Class 12 History (Code 13) – Half-Yearly Model Paper 2026-27 (English Medium)
By NCERTClasses Team
General Instructions
- All questions are compulsory; in internal choices (OR), attempt only one option.
- Marks for each question are shown in brackets.
- Section A: 14 marks, Section B: 16, Section C: 20, Section D: 24, Section E (Map Work): 6 marks.
- For map work, attach an outline map of India to your answer-book.
- Write correct, clear answers within the prescribed word limit.
Section A : Objective Questions (14 × 1 = 14 marks)
Questions 1 to 14 carry 1 mark each.
Reason (R): Sculptors showed enlightenment through the peepal (Bodhi) tree and the first sermon through the wheel.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A. (c) A is true, R is false. (d) A is false, R is true. [1] Theme 4
List I: A. Chairman of the Drafting Committee; B. Permanent President of the Constituent Assembly; C. Constitutional Adviser; D. Mover of the Objectives Resolution.
List II: 1. Dr Rajendra Prasad; 2. Jawaharlal Nehru; 3. B.N. Rau; 4. Dr B.R. Ambedkar. [1] Theme 12
Section B : Very Short Answer Questions (8 × 2 = 16 marks)
Each question carries 2 marks; answer in about 30 words.
OR Name any two materials used in making beads at Harappan sites.
OR Write two rules framed by Brahmanas regarding the gotra system.
OR Write two features of Mahayana Buddhism.
OR Who were the 'amara-nayakas' in the Vijayanagara empire?
OR Write two means of livelihood of the Paharia people of the Rajmahal Hills.
OR What is meant by the Ryotwari settlement?
OR What was the Poona Pact (1932)? Explain briefly.
OR How were the members of the Constituent Assembly chosen?
Section C : Short Answer Questions (5 × 4 = 20 marks)
Each question carries 4 marks; answer in about 80-100 words.
OR What is the archaeological evidence for social and economic differences in Harappan society? Answer in four points.
OR What arguments and methods did the Brahmanas adopt to prove that the varna order was divine and compulsory? Write four points.
OR What did Al-Biruni use to explain the Indian caste system? State his view on the notion of pollution.
OR Explain how the amara-nayaka system of Vijayanagara worked.
OR State the background and significance of the Champaran Satyagraha of 1917.
Section D : Long Answer Questions (4 × 6 = 24 marks)
Each question carries 6 marks; answer in about 150-200 words.
OR Discuss the administrative system of the Mauryan empire (major political centres, military organisation according to Megasthenes, and the role of officials under Ashoka).
OR Describe the activities of a Sufi khanqah and name any four prominent saints of the Chishti silsila with their centres.
OR Describe the structure and functions of the panchayat in Mughal-period Indian villages and state the role of the zamindars.
OR Describe the causes and nature of the 1857 revolt in Awadh (annexation of Awadh, position of the taluqdars, leadership at Lucknow).
Section E : Map Work (6 marks)
- Kalibangan (Harappan Civilisation)
- Dholavira (Harappan Civilisation)
- Sanchi (Buddhist stupa)
- Hampi (Vijayanagara)
- Dandi (Salt Satyagraha)
- Meerut (Revolt of 1857)
Marks Distribution Table
| Part | Theme | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Theme 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones: The Harappan Civilisation | 1, 15, 23 | 7 |
| Theme 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns: Early States and Economies | 28 | 6 | |
| Theme 3: Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies | 16, 24 | 6 | |
| Theme 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings: Cultural Developments | 2-5, 17 | 6 | |
| II | Theme 5: Through the Eyes of Travellers: Perceptions of Society | 6, 7, 25 | 6 |
| Theme 6: Bhakti-Sufi Traditions: Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts | 29 | 6 | |
| Theme 7: An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara | 18, 26 | 6 | |
| Theme 8: Peasants, Zamindars and the State: Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire | 30 | 6 | |
| III | Theme 9: Colonialism and the Countryside: Exploring Official Archives | 8, 9, 19, 20 | 6 |
| Theme 10: Rebels and the Raj: 1857 Revolt and its Representations | 31 | 6 | |
| Theme 11: Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement: Civil Disobedience and Beyond | 10, 21, 27 | 7 | |
| Theme 12: Framing the Constitution: The Beginning of a New Era | 11-14, 22 | 6 | |
| — | Theme 13: Map Work | 32 | 6 |
| Total (Part I 25 + Part II 24 + Part III 25 + Map 6) | 80 | ||
| Section | Type | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Objective 14 × 1 | 1-14 | 14 |
| B | Very short answer 8 × 2 | 15-22 | 16 |
| C | Short answer 5 × 4 | 23-27 | 20 |
| D | Long answer 4 × 6 | 28-31 | 24 |
| E | Map work 6 × 1 | 32 | 6 |
| Total | 80 | ||
Answer Key and Marking Scheme
(Word-for-word matching is not required; award full marks for any correct answer conveying the same idea.)
Section A (1 mark each)
1. (b) Mohenjodaro. 2. (c) Madhya Pradesh. 3. Vinaya (Vinaya Pitaka). 4. (a) Shahjahan Begum. 5. (a). 6. (b) Arabic. 7. (b) Muhammad bin Tughluq. 8. (b) Lord Cornwallis. 9. Damin-i-Koh. 10. (a) 12 March 1930. 11. (a) 9 December 1946. 12. Dr Sachchidananda Sinha. 13. (c) 26 November 1949. 14. A-4, B-1, C-3, D-2.
Q15 (2)
(a) Grid-like streets / division into citadel and lower town; covered drains for drainage; houses of baked bricks (any two, 1+1). OR carnelian, jasper, crystal, quartz, steatite, copper/bronze, gold (any two, 1+1).
Q16 (2)
(a) Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune (1); V.S. Sukthankar as chief editor (1). OR members of the same gotra could not marry each other (1); after marriage a woman gave up her father's gotra and took her husband's (1).
Q17 (2)
(a) A stupa is a mound-like sacred structure (1); it held relics of the Buddha or objects associated with him, so it became a venerated monument (1). OR worship of the Buddha in image form (1); the idea of the bodhisattva, who helped others attain salvation (1).
Q18 (2)
(a) Colin Mackenzie, engineer and antiquarian (1); in 1800 he prepared the first survey map of the site (1). OR military chiefs who received areas (amaram) to govern from the king (raya) (1); they collected taxes from peasants, craftspersons and traders (1).
Q19 (2)
(a) If the revenue was not paid by sunset on the fixed date, the zamindari estate was liable to be auctioned (2). OR shifting (hoe) cultivation, hunting, gathering forest produce (any two, 1+1).
Q20 (2)
(a) High revenue demand; fall in prices after the cotton boom; moneylenders refusing to give loans (any two, 1+1). OR revenue assessed directly on the ryot (cultivator) (1); settlement revised periodically, not fixed permanently (1).
Q21 (2)
(a) Dated 5 March 1931; Civil Disobedience Movement called off; Gandhi agreed to attend the Second Round Table Conference; release of satyagrahi prisoners (any two, 1+1). OR agreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar on 24 September 1932 (1); reserved seats for the depressed classes in provincial legislatures instead of separate electorates (1).
Q22 (2)
(a) In 1930 the Congress had observed 26 January as Purna Swaraj (Independence) Day (1); in memory of that, the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 (1). OR indirect election by members of the provincial legislative assemblies under the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) (2).
Q23 (4)
(a) Copper: Khetri (Rajasthan) and Oman; tin: Afghanistan and Iran; lapis lazuli: Shortughai (Afghanistan); carnelian: Gujarat (Lothal area); steatite: south Rajasthan and north Gujarat (any four, 1 each). OR variation in burial goods and ornaments (1); costly items (e.g. faience) found at only a few settlements (1); the citadel / lower town distinction (1); possible presence of craft specialists and a ruling class (1).
Q24 (4)
(a) Brahmanas: study and teach the Vedas, perform and conduct sacrifices, give and receive gifts (1); Kshatriyas: warfare, protecting people, administering justice (1); Vaishyas: agriculture, cattle rearing, trade (1); Shudras: serve the three higher varnas, no right to Vedic study (1). OR divine origin of varna (Purusha Sukta) (1); advice to kings to enforce the varna rules (1); propagation through the Puranas and stories (1); giving the rules a legal form in the Dharmashastras (1).
Q25 (4)
(a) The land belonged to the Crown / state, there was no private property (1); this, he argued, ruined agriculture, exploited peasants and caused the decline of the ruling class (2); criticism: Mughal records show that zamindars and peasants held rights over land (1). OR he compared the caste system with the four social classes of ancient Persia (2); he rejected the notion of pollution as contrary to the law of nature, since whatever becomes impure strives to regain purity (2).
Q26 (4)
(a) In 1565 at Rakshasi-Tangadi (Talikota), Rama Raya's army was defeated by the combined forces of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar and Golconda (2); the city was plundered and abandoned, and the empire weakened (2). OR amara-nayakas were granted territories by the raya (1); they collected revenue (1); they maintained horses, elephants and soldiers and supplied troops to the raya (1); later many became independent (1).
Q27 (4)
(a) Salt was used by everyone, and the tax on it burdened all (1); on 12 March 1930 Gandhi began a march of about 240 miles on foot from Sabarmati to Dandi (1); the law was broken at Dandi on 6 April 1930 (1); the movement spread across the country with wide mass participation (1). OR in Champaran peasants were forced to grow indigo on part of their land (the tinkathia system) and were exploited by planters (2); Gandhi's first major satyagraha in India; it brought relief to the peasants (2).
Q28 (6)
(a) Remorse after the Kalinga war (1); non-violence, respect for elders and Brahmanas, kindness to servants, tolerance of all sects (2); appointment of dhamma mahamattas (1); messages carried by rock and pillar inscriptions, mostly in Prakrit and Brahmi (2). OR centres: Pataliputra (capital), Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali, Suvarnagiri (2); Megasthenes: a committee with six sub-committees for military coordination (navy, transport/provisions, infantry, cavalry, chariots, elephants) (2); role of Ashoka's mahamattas/officials (2).
Q29 (6)
(a) Collections: Kabir Granthavali, Bijak, Adi Granth Sahib (2); nirguna bhakti, rejection of idol worship and outward ritual (1); criticism of caste distinctions and of Hindu and Muslim orthodoxy (1); calling the Ultimate Reality by names such as Allah, Khuda, Ram, and practice through the shabda and inner devotion (2). OR khanqah: shaikh/pir, murids, jamaatkhana, langar, ziyarat, sama (music) (2); Chishti saints: Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti (Ajmer), Nizamuddin Auliya (Delhi), Baba Farid (Ajodhan/Pakpattan), Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (Delhi) (1 each).
Q30 (6)
(a) Assessment and collection of revenue through zamindars and revenue officials (jama and hasil) (2); measurement of land; classes: polaj, parauti, chachar, banjar (2); Ain-i-Akbari: by Abu'l Fazl, completed c. 1598, contains revenue statistics (2). OR panchayat: headed by the muqaddam (headman) / mandal with village elders (2); functions: settling socio-economic disputes, imposing fines and outcasting (2); zamindars: revenue collection, military forces/forts, role in extending cultivation (2).
Q31 (6)
(a) Rumour of cartridges greased with fat; refusal by soldiers at Meerut (2); on 10 May 1857 the sepoys revolted, freed prisoners and attacked British officers (2); reaching Delhi on 11 May, they proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar their leader (1); he accepted the leadership and was later exiled to Rangoon (1). OR annexation of Awadh in 1856 and exile of Wajid Ali Shah (2); taluqdars, peasants and sepoys joined the revolt (2); Begum Hazrat Mahal's leadership at Lucknow (2).
Q32 (6, 1 each)
1 mark for correct marking and name of each place. Kalibangan: Rajasthan (Hanumangarh district, dry bed of the Ghaggar); Dholavira: Gujarat (Kachchh district, Khadir island); Sanchi: Madhya Pradesh (Raisen district); Hampi: Karnataka (on the Tungabhadra; Vijayanagara district); Dandi: Gujarat (Navsari district, Arabian Sea coast); Meerut: Uttar Pradesh. Award half a mark for a slightly displaced mark.
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