MCQ Questions for Class 12 History Chapter 14 Understanding Partition - Politics, Memories, Experiences

CBSE Class 12 History Syllabus : Course Content

PART – I

BRICKS, BEADS AND BONES The Harappan Civilization:Broad overview: Early urb an centers

• Story of discovery: Harappan civilization
• Excerpt: Archaeological report on a major site
• Discussion: How it has been utilized by archaeologists/ historians

KINGS, FARMERS AND TOWNS: Early States and Economies (c. 600 BCE-600 CE)Broad overview: Political and economic History from the Mauryan to the Gupta period

• Story of discovery: Inscriptions and the Decipherment of the script. Shifts in the Understanding of political and economic history.
• Excerpt: Ashokan inscription and Gupta period land grant
• Discussion: Interpretation of inscriptions by historians.

KINSHIP, CASTE AND CLASS Early Society Societies (C. 600 BCE-600 CE)

• Social Histories: Using the Mahabharata Issues in social history, inclu ding caste, class, kinship and gender
• Story of discovery: Transmission and publications of the Mahabha rat
• Excerpt: from the Mahabharata, illustrating how it has been used by historians.
• Discussion: Other sources for reconstructing social history.

THINKERS, BELIEFS AND BUILDINGS Cultural Developments (c. 600 BCE – 600 CE)Broad overview: A History of Buddhism: Sanchi Stupa

• A brief review of religious histories of Vedic religion, Jainism, Vaishnavism, Shaivism (Puranic Hinduism)
• Focus on Buddhism.
• Story of discovery: Sanchi stupa.
• Excerpt: Reproduction of sculptures from Sanchi.
• Discussion: Ways in which sculpture has been interpreted by historians, other sources for reconstructing the history of Buddhism.

PART-II

THROUGH THE EYES OF TRAVELLERS Perceptions of Society (c. tenth to seventeenth century)Broad Overview: Outlines of social and cultural life as they appear in traveller’s account.

• Story of their writings: A discussion of where they travelled, what they wrote and for whom they wrote.
• Excerpts: from Al Biruni, Ibn Battuta, Francois Bernier.
• Discussion: What these travel accounts can tell us and how they have been interpreted by historians.

BHAKTI –SUFI TRADITIONS: Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional Texts (c. eighth to eighteenth centuries)Broad overview: Outline of religious developments during this period saints.

• Ideas and practices of the Bhakti-Sufi
• Story of Transmission: How Bhakti-Sufi compositions have been preserved.
• Excerpt: Extracts from selected Bhakti-Sufi works.
• Discussion: Ways in which these have been interpreted by historians.

AN IMPERIAL CAPITAL: VIJAYANAGARA (c. fourteenth to sixteenth centuries)Broad Over View: New Architecture: Hampi

• Outline of new buildings during Vijayanagar period-temples, forts, irrigation facilities.
• Relationship between architecture and the political system
• Story of Discovery: Account of how Hampi was found.
• Excerpt: Visuals of buildings at Hampi
• Discussion: Ways in which historians have analyzed and interpreted these structures.

PEASANTS, ZAMINDARS AND THE STATE: Agrarian Society and the Mughal Empire (c. sixteenth-seventeenth centuries)Broad overview: The Aini-Akbari

• Structure of agrarian relations in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Patterns of change over the period.
• Story of Discovery: Account of the compilation and translation of Ain I Akbari
• Excerpt: from the Ain-iAkbari.
• Discussion: Ways in which historians have used texts to reconstruct history.

PART-III

COLONIALISM AND THE COUNTRYSIDE: Exploring Official ArchivesBroad overview: Colonialism and Rural Society: Evidence from Official Reports

• Life of zamindars, peasants and artisans in the late18thcentury
• Permanent Settlement, Santhals and Paharias
• Story of official records: An account of why official Investigations into rural societies were undertaken and the types of records and reports produced.
• Excerpts: From Fifth Report
• Discussion: What the official records tell and do not tell, and how they have been used by historians.

REBELS AND THE RAJ: 1857 Revolt and its RepresentationsBroad overview: The events of 1857-58.

• Vision of Unity
• How these events were recorded and narrated.
• Focus: Lucknow
• Excerpts: Pictures of 1857. Extracts from contemporary accounts.
• Discussion: How the pictures of 1857 shaped British opinion of what had happened.

MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT: Civil Disobedience and BeyondBroad overview: The Nationalist Movement 1918 -48.

• The nature of Gandhian politics and leadership.
• Focus: Mahatma Gandhi and the three movements and his last days as “finest hours”
• Excerpts: Reports from English and Indian language newspapers and other contemporary writings.
• Discussion: How newspapers can be a source of history

FRAMING THE CONSTITUTION: The Beginning of a New EraBroad overview: The Making of the Constitution an overview:

• Independence and then new nation state.
• The making of the Constitution
• Focus: The Constituent Assembly Debates
• Excerpts: from the debates
• Discussion: What such debates reveal and how they can be analyzed. 

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