Class 12 History Half-Yearly Sample Papers with Solutions Set 8| 2026–27

Artham Resources | Class 12 History Half-Yearly Sample Paper with Solutions (Set 8)

Strictly Aligned with CBSE Board Pattern & New NCERT Curriculum 2026–27

A full-length, board-calibrated 80-mark practice examination for Class 12 History designed to evaluate Harappan subsistence indicators and mortuary practices, numismatic trends and administrative devolution in the Gupta era, social mobility and non-Brahmanical kinship paradigms in the Mahabharata, the spread of Mahayana traditions versus early Stupa cults, and cartographic accuracy on ancient India outline maps under authentic 3-hour examination conditions.

Key Highlights & Academic Features

• Authentic Examination Rigor: Calibrated to mirror the official CBSE mid-term blueprint (Theory: 80 Marks, 3 Hours) across Sections A through E—comprising 21 objective/assertion-reasoning MCQs (1 mark each), 6 short-answer conceptual questions (3 marks each), 3 long-answer evaluative essays (8 marks each), 3 source-based analytical extracts (4 marks each), and 1 dedicated historical map-work section (5 marks).

• 50% Competency-Focused Mandate: Packed with higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) requiring students to analyze burial goods to differentiate between egalitarian versus ranked Harappan societies, evaluate the debasement of post-Gupta gold coinage as an index of monetary crisis, critique the Brahmanical formulation of varnasamkara as a tool to absorb diverse ethnic groups, and contrast the philosophical tenets of the Theravada and Mahayana sects.

• Integrated Textbook Syllabus Coverage (Themes in Indian History Part I): Features comprehensive questions covering the core mid-term syllabus:

  • Theme 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones: Specialized craft tools (copper/bronze axes, tubular drills), archeozoological findings of domesticated fauna (cattle, sheep, goat), the layout of granaries and the Citadel at Harappa, and external contacts through coastal outposts like Lothal and Sutkagen Dor.

  • Theme 2: Kings, Farmers and Towns: The decentralization of power through Samantas in early medieval polities, epigraphic decipherment of Kharosthi via Indo-Greek bilingual coins, urban craft communities and merchant corporate bodies (sarthavahas and shrenis), and agricultural extension via royal land grants (Agraharas).

  • Theme 3: Kinship, Caste and Class: The tension between biological descent and social parentage in the epic tradition (the Karna episode), prescriptive rules of Stridhana versus patriarchal inheritance in the Smritis, the social classification of Mlechchhas, and Buddhist counters to hereditary occupational divisions.

  • Theme 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings: The architectural anatomy of rock-cut Chaityas (e.g., Karle, Bhaja), the function of relic caskets within Stupa cores, the role of wealthy donors recorded in votive inscriptions at Sanchi and Bharhut, and the emergence of avatarana (incarnation) doctrines in early Vaishnavism.

• Source-Based Interpretive Extracts: Includes authentic text excerpts adapted directly from NCERT primary sources (e.g., an extract on the duties of kingship from Kautilya’s Arthashastra, passages on royal patronage and Buddhist monasteries from Xuan Zang’s travelogues, and inscriptions recording land gifts by royal women) to hone textual deduction and analytical interpretation.