CBSE Class 10 Social Science: Syllabus, Chapters & Sample Practice

History — India and the Contemporary World-II (20 marks, incl. 2 map pointing)

• Ch 1 The Rise of Nationalism in Europe

  How the French Revolution and later movements shaped the idea of the nation-state across Europe.

• Ch 2 Nationalism in India

  The Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements and the making of a shared sense of belonging.

• Ch 3 The Making of a Global World

  Pre-modern trade and global interconnection. Only subtopics 1 to 1.3 are evaluated in the board theory paper.

• Ch 4 The Age of Industrialisation

  Industrial change and its impact on colonies, with a focus on India. Assessed via Periodic Assessment only, not the board theory paper.

• Ch 5 Print Culture and the Modern World

  The spread of print from East Asia to Europe and India, and the social impact of the print revolution.

Geography — Contemporary India-II (20 marks, incl. 3 map pointing)

• Ch 1 Resources and Development

  Types of resources, resource planning and major soil types of India.

• Ch 2 Forest and Wildlife Resources

  Biodiversity, causes of depletion and conservation under sustainable development.

• Ch 3 Water Resources

  Water scarcity, multipurpose river projects and rainwater harvesting.

• Ch 4 Agriculture

  Types of farming, major crops and the challenges facing Indian agriculture.

• Ch 5 Minerals and Energy Resources

  Distribution of minerals, and conventional and non-conventional energy sources.

• Ch 6 Manufacturing Industries

  Classification of industries, industrial location and environmental impact.

• Ch 7 Lifelines of National Economy

  Transport, communication and trade. Only map pointing from this chapter is evaluated in the board examination.

Political Science — Democratic Politics-II (20 marks)

• Ch 1 Power-sharing

  The need for power-sharing, with the examples of Belgium and Sri Lanka.

• Ch 2 Federalism

  How federalism is practised in India and the policies that have strengthened it.

• Ch 3 Gender, Religion and Caste

  How these social differences are expressed and accommodated within a democracy.

• Ch 4 Political Parties

  The role, purpose and number of political parties, and challenges to them.

• Ch 5 Outcomes of Democracy

  How the quality of a democracy is judged through accountability, equality and dignity.

Economics — Understanding Economic Development (20 marks)

• Ch 1 Development

  Development goals, per-capita income and multiple perspectives on development.

• Ch 2 Sectors of the Indian Economy

  Primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, and the organised and unorganised sectors.

• Ch 3 Money and Credit

  Money as a medium of exchange, sources of credit and self-help groups.

• Ch 4 Globalisation and the Indian Economy

  What globalisation is and the factors that have enabled it (board subtopics as listed in the syllabus).

• Ch 5 Consumer Rights

  Consumer awareness and protection. Assessed through project work.

Point to the Method

Names the idea to reach for (e.g. "classify the work by what it produces") without giving the answer.

Guided Reasoning Prompt

Prompts the key distinction (e.g. "Is this extracting, making, or providing a service?").

Complete Worked Solution

Shows the full step-by-step reasoning and explains why the answer is correct.

Give Each Discipline Equal Time

History, Geography, Civics and Economics each carry 20 marks, so divide your revision evenly rather than favouring one.

Practise Map Work Weekly

Map pointing is worth 5 marks (2 History + 3 Geography). Practise locating the prescribed items on blank maps until it is automatic.

Train on Case-Study and Source Questions

Case-based questions carry 12 marks. Work past questions that give a passage, map or data and ask you to interpret it, not just recall it.

What subjects make up CBSE Class 10 Social Science?

Four disciplines: History (India and the Contemporary World-II), Geography (Contemporary India-II), Political Science (Democratic Politics-II) and Economics (Understanding Economic Development). In the 80-mark board theory paper each one carries 20 marks (25%). Always confirm the current syllabus with CBSE or your school.

How is CBSE Class 10 Social Science assessed?

An 80-mark theory paper (3 hours) plus 20 marks of internal assessment — periodic assessment (5), multiple assessment (5), a subject-enrichment project (5) and portfolio (5) — totalling 100. The theory paper is built from 1-mark MCQs (20), 2-mark (8), 3-mark (15), 4-mark case studies (12), 5-mark long answers (20) and 5 marks of map pointing.

Are any chapters left out of the board theory paper?

Yes. Per the official course structure, History’s "The Age of Industrialisation" is assessed through Periodic Assessment only; for "The Making of a Global World" only subtopics 1 to 1.3 are evaluated in the board paper; and Geography’s "Lifelines of National Economy" is evaluated only through map pointing. Confirm the current list with CBSE or your school.

How much of the paper is map work?

Map pointing carries 5 marks in total — 2 marks from History and 3 marks from Geography — out of the 80-mark theory paper. The prescribed map items are listed in the official CBSE syllabus.