CTET Paper 2 Social Science 4th Jan 2022 (English-Hindi) SET N (Previous Year Paper)

Development describes the growth of humans throughout their lifespan, from conception to death. It refers to development as patterns of change over time. It does not just involve the biological and physical aspects of growth, but also the cognitive and social aspects associated with development.

Key Points Principle of Development Sequences: Every living being followed a pattern of development. A child also develops in an orderly sequence that is almost similar to all children. there are two principles about the development of a child's body. (a) Proximodistal principle (b) Cephalo-caudal Principle.

• Proximodistal sequence: means that the development proceeds from the central part of the body towards the peripheries. In this sequence, the spinal cord of the individual develops first, and then outward development takes place. 
• For example, babies cut their front teeth before they cut their side ones.
• Thus we can conclude that if Infants first learn to move their torso and then their arms and legs means that he follows the Proximodistal principle of development.

Important Points

• Cephalo-caudal sequence: means that development spreads over the body from head to foot i.e. individual begins to grow from the head region downwards. Sufi first gained control of her head, then she could catch hold of objects, sit, crawl and later she could stand and walk.​

Additional Information Some Principles of development are:

• Principle of Individual Differences: It says that every individual is unique in himself/herself as the heredity and environmental factors make him/her different from others.
• Principle of Generality to Specificity:  The development process starts with general responses shown by the child as s/he passes through the later stages s/ he starts exhibiting specific behaviors.
• Principle of Interrelation: The development of an individual is reflected through the balanced interrelation of all the aspects of life. Development in any aspect affects the other aspect also.
• Principle of Interaction: The principle of interaction suggests that an individual is the product of heredity and environment. In other words, the interaction takes place within and outside forces of the child.

Culture: Culture is defined as the "Culture is a set of rules or standards that, when acted upon by the members of a society, produce behavior that falls within a range of variance the members consider proper and acceptable."

Key Points Characteristics and effects of culture:

• Culture differs according to place, time, community, and race and this is natural.
• Everyone's life is influenced by the culture that surrounds them and adopts it as the same it is.
• Culture can never be the result of any single person's initiative or endeavor nor can it be the consequence of any particular incident at any particular time.
• It can be different from place to place, from conditions, language, traditions, etc.
• childhood is the age in which children experience the difference between cultures, and also get how is the diverse culture make their life different from one another.
• **Thus we can consider that the culture of the child depends on many factors such as economic health, education, location, society, tradition, etc, and these are all experienced by a child in childhood age.**​

Important PointsChildhood refers to the period of the human lifespan, ranging from birth to puberty. It consists of many developmental stages. It is from two years to the age of 10 or 12 years. It consists of two stages i.e. Early & Late Childhood.

• Early Childhood:
• 'Early childhood' lies between the age of '2 to 7 years.
• It is also known as the toy age, pre-gang age, curiosity age, and exploratory age, etc. It is a very crucial period for the overall development of the child.
• Later childhood: 
• Later childhood  is the time period from the age of '7 to 12 years'.
• The signs of puberty usually begin to appear in this stage. It is also known as elementary school-age, troublesome age, gang age, play age, etc.

The development of a child takes place through various stages. Although each stage has an encompassing relationship to other stages, it has its own unique characteristic needs and demands. These stages are as follows: 

• Infancy Period - Birth to 2 years
• Early Childhood - 2 to 5-6 years
• Middle Childhood - 5-6 to 12 years
• Adolescence - 12 to 18 years

Key PointsMiddle Childhood:

• The time period extends from age 6 to age 12 years. During this time, the growth rate is slow but steady.
• Tlie growth in legs accounts for most of the increase in height.
• Children learn motor skills like throwing and running to perfection.
• The child's thinking develops rapidly and his/her store of information grows at a fast pace. School-age children develop closer ties with their peers.
• Children take participation in games, they can solve riddles by their thought processes, focus more on their abilities and try to improve them.
• Children compare their abilities, appearance, and characteristics with those of their peers.
• Comprehension and reading ability are increased when children are given interesting stories to read.
• They are better at recognizing emotions in others and empathizing. with them.
• Thus we can consider that, middle childhood is the age in which children can have an interest in taking part in games, and activities, and also want to improve their ability through their logical thoughts.

Important Points

• Infancy period: During this stage, adjusting to the new non-uterine environment becomes the major goal or focus in the life of the neonate. Adjusting to room temperature. Breathing independently, sucking and swallowing the milk, eliminating body, and waste are prime areas that the newborn needs to master.
• Early childhood period: The period from birth to six years is a time for rapid development. In this stage, the absence of experience and deprivation can be detrimental to growth. Care and stimulation are critical during early childhood or the first three years.
• Later childhood: During this stage children develop marked negativism and because of their desire for independence seldom obey their parents. The child begins going to school and learns the rudiments of knowledge essential for successful adult life. The peer group assumes great significance and children of this age 'crowd together, thus earning the name gang age'.
• Adolescence: Adolescence literally means 'to grow to maturity. It is an intermediary stage between childhood and adulthood characteristically possessing qualities of both stages, although not fully in either of them. The age range is from 12-19 years. It is the threshold to adulthood. There are rapid physical changes taking place including sexual maturity which is attained during adolescence.

The process of learning to internalize the values and norms into itself or the mode of learning to live in society is called the process of socialization. It may be defined more comprehensively as a life-long process of inculcation whereby an individual learns the principles, values, and symbols of the social system in which he participates and the expression of those values and norms in the roles he enacts.

Basically, socialization is of two types or we can say that there are two agencies of socialization which is:

• Primary socialization
• Secondary Socialization

Key PointsSecondary socialization- The process of imbibing norms, values, and behavior patterns of school may be called secondary socialization. Example: How to behave in a church, How to behave in a school, etc.

• There are many agencies of secondary socialization such as Media, newspapers, books, magazines, neighbors, schools, etc.

Hence we can conclude that books, magazines, media, and schools are the secondary agencies of socialization.

Hint

• Primary socialization- Inculcation of norms and values within the family is called primary socialization. Here children want to know themselves and try to find their identity and learn the daily routine tasks of humans.
• Example: Hygiene training, Eating food with utensils, toilet training, etc.
• Immediate Family is the best example of agencies of primary socialization.

Jean Piaget made a systematic study of cognitive development among children of different age groups and he categorized it into different developmental stages. These stages are- Sensory-motor stage, pre-operational stage, concrete operational stage, and Formal Operational stage.​

• Cognitive development is much more than the addition of new facts and ideas to an existing store of information.  According to Piaget, our thinking processes change radically, though slowly, from birth to maturity because we constantly strive to make sense of the world.​

Key Points

• ​Piaget identified four factors that influence the development of a child and these are Maturation, Activity, Social experiences, Equilibration.
• Maturation: One of the most important influences on the way we make sense of the world is maturation, the unfolding of the biological changes that are genetically programmed. Parents and teachers have little impact on this aspect of cognitive development, except to be sure that children get the nourishment and care they need to be healthy.
• Hence we conclude that Maturation is the stage in which an individual unfolds his biological changes that are genetically programmed.

Important Points

• ​Piaget identified four factors that influence the development of a child-
• Maturation- Child growing up and biological processes change the thinking pattern.
• Activity- Children tend to act on the environment as they explore, test, and observe.
• Social experiences- Children learn from others through transmission.
• Equilibration-  The tendency to search for balance between the basic tendencies in thinking.
• Adaptation: Adaptation is one schema that describes how people learn and understand new information. 
• ​Example: a child seeing a dog and learning what it is.

Jean Piaget made a systematic study of cognitive development among children of different age groups and he categorized it into different developmental stages. He is also known as the father of child Psychology. According to him, development is based on the physical environment or Biological abilities, he ignores social aspects.

According to him stages of the cognitive development are-

• Sensory-motor:(birth to 2 years)
• Preoperational: (from age 2 years to 7 years)
• Concrete operational:(from 7 years to 11 years)
• Formal operational: (from11+ - adolescence and adulthood).

Key PointsConcrete Operational Stage:

• 'Concrete Operational Stage' lasts around 7 to 11 years of age which refers to the later childhood stage of child development.
• In this stage, children can classify objects into groups and subgroups and gain the ability to conserve numbers, area, and volume.
• Children show attainment of the operations/concepts of reversibility, seriation, and transitivity as a cognitive capacity.
• Adaption ability is not gained by the child at this stage.
• Reversibility is the understanding that a child develops to know that things that have been changed can be returned to their original state.
• Children can conserve numbers (age 6), mass (age 7), and weight (age 9). Conservation is the understanding that something stays the same in quantity even when its appearance changes.
• hence by all these references, we can say that a child can get logic of the operations but not abstraction in the concrete operational stage.​

Important Points

Thinking is the basis of all cognitive activities or processes and is unique to human beings. It involves the manipulation and analysis of information received from the environment. There are different kinds of thinking styles which include creative, logical, concrete thinking, etc.

Key Points A learner can gain thinking capacities by:

• Having engagement in various and different tasks.
• Engaging himself in problem-solving activities.
• Talking aloud to himself also helps children to think and recall the learned concept.
• Group discussion, teamwork, and interaction with society make children's thoughts divergent.
• Thus it is clear that thinking is regulated by talking aloud to the children.

Hint 

• Talking aloud is not an indication of egocentrism.
• Talking aloud enhances psychological and language development.

Lev Vygotsky is a Russian Psychologist who proposed the theory of Socio-cultural development. In this theory, Vygotsky emphasizes the role of society and culture in the development of the child. 

Key Points According to Lev Vygotsky, Cultural tools and Social interaction facilitate the cognitive development of children.

Cultural tools:

• Lev Vygotsky's social-cultural perspective of learning emphasizes the importance of cultural tools in the process of cognitive development.
• Cultural tools are the main determinant of cognitive development and learning. They play a significant role in human intellectual development and how humans perceive the world.
• Learning takes place through the interaction between the child and the culture. Different cultures play a vital role in shaping the abilities and behaviors of a child and work as a tool of intellectual adaptation.​  
• Example: Maps, Language, traditions, calculators, books, and media, are the basic source of cultural tools.

Hence, cultural tools such as maps, language, and calculators aid and change our functioning as per Lev Vygotsky's theory.​

Important Points

 Vygotsky also proposed three basic needs of students during learning, these are Zone of proximal development (ZPD), Scaffolding, and Making knowledgeable others (MKO).

• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The concept of MKO is closely related to ZPD. According to Vygotsky, ZPD is the difference between the present level of development attained without anyone’s assistance and the potential level of development that can be attained under the guidance of MKO.
• Scaffolding: Scaffolding is the term, given by Vygotsky, in which he proposed that the temporary help given by the teachers, family, friends, etc. to the children in his learning.
• MKO (more knowledgeable others): Vygotsky defined the “More Knowledgeable Other” (MKO) as anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, particularly in regards to a specific task, concept, or process. MKO could be teachers, parents, tutors, and even peers.

Lev Vygotsky is a Russian Psychologist who proposed the theory of Socio-cultural development. In this theory, Vygotsky emphasizes the role of society and culture in the development of the child.

Key Points

• According to Vygotsky, there are three main factors that affect the learning of the child and these are- Social interaction, Culture, and Language:
• Social interaction: ​​Children try to interact with people.
• Culture: ​Children adopt the culture by interaction.
• Language: Children can easily intimate their primary language through interaction or communication.
• Cooperative learning is a synchronized process in which students attempt to learn something together. They work as a team which develops the team spirit and feeling of collaboration. Cooperative learning is done by also social interaction which is proposed by Vygotsky.

Hence we can conclude that rewards and punishment are not a principle of Lev Vygotsky.

Hint

• Operant conditioning:- B.F Skinner propounded this theory as a way of learning by means of rewards and punishments.
• It is a method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior.
• This type of conditioning holds that certain behavior and a consequence, either a reward or punishment, have a connection that brings about learning.

Important Points Four Principles of Vygotsky:

• Children construct their own knowledge: It is rightly said that knowledge is not transferred passively, but is personally constructed by the individual. It means that for the transfer of knowledge, some medium is necessary on the basis of which knowledge can be received but every individual has his/her own way of perceiving the things and as per his/her perception or understanding, he/she constructs his/her knowledge
• Acquisition of knowledge cannot take place without social context: It is correct to say that knowledge cannot be acquired without social context as a human being is a social being and he/she lives in society by following certain rules, and norms of the society, and learn or expand his/her knowledge by interacting with the social surroundings.
• Learning is mediated: Mediated learning takes place when there is an interaction between a learner and a person who is more knowledgeable and helps the learners to modify stimuli and change their own cognitive structure. The person can be a parent, adult, grandparent, or peer and is called by Vygotsky a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO).
• Language plays a central role in cognitive development: Language is the means of communication and socialization. With the passage of time, it becomes a tool for cognitive development or thinking.

Learner or child-centered approach to education means planning and transacting curriculum in the classroom in a way that allows for flexibility in pace and style of learning to keep in mind that children in a classroom are widely different. It, therefore, suggests an approach to teaching different from the existing practice of having a uniform curriculum, uniform learning material and activities, uniform time, and uniform instructional and evaluation strategies for the whole class.

Key Points The environment of the classroom according to the child-centered approach:

• The child and not the teacher is the focus of the entire process of teaching-learning.
• The child is not a passive but an active participant in the classroom process.
• Has a democratic climate so that the child gets maximum opportunities for interaction with other children in the class, with the teacher, and with a variety of teaching-learning material.
• The seating arrangement of the classroom is changed or decided as per the activity of the learners.
• Teacher adopts a variety of teaching-learning strategies to address the needs of all children at the same time.
• The curriculum and the instructional materials serve as a means to foster the child’s all-round development and are not ends in themselves.
• Evaluation of the child’s attainment is done to ensure the child’s progress and not as a means of passing judgment on the child’s abilities and achievement. it is diagnostic as well as remedial.
• **Thus we can consider that children are the center of a child-centered classroom and curriculum and activities are decided as per the child's needs and interest, so that answer written on a blackboard with a reading book in the classroom shows children are the passive learners which are not correct in the context of the child-centered classroom.**​

Important PointsChild-centered approach advocates:

• flexible curriculum
• varied methods of teaching
• varied learning experiences/tasks/activities
• varied learning time
• varied methods of assessing children’s progress.

The gradual formation of an individual's concepts of right and wrong, conscience, ethical and religious values, social attitudes, and behavior is called moral development.​ The theory of a child's moral development is proposed by Lawrence Kohlberg in 1958. he describes the theory on 3 different levels and these 3 levels are further classified into 6 stages.

Key Points

• Stage 5:- The Law and Order Orientation: There is an orientation towards authority, fixed rules, and maintenance of social order. Right behavior consists of doing one's duty, showing respect for established or lawful authority, and maintaining given social order for its own sake. This is a stage of social law and order maintenance proposed by Lawrence Kohlberg.
• In this stage duty is the priority.
• Everyone has personal duty for lawful authority.
• Social order and right behavior is the main feature of this stage.
• Hence we consider that In the stage of social order maintaining, everyone has their own duty to uphold the law.

Important Points

• Stage-I: The Punishment and Obedience Orientation: The physical consequences of an action determine whether the action is good or bad regardless of the human value or the meaning of these consequences. Avoidance of punishment and deference to power are valued in their own right, not in terms of respect for the underlying moral order.
• Stage-2: Instrumental Relativist Orientation: Right action consists of that which instrumentally satisfies one's own needs and occasionally the needs of others.
• Stage 3: Good boy - Nice Girl Orientation: Good behavior is that which pleases or helps others and is approved by them. Behavior at this stage is frequently judged by intentions - "he means well", becomes important for the first time. One earns approval by being good to others.
• Stage 5: The Social Contract, Legalistic Orientation:  in terms of general individual rights and standards that have been critically examined and agreed upon by the whole society. Apart from what is constitutional and democratically agreed upon the right is a matter of personal values. The result is based upon a legal point of view but with a Right to Education emphasis upon the possibility of changing the law in terms of consideration of social utility.
• Stage 6: The Universal Ethical Principle Orientation: Right is defined by the decision of the conscience in accordance with self-chosen ethical principles appealing to logical comprehensiveness, universality, and consistency. These are universal principles of justice, reciprocity, quality of human rights, and respect for the dignity of human beings as individual persons.

Howard Gardner proposed a theory of multiple intelligence. Gardner defines intelligence as "a biopsychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value in a culture.

Key Points Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences proposes that people are not born with all of the intelligence they will ever have. It includes eight types of intelligence.

• Linguistic intelligence
• Logical-Mathematical intelligence
• Musical intelligence
• Bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence
• Interpersonal intelligence
• Intrapersonal intelligence
• Spatial intelligence
• Naturalistic intelligence

Thus, we consider that Howard Gardner proposes several distant types of intelligence.

Important Points

• Linguistic Intelligence refers to the ability to use language. It is the capacity to use spoken and written words in a skilled way. Individuals with high verbal/linguistic intelligence are very good at using words and language to express themselves, articulate things, and create.
• Logical-mathematical intelligence is the ability to use logical reasoning and mathematical ability. Individuals high in this intelligence have good abstract reasoning, critical thinking, and good in dealing with numbers. This type of intelligence correlates well with the traditional notion of intelligence. Scientists, engineers, physicists, and economists are people with high logical-mathematical intelligence.
• Musical Intelligence is the ability to use rhythms, sounds, and patterns to create, compose and perform music. It involves sensitivity to music, and the ability to recognize and manipulate musical patterns. People with high musical intelligence are likely to be singers.
• Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is the ability to use and control one’s body movements and actions. Dancers and sports persons are usually high in such intelligence.
• Spatial Intelligence is the capacity to perceive, understand and use spatial and visual information effectively. Such people are good at spatial orientation, forming visual images and patterns.
• Interpersonal Intelligence refers to the ability to understand others and social interactions. They can understand the emotions and the perspectives of others and relate well to others. They can establish good interpersonal relationships with others. They have good and effective communication skills.
• Intrapersonal Intelligence is the ability to understand oneself and know one’s thoughts, emotions, feelings, motives, and desires, and how these influence their behavior.
• Naturalistic Intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand the various patterns in nature. It includes sensitivity to nature with all its features including flora, fauna, and biodiversity. Gardner has added this eighth type of intelligence to his original seven bits of intelligence.

Gender refers to the socially constructed differences between men and women. It refers to the masculine and feminine qualities, behavior, roles, and responsibilities that society upholds. Gender can be changed / re-oriented.

• A stereotype is a simplified and/or standardized conception or image with specific meaning, often held in common by people about another group. A stereotype can be a conventional and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image, based on the assumption that there are attributes that members of the other group hold in common.
• Gender stereotype is an oversimplified and unfair belief or idea that groups of people have particular characteristics or that all people in a group are the same.

Key Points Gender stereotyping can be challenged by following these ways:

• Treating the girls and the boys equally.
• Gave the same and equal opportunity to all the students without making any difference between them.
• Promoting discussions about gender as a social construct.
• Promoting flexibility in the classroom.
• Flexibility in language always uses gender-neutral languages.
• Presenting Non-stereotypical sex roles, such as a girl riding the bike, or a boy cooking in a kitchen.
• Gender should not be biologically defined.
• Engagement of every student in all the activities without distinguishing them.
• The sitting arrangement of all the boys and girls should not be separated.

So by all these references, we can conclude that use of gender neutral language and discussing gender as a social construct rather than being biologically determined would **challenge gender stereotyping.**​

Hint

• Gender Bias: Gender bias results when one gender is treated less favorably than the other, often referred to as sexism and it has a range of consequences including being Scientifically misleading. Upholding stereotypical assumptions. Validating sex discrimination.

Inclusive education ensures that children with special needs are taught in regular schools with their age and grade peers with support services provided within the school system. Thus, it reflects the objective of providing quality education to all children by accommodating their needs and learning styles into the general curriculum.

Key Points In an inclusive classroom, there are many learners having different abilities, cultures, physical and mental health, and disabilities. So a teacher should follow:

• Equitable education for all, including challenging, backward, disabled children.
• using diverse pedagogical/instructional strategies and respecting individual students’ pace of learning.
• All the students of different abilities, differences, and disabilities are treated equally.
• Inclusive education provides barrier-free access for all students.
• Creating an environment in which the child can learn with diversity, not creating a special environment for learning.
• Emphasis on their learning to read instead of emphasizing teaching.
• providing choice and options for learners amidst an array of activities and experiences.
• Thus we can consider that different instructional styles facilitate the learning of the students in diverse classrooms.

Additional Information In Inclusive education the main objectives are- 

• flexibility in learning.
• Creating an environment in which the child can learn with diversity, not creating a special environment for learning.
• Equitable education for all, including challenging children.
• Emphasis on their learning to read instead of emphasizing teaching.
• To use different teaching methods according to the needs of each student, so that every child can have access to the knowledge.

Assessment refers to the collection of data and the gathering of evidence from different sources through different tools. An assessment provides feedback on the performance of the student specifying his/ her strengths and areas for improvement which provides insights for taking appropriate steps for improving the learning.

Key Points Characteristics of Assessment:​

• Stimulates continuous evaluation, not just term-end evaluation.
• Gives immediate and constructive feedback.
• Ensures all-around development of all the learners, not just special children.
• Complements traditional external examination.
• Uses assessment tools designed by school teachers.
• Emphasizes both scholastic and co-scholastic aspects of growth.
• Integrate teaching learning and assessment
• No-load on teachers' documentation, recording, reports
• Child-centered and activity-based pedagogy
• Focus on competency development rather than content memorization
• Broadening the scope of assessment by way of including self-assessment, and peer assessment besides teacher assessment.
• Assessment is also a part of the teaching-learning process.
• Nonthreatening stress-free and enhanced  participation/interaction
• Focus on assessment of/and/as learning rather than the evaluation of achievement
• By all these references we can consider that Assessment is not separated from the teaching-learning process. It is a part of teaching-learning process.

Additional Information Basically there is three types of assessments:

• Assessment of learning
• Assessment for learning.
• Assessment as learning

Inclusive education is an approach to educating all children who are at risk for neglect in the education system. It expects that all learners learn together through access to common educational provisions. The crucial people in the system are the parents, community, teachers, administrators, and policymakers. All these people have to be supportive of the diverse needs of children.

Key Points In Inclusive education the main objectives are-

• All the students of different abilities, differences, and disabilities are treated equally.
• Inclusive education provides barrier-free access for all students.
• Creating an environment in which the child can learn with diversity, not creating a special environment for learning.
• Equitable education for all, including challenging children.
• Emphasis on their learning to read instead of emphasizing teaching.
• Emphasis on their learning to read instead of emphasizing teaching.
• To use different teaching methods according to the needs of each student, so that every child can have access to the knowledge.
• Equitable education for all, including challenging, backward, disabled children.

So by all these references, we can conclude that inclusion in education implies that all the children are learning under the same roof without their diffrences.

Hint

• All types of students are comes under the concept of inclusive education there is no selection process on the basis of their ability for the inclusive classroom.
• Adjustment is not on demand by the students, all types of learners learn so adjustment is the main feature of inclusive education.
• All type of students learns under the same roof in the inclusive classroom, either a student of special needs or multi-talented students.

Learning Disability: It is a neurological disorder that prevents a person from learning a skill and using it effectively. Generally, it occurs in childhood and is characterized by difficulty with certain skills such as reading, writing, speaking, etc.

Key Points Dyslexia: It is a Reading disability, which is not due to mental retardation, brain damage, or a lack of intelligence. It is caused by an impairment in the brain’s ability to translate images received from the eyes or ears into understandable language. Characteristics of the learners with Dyslexia:

• They are unable to correct the letters if reverse letters are provided to them.
• Read the words oppositely.
• Unable to recognize mirror images of the letters.
• They are unable to recognize words, and spelling and can not decode the letters.
• They face challenges in reading and comprehending the written materials.
• Students found confusing while reading, they are unable to figure out the correct letter.
• Reading wrong due to lack of understanding of the words and letters.

Thus we can consider that Dyslexia is a reading disability, in which a learner faces problems related to reading and comprehending the written materials.

Important Points

• Hearing impairment: "hearing impairment" means loss of sixty decibels or more in the better ear in the conversational range of frequencies.
• Locomotor Disabilities: "locomotor disability" means disability of the bones, joints, or muscles leading to substantial restriction of the movement of the limbs or any form of cerebral palsy.
• Dyscalculia is a disability resulting in difficulties such as difficulty in understanding numbers, learning or comprehending arithmetic, learning how to manipulate numbers, performing mathematical calculations, and learning facts in mathematics.

Inclusive education goes beyond children with disabilities and refers to an education system that accommodates all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic, or other conditions. 

Key PointsDECONTEXTUALIZATION is the Process of examining or interpreting something that is separate from the context in which it is embedded. "Decontextualization occurs consciously or subconsciously." The content and curriculum should be designed according to the laid principles of inclusive education,

In Inclusive education the main objectives are- 

• flexibility in learning.
• Creating an environment in which the child can learn with diversity, not creating a special environment for learning.
• The child is the center of the classroom, classrooms should be child-centered.
• Equitable education for all, including challenging children.
• Respects all the traditions and cultural backgrounds from which the students belong.
• Assessment and evaluation of the students cover all the aspects, it should not only pen-paper exam.
• Emphasis on their learning to read instead of emphasizing teaching.
• Contextualized content is a part of the teaching-learning process in inclusive education, delivering the right concepts at right time to the students is one of the important features of inclusive education.
• To use different teaching methods according to the needs of each student, so that every child can have access to the knowledge.
• Hence we can conclude that Decontecxtualized content is not a part of inclusive education.

Important Points Basic Principles of Inclusive Education:

• Well constructed educational plan.
• Use of multilingualism as a resource.
• Equity and equal opportunities for all.
• Use of specific pedagogical strategies.
• Sensitization towards individual differences.

Inclusive Education is a new approach toward educating children with disabilities and learning difficulties with those normal ones under the same roof. It seeks to maximize the potential of all students.

• Inclusive Education mainly refers to the inclusion of all children in the education system, regardless of their differences and disabilities.
• It values the diversity, each child brings to the classroom and facilitates all equal opportunities to learn and grow.

Key PointsCharacteristics of inclusion of students in inclusive education:

• All types of students such as those having learning disabilities, physical impairment, and biological problems, are mentally retired, creative, active, and intelligent. etc. learns under the same roof.
• Different Pedagogical techniques should be used as per the need of individual and their capacity.
• Flexibility in the curriculum.
• Classrooms are child-centered instead of teacher-centered.
• Various learning techniques/methods should be used as per the need and interests of the learners on an individual basis.
• Hence we can say that Teachers should cater to the students with different skills, abilities, and disabilities by using different pedagogical techniques.

Important Points Basic Principles of Inclusive Education:

• Well constructed educational plan.
• Use of multilingualism as a resource.
• Equity and equal opportunities for all.
• Use of specific pedagogical strategies.
• Sensitization towards individual differences.

The term "Disability" is, generally speaking, a kind of absence or lack of one or more capacities that the majority of human beings possess and without which our physical or mental activities are restricted partially or totally. 

‘Locomotor Disability’ refers to a person’s inability to execute distinctive activities associated with the movement of self and manipulation of objects resulting from affliction of the musculoskeletal and/or nervous system.

Key Points

• It is related to the disability of bones, joints, and muscles thus causing problems that may be partial or complete to performing normal functions/activities which a human being is normally able to do like talking, walking, hearing, seeing, and so on.
• It also makes the child unable to grasp an object and to raise both arms without any difficulties.
• Disability of the bones, joints, or muscles leads to substantial restriction of the movement of the limbs or a usual form of cerebral palsy.
• Some common conditions giving raise to locomotor disability could be poliomyelitis, cerebral palsy, amputation, injuries to the spine, head, soft tissues, fractures, muscular dystrophies, etc.

Hence we can say that Provision of classes on the ground floor is important for the learners who suffer from locomotor disabilities. 

Important Points Some common conditions that can cause locomotor disability are

• Soft Tissues
• Muscular Dystrophies
• Dwarfism
• Spinal Injuries
• Injuries of Head
• Amputation
• Fractures

Hint

• Dysgraphia: Dysgraphia is a disability in which student faces difficulties related to writing, they can not write properly.
• Dyslexia: It is a Reading disability, which is not due to mental retardation, brain damage, or a lack of intelligence. It is caused by an impairment in the brain’s ability to translate images received from the eyes or ears into understandable language.
• The term 'visual impairment' is used to refer to not only those who are blind but also those who have low vision. In the teaching-learning process,  visually impaired children suffer from an issue with sight or vision but when they are facilitated with the right training and tools, they develop a good literacy ability.

Thinking is the basis of all cognitive activities or processes and is unique to human beings. It involves the manipulation and analysis of information received from the environment. There are different kinds of thinking styles which include creative, logical, concrete thinking, etc.

Key Points A learner can gain thinking capacities by:

• Having engagement in various and different tasks.
• Engaging himself in problem-solving activities.
• Creative work such as model making improves thinking power and also makes the learners think divergent.
• Talking aloud to himself also helps children to think and recall the learned concept.
• Group discussion, Peer discussion, teamwork, and interaction with society make children's thoughts divergent.
• Hence we can say that Discussion with peers is a way to facilitate students' thinking because during discussion students can learn from the views of their peers.

Hint

• Drilling is a method of instruction that involves systematic repetition of concepts, examples, and practice problems.
• Copying without understanding can not emphasize the thinking of the students, because without understanding a learner can not get the concept of a related problem.
• Passive listening, however, is like listening while multitasking.
• A passive listener might pay attention to a speaker with the sole intent to respond or place some of their attention on another task.

Listening : It means when you listen to someone or pay attention to what she is saying. There are two types of listening: 

• Active listening
• Passive listening

Key Points Effective of passive listening on the learning of the students:

• Reduced work performance.
• leaves a bad impression on students.
• they might miss out on important information.
• they might are not able to listen properly.
• As a teacher, you must avoid passive listening for students because students learn and enjoy interactive learning. in passive learning, they will get bored and will not listen.

Hence, it is important to avoid situations where the students are passive listeners for long periods.

Hint

• If we create situations that make students passive listeners for a longer period they will not pay attention and miss out on the important things.
• If we prevent the students from being active learners they will not catch up on things easily and they will get bored.

Important Points

 Active listening: It means to listen to someone carefully and pay full attention or focus on them. it includes the feedback and it is two-sided communication.​ Some suitable situations for active listening:

• the telling story in front of the class.
• reciting poems with the class.

Passive Listening: It means listening without asking questions or interrupting the speaker. It is typically one-sided communication with no or very less feedback.

Some suitable situations for passive listening:

• listening to music while working.
• watching television while checking emails.

Additional Information  Interactive learning: In this type of learning learner is equally involved and provides proper feedback. 

• Examples: quiz, story formation, etc.

Learning is a continuous life-long process that is not inherited but can begin right from birth by providing constant interaction and stimulation received from the physical, social, and cultural environment and it does not stop till the end.

Meaningful learning: Meaningful learning results when a person consciously and explicitly ties new knowledge to relevant concepts they already possess. When meaningful learning occurs, it produces a series of changes within our entire cognitive structure, modifying existing concepts and forming new linkages between concepts.

Key PointsCharacteristics of Learning in a meaningful way:

• It stresses the ability of the learner to apply what is learned because of the involvement of the learners.
• Meaningful learning is possible only when learners make a deliberate effort to relate new knowledge to the relevant concept they already know.
• It is the active creation of knowledge structures from personal experience.
• This type of learning encourages students to ask questions and the logic behind the concepts.
• Different types of meaningful activities are organized to learn conceptually and make the best understanding of the concept.
• Students have been involved directly so meaningful learning is a child-centered method of teaching in which the teacher feels the interest and values of the students.
• Meaningful learning is the human mechanism par excellence for acquiring and storing a vast quantity of ideas.
• Hence by all these references, we can conclude that learning should be best, effective, and understandable if it will be done in a meaningful manner.

Hint 

• Learning should be done by covering all the factors it should not be based on a single factor such as society, culture, tradition, etc.

Learning is a continuous life-long process that is not inherited but can begin right from birth by providing constant interaction and stimulation received from the physical, social, and cultural environment and it does not stop till the end.

Key Points There are some following ways that should be followed by teachers to encourage students:

• The classroom environment should be flexible.
• No rigidity in the rules and instructions of the teachers.
• Teachers should not mediate in the learning of the students.
• Rules and instructions should be designed as per the needs of the students and which can help the students.
• Facilitating collaborative learning.
• Teachers should ensure that the rules and instructions are not confusing and discourage the students.
• Provide equal opportunities to all the students so that they can feel as if they all are treated equally by the teacher.

Thus by all these references, we can say that rigidity in rules and instruction can discourage the students so teachers should have to make rules and regulations flexible.

Hint

• Scaffolding : It is a help given by teacher to the students for effectiveness of task and teaching them how to learn and do that particular task on their own.
• Transfer of learning: It refers to the influence of learning one task on the learning of another.

Additional Information  The teacher should not design the instruction that confuse or discourage the students that will lead students to: 

• Demotivation
• Confusion
• Not liking the teacher
• Says no to school

Constructivism is centered on the idea that human knowledge and learning are actively constructed by the learner, not passively received from the environment.

Social constructivism is founded on the thesis that social processes are central to learning and cognitive development. It regards knowledge as a social construct and prioritizes the social aspects of learning and cognitive development. Some of these social aspects are language, culture, everyday practices, material objects, interpersonal interaction, peer interaction, tools, and symbols.

Key Points The factor that promotes socio constructivism are:

• Lev Vygotsky explains the role of society in the socio-constructivist approach to learning:
• Social interaction- Society plays an important role in the development and knowledge gained by the child.
• Culture - culture plays an important role in the development of a child, a child behaves as same as they learn from their culture, society, and environment.
• Scaffolding: Scaffolding is the term, given by Vygotsky, in which he proposed that the temporary help given by the teachers, family, friends, etc. to the children in his learning.
• Discovery learning is a technique of inquiry-based learning and is considered a constructivist based approach to education. Discovery-based learning is typically characterized by having minimal teacher guidance, fewer teacher explanations, solving problems with multiple solutions, use of hand-on materials, minimal repetition, and memorization.
• **Hence we can say that culture, scaffolding, and discovery learning promote socio constructivism.**​

Hint

• Conditioning of behavior: This method does not depend on the involvement of the society in the learning of the learner, this type of learning depends on conditions and changes in behaviour by cognition.

Problem-solving skills: It is a skill by which students try to find their solutions to different problems. Problem-solving skills are those that allow you to identify and understand the causes of a problem, then solve it.

 Key Points To enhance problem-solving skills of the students a teacher should do the following :

• Provide help to the students but not the proper solution to the problem, so they can learn by using their cognitive skills.
• Create situations that demand the application of knowledge.
• engage them in different types of problems so that they can solve the problem by using their divergent thinking and observation skills.
• Allow students time to find their way to solve the respected problem.
• Ask questions to the learners and keep interacting with them.
• Provide encouragement and appreciation.

Hence, To enhance the problem-solving skills of students, create situations that demand the application of knowledge is a good strategy.

Important Points A teacher should not promote these methods of learning in the classroom:

• Rote-memorization: It does not help the students to learn conceptually, this is just memorization-based learning.
• Copy from the board: This is not a meaningful way of learning, learners can not learn meaningfully by these type of methods.

Misconceptions refer to a wrong or inaccurate idea that takes place due to the mismatch in previously assimilated and the newly accommodated knowledge. 

• misconceptions in students' life are playing important role in the teaching-learning process. They are necessary for the learning process to give insight into students' thinking.

Key Points Views of teachers towards misconceptions should:

• Teachers should not ignore students' misconceptions rather they should identify misconceptions and try to clear them by examples, various methods of teaching, etc.
• Use various techniques such as discovery learning, which helps students to identify and correct their misconceptions.
• The teacher should have to provide opportunities related to the concepts so that student can understand their mistakes point and can fix them.
• Summative assignments that ask students to explain their reasoning are useful for detecting students' misconceptions.
• Teachers should provide a forum for students to confront their misconceptions and should help students reconstruct and internalize their knowledge.
• Hence by all these references, we can conclude that providing opportunities related to the concepts can counter the misconceptions.

Hint

• The teacher should not have to punish the students on misconceptions, because it is part of the teaching-learning process, and a teacher should have to use different pedagogical techniques to the students so that they can fix their mistakes in concepts.
• Direct involvement of the students having misconceptions in the remedial teaching is not a relevant method.

Learning is a continuous life-long process that is not inherited but can begin right from birth by providing constant interaction and stimulation received from the physical, social, and cultural environment and it does not stop till the end.

Key Points Learning process can be improved by:

• Involvement in tasks without fear of failure.
• Students' learning can be improved by asking questions where they needed without shame.
• Engagement in different social activities, team works, group discussions, etc.
• The environment should not be fearful.
• Students should not perform shameful behavior during the teaching-learning process, it can harm their learning and also can decrease their understanding level.
• The student should have to think divergently and learn through discovery to improve the learning process.
• **Hence, we can consider that shame can harm the learning process of the students.**​

Important PointsThere are many emotions that facilitate the process of learning in a meaningful way, these are-

• ​Happiness
• Hope
• Pride
• Curiosity
• Enjoyment.

National Education Policy 2020-

According to NEP 2020, A good educational institution is one in which every student feels welcomed and cared for, where a safe and stimulating learning environment exists, where a wide range of learning experiences are offered, and where good physical infrastructure and appropriate resources conducive to learning are available to all students.

Key Points

Some important fundamental principles of the NEP 2020 are- 

• Full equity and inclusion as the cornerstone of all educational decisions to ensure that all students are able to thrive in the education system.
• It includes the overall development of the leader, it covers all three aspects as Cognitive domain, affective domain, and psychomotor domain.
• Emphasis on conceptual understanding rather than rote learning and learning-for-exams.
• Promoting self-assessment and the peer assessment done by the student in the classroom.
• Assessment of the students should be in a formative way instead of a summative assessment,
• Respect for diversity and respect for the local context in all curricula.
• The curriculum becomes flexible as per the needs and interests of the students.
• pedagogy, and policy, always keeping in mind that education is a concurrent subject.
• Establishment of the linkage of the concepts with the environment or we can say that the linkage of the school with the home.
• Promoting multilingualism and the power of language in teaching and learning.
• Creativity and critical thinking encourage logical decision-making and innovation.
• It emphasizes group work as well as individual work, NEP 2020 links the study to the curriculum.
• Hence we can say that in NEP 2020, the standardization of the curriculum is eliminated and promotes flexibility.

Learning is a continuous life-long process that is not inherited but can begin right from birth by providing constant interaction and stimulation received from the physical, social, and cultural environment and it does not stop till the end.

Key Points

• Learning should have to be based on understanding.
• Teachers should always teach in a conceptual manner.
• Learning should be in a meaningful way.
• Rote learning or learning through memorization should not be promoted by the teachers it makes a negative impact on the learning process of the students.
• So that learning should be much effective when it is directed toward understanding rather than memorization.

Hint 

• Rote memorization is defined as memorization by repetition, often without an understanding of the reasoning or relationships involved in the material that is learned.

Additional Information

• Behavioristic learning: Behavioristic theories or Behaviorism constitute the traditional theories of Learning. These theories were propounded by Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson. The behaviorists attribute learning to the association between stimulus and response. Behavioristic theories are also called the connectionist theories of learning because of their emphasis on the connection between the stimulus and the response. They mainly deal with the role played by conditioning in the process of learning.
• Discovery learning: Discovery learning is the type of learning in which students can learn by finding the correct approach for the problem through their cognition.
• Humanistic learning: This is a learning in which learning totally depends on the interest, needs, and abilities of the child, it is also called student-centered learning. Students are encouraged to learn in this type of learning.

The correct answer is Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara, Ashoka, and Deshratha Maurya.

Key Points

• The Mauryan Empire was formed around 321 BCE and ended in 185 BCE.
• It was the first pan-India empire that covered most parts of the Indian subcontinent.
• The Mauryan Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya.
• The correct order of succession within the Mauryan Empire is:
• Chandragupta Maurya (322- 298 BCE)
• Bindusara (298- 272 BCE)
• Ashoka (268- 232 BCE)
• Dasaratha Maurya (232- 224 BCE)
• Ashoka was succeeded by his grandson, Dasaratha Maurya.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

History is the study of life in society in the past, in all its aspect, in relation to present developments and future hopes.

Additional Information

• History is a coherent account of the significant past events in the progress of human culture.
• In history dates tell us when an event happened in a chronological order.
• It is the dates which informs about the changes took place over time.
• Dates mentioned in sources help us easily to attribute the things mentioned in them to a particular time or dynasty ruling at that time.
• In History many people use the abbreviations B.C. and A.D. with a year (for example, A.D. 2012). B.C. refers to "Before Christ," and the initials, A.D., stand for Anno Domini, which is Latin for "In the year of our Lord."
• This system was devised by a monk in the year 525. A more recent system uses B.C.E.
• Historical sources can include documents, artifacts, archaeological sites, features, oral transmissions, stone inscriptions, paintings, recorded sounds, images and oral history.
• Through history, we can learn how past societies, systems, ideologies, governments, cultures and technologies were built, how they operated, and how they have changed. The rich history of the world helps us to paint a detailed picture of where we stand today.
• With lessons from the past, we not only learn about ourselves and how we came to be, but also develop the ability to avoid mistakes and create better paths for our societies.

The correct answer is that Satavahana rulers were known as lords of Dakshinpatha.

Key Points

• The Satavahana kingdom is comprised of the present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.
• It was the first Deccanese dynasty to build an empire in Dakshinpatha i.e., the southern region.
• Gautamiputa Satkarni and other Satavahana rulers are known as Lords of Dakshinpatha.
• Dakshinapatha was the rote leading to South.
• They were also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas.

 Thus, we can say that Satavahana rulers were known as the Lords of Dakshinpatha.

The correct answer is A, B and C all are correct.

Key Points

• Temple towns were built in India during the medieval period.
• Temple towns represented a very important pattern of urbanization.
• Temples were central to the economy and society.
• Temples were built by rulers to demonstrate their devotion to various deities.
• Rulers endowed these temples with grants of land, and money to carry out rituals, feed pilgrims and celebrate festivals.
• Thanjavur was an example of a temple town as it represented urbanization and was central to the Chola economy.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements about the temples during the medieval period are correct.

The correct answer is C and D are true.

Key Points

​ Mahayana Buddhism was different from the older form of Buddhism in two distinct ways.

• Firstly, the statues of Buddha began to be made in new form.
• Secondly, the idea of Bodhisattvas emerged who had attained enlightenment and helped others to attain the same.
• Signs of Buddha in the sculptures of peepal tree was prominent in old form of Buddhism.

The correct answer is (A) is false, but (B) is true.

Key Points

• In the Zabt system, each province was divided into a revenue circles with its own schedule of revenue rates for individual crops.
• It was introduced in areas where the survey of land and careful keeping prevailed.
• Gujarat and Bengal were kept out of it.
• In Bengal, the zamindars were powerful and it was felt that the exploitation by Mughal administrators could drive them to rebellion.
• Zabt system was applied in northern India.
• The Zabt or dahsala system was introduced by Raja Todar Mal.

 Thus, we can say that the Zabt system was not prevalent in Gujarat and Bengal.

The correct answer is a hall where people could assemble.

Key Points

• A mandapa in the Indian temple architecture is a pillared hall or pavilion for rituals.
• Mandapas are described as open or closed, depending on whether they have walls.
• In temples, one or more mandapas lie between the sanctuary and the temple entrance, on the same axis.
• In Hindu temples, it is used for religious dancing and music and is part of the basic temple compound.
• If a temple has more than one mandapa, each one is allotted for a different function.

 Thus, we can say that a mandapa is a hall where people could assemble.

The correct answer is Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Key Points

• Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last Mughal Emperor of India.
• Bahadur Shah Zafar's support for the rebellion boosted the morale of the people and the ruling families.
• They became united to fight the British authority with double spirit.
• People of the town and villages rose up in rebellion and rallied around local leaders, zamindars and chiefs.
• People saw the Mughals as an alternative power that could help challenge British rule.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

The correct answer is Vishnu.

Key Points

• The Alvars were Tamil poet-saints of South India.
• They espoused devotion to the Hindu god Vishnu in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service.
• Alvar means the one who is immersed in the experience of God.
• There are 12 Alvars known through tradition.
• They came from all walks of life and all strata of society.

 Thus, we can say that Alvars are saints who are devoted to lord VIshnu.

Additional Information

• The devotees of Shiva were known as Nayanars.

The correct answer is Ghasidas.

Key Points

• Guru Ghasidas started the Satnami movement in the 1820s in present-day Chattisgarh.
• He preached a code of ethical and dietary self-restraint and social equality.
• The Satnami sect challenged political and religious authority by rallying around an understanding of God as satnam.
• Satnam is derived from the Sanskrit work satyanaman meaning 'he whose name is truth'.
• The earliest Satnamis were a sect of mendicants and householders founded by Birbhan in Punjab in 1657.

 Thus, we can say that satnami movement was founded by Ghasidas.

The correct answer is Only C.

Key Points

During the British period, cities rose to prominence. Many towns expanded, and this had the following consequences:

• People living in villages and small towns in India at that time began leaving their villages and towns in search of jobs in the cities.
• As cities grew, there was an increased demand for labour – to dig drains, lay roads, construct buildings, work in factories and municipalities, etc.
• In order to meet this labour demand, the population migrated from villages and towns.
• As well as the demand for labour in the various plantations, there was a demand for immigrants.
• The army also offered employment opportunities.
• Most of these migrants were from low castes.
• The cities and plantations represented their opportunity to escape the oppressive control upper-caste landowners exercised over their lives and the daily humiliation they suffered.

Thus, only statement C is correct.

The correct answer is A and D.

Key Points

• Gandhiji was successful in bringing people together in various mass movements through
• ​methods of non-violence and satyagraha
• understanding peoples’ needs and taking up local issues
• Gandhiji, aged 46, arrived in India in 1915 from South Africa.
• Having led Indians in that country in non-violent marches against racist restrictions, he was already a respected leader, known internationally.
• It was in South Africa that Mahatma Gandhi first forged the distinctive techniques of non-violent protest known as satyagraha, first promoted harmony between religions, and first alerted upper-caste Indians to their discriminatory treatment of low castes and women.
• He had spent his first year in India travelling throughout the country, understanding the people, their needs and the overall situation.
• His earliest interventions were in local movements in Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad where he came into contact with Rajendra Prasad and Vallabhbhai Patel.
• He led various movements in India which laid nationalism in the minds of people.

The correct answer is A and B.

Key Points

• Extremists were radical in their approach and their demands were aggressive.
• Extremist methods included:
• boycott of British institutions and goods
• revolutionary violence and use of force
• self-reliance as a weapon against domination
• Extremists believed in the militant methods.
• They were guided by four principles:
• Swaraj
• Swadeshi
• Boycott of foreign goods
• National education to make the Indians aware
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai were extremists.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

The Congress wished to speak for the good of all the people of India, regardless of class, colour, caste, creed, language or gender.

• It is for all the different communities of India and not only for one class.
• Congress became the principal leader of the Indian Independence Movement from the late 19^th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
• W.C. Banerjee declared the goals of the Indian National Congress, the following:
• Promoting and reinforcing the feeling of National Unity.
• To formulate and present common demands before the government.
• To put representatives from various parts of the world together.
• To prepare and organise the country’s public opinion.

The correct answer is Strait.

Key Points

• A strait is a narrow passage of water connecting two large water bodies like seas and oceans.
• It is a channel of water that lies between two landmasses.
• It is formed naturally and is navigable.
• They are known to be loci for sedimental accumulation.
• Malacca Strait, Palk strait and Yucatan strait are a few examples of the straits of the world.

 Thus, we can say that a narrow passage of water connecting two large water bodies like seas and oceans is called a strait.

Additional Information

• The isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and separates two bodies of water.
• A Canal is an artificial waterway built for drainage management or for conveyancing water transport vehicles.
• A bay is a broad inlet of the sea where the land curves inwards.

The correct answer is A is false but B is true.

Key Points

• Standard Meridian is the longitude used to describe the time of a country.
• In India, the longitude 82°30' East is considered the standard meridian.
• The local time at the longitude 82°30' E is taken as the standard time for the whole country.
• From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, there is a time lag of two hours.
• The Standard Meridian of India passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
• The latitudinal extent decides the duration of day and night as one moves from south to north.

 Thus, we can say that  82°30' East is considered the standard meridian for India.

The correct answer is A and B are correct and C is incorrect.

Key Points

• India is located in the Northern Hemisphere.
• The Tropic of Cancer divides the country into almost two equal halves. 
• ​The Tropic of Cancer is a parallel of latitude on the Earth, 23.5 degrees north of the equator.
• On the northern summer solstice/southern winter solstice (around the 21^st June each year), the Sun reaches its most northerly declination of +23.5 degrees.
• The mainland of India extends between latitudes 8°4' N and 37°6'N and longitudes 68°7' E and 97°25' E.
• The landmass of India has an area of 3.28 million square km.
• To the southeast and southwest of the mainland, lie the Andaman and Nicobar islands and the Lakshadweep islands in Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea respectively.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

Key Points

• Longitude is measured by imaginary lines that run vertically around the Earth and meet at the North and South poles.
• Latitude is the measurement of distance north or south of the Equator.

The correct answer also needs an indication of the North or South latitude along with the longitude of that place.

Key Points

• A globe is a true model of the Earth.
• We can locate places on the globe by determining where lines on latitudes and longitude cross.
• For instance, New Orleans is approximately 30N (latitude) and 90W (longitude).
• If we need to locate a place that is situated at 20° latitude, we would also need an indication of the north or south latitude along with the longitude of that place.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

The correct answer is A is false and B is true.

Key Points

• A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life.
• Deserts are found on every continent and cover about one-fifth of Earth's land area.
• Nights in deserts are cold and days are extremely hot.
• It is hot throughout the day because of lack of water and cold at the night because sand cannot hold heat, so for the period of night when the Sun is not shining the sand loses all its heat and compose desert cold.

 Thus, we can say that the days in deserts are hot because sand and rocks emit heat and raise the temperature.

The correct answer is (a), (b) and (c).

Key Points

• India is rich in its flora and fauna.
• It has approximately 90,000 animal species and 2000 bird species.
• India is the only country in the world that has both tigers and lions.
• The Gir forest is the last remaining habitat of the Asiatic lion.
• The Himalayan harbour a hardy range of animals which survive in extremely cold.
• Yak, the shaggy horned wild ox, the Tibetan antelope, the bharal, wild sheep, and the Kiang (Tibetan wild ass), the ibex, bear and snow-leopard and rare red panda are all found here.
• The trees found in Andaman and Nicobar islands are Mahagony, rosewood, ebony, rubber and cinchona.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

The correct answer is Both (A) and (B) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Key Points

• Natural Vegetation and wildlife exist only in the narrow zone of contact between the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere that we call the biosphere.
• In the biosphere, living beings are interrelated and interdependent on each other for survival.
• This life-supporting system is called the ecosystem.
• Vegetation and wildlife are valuable resources.
• All animals big or small are integral in maintaining balance in the ecosystem.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

The correct answer is A and B are true.

Key Points

• The earth's surface receives most of its energy in short wavelengths.
• The energy received by the earth is known as incoming solar radiation which in short is termed insolation.
• As the earth is a geoid resembling a sphere, the sun's rays fall obliquely at the top of the atmosphere and the earth intercepts a very small portion of the sun's energy.
• In other words, Insolation is the incoming solar energy intercepted by the earth.
• The amount of insolation decreases from the equator towards the poles.
• The amount and the intensity of insolation vary during a day, a season and in a year.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

The correct answer is Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Key Points

• The earth's surface receives most of its energy in short wavelengths.
• The energy received by the earth is known as incoming solar radiation which in short is termed insolation.
• Sunlight falls almost vertically on the Equator whereas it falls at some angles or little on the poles.
• The amount of insolation decreases from the equator towards the poles.
• Earth's axis makes an angle of 66 1/2° with the plane of its orbit around the Sun has a greater influence on the amount of insolation received at different latitudes.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

The correct answer is Only (A), (B) and (C).

Key Points

• The place where a building or settlement develops is called a site.
• Natural conditions for selection for an ideal site are:
• favourable climate
• availability of water
• suitable land
• fertile soil
• People choose to settle near fertile lands suitable for agriculture.
• Settlements are located near water bodies such as rivers, lakes and springs where water can be easily obtained.

 Thus, we can say that the above statements are correct.

Soil is made up of organic matter, minerals and weathered rocks. Soil formation takes place because of weathering of rocks. The soil becomes fertile because of the right combination of minerals and organic matter.

Additional InformationSoil Profile-is a arrangement of different layers of soil at a place is called soil profile. The typical soil profile is composed of following layers:

• Topsoil: Topsoil is composed of humus and fine particles of clay and sand.
• Subsoil: This is the second layer of soil. It is composed of sand, silt and clay.
• Weathered Rock Material: The third layer is composed of large pieces of rocks.
• Bedrock: The last layer of soil profile is composed of huge rocks

The density of the population is expressed as the number of persons per unit area.

Important Points

• The density of the population is expressed as the average number of people living in one square kilometer.
• It helps in getting a better understanding of the spatial distribution of the population in relation to the land area of the particular city.
• When a teacher attempts to explain the concept of density of population in the classroom, he/she should discuss the concept of the number of population and the total area first.
• Then the formula to calculate the density of the population would be understandable to the students.
• But there is no such value of the population pyramid that is a representation of the age-sex composition of the population.

Hence, only (A) and (B) are correct here.

Additional Information

• The population density of India in the year 2001 was 324 persons per sq km.
• Densities vary from 904 persons per sq km in West Bengal to only 13 persons per sq km in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Among the northern Indian States, Bihar (1102), West Bengal (1029), and Uttar Pradesh (828) have higher densities, while Kerala (859) and Tamil Nadu (555) have higher densities among the peninsular Indian states.
• Only Bangladesh and Japan have higher average population densities than India.

Millets grow on less fertile and sandy soil.

• Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India.
• Though, these are known as coarse grains,
• It can be grown on less fertile and sandy soils.
• It is a hardy crop that needs low rainfall and high to moderate temperature and adequate rainfall
• They have very high nutritional value.
• For example, ragi is very rich in iron, calcium, other micro nutrients and roughage.

 Additional InformationMaize- is also know as corn.

• Its requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lots of sunshine.
• It needs well-drained fertile soils.
• Maize is grown in North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, and Mexico.

Cotton: requires high temperature, light rainfall, two hundred and ten frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth.

• It grows best on black and alluvial soils. China, USA, India

Jute -was also known as the ‘Golden Fibre’.

• It grows well on alluvial soil and requires high temperature, heavy rainfall and humid climate.
• This crop is grown in the tropical areas. India and Bangladesh are the leading producers of jute.

Ladakh is a desert in the mountains in the eastern part of Jammu and Kashmir.

Additional Information

• Ladakh is made up of two words – “La” meaning ‘mountain pass’ and “Dak” meaning ‘country
• The altitude in Ladakh varies from about 3000m in Kargil to more than 8,000m in the Karakoram.
• Its lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, there is little rainfall, as low as 10 cm every year
• Very little agriculture is possible here since this region does not receive any rain and is covered in snow for a large part of the year.
• For drinking water, people depend on the melting snow during the summer months.
• People here keep sheep and the sheep in this region are special because they **produce pashmina wool.**​
• The people eat meat and milk products like cheese and butter.
• Ladakh is also called Little Tibet.
• Ladakh is also known as Khapa-chan which means snow land.
• Islam was introduced in this region more than four hundred years ago and there is a significant Muslim population here.
• Ladakh has a very rich oral tradition of songs and poems.
• Local versions of the Tibetan national epic the Kesar Saga are performed and sung by both Muslims and Buddhists.

Stereotype: When we believe that people belonging to particular groups based on religion, wealth, language are bound to have certain fixed characteristics or can only do a certain type of work, we create a stereotype.

• Stereotype is the fixed notion or image of a group/person without any regard for their individuality. This has no rational or scientific basis.
• Common types of stereotypes include gender, race, sexual, social-class, (dis)ability, age, nationality, political, and religious stereotypes.
• These prejudices can get in the way of people getting jobs, lead to social exclusion, and create arbitrary in-groups and out-groups.

Additional InformationCommon Stereotype

• The notion about girls cannot drive is a stereotype as there are a lot of good women drivers.
• Muslims is that they are not interested in educating girls and therefore do not send girls to school. However, studies have now shown that poverty amongst Muslims is an important reason why Muslim girls do not attend school or drop out from school after a few years.

Panchayati Raj Institution is a system of rural local self-government in India.

Additional Information

• It was constitutionalized through the 73^rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 to build democracy at the grassroots level.
• These amendments added two new parts to the Constitution, namely, added Part IX titled “The Panchayats” (added by 73^rd Amendment).
• The Amendment Act provides shape to Article 40 of the Constitution, (directive principles of state policy), which directs the state to organise the village panchayats and provide them powers and authority so that they can function as self-government.
• Part IX of the Constitution contains Article 243 to Article 243 O.
• The Panchayat system covers the village level (Gram Panchayat), clusters of villages (block Panchayat) and the district level (District Panchayat).
• Panchayati Raj is a form of government at the village level where each village is responsible for its own activities.
• The Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution contains 29 subjects of the Panchayati Raj bodies.
• As per the 73^rd Constitutional Amendment Act,  the Governor of the state constitutes a Finance Commission to review the financial position of the Panchayats and to make recommendations on the allocation of funds to the Governor.

Rajya Sabha: is the Upper House of the parliament its also called Second Chamber or House of Elders.

Additional Information

• It represents the states and union territories of the Indian Union.
• The Rajya Sabha is called the permanent House of the Parliament as it is never fully dissolved.
• The IV Schedule of the Indian Constitution deals with the allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states and UTs.
• The maximum strength of Rajya Sabha is 250 ( out of which 238 members are representatives of the states & UTs (elected indirectly) and 12 are nominated by the President).
• In Rajya Sabha representatives of states are elected by the members of state legislative assemblies.
• Rajya Sabha has an important role in reviewing and altering the laws initiated by the Lok Sabha.
• It can also initiate legislation and a bill is required to pass through the Rajya Sabha in order to become a law.

Weekly market -is so called because it is held on a specific day of the week. Weekly markets do not have permanent shops.

• Traders set up shops for the day and then close them up in the evening. Then they may set up at a different place the next day.
• There are thousands of such markets in India.
• People come here for their everyday requirements.

Wholesale trade- refers to the buying and selling of goods and services in large quantities to be resold or to be used for other purposes.

• Wholesalers are the people who sell goods to retailers, merchants, industrial houses, and commercial uses.

Malls-Shopping complexes- are the markets in the urban areas that have many shops.

• Malls are large multi-storeyed air-conditioned buildings with shops on different floors.
• In malls we get both branded and non-branded goods.

Chain of markets- is formed when a number of traders supply goods from the producers to the consumers.

• A chain of market serves the purpose of producer and consumers.

A landless laborer is one who does not have any land of his own and works on someone else's land to earn his living.

• Landless labourer used to refer to people who do not have any land for farming or who are prevented from owning the land that they farm by the economic system or by rich people who own a lot of land

Additional Information

Problems of Agricultural Labour in India:

• Marginalisation of Agricultural Workers.
• Wages and Income.
• Employment and Working Conditions.
• Indebtedness.
• Low Wages for women in Agricultural Labour.
• They are deprived of a number of basic facilities like food, housing, health, sanitation, education.

Gandhiji wrote these words in the journal 'Young India' in 1931.

• Young India was a weekly paper or journal in English started by Mahatma Gandhi. Through this work, he desired to popularise India's demand of self-government or Swaraj.

Additional InformationMahatma Gandhi- was the greatest leader of the Indian independence movement.

• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi.
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2^nd October 1869, in Porbandar in the princely state of Kathiawar in Gujarat.
• In South Africa (1893-1915), he had successfully fought the racist regime with a novel method of mass agitation, which he called satyagraha.
• He give the idea of satyagraha emphasised the power of truth and the need to search for truth.

​B. R. Ambedkar-  is known as the ‘Father of Indian Constitution'.

• He was one of the main architects of the Indian Constitution.
• He was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly and is called the ‘Father of the Indian Constitution'.

​Jawaharlal Nehru- was born in Allahabad on 14 November 1889.

• He played a prominent role in the freedom struggle and became the first prime minister of independent India.
• As prime minister, he delivered his now-famous address to the nation, ‘Tryst with Destiny’.
• He was a founder and leader of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Subhash Chandra Bose- was born on 23^rd January 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa Division, Bengal Province, to Prabhavati Dutt Bose and Janakinath Bose.

• Subhash Chandra Bose was twice elected President of the Indian National Congress, (1938-Haripur and 1939-Tripuri).

Patriarchal society is the society which values men more and gives ruling power to men over women.

• Matriarchal society is the society which values women more and gives ruling power to women over men
• The term ‘Patriarchy’ comes from the Greek word ‘Patriarches’ which means chief of a race.
• In Patriarchy society -Women face disadvantage, discrimination and oppression in various ways.

​

Additional Information

• In our country, women still lag much behind men despite some improvement since Independence
• In some parts of the world, for example in Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Norway and Finland, the participation of women in public life is very high.

Right to a healthy environment is intrinsic to the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Article 21- declare “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law.

• This right is available to both citizens and non-citizens.
• Supreme Court has described this right as the “heart of fundamental rights”
• According to Justice Bhagwati, Article 21 “embodies a constitutional value of supreme importance in a democratic society.”
• Some of the rights that are currently included in the ambit of Article 21 includes -
• Right to live with human dignity.
• Right to the decent environment including pollution-free water and air and protection against hazardous industries.
• Right to livelihood.
• Right to privacy.
• Right to shelter.
• Right to health.
• Right to free education up to 14 years of age.
• Right to free legal aid.
• Right against solitary confinement etc.

Additional InformationRight to Equality (Articles 14 - 18) -The right to equality provides for the equal treatment of everyone before the law, prevents discrimination on various grounds, treats everybody as equals in matters of public employment, and abolishes untouchability, and titles.

Right  of freedom (Articles 19 - 22)- The right to freedom gives citizens basic freedom with respect to speech and expression, form associations, freedom of personal liberty, freedom to live a life of dignity, etc.

Right against Exploitation (Articles 23 and 24) -prohibits all types of forced labour, child labour and trafficking of people.

The Constitution is a set of laws and rules that sets up machinery of the Government of a state and which defines and determines the relations between the different institutions and components of the government.

• The Constitution lays out certain ideals that form the basis of the kind of country that we as citizens aspire to live in.
• A Constitution tells us what the fundamental nature of our society is.
• A country is usually made up of different communities of people who share certain beliefs but may not necessarily agree on all issues.
• A Constitution helps serve as a set of rules and principles that all persons in a country can agree upon as the basis of the way in which they want the country to be governed.
• Constitution includes not only the type of government but also an agreement on certain ideals that they all believe the country should uphold.
• Constitution provides a set of basic rules that allow for minimal coordination amongst members of a society.
• In democratic societies, the Constitution often lays down rules that guard against this misuse of authority by our political leaders.

​

Additional Information

Facts about the Indian Constitution-

• In 1934, M N Roy first proposed the idea of a constituent assembly. Under the Cabinet Mission plan of 1946, elections were held for the formation of the constituent assembly.
• The framing of the Constitution took over 2 years, 11 months and 18 days.
• The basic structure of the Indian Constitution stands on the Government of India Act, 1935.
• India have World's lengthiest Constitution.
• The Constitution of India has borrowed some of its features from a number of countries including Britain, Ireland, Japan, USA, South Africa, Germany, Australia, and Canada.

Civil cases deals with any harm or injury to rights law of individuals.

• For example,disputes related to sale of land, purchase of goods,rent matters, divorce cases.
• In Civil Law, the wrongdoer gets sued by the complainant or the aggrieved party.
• In the case of Civil Law, there is no punishment like Criminal Law, but the aggrieved party receives the compensation and the dispute gets settled.
• In the case of Civil Law, the power of the court is to pass judgement or injunction to compensate for damages caused to the aggrieved party.

 Additional InformationCriminal Cases deals with conduct or acts that the Deals with any harm or injury to rights law defines as offences. For example, of individuals. For example,harassing a woman to bring more dowry, murder.

• It usually begins with the lodging of an A petition has to be filed before the First Information Report (FIR) with the police who investigate the crime after which a case is filed in the court.
• If found guilty, the accused can be sent to jail and also fined.
• In the case of Criminal Law, punishment is meted out as per the seriousness of the criminal offense committed or a fine could be imposed.
• In Criminal Law, the accused person will be prosecuted in a court of law.
• In the case of Criminal Law, the powers of the court are charging a fine, imprisonment to the guilty of a crime, or discharge of the defendant.

The correct answer is Both A and B are true.

Important Points

• Article 15 prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
• This means that the State cannot discriminate against any citizen on the basis of any of these grounds.
• For example, the State cannot deny a Dalit person a job or an education because of their caste.
• Article 17 abolishes untouchability and its practice in any form.
• This means that the practice of untouchability is illegal and punishable by law.
• Untouchability is the practice of discriminating against people of certain castes, especially Dalits, who are considered to be "untouchable."
• This discrimination can take many forms, such as denying them access to public facilities, housing, and education.

Therefore, both articles are relevant to a case of caste discrimination. A Dalit can use either article, or both, to file a case in the court.

Additional Information

• For example, if a Dalit person is denied a job because of their caste, they can file a case in the court under Article 15.
• If a Dalit person is denied access to a public facility because of their caste, they can file a case in the court under Article 17.

Social Justice informs that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. There are Five Principles of Social Justice, viz. Access, Equity, Diversity, Participation, and Human Rights.

Important Points

• Access to resources is an important principle of social justice and refers to the extent to which different socioeconomic groups receive equal access to give everyone an equal start in life.
• Many societies offer a multitude of resources and services for their citizens, such as healthcare, food, shelter, education, and recreational opportunities.
• Equity refers to how individuals are given tools specific to their needs and socioeconomic status in order to move towards similar outcomes.
• It contrasts with equality, where everyone is offered the same tools to move towards the same outcome.
• As such, often, things that are equal are not equitable due to the more advanced needs of some individuals and groups. Social justice, integrated with addressing equity issues, might include advancing policies that provide support to overcome systemic barriers.

Thus, If Ms. Rinki finds it difficult to get an apartment on rent on account of her being a single woman. The most informed and rational response will be “I will not fake my marital status, because this would affect my dignity and self-respect.”

Additional Information

• Participation refers to how everyone in society is given a voice and opportunity to verbalize their opinions and concerns and have a role in any decision-making that affects their livelihood and standard of living.
• Social injustice occurs when a small group of individuals makes decisions for a large group, while some people are unable to voice their opinions.
• Understanding diversity and appreciating the value of cultural differences are especially important because policymakers are often better able to construct policies that take into consideration differences that exist among different societal groups.
• It is important to recognize that some groups face more barriers in society, and by considering the inequities, policymakers and civil servants will be in a stronger position to expand opportunities for marginalized or disadvantaged groups.
• Discrimination in employment on the basis of factors such as race, gender, ethnicity, sex, age, and other characteristics are constant issues in society, and enforcing policies to countermand discriminatory practices are one way in which diversity is taken into consideration.
• Human rights are one of the most important principles of social justice and form a foundational part of the concept.
• Human rights and social justice are certainly interrelated, and it is impossible for one to exist without the other.
• Human rights are fundamental to societies that respect the civil, economic, political, cultural, and legal rights of individuals and governments, organizations, and individuals must be held responsible if they fail to ensure the upholding of these rights.
• They are extremely important in many societies and are recognized internationally through institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Human Rights Council.

When historians read documents, maps and texts from the past they have to be sensitive to the different historical backgrounds – the contexts – in which information about the past was produced.

• They should keep in mind the different historical background. Equally important is the fact that the science of cartography differ from period to period.
• Historians are to be careful about the terms they use because their meanings go on changing with the change in time.
• If a historian fails to do so, the entire interpretation may result in disastrous because it way conveys to a different concept and its past.
• Past was different for different groups of people because different people, such as kings and farmers, live very different lives. So their pasts must also have been very different. For example, they must have celebrated birthdays in very different ways, or lived in very different types of homes and families.
• Kings spent a lot of money to record their lives and wars. But the lives of ordinary people, such as farmers, hunters, herders, gatherers, and craftspeople, are not recorded.
• So historians and archaeologists study as many different pasts as they can.

The social studies are concerned with man and his interaction with his social and physical environment; they deal with human relationships.

• Social sciences are a term that refers to a wide range of academic disciplines related to human interaction. Among the common social science, disciplines are history, psychology, sociology, economics, political science, and sometimes philosophy and religion.

Key Points

• According to U.S American National Council for the Social Studies, “Social studies, is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence.”
• Social studies are subjects most frequently taught to school students to help them understand how to be effective citizens of society.
• The core difference between social science and social studies exists in their purpose; in social science, you study the society and social life of human groups while in social studies, you study both social science and humanities in order to promote effective citizenry.

Thus, it is concluded that Social studies is integrated study of social sciences is correct about the relationship between social studies and social sciences.

The social sciences subject encompasses diverse concerns of our dynamic society and is drawn from various disciplines of history, geography, political science, economics, and sociology.

• So, Social Science teaching needs to be helpful towards the learner's knowledge acquisition and skills in an interactive environment. In order to make the process of learning participative, there is a need to shift from lectures and to more innovative methods of teaching.

Key Points​Creativity is the capability of an individual to bring novelty to his thoughts, ideas, perceptions, and activities. Any creative individual can create or discover something that is new, raw, and fresh in terms of principles, predictions, possibilities, and any new object.

• The teacher should provide opportunities for the students to express themselves more freely as the more they will learn and understand, the more clearly they can see and think in multiple dimensions which will automatically enhance their creativity.
• A social science teacher needs to focus on engaging students in the activity-based teaching-learning process.
• It aims to make students think independently and is a target-driven activity based on the challenge, fostering success and efficient cooperation.
• These activities help them to develop creativity and enhance their skills.

​Thus, it is concluded that to develop creativity among students, a social science teacher needs to focus on engaging students in the activity-based teaching-learning process.

The theoretical origins of spatial interactions are attributed to the American geographer E.L. Ullman.

Important Points

Spatial interaction is a basic concept that considers how locations interact with each other in terms of the movement of people, freight, services, energy, or information.

• Complementarity, intervening opportunity and transferability are the three bases for spatial interactions.
• Complementarity:
• A complimentary supply-demand relationship exists between locations.
• An economic system is based on a large array of complimentary activities.
• Intervening opportunity:
• It refers to a location that may offer a better alternative as a point of origin or as a point of destination.
• Transferability factor:
• Transferability refers to the possibility of interactions occurring between locations by overcoming distance, time, and cost.
• “Textiles may be manufactured where cotton, water resources, working-age population, and transportation are all available.” This can be used as an example to explain the Spatial interaction concept.
• ​Through this example we can teach the students the following things:
• Supply-Demand relationship exists between locations.
• How a location may offer a better alternative as a point of origin or as a point of destination.
• Possibility of interactions occurring between locations by overcoming distance, time, and cost.

Additional Information

• Areal Differentiation is the study of the distribution of both human and physical events and how they relate to each other and to other nearby events, locally. region or area indicated in space.
• Land use or planning is known as Land Use Pattern. Land use may be determined by many factors such as relief factors, climate, soil, population density, and technical and socio-economic factors.
• Central area theory is the theory of an urban area that seeks to define the number, size, and scope of market services in a commercial system or human settlement in a residential system. It was introduced in 1933 to describe the local distribution of cities throughout the world.

Critical thinking is the ability to apply reasoning and logic to new or unfamiliar situations, ideas, and opinions. It refers to the process of judging or analyzing facts, events, etc. It requires proper analysis, evaluation, inference, and explanation.

Key Points

• In the given question, “The rule of law is generally not followed in India”. Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer. provides greater scope for developing critical thinking as students would be able to think in multiple ways before answering the question and analyze facts about it.
• Critical thinking is just deliberately and systematically processing information so that you can make better decisions and helps to develop several ideas in multiple respects.

Thus, it is concluded that Only D option is correct.

Hint Another given options are the direct question and are factual based.

Critical thinking is a process that challenges an individual to use reflective, reasonable, rational thinking to gather, interpret, and evaluate information in order to derive a judgment. Critical thinking should be the ultimate goal of all education.

Key Points Following are the questions that provide greater scope for critical thinking:-

• What will happen if tigers vanish from India’s forests?
• What would happen if monsoons are weak and failed to occur for three years?
• Both questions provides scope for critical thinking as these questions encourage students to think in multiple ways.
• The student thinks, applies reasons, and then justifies his answer.
• The thinkers reach the solution by involvement in different aspects, such as searching, finding, etc

Thus, it is concluded that Only A and D options are correct.

Geography is the study of the distribution of the phenomena that affect the human-environment relationship.

Key Points In a geography class, a teacher has shown two pictures(Old and new)  of a local place and arranged a meeting with a local elderly person to discuss about the change so, from this activity,

• The teacher wants to integrate history with geography- By showing the old and new pictures of the place.
• Teacher makes students to understand and introduce the process of development- By calling a local person, a teacher encourages the discussion among the students and local persons, so they got know about the process of development.

Thus, it is concluded that Both A and B are the correct options.

Social Sciences study the concepts or issues like culture, tradition, lifestyles, places, environment, power and authority, governance, economy, civic sense, etc. which have social implications.

Key Points In an elementary-level social science classroom discussion:-

• A social science teacher avoids the use of definitions, to sum up, concepts:- The concept does not only depend on definitions, so concepts cannot be summed up on basis of definitions.
• In social science concepts, there may be variations of answers. There is rarely ‘one correct’ answer in the social sciences. However, there can be one wrong answer.

Thus, it is concluded that A and B are correct. B explains A.

Critical thinking is a process that challenges an individual to use reflective, reasonable, rational thinking to gather, interpret, and evaluate information in order to derive a judgment. Critical thinking should be the ultimate goal of all education. 

• ​John Dewey defines critical thinking as “reflective thought” rather than routine though; it's the process of “active, persistent, and careful consideration” of the credibility and conclusions of supposed knowledge or information.

Important Points​ Asking students to accept information as given and true is least likely to promote critical thinking in students as in this strategy they are not giving their views, they are just accepting the fact.

Key Points​ Following are the strategies that are appropriate for promoting critical thinking in students:-

• Assisting students in recognizing biases.
• Helping students to see a situation from different perspectives.
• Developing skills of questioning in students.
• These activities provide scope for critical thinking as these questions encourage students to think in multiple ways. The student thinks, applies reasons, and then justifies his answer.

Thus, it is concluded that Asking students to accept information as given and true strategy is the least appropriate in promoting critical thinking in students.

Social Sciences study the concepts or issues like culture, tradition, lifestyles, places, and environment, power and authority, governance, economy, civic sense, etc. which have social implications. 

Key Points Following are a variety of pedagogic tools that teachers can employ to discuss the process of marginalization experienced by the Adivasis and Dalits:-

• Data, poems, a storyboard, and a case study.
• To understand the situation of the Muslim community, data from different sources can be analyzed in the class.
• Songs and poems have been used to break down the boundaries created between social science and language textbooks and to establish that, in the everyday lives of communities, this separation does not exist.
• Use the storyboard to discuss processes of marginalization experienced by the Adivasis.
• The case study on Dalits should lead to a discussion on the importance of the SC/ST Act as well as the ways in which this law reflects the Constitution’s commitment to Fundamental Rights.

Thus, it is concluded that A, B, C, and D are the correct options.

Social Sciences constitute a broad field of knowledge and deal with human beings in relation to their social behavior.

Key Points

• Critical thinking is a process that challenges an individual to use reflective, reasonable, rational thinking to gather, interpret, and evaluate information in order to derive a judgment.

Following happens in a social science class that promotes critical thinking:-

• **Credibility of sources of information is sought:-**Finding the credibility of sources encourages curiosity among students that enhances critical thinking skills.
• Distinction is made between relevant and irrelevant information:- To compare the relevant and irrelevant information enhances their comparing skills.
• Drawing inferences based on evidence:-When you draw an inference or conclusion based on the evidence, there's a reason you come to that conclusion that enhances critical thinking skills.

Thus, it is concluded that Only A, B, and D are the correct options.

Hint  Constrained discussion of textbook topics makes them memorize the content, and not able to enhance critical thinking skills.

The social sciences encompass diverse concerns of society and include a wide range of content, drawn from the disciplines of history, geography, political science, economics, and sociology.

Key Points

• Social sciences lend themselves to scientific inquiry just as much as the natural and physical sciences do, as well as to articulate the ways in which the methods employed by social sciences are distinct (but in no way inferior) to those of the natural and physical sciences.

Thus, it is concluded that it must follow the process of scientific inquiry.is applicable to social science teaching.

In teaching multisensory approach refers to the use of multisensory techniques to make children learn through more than one sense at a time.

Key Points

• Multisensory techniques is the simultaneous use of visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic senses to enhance learning.
• These tools enrich learners' knowledge by activating and developing all the senses like hearing, vision, tactile recognition, etc.
• Shared reading and sandpaper letters are examples of multisensory techniques.

Important Points

• ​ In audio-video teaching aids, learners make use of hearing as well as the visual senses of the learners.
• These aids help in attaining cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning.

Thus, it is concluded that In a social science classroom, the feeling and interests of learners are most easily stimulated by a multisensory approach, for which the most effective way of teaching is through audio-video teaching aids.

The sources from where we get information are called data sources and these may comprise documents, humans, institutions as well as mass media like newspapers, radio, television, etc.

Key Points Primary Sources refer to the sources that :

• contain original/first-hand material or fresh information.
• contain documents of an event that are experienced by the author.
• includes Oralhistory, Autobiography, Newspaper archives, Collective questionnaires, etc
• Babarnama is the source of our information on the life of Babar.

​Thus, it is concluded that Babarnama: Memoirs of Babur is a primary source.

Efficient teaching methods are the essential tools that can help teachers to make the students achieve success in the classroom. The methods used by a teacher will depend on the skills or information which the teacher wants to convey to the students.

• A project refers to a series of task that needs to be done by a group of students in order to achieve a particular goal.

Key Points During group projects the role of the teacher is to:-

• The teacher does not dictate or command rather the role of the teacher is that of a guide and a philosopher.
• The teacher encourages the students to work cooperatively and evaluates the group's progress.
• The teacher facilitates the groups throughout the process.
• The teacher creates a democratic atmosphere where the students can express themselves freely without fear.

Thus, it is concluded that Only C and D options are correct.

Social Sciences study the concepts or issues like culture, tradition, lifestyles, places, environment, power and authority, governance, economy, civic sense, etc. which have social implications. 

Key Points Here, the question is to describe the scene, including how food is being prepared for the funeral. What do you think would be offered?

• Here, the student will apply their imagination to answer the question.
• Here, 3000 years ago,  that time people were not modern but they had their own rituals. So, they had to imagine the food that would be offered.

Thus, it is concluded that this question attempts to assess students’ ability to imagine.

Evaluation of students' performance in social science is an essential activity. It is a process of determining the extent to which the objectives of social science have been achieved by the students.

• Evaluation is generally used for certification and placement purposes, but it has greater potential to be used for instructional purposes. For this, evaluation has to be a continuous and comprehensive process.

Key PointsEvaluation in social studies:-

• An open book evaluation refers to an exam that allows students to bring their books or notebooks to the exam and consult their books while answering questions.
• The purpose of open book evaluation is to reduce and eliminate the burden of rote memorization but this is not the best indicator of learning.
• Open-book examination based on end-text questions does not provide the best indicators of learning.
• Oral evaluation based on in-text questions supports continuous learning.
• An oral examination/test is a face-to-face question-answer activity between the examiner and examinee. These tests are used to express the knowledge and understanding of the topic by the examinee.

Thus, it is concluded that Only B is correct.

Bloom's Taxonomy: This model is proposed in 1956 and named after Benjamin Bloom, an educational psychologist at the University of Chicago. This is actually a hierarchy model to classify the teaching and instructional objectives into a specific level of complexity. According to Bloom's taxonomy of knowledge, there are three major domains of learning:

• Cognitive domain
• Affective domain
• Psychomotor domain

Key Points

Cognitive domains: In this domain, a child deals with knowledge and hence, learns to create, evaluate, analyze, apply, understand, and remember. 

Here, in this question, the teacher is assessing the question 'students will be able to use the information to establish criteria to make a judgement or support an opinion''. In this, the evaluation process is represented. Here, the students after having knowledge of the concepts, apply the information and evaluates the process.

• This is the last stage in the hierarchical order in the cognitive domain.
• It refers to the process of making judgments and Justifying decisions about the value of information and materials.

Thus, it is concluded that the evaluation cognitive process is represented in the above-mentioned statement.

Additional Information Subdomains of Cognitive Domain:

• Knowledge: It refers to the process of recognizing and recalling information.
• Understanding: It refers to the process of interpreting and assimilating information.
• Application: It refers to the process of utilizing information in new and different situations.
• Analysis: It refers to the process of identifying the pattern and connection among the given information
• Synthesis: It refers to the process of combining information and making connections among them to generate a new idea.
• Evaluation: It refers to the process of making judgments and Justifying decisions about the value of information and materials.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009 was passed by the Indian Parliament in 2009

• This act mandates free and compulsory education of all children 6-14 years of age until they complete elementary education in a neighborhood school.

Key PointsFollowing aspects are explicitly stated in the Right of the Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 to formulate evaluation procedures:-

• Conformity with the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
• All-round development of the child.
• Building the child’s knowledge, potentiality, and talent.
• Development of physical and mental abilities to the fullest extent.
• Learning through activities, discovery, and exploration in a child-friendly and child-centered manner.
• The child’s mother tongue serves ‘as far as practicable as the medium of instruction.
• Making the child free of fear, trauma, and anxiety and helping the child to express views freely.
• Comprehensive and continuous evaluation of the child’s understanding and knowledge and the ability to apply it.

Thus, it is concluded that Option B and C are correct.

Social Sciences constitute a broad field of knowledge and deal with human beings in relation to their social behavior.

Key Points The above question attempts to assess students' ability to infer and extrapolate from students. Here, the students have to imagine the situation.

• Infer is to introduce a reasoned conclusion while extrapolate is to infer by extending known information
• Infer, deduce, conclude, judge, and gather mean to arrive at  a mental conclusion, infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence, if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise
• Extrapolate is defined as speculating or arriving at a conclusion based on known facts or observations.

Hence, According to the question, the above question attempts to assess student's ability to infer and extrapolate from students.

The correct answer is Both (a) and (b) are wrong

Key Points

• Let's refer to the following line of the passage:
• "There was a woman who was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck. She married for love, and love turned to dust. She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them."

Thus, it can be inferred that the correct answer is option 4)*.*​

Additional Information

• Comprehension questions can be answered easily by:
• Reading the passage carefully.
• Identifying the purpose of the passage.
• Going through the questions correctly with correct implied meaning.