VARDAAN LEARNING INSTITUTE
MOCK QUESTION PAPER SOLUTION (2025-26)
SOCIAL SCIENCE (CODE 087)
CLASS: X
Time Allowed: 3 Hours Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
  1. This document contains detailed solutions for the Mock Question Paper.
  2. Students are advised to check their answers and understand the key points required for scoring full marks.
  3. Word limits mentioned in the question paper must be adhered to in the final board exam.
SECTION A: HISTORY (20 MARKS)
1.
Match the following and choose the correct option:[1]
Ans: (a) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
Explanation: Giuseppe Mazzini formed 'Young Italy'. Duke Metternich hosted the Congress of Vienna. Otto Von Bismarck was the Chief Minister of Prussia. Kaiser William I was proclaimed the German Emperor.
2.
Identify the personality represented in the caricature / Who remarked, "When France sneezes..."?[1]
Ans: (c) Duke Metternich
Explanation: The statement "When France sneezes, the rest of Europe catches cold" was made by the Austrian Chancellor Duke Metternich regarding the political upheavals in France.
3.
Arrange the following events related to the Non-Cooperation Movement in chronological order:[1]
Ans: (a) III, II, IV, I
III. Gandhiji returns from South Africa (1915)
II. Khilafat Committee formed in Bombay (1919)
IV. Adoption of Non-Cooperation program at Nagpur Session (Dec 1920)
I. Chauri Chaura incident (1922)
4.
"Not all for the rich, but for the poor too." Who brought this change by selling penny chapbooks?[1]
Ans: (c) Peddlers in France (Bibliotheque Bleue)
5A.
"The decade of 1830s had brought great economic hardship in Europe." Support the statement with two arguments.[2]
Answer:
  1. Population Explosion: There was an enormous increase in population all over Europe, leading to more job seekers than employment.
  2. Migration & Slums: Population from rural areas migrated to the cities to live in overcrowded slums.
  3. Industrial Competition: Small producers in towns faced stiff competition from imports of cheap machine-made goods from England.
OR
5B.
How did the Treaty of Vienna (1815) change the map of Europe? Give two points.[2]
Answer:
  1. Restoration of Monarchy: The Bourbon dynasty, which had been deposed during the French Revolution, was restored to power.
  2. Buffer States: A series of states were set up on the boundaries of France to prevent French expansion in future (e.g., Kingdom of the Netherlands).
6A.
Explain the role of women in the Civil Disobedience Movement.[3]
Answer:
  1. Large Scale Participation: During Gandhiji's Salt March, thousands of women came out of their homes to listen to him.
  2. Active Protest: They participated in protest marches, manufactured salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops.
  3. Imprisonment: Many women went to jail. In urban areas, these women were from high-caste families; in rural areas, they came from rich peasant households.
OR
6B.
"The plantation workers in Assam had their own understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and the notion of Swaraj." Support the statement.[3]
Answer:
  1. Freedom of Movement: For plantation workers, freedom meant the right to move freely in and out of the confined space in which they were enclosed.
  2. Link with Village: It meant retaining a link with the village from which they had come.
  3. Defying the Act: Under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, plantation workers were not permitted to leave the tea gardens without permission. When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the authorities and left the plantations.
7A.
"Print culture created the conditions within which French Revolution occurred." Analyze the statement.[5]
Answer:
  1. Ideas of Enlightenment: Print popularized the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers (Voltaire, Rousseau). Their writings provided a critical commentary on tradition, superstition, and despotism.
  2. Culture of Dialogue: Print created a new culture of dialogue and debate. All values, norms, and institutions were re-evaluated and discussed by a public that had become aware of the power of reason.
  3. Criticism of Monarchy: By the 1780s, there was an outpouring of literature that mocked the royalty and criticized their morality. Cartoons and caricatures suggested the monarchy remained absorbed in sensual pleasures while the common people suffered immense hardships.
8.
Source Based Question (Satyagraha):[4]
8.1 Fundamental Principle: The fundamental principle is that Satyagraha is pure soul-force. Truth is the very substance of the soul, and the soul is informed with knowledge and love. (1)
8.2 Difference: A Satyagrahi does not inflict pain on the adversary and does not seek his destruction. Unlike passive resistance, there is no ill-will in Satyagraha. (1)
8.3 Significance: It signified that the struggle against British rule did not require physical force to fight the oppressor. If the cause was true, then physical force was not necessary. It appealed to the conscience of the oppressor. (2)
9.
Map Skill Based Question:[2]
A. Jallianwala Bagh: Amritsar (Punjab)
B. Cotton Mill Satyagraha: Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
SECTION B: GEOGRAPHY (20 MARKS)
10.
Main cause of land degradation in Punjab?[1]
Ans: (c) Over-irrigation
11.
Match the crop with its description:[1]
Ans: (a) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
12.
Which statement about 'Minerals' is correct?[1]
Ans: (b) Ore is a mineral mixed with other elements.
13.
Corbett National Park is located in:[1]
Ans: (b) Uttarakhand
14.
Mode of transportation that reduces trans-shipment losses:[1]
Ans: (c) Pipelines
15.
Identify the soil: Deccan trap, fine clayey material, holds moisture.[1]
Ans: (c) Black Soil
16.
"India is rich in certain types of resources but deficient in some other resources." Support with examples.[2]
Answer:
  1. Ladakh: The cold desert of Ladakh is very rich in cultural heritage but it is deficient in water, infrastructure, and some vital minerals.
  2. Arunachal Pradesh: Has abundance of water resources but lacks in infrastructural development.
  3. Rajasthan: Very well endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks in water resources.
17A.
"Manufacturing sector is considered the backbone of development." Analyze.[5]
Answer:
  1. Modernizing Agriculture: Manufacturing industries help in modernizing agriculture, which forms the backbone of our economy.
  2. Employment Generation: They reduce the heavy dependence of people on agricultural income by providing jobs in secondary and tertiary sectors.
  3. Regional Disparities: Industrial development helps in eradication of unemployment and poverty and reducing regional disparities.
  4. Foreign Exchange: Export of manufactured goods expands trade and commerce and brings in much-needed foreign exchange.
  5. Prosperity: Countries that transform their raw materials into a wide variety of furnished goods of higher value are prosperous.
18.
Case Study (Water Scarcity):[4]
18.1 Reason: Large and growing population, consequent greater demands for water, and unequal access to it. (1)
18.2 Impact on Groundwater: To facilitate higher food-grain production, water resources are being over-exploited to expand irrigated areas. This leads to falling groundwater levels. (1)
18.3 Conservation Methods: Rainwater harvesting and recycling of water. (2)
SECTION C: POLITICAL SCIENCE (20 MARKS)
20.
Which country has a 'Coming Together Federation'?[1]
Ans: (c) USA
21.
Identify correct statement regarding 'Third Tier' of democracy.[1]
Ans: (c) State Election Commission conducts these elections.
22.
Which is NOT a function of political parties?[1]
Ans: (c) To adjudicate disputes between citizens (This is the function of Judiciary).
23.
Assertion (A) & Reason (R) regarding Democracy.[1]
Ans: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
24.
"Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy." Validate with two points.[2]
Answer:
  1. Moral Reason: A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise and who have to live with its effects.
  2. Legitimacy: People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.
25.
Mention two constitutional provisions that make India a secular state.[2]
Answer:
  1. No Official Religion: There is no official religion for the Indian state. Unlike Sri Lanka (Buddhism) or Pakistan (Islam), our Constitution does not give a special status to any religion.
  2. Freedom of Religion: The Constitution provides to all individuals and communities the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate any religion, or not to follow any (Article 25).
26.
"Democracies accommodate social diversity." Support the statement.[3]
Answer:
  1. Negotiated Settlement: Democracy develops a procedure to conduct competition among various social groups. This reduces the possibility of these tensions becoming explosive or violent.
  2. Respect for Differences: No society can fully resolve conflicts, but democracy teaches us to respect these differences and evolve mechanisms to negotiate them.
  3. Majority-Minority Cooperation: It ensures that the majority always needs to work with the minority so that governments function to represent the general view.
27A.
Explain the five major challenges faced by political parties in India.[5]
Answer:
  1. Lack of Internal Democracy: Concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top. No organizational meetings or internal elections are held.
  2. Dynastic Succession: Leaders favor people close to them or their family members. Top positions are always controlled by members of one family.
  3. Money and Muscle Power: Parties focus on winning elections, so they tend to nominate candidates who have or can raise lots of money. Rich people and companies influence policies.
  4. Criminalization: In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.
  5. Lack of Meaningful Choice: Ideological differences among parties have declined, offering voters very little difference in policies.
SECTION D: ECONOMICS (20 MARKS)
29.
Sector contributing most to GDP but employs fewer people?[1]
Ans: (b) Tertiary Sector
30.
In a Self-Help Group (SHG), who decides on savings and loan activities?[1]
Ans: (b) The Members of the Group
31.
Which is a barrier on foreign trade?[1]
Ans: (c) Tax on Imports
32.
Find the incorrect option.[1]
Ans: (d) UNDP stands for Union National Development Plan. (Correct: United Nations Development Programme)
33.
Process of rapid integration between countries?[1]
Ans: (b) Globalization
34.
Money acts as an intermediate in exchange process, called:[1]
Ans: (a) Medium of Exchange
35.
"The problem of underemployment is not confined to agriculture alone." Explain with urban examples.[3]
Answer:
  1. Casual Laborers: There are thousands of casual laborers in the service sector in urban areas who search for daily employment (e.g., painters, plumbers, repair persons).
  2. Low Earnings: They are employed but earn very little and do not have job security.
  3. Petty Trade: Many people work as street vendors or pushcart pullers. They may spend the whole day but earn very little, yet they do this work because they do not have better opportunities.
36.
Explain the role of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in supervising the formal sector of loans.[3]
Answer:
  1. Cash Balance: The RBI monitors the banks in actually maintaining the cash balance (CRR).
  2. Loan Distribution: The RBI sees that the banks give loans not just to profit-making businesses and traders but also to small cultivators, small scale industries, and small borrowers.
  3. Periodic Reports: Periodically, banks have to submit information to the RBI on how much they are lending, to whom, and at what interest rate.
37.
"Cheap and affordable credit is crucial for the country's development." Justify.[3]
Answer:
  1. Prevents Debt Trap: High cost of borrowing implies that a large part of earnings goes to repaying loans. Cheap credit prevents the debt trap.
  2. Encourages Entrepreneurship: Cheap credit encourages people to invest in agriculture, do business, or set up small-scale industries.
  3. National Income: More investment leads to more production and employment, thereby increasing the national income.
38A.
"Globalization has been advantageous to consumers as well as to producers." Analyze.[5]
Answer:
  1. For Consumers:
    • Choice: Greater choice of goods in the market.
    • Quality & Price: Improved quality and lower prices for several products.
    • Standard of Living: People enjoy higher standards of living than was possible earlier.
  2. For Producers:
    • MNCs: MNCs have increased their investments in industries like cell phones, automobiles, and soft drinks.
    • Indian Companies: Top Indian companies have benefitted from increased competition. Some have emerged as multinationals themselves (Tata Motors, Infosys).
    • New Opportunities: Globalization has created new opportunities for companies providing services, particularly IT.