Plus Two HISTORY Annual Exam (MARCH 2026) — ANSWER KEY 🔹
SECOND YEAR HIGHER SECONDARY | Cool-off time: 15 min | Max: 80 scores
1. Match the columns (4×1=4)
| A | B (correct match) |
|---|---|
| Kurunchi | Hilly forest region |
| Palai | Dry land |
| Marutham | Wet plains |
| Neital | Coastal zone |
2–5. Multiple choice (1 each)
2. (b) Khwaja Muinuddin (Gharib Nawaz)
3. (a) Prem-akhyan (Padmavat)
4. (d) Vachanas (Virashaiva tradition)
5. (c) Ulatbansi (Kabir’s upside-down poems)
6. Chronological order (4×1=4)
Correct sequence:
1️⃣ Kundara Proclamation (1809) → 2️⃣ Kurichiya Revolt (1812) → 3️⃣ Shanar Agitation (1822–1859) → 4️⃣ Malayali Memorial (1891)
1️⃣ Kundara Proclamation (1809) → 2️⃣ Kurichiya Revolt (1812) → 3️⃣ Shanar Agitation (1822–1859) → 4️⃣ Malayali Memorial (1891)
(Based on historiography; Kurichiya Revolt precedes Shanar agitation)
7. Map marking (4×1=4)
Locations (to be marked on outline map of ancient India):
• Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh, near Bhopal)
• Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh, Krishna river)
• Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh, near Varanasi)
• Bodh Gaya (Bihar)
• Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh, near Bhopal)
• Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh, Krishna river)
• Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh, near Varanasi)
• Bodh Gaya (Bihar)
8–17. Two‑mark answers (any eight = 16 scores)
8. Limitations of inscriptions:
- Undeciphered scripts (e.g. Harappan).
- Damaged surfaces, fading, technical reading difficulties.
- Often record only elite achievements, not common life.
- Biased perspective (royal patronage).
9. Ashoka’s Dhamma:
moral code – respect, non‑violence, religious tolerance, kindness, welfare works (hospitals, trees).
10. Oriental Despotism:
European idea: absolute ruler, no private property, stagnant, hydraulic control.
11. Slavery in travellers’ accounts:
large slave households, markets, varied prices (Ibn Battuta mentions female slaves trained in music).
12. Virashaivas = Lingayats:
because they wear a personal linga in a silver case around the neck.
13. Mughal panchayat expenditure:
festivals, public works (wells, ponds), watchman, patwari, hospitality.
14. Jama & hasil:
Jama = assessed revenue; hasil = actually collected revenue.
15. Jotedars:
rich peasants in colonial Bengal, controlled land, often resisted zamindars.
16. Fifth Report (1813):
parliamentary report exposing EIC misgovernment and exploitation in India.
17. British suppression of 1857:
- Military reinforcement from England & loyal troops (Sikhs, Gurkhas).
- Divide et impera – used princes against rebels.
- Brutal reprisals, destruction of villages.
21–25. Four‑mark answers (any four = 16 scores)
21. Four varnas & occupations:
- Brahmins – priests, teach Vedas.
- Kshatriyas – rulers, warriors.
- Vaishyas – farmers, traders.
- Shudras – servants, labourers.
22. Alberuni on caste:
noted four classes, social barriers (no intermarriage), hierarchy, compared with other cultures, complexity of jatis.
23. Krishnadeva Raya contributions:
- Military expansion (defeated Bijapur, Odisha).
- Patron of art – Vithala temple, Hazara Rama.
- Literature – Amuktamalyada, Ashtadiggajas.
- Efficient administration, trade prosperity.
24. Amara‑Nayaka system:
- Military tenures (amaras) granted to Nayakas.
- Obligation: maintain troops, pay tribute.
- Revenue collection right, local autonomy, loyalty to king.
25. Partition’s impact on women:
- Mass abduction, rape, mutilation.
- Forced conversion and marriages.
- Honour killings by families.
- Recovery operations, many women rejected later.
26–28. Five‑mark answers (any two = 10 scores)
26. Harappan raw material procurement:
- Settlements near resource areas (Khetri copper).
- Organised expeditions (lapis lazuli, steatite).
- Long‑distance trade with Mesopotamia.
- Internal exchange networks.
- Local resources (timber, stones, marine).
27. Magadha’s rise:
- Geographic: fertile Ganga plain, iron ore, natural defences.
- Economic: agricultural surplus, river trade.
- Superior iron weapons.
- Ambitious rulers (Bimbisara, Ajatashatru).
- Efficient administration and taxation.
28. Mughals & cultural plurality:
- Indo‑Persian architecture (Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri).
- Emergence of Urdu, translations of epics.
- Mughal painting = Persian + Indian styles.
- Patronage of music (Tansen), religious discussions (Akbar).
- Synthesis in dress, cuisine, Bhakti‑Sufi ethos.
29–31. Eight‑mark essays (any two = 16 scores)
29. Harappan features – analysis:
- Great Bath: ritual purification, advanced hydraulic engineering, public structure.
- Drainage: covered drains, manholes, municipal planning, health priority.
- Domestic architecture: varied size → social stratification, courtyard design, privacy, baked bricks.
30. Revolt of 1857 – essay outline:
- Rumours: greased cartridges, chapati movement, prophecies of 100‑year rule.
- Leaders & centres: Bahadur Shah (Delhi), Nana Saheb (Kanpur), Begum Hazrat Mahal (Lucknow), Rani Lakshmibai (Jhansi), Kunwar Singh (Bihar).
- Awadh: intense due to annexation (1856), taluqdars & peasants joined, siege of Lucknow.
31. Gandhi’s role – evaluation:
- Non‑Cooperation (1920–22): mass awakening, boycott of institutions, khadi, called off after Chauri Chaura.
- Salt Satyagraha (1930): Dandi march, civil disobedience, women’s participation, global impact.
- Quit India (1942): “Do or Die”, spontaneous uprising, final push, showed inevitability of freedom.
- Overall: transformed struggle into mass movement, non‑violence, unity, moral high ground.