20 marks
(b) Discuss the type of lands and the science of agriculture mentioned in the literature and epigraphs of ancient India. 20 marks
(c) Assess Ellora as a unique art centre of the different culture streams. 20 marks

SECTION – B

Q5. Write short notes in not more than 200 words on the following: 20 × 3 = 60

(a) Assess the contribution of Iltutmish for the expansion and consolidation of the Delhi Sultanate.

(b) Examine critically the agrarian and economic reforms of Alauddin Khilji. How did it strengthen the Sultanate?
(c) What is your assessment of Ibn battuta’s Rihla as an important source of Indian history.

Q6. Evaluate the socio-economic conditions from the Gupta Period to 1200 C.E. as gleaned from the various types of grants or dana shasana. 60 marks

Q7 (a) Mughal paintings reflect the contemporary socio-political conditions. —Discuss. 30 marks

(b) Examine the mansab and jagir system by Akbar and its subsequent failure in the 18th century. 30 marks

Q8 (a) Discuss the causes of the rise and growth of regional kingdom with special reference to the Deccan in the 18the century. 30 marks
(b) Assess the contribution of the Cholas in the expansion of Indian culture outside India. 30 marks


History Optional Question Paper – 2012: Paper-2

(SECTION – A)

Q1. Critically evaluate the following statements in about 200 words each: 20 × 3 = 60 marks(a) “The need for a unilateral transfer of funds to Britain was a constant factor and; in fact, progressively increased over time.”
(b) “Young Bengal left little distinctive or permanent impression on the plane of religion and philosophy.”

(c) “The emergence of left-wing group in the Congress radicalized its social and economic agendas.”

Q2 (a) “The Charter Act of 1833 rung down the curtain on the Company’s trade and introduced a new concept of government in India,” Substantiate. 20 marks
(b) “Orientalism produced a knowledge of the past to service the needs of the Colonial State.” Elucidate. 20 marks
(c) “The vernacular press in nineteenth century India served not just as newspapers but more importantly as views-papers.” Comment. 20 marks

Q3 (a) “In 1857, the robel sepoys showed a remarkable centripetal tendency to congregate at Delhi.” Do you agree? Substantiate. 30 marks
(b) “Tribals revolted more often and far more violently than any other community including peasants in India.” Elaborate. 30 marks

Q4 (a) “Nehru’s ‘Temple of Modern India’ consisted not only of steel and power plants, irrigation dams, but included institutions of higher learning, particularly in the scientific fields,” Elaborate. 30 marks

(b) Would you agree that India’s effort to pursue and independent foreign policy was a highlight of post-1947 polities? 30 marks

SECTION – B

Q5. Critically evaluate the following statements in about 200 words each: 20 × 3 = 60 marks

(a) “The promptings of the heart are more to be trusted than the logic of the mind.” — Rousseau.

(b) “The peace of Versailles lacked moral validity from the start.”

(c) “The collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 brought new ideas of co-operation in Europe.”

Q6 (a) “The roots of Chartism are party political and party economic.” Elaborate. 20 marks

(b) “Whoever says Industrial Revolution, says cotton.” Comment. 20 marks

(c) “By 1914, the sick man of Europe was no longer just Turkey: it was Europe itself,” Explain. 20 marks

Q7 (a) Explain how American imperialism in the Philippines differed with European imperialism in Indonesia and Indo-China. 30 marks
(b) How did the policy of appeasement escalate the problem of Nazi aggrandizement? 30 marks

Q8 (a) Would you argue that Non-Aligned Movement played a crucial role in promoting a climate of peace?
30 marks

(b) Examine the challenges confronted by the proponents of European unity after the collapse of Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe. 30 marks


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