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CBSE · Class 9 · Social Science

Understanding Social Science

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.
Social Science is the systematic study of:
  1. the stars and planets
  2. chemicals and their reactions
  3. the natural world only
  4. human society
2.
Which of these is an archaeological source?
  1. a 12th-century stone sculpture of a dancer
  2. a family record of births and marriages
  3. a gold coin of Samudragupta
  4. a Mughal coin of Jahangir
3.
What kind of source is a 12th-century stone sculpture of a dancer?
  1. genealogical
  2. literary
  3. archaeological
  4. oral
4.
What does “numismatics” mean?
  1. evidence from the time being studied
  2. a computer system for mapping geographical data
  3. the study of old coins
  4. meeting today’s needs without harming the future
5.
Which discipline would mainly study where most people in a state live?
  1. Political Science
  2. Economics
  3. Chemistry
  4. Geography
6.
What does a map do for a social scientist? It:
  1. shows data as a simple picture
  2. shows places on a flat surface
  3. counts the people of a country
  4. lists the questions asked in a survey
7.
The Arthashastra is said to have been composed about 2,300 years ago (from about 2025). About how many years ago would that be in 2044?
  1. 3,000 years
  2. 2,300 years
  3. 2,419 years
  4. 2,319 years
8.
One coin is from the 6th century CE and a sculpture from the 15th century CE. About how many centuries apart are they?
  1. 10 centuries
  2. 21 centuries
  3. 9 centuries
  4. 12 centuries
Section B — Short answer8 × 2 = 16 marks
9.
How is Social Science different from Physics or Biology?
10.
What does each discipline study? (a) Economics (b) Geography
11.
Literary, archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic or genealogical? (a) a gold coin of Samudragupta (b) a Mughal coin of Jahangir
12.
Explain each term: (a) sustainable growth (b) primary source
13.
Which discipline would study each? (a) where most people in a state live (b) how elections are held
14.
How does each help a social scientist? (a) an infographic (b) carbon-14 dating
15.
A student surveys 400 households about how they get water; 60% use a well. How many households is that, and which method of Social Science is a survey?
16.
What could a historian learn from a family record of births and marriages and from a palm-leaf manuscript of the Tirukkural?
Section C — Longer answers4 × 4 = 16 marks
17.
Explain the four core disciplines of Social Science with one question each might ask.
18.
Match each with its kind of source: (a) a 12th-century stone sculpture of a dancer (b) a gold coin of Samudragupta (c) a palm-leaf manuscript of the Tirukkural. Choose from: literary; numismatic; archaeological.
19.
Explain which discipline would study each and what question it might ask: (a) why onion prices rise in some months (b) how elections are held
20.
In a drought survey of 200 households, 40% lost crops, 34% lost income from work, and the rest moved away for a while. (a) How many households in each group? (b) Which disciplines would study each effect?
AmbifulWorksheets
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CBSE · Class 9 · Social Science

Answer key

Understanding Social Science · AW-9SS-USS-2026-V1 · For parents — fold back or tear off before handing the sheet to your child.

QAnswerWorking
1(d) human society—
2(a) a 12th-century stone sculpture of a dancer—
3(c) archaeological—
4(c) the study of old coins—
5(d) Geography—
6(b) shows places on a flat surface—
7(d) 2,319 years2,300 + (2044 − 2025)
8(c) 9 centuries15 − 6
9Physics and Biology study the natural world; Social Science studies society, its institutions, cultures and how people interact.—
10(a) how resources are produced, shared and used (b) the Earth, places and how people relate to their surroundings—
11(a) numismatic (b) numismatic—
12(a) meeting today’s needs without harming the future (b) evidence from the time being studied—
13(a) Geography (b) Political Science—
14(a) shows data as a simple picture (b) finds the age of old remains—
15240 households; a survey collects data by asking many people the same questions.60% of 100
16A family record of births and marriages (genealogical) and a palm-leaf manuscript of the Tirukkural (literary): e.g. rulers, language, trade, crafts or daily life of the time.—
17Geography: where and why places differ; History: how societies changed over time; Political Science: how power and government work; Economics: how limited resources are used.—
18(a) archaeological (b) numismatic (c) literary—
19(a) Economics (b) Political Science; questions will vary.—
20(a) 80, 68 and 52 (b) Geography (crops), Economics (income), History or Sociology (migration).—