NCERT Solutions
Class 12 History
15 chapters · 30 important questions
The Story of the First Cities — Harappan Civilisation
Examines the Harappan civilisation through archaeological evidence. Key themes: urban planning, craft production, trade, and the collapse of the civilisation. The challenge of interpreting evidence without a deciphered script.
Key Topics
Important Questions
What were the distinctive features of Harappan cities? How do archaeologists infer that the Harappan society was not a simple one?
Why is the Harappan script considered a challenge for historians?
Kings, Farmers and Towns — Early States and Economies
Covers political history from 600 BCE to 600 CE using inscriptions and texts. Focuses on the Mauryan Empire, Ashoka's Dhamma, post-Mauryan politics, and changes in agrarian life.
Key Topics
Important Questions
How do historians reconstruct the history of the Mauryan Empire? What kinds of sources do they use?
What was Ashoka's Dhamma? What were its core principles?
Kinship, Caste and Class — The Mahabharata
Uses the Mahabharata as a historical source to understand early Indian social norms, varna system, marriage rules, and the position of women and subordinate groups.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Describe the social norms found in the Mahabharata. What do they tell us about society?
What are the limitations of using the Mahabharata as a historical source?
Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings — Buddhism and Sanchi
Examines the Buddhist tradition through architecture and texts. The Sanchi stupa is used as a source to understand Buddhist practice, patronage, and the spread of Buddhism.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Describe what you know about the Sanchi stupa. What does it tell us about Buddhist society?
What are the core teachings of the Buddha?
Through the Eyes of Travellers — Al-Biruni, Ibn Battuta, Bernier
Examines three travellers' accounts of India. Al-Biruni's Kitab-ul-Hind, Ibn Battuta's Rihla, and François Bernier's Travels in the Mughal Empire offer outsider perspectives on Indian society.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Compare the perspectives of Ibn Battuta and Bernier on Indian society. How are their viewpoints different?
What are the limitations of using travel accounts as historical sources?
Bhakti-Sufi Traditions
Covers the Bhakti movement (with regional saints) and the Sufi tradition in India. The social impact of Bhakti-Sufi ideas, interaction between traditions, and the importance of music and poetry are key themes.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Describe the major ideas of the Bhakti movement. How did it challenge the existing social order?
What was the Sufi tradition? Describe the role of the Chishti silsila in India.
An Imperial Capital — Vijayanagara
Studies the Vijayanagara empire through its capital Hampi. The social and economic life, the religious landscape, and foreign travellers' descriptions are central. The Battle of Talikota and the end of the empire are discussed.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Describe the features of the capital of the Vijayanagara empire. What does it tell us about the power of the rulers?
What do we learn about Vijayanagara from the accounts of foreign travellers?
Peasants, Zamindars and the State — Mughal Agrarian Society
Examines Mughal agrarian relations using the Ain-i-Akbari. Topics include the structure of rural society, the roles of peasants and zamindars, land revenue systems, and agrarian crises.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Describe the relationship between zamindars and the Mughal state. What were the rights and obligations of zamindars?
What were the main features of the Mughal land revenue system?
Kings and Chronicles — The Mughal Court
Studies Mughal court culture through chronicles (Akbarnama, Padshahnama) and paintings. Topics include the structure of the court, the role of chronicles as royal propaganda, and the significance of court rituals.
Key Topics
Important Questions
What can we learn about the Mughal court from its chronicles? What are the limitations of these sources?
Describe the structure of the Mughal court. What roles did different people play?
Colonialism and the Countryside
Examines the impact of British colonialism on Indian rural society. Covers the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, the experiences of Paharias and Santhals, and the Bombay Deccan's agrarian history.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement. What were its effects on Bengal's peasants?
Who were the Santhals? How did they resist colonial encroachment?
Rebels and the Raj — The 1857 Revolt
Analyses the 1857 uprising: its causes (military grievances, land policies, religious fears), major events, key leaders, and its significance. British and Indian interpretations of the revolt are contrasted.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Analyse the main causes of the Revolt of 1857. Why did it fail?
How have historians interpreted the Revolt of 1857 differently?
Colonial Cities — Bombay, Madras, Calcutta
Examines the growth of colonial cities under British rule. Spatial segregation, new architecture, changes in urban life, and the emergence of new social classes are key themes.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Describe the features of a typical colonial city in India. How were they different from pre-colonial towns?
What were the social changes brought about by colonial urbanisation?
Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement
Traces Gandhi's political career from Champaran (1917) to his assassination (1948). His methods (Satyagraha, non-cooperation, civil disobedience), his mobilisation of different groups, and historians' debates about his legacy.
Key Topics
Important Questions
How did Gandhi mobilise different sections of Indian society into the nationalist movement?
What was the significance of the Salt March? How did it change the nature of the freedom struggle?
Understanding Partition
Analyses the causes, process, and human cost of the 1947 Partition. Oral history evidence provides perspectives on communal violence and displacement that official records miss.
Key Topics
Important Questions
What were the main causes of the Partition of India? How did it happen so suddenly?
How do oral histories help us understand the experience of Partition differently from official records?
Framing the Constitution
Examines the making of the Indian Constitution (1946–49). Key debates in the Constituent Assembly — on fundamental rights, minority safeguards, language, and reservation — are central. The role of Dr Ambedkar and Nehru is highlighted.
Key Topics
Important Questions
Describe the key debates in the Constituent Assembly. How were disagreements resolved?
What was Dr Ambedkar's contribution to the making of the Indian Constitution?