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Social Science · 2026 · 4 marks
CBSE 2026 · Region 5 · Set 1 · Q8
Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow: The sense of collective belonging As the national movement developed,…
Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow : The sense of collective belonging As the national movement developed, nationalist leaders became more and more aware of such icons and symbols in unifying people and inspiring in them a feeling of nationalism. Another means of creating a feeling of nationalism was through reinterpretation of history. By the end of the nineteenth century many Indians began feeling that to instill a sense of pride in the nation, Indian history had to be thought about differently. The British saw Indians as backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves. In response, Indians began looking into the past to discover India's great achievements. They wrote about the glorious developments in ancient times when art and architecture, science and mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy, crafts and trade had flourished. This glorious time, in their view, was followed by a history of decline, when India was colonised. These nationalist histories urged the readers to take pride in India's great achievements in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions of life under British rule. ($\displaystyle 8.1$) How did icons help to unite Indians during the freedom struggle ? ($\displaystyle 8.2$) Why did nationalists feel the need to rewrite Indian history ? ($\displaystyle 8.3$) How did nationalist histories portray India's past and present?
Marking-scheme solution
($\displaystyle 8.1$) How did icons help to unite Indians during the freedom struggle?
(i) Devotion to an icon like Bharat Mata came to be seen as evidence of one’s nationalism in India.
(ii) Folk tradition in the form of songs, music and rhymes were encouraged in order to discover one’s national identity and restore a sense of pride in one’s past.
(iii) In carrying the national flag, holding it aloft, during marches became a symbol of defiance.
($\displaystyle 8.2$) Why did nationalists feel the need to rewrite Indian history?
(i) The British through their writings saw Indians as backward and primitive, incapable of governing themselves. In response, Indians began looking into the past to discover India’s great achievements.
(ii) These nationalist histories urged the readers to take pride in India’s great achievements in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions of life under British rule.
($\displaystyle 8.3$) How did nationalist histories portray India’s past and present?
(i) Nationalist historians wrote about the glorious developments in ancient times when art and architecture, science and mathematics, religion and culture, law and philosophy, crafts and trade had flourished.
(ii) This glorious time, in their view, was followed by a history of decline, when India was colonised.
(iii) These nationalist histories urged the readers to take pride in India’s great achievements in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions of life under British rule.
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CBSE Class 10 Social Science past-paper question from the 2026 board exam, with the answer as CBSE’s own marking scheme gives it. Where our answers come from.