Class 7 Social Studies (SST): CBSE Sample Question Paper with Solutions Term I – 1 PDF Download

Section A 
History

Ques 1: In the 19^th century, British Historians divided the History of India into three periods namely [1]
a) Ancient, Medieval and Modern
b) Old age, Middle age and New age
c) Hindus, Muslims and Christians
d) Hindus, Muslims and British
Ans: (d)

Ques 2: What was the great lord of a ‘circle’ or region also known as [1]
a) Warrior chiefs
b) Maha-mandaleshvara
c) Maha-samanta
d) Samantas
Ans: (b)

Ques 3: The land given by the Khalji and Tughluq monarchs to military commanders was known as [1]
a) Iqtadar
b) Kharaj
c) Iqta
d) Muqti
Ans: (c)

Ques 4: Mughals believed in which of the following customs of succession? [1]
a) Coparcenary
b) Primogeniture
c) Both (A) and (B)
d) None of the above
Ans: (a)

Ques 5: Which temple was constructed by King Dhangadeva of the Chandela dynasty? [1]
a) Meenakshi Temple
b) Kandariya Mahadeva
c) Jahangiri Mahal
d) Taj Mahal
Ans: (b)

Ques 6:  Why were temples and mosques constructed beautifully? [2]
Ans: Temples and mosques were beautifully constructed because they were places of worship. They were also meant to demonstrate the power, wealth and devotion of the patron.

Ques 7: Why did the Mughals not like being called Mughals or Mongols? [2]
Ans: Mughals did not like being called Mughals or Mongols because Genghis Khan’s memory was associated with the massacre of innumerable people. It was also linked with the Uzbegs, who were their Mongol competitors.

Ques 8: Why was Raziyya Sultan removed from the throne in 1240 CE? [2]
Ans: Raziyya Sultan was removed from the throne in 1240 CE because the chronicler of the age, Minhaj-i Siraj, was not comfortable at having a queen as ruler. Also, the nobles were not happy at her attempts to rule independently.

Ques 9: Define hiranya-garbha. [2]
Ans: Hiranya-garbha, which meant the golden womb, was a ritual performed by the Brahmans during the rule of Rashtrakutas. It was thought to lead to the ‘rebirth’ of the sacrificer as a kshatriya, even if he was not one by birth.

Ques 10: Why was the period of 700 and 1750 CE considered as a period of great mobility? [2]
Ans: The period between 750 and 1750 CE was a period of great mobility because of the following reasons:
o Groups of people travelled long distances in search of opportunity.
o The subcontinent held immense wealth and the possibilities for people to carve a fortune.

Ques 11: How did Mughals maintain good relations with the Rajputs?
OR
How was the Rajarajeshvara temple at Thanjavur constructed? [5]
Ans: The Mughals were quite impressed with the bravery, chivalry and courage of the Rajputs. They realized that the support of the Rajputs was necessary to consolidate his empire. Thus, the following actions were taken:
o Whenever they defeated the Rajputs, they did not humiliate them.
o They treated them with great respect.
o They allowed most of the Rajput rulers to continue ruling over their territories and did not interfere in their internal matters.
o They married Rajput daughters and gave them complete religious freedom.
o They also assigned high posts to Rajput chiefs in their administration.
OR
The Rajarajeshvara temple is located at Thanjavur and had the following characteristics:
o It had the tallest shikhara amongst temples of its time.
o The construction of this temple was not easy because there were no cranes in those days and the 90 tonne stone for the top of the shikhara was too heavy to lift manually.
o So, the architects built an inclined path to the top of the temple, placed the boulder on rollers and rolled it all the way to the top.
o The path started more than four kilometres away so that it would not be too steep and was dismantled after the temple was constructed.
o However, the residents of the area remembered the experience of the construction of the temple for a long time. Even now a village near the temple is called Charupallam, which means the ‘Village of the Incline’.

Ques 12: Life during the Chola period centred around the temple. Explain.
OR
Write a short note on Shah Jahan. [5]
Ans: Life during the Chola period centred around the temple because of the various reasons. These are as listed below:
o The construction and maintenance of the temple offered jobs to a number of people as each temple had its own priests, musicians, dancers, florists, cooks, carpenters, sweepers, potters, gardeners, washermen, and others.
o Different types of crafts were produced here.
o Religious, social and cultural functions were held in the temple premises. o Schools, colleges and hospitals also grew around these temples.
o Thus, the temple was not only a place of worship but also the epicentre of social, economic and cultural activities.
OR
Shah Jahan (Prince Khurram) was the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, who ruled from 1628 until 1658. He was the son of Emperor Jahangir and his Hindu Rajput wife, Taj Bibi Bilqis Makani (13 May 1573 – 18 April 1619).
At a young age, after the death of his father in 1627, he proclaimed himself as the Emperor at Agra (February 1628).
Shah Jahān’s reign was notable for successes against the Deccan states. The Afghan noble Khan Jahan Lodi rebelled and was defeated. Campaigns were launched against Ahmadnagar, the Bundelas were defeated and Orchha was seized. In the north-west, the campaign to seize Balkh from the Uzbegs was unsuccessful and Qandahar was lost to the Safavids. In 1632, Ahmadnagar was finally annexed and the Bijapur forces sued for peace. In 1657-1658, there was conflict over succession amongst Shah Jahan’s sons.
Aurangzeb was victorious and his three brothers, including Dara Shukoh, were killed. Shah Jahan was imprisoned for the rest of his life in Agra.
Thus, he is considered as one of the greatest Mughals and his rule has been called the Golden Age and one of the most prosperous ages of Indian civilisation.

Section B
Civics

Ques 1: Pick a famous Dalit writer from the names listed below: [1]
a) Dr B. R. Ambedkar
b) Madara Chennaiah
c) Omprakash Valmiki
d) Devendra Choubey
Ans: (c)

Ques 2: India is among the largest producers of [1]
a) Teachers
b) Nurses
c) Salesman
d) Doctors
Ans: (d)

Ques 3: The full form of MLA is one of the terms listed below: [1]
a) Most Liable Administrator
b) Member of Legislative Assembly
c) Member of Local Authority
d) Member of Local Association
Ans: (b)

Ques 4: Which is an important activity on the Samoan islands? [1]
a) Fishing
b) Agriculture
c) Household work
d) All of the above
Ans: (a)

Ques 5: What is the percentage of women engaged in agricultural work in India? [1]
a) 80%
b) 81.65%
c) 82.9%
d) 83.6%
Ans: (d)

Ques 6: What do you understand by Universal Adult Franchise? [2]
Ans: Universal Adult Franchise indicates that all citizens who are 18 years and above irrespective of their caste or education, religion, colour, race and economic conditions are free to vote. However, there are exceptions like lunatics, minors, aliens etc. who are not allowed to vote. It is an essential aspect of all democracies and is based on the concept of equality.

Ques 7: What is a public healthcare system? [2]
Ans: A public healthcare system is a system of hospitals and health centres run by the government. It has the ability to look after the health of a large section of its population scattered over hundreds of thousands of villages.

Ques 8: Who is an MLA? [2]
Ans: An MLA is a Member of the Legislative Assembly and has the following functions:
o He is elected by the people of a particular constituency.
o He then becomes a member of the Legislative Assembly, forming the state government.
o MLAs represent the people.

Ques 9: What is an important principle of the Constitution? [2]
Ans: According to our Constitution, equality is an important principle. The Constitution says that there should be no discrimination between males and females. Both are equal and thus should be treated equally.

Ques 10: Why is a census conducted in India? [2]
Ans: A census is conducted after every 10 years in India. The functions of the census are listed below:
o To count the whole population of the country.
o To gather detailed information about the people living in India—their age, schooling, occupation etc.

Ques 11: What kind of effect did the mid-day meal programme have on the students?
OR
Who was Hakim Sheik? What problem did he face? [5]
Ans: The programme has had many positive effects. These include the following effects:
o More poor children have begun enrolling and regularly attending school.
o Teachers reported that earlier children would often go home for lunch and then not return to school, but now with the mid-day meal being provided in school, student attendance has improved.
o The mothers of the children who earlier had to interrupt their work to feed their children at home during the day now no longer need to do so.
o Dalit women have been employed to cook the meals.
o The program has helped reduce the hunger of poor students who often come to school and cannot concentrate because their stomachs are empty.
OR
Hakim Sheik was a member of the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity (PBKMS). It was an organisation of agricultural labourers in West Bengal.
Hakim Sheik faced the following problems:
o While travelling, one evening, Hakim Sheik fell from a running train and suffered head injuries.
o He needed immediate attention.
o However, when taken to a government hospital in Kolkata, he was refused admission as the hospital did not have a spare bed.
o Another hospital did not have the facility or the specialised doctors necessary for his treatment.
o After spending 14 hours in a critical state and being taken to eight different government hospitals, he still was not admitted.

Ques 12: What lifestyle did the children of Samoan islands have? [5]
OR
Explain about Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain and her dreams about ‘Ladyland’.
Ans: Samoan islands are part of a large group of small islands in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. The children of these islands had the following issues:
o Did not go to school.
o They learnt many things such as taking care of children and doing household work from older people or adults.
o They learnt fishing as it was an important activity performed by habitants of the island.
o After growing up, they would take care of their younger siblings when their parents went to work.
o After a boy turns nine, he joins the older boys in learning outdoor jobs like fishing and planting coconuts.
o Girls continue to look after small children or do errands for adults till they become teenagers.
o After the age of fourteen, girls go on fishing trips, work in the plantations and learn how to weave baskets.
OR
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was born into a rich family.

o Although she knew how to read and write Urdu, she was stopped from learning Bangla and English.
o During those days, English was seen as a language that would expose girls to new ideas, which people thought was not appropriate.
o Therefore, it was only boys who were taught English. o With the support of her elder brother and an elder sister, Rokeya learnt to read and write Bangla and English.
o She went on to become a writer.
o In 1905, when she was merely 25 years old, she wrote a remarkable story titled ‘Sultana’s Dream’ to practise her English skills.
o The story had a woman called Sultana who reaches a place called Ladyland.
o Ladyland was described as a place where women had the freedom to study, work and create inventions like controlling rain from the clouds and flying air cars.
o In this Ladyland, the men had been sent into seclusion—their aggressive guns and other weapons of war defeated by the brain power of women.
o As Sultana travels in Ladyland with Sister Sarah, she awakes to realise that she was only dreaming.

Section C
Geography

Ques 1: The atmosphere is held to the Earth by the force of which of the following terms listed below? [1]
a) Movement
b) Gravity
c) Attraction
d) Deflection
Ans: (b)

Ques 2: What does the word igneous mean? [1]
a) Rock
b) Mineral
c) Fire
d) Stone
Ans: (c)

Ques 3:The place in the crust where the movement of the earthquake starts is called [1]
a) Focus
b) Plate boundary
c) Epicentre
d) None of the above
Ans: (a)

Ques 4: The process by which water continually changes its form and circulates between oceans, atmosphere and land is known as [1]
a) Insolation
b) Water Cycle
c) Precipitation
d) None of the above
Ans: (b)

Ques 5: The amount of solar energy received by the Earth is called [1]
a) Solar energy
b) Radiation
c) Temperature
d) Insolation
Ans: (d)

Ques 6: Define ecosystem. [2]
Ans: An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro -organisms (biotic factors) in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical (abiotic) factors of the environment. They are linked together by the transfer of energy and material.

Ques 7: What is the composition of crust and what is its thickness? [2]
Ans: Composition: The mineral constituents of the continental mass are silica and alumina called sial. The oceanic crust mainly consists of Silica and magnesium called sima.
Thickness: 35 km continental crust and 5 km ocean floor.

Ques 8: What do you mean by Lithospheric plates? [2]
Ans: The Earth’s crust consists of several large and some small rigid, irregularly shaped plates, which carry continents and the ocean floor. These plates are known as lithospheric plates.

Ques 9: What is the significance of atmosphere for the Earth? [2]
Ans: All living beings on the Earth depend on the atmosphere for their survival. It provides us the air we breathe and protects us from the harmful effects of the Sun's rays. Without this blanket of protection, we would be baked alive by the heat of the Sun during the day and get frozen during the night. So it is this mass of air that has made the temperature on the Earth liveable.

Ques 10: Why is ocean water salty? [2]
Ans: The ocean bodies and the seas contain salty water. The water of the oceans is salty or saline as it contains large amount of dissolved salts. Most of the salt is sodium chloride or the common table salt that you eat.

Ques 11: What are the features of Lithosphere? How is it important to us?
OR
Why do you think Earth is the home to the human beings and other organisms? How have human needs undergone changes with the passage of time and technological development? [5]
Ans: The features of Lithosphere are as listed below:
1. The lithosphere is the solid crust or the hard top layer of the Earth.
2. It consists of rocks and minerals and is covered by a thin layer of soil.
3. It is irregular and consists of various landforms such as mountains, plateaus, plains and valleys.
The lithosphere provides us with forests, grasslands for grazing, land for agriculture and for human settlements. It is also a source of mineral wealth.
OR
The Earth is the home of human beings as it provides favourable living conditions which constituent our environment. It provides us with the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the land where we live.
In the past, early humans adapted themselves to their natural surroundings. They led a simple life and fulfilled their requirements from nature around them with time however their needs grew and became varied. Humans settled in the fertile plains of river valleys to cultivate land. The invention of the wheel, surplus production and exchange of surplus goods or the barter system helped them to progress.
The industrial revolution enabled large scale production of goods. Means of transport and communication developed.
In this way, with the passage of time and technological developments, human needs underwent many transformations and modifications.

Ques 12: What is wind? Explain three types of winds with a diagram.
OR
What are ocean currents? Explain two types of ocean currents with suitable examples. How does it influence the temperature conditions? [5]
Ans: The movement of air from high pressure area to low pressure areas is called wind. The three types of wind are as listed below:
o Permanent winds - The trade winds, westerlies and easterlies are the permanent winds. These winds blow constantly throughout the year in a particular direction.
o Seasonal winds - These winds change their direction in different seasons, e.g. monsoons in India.
o Local winds - These blow only during a particular period of the day or year in a small area, e.g. land and sea breeze.

OR
Ocean currents are streams of water flowing constantly on the ocean surface in definite directions.
o The ocean currents may be warm or cold.
o The warm ocean currents originate near the Equator and move toward the poles. The cold currents carry water from polar or higher latitudes to tropical or lower latitudes.
o The ocean currents influence the temperature conditions of an area. Warm currents bring about warm temperature over land surface.
o Example: The Labrador ocean current is a cold current, while the Gulf Stream is a warm current.