ICSE Class 10 Question Paper 2026 History & Civics

ICSE | Class 10

History & Civics
Question Paper 2026

Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)

Free Syllabus · Sample Papers · Previous Year Papers · Solutions & more


· ICSE · ISC · CBSE · State Boards

HISTORY & CIVICS
(H.C.G. Paper – 1)

Maximum Marks: 80

Time allowed: Two hours

1. Answers to this Paper must be written on the answer sheet provided separately.

2. You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes.

3. This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.

4. The time given at the head of this Paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.

5. Attempt all questions from Part I (Compulsory).

6. A total of five questions are to be attempted from Part II, two out of three questions from
Section A and three out of five questions from Section B.

7. The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets[ ].

Instruction for the Supervising Examiner

Kindly read aloud the Instructions given above to all the candidates present in the
Examination Hall.

This paper consists of 12 printed pages.
T26 501 Turn Over
© Copyright reserved.

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 1 of 12

PART I (30 Marks)
(Attempt all questions from this Part.)

Question 1
Select the correct answers to the questions from the given options. [16]
(Do not copy the questions, write the correct answer only).

(i) Choose the correct option to replace the underlined word:
The collection of State Revenue falls under the Consultative Jurisdiction of
the High Court.

(a) Advisory

(b) Revisory

(c) Original

(d) Appellate

(ii) Which session of the Parliament is most associated with this picture?

(a) Budget Session

(b) Summer Session

(c) Winter Session

(d) Monsoon Session

T26 501 2

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 2 of 12

(iii) Given below are the details of a few Indian Citizens.

Age (In
Person Description
years)
W 30 Is an army officer
X 25 Is a Union Leader
Y 34 Is a school Principal
Z 69 Is a retired Professor
Select the one who is eligible to be a Vice President.

(a) X

(b) W

(c) Y

(d) Z

(iv) The rule mentioned in the headline below can be proclaimed in a state on the
recommendation of ___________.

(a) The President

(b) The Vice President

(c) The Governor

(d) The Chief Justice of India

T26 501 3 Turn Over

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 3 of 12

(v) Mr. Anand has been illegally detained by the police, and his family has not
been able to meet him. The family members have approached the High Court
for help. Which writ will the court issue in this case?

(a) Habeas Corpus

(b) Quo Warranto

(c) Mandamus

(d) Certiorari

(vi) Identify the correct statements about the Lok Sabha.

P. Has no nominated members.

Q. Term can be extended during emergency.

R. Has two members nominated by the President.

S. Can be dissolved by the Speaker.

(a) P and Q

(b) R and S

(c) Q and R

(d) P and S

(vii) Assertion (A): Hitler attacked Poland to capture the Danzig Port.

Reason (R): Poland was accused of committing atrocities against the
Germans.

(a) (A) is true and (R) is false.

(b) (A) is false and (R) is true.

(c) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

(d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

T26 501 4

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 4 of 12

(viii) Identify the option which shows the correct chronology of the following events:

1. The Lucknow Pact

2. The Surat Split

3. The establishment of the Muslim League

(a) 1-2-3

(b) 1-3-2

(c) 3-2-1

(d) 2-1-3

(ix) Identify the odd one out of the following signatories of the Triple Entente.

(a) France

(b) Russia

(c) Japan

(d) England

(x) In the town of Sundar Nagar, the local government decided to cut down a large
number of trees to build a shopping mall. The children were upset because the
trees provided a place to play. A group of school students, decided to take
action based on the lesson they had studied about the Early Nationalists.
Which of the following actions are they NOT likely to adopt?

(a) Hold placards with the message ‘Save Our Trees’.

(b) Write letters to the local newspapers expressing their concerns.

(c) Plant saplings to show their commitment to the environment.

(d) Forcibly prevent workers sent by the Government.

T26 501 5 Turn Over

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 5 of 12

(xi) Under which policy of expansion was the place marked in the map annexed by
the British?

(a) The Doctrine of Lapse

(b) The Subsidiary Alliance

(c) Pretext of misgovernance

(d) Outright wars

(xii) Identify the correct pair of words from the given options:

(a) Doctrine of Lapse – Lord Canning

(b) Subsidiary Alliance – Lord Wellesley

(c) Arms Act – Lord Curzon

(d) Vernacular Press Act – Lord Dalhousie

(xiii) Which of the following is NOT a consequence of the Second World War?

(a) Cold War

(b) Defeat of the Axis Powers

(c) Formation of the United Nations

(d) Formation of the League of Nations

T26 501 6

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 6 of 12

(xiv) Read the description and choose the correct option:
He was an Early Nationalist leader who presided over the second session of
the Indian National Congress.
(a) Dadabhai Naoroji
(b) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(c) Bipin Chandra Pal
(d) Lokmanya Tilak

(xv) Which organ of the United Nations Organisation gives this special power to its
permanent members?

(a) The General Assembly
(b) The International Court of Justice
(c) The Security Council
(d) The Trusteeship Council
(xvi) The International Court of Justice has __________ judges.

(a) 15

(b) 10

(c) 9

(d) 5

T26 501 7 Turn Over

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 7 of 12

Question 2

(i) Mention any two reasons for the indirect election of the President. [2]

(ii) Imagine you were part of the Indian National Army. Mention any two [2]
objectives of the army.

(iii) Look at the picture given and answer the question that follow. [2]

In which year did this Partition happen? Who was responsible for this Partition?

(iv) Mention any two objectives of the Muslim League. [2]

(v) UNESCO provides protection for great cultural institutions. [2]
Mention any two ways in which it works towards the preservation of cultural
heritage.

(vi) Mention any two causes for the Second World War. [2]

(vii) President Ramnath Kovind promulgates an Ordinance which will legally allow [2]
the farmers to sell their produce without restrictions across the country.
— The Times of India, 5th June 2020

When can the President introduce an Ordinance? When does an Ordinance
become inoperative?

T26 501 8

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 8 of 12

PART II

SECTION A (20 Marks)
(Attempt any two questions from this Section.)

Question 3

The Union Parliament comprises the President and the two houses. With reference to
this, answer the following questions:

(i) Mention any three powers which are common to both the houses of the [3]
Parliament.

(ii) Who elects the members of the Rajya Sabha? Mention any two exclusive [3]
powers to analyse the advantages of the Rajya Sabha.

(iii) The Parliament controls the functioning of the Executive. [4]
Mention any four ways in which it exercises control.

Question 4

The Prime Minister is the executive head of the country. With reference to the Prime
Minister and his Cabinet, answer the following questions:

(i) On whose advice are the Cabinet Ministers appointed? Name the other two [3]
categories of the Council of Ministers.

(ii) What is meant by the term collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers? [3]

(iii) The Prime Minister is central to the life of the Cabinet. [4]
Justify this statement by mentioning any four powers of the Prime Minister
with reference to the Cabinet.

T26 501 9 Turn Over

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 9 of 12

Question 5

The single integrated system of judiciary has the Supreme Court at the apex. With
reference to the Supreme Court, answer the following questions:

(i) What is the term of the Supreme Court Judge? Mention any two qualifications [3]
required for a person to be a Supreme Court Judge.

(ii) Mention any three ways in which the Constitution ensures the independence of [3]
the Judiciary.

(iii) Explain the following terms: [4]

(a) Advisory Jurisdiction

(b) Judicial Review

SECTION B (30 Marks)

(Attempt any three questions from this Section.)

Question 6

The 1857 Revolt is also referred to as the Sepoy Mutiny by the British. With reference
to the role played by the soldiers, answer the following questions:

(i) What was the General Service Enlistment Act? Why were soldiers unhappy [3]
with it?

(ii) How did the introduction of the new Enfield Rifle become an immediate cause [3]
of the revolt?

(iii) The British reformed the army after the revolt ended. [4]
Mention any four changes made in the army.

T26 501 10

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 10 of 12

Question 7

Mahatma Gandhi with his principle of Non-violence, changed the direction of the
freedom movement. With reference to the Gandhian Movements, answer the following:

(i) Who launched the Khilafat Movement in India? Mention two other causes of [3]
the Non-Cooperation Movement.

(ii) Mention any three points to analyse the impact of the Non-Cooperation [3]
Movement.

(iii) Mention any four clauses of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. [4]

Question 8

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

India’s last Viceroy released a plan on the country's independence from the British on
June 3, 1947. The plan came to be celebrated as the 'last plan for independence'. He
was appointed Viceroy to India to speed up the process of transfer of power by the then
British Prime Minister Clement Atlee.
hindustantimes.com, June 3,2021[edited]

(i) Identify the Viceroy. Mention any two terms of his plan with reference to the [3]
Princely States.

(ii) Mention any three reasons given by the Congress to justify the acceptance of [3]
the plan.

(iii) Mention any four provisions of the Indian Independence Act of 1947. [4]

T26 501 11 Turn Over

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 11 of 12

Question 9

Look at the picture given and answer the following questions:

(i) Explain the immediate cause of the war associated with this headline. [3]

(ii) According to the Treaty of Versailles, mention the following: [3]

(a) The war reparation to be paid by Germany.

(b) Two ways in which France benefitted from the Treaty.

(iii) Name the two dictators who rose in Europe after this war. Mention any two [4]
common causes for the rise of dictatorship.

Question 10

The United Nations Organisation and the Non-Aligned Movement emerged after the
Second World War. With reference to these, answer the following questions:

(i) Mention any three objectives of the United Nations Organisation. [3]

(ii) The General Assembly is the deliberative organ of the United Nations. Mention [3]
any three functions of the General Assembly to analyse this statement.

(iii) With reference to the Non-Aligned Movement, mention: [4]

(a) any two architects

(b) any two objectives

T26 501 12

ICSE Class 10 · Question Paper 2026 · History & Civics Page 12 of 12