RBSE Secondary Social Science flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Great Bath

A large brick-lined water tank at Mohenjo-daro, interpreted as a ritual bathing pool; it shows the Harappans' advanced drainage and civic planning.

Arthashastra

Kautilya's Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economics, and military strategy, associated with Chandragupta Maurya's administration and frequently cited in exam questions.

Allahabad pillar inscription

A eulogy by court poet Harisena praising Samudragupta's conquests; it is a key source for Gupta political history and is also called the Prayag Prashasti.

Mansabdari system

Akbar's administrative system ranking officers by zat and sawar, fixing their military obligations and pay; it organised the Mughal nobility and revenue structure.

Din-i-Ilahi

A syncretic religious order proclaimed by Akbar in 1582, drawing on elements of multiple faiths; it aimed at loyalty to the emperor rather than forming a mass religion.

First Battle of Panipat

Fought in 1526 between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi; Babur's artillery and tactics won, ending the Lodi dynasty and founding Mughal rule in India.

Tropic of Cancer

The 23.5°N latitude circle that marks the northern limit of the sun's overhead rays; it passes through Rajasthan near Banswara and through Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Coriolis effect

The apparent deflection of moving air or water due to Earth's rotation, to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern; it shapes wind and ocean currents.

Rain shadow

The dry leeward side of a mountain range, where descending air warms and holds moisture; it explains low rainfall east of the Western Ghats.

Regur soil

Black cotton soil formed from weathered lava on the Deccan plateau; it retains moisture well, is clayey, and supports cotton and other commercial crops.

Laterite soil

A leached, iron-rich soil typical of heavy-rainfall tropical areas; it forms under alternating wet and dry seasons and hardens when exposed and dried.

Sex ratio

The number of females per 1000 males in a population; India's 2011 Census recorded about 943, and Rajasthan recorded about 928.

Himalayan versus peninsular rivers

Himalayan rivers are perennial, snow-fed, and youthful with deep gorges; peninsular rivers are rain-fed, seasonal, and flow over mature, gently sloping terrain.

Fundamental Duties

Eleven constitutional obligations of citizens under Article 51A, inserted by the 42nd Amendment in 1976; they are non-justiciable but guide civic conduct.

Article 32

The right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights through writs; Ambedkar called it the heart and soul of the Constitution.

Money bill

A bill dealing only with taxation, borrowing, or the Consolidated Fund; it is introduced only in the Lok Sabha with the President's recommendation and needs no Rajya Sabha approval.

Directive Principles

Part IV guidelines (Articles 36–51) directing the state toward welfare goals such as employment, education, and a uniform civil code; they are not enforceable in courts.

73rd Amendment

A 1992 constitutional amendment giving panchayats constitutional status, mandating three-tier structures, regular elections, and reservation for women and Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

Judicial review

The power of courts to examine laws and executive actions for conformity with the Constitution and to strike them down if they violate its basic provisions.

National emergency

Declared by the President under Article 352 on grounds of war, external aggression, or armed rebellion; it alters centre-state relations and can suspend certain rights.

GDP deflator

The ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP multiplied by 100; it measures the overall price level change across all goods and services in an economy.

Repo rate

The rate at which the RBI lends short-term funds to commercial banks against securities; raising it typically reduces liquidity and controls inflation.

Fiscal deficit

Total government expenditure minus total receipts excluding borrowings; it measures the government's borrowing requirement and is expressed as a share of GDP.

Disguised unemployment

A situation where more workers are engaged in a job than needed, so removing some would not reduce output; it is common in family farms in India.

Human Development Index

A composite index from 0 to 1 combining life expectancy, education, and per-capita income; it is published annually in the UNDP Human Development Report.

Green Revolution

The 1960s–70s adoption of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties with irrigation, fertiliser, and pesticides, which greatly raised food output in Punjab, Haryana, and western UP.

Guru Shikhar

The highest peak of the Aravalli Range, about 1722 metres, located in Mount Abu, Sirohi district, Rajasthan; it is a major state geography fact.

Luni River

A river of western Rajasthan rising near Ajmer and ending in the Rann of Kutch; it becomes saline downstream and is called the salt river.

Battle of Haldighati

Fought in 1576 between Maharana Pratap of Mewar and Akbar's forces led by Man Singh; it is a landmark event in Rajasthan's medieval history.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park

A Ramsar wetland at Bharatpur, Rajasthan, famous as a bird sanctuary and former wintering ground of the Siberian crane; it was once a royal hunting reserve.

Indira Gandhi Canal

A major irrigation canal from Harike barrage in Punjab across the Thar desert, converting arid land in Rajasthan to agriculture; it is among the world's longest canals.

Zawar mines

Ancient zinc and lead mining and smelting sites near Udaipur, Rajasthan; they are among the oldest known zinc smelting areas in the world.