Class 8 practice
Class 8 social studies questions.
Social studies questions for Class 8, at the level of students aged 12–14, each with its answer and a short explanation. Try each one before opening the answer.
The Panchayati Raj system provides local governance in rural India across three tiers. Which elected body operates at the district level?
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Answer: Zilla Parishad
The Zilla Parishad manages development and administration at the district level, while the Gram Panchayat operates at the village level.
In the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha is called a permanent house. Why does it never dissolve completely?
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Answer: One-third of members retire every two years
Unlike the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved. Each member serves a six-year term, and one-third of the members retire every two years.
The Indian Standard Time is calculated based on a specific meridian of longitude. Through which of these cities does this Standard Meridian pass?
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Answer: Mirzapur
India's Standard Meridian is 82°30' E longitude, passing through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, establishing a uniform time across the nation.
For centuries, an ancient network of trade routes connected China and India with Central Asia and the Mediterranean world. What was this historic network called?
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Answer: Silk Route
The Silk Route was an ancient network of overland and maritime trade routes. It facilitated the exchange of silk, spices, technologies, and ideas across Afro-Eurasia.
In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led a famous march from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi. Which British monopoly were the marchers peacefully protesting?
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Answer: Salt tax and manufacture
The British colonial government taxed salt and held a monopoly over its production. Gandhi marched 240 miles to Dandi to break this law by making salt from seawater.
The Great Bath is a large, waterproof brick reservoir from the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. At which major archaeological site was it discovered?
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Answer: Mohenjo-daro
The Great Bath was discovered at Mohenjo-daro. It was built using finely fitted bricks and sealed with natural tar to make it watertight.
By constitutional rule, which public official serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha?
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Answer: Vice President of India
The Constitution of India specifies that the Vice President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Which type of soil, found widely in the Deccan trap region, is particularly suitable for growing cotton?
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Answer: Black soil
Black soil, also called regur soil, retains moisture well and is rich in nutrients, making it ideal for cotton cultivation.
The Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Parliament of India. For how long is an individual member elected to serve in this house?
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Answer: 6 years
Members of the Rajya Sabha serve a six-year term. One-third of the members retire every two years, making it a permanent legislative body.
In India's three-tier Panchayati Raj system, which institution functions as the local governing body at the village level?
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Answer: Gram Panchayat
The Gram Panchayat is the elected executive body at the village level. Panchayat Samiti works at the block level, and Zilla Parishad at the district level.
Which river is widely known as the 'Dakshin Ganga' due to its length and significance in peninsular India?
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Answer: Godavari
The Godavari is the longest river system in Peninsular India, earning it the traditional title 'Dakshin Ganga'.
The fourteenth-century Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta visited India during the reign of which Delhi Sultan?
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Answer: Muhammad bin Tughluq
Ibn Battuta reached Delhi during the rule of Muhammad bin Tughluq, who appointed him as a royal judge because of his scholarship.
- True or false?
The Narmada River flows westward through a rift valley and drains into the Arabian Sea.
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Answer: True
The Narmada flows westward between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges in a rift valley before entering the Arabian Sea.
- True or false?
Megasthenes was a Greek ambassador who visited the Mauryan court of Chandragupta Maurya at Pataliputra.
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Answer: True
Megasthenes was sent by the Greek ruler Seleucus I Nicator to Pataliputra, where he documented Mauryan society in his book Indica.
- True or false?
Under the Delhi Sultanate, land revenue assignments called iqtas were considered the permanent hereditary property of nobles.
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Answer: False
Iqtas were transferable administrative assignments given to military commanders and were not permanent hereditary estates.
- Fill in the blank.
The highest judicial court established by the Constitution of India is the ___ Court (first letter: S).
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Answer: Supreme
The Supreme Court in New Delhi is the apex court and the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution of India.
- Fill in the blank.
The black soil found extensively across the Deccan Plateau is locally called ___ soil (first letter: R).
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Answer: Regur
Regur soil is clayey and holds moisture well, making it ideal for growing cotton crops.
- Fill in the blank.
The continuous orbital journey of the Earth around the Sun is known as ___ (base word: revolve).
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Answer: revolution
Earth's revolution around the Sun takes about 365.25 days and causes the change of seasons along with Earth's tilt.
Which Indian state is the odd one out?
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Answer: Odisha
The Tropic of Cancer passes through Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, but it does not pass through Odisha.
Which local governing body is the odd one out?
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Answer: Nagar Nigam
Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and Zila Parishad form the three tiers of rural local government. Nagar Nigam is an urban local self-government body.
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