Political Science: CBSE Sample Question Paper (2020-21) - 3 | CBSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Humanities - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Class - XII
Political Science
TIME: 3 Hrs.
M.M: 80

General Instructions:

(a) All Questions are Compulsory.
(b) Section A has 16 Objective Type Questions of 1 mark each.
(c) Section B has 2 Passage-based questions 17 and 18 having Multiple Choice Questions of 1 mark each.
(d) Question numbers 19-22 carries 2 marks each. Answer to these questions should not exceed 40 words each.
(e) Question numbers 23-27 carries 4 marks each. Answer to these questions should not exceed 100 words each.
(f) Question numbers 28-29 pertain to map and cartoon questions carrying 5 marks each to be answered accordingly.
(g) Question numbers 30-32 carries 6 marks each. Answer to these questions should not exceed 150 words each.

SECTION - A

Q.1. What was the other name for the Cuban Missile Crisis?
(a) July Crisis of 1960
(b) October Crisis of 1962
(c) November Crisis of 1965
(d) April Crisis of 1971
Ans. b

Q.2. Cuba was an ally of _________. 
(a) United States of America
(b) United Kingdoms
(c) Soviet Union
(d) India
Ans. c

Q.3. Why was ASEAN established?
(a) To accelerate the religious growth
(b) To accelerate the communal growth
(c) To accelerate the economic growth
(d) To accelerate the military growth
Ans. c

Q.4. Which Cuban leader was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis?
(a) John F. Kennedy
(b) Nikita Khrushchev
(c) Fidel Castro
(d) Josip Broz Tito
Ans. c

Q.5. What was the objective of founding the European Union?
(a) To have an area of freedom, security and justice without an internal frontier.
(b) To have an area of freedom, security and justice within the internal frontier.
(c) To have an area of freedom, security and justice across the world.
(d) To have an area of freedom, security and justice across the country.
Ans. a

Q.6. Denmark  and  Sweden  have resisted the ______________ and the adoption of the Euro, the  common European currency.
(a) Warsaw Pact
(b) NATO
(c) Geneva Convention
(d) Maastricht Treaty
Ans. d

Q.7. USSR led __________________.
(a) SEATO
(b) Non-Aligned
(c) Warsaw
(d) NATO
Ans. c

Q.8. Plan influenced the establishment of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation in 1948.
(a) Gorbachev
(b) Lenin
(c) Marshall
(d) Bush
Ans. c

Q.9. ______________ was unanimously chosen as the leader of the Congress parliamentary party  after the death of Nehru.
(a) Indira Gandhi
(b) Lal Bahadur Shastri
(c) Morarji Desai
(d) Natarajan Annadurai
Ans. b

Q.10. Lal Bahadur Shastri was the Minister in the Union Cabinet from ____________ to ____________.
(a) 1947; 1952
(b) 1951; 1964
(c) 1951; 1956
(d) 1947; 1964
Ans. c

Q.11. There have been left wing protests to economic liberalisation voiced through political parties as well as through forums like the ________________.
(a) Indian Communist Forum
(b) Indian Left Forum
(c) Indian Social Forum
(d) Indian Unbiased Forum
Ans. c

Q.12. Which of these countries is centrally located and shares a border with most of the South  Asian countries?
(a) India
(b) Sri Lanka
(c) Bangladesh
(d) Myanmar
Ans. a

Q.13. Which of these statements about the Bombay Plan is incorrect?
(a) It was a blueprint for India’s economic future.
(b) It supported state-ownership of industry.
(c) It was made by some leading industrialists.
(d) It strongly supported the idea of planning.
Ans. a

Q.14. On 25 June 1975, the government declared that there was a threat of external disturbances and therefore, it invoked Article _____________ of the Constitution. 
(a) 352
(b) 355
(c) 367
(d) 370
Ans. a

Q.15. Who was the first Prime Minister belonging to a non-Congress party?
(a) I. K. Gujaral
(b) V. P. Singh
(c) Morarji Desai
(d) Ch. Charan Singh
Ans. c
OR
The impact of the Emergency was felt most strongly in the _______________part of the country.
(a) Northern
(b) Southern
(c) Eastern
(d) Western
Ans. a

Q.16. United Front Government came to power in:
(a) 1993
(b) 1995
(c) 1996
(d) 1999
Ans. c

SECTION - B

Q.17. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
The Cold War was not simply a matter of power rivalries of military alliances and of the balance of power. These were accompanied by a real ideological conflict as well, a difference over the best and the most appropriate way of organising political, economic and social life all over the world. The Western Alliance, headed by the US, represented the ideology of  _____ while the Eastern Alliance, headed by the Soviet Union was committed to the ideology of _______.
(i) Which of these was the main nature of Eastern and Western alliances?
(a) Military alliance
(b) Economic alliance
(c) Social alliance
(d) Political alliance
Ans. a

(ii) What type of ideology did the Western Alliance represent?
(a) Communist
(b) Dictatorial
(c) Capitalist
(d) Mixed
Ans. c

(iii) The Eastern Alliance was committed to which ideology?
(a) Communist
(b) Socialist
(c) Capitalist
(d) Mixed
Ans. a

(iv) What was the other name of the Western Alliance?
(a) Warsaw Pact
(b) NATO
(c) ASEAN
(d) SEATO
Ans. b

Q.18. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
The end of the Soviet bloc meant the emergence of many new countries. All these countries had their own independent aspirations and choices. Some of them, especially the Baltic and east European states, wanted to join the European Union and become part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The Central Asian countries wanted to take advantage of their geographical location and continue their close ties with Russia and also to establish ties with the West, the US, China and others. Thus, the international system saw many new players emerge, each with its own identity, interests, and economic and political difficulties.
(i) What did the end of the Soviet Bloc mean?
(a) Disintegration of USSR
(b) Beginning of Cold War
(c) Forfeiture of Warsaw Pact
(d) End of Second World War
Ans. a

(ii) What did the Central Asia countries decide to do?
(a) Some of them joined NATO
(b) Some of them joined SEATO
(c) Some of them joined European Union
(d) Some of them joined SAARC
Ans. a

(iii) How did the newly formed countries behave?
(a) Showed alliance to Soviet bloc
(b) Showed alliance to NAM
(c) Showed independent aspirations
(d) Formed ASEAN
Ans. c

(iv) Which of these countries was formed during this event?
(a) United Kingdom
(b) Iran
(c) Iraq
(d) Ukraine
Ans. d

SECTION - C

Q.19. Mention any two major military features of the Cold War.
Ans.
Following are the two major military features of the Cold War:
(i) There were two rival blocs led by two superpowers.
(ii) Superpowers understood the risk of fighting wars, i.e. massive destruction of life and property, etc.
(iii) The Cold War triggered the arms race between nations. [CBSE Marking Scheme, 2016]

Q.20. What do you know about the ‘Second democratic Upsurge’?
Ans. During the 1980’s, the increasing political participation of the lower classes of the society such as SCs, STs and OBCs has been interpreted as ‘Second Democratic Upsurge’.
- This participation has made Indian politics more accommodative and accessible for these classes.
- Although this upsurge has not made any major change in the standard of living of these classes, especially Dalits, the participation of these classes into the organizational and political platforms gave them the opportunity to strengthen their self- respect and ensure empowerment in the democratic politics of the country.

Q.21. How are the external powers influencing bilateral relations in South Asia? Take any one example to illustrate your point.
Ans. No region exists in a vacuum.
- It is influenced by outside powers and events no matter how much it may try to insulate itself from non-regional powers.
- American involvement in South Asia has rapidly increased after the Cold War.
- The US is having good relations both with India and Pakistan after the Cold War. It is helping both the countries economically.
- Economic reforms and liberal economic policies in both the countries have greatly increased the depth of American participation in the region.
- The large South Asian diasporas in the US and the huge size of the population and markets of the region also give America an added stake in the future of regional security and peace.

Q.22. What was the ‘Missile Scare’?
Ans. The Missile Scare was a 13-day (October 16–28, 1962) confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union initiated by the American discovery of Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba.
OR
What core values keep non-alignment relevant even after the Cold War has ended?
Ans. Non-alignment was based on the recognition that decolonised states share a historical affiliation and can become a powerful force if they come together. It was also based on the resolve to democratise the international system by thinking about an alternative world order to redress existing inequalities. These two core values keep non-alignment relevant even after the Cold War has ended.

SECTION - D

Q.23. Why did the Soviet System become so weak and stagnant?
Ans. The Soviet System became so weak and Soviet economy stagnant because:
(i) The Soviet economy used much of its resources in maintaining nuclear and military arsenals.
(ii) It concentrated on the development of its satellite states in Eastern Europe.
(iii) This led to a huge economic burden on people to cope up with. (iv) Ordinary people became more aware of the economic development of the West and the backwardness of the Soviet System.
(v) Food imports increased every year.
(vi) The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 weakened the system even further.

Q.24. What are the main objectives of BRICS?
Ans. The main objectives of BRICS are:
(i) Increasing trade co-operation by making an exclusive trade bloc. This came handy because after western sanctions, Russia integrated its economy with BRICS and saved its economy from utter collapse.
(ii) Using currency other than the US Dollar: Since the Dollar is a dominant currency and the US can control the flow of dollars, BRICS helps in the countries operating with alternative currencies.
(iii) Increasing regional cooperation: Trade is related to everything. India and China were the only countries which did not condemn Russia for what happened in Crimea. This happened because there is big money among the countries.
(iv) The original objective was that developed countries used to dominate the trade with developing countries: So there was a separate trade bloc made for developing countries for trade co-operation.

Q.25. Why did Nehru want to generate atomic energy?
Ans. Nehru had always put his faith in science and technology for rapidly building a modern India.
- A significant component of his industrialisation plans was the nuclear programme initiated in the late 1940s under the guidance of Homi J. Bhabha. India wanted to generate atomic energy for peaceful purposes.
- Nehru was against nuclear weapons. So, he pleaded with the superpowers for comprehensive nuclear disarmament.
OR
Explain the relationship between India and Bangladesh.
Ans.
(i) The relations between the two countries have usually been friendly, although sometimes there are border disputes.
(ii) In 1971, the Bangladesh Liberation War broke out between East Pakistan and West Pakistan; India intervened in December 1971 on behalf of East Pakistan and helped secure East Pakistan’s independence from Pakistan as the country of Bangladesh.
(iii) India was the first country to recognize Bangladesh as a separate and independent state and established diplomatic relations with the country immediately after its independence in December 1971.
(iv) The relationship between India and Bangladesh is anchored in history, culture, language and shared values of secularism, democracy, and countless other commonalities between the two countries.

Q.26. How can the United Nations be strengthened?
Ans. In order to strengthen the UNO following steps can be taken:
(i) Reform of the organisation’s structure and processes. This step should be taken:
- To increase the permanent and non-permanent members in the UN Security Council so that it can represent contemporary world politics effectively and better.
- To bring improvement in the UN’s budgetary procedure and its administration.
(ii) Review of the issues that fall within the jurisdiction of the organisation. It will facilitate the following:
- Greater role of the UN in maintaining world peace and security.
- Limiting the role of the UN to development and humanitarian work.
OR
List some of the functions performed by the Security Council.
Ans.
Following are the main functions of the Security Council:
(i) The Security Council maintains peace and security in the world.
(ii) It suggests methods to adjust disputes among nations.
(iii) The Security Council can also take military action on the requirement.
(iv) The Security Council elects judges of the International Court of Justice.
(v) The Security Council appoints the Secretary General by recommending to the General Assembly.
(vi) The Security Council can also apply economic sanction against the aggressive state.
(vii) The Security Council can also monitor the dispute cases that arise. (Any Four)

Q.27. Why did Nehru regard conduct of foreign relations as an essential indicator of independence? State any two reasons with examples to support your reading.
Ans.
(i) India decided to conduct its foreign relations with respect to sovereignty of other nations and maintain peace and security through mutual cooperation to be reflected in the Directive Principles of State Policy in Article 51 of the Constitution.
(ii) For example: India always advocated the policy of Non-Alignment, made efforts to reduce cold war tensions and contribute human resources to UN peacekeeping operations.

SECTION - E

Q.28. In the given political outline map of world, five countries have been marked as (A), (B), (C), (D), and (E). Identify these countries on the basis of the information given below and write their correct names in your answer book along with their respective serial number of the information used and the concerned alphabets as per the following format.
(i) An important country but it is not considered to be a part of South Asia.
(ii) The country has a successful Democratic System.
(iii)This country has had both Civilian and Military rulers.
(iv) This country had Constitutional Monarchy.
(v) An island nation which was a Sultanate till 1968.

Ans.
 

Q.29. Study the picture given below and answer the questions that follow:

(i) What does this picture represent?
(ii) Mention some consequences of partition.
(iii) Which year is being denoted in the picture?
Ans.
1. This picture represents the painful scene of partition of the country when people were supposed to leave their homes.
2. (i) Communal Riots (ii) Social Sufferings (iii) Administrative Concerns and Financial
Strains. (Any Two)
3. The year of 1947, the most abrupt and unplanned year in the Indian history.

SECTION - F 

Q.30. Examine the challenges of political succession after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Ans. The decade of 1960s is referred to as the ‘dangerous decade’ in Indian politics. The reasons for this being no solutions found for poverty, inequality, regionalism, communalism, etc. The disintegration of the country and disintegration of democracy were looking like the likely events. Political instability arose after the demise of Jawaharlal Nehru with two questions in place:
(i) ‘Who after Nehru?’
(ii) ‘What after Nehru?’
- Lal Bahadur Shastri was unopposed and unanimously chosen as the leader of Congress Parliamentary Party and became the second Prime Minister of India (1964–1966).
- Prior to becoming Prime Minister, he was a cabinet member for three years and belonged to the state of Uttar Pradesh. l India faced the after effects of the economic crisis that arose during the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
- India defeated Pakistan under his courageous leadership in 1965. His tenure also witnessed many droughts and famines making the lives of the farmers miserable. This led to the criticism of his slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ as the problems of the farmers remained unsolved.
- He passed away during his visit to Tashkent (erstwhile USSR) to sign the Tashkent peace treaty with Pakistan.
- The untimely demise of Shastri created a leadership crisis again in Congress. This time the leadership was contested by two – Indira Gandhi and Morarji Desai.
- After holding elections by secret ballot, Indira Gandhi was elected as the next leader of Congress party.
- This transition is referred to as ‘Sign of Maturity of India’s Democracy ’.
OR
State which of these were reasons for the defeat of the Congress in 1967. Give reasons for your answer.
(a) The absence of a charismatic leader in the Congress party.
(b) Split within the Congress party.
(c) Increased mobilisation of regional, ethnic and communal groups.
(d) Increasing unity among non-Congress parties.
(e) Internal differences within the Congress party.
Ans.
(a) The Congress party had many charismatic and experienced leaders in the party at that time. So, the absence of a charismatic leader in the Congress party is not a reason for the defeat of the Congress in 1967.
(b) Split within the Congress party naturally divided the electorate mandate to Congress between the two newly formed parties each having a share of the original electoral mandate. So, the split within the Congress party naturally played a vital role in the defeat of the party in the 1967 elections.
(c) The period witnessed the emergence of many regional parties like Akali Dal, DMK, etc. This naturally took away a share of the electoral mandate in those respective regions from the Congress party. As a result, the party was deprived of majority at the Centre and loss of power in many of the states.
(d) There was not much national coalition among non-Congress parties at that time. The coalition was only at state level and played a role in defeat of Congress only at the state level.
(e) Internal differences within the Congress party naturally weakened the unity of the party. This disunity was also felt by the electorate and resulted in a decrease in electoral base of the party.

Q.31. Reforming the UN means restructuring of the Security Council. Suggest measures to reform UNSC.
Ans. (i) The UN Security Council is the primary organ entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. Its composition is highly undemocratic. It contains fifteen members (five permanent and ten non-permanent members). These five permanent members enjoy veto power.
(ii) Since the inception of the UN, the membership has increased from 51 to 193. The number of Third World countries has expanded rapidly but do not have representation in UNSC as permanent members. Therefore, various suggestions have been made to reform UNSC.
(a) There is a need to increase the number of new permanent and non-permanent members to UNSC.
(b) The new permanent members and non-permanent members should represent Asian, African and South American continents. It should equally cater to the needs and aspirations of Third World countries along with the First World countries.
(c) The new permanent members should also be provided with veto power. Otherwise, the new permanent members will be powerless.
(d) If the existing permanent members are not ready to provide veto power to the new permanent members, then, the veto power itself shall be abolished. 

OR

Give a detailed account of relationships between India and Pakistan in the early years of independence.
Ans.
- India and Pakistan got embroiled in a conflict over the fate of Kashmir soon after the partition.
- The Pakistani government claimed that Kashmir belonged to it. Two wars took place in the year 1947–48 and 1965 over this issue, but failed to settle the matter.
- The 1947–48 war resulted in the division of the province into Pakistan—occupied Kashmir and the Indian province of Jammu and Kashmir divided by the Line of Control. In 1971, India won a decisive battle against Pakistan but the Kashmir issue remained unsettled.
- India’s conflict with Pakistan is also over strategic issues like the control of the Siachen glacier and over the acquisitions of arms.
- The arms race between the two countries assumed a new character with both the states acquiring nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver such arms against each other in the 1990s, India and Pakistan seem to have developed a military relationship in which the possibility of a direct and full-scale war has declined.
- The Indian Government blames the Pakistani government for using a strategy of low-key violence by helping the Kashmiri militants with arms, training, money and protection to carry out terrorist strikes against India.
- The Indian Government also believes that Pakistan had aided the pro-Khalistani militants with arms and ammunition during the period 1985–1995.
- India and Pakistan also have had problems over the sharing of river waters.
- Until 1960, they were locked in a fierce argument over the use of the rivers of the Indus basin.
- In 1960, with the help of the World Bank, India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty which has survived to this day in spite of various military conflicts in which the two countries have been involved.

Q.32. Analyse the circumstances that favoured Indira Gandhi to become Prime Minister after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Mention any four achievements of Indira Gandhi that made her popular as a Prime Minister.
OR
Why is emergency considered to be one of the most controversial episodes in Indian politics? Analyse any three reasons.
Ans.
(i) Indira Gandhi was the daughter of popular ex-Prime Minister J. L. Nehru.
(ii) She had become Congress President in 1958.
(iii) She had been Union Minister for Information in Shastri’s Cabinet from 1964- 66.
(iv) She had given a positive famous slogan “Garibi Hatao”.
(v) She had focused on the growth of the public sector.
(vi) She had imposed a ceiling on the rural land holdings and urban property to remove disparities in income and opportunity.
(vii) She had abolished the princely privileges to prevail the principles of equality and social and economic justice.
(viii) Decisive victory in the 1971’s India – Pakistan soared Indira Gandhi’s popularity.
(ix) First nuclear explosion in 1974 also increased her popularity. India termed it a peaceful explosion. [CBSE Marking Scheme, 2016]
OR
Why is emergency considered to be one of the most controversial episodes in Indian politics? Analyse any three reasons.
Ans. 
Introduction- Emergency:
(a) On 25 June 1975, the government declared that there was a threat of internal disturbances and therefore, it invoked Article 352 of the Constitution.
(b) Under the provision of this article the government could declare a state of emergency on grounds of external threat or a threat of internal disturbances.
(c) The government decided that a grave crisis had arisen which made the proclamation of a state of emergency necessary.
Causes of Emergency:
(i) ‘The Bangladesh crisis had put a heavy strain on India’s economy.
(ii) This was followed by war with Pakistan.
(iii) After the war, the US government stopped all aid to India. Industrial growth was low and unemployment was very high. Monsoons failed in 1972–1973.
(iv) This resulted in a sharp decline in agricultural productivity and increase in the activities of Marxist groups.
(v) Students in Gujarat started an agitation against rising prices of food grains, cooking oil and other essential commodities, and against corruption in high places.
(vi) Leader Jayaprakash Narayan demanded the dismissal of the Congress government in Bihar and gave a call for Total Revolution in the social, economic and political spheres in order to establish what he considered to be true democracy.
(vii) A series of bandhs, gheraos, and strikes were organised in protest against the Bihar government.
(viii) There was constitutional hindrance regarding the change in the basic structure. The Supreme Court said that the government cannot change it. Secondly, can the Parliament curtail the right to property by making an amendment?
Again, the Court said that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution in such a manner that rights are curtailed. Thirdly, the Parliament amended the Constitution saying that it can abridge Fundamental Rights for giving effect to Directive Principles.
Consequences of Emergency:
(i) It invoked Article 352 of the Constitution that federal distribution of powers remains practically suspended and all the powers are concentrated in the hands of the Union Government.
(ii) Secondly, the government also gets the power to curtail or restrict all or any of the Fundamental Rights during the Emergency. Strikes were banned; many opposition leaders were put in Jail; the political situation became very tense.
(iii) Deciding to use its special powers under Emergency provisions, the government suspended the freedom of the press. The government made extensive use of preventive detention.
(iv) Under this provision, people were arrested and detained. Kannada writer Shivarama Karanth, awarded with Padma Bhushan, and Hindi writer Phanishwar Nath Renu, awarded with Padma Shri, returned their awards in protest against the suspension of democracy.
(Any three causes and any three consequences to be explained)