www.careerinformationportal.in
APNA CAREER PORTAL
www.careerinformationportal.in
CBSE Sample Practice Paper — 1 (High-Level / HOTS Edition, Session 2026–27)
| Student Name: ______________________ | Roll No.: __________ | Section: __________ |
General Instructions:
1. This question paper is divided into five sections — A, B, C, D and E.
2. Section A has 20 objective-type questions (including 2 Assertion–Reasoning questions) carrying 1 mark each.
3. Section B has 6 Short Answer questions carrying 3 marks each.
4. Section C has 4 Long Answer questions carrying 5 marks each.
5. Section D has 3 Source/Case-based questions carrying 4 marks each, with internal sub-parts.
6. Section E has 2 Map-based questions carrying 5 marks each (one from History, one from Geography).
7. Internal choices have been provided in approximately one-third of the questions; attempt only one option wherever a choice is given.
8. This is a High-Level / HOTS practice edition — questions emphasise analysis, evaluation, and application of concepts across History, Geography, Political Science and Economics, rather than direct recall.
SECTION A (1 Mark each) — Q1 to Q20
Questions are drawn from across History, Geography, Political Science and Economics.
Q1. The Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn after the Chauri Chaura incident mainly because: 1
Q2. Which of the following best explains why the Rowlatt Act triggered widespread protest across India? 1
Q3. The Civil Disobedience Movement differed from the Non-Cooperation Movement primarily because: 1
Q4. Which statement best explains the link between print culture and the growth of nationalism in colonial India? 1
Q5. Why did Gandhi's idea of Satyagraha rely on the power of truth rather than physical force? 1
Q6. Which factor best explains why the black (regur) soils of the Deccan Plateau are especially suited to cotton cultivation? 1
Q7. Why has Kerala's sex ratio remained consistently favourable to women compared to most other Indian states? 1
Q8. Why is groundwater over-exploitation a growing concern in India despite the country receiving adequate annual rainfall overall? 1
Q9. Which of the following best explains the decline in India's competitive advantage in the jute industry in recent decades? 1
Q10. Why are national highways often described as the "lifelines" of the Indian economy? 1
Q11. Beyond simply reducing conflict, which reasoning best explains why power-sharing is considered desirable in a democracy? 1
Q12. Belgium's community-based power-sharing arrangement was primarily designed to address which challenge? 1
Q13. Why is the "rule of law" considered a fundamental feature of good democratic government? 1
Q14. Which of the following best illustrates a challenge federalism can face when a single party dominates both central and state governments? 1
Q15. Why do political parties often face internal challenges related to dynastic succession? 1
Q16. Why might a country with a higher per capita income still rank lower on the Human Development Index (HDI) than a country with lower per capita income? 1
Q17. Which best explains why the tertiary sector contributes the largest share to India's GDP despite employing a smaller share of the workforce than agriculture? 1
Q18. Why does the Reserve Bank of India regulate the loans and interest rates offered by commercial banks? 1
Q19. Assertion (A): Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have helped many poor people, especially women, overcome the problem of lack of collateral for loans.
Reason (R): SHG members pool their regular savings, and this collective saving acts as a substitute for collateral when the group approaches a bank for a loan. 1
Reason (R): SHG members pool their regular savings, and this collective saving acts as a substitute for collateral when the group approaches a bank for a loan. 1
Q20. Assertion (A): Globalisation has benefited all workers in India equally.
Reason (R): Globalisation has had a mixed impact — benefiting some groups, such as skilled workers and consumers who gain access to cheaper goods, while creating job insecurity for others, such as small producers competing with cheaper imports. 1
Reason (R): Globalisation has had a mixed impact — benefiting some groups, such as skilled workers and consumers who gain access to cheaper goods, while creating job insecurity for others, such as small producers competing with cheaper imports. 1
Page 1 | www.careerinformationportal.in
www.careerinformationportal.in
SECTION B (3 Marks each) — Q21 to Q26
Q21. "The Civil Disobedience Movement was different in nature from the Non-Cooperation Movement." Analyse this statement, supporting your answer with two examples. 3
Q22. Explain any three geographical factors responsible for the concentration of the iron and steel industry in the Chotanagpur plateau region. 3
— OR —
Analyse any three reasons why road transport is generally preferred over rail transport for short-distance movement of goods and people in India. 3
Q23. "Coalition governments can make power-sharing more effective in a democracy." Justify this statement with suitable examples. 3
Q24. Distinguish between horizontal and vertical distribution of power, giving one example of each from the Indian political system. 3
— OR —
Analyse why political parties are considered essential for the functioning of a democracy, even though people often criticise them. 3
Q25. "Money acts as an intermediate in the exchange process, making trade easier than the barter system." Explain this statement with a suitable example. 3
Q26. Examine any three ways in which consumer awareness and consumer rights protect the interests of buyers in the Indian market. 3
SECTION C (5 Marks each) — Q27 to Q30
Q27. "The First World War, the Khilafat issue, and the events of 1919–1922 together turned Non-Cooperation into a genuine mass movement." Analyse this statement with reference to the participation of different social groups — peasants, workers, business classes, and women. 5
— OR —
Evaluate the role of print culture in shaping nationalist consciousness during the colonial period in India, with suitable examples. 5
Q28. Assess the impact of the Green Revolution on Indian agriculture, considering both its benefits and the environmental and regional imbalances it created. 5
— OR —
Examine the major challenges faced by manufacturing industries in India, and suggest measures for their sustainable development. 5
Q29. "Power-sharing arrangements can reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups." Examine this statement with reference to any two forms of power-sharing you have studied. 5
— OR —
Evaluate the major factors that have contributed to the erosion of public trust in political parties in contemporary democracies, and suggest reforms to strengthen them. 5
Q30. Discuss the role of formal and informal sources of credit in India, comparing their advantages and limitations, and explain why expanding formal credit remains important for development. 5
— OR —
Analyse the impact of globalisation on Indian producers, workers and consumers, citing both positive and negative consequences. 5
Page 2 | www.careerinformationportal.in
www.careerinformationportal.in
SECTION D — Source/Case-Based Questions (4 Marks each) — Q31 to Q33
Q31. Read the following source and answer the questions that follow:4
In March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi, along with a group of followers, set out on a march of over 240 miles from Sabarmati to the coastal town of Dandi, where he broke the salt law by manufacturing salt from seawater. Gandhi deliberately chose salt as a symbol of protest because it was something used daily by every Indian, rich or poor, and the government's monopoly and tax on salt production was seen as a particularly unjust burden on the common people. The march attracted huge crowds along its route and marked the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement, drawing participation from peasants, women, and even some sections of the business community.
(i) Which law did the Dandi March directly challenge? (1)
(ii) Why did Gandhi specifically choose salt as the symbol for this act of protest? (1)
(iii) Analyse how the Dandi March succeeded in mobilising different sections of Indian society. (2)
Q32. Read the following source and answer the questions that follow:4
Many regions in India face acute water scarcity despite adequate average rainfall, largely due to the seasonal and uneven distribution of rain, over-extraction of groundwater for irrigation, and inadequate water management infrastructure. Traditional rainwater harvesting systems, once widely used across the country, have declined with the growth of large dam and canal-based irrigation systems. In recent years, many communities and local governments have begun reviving traditional water conservation methods, alongside promoting more efficient irrigation techniques, to address the growing water crisis sustainably.
(i) Name one traditional method of rainwater harvesting used in India. (1)
(ii) Why does India face water scarcity despite having adequate average annual rainfall? (1)
(iii) Analyse why reviving traditional water conservation methods, alongside modern techniques, is considered a more sustainable approach to managing water resources. (2)
Q33. Read the following source and answer the questions that follow:4
Economic development is no longer measured by income alone. The Human Development Index (HDI), used internationally to compare countries, takes into account life expectancy, educational attainment, and per capita income together. A country may have a relatively high per capita income yet perform poorly on health and education indicators, resulting in a lower overall HDI ranking than expected. This shows that economic growth alone does not guarantee an improvement in the overall well-being and capabilities of a country's population.
(i) Name the three components that together make up the Human Development Index. (1)
(ii) Why can a country with high per capita income still have a comparatively low HDI ranking? (1)
(iii) Explain why economic growth (rising income) alone is not considered sufficient to measure a country's development. (2)
SECTION E — Map-Based Questions (5 Marks each) — Q34 to Q35
Note: In the actual examination, these questions are attempted on a printed outline map of India provided along with the question paper.
Q34. (History) On an outline political map of India: 5
(i) Mark and label the following three places associated with the Indian National Movement, with an appropriate symbol at each location: (a) Dandi, (b) Champaran, (c) Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh). (3)
(ii) Two places, marked as A and B on the map, are associated with important sessions of the Indian National Congress. Identify and name these two places. (2)
Q35. (Geography) On an outline physical/economic map of India: 5
(i) Mark and label the following three locations with an appropriate symbol at each: (a) Bhilai (iron and steel plant), (b) Digboi (oil field), (c) Mumbai High (offshore oil field). (3)
(ii) Two regions, marked as A and B on the map, are known for cotton textile and jute textile industries respectively. Identify and name these two regions/states. (2)
Page 3 | www.careerinformationportal.in
www.careerinformationportal.in
APNA CAREER PORTAL
www.careerinformationportal.in
Design of Question Paper — Blueprint & Analysis
1. Section-wise Blueprint
| Section | Question Type | No. of Questions | Marks each | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Objective (MCQ incl. 2 Assertion–Reason) | 20 | 1 | 20 |
| B | Short Answer | 6 | 3 | 18 |
| C | Long Answer | 4 | 5 | 20 |
| D | Source/Case-Based (1+1+2) | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| E | Map-Based (History + Geography) | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Total | 80 | |||
2. Subject-wise (Discipline-wise) Marks Distribution
| Discipline | Sec A | Sec B | Sec C | Sec D | Sec E | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 22 |
| Geography | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 22 |
| Political Science | 5 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Economics | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Total | 20 | 18 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 80 |
3. Competency-Level Distribution — High-Level / HOTS Edition
| Competency Level | Description | Marks | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remembering & Understanding | Recall of facts, definitions, direct concept-based questions | 24 | 30% |
| Applying | Application of concepts to explain, justify, or illustrate situations | 26 | 32.5% |
| Analysing, Evaluating & Creating (HOTS) | Analysis, comparison, evaluation, and source/case-based reasoning across disciplines | 30 | 37.5% |
| Total | 80 | 100% |
Note: This edition weights more marks toward analytical and evaluative (HOTS) questions than a standard-difficulty paper, to build stronger practice for board-level "analyse", "examine", and "assess"-type questions.
4. Internal Choice Summary
Internal choices are provided in Q22, Q24, Q27, Q28, Q29 and Q30 — approximately one-third of the total questions in Sections B and C.
Page 4 (Blueprint & Analysis) | www.careerinformationportal.in
www.careerinformationportal.in
Answer Key
Section A — Answer Key (1 mark each)
| Q | Ans | Q | Ans | Q | Ans | Q | Ans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (B) | 6 | (B) | 11 | (B) | 16 | (B) |
| 2 | (B) | 7 | (B) | 12 | (B) | 17 | (B) |
| 3 | (B) | 8 | (B) | 13 | (B) | 18 | (B) |
| 4 | (B) | 9 | (B) | 14 | (B) | 19 | (A) |
| 5 | (B) | 10 | (B) | 15 | (B) | 20 | (D) |
Section B — Key Points (3 marks each)
Q21. Civil Disobedience involved actively breaking colonial laws (e.g., the Salt Law), unlike Non-Cooperation, which involved withdrawal/boycott without direct law-breaking; e.g., illegal salt manufacture, and refusal to pay taxes in some regions.
Q22. Proximity to iron ore, coal and manganese deposits; availability of cheap labour; good transport and market connectivity via railways (any three).
OR: Roads are cheaper to construct, can navigate difficult terrain, provide door-to-door connectivity, and are more economical for short distances than the fixed infrastructure of railways.
Q23. Coalition governments require different parties to negotiate and share power, ensuring wider representation of diverse interests; e.g., regional parties gaining a voice in national coalition governments in India.
Q24. Horizontal distribution: power shared among different organs of government at the same level (e.g., legislature, executive, judiciary); Vertical distribution: power shared among different levels of government (e.g., Union, State, and local/Panchayati Raj governments in India).
OR: Political parties structure electoral choices, form and run governments, and provide a mechanism for people's demands to be represented and translated into policy, despite their imperfections.
Q25. Money removes the need for a "double coincidence of wants" required in barter; e.g., a farmer can sell wheat for money and use that money to buy any other good or service, unlike in barter where both parties must want what the other offers.
Q26. Consumer awareness helps people demand fair pricing, quality standards, and accurate information; consumer courts/forums provide legal redressal against unfair trade practices; rights like the right to safety and right to information protect buyers from exploitation (any three).
Section C — Key Points (5 marks each)
Q27. WWI increased economic hardship (inflation, forced recruitment); the Khilafat issue united Hindus and Muslims in a common cause; peasants, workers and business classes each joined for distinct reasons (land revenue relief, wage/working condition demands, and protection from foreign competition respectively); women participated in large numbers, breaking social norms.
OR: Print media disseminated nationalist ideas, vernacular newspapers/pamphlets reached wider audiences, and iconography/print images built a shared sense of national identity; example: works of writers and nationalist newspapers spreading anti-colonial sentiment.
Q28. Benefits: increased foodgrain production, especially wheat, achieving self-sufficiency; drawbacks: regional imbalance (concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, western UP), overuse of groundwater and chemical inputs causing environmental degradation, and limited benefit to small farmers in other regions.
OR: Challenges: lack of infrastructure, high cost of credit, obsolete technology, competition from imports; measures: investment in infrastructure, skill development, promotion of cleaner production technologies, and support for small-scale industries.
Q29. Power-sharing among social groups (community-based, e.g. Belgium) and between different levels of government (vertical, e.g. Indian federalism) both accommodate diverse interests, reducing the likelihood that any single group feels excluded and resorts to conflict.
OR: Factors: dynastic politics, lack of internal democracy, growing role of money and muscle power in elections, unclear ideological differences; reforms: legal regulation of party funding, mandatory internal elections, stricter criminal-record disclosure norms.
Q30. Formal sources (banks, cooperatives) offer regulated interest rates and legal protection but are less accessible to the poor; informal sources (moneylenders, traders) are more accessible but often charge exploitative interest rates; expanding formal credit access, especially through means like SHGs, helps protect borrowers and supports development.
OR: Producers face increased competition from imports and MNCs (positive: better technology/quality; negative: pressure on small producers); workers face job insecurity in some sectors but new opportunities in others (e.g., IT/BPO); consumers benefit from wider choice and often lower prices.
Section D — Key Points (4 marks each)
Q31. (i) The Salt Law (British monopoly and tax on salt production). (ii) Salt was used daily by every Indian regardless of class, making the tax a universally felt and easily understood symbol of colonial injustice. (iii) The march passed through many villages, drawing growing crowds and support from peasants; it inspired parallel acts of civil disobedience across India; women and business groups also joined, broadening the movement's social base beyond its starting point.
Q32. (i) Examples include step-wells (baolis), tanks, or check dams (any correct traditional method). (ii) Because rainfall is highly seasonal and unevenly distributed across regions, leading to acute shortages outside the monsoon months and in low-rainfall areas. (iii) Traditional methods are low-cost, use local knowledge suited to specific terrain, and reduce over-dependence on groundwater/large dams, making water use more sustainable when combined with modern efficient irrigation techniques.
Q33. (i) Life expectancy (health), educational attainment (education), and per capita income. (ii) Because HDI also reflects health and education outcomes, and a country may under-invest in these even while its income levels are comparatively high. (iii) Because rising income alone does not guarantee improvements in people's health, education, or overall quality of life/capabilities, all of which are essential aspects of genuine development.
Section E — Key Points (5 marks each)
Q34. (i) Dandi (Gujarat coast), Champaran (Bihar), Amritsar/Jallianwala Bagh (Punjab) — to be marked with appropriate symbols. (ii) Locations to be identified based on the actual map provided (typically Lahore and Karachi, or other INC session venues as marked).
Q35. (i) Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Digboi (Assam), Mumbai High (offshore, Arabian Sea) — to be marked with appropriate symbols. (ii) Cotton textile region — typically Maharashtra/Gujarat; Jute textile region — typically West Bengal, based on the actual map markings.
Page 5 (Answer Key) | www.careerinformationportal.in
www.careerinformationportal.in
Detailed Marking Scheme
General Marking Guidelines
• Section A (MCQ/Assertion-Reason): 1 mark for the correct option only; no partial credit.
• Section B (3-mark questions): marks distributed as 1 mark per valid point/example, up to a maximum of 3, or as per the reasoning-quality of the analysis provided.
• Section C (5-mark questions): marks awarded for depth of analysis, use of relevant examples/evidence, and a well-structured, logically consistent argument; full marks require addressing multiple dimensions of the question (e.g., both benefits and drawbacks, or multiple social groups/factors).
• Section D (Case-based, 4 marks): each sub-part is marked independently as indicated (1, 1, 2); the 2-mark sub-part requires both a valid point and a clear explanation/justification.
• Section E (Map-based, 5 marks each): 1 mark for each correctly located and labelled item (up to 3 marks), and 1 mark each for correctly identified/named locations in the second sub-part (up to 2 marks); marks are awarded only for locations marked within a reasonable/acceptable area on the map.
• For HOTS-based analytical questions, credit should be given generously for well-reasoned answers that differ from the model answer but demonstrate sound understanding and logical consistency.
Section-wise Mark Allocation Recap
| Section | Marks |
|---|---|
| A — Objective (MCQ + Assertion-Reason) | 20 |
| B — Short Answer | 18 |
| C — Long Answer | 20 |
| D — Source/Case-Based | 12 |
| E — Map-Based | 10 |
| Total | 80 |
Page 6 (Marking Scheme) | www.careerinformationportal.in
