CBSE EXAMINATION PAPER-2025

Verses from the Upanishads

Here are two verses from the Chhandogya Upanishad, a text composed in Sanskrit c. sixth century BCE:

The Nature of the Self:

This self of mine within the heart, is smaller than paddy or barley or mustard or millet or the kernel of a seed of millet. This self of mine within the heart is greater than the earth, greater than the intermediate space, greater than heaven, greater than these worlds.

The True Sacrifice:

This one (the wind) that blows, this is surely a sacrifice... While moving, it sanctifies all this; therefore it is indeed a sacrifice.

Amir Khusrau and the Qaul

Amir Khusrau (1253-1325), the great poet, musician and disciple of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, gave a unique form to the Chishti 'sama' by introducing the qaul (Arabic word meaning 'saying'), a hymn sung at the opening or closing of qawwali. This was followed by sufi poetry in Persian, Hindavi or Urdu, and sometimes using words from all of these languages. Qawwals (those who sing these songs) at the shrine of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya always start their recital with the qaul. Today qawwali is performed in shrines all over the subcontinent.

Why the Salt Satyagraha?

Why was salt the symbol of protest? This is what Mahatma Gandhi wrote: The volume of information being gained daily shows how wickedly the salt tax has been designed. In order to prevent the use of salt that has not paid the tax which is at times even fourteen times its value, the Government destroys the salt it cannot sell profitably. Thus it taxes the nation's vital necessity; it prevents the public from manufacturing it and destroys what nature manufactures without effort... No adjective is strong enough for characterizing this wicked dog-in-the-manger policy. From various sources, I hear tales of such want on destruction of the nation’s property in all parts of India. Maunds if not tons of salt are said to be destroyed on the Konkan coast. The same tale comes from Dandi. Wherever there is likelihood of natural salt being taken away by the people living in the neighbourhood of such areas for their personal use, salt officers are posted for the sole purpose of carrying on destruction. Thus valuable national property is destroyed at national expense and salt taken out of the mouths of the people.

The salt monopoly is thus a fourfold curse. It deprives the people of a valuable easy village industry, involves wanton destruction of property that nature produces in abundance, the destruction itself means more national expenditure and fourthly, to crown this folly, an unheard of tax of more than 1,000 per cent is exacted from a starving people.

This tax has remained so long because of the apathy of the general public. Now that it is sufficiently roused, the tax has to go.How soon it will be abolished depends upon the strength the people.

The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG),Vol.49

On the given poltical outline map of india locate and label the following places with appropriate symbols:

Two statements are given below as Assertion (A) and Reason (R).Read them carefully and chose correct option.

Assertion (A): Harappa was a well-planned city.

Reason (R): It had a well-planned drainage system.

Identify the ruler from Indian history with following information:

• Ruler of Bhopal;

• Ruled from 1868 to 1901 CE;

• Helped in preserving the Sanchi Stupa

The given sculpture from the fifth century Devgarh temple depicts which of the following deities?

Arrange the following in chronological order and choose the correct option: I. Battle of Talikota II. Establishment of Nagalpuram III. Formation of Kamalpuram Tank IV. Emergence of the Sultanate of Golconda

Match Column-I with Column-II and choose the correct option:

How was the Constituent Assembly influenced by public opinion? Choose the correct option.

I. People aired their viwes outside the Parliament House.

II. People gave their reactions through the press.

III. The members of Constitunet Assembly used to discuss with the public.

IV. Public expressed their viwes in the Constituent Assembly.

Identify the person from the given information:

1. He was the head of Advisory Committee of the Constituent Assembly;

2. He was against the separate electorate;

3. He was the first home minister of free India.

Vardhman Mahavir is related to which of the following religion ?