CBSE Class 10 Social Science Chapter 4 Making of a Global World MCQs
FAQs on Social Science Chapter 4 Making of a Global World Class 10 MCQ
1. What were the Silk Routes, and why are they considered important for understanding the pre-modern world?
The Silk Routes were a network of ancient trade routes connecting the East and West. They are critically important for board exam preparation because they were not just for trading goods like silk, spices, and textiles; they were also prime channels for cultural exchange. Ideas, religions (like Buddhism and Christianity), technologies, and even diseases travelled along these routes, shaping the economic and social fabric of Asia, Europe, and northern Africa in the pre-modern era.
2. Which topics from Chapter 4, The Making of a Global World, are most important for the CBSE Class 10 board exams 2025-26?
For the CBSE board exam 2025-26, the most important topics are from the first section of the chapter, focusing on the pre-modern world. Key areas to prepare for 3 and 5-mark questions include:
- The significance of the Silk Routes in linking distant parts of the world.
- The global transfer of food, particularly the introduction of potatoes, soya, and maize.
- The role of conquest, disease, and trade in the European colonisation of America.
3. How did the global transfer of food, originating from the Americas, impact other continents?
The discovery of the Americas led to a massive global transfer of food, often called the Columbian Exchange, which had a profound impact on the world. Crops like potatoes, soya, maize, tomatoes, and chillies were introduced from the Americas to Europe and Asia. This changed dietary habits and improved nutrition, allowing for significant population growth. For instance, the humble potato became a staple food for Europe's poor, demonstrating how food exchange could alter societies and economies.
4. Why is the pre-modern world's interconnectedness often described as the world 'shrinking'?
The term 'shrinking world' does not refer to a physical change but a metaphorical one. Before the sixteenth century, continents were largely isolated. With the discovery of sea routes to Asia and America, the time and cost of connecting different parts of the world reduced dramatically. This increase in the movement of people, goods, capital, and ideas made the world feel smaller and more accessible, creating the first truly global economy and laying the foundation for modern globalisation.
5. Assess the role of disease as a tool of conquest in the Americas during the mid-sixteenth century.
Disease played a more crucial role than military weapons in the European conquest of the Americas. The native inhabitants of America had been isolated for millions of years and had no immunity to European diseases like smallpox. When the Europeans arrived, they brought these germs with them. Smallpox spread rapidly, decimating entire communities and wiping out vast populations. This biological warfare, although unintentional at first, weakened the native empires and made it significantly easier for the Spanish and Portuguese to conquer them with their small armies.
6. How do food items like noodles and potatoes illustrate the process of long-distance cultural and economic exchange?
Food items are excellent examples of long-distance exchange. For instance, it is believed that noodles travelled west from China to become spaghetti in Italy. Similarly, potatoes, which originated in the Americas, were introduced to Europe and became a staple food. Their importance was so great that when disease destroyed the potato crop in Ireland in the 1840s, it led to the devastating Irish Potato Famine, showing deep economic dependency. You can find detailed explanations in the NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Science Ch 3 The Making of a Global World.
7. What kind of questions, from 1-mark to 5-marks, should a student prepare from the topic 'Conquest, Disease, and Trade'?
From this crucial topic, you can expect a variety of questions in the board exam:
- 1-mark (MCQ/VSA): Factual questions, such as identifying the disease that helped in the colonisation of the Americas (Smallpox) or the mythical city of gold (El Dorado).
- 3-mark (Short Answer): Explanatory questions, such as 'How did the use of germs prove to be a powerful weapon for European conquerors?'
- 5-mark (Long Answer): Comprehensive analysis questions like, '"The pre-modern world changed with the discovery of new sea routes to America." Justify the statement by explaining the role of conquest, disease, and trade.'
8. According to the CBSE curriculum for 2025-26, what is the exact syllabus for Class 10 History Chapter 4, 'The Making of a Global World'?
As per the updated CBSE Class 10 SST Syllabus 2024-25, only a specific portion of this chapter will be evaluated in the board examination. Students must focus on sub-topics 1 to 1.3, which cover:
- The Pre-Modern World
- The Silk Routes Link the World
- Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato
- Conquest, Disease and Trade
