CBSE Class 10 Sample Paper 2025 Solution for Social Science

CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

SAMPLE PAPER
CLASS 10
2025

Solutions

SOCIAL SCIENCE (087)
MARKING SCHEME
CLASS X–2024-25
Time Allowed: 3hrs Max. Marks:80

SECTION A
MCQs (20X1=20)

1. Ans- (B) To restore a sense of pride in traditional culture and national identity 1

2. Ans—(A)- It provides facilities for agriculture and industry 1

Note: The following question is for Visually Impaired Candidates only in lieu
of Q. No. 2.
(A) Ans—(B)- Nature, technology, and institutions

3. Ans-(D)- It has health care and education for all. 1

4. Ans—(D)- 1 (b), 2 (c), 3 (a) 1

5. Ans—(C)- 1 and 4 only 1

6. Ans-(A)- Coming together. 1

7. Ans- (D)- 1.d), 2.c), 3. b), 4. a) 1

8. Ans—(C)- 1, 2 and 3 1

9. Ans- (C)- Due to their social and historical circumstances 1

10. Ans—(C)- Territories lost by him 1

Note: The following question is for Visually Impaired Candidates only in lieu
of Q. No. 10

Ans—(A) Freedom.

11. Ans—(B)- Statements 1, 2 and 3 are appropriate. 1

12. Ans—(A)- 1 and 2 1

13. Ans—(B)- 2, 1, 3, 4 1

14. Ans—(B)- Only II and III are true 1

15 Ans—(A)- Statement (I) is correct and (II) is incorrect. 1

16. Ans.—(D) - Corruption 1

17. Ans—(C)- linguistic and regional diversity 1

18 Ans—(D)- greater integration of production and markets 1

19 Ans—(B)- It is now easier for women to legally wage struggle for their rights. 1

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20 Ans—(A)- Statement (I) is correct and (II) is incorrect 1

SECTION B
VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTION (4x2=8)

21 “Agriculture and industry are not exclusive of each other. They move hand in hand”. 2
Justify your answer with examples.
Agriculture and industry are not exclusive of each other. They move hand in hand.
For instance, the agro-industries in India have given a major boost to agriculture by
raising its productivity. They depend on the latter for raw materials and sell their
products such as irrigation pumps, fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides, plastic and
PVC pipes, machines and tools, etc. to the farmers.

22 Ans- The silk routes are a good example of vibrant pre-modern trade and cultural 2
links between distant parts of the world. There were several silk routes, over land
and by sea that brought together regions of Asia, and linked Asia with Europe and
northern Africa. They existed since before the Christian Era and thrived almost till
the 15th century. The name ‘silk routes’ points to the importance of West-bound
Chinese silk cargoes along this route.
1. Chinese pottery, textiles and spices from India and Southeast Asia also travelled
the same route. In return, precious metals – gold and silver – flowed from Europe
to Asia.
2. Trade and cultural exchange went hand in hand. Buddhism from India spread in
several directions through intersecting points on the silk routes. Early Christian
missionaries travelled this route to reach Asia and Muslim preachers took the same
route a few centuries later. (any 1 illustration)
OR
Ans—1. Europe’s poor began to eat better and live longer with the introduction of
the humble potato.
2. Ireland’s poorest peasants became so dependent on potatoes that when
disease destroyed the potato crop in the mid-1840s, hundreds of thousands died
of starvation. Thus new crops can significantly impact survival and well-being.

23 Ans. Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves 2
sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its
effects. 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.

24 Ans When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to 2
local government, it is called decentralisation. The basic idea
behind decentralisation is that there are many problems and issues which are best
settled at the local level.
1. People have better knowledge of problems in their localities.
2. They also have better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage
things more efficiently.
3. Besides, at the local level it is possible for the people to directly participate in
decision making.

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4. This helps to inculcate a habit of democratic participation. Local government is
the best way to realise one important principle of democracy, namely local self-
government, or self-rule. Local Government is thus an effective way to uphold the
democratic principle of decentralization. (Any two points)

SECTION C
SHORT ANSWER-BASED QUESTIONS (5x3=15)

25 1.Print was no longer used just by scholar officials. Merchants used print in their 3
everyday life, as they collected trade information.
2. Reading increasingly became a leisure activity. The new readership preferred
fictional narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces,
and romantic plays.
3.Rich women began to read, and many women began publishing their poetry and
plays. Wives of scholar-officials published their works and courtesans wrote about
their lives.

26 If more men are working than required is called as disguised unemployment. In this 3
case the other three who are not required should take up different jobs that would
increase the total family income. For example, they can be employed in projects
like building of dams, canals or roads in the village.

1. Government can invest some money in transportation and storage of crops or
make better rural roads so that mini-trucks reach everywhere.

2. Promotion of industries like setting up a dal mill, opening a cold storage could
give an opportunity for farmers to store their products like potatoes and onions
and sell them when the price is good.

3.In villages near forest areas, they can start honey collection centres where
farmers can come and sell wild honey. It is also possible to set up industries that
process vegetables and agricultural produce like potato, sweet potato, rice,
wheat, tomato, fruits, which can be sold in outside markets and thus generate
employment.

4. Government can plan to give loans at lower rates of interest to people in rural
areas to start something new thereby solving problems of underemployment.
(Any 3 points)
OR

1. Raman was happy because in the organised sector they enjoy security of
employment. They are expected to work only a fixed number of hours. If they
work more, they have to be paid overtime by the employer. They also get
several other benefits from their employers as they get paid leave, payment
during holidays, provident fund, gratuity etc. They are supposed to get medical
benefits, and, under the laws, the factory manager must ensure facilities like
drinking water and a safe working environment. When they retire, these workers
get pensions as well.
2. Whereas Sunil was unhappy because the unorganised sector is characterised
by small and scattered units which are largely outside the control of the
government. There are rules and regulations, but these are not followed. Jobs
here are low-paid and often not regular. There is no provision for overtime, paid

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leave, holidays, leave due to sickness etc. Employment is not secure. People
can be asked to leave without any reason. When there is less work, such as
during some seasons, some people may be asked to leave.
3. A lot also depends on the whims of the employer. This sector includes many
people who are employed on their own doing small jobs such as selling on the
street or doing repair work.

27 Horticulture is a term used for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. 3
Some features are—
1. India is one of the major producers of fruits and vegetables in the world
2. It is a producer of tropical and temperate fruits.
3. India produces 13% of the world’s vegetables.

28 Women empowerment has taken leaps and bounds from yesteryears to the 3
present. We can see the following developments:
a. Passing of Women Reservation Bill, 2023
b. Improved literacy rates
c. Women have equal rights as men on their father’s property.
d. Women could be seen in all the fields of development- science, economy,
education, media, corporate etc.
(Any other point can be considered)

29 Ans. 3
1. In any country several services such as hospitals, educational institutions, post
and telegraph services, police stations, courts, village administrative offices,
municipal corporations, defence, transport, banks, insurance companies, etc. are
required, these can be considered as basic services. In a developing country the
government must take responsibility for the provision of these services.
2. The development of agriculture and industry leads to the development of
services such as transport, trade, storage and the like, as we have already seen.
Greater the development of the primary and secondary sectors, more would be the
demand for such services.
3. As income levels rise, certain sections of people start demanding many more
services like eating out, tourism, shopping, private hospitals, private schools,
professional training etc. You can see this change quite sharply in cities, especially
in big cities.
4. Over the past decade or so, certain new services such as those based on
information and communication technology have become important and essential.
The production of these services has been rising rapidly.
Nevertheless, the service sector in India employs many different kinds of people.
At one end there are a limited number of services that employ highly skilled and
educated workers. At the other end, there are a very large number of workers
engaged in services such as small shopkeepers, repair persons, transport persons,
etc. These people barely manage to earn a living and yet they perform these
services because no alternative opportunities for work are available to them.
Hence, only a part of this sector is growing in importance.
( Any THREE points)

SECTION D
LONG ANSWER-BASED QUESTIONS (4x5=20)

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30 There are various measures which can be adopted to prevent soil erosion caused 2.5
due to natural forces. +2.5
1. Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water down the
slopes. This is called contour ploughing.
2. Steps can be cut out on the slopes making terraces. Terrace cultivation restricts
erosion. Western and central Himalayas have well developed terrace farming.
3. Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow between
the crops. This breaks up the force of the wind. This method is known as strip
cropping.
4. Planting lines of trees to create shelter also works in a similar way. Rows of
such trees are called shelter belts. These shelter belts have contributed
significantly to the stabilisation of sand dunes and in stabilising the desert in
western India.
5. Natural forces like wind, glacier and water lead to soil erosion.
(Any other relevant
point)

OR
Black soil is ideal for growing cotton, jowar and sugarcane.
1. This type of soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over
northwest Deccan plateau and is made up of lava flows.
2. They cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh and extend in the south east direction along the Godavari
and the Krishna valleys.
3. The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. They are
well-known for their capacity to hold moisture.
4. In addition, they are rich in soil nutrients, such as calcium carbonate,
magnesium, potash and lime
5. These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents
6. They develop deep cracks during hot weather, which helps in the proper
aeration of the soil.
7. These soils are sticky when wet and difficult to work on unless tilled
immediately after the first shower or during the pre-monsoon period.
(Any five points or relevant point)

31 The development of nationalism did not come about only through wars and 5
territorial expansion. Culture played an important role in creating the idea of the
nation: art and poetry, stories and music helped express and shape nationalist
feelings.
1. Romantic artists and poets generally criticised the glorification of reason and
science and focused instead on emotions, intuition and mystical feelings. Their
effort was to create a sense of a shared collective heritage, a common cultural
past, as the basis of a nation.
2. Romantics such as the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-
1803) claimed that true German culture was to be discovered among the
common people – das volk. It was through folk songs, folk poetry and folk
dances that the true spirit of the nation (volksgeist) was popularised. So
collecting and recording these forms of folk culture was essential to the project
of nation-building.

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3. -The emphasis on vernacular language and the collection of local folklore was
not just to recover an ancient national spirit, but also to carry the modern
nationalist message to large audiences who were mostly illiterate. This was
especially so in the case of Poland, which had been partitioned at the end of
the eighteenth century by the Great Powers – Russia, Prussia and Austria.
4. Even though Poland no longer existed as an independent territory, national
feelings were kept alive through music and language. Karol Kurpinski, for
example, celebrated the national struggle through his operas and music, turning
folk dances like the polonaise and mazurka into nationalist symbols.
5. Language too played an important role in developing nationalist sentiments.
After the Russian occupation, the Polish language was forced out of schools
and the Russian language was imposed everywhere. In 1831, an armed
rebellion against Russian rule took place which was ultimately crushed.
Following this, many members of the clergy in Poland began to use language
as a weapon of national resistance. Polish was used for Church gatherings and
all religious instruction. As a result, a large number of priests and bishops were
put in jail or sent to Siberia by the Russian authorities as punishment for their
refusal to preach in Russian. The use of Polish came to be seen as a symbol of
the struggle against Russian dominance.
OR
Ans-- After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, European governments were driven by
a spirit of conservatism. The representatives of the four great European powers –
Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria who had collectively defeated Napoleon, met
at Vienna to draw up a settlement for Europe. The Congress was hosted by the
Austrian Chancellor Duke Metternich. The result was the Treaty of Vienna of 1815.

1. Its object was to undo the changes that had come about in Europe during the
Napoleonic wars and to restore the monarchies that had been overthrown by
Napoleon and create a new conservative order in Europe. Conservatives
believed that established, traditional institutions of state and society – like the
monarchy, the Church, social hierarchies, property, and the family – should be
preserved.
2. The Bourbon dynasty, (deposed during the French Revolution) was restored
to power. France lost the territories it had annexed under Napoleon.
3. A series of states were set up on the boundaries of France to prevent it from
expansion in future. For example, kingdom of the Netherlands, which included
Belgium, was set up in the north. Genoa was added to Piedmont in the south.
4. Prussia was given territories on its western frontiers. Austria was given control
of northern Italy. The German confederation of 39 states set up by Napoleon
was left untouched.
5. In the east, Russia was given part of Poland while Prussia was given a portion
of Saxony.

The main intention was to restore the monarchies that had been overthrown by
Napoleon and create a new conservative order in Europe.

32 Ans--In a democratic set-up, political parties are required because without political 5
parties:
1. Every candidate in the elections will be independent. No promises could be
made, and the utility of the government formed will remain uncertain.
2. No one will be responsible for running the country. Elected representatives.

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will only be accountable to their constituency.
3. There will be no agency to gather and present different views on various issues
to the government.
4. No one will be responsible for bringing various representatives together to form
a responsible government.
5. There will be no mechanism to support the government, make policies and justify
or oppose them.
(Any other relevant point)
OR
Ans—
1. The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties. All over the world,
there is a tendency in political parties towards the concentration of power in one
or few leaders at the top. Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold
organisational meetings, and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on what happens
inside the party. They do not have the means, or the connections needed to
influence the decisions.
2. The second challenge of dynastic succession is related to the first one. Since
most political parties do not practise open and transparent procedures for their
functioning, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in
a party. Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair
advantage to favour people close to them or even their family members. In many
parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family.
3. The third challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in
parties, especially during elections. Since parties are focussed only on winning
elections, they tend to use shortcuts to win elections. They tend to nominate
those candidates who have or can raise lots of money. Rich people and
companies who give funds to the political parties tend to have influence on the
policies and decisions of the party.
4. The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a
meaningful choice to the voters. To offer meaningful choice, parties must be
significantly different. In recent years there has been a
decline in the ideological differences among parties in most parts of world. For
example- The difference between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party
in Britain is very little. They agree on more fundamental aspects but differ only
in details on how policies are to be
framed and implemented.
5. Not much difference between the leaders as well. They keep shifting from one
party to another.

(Any other relevant point)

33 Ans.-Self Help Groups help the poor to become self-reliant in terms of savings and 5
generating income.
1. Can avail the facilities of loans from formal sources like banks at a low rate of
interest.
2. They do not demand collateral and so she can easily access.
3. Self-help groups are exclusively meant for rural women like Miss X to make
them economically independent through self-employment opportunities.
4. This will help her to start and expand her business and thus improving the
standard of living.

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5. Skill development: SHGs in India have also been successful in providing skill
development and training opportunities to women. Through training programs,
she can be equipped with the necessary skills to start and run a successful
business.
6. Social empowerment. By providing a platform for women to come together,
share their experiences, and support each other, SHGs have empowered
women to take charge of their lives and become active participants in their
communities.
(Any other relevant points)
OR
1. Ans.- In a barter system where goods are directly exchanged without the use of
money, double coincidence of wants is an essential feature. In contrast, in an
economy where money is in use, money by providing the crucial intermediate
step eliminates the need for double coincidence of wants.
2. People with the help of money can purchase whatever he needs. No goods or
other items are needed for exchange anymore. Since money acts as an
intermediate in the exchange process, it is called a medium of exchange.
3. Modern forms of money include currency — paper notes and coins. Unlike the
things that were used as money earlier, modern currency is not made of
precious metals such as gold, silver and copper. And unlike grain and cattle,
they are neither of everyday use. The modern currency is without any use of its
own.
4. It is accepted as a medium of exchange because the currency is authorised by
the government of the country. In India, the Reserve Bank of India issues
currency notes on behalf of the central government. As per Indian law, no other
individual or organisation is allowed to issue currency. Moreover, the law
legalises the use of rupee as a medium of payment that cannot be refused in
settling transactions in India. No individual in India can legally refuse a payment
made in rupees. Hence, the rupee is widely accepted as a medium of exchange.
(Any other relevant point)

SECTION E -CASE-BASED QUESTIONS ( 3x4=12)

34 1. Ans.-One of the primary reasons for the Rowlatt Act was to suppress the growing 1
nationalist movements and unrest in India. The Rowlatt Act gave the colonial
authorities all powers to arrest and detain individuals without trial, making it easier
to suppress political opposition and prevent further nationalist agitation.

2. Ans--The Act gave the authorities the power to prohibit public gatherings and
censor the press. 2
i This curbed the freedom of speech and assembly, as Indians were no longer free
to express their political views, hold public meetings, or publish materials critical of
British rule without risking arrest and prosecution.
ii Random arrests and detention powers under the Rowlatt Act led to widespread
misuse of power. Many political leaders, activists, and ordinary citizens were
arrested on suspicion of being involved in anti-British activities. This resulted in a
climate of fear, where people were afraid to voice their opinions against British
oppression.
1

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3. Ans--Mahatma Gandhi wanted non-violent civil disobedience against such
unjust laws, which would start with a hartal on 6 April. Gandhiji in 1919 decided to
launch a nationwide satyagraha against the proposed Rowlatt Act (1919).

35 1 Water scarcity in most cases is caused by over-exploitation, excessive use and
unequal access to water among different social groups. 1

2 People of Rajasthan have to travel long distances for collecting water, having a
submersible water tank would solve the purpose of water
3. Water conservation is crucial to provide clean water for humans to sustain life. 1
Conservation of water requires a lot concerted efforts from every person in the
world. We can take following steps:
a. Constructing sophisticated hydraulic structures like dams built of stone 1+1=
rubble, reservoirs or lakes, embankments and canals for irrigation. 2
b. Rain water harvesting
(Any one point required)

36 1. Human Development Report published by UNDP compares countries based on 1
the educational levels of the people, their health status and per capita income.

2.Human development is a process of enhancing the range of people’s choices,
increasing their opportunities for education, health care, income, and 2
empowerment. It also covers the full range of human choices from a sound physical
environment to economic, political, and social freedom.
(Any other relevant points)

3.Yes, there other aspects as well like- Life expectancy, access to public facilities
such as water, sanitation, roads, electricity etc. 1

SECTION F - MAP SKILL-BASED QUESTION (2+3=5)

37.A A) Kheda-Gujarat. B) Calcutta 1

Note: The following question is for Visually Impaired Candidates only in lieu
of Question 37 part (a) and part (b). 1
(A) Name the place where the Peasant Satyagraha took place.
(B) Name the place where the Indian National Congress session was held in
Sept 1920.

37B 1. A software Technology Park in Maharashtra. --Pune
2. A coal mine in Jharkhand. --Bokaro
3. The tallest dam in India. --Tehri Dam. 1
4. A seaport located in West Bengal --.Haldia

Note: The following question is for Visually Impaired Candidates only in lieu 1
of Q. No. 37 (b)

b. Answer any three of the following. 1
1. Name the tallest dam built in India. –Tehri Dam
2. Name a seaport in West Bengal. ---Haldia
3. Name the coal mine in Jharkhand. -Bokaro
4. Name the Software Technology Park present in the state of Maharashtra—Pune

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