RBSE Praveshika Social Science key terms

One of the world's earliest urban civilisations, flourishing around 2600–1900 BCE in the north-western Indian subcontinent. Its hallmarks include planned cities such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, grid streets, covered drains and standardised baked-brick buildings.

A code of moral conduct promoted by Emperor Ashoka after the Kalinga war, emphasising tolerance, non-violence, respect for elders and teachers, truthfulness and public welfare works. It was spread through edicts inscribed on rocks and pillars.

Mughal administrative arrangement under which every officer held a rank, or mansab, determining status and salary and was expected to maintain a fixed number of cavalrymen. Ranks ranged from low numbers up to the great nobles.

Land revenue system introduced by the East India Company in Bengal in 1793, fixing revenue permanently with zamindars who became owners of the land. It gave the Company stable income but pressed hard on peasants.

Policy used by Lord Dalhousie to annex Indian states whose ruler died without a natural heir, refusing to recognise adopted sons as successors. Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur were annexed on this ground.

Political organisation founded in Bombay in 1885 that became the main vehicle of the Indian freedom struggle. It moved from moderate petitions to mass movements under leaders such as Gandhi, Nehru and Patel.

Mass campaign launched by Gandhi in 1920–22 urging Indians to withdraw cooperation from British institutions by boycotting courts, schools, councils and foreign cloth. It was suspended after the Chauri Chaura violence in 1922.

Salt Satyagraha of 1930 in which Gandhi walked about 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi and made salt from seawater, defying the British salt law and triggering civil disobedience across India.

Seasonal reversal of winds that brings most of India's annual rainfall. The south-west monsoon from June to September gives summer rain, while the north-east monsoon supplies Tamil Nadu and neighbouring areas in winter.

Fertile transported soil found in the northern plains and river deltas, rich in potash and lime but often low in nitrogen and humus. It supports intensive cultivation of rice, wheat, sugarcane and pulses.

A continuous mountain escarpment running parallel to India's west coast and forming the water divide of peninsular rivers. Its windward slopes receive heavy monsoon rain and shelter rich evergreen forests and biodiversity.

Package of high-yielding seed varieties, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, assured irrigation and credit adopted from the mid-1960s, which sharply raised wheat and rice output in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

Official count of a country's population, carried out in India every ten years by the Registrar General. It records population size, literacy, sex ratio, occupation and other social and economic characteristics.

Introduction to the Constitution of India stating its source of authority, the people, its objectives of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, and the date of adoption, 26 November 1949.

Basic rights guaranteed to citizens by Part III of the Constitution, ranging from equality and freedom of speech to life and personal liberty. They are enforceable in courts, mainly through writs.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Constitution directing the State towards social and economic welfare, such as employment, education, health and a uniform civil code. They are not enforceable in courts.

System in which powers are divided between a central government and constituent states, each supreme in its own sphere. India combines this division with a strong centre and an independent judiciary.

Three-tier rural local self-government created by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment of 1992, comprising gram panchayat, panchayat samiti and zila parishad, with reserved seats for women and Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

Principle that every person, including holders of power, is subject to the same law applied equally by ordinary courts, and that no one is punished except for a breach of law.

Total market value of goods and services produced within a country's borders in a given period, usually a year. It measures economic size but not distribution, unpaid work or environmental damage.

Sustained rise in the general price level, which reduces the purchasing power of money. In India it is mainly tracked through the consumer price index and the wholesale price index.

Rate at which the Reserve Bank of India lends short-term funds to commercial banks against government securities. Raising it discourages borrowing and controls inflation; lowering it stimulates economic activity.

In India, the level of consumption expenditure per person per month needed to buy a minimum food and non-food basket, used to identify poor households for policy targeting.

Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing economic growth with environmental protection and social equity.

Part of the economy that produces goods directly from nature, including agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing and mining. It employs the largest share of India's workforce but contributes a shrinking share of output.

Ancient fold mountains running south-west to north-east across Rajasthan from Mount Abu to Alwar. They check the spread of the desert, hold rich mineral and forest wealth, and rank among the world's oldest ranges.

Arid sandy plain covering western Rajasthan and adjoining Pakistan, with low erratic rainfall, shifting dunes, high evaporation and thorny vegetation. Canal irrigation has extended cropping in parts of it.

Long canal starting from the Harike barrage in Punjab and running down Rajasthan, irrigating dry districts such as Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner and Jaisalmer and changing cropping and settlement patterns.

Battle fought in 1576 near the Haldighati pass in Rajasthan between Maharana Pratap of Mewar and Mughal forces led by Man Singh. Maharana escaped and continued resistance from hills and forests.

Folk deities of Rajasthan worshipped locally, such as Pabuji, Tejaji, Goga and Ramdevji, remembered for courage, protection of the weak and healing. Their shrines and oral epics shape village religious life.

Vigorous dance of the Kalbelia snake-charmer community of Rajasthan, performed by women in flowing black skirts with rapid spins to the beat of the pungi, and recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.

Prolonged shortage of water caused by deficient or badly distributed rainfall, leading to crop failure, falling groundwater, drinking-water scarcity and livestock loss. Rajasthan frequently faces such conditions.

Sudden shaking of the ground caused by movement along faults or by volcanic activity, measured by magnitude and intensity. India's risk ranges from the high Himalayas and Kutch to the stable peninsular interior.

Degree to which people, property or systems are likely to be harmed by a hazard, shaped by exposure, poverty, building quality, awareness and the capacity to cope and recover.

Line on a map joining points of equal elevation above sea level. Closely spaced contours show steep slopes, widely spaced ones show gentle slopes, and closed loops mark hills or depressions.

Ratio between distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground, shown as a statement, representative fraction or bar, which allows real distances to be measured from the map.