📚 CBSE Grade-10 Study Guide
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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. [3] medium thorough-understanding
Women who spun yarn by hand were among the fiercest opponents of the Spinning Jenny when it was introduced in the woollen industry. Using your understanding of how workers' livelihoods were structured, explain why their reaction was so strong.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 14:59 · grounding rag
Model Answer

Hand-spinning provided the primary source of livelihood for many women, who depended on it for their daily wages. When the Spinning Jenny was introduced, one machine could do the work of several spinners, drastically reducing the demand for hand-spun yarn. This directly threatened women's employment and income. With no alternative work available, they feared permanent loss of earnings. Their reaction was fierce because this was not merely a change in technology — it was a threat to their survival and that of their families.

Explanation

The question tests your understanding of how new machines displaced workers in early industrialisation. The key point examiners want: hand-spinning was a critical source of income for women → Jenny reduced labour demand → loss of livelihood, not just inconvenience. Avoid vague answers like "they disliked change." Link technology directly to economic threat. The source passages mention workers attacking the Spinning Jenny; use that as your base and reason out why.

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