Psychology Sample Paper 2025-26 Class 12 – Solutions

In this page Psychology Sample Paper 2025-26 of CBSE for Class 12 is given with Solutions. The solutions are distributed in Sections and can be easily navigated from one section to other.

PSYCHOLOGY (037)
Sample Question Paper
Class – XII (2025-2026)

Section A: (Q1-14)

Q1. Neeta is conducting interviews for candidates applying for a senior management role. She uses the same set of questions with each candidate. Why is this type of interview beneficial?

a. It allows candidates to showcase their unique personalities.
b. It helps create a positive impression of the interviewer.
c. It ensures all candidates are assessed using the structured interview.
d. It gives candidates the freedom to discuss any topic they want because it is structured.

Answer:
c. It ensures all candidates are assessed using the structured interview.

Explanation : A structured interview, where each candidate is asked the same set of questions, ensures consistency and fairness in evaluating all candidates. It helps in objectively comparing their responses.

Q2. Why does a strong sense of social competence enhance a person’s self-esteem?

a. By making them superior to others in every area.
b. By fostering social connection and positive reinforcement.
c. By ensuring that they excel in academic competence as well.
d. By encouraging them to focus solely on physical appearance.

Answer:

b. By fostering social connection and positive reinforcement.
A strong sense of social competence enhances self-esteem by creating opportunities for positive social interactions, which provide emotional support and validation, boosting self-worth.

Q3. Sonia has to be assessed for abilities such as logical reasoning and clear thinking. The test used by the psychologist will involve the following:

a. Convergent thinking
b. Divergent thinking
c. Both convergent and divergent thinking
d. Open-ended questions
Answer:
a. Convergent thinking.
Convergent thinking involves focusing on finding a single, correct solution to a problem, which is essential for logical reasoning and clear thinking assessments.

Q4. In logotherapy, which of the following is considered essential for coping with life’s challenges?

a. Identifying and altering negative thought patterns to develop a more positive mindset
b. Finding a personal sense of meaning or purpose, even in difficult situations
c. Using reinforcement to increase desired behaviours and reduce problematic ones
d. Replacing irrational beliefs with logical, realistic ones to improve emotional well-being
Answer:
b. Finding a personal sense of meaning or purpose, even in difficult situations.
Logotherapy, developed by Viktor Frankl, emphasizes finding meaning and purpose in life, particularly in suffering and adversity, as the key to mental and emotional resilience.

Q5. Sachin often calls out answers in class without raising his hand. To change this behaviour, the teacher starts ignoring him when he calls out but praises him every time he raises his hand before speaking. What strategy is the teacher using?

a. Positive reinforcement
b. Punishment
c. Differential reinforcement
d. Negative reinforcement
Answer:
c. Differential reinforcement.
Differential reinforcement involves reinforcing desired behavior (raising hand) while ignoring undesired behavior (calling out without raising hand), which helps in shaping the behavior over time.

Q6. Which of the following best demonstrates the concept of empathy in a therapeutic setting?

a. A therapist offers advice to the client on how to resolve their issues based on personal experiences.
b. A therapist encourages the client to move past their emotions and focus only on logical solutions to their problems.
c. A therapist remains neutral and detached to maintain professionalism, avoiding emotional involvement in the client’s experiences.
d. A therapist carefully listens to the client’s experiences and expresses understanding of the client’s emotions, allowing the client to feel heard and valued.
Answer:
d. A therapist carefully listens to the client’s experiences and expresses understanding of the client’s emotions, allowing the client to feel heard and valued.
Empathy in therapy is about understanding the client’s emotions and showing that understanding in a supportive way, which helps the client feel heard and valued.

Q7. Wellbeing is _____.

a. Maintenance and survival
b. Growth and fulfilment
c. Following the norms of society
d. Not only maintenance and survival but also growth and fulfilment
Answer:
d. Not only maintenance and survival but also growth and fulfilment.
Wellbeing encompasses both the basic aspects of survival and maintenance as well as the higher-level needs related to growth, self-actualization, and fulfillment.

Q8. Anisha keeps washing her hand after a bout of fever. This continuous washing leads to bruises on her palm. Identify this behaviour.

a. Compulsive behaviour
b. Impulsive behaviour
c. Phobic behaviour
d. Obsessive behaviour
Answer:
a. Compulsive behaviour.
This behavior is compulsive, meaning it is repetitive and driven by an irresistible urge, often not tied to any realistic need, which leads to physical harm in this case.

Q9. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion(A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option.

Assertion (A) – In the understanding of abnormal behaviour, the Renaissance period was the Age of Reason and Enlightenment.
Reasoning (R) – Imbalances amongst humours led to disorders, according to the organismic approach.
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
Answer:
b. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
The Renaissance period marked the Age of Reason, where intellectual exploration led to a more scientific understanding of human behavior, but imbalances of humours are part of older beliefs, not the explanation for the Renaissance.

Q10. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion(A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option.

Assertion (A) – Members of teams often have complementary skills and are committed to a common goal or purpose.
Reasoning (R) – An audience is a part of a team. They are polarized in attention, and actions of persons are in a common direction.
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
Answer:
c. A is true but R is false.
While teams do have complementary skills and a shared goal, an audience is not considered a part of a team, and the concept of polarization applies differently in team dynamics.

Q11. Togetherness, belongingness, and mutual attraction among group members refers to _____________ in a group.

a. Social Loafing
b. Cohesiveness
c. Competition
d. Polarisation
Answer:
b. Cohesiveness.
Cohesiveness refers to the unity, togetherness, and bond that exist among group members, which facilitates cooperation and a sense of belonging.

Q12. Vikas feels stronger and less vulnerable to threats after he has joined the resident’s welfare group. The main reason for joining the group is to ________.

a. Enhance his importance
b. Enhance his security
c. Achieve his power
d. Enhance his self-esteem
Answer:
b. Enhance his security.
Joining a group can provide an individual with a sense of safety and support, which helps to mitigate perceived vulnerabilities and threats.

Q13. According to the two-step concept proposed by Mohsin, attitude change will take place when:

i. The source has a positive attitude towards the target
ii. The source shows an attitude change, by changing other’s behaviour
iii. The target of change identifies with the source
iv. The target is the person through whose influence change takes place.
a. iii and iv
b. i and iii
c. ii and iii
d. ii and iv
Answer:
a. iii and iv.
The two-step concept suggests that attitude change occurs when the target identifies with the source and when the change occurs through the source’s influence.

Q14. How are relationships in primary groups typically characterised?

a. They are impersonal and indirect
b. They are cold and distant
c. They are warm, emotional, and face-to-face
d. They are rare and infrequent
Answer:
c. They are warm, emotional, and face-to-face.
Primary groups are characterized by strong emotional bonds, frequent face-to-face interactions, and close personal relationships, like those seen in family and close friends.