UPMSP High School Social Science flashcards

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

Rowlatt Act

Passed in 1919, it allowed detention without trial. Gandhi called for a nationwide hartal, and protests led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.

Doctrine of Lapse

Lord Dalhousie's policy under which states without a natural heir were annexed by the British, applied to Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur, and a major cause of 1857.

Permanent Settlement

Introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793 in Bengal, it fixed land revenue permanently with zamindars, who became hereditary owners of the land.

Swadeshi Movement

Launched against the 1905 Partition of Bengal, it urged boycott of British goods and promotion of Indian industry, and saw the rise of extremist leadership.

Cabinet Mission 1946

Proposed a three-tier federal structure and grouping of provinces to transfer power. Its failure and the Direct Action Day deepened communal conflict.

Tropic of Cancer

A latitude near 23°30'N that passes through eight Indian states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, dividing India into tropical and subtropical zones.

Standard Meridian of India

The longitude 82°30'E, used to fix Indian Standard Time as GMT plus five hours thirty minutes, keeping one uniform time across the country.

Western Ghats

A continuous mountain range along India's west coast, higher than the Eastern Ghats, source of major peninsular rivers and a global biodiversity hotspot.

Black soil

Also called regur, formed from Deccan lava, rich in iron and lime but poor in nitrogen and phosphorus; best suited to cotton cultivation.

Southwest monsoon

The summer monsoon from June to September that brings most of India's rainfall, arriving first in Kerala and splitting into Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal branches.

Palk Strait

A narrow strait between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, separating the two countries; the Gulf of Mannar lies to its south.

Laterite soil

Formed in areas of heavy rainfall by leaching, it is acidic and low in fertility, used for tea, coffee and cashew plantations after manuring.

Fundamental Rights

Guaranteed in Part III of the Constitution (Articles 12 to 35), they include equality, freedom, protection from exploitation, religion, culture and education, and constitutional remedies.

Directive Principles

Guidelines in Part IV (Articles 36 to 51) for state policy aimed at social and economic justice; they are not enforceable in courts.

Money Bill

A bill dealing only with taxation or government spending, introduced only in the Lok Sabha with the President's recommendation; the Rajya Sabha has 14 days to make recommendations.

73rd Amendment Act

Passed in 1992, it gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions, mandating three tiers, regular elections and reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.

President's election

The President is elected indirectly for five years by an electoral college of elected MPs and MLAs through a single transferable vote system of proportional representation.

Anti-defection law

In the Tenth Schedule, added in 1985, it disqualifies elected members who voluntarily leave their party or defy a party whip on key votes.

GDP

The market value of all final goods and services produced within a country's domestic territory during a year, regardless of the producers' nationality.

GNP

Gross National Product equals GDP plus net factor income from abroad, measuring income earned by a country's residents wherever they are.

Repo rate

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

Primary sector

The part of the economy that directly uses natural resources, including agriculture, fishing, forestry and mining, and employing the largest share of Indian workers.

Human Development Index

A UNDP measure combining life expectancy, education and per capita income on a scale from 0 to 1, used to compare countries' development.

Consumer Price Index

A retail price index tracking the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services bought by households, used to measure inflation faced by consumers.

Sustainable Development Goals

Seventeen global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 under the 2030 Agenda, covering poverty, hunger, health, education, equality and climate action.

Paris Agreement

A 2015 international treaty under which countries pledge to keep global warming well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C, and update their emission targets.

Contour lines

Lines on a map joining points of equal height above sea level; closely spaced contours show steep slopes and V-shapes pointing upstream mark valleys.

Montreal Protocol

A 1987 agreement to phase out ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons, credited with the recovery of the ozone layer.

International Solar Alliance

An initiative launched by India and France in 2015 to promote solar energy among sun-rich countries, headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana.

Indira Point

The southernmost point of India, located on Great Nicobar Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, named after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Ten Degree Channel

A waterway along the 10°N latitude that separates the Andaman Islands from the Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Narmada and Tapi

Two peninsular rivers that flow west into the Arabian Sea through rift valleys, forming estuaries rather than deltas unlike most Indian rivers.