CBSE Class 12 Humanities History Board Paper 2026 — Set 1

Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :

A Mother’s Advice

The Mahabharata describes how, when war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas became almost inevitable, Gandhari made one last appeal to her eldest son Duryodhana.

By making peace you honour your father and me, as well as your well-wishers... it is the wise man in control of his senses who guards his kingdom. Greed and anger drag a man away from his profits; by defeating these two enemies a king conquers the earth... You will happily enjoy the earth, my son, along with the wise and heroic Pandavas.... There is no good in a war, no law (dharma) and profit (artha), let alone happiness; nor is there (necessarily) victory in the end – don’t set your mind on war...

Duryodhana did not listen to this advice and fought and lost the war.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follows :

Declining a Royal Gift

This excerpt from a Sufi text describes the proceedings at Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya’s hospice in 1313 :

I (the author, Amir Hasan Sijzi) has the good fortune of kissing his (Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya’s) feet... At this time a local ruler had sent him the deed of ownership to two gardens and much land, along with the provisions and tools for their maintenance. The ruler had also made it clear that he was relinquishing all his rights to both the gardens and land. The master...had not accepted that gift. Instead, he had lamented : “What have I to do with gardens and fields and lands ?... None of .... our spiritual masters had engaged in such activity.

” Then he told an appropriate story : “.... Sultan Ghiyasuddhin, who at that time was still known as Ulugh Khan, came to visit Shaikh Fariduddin (and) offered some money and ownership deeds for four villages to the Shaikh, the money being for the benefit of the dervishes (Sufis), and the land of his use. Smiling, Shaikh al Islam (Fariduddin) said : Give me the money. I will dispense it to the dervishes. But as for those land deeds, keep them. There are many who long for them. Give them away to such persons.”

Read the given passage carefully and answer the following questions :

What taluqdars thought The attitude of the taluqdars was best expressed by Hanwant Singh, the Raja of Kalakankar, near Rae Bareli. During the mutiny, Hanwant Singh had given shelter to a British officer, and conveyed him to safety. While taking leave of the officer, Hanwant Singh told him :

Sahib, your countrymen came into this country. You sent your officers round the districts to examine the titles to the estates. At one blow you took from me lands which from time immemorial had been in my family. I submitted. Suddenly misfortune fell upon you. The people of the land rose against you. You came to me whom you had despoiled. I have saved you. But now – now I march at the head of my retainers to Lucknow to try and drive you from the country.

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

Arrange the following in correct chronological order:

I. Chalcolithic Age

II. Mesolithic Age

III. Neolithic Age

IV. Paleolithic Age

Which of the following pairs is correctly matched?

(Ancient Dynasties) — (Lineage)

(A) Kanvas — Successors of Mauryas

(B) Mauryas — Successors of Mahapadmananda

(C) Satvahanas — Successors of Kushanas

(D) Shakas — Successors of Chalukyas

Which of the following statements regarding Jainism is correct?

I. Vardhaman Mahavira was born in 5th Century CE.

II. Mahavira was the 24th Tirthankara.

III. Jains worship Lord Shiva as Mahavira.

IV. The principle of Ahimsa is emphasised in Jainism. Options:

In which of the following modern states of India is Sanchi Stupa located?

Which of the following chronicles was authored by Abul-Fazl?

Identify the foreign traveller with the help of the following information:

• He was a Moroccan traveller of the 14th century.

• He had expertise in Islamic religion law

• He was appointed Qazi of Delhi by Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Assertion (A): Baba Guru Nanak Devji advocated Nirguna Bhakti.

Reason (R): For Baba Guru Nanak, the absolute or ‘rab’ had no gender or form.

Which of the following statements accurately describe the conditions of Bombay-Deccan from 1840 to 1850?

I. There was significant agrarian expansion during this period.

II. Prices of agricultural products were rising steadily. III. There were frequent peasant uprisings due to economic distress.

IV. The agrarian landscape largely remained progressive. Options:

Why was the Revolt of 1857 viewed as a serious threat by the British?

Choose the correct pair regarding the local leaders during the Revolt of 1857.

List – I (Local Leader) — List – II (Region)

(A) Gonoa — Chotanagpur

(B) Shahmal — Hyderabad

(C) Kunwar Singh — Kanpur

(D) Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah — Arrah

Identify the Indian Political Leader with the help of the following information:

I. He moved the Objectives Resolution in the Constituent Assembly.

II. He moved the resolution proposing that the National Flag be a horizontal tricolour of saffron, white and dark green in equal proportions with a wheel of navy blue colour in the centre.