BSEH Secondary Social Science key terms

A colonial law allowing arrest and detention without trial for up to two years. It provoked nationwide protest and Gandhi's first all-India satyagraha, making it a turning point in the freedom movement.

Gandhi's method of resisting injustice through truth and non-violent suffering rather than force. It relies on mass discipline and moral pressure to change the opponent's conduct.

The 1920-22 campaign urging Indians to withdraw cooperation from British institutions by boycotting schools, courts, titles and foreign cloth. It was suspended after the Chauri Chaura violence.

The 1930 campaign launched with the Dandi March, in which people deliberately broke colonial laws such as the salt law. It spread rural protest and led to the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

Gandhi's 1930 walk of about 240 miles to the Gujarat coast to make salt illegally. It dramatised opposition to the salt tax and began the Civil Disobedience Movement.

The colonial monopoly under which the state controlled salt production and taxed it. Breaking it became a symbol of resistance because salt was used by rich and poor alike.

An agreement between Gandhi and Ambedkar replacing separate electorates for Dalits with reserved seats in provincial legislatures. It followed Gandhi's fast against the Communal Award.

A system in which a social or religious group votes only for its own candidates. Colonial reforms extended it to Muslims, Sikhs and others, and it shaped later debates on representation.

A 1928 British commission sent to review constitutional reform in India. It had no Indian members, so it was boycotted and met with the slogan 'Go back Simon'.

A colonial statute that granted provincial autonomy and created a federal structure that never fully operated. It extended the franchise and influenced independent India's constitution.

The division of British India into India and Pakistan at independence. It triggered mass migration and communal violence, displacing millions and shaping the politics of both states.

The spread of ideas through printed books, newspapers and pamphlets. In colonial India it enabled public debate, cheap literature and new forms of political mobilisation.

Newspapers and journals published in Indian languages rather than English. They carried local news and nationalist opinion, and were regulated by colonial press laws.

Fertile soil deposited by rivers, rich in potash and lime but often low in nitrogen and humus. It dominates the northern plains and supports intensive cultivation.

Dark, clayey soil formed from lava, also called regur. It holds moisture well and is suited to cotton, so it is common on the Deccan plateau.

The loss of soil fertility and productivity through erosion, salinity, overgrazing or deforestation. It reduces cultivable area and is a major concern in dry and hilly regions.

The removal of topsoil by wind or running water. It is accelerated by deforestation and poor farming practice, and it lowers yields and silts up reservoirs.

Ploughing along the contour lines of a slope rather than up and down it. The ridges slow runoff, so water soaks in and soil loss is reduced.

A dam scheme serving several uses at once, such as irrigation, flood control, power and drinking water. Such projects also cause displacement and silting disputes.

Supplying water to fields through a network of channels drawn from a river or reservoir. It supports agriculture in the plains but can cause waterlogging and salinity.

Collecting and storing rain for later use in tanks, pits or rooftops. It recharges groundwater and reduces dependence on rivers, especially in arid regions.

The falling of the water table because extraction exceeds natural recharge. It results from tubewell irrigation and urban demand, and it threatens long-term water security.

Growing different crops in sequence on the same field. Alternating cereals with legumes restores nitrogen and helps break pest cycles.

The adoption of high-yielding seed varieties with fertiliser and irrigation from the late 1960s. It raised wheat and rice output sharply, mainly in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

A crop grown mainly for sale rather than household consumption, such as cotton, sugarcane or jute. Cash crops raise farm income but expose growers to price swings.

Farming organised to produce for the market, using purchased inputs and larger holdings. Output is sold rather than consumed, and it is typical of developed agricultural regions.

A system in which land is cleared and cropped for a few years, then left to recover while the farmer moves on. It is practised in forested hill regions with low population density.

A naturally occurring inorganic substance with a definite chemical composition, mined for use. Minerals are non-renewable, so their extraction raises conservation concerns.

A mineral containing iron, such as iron ore, manganese or chromite. Ferrous ores underpin the steel industry and are concentrated in peninsular India.

A system in which power is divided between a central government and constituent units, each with its own sphere. India combines this with a strong centre and flexible arrangements for states.

The transfer of power and resources from central and state governments to local bodies. In India it was strengthened by the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments.

The three-tier system of elected local government in rural areas, with village, block and district levels. Reservations ensure representation of women and marginalised groups.

The assembly of all registered voters in a village, forming the base of the Panchayati Raj system. It approves plans and audits the work of the village panchayat.

A government formed by two or more parties when no single party wins a majority. It requires power-sharing and often strengthens regional parties.

A constitutional provision allowing legislators to be disqualified for voluntarily leaving their party or voting against its whip. It aims to curb floor-crossing but limits dissent.

Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms such as equality, speech and life, enforceable through courts. They limit state power and can be restricted only by lawful procedure.

Non-justiciable guidelines in the constitution directing the state towards welfare and social justice. Courts have used them to interpret fundamental rights and uphold welfare laws.

The total market value of final goods and services produced within a country in a year. It is the standard measure of the size and growth of an economy.

A country's total income divided by its population, giving average income per person. It is a common development indicator but ignores inequality and non-income welfare.

A composite measure combining life expectancy, education and income to rank countries. It broadens development beyond output to health and knowledge.

The share of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in output and employment. Shifts in these shares show how an economy is changing over time.

A situation where more people work on a task than are needed, so removing some would not reduce output. It is common in Indian family farms.

Reliable access for all people to enough safe, nutritious food. It depends on availability, affordability and distribution, and is supported by buffer stocks and public distribution.

A network of fair-price shops supplying subsidised grain to eligible households. It is a key instrument of food policy, though leakage and exclusion remain concerns.

A sudden or slow event that disrupts normal life and causes loss beyond the community's capacity to cope. Disasters arise where hazards meet vulnerability.

A natural or human-made event with the potential to cause harm, such as an earthquake, flood or fire. A hazard becomes a disaster only when it affects exposed people or assets.

The conditions that make people or places likely to suffer damage from a hazard, such as poor housing or location. Reducing vulnerability is central to disaster management.

Policies and actions that lessen exposure and vulnerability before a hazard strikes. It includes land-use planning, building codes, early warning and community preparedness.

Readiness to respond to a disaster through plans, drills, stockpiles and warnings. It shortens response time and reduces loss of life.

Structural or non-structural measures that reduce the severity of disaster impacts, such as embankments or zoning rules. Unlike preparedness, it aims to lower the hazard's effect itself.

A large-scale map showing relief, drainage and settlement using contours and symbols. Its grid references and scale allow precise location and distance measurement.

A line on a map joining points of equal height above sea level. Spacing shows steepness, and shapes reveal valleys, ridges and plateaus.

A set of easting and northing numbers locating a point on a map. A four-figure reference identifies a square, while six figures pinpoint a spot within it.

The ratio between distance on a map and distance on the ground. It may be shown as a representative fraction, a statement or a graphic bar.

A document, artefact or record produced at the time of the event, such as a letter, photograph or official report. Historians use it as direct evidence, subject to bias checks.

An account written later that interprets primary evidence, such as a textbook or biography. It offers analysis but depends on the quality of the sources it uses.

Checking one source against others to test whether a claim is reliable. Agreement across independent sources strengthens confidence in the evidence.

A slant in a source caused by the author's interests, position or intended audience. Identifying bias does not make a source useless but shapes how it is interpreted.