Ctet Social Science Questions with Detailed Solutions

Correct Answer: (C) Archive
Explanation:
· An archive is a place where old documents, manuscripts, official records and historical papers are preserved.
· These documents are primary sources used to study and reconstruct history.
· Archives ensure long-term preservation of valuable records.
· Libraries mainly store published books and reading material.
Therefore, the correct answer is archive.
Information Booster:
→ Archives preserve original historical records.
→ Used by historians, researchers and scholars.
→ Government records are systematically archived.
→ Manuscripts help verify historical facts.
→ Archives maintain cultural and historical continuity.

Correct Answer: (b) Three of the above
Explanation:
Wood’s Despatch is called the “Magna Carta of English Education in India”. It led to major educational reforms:
Statement A: Correct
→ Education departments were established in provinces to manage schooling systematically.
Statement B: Incorrect
→ Wood’s Despatch did not centralize education under the Governor-General; it promoted provincial responsibility, not centralization.
Statement C: Correct
→ It proposed the establishment of universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, which were set up in 1857.
Statement D: Correct
→ It encouraged training of civil servants, leading to ICS colleges in England.
→ Since A, C and D are correct, option (b) is the right answer.
Information Booster:
· Wood’s Despatch promoted English education and vernacular languages.
· It emphasized teacher training and graded schooling.
· Universities aimed to affiliate colleges, not teach directly.
· It shaped the modern education system in colonial India.

Correct Answer: (c) Earlier histories, eyewitness accounts, documents and inscriptions
Explanation:
Kalhana, the author of Rajatarangini (12th century), is regarded as one of the earliest critical historians of India.
He did not rely on a single type of source.
Kalhana carefully consulted:
· Earlier historical texts to understand past narratives,
· Eyewitness accounts available in his time,
· Official documents and records related to kings and administration,
· Inscriptions found on temples, copper plates and monuments.
This wide use of sources made Rajatarangini more systematic and reliable compared to earlier mythological chronicles.
→ Hence, option (c) correctly reflects the multi-source methodology used by Kalhana.
Information Booster:
· Rajatarangini means “River of Kings”.
· Kalhana critically examined legends and rejected unreliable stories.
· He emphasized chronology, cause–effect and evidence.
· His method marks an early step towards scientific historical writing in India.

Correct Answer: (B) Only 3 and 4
Explanation:
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989
→ Was enacted to prevent discrimination, violence and exploitation.
Scheduled Castes – Covered
Scheduled Tribes – Covered
Minorities and Women – Not specifically covered under this Act
→ They are protected under other constitutional and legal provisions.
→ Therefore, only SCs and STs are correct.
Information Booster:
→ The Act provides special courts for speedy trials.
→ It aims to ensure dignity and equality.
→ It strengthens Article 17 and Article 46.
→ Social justice is a key constitutional goal.
→ The Act was amended in 2015 to make it stronger.

Correct Answer: (A) Case study
Explanation:
· A case study presents a real or realistic situation for analysis.
· Narrating the journey of an accused person through police and court systems helps students understand processes step by step.
· It promotes empathetic and analytical thinking.
· Case studies are effective in teaching concepts like justice, rights and law.
Therefore, the pedagogical resource used is a case study.
Information Booster:
→ Case studies bridge theory and real life.
→ Useful in civics and political science teaching.
→ Encourage discussion and multiple perspectives.
→ Support inquiry-based learning.
→ Widely recommended in social science pedagogy.

Correct Answer: (C) 1, 3 and 4
Explanation:
Statement 1: Correct
→ Selection of the subject shows students’ understanding, interest and relevance.
Statement 2: Not sufficient alone
→ Presentation content matters, but assessment must also test comprehension and reasoning.
Statement 3: Correct
→ Follow-up questions after presentation assess clarity, understanding and depth.
Statement 4: Correct
→ Pre-presentation questions help evaluate planning, preparation and conceptual clarity.
→ Hence, 1, 3 and 4 are appropriate assessment strategies.
Information Booster:
→ Assessment should focus on process as well as product.
→ Oral questioning checks conceptual understanding.
→ Encourages reflective learning.
→ Helps teachers identify learning gaps.
→ Aligns with continuous and comprehensive evaluation.

Correct Answer: (D) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation:
Assertion (A): True
→ Respect for diversity allows social science teachers to accept multiple perspectives, including contradictory or opposing answers.
→ Social realities are complex and cannot be reduced to a single “correct” viewpoint.
Reason (R): True
→ Moving away from preaching enables students to express independent opinions.
→ It shifts the classroom from teacher-centred to learner-centred interaction.
Link between Assertion and Reason:
→ When teachers stop imposing fixed viewpoints and encourage dialogue, they can better handle diverse and even conflicting responses.
→ Hence, R correctly explains A.
Information Booster:
→ Social science classrooms reflect social diversity.
→ Respect for diversity strengthens democratic values.
→ Teacher’s role is that of a facilitator, not an authority.
→ Encourages critical thinking and dialogue.
→ Helps students develop tolerance and empathy.

Correct Answer: (D) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation:
Assertion (A): True
→ Testing has a diagnostic role in identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Reason (R): True
→ Testing analyses the learner’s quality of learning.
Link between A and R:
→ Since testing analyses learning quality, it helps diagnose learning difficulties.
→ Hence, R correctly explains A.
Information Booster:
→ Diagnostic testing identifies learning problems.
→ Helps teachers plan remedial teaching.
→ Improves learning effectiveness.
→ Supports individualised instruction.
→ Essential for learner-centred education.

Correct Answer: (A) The main objective is to make a final judgement about learning goals
Explanation:
Option (A): Incorrect for formative assessment
→ Final judgement is the purpose of summative assessment, not formative.
Formative assessment is used during the learning process.
· It helps teachers adjust teaching methods.
· It identifies students’ strengths and weaknesses.
· It supports continuous improvement.
→ Therefore, option (A) is not true about formative assessment.
Information Booster:
→ Formative assessment is diagnostic and ongoing.
→ Focuses on improvement, not grading.
→ Provides regular feedback to learners.
→ Helps personalise instruction.
→ Integral to learner-centred pedagogy.

Correct Answer: (B) Only 1 and 2
Explanation:
Statement 1: Correct
→ The Indian Nationalist Movement asserted the supremacy of the people over colonial structures of government.
→ Nationalism challenged the legitimacy of an alien colonial state and emphasized popular sovereignty and self-rule.
Statement 2: Correct
→ The movement aimed to overcome divisions of class, colour, language, region, and religion by promoting a shared national identity.
→ Nationalist leaders consciously tried to unite diverse social groups against colonial rule to reduce social alienation.
Statement 3: Incorrect
→ The Indian Nationalist Movement did not regard the government as equal to God.
→ Instead, it questioned colonial authority and demanded accountability, rights, and democratic governance.
Information Booster:
→ Colonial rule created deep social insecurities by excluding Indians from political power and economic decision-making.
→ Indian nationalism emerged as a response to this alienation, stressing collective identity and self-respect.
→ Mass movements like Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience mobilised peasants, workers, women, and students.
→ National symbols, history, and culture were used to forge unity among diverse communities.
→ The movement ultimately laid the foundation for a democratic system based on the will of the people.

Correct Answer: (C) Jyotirao Phule
Explanation:
→ Jyotirao Phule was a radical anti-caste thinker and social reformer from Maharashtra.
→ He argued that before Aryan/Brahmanical domination, there existed a golden age in which indigenous warrior-peasants ruled the countryside in a just and egalitarian manner.
→ According to Phule, Aryans were external conquerors who imposed caste hierarchy and religious dominance over indigenous people.
→ This interpretation challenged Brahmanical historical narratives and aimed to restore dignity to Shudras and Ati-Shudras.
→ His ideas formed the intellectual base of the Non-Brahman movement in western India.
Information Booster:
→ Phule expressed these ideas most forcefully in his book Gulamgiri (1873), comparing caste oppression to slavery.
→ He used the symbol of Baliraja (King Bali) to represent the pre-Aryan egalitarian order.
→ Phule rejected the divine authority of the Vedas, viewing them as tools of social domination.
→ His thought influenced later reformers and anti-caste leaders, including B.R. Ambedkar.
→ Phule’s historical reinterpretation helped construct a counter-history of caste from the perspective of the oppressed.
Additional Information (Other Options):
(A) Ram Mohan Roy – Focused on reform within Hinduism (e.g., abolition of Sati), not on pre-Aryan social history.
(B) Periyar – Critiqued Aryan domination mainly in the Dravidian South Indian context, not the Maratha countryside.
(D) Guru Nanak – Emphasised spiritual equality and devotion, not historical reinterpretation of caste origins.

Correct Answer: (C) Giving challenging tasks
Explanation:
· Meaningful learning occurs when students actively engage with concepts.
· Challenging tasks stimulate thinking, problem-solving and reasoning.
· They push learners beyond memorisation towards conceptual understanding.
· Easy or recall-based tasks limit cognitive growth.
· Hence, giving challenging tasks promotes meaningful learning.
Information Booster:
→ Meaningful learning involves higher-order thinking.
→ Challenges promote curiosity and motivation.
→ Encourages application and analysis.
→ Supports constructivist learning theory.
→ Builds long-term retention of concepts.

Correct Answer: (C) Egalitarianism
Explanation:
· Egalitarianism stresses equality of opportunity and social justice.
· Social science education aims to highlight inequalities, discrimination and marginalisation.
· This approach supports constitutional ideals such as equality, dignity and justice.
· It encourages learners to question privilege and unequal power relations.
Therefore, egalitarianism best aligns with the goals of social science education.
Information Booster:
→ Closely linked with democratic and constitutional values.
→ Supports inclusion of marginalised voices.
→ Encourages social justice–oriented education.
→ Counters elitist and exclusionary narratives.
→ Promotes fairness in social structures.

Correct Answer: (D) It is a ground for critical examination
Explanation:
· Testing is a systematic procedure to critically examine learners’ performance.
· It helps in judging understanding, skills, and progress.
· Testing is not merely for admission purposes.
· It is also not limited to comparison alone.
Hence, testing serves as a ground for critical examination of learning outcomes.
Information Booster:
→ Testing is an integral part of evaluation.
→ It provides feedback to teachers and learners.
→ Helps in identifying learning gaps.
→ Testing supports improvement of teaching strategies.
→ It measures achievement, aptitude, and abilities.

Correct Answer: (B) 2, 3 and 4
Explanation:
Statement 1 (Afforestation): Incorrect
→ Afforestation increases forest cover and helps conserve biodiversity.
→ It protects habitats rather than destroying them.
Statement 2 (Landslides): Correct
→ Landslides destroy natural habitats and ecosystems.
→ They can wipe out plant species and displace wildlife.
Statement 3 (Constructional activities): Correct
→ Roads, dams, mining and urban expansion lead to habitat loss.
→ Fragmentation of forests threatens survival of species.
Statement 4 (Poaching of animals): Correct
→ Illegal hunting directly reduces animal populations.
→ Many species become endangered due to poaching.
→ Hence, statements 2, 3 and 4 are the correct reasons.
Information Booster:
→ Habitat destruction is the biggest cause of species extinction.
→ Poaching has critically endangered species like tigers and rhinos.
→ Human interference disturbs ecological balance.
→ Biodiversity loss affects food chains and ecosystems.
→ Conservation laws aim to protect endangered species.