BHIC 104 Question Paper December 2025 is the paper to keep beside you while you prepare Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Medieval World. It runs from the Augustan age of Rome through feudal Europe to pre-Islamic Arabia and the Inca and Aztec worlds, so it shows you exactly how IGNOU frames the medieval world for the BAHIH exam.
What is the BHIC-104 December 2025 Question Paper?
The BHIC 104 December 2025 question paper is the official IGNOU Term-End Examination for Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Medieval World, set for B.A. Honours History students, carrying 100 marks over three hours with ten questions across two sections. It spans the late Roman world, feudal Europe, the rise of Islam and the pre-Columbian Americas. As the most recent live paper, it is the closest thing to the questions waiting in your own hall.
About IGNOU BHIC-104 Social Formations and Cultural Patterns of the Medieval World
BHIC-104 is the comparative world-history paper in the IGNOU B.A. Honours History (BAHIH) programme, and it pulls you out of an India-only view. It asks you to compare how different societies were built and how they changed.
You study the late Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity, the shift from the slave mode of production to feudalism, the growth of towns, guilds and trade in medieval Europe, pre-Islamic Arabia and the rise of Islam, the Abbasid Caliphate and the Shia sects, Arab trade with India, and the pre-Columbian states of the Americas such as the Inca and the Aztecs. The questions reward comparison and cause, not just description.
This page is prepared by the Unnati Educations academic team, with the question text checked by our history content reviewers and the study notes written by Prateek Talwar. It is anchored to the IGNOU Term-End Examination of December 2025 for the BAHIH programme, and it was last updated in June 2026 so the pattern guidance stays current for the 2026 cycle.
BHIC-104 Question Paper December 2025 Exam Pattern and Marks
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Medium | Bilingual, English and Hindi |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Total questions | 10, five in Section I and five in Section II |
| Questions to attempt | Any five, with at least two from each Section |
| Marks per question | 20 each, the short-note questions split as 10 plus 10 |
| Type of questions | Long essay-type answers of about 400 words and short notes of about 200 words |
| Language of answers | English or Hindi, your choice |
All Questions in the BHIC-104 December 2025 Paper
No. of Printed Pages : 8
BHIC–104
B. A. (HONOURS) HISTORY (BAHIH)
Term-End Examination
December, 2025
BHIC-104 : SOCIAL FORMATIONS AND CULTURAL PATTERNS OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD
Time : 3 Hours Maximum Marks : 100
Note : (i) Attempt any five questions in about 400 words each.
(ii) Attempt at least two questions from each Section.
(iii) All questions carry equal marks.
Section—I
1. Discuss the Augustan age of the Roman Empire. 20
2. Describe the rise and spread of Christianity under the Roman Empire. 20
3. What do you understand by Feudalism ? Discuss the chief components of Feudalism. 20
4. Write short notes on any two of the following in about 200 words each : 10+10
(a) Guilds in the medieval period
(b) Growth of urban centres in medieval Europe
(c) Crisis of the slave mode of production
(d) Ship-building in medieval Europe
Section—II
5. Describe the social structure of pre-Islamic Arabia. 20
6. Write an essay on the Inca State and Empire. 20
7. Give an account of the trading communities of the medieval World. 20
8. Write short notes on any two of the following in about 200 words each : 10+10
(a) Rise of Shia Islamic sects
(b) Arab trade with India
(c) The Abbasid Caliphate
(d) The Aztecs
Topics Covered in the BHIC-104 Paper
The Augustan age of the Roman Empire
The rise and spread of Christianity under the Roman Empire
Feudalism and its chief components
Guilds in the medieval period
The growth of urban centres in medieval Europe
The crisis of the slave mode of production
Ship-building in medieval Europe
The social structure of pre-Islamic Arabia
The Inca State and Empire
The trading communities of the medieval world
The rise of Shia Islamic sects
Arab trade with India
The Abbasid Caliphate
The Aztecs
How to Use BHIC-104 Question Paper to Score in the 2026 Exam
Read the whole paper once and mark which questions you could answer today and which you cannot. That single pass shows your real gaps fast. Then sit it like the real thing: three hours, five questions, at least two from each Section, because students who ignore that section rule lose marks even with strong answers.
For the 20-mark essays, aim for about 400 words with a clear shape, a short definition, three or four argued points, at least one named example, and a tight conclusion. Comparison scores well here, so a line linking Roman slavery to feudalism, or the Inca to the Aztec state, beats a flat description.
BHIC-104 Sample Answer Approach (not a full answer)
Take question three, what do you understand by Feudalism and its chief components. Here is the shape of a full-marks answer, not the answer itself.
Open with one or two sentences defining feudalism as a way of organising land, labour and lordship after the decline of Rome. Then build four or five components with concrete detail: the fief and land grant, the lord and vassal bond, the manor and serf labour, military service, and the weak central authority that held it together.
Add one developed example from medieval Europe, then close on how the system both gave order and limited growth. Definition, components, example, conclusion: that shape turns a 12 into a 20.
Frequently Asked Questions about the BHIC-104 Question Paper December 2025
Is this the authentic IGNOU BHIC-104 Question Paper?
Yes, this is the genuine IGNOU Term-End paper for BHIC-104 from December 2025. The questions are reproduced exactly as they appeared in the official examination for the B.A. Honours History programme, with nothing reworded, renumbered or simplified. You are reading the same Roman, feudal and Islamic world questions that real students sat, which is why it works as honest practice.
Is this BHIC-104 Question Paper useful for the 2026 IGNOU exam?
Very. The medieval world syllabus for BHIC-104 is stable, and the pattern of essay questions plus short notes barely changes between sessions. Themes like feudalism, the rise of Christianity, the Abbasid Caliphate and the American empires reappear regularly, so this paper is one of the most reliable mocks you can use for your 2026 Term-End Examination.
Is a BHIC-104 Solved Question Paper with Answers available?
Yes. A BHIC 104 Solved Question Paper with model answers for each question is available, written to the same 400-word essay and 200-word note structure the exam expects. The solved set shows you how to compare societies and argue cause and effect, which is exactly where most students lose marks. Message us on WhatsApp for the details.
Can the BHIC-104 Question Paper help with the IGNOU assignment too?
It helps a lot. The assignment and the exam draw on the same syllabus, so practising these questions strengthens your assignment answers on the same topics, whether that is feudalism, pre-Islamic Arabia or the Inca state. Many students prepare both together to save time, since strong notes serve double duty across the paper and the assignment.
How fast is the delivery of the BHIC-104 Question Paper and study material?
Delivery is quick. Once you message us on WhatsApp and confirm what you need, the material is shared with you in a short time, usually the same day. There is no long wait, which matters when your exam date is close and every study hour counts. Reach out and we will guide you through it directly.
What support is available for BHIC-104 IGNOU preparation?
You get direct help over WhatsApp from our team, so if a question or a topic is unclear you can simply ask. We can point you to the matching solved paper, the assignment help and the guess sets for BHIC-104, and answer practical doubts about pattern and word limits. The aim is to make your medieval world preparation simpler.
Unnati Educations is an independent IGNOU study-resource platform that helps students prepare with past papers, solved material and study guidance.
Disclaimer: Unnati Educations is an independent academic support service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or associated with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The original question paper is the property of IGNOU and is provided here only as a reference for student practice.
If you want to go wider, you can browse the full IGNOU previous year question papers archive, pick up the matching BHIC-104 solved assignment for the same medieval world topics, and add the IGNOU guess paper set to focus your revision. For the solved paper or any help with BHIC-104, message us on WhatsApp at 9899436384.