The Making of a Global World – Case-based Questions with Answers
Class 10
Social Science – History
NCERT • CBSE Board Exams
Chapter 3 – The Making of a Global World
Book: India and the Contemporary World – II
Topics: The Pre-modern World • The Nineteenth Century • The Interwar Economy • Rebuilding a World Economy (Post-War Era)
Topics: The Pre-modern World • The Nineteenth Century • The Interwar Economy • Rebuilding a World Economy (Post-War Era)
Suitable for CBSE Board Examinations:
- CBSE Class 10 Board Examination – Social Science (History)
- Annual / Term-End School Examinations
- Class Tests, Pre-Boards and Practice Assignments
- Case-Based and Competency-Based Question Practice
CBSE Class 10 History – Chapter 3: The Making of a Global World (Case-Based Questions with Answers)
The following 20 Case-Based Questions are designed strictly as per the NCERT syllabus for CBSE Class 10 Social Science. Each case is followed by short sub-questions with clear, student-friendly answers, making them ideal for CBSE board exam preparation.
A. The Pre-modern World
Cases 1 to 5 are based on early forms of globalisation, Silk Routes, food travels, conquest and cultural exchange.
Case 1 – Silk Routes and Early Global Connections
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
For centuries before modern globalisation, traders travelled along land and sea routes that linked East Asia,
Central Asia, West Asia and Europe. These routes, later called the Silk Routes, carried Chinese silk,
Indian spices, precious stones, metals and fine pottery to distant markets. Along with goods, these traders
also carried stories, religious beliefs and new technologies. In this way, regions far apart came to know of
each other and became linked together.
Q1. Why were these routes known as “Silk Routes”?
Ans. They were called Silk Routes because Chinese silk was one of the most precious and frequently traded goods that moved along these routes, giving the whole network its name.
Q2. Apart from goods, what else travelled along the Silk Routes?
Ans. Along with goods, traders carried ideas, religious beliefs, stories, art forms and technologies, which led to cultural exchange between different regions.
Q3. How did the Silk Routes help in making the world more interconnected in the pre-modern period?
Ans. The Silk Routes linked distant regions through long-distance trade and movement of people. This created economic and cultural links between Asia and Europe, making the pre-modern world more interconnected.
Case 2 – Food Travels and Early Globalisation
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Many food items that are part of our daily meals actually came from other continents. Crops like potato,
maize, tomato and chilli were first grown in the Americas. After European explorers reached the Americas,
these crops were taken to Europe and Asia. Over time they became so common that people began to think of
them as local foods. The history of such food travels shows how people, plants and cultures moved across
regions long before the word “globalisation” was used.
Q1. Name any two crops mentioned in the passage that originally came from the Americas.
Ans. Potato and maize (others possible: tomato, chilli) are two crops that originally came from the Americas.
Q2. What does the spread of these crops tell us about early globalisation?
Ans. The spread of these crops shows that different regions were already connected through trade and conquest. Plants and food habits travelled across continents, indicating early forms of globalisation.
Q3. How did new crops like the potato impact societies in Europe and Asia?
Ans. New crops like the potato improved diets and increased food supply, which helped reduce famines and supported population growth in Europe and Asia.
Case 3 – Conquest, Disease and Demographic Change
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
When Europeans reached the Americas in the late fifteenth century, they not only carried weapons and goods,
but also invisible germs. People in the Americas had no immunity to diseases like smallpox and measles.
As a result, entire communities were destroyed by epidemics. At the same time, European conquerors took
control of lands and resources. The combined effect of disease, warfare and forced labour caused a drastic
decline in the native population.
Q1. Why were diseases like smallpox so deadly for the native people of the Americas?
Ans. These diseases were deadly because the native people had no prior exposure or immunity to them, so their bodies could not fight the new infections.
Q2. Mention any two factors that caused the decline of the native population in the Americas.
Ans. The decline was caused by (i) deadly epidemics of new diseases and (ii) warfare and forced labour under European conquerors.
Q3. How did European conquest and disease together reshape the society of the Americas?
Ans. European conquest and disease destroyed many native communities and weakened their societies. This allowed Europeans to take control of land and resources and reshape the social and economic structures of the Americas.
Case 4 – Plantation Economy and Slave Labour
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
In the Americas, Europeans set up large plantations to grow crops like sugar and tobacco for export. These
plantations needed a large and cheap labour force. To meet this demand, millions of Africans were captured
and transported across the Atlantic as slaves. They worked for long hours under harsh conditions, with
almost no rights. Plantation products were shipped to Europe, while European goods were traded in Africa
in exchange for more slaves. This formed a triangular trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Q1. Why did plantation owners in the Americas depend on African slave labour?
Ans. Plantation owners depended on African slave labour because they needed a large, cheap and controlled workforce to grow crops like sugar and tobacco on a large scale for export.
Q2. What is meant by “triangular trade” in this context?
Ans. Triangular trade refers to the three-way system in which European goods were sent to Africa in exchange for slaves, slaves were transported to the Americas, and plantation products like sugar were shipped from the Americas to Europe.
Q3. How did the plantation system contribute to early globalisation?
Ans. The plantation system linked three continents through flows of labour, goods and capital. It created regular trade routes and helped form an early global economic network, though based on extreme exploitation.
Case 5 – Cultural Exchange in the Pre-modern World
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Along trade routes, not only goods but also ideas and religions travelled. Buddhist monks carried their
teachings from India to China, Korea and Japan. Traders and Sufi saints spread Islam across West Asia,
Africa and South Asia. Christian missionaries accompanied European traders to Asia and the Americas.
As a result, many regions came to share common religious and cultural traditions despite being far apart.
Q1. Name any two religions that spread across regions through trade routes and travellers.
Ans. Buddhism and Islam (Christianity is also correct) are two religions that spread across regions through trade routes and travellers.
Q2. How did religious movements contribute to making the pre-modern world more connected?
Ans. Religious movements spread common beliefs, rituals and values across regions, creating shared cultural traditions and strengthening links between distant societies.
Q3. Why is cultural exchange considered an important part of globalisation?
Ans. Cultural exchange is important because globalisation is not only about trade and money. It also involves the sharing of ideas, beliefs, languages and lifestyles, which shape how people understand and relate to each other.
B. The Nineteenth Century (1815–1914)
Cases 6 to 10 focus on industrialisation, world trade, migration, role of colonies and the global agricultural economy.
Case 6 – Industrialisation and Demand for Raw Materials
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
With the spread of the Industrial Revolution, factories in Britain and other European countries produced
goods on a large scale. To keep their machines running, they needed a regular supply of raw materials like
cotton, jute and minerals. At the same time, they also needed markets in which to sell their manufactured
products. This pushed them to expand trade and strengthen control over colonies that could provide both
raw materials and markets.
Q1. Why did industrial countries need colonies in the nineteenth century?
Ans. Industrial countries needed colonies to supply raw materials like cotton and jute for their factories and to serve as markets for their manufactured goods.
Q2. How did industrialisation increase world trade?
Ans. Industrialisation increased the volume of goods produced, which required larger markets. This led to more imports of raw materials and more exports of finished goods, thereby increasing world trade.
Q3. In what way did colonies become economically dependent on industrial countries?
Ans. Colonies became dependent by exporting raw materials at low prices and importing expensive manufactured goods. Their economies were organised to meet the needs of industrial countries rather than local needs.
Case 7 – Global Agricultural Economy
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
By the late nineteenth century, vast areas in North America, Australia and parts of Latin America were
brought under cultivation. New lands were cleared and railways were built to connect farms to ports.
Wheat and meat from these regions were exported to European cities where demand for food was rising.
As a result, agricultural producers in distant parts of the world became linked to consumers in Europe
through international trade.
Q1. What steps were taken to expand agriculture in new regions?
Ans. New lands were cleared for farming, railways were built to connect farms with ports, and technologies like mechanised ploughs were used to expand agriculture.
Q2. How did farmers in distant regions become linked to European consumers?
Ans. Farmers exported wheat and meat to European markets. Through this trade, their incomes and production were affected by demand and prices in European cities.
Q3. Why is this system called a “global agricultural economy”?
Ans. It is called a global agricultural economy because agricultural production and prices in one part of the world came to depend on demand and trade conditions in other distant regions.
Case 8 – Indentured Labour from India
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
In the nineteenth century, many poor peasants from India signed contracts to work as indentured labourers
on plantations, mines and construction projects in distant colonies like Mauritius, Fiji and the Caribbean.
High rents, indebtedness and lack of land pushed them out of their villages. Recruiters promised high
wages and better lives, but the reality was often harsh. Labourers worked long hours under strict discipline
and faced severe punishment if they tried to break their contracts.
Q1. What conditions in India pushed peasants to become indentured labourers?
Ans. Poverty, high rents, indebtedness and lack of sufficient land pushed many peasants to leave their villages and sign indenture contracts.
Q2. Name any two regions where Indian indentured labourers were taken to work.
Ans. Mauritius and Fiji (others possible: Caribbean islands, Trinidad, Surinam) were two regions where Indian indentured labourers were taken.
Q3. Why can indentured labour be called a form of “bonded labour”?
Ans. It can be called bonded labour because workers were tied to their employers by long-term contracts, faced strict discipline and could not easily leave even if working conditions were harsh.
Case 9 – Migration and a Global Labour Market
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
During the nineteenth century, millions of people migrated across continents. European migrants settled in
North America, Australia and parts of Africa. Asian workers, many of them indentured labourers, moved to
plantations and mines in tropical regions. This large-scale movement of people created a global labour
market in which workers from one region could be employed in another region thousands of kilometres away.
Q1. What is meant by a “global labour market”?
Ans. A global labour market is a situation where workers can move across countries and continents to take up jobs, and labour supply in one region is used to meet labour demand in another.
Q2. Which two broad groups of migrants are mentioned in the passage?
Ans. The passage mentions (i) European migrants who settled in new lands and (ii) Asian workers, many as indentured labourers, who worked on plantations and mines.
Q3. How did migration help integrate different parts of the world economy?
Ans. Migration linked regions with surplus labour to areas with labour shortage, allowing production and trade to expand. This helped integrate different parts of the world into a single economic system.
Case 10 – Technological Change and the Meat Trade
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Before the development of refrigerated ships, meat could not be stored for long. Animals had to be
transported live to markets in Europe, which was expensive and risky. With the introduction of
refrigeration, meat could be slaughtered, chilled or frozen in countries like Argentina and then
transported to Europe. This reduced costs and made meat available to European consumers at lower prices.
Many working-class families could now afford to include meat in their diet.
Q1. What problem did the meat trade face before refrigeration?
Ans. Before refrigeration, meat could not be stored for long, so animals had to be transported live, which was costly, risky and led to wastage.
Q2. How did refrigerated ships change the meat trade?
Ans. Refrigerated ships allowed meat to be processed and frozen in producing countries and then safely transported over long distances, reducing costs and increasing supply.
Q3. What does this change show about the impact of technology on globalisation?
Ans. It shows that technology can connect distant producers and consumers, expand trade in perishable goods and make globalisation part of everyday life, such as changes in diet.
C. The Interwar Economy
Cases 11 to 15 relate to the First World War, post-war recovery, the Gold Standard and the Great Depression.
Case 11 – Economic Impact of the First World War
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
The First World War caused massive loss of life and destruction of property in Europe. Governments spent huge
amounts on weapons and supplies. To finance the war, they raised taxes and borrowed heavily. After the war,
many countries faced high debts, inflation and shortages. The economic centre of the world began to shift
from Europe to the United States, which had become a major creditor and supplier.
Q1. How did European governments finance their war expenditure?
Ans. European governments financed the war by raising taxes and borrowing large sums of money, often from banks and other countries like the United States.
Q2. Name any two economic problems faced by European countries after the war.
Ans. After the war, many European countries faced problems such as high public debt and inflation, along with shortages of goods.
Q3. How did the war affect Europe’s position in the world economy?
Ans. The war weakened Europe’s economic power and shifted the centre of the world economy towards the United States, which emerged as a major industrial and financial power.
Case 12 – Return to the Gold Standard
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
After the First World War, many countries tried to return to the pre-war Gold Standard, where currencies were
linked to a fixed quantity of gold. To achieve this, they had to cut prices and wages so that their currencies
could regain their old values. These deflationary policies created hardship for workers and farmers. In many
places, unemployment and social unrest increased, making the post-war recovery fragile and uncertain.
Q1. What was the Gold Standard?
Ans. The Gold Standard was a monetary system in which the value of a country’s currency was fixed in terms of a certain amount of gold.
Q2. Why did countries cut wages and prices to return to the Gold Standard?
Ans. They cut wages and prices to reduce costs and deflate their economies so that their currencies could match their pre-war gold values.
Q3. How did these policies affect ordinary people?
Ans. These policies led to lower incomes, unemployment and social unrest among workers and farmers, making life difficult for ordinary people and weakening economic recovery.
Case 13 – The Great Depression: Causes and Consequences
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Around 1929, the world economy entered a severe crisis known as the Great Depression. Overproduction in
agriculture and industry had created unsold stocks. A speculative boom in the US stock market ended in a
crash. Banks failed and credit dried up. As demand fell, factories closed and millions lost their jobs.
The effects of the Depression spread from the United States to Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Q1. How did overproduction contribute to the Great Depression?
Ans. Overproduction meant that more goods were produced than could be sold. Unsold stocks led to falling prices and profits, forcing producers to cut output and lay off workers.
Q2. What happened to banks during the Great Depression?
Ans. Many banks that had given loans to speculators and businesses failed when these loans could not be repaid, causing people to lose their savings and reducing the availability of credit.
Q3. How did the Great Depression become a global crisis?
Ans. The Depression began in the US but spread as demand for imports fell, loans were withdrawn and world trade shrank. Countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America all suffered from falling prices, production and employment.
Case 14 – Impact of the Depression on Colonies like India
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
In agricultural colonies such as India, the Great Depression led to a sharp fall in the prices of export
crops like jute, wheat and cotton. Peasants received very low returns for their produce but had to pay
the same land revenue to the colonial government. Many peasants were unable to repay old debts and were
forced to sell jewellery or land. Rural poverty deepened, even though open unemployment in factories was
less visible than in industrial countries.
Q1. Which types of crops were mainly affected by the Depression in India?
Ans. Export crops such as jute, wheat and cotton were mainly affected because their prices fell sharply in the world market.
Q2. Why did peasants in India suffer even more during the Depression?
Ans. Peasants suffered because they got very low prices for their crops but still had to pay full land revenue and repay debts. Many had to sell their valuables or land to survive.
Q3. How did the Depression affect rural poverty in India?
Ans. Rural poverty increased as peasants’ incomes fell, debts rose and many lost their property. The Depression worsened existing economic hardships in the countryside.
Case 15 – Shrinking World Trade
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
As the Great Depression deepened, governments in many countries tried to protect their industries and
farmers by raising tariffs and restricting imports. While these measures were meant to protect domestic
producers, they reduced international trade. When each country tried to save itself, the overall crisis
became worse. The fall in world trade hurt export-dependent economies the most.
Q1. Why did countries raise tariffs during the Great Depression?
Ans. Countries raised tariffs to protect their domestic industries and farmers from foreign competition by making imported goods more expensive.
Q2. How did protectionist policies affect world trade?
Ans. Protectionist policies reduced imports and exports, causing world trade to shrink sharply and spreading the economic crisis further.
Q3. Which economies were hurt the most by the fall in world trade?
Ans. Export-dependent economies, especially those relying on export of primary products and raw materials, were hurt the most because they lost markets and income.
D. Rebuilding a World Economy – The Post-War Era
Cases 16 to 20 cover Bretton Woods institutions, post-war growth, decolonisation and the new phase of globalisation.
Case 16 – The Bretton Woods Conference
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
In 1944, representatives of 44 countries met at Bretton Woods in the United States to design a new
international economic system. They wanted to avoid the mistakes that had led to the Great Depression
and the Second World War. Two institutions were created – the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and
the World Bank. These bodies were meant to promote monetary stability, support reconstruction and
encourage growth of world trade.
Q1. Why was the Bretton Woods Conference held?
Ans. It was held to design a new international economic system that would prevent another Great Depression and support post-war reconstruction and stable growth.
Q2. Name the two main institutions set up at Bretton Woods.
Ans. The two main institutions were the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
Q3. What was the basic aim of creating these institutions?
Ans. Their basic aim was to promote monetary stability, provide financial support for reconstruction and development, and encourage the expansion of world trade.
Case 17 – Post-War Growth and Stability
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
In the two decades after the Second World War, many industrial countries experienced high rates of economic
growth. Under the Bretton Woods system, exchange rates were stable and world trade expanded rapidly.
Governments invested in welfare schemes, education and infrastructure. As a result, incomes rose and
unemployment levels were generally low. This period is sometimes called the “Golden Age” of capitalism.
Q1. What economic trends were seen in industrial countries after the Second World War?
Ans. Industrial countries saw high rates of economic growth, rising incomes, expanding world trade and generally low levels of unemployment.
Q2. How did the Bretton Woods system support this growth?
Ans. The Bretton Woods system provided stable exchange rates and a predictable monetary framework, which encouraged trade, investment and long-term economic planning.
Q3. Why is this period called the “Golden Age” of capitalism?
Ans. It is called the “Golden Age” because many capitalist economies enjoyed sustained growth, rising living standards and relatively low unemployment for nearly two decades.
Case 18 – Decolonisation and New Nations
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
After the Second World War, many colonies in Asia and Africa became independent. These new nations
wanted to end poverty and backwardness caused by colonial exploitation. They adopted different strategies
such as planned development, building basic and heavy industries, and carrying out land reforms. Many
of them tried to protect their economies by controlling imports and encouraging domestic production.
Q1. What do you understand by “decolonisation”?
Ans. Decolonisation refers to the process by which colonies in Asia and Africa gained independence from European colonial rule and became sovereign nations.
Q2. State any two economic goals of newly independent countries.
Ans. Two goals were: (i) to reduce poverty and backwardness and (ii) to build self-reliant economies through industrialisation and planned development.
Q3. Why did many new nations protect their economies from imports?
Ans. They protected their economies to support domestic industries, avoid dependence on foreign goods and correct the imbalances created during colonial rule.
Case 19 – Collapse of Bretton Woods and Floating Currencies
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
By the early 1970s, the Bretton Woods system came under strain. The United States faced rising inflation
and trade deficits. Other countries began to doubt whether the US dollar was still as good as gold.
In 1971, the US government ended the dollar’s fixed link with gold. The system of fixed exchange rates
broke down and many countries adopted floating exchange rates, where the value of currencies was decided
by market forces.
Q1. What problems did the United States face in the early 1970s?
Ans. The United States faced rising inflation and trade deficits, which made it difficult to maintain the dollar’s fixed value in terms of gold.
Q2. What major step did the US government take in 1971?
Ans. In 1971, the US government ended the dollar’s convertibility into gold, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates.
Q3. What is meant by “floating exchange rates”?
Ans. Floating exchange rates are currency values that are determined by demand and supply in the foreign exchange market rather than being fixed by governments to gold or another currency.
Case 20 – A New Phase of Globalisation
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
After the 1970s, a new phase of globalisation began. Many countries reduced trade barriers and allowed
foreign companies to invest. Multinational corporations spread production across different countries.
Advances in information and communication technologies reduced the cost of moving ideas, money and goods.
While some countries and groups benefited greatly, others faced job losses, competition and instability.
Q1. Name any two changes that marked the new phase of globalisation after the 1970s.
Ans. Two changes were: (i) reduction of trade barriers and opening up to foreign investment and (ii) expansion of multinational corporations with production spread across countries.
Q2. How did technology support this new phase of globalisation?
Ans. Advances in information and communication technologies made it easier and cheaper to move money, goods and information across borders, helping firms coordinate global production.
Q3. Why are the effects of globalisation described as mixed?
Ans. The effects are mixed because some countries and people gained new opportunities, higher incomes and better products, while others suffered from job losses, unequal competition and economic instability.
These Case-Based Questions with Answers are closely aligned with the NCERT textbook content for Class 10 History – Chapter 3: The Making of a Global World and are ideal for CBSE Board exams, competency-based questions and focused revision.