CBSE Class 10 · Social Science · board exam 2027
CBSE Class 10 Social Science Question Paper 2026
The board’s 2026 question paper, set 32/2/1 — all 41 questions as printed; 20 objective answers from the board’s own key; full model answers for 3 written questions, how the answer begins for 18 more. Each question names its chapter, where that chapter’s most-asked questions are.
Section A · Objective questions (20)
Which country was most severely affected by the potato famine during 1845 - 1849?
- (A) France
- (B) United States of America
- (C) Ireland ✓
- (D) Sweden
Answer (the board’s key): (C)
Arrange the following historical events in chronological order and choose the correct option : I. Publication of Bengal Gazette II. Publication of Diamond Sutra III. Publication of Bible by Johann Gutenberg IV. Return of Marco Polo to Italy from China
- (A) I, II, III, IV
- (B) IV, III, II, I
- (C) II, IV, I, III
- (D) II, IV, III, I ✓
Answer (the board’s key): (D)
Two statements labelled as Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are given below. Read both the statements carefully and choose the correct option : Assertion (A) : Giuseppe Mazzini was a revolutionary from Italy. Reason (R) : He founded underground organisations.
- (A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A). ✓
- (B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- (C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- (D) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
Answer (the board’s key): (A)
Between which two leaders was the Poona Pact signed in 1932 ?
- (A) Bhimrao Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi ✓
- (B) Bhimrao Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru
- (C) Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin
- (D) Mahatma Gandhi and M.A. Jinnah
Answer (the board’s key): (A)
Whom does this picture represent ? Choose the correct option. Note: The following question is for the Visually Impaired Candidates only, in lieu of Q. No. 5. Which of the following countries was granted autonomy by the Habsburg rulers in 1867 ? (A) England (B) Italy (C) Hungary (D) Russia
- (A) Marianne
- (B) Britannia
- (C) Germania ✓
- (D) Columbia
Answer (the board’s key): (C)
Which of the following deadly disease spread in America through Portugal and Spain in mid-sixteenth century ?
- (A) Yellow fever
- (B) Smallpox ✓
- (C) Malaria
- (D) Cholera
Answer (the board’s key): (B)
'Bamboo Drip Irrigation' system is used in which state of India ?
- (A) Himachal Pradesh
- (B) Kerala
- (C) Rajasthan
- (D) Meghalaya ✓
Answer (the board’s key): (D)
Choose the correct option to fill in the blank. The largest wind farm cluster in India is located between ________.
- (A) Nagercoil to Madurai ✓
- (B) Jaipur to Jodhpur
- (C) Bokaro to Raniganj
- (D) Hazira to Jhabua
Answer (the board’s key): (A)
Identify the plantation crop from the following :
- (A) Wheat
- (B) Bajra
- (C) Rice
- (D) Rubber ✓
Answer (the board’s key): (D)
Read the following statements about the functions of political parties and choose the correct option : I. Political parties build public opinion. II. Political parties play the role of the opposition. III. Political parties present their programmes to the public. IV. Political parties make foreign policy.
- (A) Only I, II and III are correct. ✓
- (B) Only II, III and IV are correct.
- (C) Only I, III and IV are correct.
- (D) Only I, II and IV are correct.
Answer (the board’s key): (A)
Match Column I with Column II and choose the correct option : Column I (List) a. Union list b. State list c. Concurrent list d. Residuary subjects Column II (Subject) i. Police ii. Computer software iii. Adoption iv. Defence
- (A) a-i, b-ii, c-iii, d-iv
- (B) a-ii, b-iii, c-iv, d-i
- (C) a-iv, b-i, c-iii, d-ii ✓
- (D) a-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-iii
Answer (the board’s key): (C)
In Sri Lanka, which one of the following changes to the 1956 law gave rise to the possibility of civil war ?
- (A) Ensuring power sharing among all sections.
- (B) Declaring Sinhala as the official language. ✓
- (C) Declaring Tamil as the official language.
- (D) Implementing a policy of preference for Sinhalese in government jobs.
Answer (the board’s key): (B)
Which one of the following countries is an example of a ‘coming together federation’ ?
- (A) India
- (B) Belgium
- (C) Spain
- (D) Australia ✓
Answer (the board’s key): (D)
Study the following table and arrange the States from lower to higher on the basis of ‘Life Expectancy at Birth’ and choose the correct option : | States | Life Expectancy at Birth (2018) | Enrolment in Higher Education (2017-18) | | --- | --- | --- | | Haryana | 69.7 | 23 | | Kerala | 75.2 | 37 | | Bihar | 68.9 | 13.6 | | Odisha | 68.4 | 22.1 |
- (A) Haryana, Kerala, Bihar, Odisha
- (B) Kerala, Haryana, Bihar, Odisha
- (C) Odisha, Bihar, Haryana, Kerala ✓
- (D) Odisha, Bihar, Kerala, Haryana
Answer (the board’s key): (C)
Two statements labelled as Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are given below. Read both the statements carefully and choose the correct option : Assertion (A) : Agricultural production related activities are included in the tertiary sector. Reason (R) : Tertiary sector is called as service sector.
- (A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- (B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
- (C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
- (D) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true. ✓
Answer (the board’s key): (D)
Why do some countries impose tariffs on imported goods in the context of globalization ? Choose the correct reason from the following options :
- (A) To support free trade
- (B) To protect local industries ✓
- (C) To attract investment
- (D) To lower import costs
Answer (the board’s key): (B)
Why is the rupee widely accepted as a medium of exchange in India?
- (A) Because it is issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of the State Government.
- (B) Because it is issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of the Central Government. ✓
- (C) Because it is issued by the State Bank of India on behalf of the Central Government.
- (D) Because it is issued by the Reserve Bank of India on behalf of the World Bank.
Answer (the board’s key): (B)
Which of the following is an example of the public sector?
- (A) Birla Cement
- (B) Tata Iron and Steel Company
- (C) Reliance Industries Limited
- (D) Indian Railways ✓
Answer (the board’s key): (D)
Smt. Deepti is a resident of X country. Her country is a developed country. Which of the following would be a characteristic of her country ?
- (A) High Infant Morality Rate
- (B) High Per Capita Income ✓
- (C) Low Literacy Rate
- (D) Low Net Attendance Ratio
Answer (the board’s key): (B)
Which one of the following is the purpose of collateral in a loan ?
- (A) To increase the interest for the lender
- (B) To secure the loan for the lender ✓
- (C) To reduce paperwork for the lender
- (D) To avoid repayment on the loan
Answer (the board’s key): (B)
Section B · Written questions (21)
(a) Analyse the role of language in the development of nationalism in Poland during the nineteenth century. OR (b) Analyse the main provisions of the Treaty of Vienna of 1815.
Medha Ma’am
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Model answer · language and nationalism in Poland
- 1.(a) Under Russian occupation, Russian was imposed and the Polish language was forced out of schools; Polish became a symbol of national unity. OR (b) In 1815 the European powers — Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria — met at Vienna, hosted by Metternich, to settle Europe after Napoleon's defeat.1 mark
- 2.After the 1831 rebellion was crushed, the clergy used Polish for church gatherings and religious teaching as a weapon of national resistance. OR The treaty reduced France's size, and new states were set up on its borders to check French expansion.1 mark
- 3.Priests and bishops who refused to preach in Russian were jailed or sent to Siberia, so the use of Polish became a symbol of the struggle against Russian dominance. OR The German Confederation of 39 states was left in place, Italy remained divided, and the conservative monarchies (the Bourbons in France) were restored.1 mark
Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not CBSE’s official scheme
(a) "Women played an important role during the Civil Disobedience Movement." Support the statement with appropriate arguments. OR (b) "The revival of Indian folklore strengthened nationalism in India." Support the statement with appropriate arguments.
Medha Ma’am
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Model answer · women in Civil Disobedience Movement
- 1.(a) Thousands of women joined the salt march and protest marches, made salt, and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops. OR (b) Folk performers went from village to village spreading the nationalist message through folk songs and tales.1 mark
- 2.Many women went to jail, a very bold step at that time. OR Natesa Sastri published a four-volume collection of Tamil folk tales, The Folklore of Southern India, to show the true national culture.1 mark
- 3.In towns they came from high-caste families and in villages from rich peasant households; moved by Gandhiji's call, they saw service to the nation as a sacred duty. OR Nationalists believed folk tales gave a true picture of traditional culture, which had to be saved from modern and Western influence.1 mark
- 4.Though Gandhiji saw women's duty mainly as looking after the home, many women still took an active part. OR Rabindranath Tagore and other Bengali intellectuals collected ballads, nursery rhymes and myths to build a national identity.1 mark
- 5.Their participation widened women's role in public life and made the national movement a mass movement. OR So the revival of folklore strengthened nationalism by giving people pride in their past and a sense of cultural unity.1 mark
Marks split from a structure derived from past papers (checked twice); not CBSE’s official scheme
Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow : Print and Censorship ... (9.1) Which Act was the inspiration of the 'Vernacular Press Act' ? (9.2) Why was the colonial government not in favour of freedom of the press ? (9.3) Which two powers were given by the Vernacular Press Act to the colonial government ?
Medha Ma’am
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Model answer · Vernacular Press Act, censorship
- 1.9.1 The Vernacular Press Act was inspired by the Irish Press Laws. The Act was passed in 1878 and was modelled on the Irish Press Laws.1 mark
- 2.9.2 The colonial government was not in favour of freedom of the press because Indian newspapers were turning against British rule. After the revolt of 1857, enraged Englishmen demanded a clamp down on the 'native' press. As vernacular newspapers became assertively nationalist, they reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist activities. The government feared that these ideas would spread among the people, so it began debating measures of stringent control over the Indian press.1 mark
- 3.9.3 The Vernacular Press Act gave the colonial government two main powers. First, it provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press. Because of this, the government kept regular track of the vernacular newspapers published in different provinces. Second, it gave the government the power to punish newspapers that published seditious reports. When a report was judged as seditious, the newspaper was warned first. If the warning was ignored, the press was liable to be seized and the printing machinery confiscated.2 marks
- For 9.1, write the name "Irish Press Laws" in full.
- For 9.2, write that vernacular newspapers became "assertively nationalist", and link it to the demand after the revolt of 1857.
- For 9.3, write two separate powers: the right to censor reports and editorials, and that the press was liable to be seized and the printing machinery confiscated.
Marks split as in the board’s published marking scheme
Two places 'A' and 'B' have been marked on the given political outline map of India (page 27). Identify them with the help of the following information and write their correct names on the lines drawn near them : A. The place where the session of the Indian National Congress was held in September 1920. B. The place where Mahatma Gandhi led the Peasant Movement against Indigo Cultivation. Note: The following questions are for the Visually Impaired Candidates only, in lieu of Q. No. 10. (10.1) Name the place where the session of the Indian National Congress was held in September 1920. (10.2) Name the place where Mahatma Gandhi led the Peasant Movement for Indigo planters.
How the model answer begins
1. A. Calcutta: the session of the Indian National Congress held in September 1920 was the Calcutta session of the Congress.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →(a) Describe the role of communities in forest conservation in India. OR (b) Describe any two steps taken by the Government of India for the conservation of forests and wildlife.
How the model answer begins
1. In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act. The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared 1,200 hectares of forest…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Explain any three major factors responsible for land degradation.
How the model answer begins
1. (i) Mining: Human activities like mining and quarrying degrade land. Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is complete leaving deep scars and traces of over-burdening, so the land can no longer be used.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →(a) Explain the reasons why most of the Jute industries in India are located in West Bengal. OR (b) Explain the measures to reduce industrial pollution.
How the model answer begins
1. (a) The mills are close to the jute-growing areas of the Ganga–Brahmaputra delta, so raw jute is easily available. OR (b) Use less water by reusing and recycling it in two or more stages.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow : Cropping Pattern Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June. Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October. In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer months known as the zaid season. (17.1) Rice cultivation is an example of which type of agricultural season ? (17.2) Name any one crop which is harvested between April to June in India. (17.3) Mention any two zaid crops.
How the model answer begins
1. 17.1 Rice cultivation is an example of the kharif season. Rice is a kharif crop. Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and are harvested in September-October. Rice needs high…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Write the name of a major dam situated on the Mahanadi river. (18.
How the model answer begins
1. The major dam situated on the Mahanadi river is the Hirakud Dam. It is part of the Hirakud project in the Mahanadi basin. This multi-purpose project integrates conservation of water with flood control.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Write the name of the place where a Software Technology Park is located in Uttar Pradesh. (18.
How the model answer begins
1. The Software Technology Park in Uttar Pradesh is located at Noida. Noida is one of the places where the Information Technology and Electronics Industry is mainly concentrated, along with Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai,…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Name a major sea port located in Tamil Nadu. (18.
How the model answer begins
1. Tuticorin is the major seaport located in Tamil Nadu. Its full name is V.O. Chidambaranar (Tuticorin) port. It is the extreme south-eastern port on the east coast of India. It has a natural harbour and rich hinterland,…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Write the name of the easternmost terminal station of the East-West Corridor of India.
How the model answer begins
1. The easternmost terminal station of the East-West Corridor of India is Silchar in Assam. The East-West Corridor connects Silchar (Assam) in the east with Porbander (Gujarat) in the west. It is part of the Golden…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Suggest any two ways to strengthen the 'party system' in India.
How the model answer begins
1. Internal democracy should be promoted within political parties. It should be made compulsory for political parties to maintain a register of its members, to follow its own constitution, to have an independent authority…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →"The existence of complaints is a testimony to the success of democracy." Explain this statement with examples.
How the model answer begins
1. Complaints show that people have become aware of what to expect from a democratic government and can look critically at those in power; their rising expectations are themselves a sign of democracy's success.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →“The creation of linguistic states was the first and a major test for democratic politics in India.” Explain the statement.
How the model answer begins
1. After independence, the boundaries of several old States of India were changed in order to create new States. This was done to ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same State. This reorganization…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →(a) Compare the Belgian model and the Sri Lankan model of power sharing. OR (b) Why is power sharing necessary in a democracy ? Explain.
How the model answer begins
1. (a) Belgium shared power to keep harmony and cooperation between its communities, while Sri Lanka adopted majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala dominance. OR (b) Power sharing reduces the chance of conflict between…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow : How many political parties ? In some countries, only one party is allowed to control and run the government. These are called one-party systems. In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties. Several other parties may exist, contest elections and win a few seats in the national legislatures. Such a party system is called two-party system. If several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in alliance with others, we call it a multiparty system. (27.1) Explain the main feature of ‘multi-party system’. (27.2) Why is a ‘one-party system’ not compatible with democracy ? (27.3) Explain the main characteristics of a coalition government.
How the model answer begins
1. The main feature of a multi-party system is that if several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in alliance with others, we…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Explain ‘Disguised Unemployment’ with example.
How the model answer begins
1. Disguised unemployment is a situation where people are apparently working but all of them are made to work less than their potential, so their actual productivity is low or they are working less than their potential.…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Suggest any three measures for labour safety in the unorganised sector.
How the model answer begins
1. The government should ensure strict implementation of minimum wage laws for workers in the unorganised sector, so that they are not exploited and are paid a fair wage.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →Define the term ‘Body Mass Index’. Explain the method of its calculation.
How the model answer begins
1. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a scientific method to measure the nutritional level of a person.
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →(a) Differentiate between the formal and informal sources of credit. OR (b) Explain the functioning of ‘Self-Help Groups’.
How the model answer begins
1. (a) Formal sources are banks and cooperatives; informal sources are moneylenders, traders, employers, relatives and friends. OR (b) A self-help group has 15–20 members, usually women from one neighbourhood, who pool…
The full answer from Medha Ma’am →
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