Psychology Class 12 Sample Paper 2023 Solved

Psychology Class 12 Sample Paper 2023

Time – 3 Hours

Maximum Marks – 70

SECTION A (1 Mark)

1. Jasleen is high on critical thinking and can manipulate symbols to solve numerical problems. She is also high on the ability to understand one’s own feelings, motives and desires. Which of the following intelligences are displayed by Jasleen?

i. Spatial

ii. Logical-mathematical

iii. Interpersonal

iv. Intrapersonal

a. i and ii

b. ii and iii

c. i and iii

d. ii and iv

Ans.: d. ii and iv

2. Ryan believes that he is very good at football. Therefore, he has a high ___ as far as sports is concerned.

a. Self-esteem

b. Self-efficacy

c. Self-motivation

d. Self-control

Ans.: a. self–esteem

3. According to the behaviourists, personality of an individual is the result of ___.

a. Unconscious motives and conflicts

b. Response of an individual to the environment

c. Early childhood experiences

d. A relationship of the individual to her/his environment

Ans.: b. Response of an individual to the environment

4. Which of the following would a humanistic psychologist not use to explain an individual’s behaviour?

a. Innately good

b. Goal-directed and adaptive

c. Self-actualised

d. Balance among three competing forces

Ans.: d. Balance among three competing forces

5. Which of the following are the dimensions of stress?

i. Intensity

ii. Duration

iii. Predictability

iv. Vulnerability

a. i, ii and iv

b. i, iii and iv

c. ii, iii and iv

d. i, ii and iii

Ans.: d. i, ii and iii

6. Imran feels disappointed when he is not able to do everything perfectly, leading him to

push himself to achieve unrealistically high standards. Identify the cause of his stress.

a. Social pressure

b. Conflict

c. Frustration

d. Internal pressure

Ans.: d. Internal pressure

7. Sonali was questioned by her senior when her performance started to decline. She admitted that she was not eating regularly, and her sleep was disturbed. Moreover, she could not concentrate on work and felt overburdened. Identify the effects of stress being indicated here.

i. Emotional

ii. Behavioural

iii. Cognitive

iv. Physiological

a. i and ii

b. ii and iii

c. iii and iv

d. i and iv

Ans.: b. ii and iii

8. Which of the following is/are true about psychological disorders in the Middle Ages?

i. Demonology and superstition were used as explanations of psychological disorders.

ii. Mental anguish and conflict were considered as reasons for psychological disorders.

iii. Disturbed interpersonal relationships were emphasised to explain mental disorders.

iv. There was emphasis on deinstitutionalisation for people with psychological disorders.

a. Only i is true

b. i and ii are true

c. Only iii is true

d. ii and iv are true

Ans.: b. i and ii are true

9. While paying bills, Sanjana was suddenly overwhelmed by anxiety. Her heart pounded, she felt like she couldn’t breathe, and she became dizzy. This was most likely to be _____ .

a. A panic attack

b. A dissociative episode

c. A manic episode

d. A generalised anxiety episode

Ans.: a. A panic attack

10. Brijesh, an accountant, went on a work trip and never returned home. Years later, he was found by a friend in another city, where he was working as a labourer. He was living with a new identity and had no memory of his past. Brijesh’s symptoms are indicative of ________.

a. Dissociative fugue

b. Dissociative identity disorder

c. Schizophrenia

d. Depersonalisation

Ans.: a. Dissociative fugue

11. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of

Reason (R). Mark the correct choice.

Assertion (A): The principle of reciprocal inhibition states that the presence of two mutually opposing forces at the same time will lead to the stronger force inhibiting the weaker one.

Reason (R): The principle of reciprocal inhibition is a procedure wherein the client learns to behave in a certain way by observing the behaviour of the therapist.

a. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

b. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

c. (A) is true, but (R) is false.

d. (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Ans.: c. (A) is true, but (R) is false. Page 98

12. Amit throws temper tantrums every time he goes to the market with his parents. He insists that they buy him a new toy every time. Identify the most suitable behavioural technique to modify this unwanted behaviour.

a. Token economy

b. Aversive conditioning

c. Differential reinforcement

d. Systematic desensitisation

Ans.: c. Differential reinforcement

13. What is the chief benefit to the client in cognitive therapy?

a. Emotional insight is gained and the client is able to change his emotions towards the conflict.

b. The client is able to change maladaptive behaviour to adaptive ones.

c. The client is able to replace irrational thoughts with rational ones.

d. The client is able to achieve personal growth, which leads to understanding oneself.

Ans.: c. The client is able to replace irrational thoughts with rational ones.

14. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason (R). Mark the correct choice.

Assertion (A): We assign causes to the behaviour shown in specific social situations. This process is called attribution.

Reason (R): We are also interested in why people behave in ways they do. Therefore, we assign a cause to a behaviour.

a. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

b. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

c. (A) is true, but (R) is false.

d. (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Ans.: a. Both (A) and (R) are true, and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

15. Anna, the head girl of a school, gives more opportunities to the members of Red House than those of Blue or Green House. This is because she feels they are less capable. She even ignores the advice of her teachers to give equal opportunities to all the Houses. Which strategy will help in handling this prejudice?

a. Highlighting group identity rather than individual identity.

b. Increasing her interaction with the members of all the Houses.

c. Keeping the Red House members higher in power or status.

d. Creating an environment for all the Houses to meet in a competitive rather than cooperative context.

Ans.: b. Increasing her interaction with the members of all the Houses.

16. Which one of the following is a feature of an attitude?

a. Centrality

b. Behavioural

c. Cognitive

d. Affective

Ans.: a. Centrality

17. A working group was formed to organise the annual sports competition in a school. At a

particular stage, there was a lot of conflict in the group. Identify this stage and the stage that is likely to follow it.

a. The group was at the storming stage, followed by the norming stage.

b. The group was at the norming stage, followed by the forming stage.

c. The group was at the storming stage, followed by the performing stage.

d. The group was at the forming stage, followed by the norming stage.

Ans.: a. The group was at the storming stage, followed by the norming stage.

18. In the following question, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of

Reason (R). Mark the correct choice.

Assertion (A): Situation and circumstances in which one is placed influence one’s behaviour.

Reason (R): The situational influences are so powerful that individuals with similar personality traits respond to them in almost the same ways.

a. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

b. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

c. (A) is true, but (R) is false.

d. (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Ans.: c. (A) is true, but (R) is false.

Section B (2 Marks)

19. Ivaan experiences distress and is constantly complaining of snakes crawling inside his stomach. Identify the disorder and the symptom that Ivaan is experiencing. Explain any one negative symptom of this disorder.

Ans.: ● Schizophrenia- Positive symptoms, Somatic hallucination

● Negative symptom- any one

20. Fatima communicates her feelings and views clearly with confidence. She could say ‘no’ to a request or state an opinion without being self-conscious. Which life skill is she using? Suggest two more life skills that can help Fatima meet the challenges of life successfully.

Ans.: ● Fatima was using assertiveness.

● Any two life skills (Time management, Self-care, improving relationships, overcoming unhelpful habits, etc.)

OR

Resham has been overwhelmed by the quantum of work in her office. She has been advised on some stress management techniques by her counsellor. What are the two techniques that you think would be helpful for her to manage stress?

Ans.: A brief description of any two of the following stress management techniques:

• Relaxation Techniques: It is an active skill that reduces symptoms of stress and decreases the incidence of illnesses such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
• Meditation Procedures: It involves such a thorough concentration that the meditator becomes unaware of any outside stimulation and reaches a different state of consciousness.
• Biofeedback: It is a procedure to monitor and reduce the physiological aspects of stress by providing feedback about current physiological activity and is often accompanied by relaxation training.
• Creative Visualisation: Creative visualisation is a subjective experience that uses imagery and imagination.
• Cognitive Behavioural Techniques: The essence of this approach is to replace negative and irrational thoughts with positive and rational ones.
• Exercise: Regular exercise improves the efficiency of the heart, enhances the function of the lungs, maintains good circulation, lowers blood pressure, reduces fat in the blood, and improves the body’s immune system.

21. State any two ethical standards that need to be practised by professional psychotherapists.

Ans.: Two ethical standards that need to be practised by professional psychotherapists are (any 2 of the following ) :

• Informed consent needs to be taken
• Confidentiality of the client should be maintained
• Alleviating personal distress and suffering should be the goal of all attempts by the therapist
• Integrity of the practitioner-client relationship is important
• Respect for human rights and dignity
• Professional competence and skills are essential

22. Vinita holds a negative attitude towards individuals of a particular community. She avoids interacting or helping them in college. Identify and explain the behaviour being exhibited by Vinita.

Ans.:

• Discrimination
• Prejudice may also get translated into discrimination, the behavioural component, whereby people behave less positively towards a particular target group compared to another group which they favour.

23. Explain any two elements of a group structure.

Ans.: The four elements of a group structure are (Any two points)

• Roles are socially defined expectations that individuals in a given situation are expected to fulfil.
• Norms are expected standards of behaviour and beliefs established, agreed upon, and enforced by group members.
• Status refers to the relative social position given to group members by others.
• Cohesiveness refers to togetherness, binding, or mutual attraction among group members. As the group becomes more cohesive, group members start to think, feel and act as a social unit.

Section C (3 Marks)

24. Kirti is of average intelligence but is high on ability to appraise, express and regulate her emotions. Identify the intelligence that she exhibits and why it is receiving so much attention these days. Suggest some ways to enhance this kind of intelligence of students in schools.

Ans.:

• Emotional Intelligence
• Receiving attention helps students to deal with the stresses and challenges of the outside world; it benefits their academic achievements. Reduces anti-social activities.
• Ways: Programmes that involve cooperative behaviour in school.

25. Explain major depressive disorder. State the factors which predispose an individual to depression.

Ans.: A period of depressed mood/ or loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, change in

body weight, constant sleep problems, tiredness, inability to think clearly, agitation, greatly slowed behaviour, thoughts of suicide and death.

• Genetic make-up, or heredity
• Age: women are particularly at risk during young adulthood, while for men, the risk is highest in early middle age.
• Gender also plays a great role in this differential risk addition. For example, women, in comparison to men, are more likely to report a depressive disorder.
• Negative life events and lack of social support.

26. An attitude towards recycling and reuse needs to be encouraged to conserve the environment. Examine the factors that will influence attitude change towards this.

Ans.: Factors that influence Attitude Change (explanation of any 3 points)

Characteristics of the existing attitude

• Source characteristics: Source credibility and attractiveness are two features that affect attitude change. Attitudes are more likely to change when the message comes from a highly credible source rather than from a low-credible source.
• Message characteristics: Attitudes will change when the amount of information that is given about the topic is just enough, neither too much nor too little. Whether the message contains a rational or an emotional appeal also makes a difference.
• Target characteristics: Qualities of the target, such as persuasibility, strong prejudices, self-esteem, and intelligence, influence the likelihood and extent of attitude change.

OR

An individual’s attitude may not always be exhibited through behaviour. When would there be consistency between attitude and behaviour? Explain.

Ans.: Psychologists have found that there would be consistency between attitudes and behaviour

when : (any three of the following points)

• The attitude is strong and occupies a central place in the attitude system
• There is very little or no external pressure for the person to behave in a particular way. For example, when there is no group pressure to follow a particular norm
• The person’s behaviour is not being watched or evaluated by others
• The person thinks that the behaviour would have a positive consequence, and therefore, intends to engage in that behaviour.

27. Ananya had been trying to learn a new form of dance to win a competition. She decided to join a dance group which was also practising the same dance form. Identify the reason for Ananya wanting to join the dance group. Explain some of the other reasons that make people join groups.

Ans.:

• Ananya’s reason for joining the group – Goal achievement
• Self-esteem: Groups provide feelings of self-worth and establish a positive social identity. Being a member of prestigious groups enhances one’s self-concept.
• Security: When we are alone, we feel insecure. Groups reduce this insecurity.

Section D (4 Marks)

28. Explain the role of assessment in understanding psychological attributes. Describe the key features of any two methods used for psychological assessment.

Ans.:

• Assessment is the measurement of psychological attributes of an individual, which often uses methods in terms of certain comparisons. An attribute of an individual will be said to exist if it can be measured by using scientific procedures.
• There are various methods of assessment. (any two)

• Psychological Test: It is an objective and standardised measure of an individual’s mental and/or behavioural characteristics. It is commonly used for the purposes of clinical diagnosis, guidance, personnel selection, placement, and training.
• Self-Report: It is a method in which a person provides factual information about themselves. Such information may be obtained by using an interview schedule or a questionnaire, a psychological test, or a personal diary.

• Interview
• Case Study
• Observation

OR

Explain the term intelligence. Describe the PASS model of intelligence.

Ans.:

• Intelligence is a psychological attribute that involves the use of cognitive elements to perceive the environment and solve problems. (Any definition)
• PASS model- J.P. Das, Jack Naglieri, and Kirby, intellectual activity involves the interdependent functioning of three neurological systems, called the functional units of the brain. These units are responsible for arousal/attention, coding or processing, and planning, respectively.

• Arousal/Attention – A State of arousal is basic to any behaviour as it helps us in attending to stimuli.
• Simultaneous/Successive Processing – Simultaneous processing takes place when you perceive the relations among various concepts and integrate them into a meaningful pattern for comprehension. Successive processing takes place when you remember all the information in a serial order.
• Planning – Planning comes after the information is attended to and processed- allows us to think of the possible courses of action, implement them to reach a target, and evaluate their effectiveness.

29. Mother Teresa believed that she had a mission to fulfil and did what came naturally to her, loving others and serving them. Identify the trait being referred to here by Gordon Allport and how it affects a person's behaviour. Distinguish it from other traits given by him.

Ans.:

• The traits being referred to here are the Cardinal traits.
• They are highly generalised dispositions. They indicate the goal around which a person's entire life seems to revolve. In this case, Mother Teresa’s helping and loving nature could be seen in her work and all other areas.
• Other traits proposed by Allport are Central traits:  They indicate the goal around which a person’s entire life seems to revolve. Such traits often get associated with the name of the person so strongly that they derive such identities as the ‘Gandhian’ or ‘Hitlerian’ trait.
• Secondary traits: The least generalised characteristics of a person are called secondary traits. Traits such as ‘likes mangoes’ or ‘prefers ethnic clothes’ are examples of secondary traits.

30. Individuals differ in the coping strategies that they use to deal with stressful situations. Justify this statement, highlighting various coping strategies.

Ans.: Individuals differ in the coping strategies they use to cope with the same stressful situation, as they use different coping strategies, as given by Endler & Parker.

• Task-Oriented Strategy: This involves obtaining information about the stressful situation and about alternative courses of action and their probable outcome; it also involves deciding priorities and acting so as to deal directly with the stressful situation.
• Emotion-oriented Strategy: This can involve efforts to maintain hope and to control one’s emotions; it can also involve venting feelings of anger and frustration
• Avoidance-oriented Strategy: This involves denying or minimising the seriousness of the situation; it also involves conscious suppression of stressful thoughts and their replacement by self-protective thoughts. Examples of this are watching TV, phoning a friend, or trying to be with other people

OR

Coping Strategies by Lazarus and Folkman

• Problem-focused strategies: Problem-focused strategies attack the problem itself, with behaviours designed to gain information, to alter the event, and to alter beliefs and commitments. They increase the person’s awareness, level of knowledge, and range of behavioural and cognitive coping options. They can act to reduce the threat value of the event. For example, “I made a plan of action and followed it”.
• Emotion Focused Strategies: Emotion-focused strategies call for psychological changes designed primarily to limit the degree of emotional disruption caused by an event, with minimal effort to alter the event itself. For example, “I did some things to let it out of my system”.

31. Shahid showed a reduction in symptoms after he received treatment for schizophrenia. He was sent to the rehabilitation centre to improve his quality of life. What steps would be

taken in the rehabilitation centre to help him become a productive member of the

community? Explain.

Ans.:

• In occupational therapy, the patients are taught skills such as candle making, paper bag making and weaving to help them to form a work discipline.
• Social skills training helps the patients to develop interpersonal skills through role play, imitation and instruction. The objective is to teach the patient to function in a social group.
• Cognitive retraining is given to improve the basic cognitive functions of attention, memory and executive functions
• After the patient improves sufficiently, vocational training is given wherein the patient is helped to gain skills necessary to undertake productive employment.

OR

Mukesh was given therapy that encouraged him to seek personal growth and actualise his

potential. Based on these principles, explain the therapy that is being applied here.

Ans.: Any 4 points

• The humanistic-existential therapies postulate that psychological distress arises from feelings of loneliness, alienation, and an inability to find meaning and genuine fulfilment in life.
• Human beings are motivated by the desire for personal growth and self-actualisation, and an innate need to grow emotionally.
• Healing occurs when the client can perceive the obstacles to self-actualisation in their life and can remove them. Self-actualisation requires free emotional expression.
• The therapy creates a permissive, non-judgmental and accepting atmosphere in which the client’s emotions can be freely expressed and the complexity, balance and integration can be achieved.
• Healing takes place by a process of understanding the unique personal experience of the client by herself/himself. The client initiates the process of self-growth through which healing takes place.

Section E (6 Marks)

32. Describe Freud’s psychosexual stages of personality development.

Ans.: Freud proposed five stages of personality development (also called psychosexual stages of

development)

• Oral- Seen in a newborn, where the mouth is the primary pleasure-seeking centre. It is during these early months that people’s basic feelings about the world are established.
• Anal- anal area of the body becomes the focus of certain pleasurable feelings. It is found that around ages two and three, the child learns to respond to some of the demands of society.
• Phallic- focus on genitals. Children realise the difference between males and females. Oedipus and Electra complex.
• Latency-child grows physically, and energy is channelled into various activities. During this period, the child continues to grow physically, but sexual urges are relatively inactive.
• Genital maturity is attained in psychosexual development. People learn to deal with members of the opposite sex in a socially and sexually mature way.
• Failure of a child to pass successfully through a stage leads to fixation at that stage. In this situation, the child’s development gets arrested at an earlier stage. Regression occurs when a person’s resolution of problems at any stage of development is less than adequate. In this situation, people display behaviours typical of a less mature stage of development.

OR

Explain the characteristics of indirect techniques that are used to assess personality. Describe any two such tests.

Ans.: Indirect techniques/ projective techniques are methods of assessment based on the psychoanalytic theory.

• These were developed to assess the unconscious motives and feelings.
• A less structured stimulus material is used onto which the subject projects his feelings and desires. These projections are interpreted by trained experts.
• The person being assessed is usually not told about the purpose of the test.
• Scoring and interpretation may sometimes be subjective. (explanation of above)

Inkblot Test:  Developed by Hermann Rorschach, the test consists of 10 inkblots, five black and white, two with some red ink, and the remaining three in some pastel colours. The cards are administered individually in two phases. In the first phase, called performance proper, the subjects are shown the cards and are asked to tell what they see in each of them. In the second phase, called inquiry, a detailed report of the response is prepared by asking the subject to tell where, how, and on what basis a particular response was made.

Sentence Completion Test: This test makes use of a number of incomplete sentences. The starting part of the sentence is first presented, and the subject has to provide an ending to the

sentence. It is held that the type of endings used by the subjects reflects their attitudes, motivation and conflicts. The test provides subjects with several opportunities to reveal their underlying unconscious motivations. For example, My father _____.

Section F

Read the case and answer the questions that follow.

Malay, a student of class IX, was referred to a mental health clinic with complaints of stealing money, excessive lying, setting fire to household items, teasing young girls of the locality, and passing lewd remarks and making obscene gestures. The onset was about three years ago and has increased over the past eight months. Of late, he has started using alcohol and spending more time outdoors with friends of similar interests. School reports suggested a gradual development of inappropriate behaviours such as openly defying rules in school, playing truant, instigating fellow students to pass silly remarks in class, a disrespectful attitude towards elders, ultimately resulting in frequent school absenteeism, mixing with local goons and excessive aggression. Further investigation revealed that family history is disturbed, the relationship with the father was extremely hostile, and there were frequent conflicts among the family members. Birth and developmental milestones are normal.

33. Identify the disorder Malay is exhibiting. Distinguish it from Attention-Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Ans: Conduct Disorder:

• The behaviours typical of conduct disorder include aggressive actions that cause or threaten harm to people or animals, non-aggressive conduct that causes property damage, major deceitfulness or theft, and serious rule violations.
• The two main features of ADHD are inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. Inattentive children find it difficult to sustain mental effort during work or play.

OR

The symptoms that Malay is exhibiting are different from the symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Justify this statement.

Ans.:

• Conduct Disorder- Age-inappropriate actions, violate family expectations and social norms, and any other relevant point
• ODD – Age-inappropriate stubbornness, irritability, disobedience, justifies their behaviour as a reaction to circumstances or any relevant point.

34. How would the socio-cultural model help us to understand Malay’s disorder?

Ans.: According to the socio-cultural model, abnormal behaviour is best understood in light of

the social and cultural forces that influence an individual. It has been found that certain

family systems are likely to produce abnormal functioning in individual members.

Read the case and answer the questions that follow.

Alfred Binet, in 1905, was requested by the French government to devise a method by which students who experienced difficulty in school could be identified. Binet and his colleague, Theodore Simon, began developing questions that focused on areas not explicitly taught in schools those days, such as memory, attention skills related to problem solving. Using these questions, Binet determined which ones served as the best predictors of school success.

Binet quickly realised that some children were able to answer more advanced questions than older children were generally able to answer, and vice versa. Based on this observation, Binet suggested the concept of mental age or a measure of intelligence based on the average abilities of children of a certain age group. This first intelligence test is referred to as the Binet-Simon Scale. He insisted that intelligence is influenced by many factors, it changes over time, and it can only be compared in children with similar backgrounds.

35. Identify the approach on which the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale is based. Discuss its

features.

Ans.:

• It is based on the psychometric approach.
• It considers intelligence as an aggregate of abilities or the structure of intelligence. It expresses an individual's performance in terms of a single index of cognitive abilities.

36. ‘Binet quickly realised that some children were able to answer more advanced questions than older children were generally able to answer and vice versa’. Why do individuals differ in intelligence? Using examples, give reasons for your answer.

Ans.:

• Interplay of nature and nurture- Intelligence is a product of both nature and nurture.
• The evidence for hereditary influences on intelligence comes mainly from studies on twins and adopted children. Twins separated early in childhood also show considerable similarity in their intellectual, personality and behavioural characteristics. Another line of evidence comes from the studies of adopted children, which show that children’s intelligence is more similar to their biological rather than adoptive parents.

Psychology Class 12 Sample Paper 2023

Click here to download the CBSE Psychology Class 12 Sample Paper 2023 PDF.

Additional Study Materials

• Psychology Class 12 Sample Paper 2025
• Psychology Class 12 Sample Paper 2024
• Psychology Question Paper 2025
• Psychology Question Paper 2024
• Psychology Question Paper 2023
• Psychology Question Paper 2022
• Psychology Question Paper 2020