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CBSE · Class 8 · Social Science

A Journey Through Indian Architecture

Standard difficulty · 20 questions · 40 marks

Name: Date: Score: ____ / 40

Write full answers in Sections B and C. Answers are on the last page — try every question first!

Section A — Choose the correct answer8 × 1 = 8 marks
1.
The Taj Mahal at Agra was built by:
  1. Humayun
  2. Babur
  3. Akbar
  4. Shah Jahan
2.
What is a granary?
  1. a building for storing grain
  2. a garden in four parts
  3. a memorial where no one is buried
  4. a dome-shaped pavilion
3.
Where would you find Mohenjo-daro?
  1. Jodhpur
  2. Chennai
  3. Patan
  4. the Indus plain
4.
What is the Taj Mahal mainly built of, according to the book?
  1. steel and glass
  2. local stone
  3. white marble
  4. red sandstone from Dholpur
5.
Who built or commissioned the Taj Mahal?
  1. Rana Kumbha
  2. Sawai Jai Singh II
  3. the Bundela rulers
  4. Shah Jahan
6.
Work on the Taj Mahal began in 1632; the Madras High Court was completed in 1892. How many years apart were these?
  1. 257 years
  2. 260 years
  3. 261 years
  4. 270 years
7.
Suppose a fort tower is 30 m tall. How many storeys of 5 m each is that?
  1. 6 storeys
  2. 25 storeys
  3. 11 storeys
  4. 150 storeys
8.
A charbagh garden is a square 74 m on each side, divided into four equal square parts. What is the area of each part?
  1. 2,738 square m
  2. 148 square m
  3. 5,476 square m
  4. 1,369 square m
Section B — Short answer8 × 2 = 16 marks
9.
What is architecture?
10.
Explain each term: (a) cenotaph (b) torana
11.
Where is each? (a) the Gateway of India (b) the Mysuru Palace
12.
Who built or commissioned (a) Orchha’s palaces (b) Kumbhalgarh Fort?
13.
Which came first, and by how many years? (a) Jaipur was planned (1727) (b) the Madras High Court was completed (1892)
14.
Humayun’s Tomb was commissioned in 1558. How many years before 2058 was that? What kind of garden surrounds it?
15.
Name the main material of each: (a) many traditional houses of the Northeast (b) most Harappan cities
16.
Suppose 5,500 workers built a courtyard that holds 49,500 people. How many people of courtyard space is that per worker?
Section C — Longer answers4 × 4 = 16 marks
17.
Describe the town planning of Mohenjo-daro.
18.
Match each with its meaning: (a) jharokha (b) cenotaph (c) mausoleum. Choose from: a memorial where no one is buried; a grand building holding a tomb; an overhanging balcony.
19.
(a) Put these in order, earliest first: Jaipur was planned (1727); the Madras High Court was completed (1892); work on the Taj Mahal began (1632). (b) How many years from the first to the last? (c) Describe one of these buildings in a sentence.
20.
Describe Kumbhalgarh Fort (built by Rana Kumbha) and the Taj Mahal (built by Shah Jahan): what kind of building is each, and name one feature of its style.
AmbifulWorksheets
Practice that never repeats
CBSE · Class 8 · Social Science

Answer key

A Journey Through Indian Architecture · AW-8SS-JIA-2026-V1 · For parents — fold back or tear off before handing the sheet to your child.

QAnswerWorking
1(d) Shah Jahan—
2(a) a building for storing grain—
3(d) the Indus plain—
4(c) white marble—
5(d) Shah Jahan—
6(b) 260 years1892 − 1632 = 260
7(a) 6 storeys30 ÷ 5
8(d) 1,369 square m74 ÷ 2 = 37; 37 × 37
9The art and technique of designing and building, combining usefulness and beauty.—
10(a) a memorial where no one is buried (b) a carved gateway—
11(a) Mumbai (b) Mysuru—
12(a) the Bundela rulers (b) Rana Kumbha—
13Jaipur was planned, by 165 years1892 − 1727
14500 years; a charbagh (a garden in four parts)2058 − 1558
15(a) bamboo and wood (b) clay bricks—
169 people per worker49,500 ÷ 5,500
17Wide streets and lanes roughly followed the directions, almost every house had a bathing area, and a drain network carried used water out of the city.—
18(a) an overhanging balcony (b) a memorial where no one is buried (c) a grand building holding a tomb—
19(a) work on the Taj Mahal began; Jaipur was planned; the Madras High Court was completed (b) 260 years (c) Answers will vary; see the chapter.—
20Kumbhalgarh Fort and the Taj Mahal: answers should name the type (fort, tomb, palace or city) and a feature such as a dome, jharokha, chhatri, bastion or charbagh.—