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Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.

Q1. [1] medium thorough-understanding
Which of the following best explains why smallpox was far more deadly to the indigenous peoples of America than to the Spanish conquerors?
  1. A The Spanish had better medical facilities and could treat the disease effectively.
  2. B America's original inhabitants had no immunity against the disease due to their long isolation from the rest of the world.
  3. C Smallpox was a disease that only affected people living in warm, tropical climates.
  4. D The Spanish deliberately spread the disease by using infected weapons in battle.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 14:57 · grounding rag
Model Answer

Option B is correct. America's original inhabitants had no immunity against smallpox because of their long isolation from the rest of the world, making it a deadly killer that decimated whole communities.

Source: Conquest, Disease and Trade, Chapter 3

Explanation

The passage explicitly states: "Because of their long isolation, America's original inhabitants had no immunity against these diseases that came from Europe." The Spanish had been exposed to smallpox in Europe over generations and had developed immunity. Option A is wrong as no medical treatment is mentioned; C is wrong as smallpox was a European disease; D is wrong as the passage says it spread naturally, not deliberately through weapons.

Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.