MCQ Questions for Class 8 History: Colonialism and the City

1. Which building was made of red stone near Delhi, which was built as a palace fort in Shajahanabad, also a residence of Mughal emperors of India?

(a) Lal Darwaza

(b) Kotla Ferozabad

(c) Begampuri Masjid

(d) Red Fort

► (d) Red Fort

2. In which year did Delhi became the capital of British India ?

(a) 1911

(b) 1931

(c) 1941

(d) 1947

► (a) 1911

3. Which was the most splendid capital built by Shah Jahan?

(a) Machilpatnam

(b) Seringaptanam

(c) Shajahanabad

(d) Surat

► (c) Shajahanabad

4. Before Delhi was made the cpaital of India, which was the other city that was the capital of British India ?

(a) Madras

(b) Calcutta

(c) Kanpur

(d) Bombay

► (b) Calcutta

5. After 1857 for how many years no worship was not allowed ?

(a) 5

(b) 8

(c) 10

(d) 20

► (a) 5

6. From the following options, which one refer to De-urbanisation ?

(a) Migration of people from an urban area for economic or social reasons.

(b) The veto power of the administration in times of emergency .

(c) Introduction of English education

(d) A feeling of unity among the people

► (a) Migration of people from an urban area for economic or social reasons.

7. Long ago, how many capital cities were founded in a small area on the left bank of river Jamuna ?

(a) 10

(b) 14

(c) 25

(d) 30

► (b) 14

8. From the following list of options, what is a Street with a dead end called?

(a) Cul-de-sac

(b) Khangah

(c) Dargah

(d) Idgah

► (a) Cul-de-sac

9. A Sufi lodge often used as a rest house for travellers and a place where people come to discuss spiritual matters, get the blessings of saints and hear sufi music. What is this place called?

(a) Cul-de-sac

(b) Idgah

(c) Khangah

(d) Dargah

► (c) Khangah

10. Which were the three important Presidency regions set up by the British for administrative purposes?

(a) Bombay, Madras and Bengal

(b) Bombay, Madras and Delhi

(c) Delhi, Travancore and Seringapatnam

(d) Delhi, Bombay and Bengal

► (a) Bombay, Madras and Bengal

11. What is an open prayer place of Muslims meant for Id prayers called?

(a) Idgah

(b) Khangah

(c) Cul-de-sac

(d) Dargah

► (a) Idgah

12. From the list of options given below, which cities were de-urbanised during the 19th century?

(a) Machalipatnam, Surat, Vishakhapatnam

(b) Machalipatnam, Surat, Seringapatnam

(c) Bombay, Surat, Calcutta

(d) Vishakapatnam, Surat, Seringapatnam

► (b) Machalipatnam, Surat, Seringapatnam

13. What term from the list given bolow can be given to the rebirth of art and living. It is often described as a period of high creativity.

(a) De-urbanisation

(b) Urbanisation

(c) Globalisation

(d) Renaissance

► (d) Renaissance

14. Name the mosque converted into a bakery by the British ?

(a) Moth Ki Masjid

(b) Jama Masjid

(c) Zinat-al-Masjid

(d) Fathehpuri Masjid

► (c) Zinat-al-Masjid

15. What is the tomb of a Sufi saint called?

(a) Dargah

(b) Idgah

(c) khanqah

(d) Cul-de-sac

► (a) Dargah

16. What is the importance of Jama Masjid, situated in Delhi?

(a) The office of archeological survey of India

(b) One of the important residences of the Mughal emperors of India

(c) One of the largest and grandest mosques in India

(d) The office of the electorate of India

► (c) One of the largest and grandest mosques in India

17. Complete the following. In the late 18th century, Calcutta, Bombay and ______________ rose in importance as Presidency cities and were the centres of British power

(a) Hyderabad

(b) Nagpur

(c) Madras

(d) Kanpur

► (c) Madras

18. Where did the British exile Bahdadur Shah Zafar to ?

(a) Sril Lanka

(b) China

(c) Burma

(d) Pakistan

► (c) Burma

19. The streets of Delhi aren’t mere streets, they are the album of a painter. Name the poet who wrote these words.

(a) Mirza Ghalib

(b) Kabir Das

(c) Mir Taqi Mir

(d) Sur Das

► (c) Mir Taqi Mir

20. Complete the following. After defeating the ____________, British gained controlof Delhui in 1803.

(a) Mauryans

(b) Pandyas

(c) Marathas

(d) Cheras

► (c) Marathas

Colonialism and the City Extra Questions Class 8 History

Chapter 6 Colonialism and the City Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs):

1. Name the cities that were de-urbanised in the 19th century.

Answer

Surat, Machlipatnam and Seringapatam.

2. Why was a durbar held in Delhi in 1911?

Answer

In 1911, when King George V was crowned in England, a durbar was held in Delhi to celebrate the occasion.

3. Where did British live in the 1870s?

Answer

British lived in the sprawling Civil Lines area that came up in the north.

4. What is Kingsway known now?

Answer

It is now known as Rajpath.

5. Why were the main streets of Chandni Chowk and Faiz Bazar made broad?

Answer

They were made broad for royal processions to pass.

6. What was meant by de-urbanisation during the nineteenth century?

Answer

De-urbanisation was the process by which earlier centres of regional power collapsed with the defeat of the local leaders by the British and new centres of administration emerged.

7. What jobs did the new migrants coming to Delhi take up?

Answer

They took up jobs as hawkers, vendors, carpenters and ironsmiths.

8. What did the Census of 1931 reveal?

Answer

The Census of 1931 revealed that the Walled City area was thickly populated with as many as 90 persons per acre, while New Delhi had only about 3 persons per acre.

9. Why was the Viceroy’s Palace higher than Shah Jahan’s Jama Masjid?

Answer

The Viceroy’s Palace was higher than Shah Jahan’s Jama Masjid in order to establish British importance.

10. What were havelis?

Answer

Havelis were grand mansions in which the Mughal aristocracy in the 17th and 18th century lived.

11. Why were the Shahjahani drains closed at the end of the nineteenth century?

Answer

At the end of the 19th century, the Shahjahani drains were closed as because they could not serve the needs of the rapidly increasing population.

12. Why did Machlipatnam lose its importance as a port-town by the late 18th century?

Answer

It was because the British shifted their trade to the new ports of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta.

13. When did the city of Bombay begin to grow?

Answer

The city of Bombay began to grow when the East India Company started using Bombay as its main port in western India.

14. How did the British gain control of Delhi?

Answer

The British gained control of Delhi after defeating the Marathas in 1803.

Chapter 6 Colonialism and the City Short Answer Questions (SAQs):

1. Mention three difference in the city design of New Delhi and Shahjahanabad?

Answer

Three differences in the city design of New Delhi and Shahjahanabad were:

• Shahjahanabad was honibly-crowded with a number of mohallas and bazaars. There were several narrow streets, but New Delhi was not crowded at. There were broad, straight streets lined with sprawling mansions set in the middle of large compounds.

• Shahjahanabad was built in an unplanned manner the over crowded spaces were unhygienic and unhealthy. There was no proper arrangement for sewage disposal. Drainage facilities were also not good. But the city of New Delhi was well- planned. It was clean and healthy. It had better water supply, sewage disposal and drainage facilities than the city of Shahjahanabad.

• The environment of Shahjahanabad was to chaotic. But New Delhi represented a sense of law and order.

2.  Describe the main features of Shahjahanabad, built by Shah Jahan.

Answer

• Shahjahanabad, that was began in 1639, consisted of a fort-palace complex and the city adjoining it. Lai QUa or the Red Fort contained the palace complex. To its west lay the Walled City with 14 gates.

• The main streets of Chandni Chowk and Faiz Bazaar were broad enough for royal processions to pass. A canal ran down the centre of Chandni Chowk.

• The Jama Masjid was among the largest and grandest mosques in India. There was no place higher than this mosque within the city.

3. What happened to Delhi after 1857?

Answer

During the Revolt of 1857, the rebels gathered in the Delhi and captured it under the leadership of the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Delhi remained under the control of the rebels for four months.

When the British recaptured Delhi, they embarked on a campaign of revenge and plunder. The British forces began wrecking vengeance on the streets of Delhi, massacring the rebels. To prevent another rebellion, the British exiled Bahadur Shah to Burma, dismantled his court, razed several of the places, closed down gardens and built barracks for troops in their place.

4. Why was the Delhi Improvement Trust set up?

Answer

The Delhi Improvement Trust built areas like Daryaganj south for wealthy Indians. Houses were grouped around parks within the houses, space was divided according to new rules of privacy. Instead of spaces being shared by many families or groups, now different members of the same family had their own private spaces within the home.

5. Describe the main features of the colonial bungalow.

Answer

The main features of the colonial bungalow:

• It was meant for one nuclear family.

• It was a large single-storyed structure with a pitched roof and usually set in one or two acres of open ground.

• It had separate living and dinning rooms and bedrooms and a wide verandah running in the fronts and sometimes on three sides.

• Kitchens, stables and servants’ quarters were in a separate space from the main house. The house was run by dozens of servants.

6. ‘The British wanted Delhi to forget its Mughal past’. What did they do to fulfill their wish?

Answer

The British exiled Bahadur Shah Zafar to Burma, dismantled his court, raised several of the palaces, closed down gardens and built barracks for troops in their places. They got the area around the fort completely cleared of gardens, pavilions and mosques. Mosques in particular were either destroyed, or part to other uses. No worship was allowed in the Jama Masjid for five years. One-third of the city was demolished and its canals were filled up. In the 1870s, the western walls of Shahjahanabad were broken to establish the railway and to allow the city to expand beyond the walls.

7. How did partition change the lives and occupations of the refugees?

Answer

The partition caused massive transfer of populations on both sides of the new border. Muslims left Delhi for Pakistan while their place was taken by equally large numbers of Sikh and Hindu refugees from Pakistan. Many of the Muslims who went to Pakistan were artisans, petty traders and labourers. The new migrants coming to Delhi were rural landlords, lawyers, teachers, traders and small shopkeepers. Partition changed their lives and their occupation. They had to take up new jobs as hawkers, vendors, carpenters and ironsmiths.

8. Before 1857, developments in Delhi were somewhat different from those in other colonial cities. How?

Answer

In Presidency cities, Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, the living spaces of Indians and the British were sharply separated. Indians lived in the “black’ areas, while the British lived in well laid out “white’ areas. But in Delhi, in the first half of the 19th century, the British lived alongwith the wealthier Indians in the Walled City. The British learned to enjoy Urdu/Persian culture and poetry and took part in local festivals.

The Changing World of Visual Arts Class 8 MCQs Questions with Answers

Question 1.
Nawab Mubarakuddaulah belongs to:
(a) Bombay
(b) Poona
(c) Murshidabad
(d) MysoreAnswer

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Question 2.
Abanindranath Tagore was the nephew of:
(a) Rabindranath Tagore
(b) Raja Ravi Varma
(c) Mubrakuddaulah
(d) Nand Lai BoseAnswer

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Question 3.
Damayanthi was painted by:
(a) Raja Ravi Varma
(b) Thomas Daniell
(c) William Daniell
(d) David WilkieAnswer

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Question 4.
The art of making portraits is known as:
(a) Engraving
(b) Portraiture
(c) Miniature
(d) PicturesqueAnswer

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Question 5.
The storming of Seringapatam was painted by:
(a) David Wilkie
(b) William Daniell
(c) Thomas Daniell
(d) Rober Kerr PorterAnswer

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Question 6.
In which styles the victoria Terminus was built?
(a) Gothic style
(b) Dorian style
(c) Corinthian style
(d) Classical Greek and Roman StyleAnswer

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Question 7.
From where did the style of architecture was borrowed in Calcutta?
(a) Doric
(b) Gothic
(c) Classical style of Greece and Rome
(d) CorinthianAnswer

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Question 8.
One of the first history paintings was produced by whom?
(a) Francis Hayman
(b) Johann Zoffany
(c) Tilly Kettle
(d) William DaniellAnswer

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Question 9.
What do you mean by Realism?
(a) Faithfully observe and depict the subject
(b) Faithfully observe the landscape
(c) Draw from their imagination
(d) Draw and paint landscapeAnswer

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Question 10.
What is the name of an art form where impression is printed on paper and cloth?
(a) Motif
(b) Embossing
(c) Engraving
(d) StampingAnswer

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Question 11.
Why did the Muhammad Ali khan appointed artists?
(a) Paint modern paintings
(b) Paint historical paintings
(c) Paint oil paintings
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 12.
What are history paintings?
(a) Painting showing Indian victories in British
(b) Painting showing Indian victory over Mughal
(c) Painting showing British victories in India
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 13.
Why were the paintings on Indian themes displayed in Britain?
(a) To give idea about Indian poor
(b) To give idea about new land conquer
(c) To give idea about wealth in India
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 14.
Why did the European portrait painters come to India?
(a) Paint for free
(b) For getting the contract
(c) To paint only for king
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 15.
What do you mean by Engraving?
(a) Oil painting
(b) Impression printing
(c) British printing
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 16.
Who was Okakura Kakuzo?
(a) Japanese research
(b) Indian research
(c) British research
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 17.
Where is the victoria Terminus situated?
(a) Delhi
(b) Madras
(c) Bombay
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 18.
who tried to create a style that was both modern and national?
(a) Francis Hayman
(b) Johann Zoffany
(c) Raja Ravi Verma
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 19.
Which Post Office bought the style of architecture from Greece and Rome?
(a) Delhi post office
(b) Central post office Calcutta
(c) Bombay post office
(d) None of theseAnswer

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Question 20.
In which year painting was produced by Francis Hayman?
(a) 1789
(b) 1753
(c) 1747
(d) 1762Answer

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Chapter 10 The Changing World of Visual Arts 

The Changing World of Visual Arts Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs):

1. Mention one feature of oil painting.

Answer

Oil painting enables artists to produce images that looked real.

2. What were the three categories of Imperial Art?

Answer

‘The Imperial Art’ that was prevalent in India during the British Colonial rule can be classified into three categories, namely Landscape painting, Portrait painting and History painting.

3. How did the picturesque style of painting depict India?

Answer

Picturesque style of painting depicted India as a quaint law, to be explored by travelling British artists, its landscape was rugged and wild and seemingly untamed by human hands.

4. Name the technique with which Indian artists were not very familiar.

Answer

Oil painting.

5. What was the theme of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings?

Answer

The theme of his paintings was based on Indian mythology. He dramatised on canvas scene after scene from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

6. In what way were colonial portraits different from those of existing Indian tradition of painting portraits?

Answer

Unlike the existing Indian tradition of painting portraits in miniature, colonial portrait were life-size images that looked life-like and real.

7. How did the figures in scroll painting look?

Answer

The figures in scroll paintings looked flat, not rounded.

8. What subjects did European artists in India choose to paint?

Answer

Their paintings emphasised the superiority of Britain its culture, its people, its power.

9. When was the Calcutta Art Studio established? What it produce?

Answer

The Calcutta Art Studio was established in the late-nineteenth century. It produced life-like images of eminent Bengali personalities as well as mythological pictures.

10. Name the two traditions of Imperial art that became very popular in colonial India.

Answer

Picturesque landscape painting and Portrait painting.

The Changing World of Visual Arts Short Answer Questions (SAQs):

1. What were the reasons that forced the scroll painters and potters to come to Kalighat?

Answer

There were several reasons behind this:

• The city was expanding as a commercial and administrative centre at this time.

• Colonial offices were coming up, new buildings and roads were being built, markets were being established.

• The city appeared as a place of opportunity where people could come to make a new living. Scroll painters and potters too came and settled in the city in the hope of new patrons and new buyers of their art.

2. What are miniature paintings?

Answer

Miniature paintings are executed on a very small scale on perishable material such as paper and cloth. The Palas of Bengal were the pioneers of miniature painting in India. The art of miniature painting reached its glory during the Mughal period. The tradition of miniature paintings was carried forward by the painters of different Rajasthani schools.

3. What were Company Paintings?

Answer

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the British employed Indian artists to illustrate the manners and customs of India and to record scenes of monuments, deities, festivals, and occupations. These works later became known as ‘Company paintings’ because they were created by Indian artists employed by members of the British East India Company.

4. Describe European artist’s style.

Answer

The paintings done by European Artists were realistic. They painted pictures that were exactly the same in reality. The paintings looked real and lifelike. European artists introduced the technique of oil painting which was unknown to the Indian artists. Oil paintings allow artists to produce pictures that looked real. The paintings done by European Artists highlighted the culture, the power and the people of Britain.

5. Mention the themes on which the Kalighat artists of the late-nineteenth century painted.

Answer

Many of the late-nineteenth century Kalighat paintings depicted social life under British rule. Often the artists mocked at the changes they saw around, ridiculing the new tastes of those who spoke in English and adopted western habits, dressed like sahibs, smoked cigarettes, or sat on chairs. They made fun of the westernised baboo, criticised the corrupt priests and warned against women moving out of their homes. They often expressed the anger of common people against the rich, and the fear many people had about dramatic changes of social norms.

6. Describe the paintings done by Robert Ker Porter on the battle of Seringapatam.

Answer

The celebration of British military triumph can be seen in the paintings of the battle of Seringapatam by Robert Ker Porter. This work depicts “the decisive victory of the British in their series of campaigns to seize control of southern India.

In these pictures the British troops are shown storming the fort from all sides, cutting Tipu’s soldiers to pieces, climbing the walls, raising the British flag aloft on the ramparts of Tipu’s fort. The paintings are full of action and energy. The painting dramatises the event and glorifies the British triumph.

The Changing World of Visual Arts Long Answer Questions (LAQs):

1. Give a brief sketch of Thomas Daniell and his paintings.

Answer

• Thomas Daniell began his career as a landscape painter. In 1784 he came to India with his nephew William. They both remained in India for seven years. Together they executed a number of major works in engraving, oils and watercolours.

• The large oil paintings on canvas, done by them, were regularly exhibited to select audiences in Britain. Their albums of engravings were bought up by the British who wanted to know about Britain’s Empire.

• ‘Oriental Scenery’ is the title given to the monumental six-volume work of 144 hand-coloured engravings made by Thomas Daniell and his nephew William.

• The paintings by Thomas Daniell showed the ruins of local buildings that were once grand. The paintings seemed to reveal that India would change and modernise only through British governance.

• The idea of British rule bringing modern civilisation to India is powerfully emphasised in the numerous pictures of late-eighteenth-century Calcutta drawn by the Daniels.

2. How did the painters at Indian courts react to the new traditions of imperial art?

Answer

With the establishment of British power many of the local courts lost their influence and wealth. They could no longer support painters and pay them to paint for the court. As a result, many of the artists turned to the British. At the same time, British officials, who found the world in the colonies different from that back home, wanted images through which they could understand India, remember their life in Indian and depict India to the western world. So, these officials employed local painters to produce a vast number of images of local plants and animals, historical buildings and monuments, festivals and processions, trades and crafts, castes and communities.

The Making of the National Movement: 1870s -1947 MCQ Questions Class 8 Social Science with Answers

Question.Marathi newspaper ‘Kesari’ was edited by
(A) Lala Lajpat Rai
(B) Balgangadhar Tilak
(C) Chitta Ranjan Das
(D) Sarojini Naidu

Answer :  B

Question. The Vernacular Press Act was enacted in
(A) 1840
(B) 1857
(C) 1878
(D) 1890

Answer :  C

Question. The capacity to act independently without outside interference is termed as.
(A) Socialist
(B) Democratic
(C) Publicist
(D) Sovereign

Answer :  D

Question. Which of the following achievements of the Moderates cannot be considered true?
(A) The Moderates helped in removing social injustices like the rigid caste structure that divided the Indian society
(B) Due to the persistent efforts of the Moderates, Indians understood the concepts of freedom, secularism and democracy.
(C) The Moderates created a sense of national consciousness
(D) This microscopic minority of leaders could change the policies and made a huge impact on British.

Answer :  D

Question.Who established Natal Congress?
(A) Jawaharlal Nehru
(B) Mahatma Gandhi
(C) Balgangadhar Tilak
(D) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer :  B

Question.Second World War ended in
(A) 1910
(B) 1920
(C) 1945
(D) 1947

Answer :  C

Question. Marathi newspaper ‘Kesari’ was edited by
(A) Lala Lajpat Rai
(B) Balgangadhar Tilak
(C) Chitta Ranjan Das
(D) Sarojini Naidu

Answer :  B

Question. Where did the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association was formed?
(A) Bombay
(B) Kanpur
(C) Delhi
(D) Allahabad

Answer :  C

Question. The founder of Khudai Khidmatgars was
(A) Mohammad Ali
(B) Shaukat Ali
(C) Badshah Khan
(D) None of these

Answer :  C

Question. The fight for Purna Swaraj was fought under the presidentship of
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Jawaharlal Nehru
(C) C. Rajagopalachari
(D) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Answer :  B

Question- ______ was a Indian businessman and publicist based in London.
(A) Lala Hadayal
(B) Dadabhai Naroji
(C) Jawaharlal Nehru
(D) Bhagat Singh

Answer :  B

Question- ________ allowed for trial of Europeans by Indians.
(A) Ilbert Bill
(B) Vernacular Press Act
(C) Judiciary Bill
(D) Arms Bill

Answer :  A

Question. Name the movement launched following the Partition of Bengal.
(A) Quit India Movement
(B) Salt Satyagraha
(C) Swadeshi Movement
(D) First war of Independence

Answer :  C

Question- ______ was a Marathi newspaper edited by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
(A) Muktangan
(B) Kesari
(C) Sakal
(D) Gazette

Answer :  B

Question- Gandhiji arrived in India from _____ in 1915.
(A) Japan
(B) South Africa
(C) USA
(D) China

Answer :  B

Question- ______ was one of the Congress leaders from Bengal with radical objectives.
(A) Bipin Chandra Pal
(B) Ravindranath Tagore
(C) Raja Rammohan Roy
(D) R C Mukherjee

Answer :  A

Question- Freedom is our Birthright slogan was given by ________.
(A) Lala Lajpat Rai
(B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(C) Laxmi Sehgal
(D) Mahatma Gandi

Answer :  B

Question- _______ and Muslim League signed a Historic Pact of Lucknow in 1916
(A) Communist Party
(B) British Empire
(C) Congress
(D) Socialist Party

Answer :  C

Question- Jallianwala Masscare took place in _____.
(A) 1919
(B) 1921
(C) 1924
(D) 1917

Answer :  A

Question- Gandhiji had established ______ in South Africa.
(A) Sabarmati Ashram
(B) Natal Congress
(C) Communist Party
(D) Labour Union

Answer :  B

Question. A list of leaders are given below, identify the leader who is not considered as a Moderate but a Radical.
(A) Pherozeshah Mehta
(B) Dadabhai Naoroji
(C) Aurobindo Ghosh
(D) Surendranath Banerjee

Answer :  C

Question- ______ was launched in 1930.
(A) Civil Disobedience Movement
(B) Swarajya Movement
(C) Khilafat Movement
(D) Workers movement

Answer :  A

Question- ____ was a lawyer and freedom fighter from East Bengal.
(A) Jatin Das
(B) Bipin Chandra Pal
(C) Chitta Ranjan Das
(D) Tagore

Answer :  C

Question- Dandi March was led by ______ in 1930.
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Sarojini Naidu
(C) Indira Gandhi
(D) S C Bose

Answer :  A

Question- Quit India Movement took place in ______.
(A) 1942
(B) 1949
(C) 1940
(D) 1939

Answer :  A

Question. Some important features of the Swadeshi Movement are given below: Pick out the one that is not applicable to the Swadeshi Movement
(A) They encouraged the ideas of self help
(B) They boycotted British institutions and goods.
(C) Swadeshi movement stressed on the use of English language with minimal use of Indian languages.
(D) The Swadeshi movement sought to oppose British rule

Answer :  C

Question- ______ was the first woman president of Congress.
(A) Annie Besant
(B) Sarojini Naidu
(C) Laxmi Sehgal
(D) Ambabai

Answer :  B

Question. After a major split between the Moderates and Radicals, in which year did they reunite again?
(A) In December 1930
(B) In December 1940
(C) In December 1920
(D) In December 1915

Answer :  D

Question- Ahmedabad is located on the banks of _____
(A) Mahi
(B) Sabarmati
(C) Narmada
(D) Godavari

Answer :  B

Question. The modern Indian middle class owed its birth to :
(A) The struggle between the ruling class and the proletariat
(B) The political upheavals in the country on account of the disintegration of the Mughal empire
(C) European enterprise in India resulting in the growth of a new working class and urban revolution
(D) Industrialisation

Answer : C

Question. The worst effect of the law, relating to sub-in-feudation of zamindari rights in British India, was
(A) The rapid increase in the value of landed property
(B) The land became an objective of speculative investment and source of profit to the moneyed class
(C) The land lost its importance as a source of production and livelihood to the cultivators
(D) Both (B) and (C) above

Answer : D

Question. In which year Meruth conspiracy took place ?
(A) 1925
(B) 1927
(C) 1929
(D) 1930

Answer : C

Question. In which year Mahatma Gandhi was born ?
(A) 1889
(B) 1875
(C) 1869
(D) 1879

Answer : C

Question. At which place Mahatma Gandhi had his first Satyagraha ?
(A) Bardoli
(B) Champaran
(C) Amritsar
(D) Sabarmati

Answer : B

Question. In which year all India Farmers Union was formed ?
(A) 1928
(B) 1936
(C) 1942
(D) 1946

Answer : B

Question. In which year ‘Workers Day’ was celebrated forthe first time in India ?
(A) 1927
(B) 1937
(C) 1947
(D) 1957

Answer : A

Question. Who ordered the firing at Jallianwala Bagh ?
(A) Dayar
(B) Sounders
(C) Rend
(D) None of the above

Answer : A

Question. Who gave the slogan’Jai Hind’ ?
(A) Subhash Chandra Bose
(B) Mahatma Gandhi
(C) J. L. Nehru
(D) Sardar Patel

Answer : A

Question. When did Muslim League passed the ‘Resolution for Pakistan’
(A) 1909
(B) 1930
(C) 1940
(D) 1947

Answer : C

Question. “Every blow on my body will prove to be a nail in the British coffin”. Who gave the above statement ?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) Pt. J.L. Nehru
(C) Lala Lajpat Rai
(D) Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Answer : C

Question. At which place, Gandhi broke the salt law by making salt ?
(A) Sabarmati
(B) Dandi
(C) Bombay
(D) Surat

Answer : B

Question. Who headed the Interim government formed in India in 1946 ?
(A) J.L. Nehru
(B) Mahatma Gandhi
(C) Sardar Patel
(D) Jinnah

Answer : A

Question. Forwhich proposal Gandhi used the words a postdated cheque of a drowning bank ?
(A) Cripps Praposal
(B) C.R. Praposal
(C) Wavel praposal
(D) Cabinet mission praposal

Answer : C

Question. Who among the following was not a leader of the Indian National Army ?
(A) Subhash Chandra Boss
(B) Ras Bihari
(C) Mohan Singh
(D) Sukhdev

Answer : D

Question. The first session of All India Farmers Union was held at –
(A) Faizabad
(B) Lukhnow
(C) Delhi
(D) Surat

Answer : A

Question. When was the Congress Socialist Party formed?
(A) 1930
(B) 1932
(C) 1934
(D) 1936

Answer : C

Question. Against whom the Khilafat movement was launched ?
(A) Indian National Congress
(B) English Government
(C) Government of England
(D) None of the above

Answer : C

Question. Who among the following was not a part of khilafat movement ?
(A) Soukat Ali
(B) Mohammad Ali
(C) Abdul Kalam Azad
(D) Sardar Patel

Answer : D

Question. Which revolutionary was sentenced to death on the charge of the murder of Saunders ?
(A) Bhagat Singh
(B) Chandra ShekharAzad
(C) Ras Bihari
(D) Manmathnath

Answer : B

Question. Who among the following were the first to be arrested during Non-Cooperation movement ?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) J.L. Nehru
(C) Ali Brothers
(D) S.C. Boss

Answer : C

Question. Who was the head of the committee formed in 1924 to recommend reforms in the Act of 1919 ?
(A) M, L. Nehru
(B) Alexsender Moodyman
(C) C.R. Das
(D) John Simmon

Answer : A

Question. Name ‘the secretary of state, who challanged the Indians to prepare a constitution ?
(A) Morle
(B) Bralenhead
(C) Montegue
(D) None of the above

Answer : B

Question. Who among the Indians denied to accept the Nehru report ?
(A) Communists
(B) Jinnah
(C) Congress
(D) None of the above

Answer : B

Question. During Lahore session in 1929 the Congress president used the following words “We have only are target -complete independence”. Who used these words ?
(A) Pt. J. N. Nehru
(B) Mahatma Gandhi
(C) Moulana Azad
(D) S.C. Boss

Answer : A

Question. ‘Hindustan Democratic Federation’ was founded by
(A)Yatindra Mukkherji
(B) Sachindra Sanyal
(C) Bhagat Singh
(D Rajnder Lahiri

Answer : B

Question. Who among the following was not a part of Kakori cons piracy ?
(A) Ram Prashad Bismilt
(B) Ranjendra Lahiri
(C) Sachindra Sanyal
(D) Kedarnath Sehgal

Answer : D

Question. ‘Death or Victory’, who gave this slogan ?
(A) Indian National Army
(B) Hindustan Democratic Socialist Party
(C) Naujawan Sabha
(D) None of the above

Answer : A

Question. Who among the following’, with Bhagat Singh threw the bomb in Central Legislative Assembly in the year 1929?
(A) Battu Keshwar Dutt
(B) Ray Guru
(C) Sukhdev
(D) Sachindra Sanyal

Answer : B

Question. Udham Singh went to England to kill –
(A) General Dayar
(B) Ex – Governor Dayar
(C) Mac – Donald
(D) None of the above

Answer : A

Question. Chandra Bose was appointed as the Chairman of the Independence League and was called ‘Netaji’. In which year this happened ?
(A) 1942
(B) 1943
(C) 1944
(D) 1945

Answer : A

Question. Who among the following INA officers was not tried of the charge of treason ?
(A) Shahnawaj Khan
(B) Prem Shehgal
(C) Gurubhaksh Singh
(D) Mohan Singh

Answer : D

Question. When Gandhi broke the salt law at Dandi, who welcomed him with the words ‘Law breaker – you’re welcomed’
(A) Pt. Nehru
(B) Sarojini Naidu
(C)Anibesant
(D) None of the above

Answer : B

Question. With how many followers Gandhi completed his Dandi March ?
(A) 75
(B) 57
(C) 78
(D) 801

Answer : C

Question. Underwhose leadership the army denied to fire on freedom fighters at Peshawar in 1930 ?
(A) Mohan Singh
(B) Chandan Singh Gadhwali
(C) Subhash Chandra Bose
(D) None of the above

Answer : B

Question. For which incident, Dr. Rajendra prasad used the words ‘A marrige without groom’ .
(A) First Round Table Conference
(B) Second Round Table Conference
(C) Third Round Table Conference
(D) Gandhi-Irwin pact

Answer : A

Question. Who presented the August praposals ?
(A) Wavel
(B) Irwin
(C) Linlithgo
(D) Mountbatten

Answer : D

Question. The ryotwari settlement was made with the :
(A) The zamindars
(B) The cultivators
(C) The village communities
(D) The muqaddams

Answer : B

Question. The theory of the early British rulers that the Company, as the owner of agricultural land, was entitled to the whole of the’economic rent’ derived its support from :
(A) The Theory of Surplus Value
(B) The Agio Theory of Interest
(C) Keynes’ Theory of Income and Employment
(D) The Ricardian Theory of Rent

Answer : D

Question. The main reason for the permanent indebtedness of the peasantry was :
(A) False accounting
(B) Forged signatures
(C) Making the debtor sign for larger amounts than he had borrowed
(D) High rate of interest on loans

Answer : D

Question. Which of the following was not one of the reasons for the spurt in the demand for Indian cotton goods in England to such an extent that the Indian calicoes emerged as the biggest item of the Company’s imports from India ?
(A) Change in English fashions and modes of dress
(B) Improvement in the quality of goods on account of introduction of superior variety of cotton
(C) Abolition of import duties on them in England (1685)
(D) The prohibition of imports from France (1688)

Answer : B

Question. An Indian mercantile class, which almost completely vanished on account of the British economic policies and commercial practices of the Europeans in India, was :
(A) Freighttraders
(B) Sugar manufacturers
(C) Bankers
(D) Brokers

Answer : C

Question. Whom did the British monopoly over internal trade benefit the most ?
(A) The Company
(B) The employees of the Company
(C) The British government
(D) The gomashtas or the Company’s servants

Answer : B

Question. The extension of the cultivation of indigo, cotton, opium, tea, and coffee in India, besides benefiting the British planters, also benefited -.
(A) The zamindars
(B) The small merchants
(C) Both (A) and (B)
(D) The Indian bankers

Answer : C

Question. The root of the poverty of the people of India during the British rule was that:
(A) All economic resources of India were at the mercy of the British
(B) Indian economy had been bound to the colonial interests
(C) Agriculture remained almost the sole occupation of the masses.
(D) Foreign capital flowed into all branches of India’s economic life

Answer : C

Question. The British industrial policy in India has been rightly called as the policy of :
(A) “Stagnated Growth”
(B) “De-industrialisation
(C) “Colonisation of Economy’
(D) “Monopolised Europeanisation

Answer : B

Question. According to Karl Marx, the British economic policies “caused a social revolution in Hindustan” which was the consequence of :
(A) The destruction of co-operative living in the rural areas
(B) The western ideas of competition and market economy
(C) The emergence of a middle class which prospered on account of the British policies
(D) AIl the above

Answer : D

Question. In the ryotwari areas, the value of land declined appreciably because :
(A) All peasant cultivators were declared owners of land
(B) Instead of cultivation, sale of land was an easierway of sustenance
(C) The rate of land revenue was excessive
(D) The methods of collection of revenue were so harshas to make the ownership of land highly undesirable

Answer : D

CBSE Class 8 History Chapter 11 Important Questions

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1: What is the literal meaning of sarvajanik?
Answer: The literal meaning of sarvajanik is ‘of or for all the people’. It is made
of two words – sarva = all + janik = of the people.

2: Who was A.O. Hume? What role did he play in the history of India?
Answer: A.O. Hume was a retired British official. He played an important role in bringing Indians from the various regions together.

3: Who was the Viceroy of India at the time of the partition of Bengal
Answer: At that time Lord Curzon was the Viceroy of India.

4: What was the Swadeshi Movement known as in deltaic Andhra?
Answer: In deltaic Andhra the Swadeshi Movement was known as the Vandemataram Movement.

5: Name the three leading members of the Radical group.
Answer: Bepin Chandra Pal, Balgangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai.

6: Why did Mahatma Gandhi along with other Indians establish the Natal Congress in South Africa?
Answer: He did so in order to fight against racial discrimination in South Africa.

7: Name three places where Gandhiji started local movements.
Answer: Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad.

8: Why did Rabindranath Tagore renounce his knighthood? 
Answer: Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood to express the pain and anger of the country following the Jallianwala Bagh atrocities.

9: Who were the leaders of the Khilafat agitation?
Answer: The leaders of the Khilafat agitation were Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.

10: What does ‘Punjab wrongs’ refer to?
Answer: It refers to Jallianwalla Bagh massarcre that occurred on 13 April, 1919 in Amritsar on Baishakhi day.

11: Who was Chitta Ranjan Das?
Answer: He was a lawyer from East Bengal and was active in the Non-Cooperation Movement.

12: What does RSS stand for?
Answer: RSS stands for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

13: Who was Bhagat Singh? What slogan did he raise?
Answer: Bhagat Singh was a revolutionary nationalist. His slogan was—Inquilab Zindabad.

14. What does HSRA stand for?
Answer. HSRA stands for Hindustan Socialist Republican Association.

15. Why did Mahatma Gandhi decide to break the Salt Law?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi decided to break the Salt Law because it established the monopoly of the state on the manufacture and sale of salt

16: On what condition-were the Congress leaders ready to support the British war effort at the time of the Second World War?
Answer: The Congress leaders were ready to support the British war effort on condition that they would declare India’s independence after the war.

17: Did the British accept their condition?
Answer: No, the British did not accept their condition.

18: Who raised the slogan ‘do or die’?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi raised this slogan.

19: Why did the Muslim League announced 16 August 1946 as ‘Direct Action Day’?
Answer: It announced 16 August, 1946 as ‘Direct Action Day’ in support of its demand for Pakistan.

20. Define nationalism?
Answer: The feeling of oneness and unity among the people of a nation or patriotic feeling, principles and policy of national independence is termed as nationalism. 

21. When was Indian National Congress formed?
Answer: The Indian National Congress was formed in December, 1885. 

22. Mention the early leaders of Indian National Congress?
Answer: The early leadership: Dadabhai Naroji, Pherozshah Mehta, Badruddhin Tyabji, W.C. Banerji, Surendranath Banerji, Romesh Chandra Dutt, S. Subramania Iyer.

23. Which British officer helped in the formation of Indian National Congress?
Answer: A retired British official, A.O. Hume helped in the formation of Indian National Congress. 

24. When was Non –Cooperation & Khilafat Movement launched?
Answer: In 1920, NCM and Khilafat Movement were launched. 

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What was Rowlatt Act?

Answer: Rowlatt Act was introduced by the British in 1919.
According to this act, any Indian could be arrested without trial in the court of law. The act curbed fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression and strengthened police powers. 

2. Why did the nationalist leader oppose Rowlett Act?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi, Mohanmad Ali Jinnah and others felt that the government had no right to restrict people’s basic freedoms.They criticized the Act as “devilish” and tyrannical

3. What were the effects of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?

Answer: On learning about the massacre, Rabindranah Tagore expressed the pain and anger of the country be renouncing his knighthood. During the Rowlatt Satyagraha the participants tried to ensure that Hindus and Muslims were united in the fight against British rule. 

4. What were the aims of NCM and Khilafat Movement?

Answer: The aims of NCM and Khilafat movement were:- 

• They demanded for Swaraj. 
• They wanted to reduce the ‘wrongs’ against Punjab and Turkey. 

5. Who were the revolutionaries?
Answer: The revolutionaries were a small group of people who suggested that the use of violence to make a radical change within the society would be necessary to overthrow British rule.

6. When and why was the Non –cooperation Movement withdrawn?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi was against violent movements. He abruptly called off the Non –Cooperation Movement when in February 1922 a crowd of peasants set fire to a police station in Chauri Chaura. 

7. How did the British try to control the Quit India Movement?
Answer: 

1. The first response of the British was severe repression. 
2. By the end of 1943 over 90,000 people were arrested and around 1000 killed in police firing. 
3. In many areas orders were given to machine –gun crowds from airplanes. The rebellion, however, ultimately brought the Raj to its knees. 

8. Mention the people who participated in the Dandi March and what was the British response towards this movement?

Answer: The people who participated in the Dandi March were: 
Peasants, tribals and women participated in large number.  The British response towards this movement was – the government tried to crush the movement through brutal action against peaceful satyagrahis. Thousands were sent to jail.

9. What was the most important feature of the government of India act of 1935 introduced by British?

Answer: Government of India Act of 1935 prescribed provincial autonomy and the government announced elections to the provincial legislatures in 1937. Congress formed governments in 7 out of 11 provinces. 

10. Why is the Indian National Congress (1919 – 1947) referred to as Gandhian Era?

Answer: From 1919 onwards Gandhi played a Major role in Indian National Movement as launched 3 great mass movements such as Non – cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, Quit India Movement. Ultimately it was Gandhi who led the people of India towards independence in the year 1947. 

11. Write a short note on Jallianwala Bagh?

Answer: The Jallianwala Bagh atrocities inflicted by General Dyer in Amritsar on Baisakhi Day (13 April), were a part of Rowlett Act repression. On learning about the massacre, Rabindranath Tagore expressed the pain and anger of the country be renouncing his knight hood. During the Rowlatt Satyagraha the participants tried to ensure that Hindus and Muslims were in the fight against the British rule.

12: How did people participate in the Non-Cooperation Movement during 1921-22?

Answer: (a) During these years, thousands of students left government controlled schools and colleges.
(b) Many lawyers such as Motilal Nehru, C.R. Das, C. Rajagopalachari and Asaf Ali gave up their practices.
(c) British titles were surrendered and legislatures boycotted. .
(d) People lit public bonfires of foreign cloth.

13: Why was the Simon Commission sent to India? Why did Indians boycott it?

Answer: The British government in England sent a Commission headed by Lord Simon in the year 1927 to decide India’s political future. As the Commission had no Indian representative, it was boycotted by all political groups. When the Commission arrived it met with demonstrations with banners saying ‘Simon Go Back’.

14: What role did Ambabai play in the Indian freedom struggle?

Answer: Ambabai came from Karnataka. She had been married at age twelve and was widowed at sixteen. Afterwards she began participating in the Indian freedom struggle. She picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops in Udipi. She was arrested, served a sentence and was rearrested. Between prison terms she made powerful speeches, taught spinning and organised prabhat pheris.

16: Write a brief paragraph on Maulana Azad.

Answer: Maulana Azad was a great leader of the Indian freedom struggle. He was born in Mecca to a Bengali Father and an Arab Mother. He was well- versed in several languages. He was a scholar of Islam and an exponent of the notion of wahadat-i-deen, the essential oneness of all religions. He was an active participant in the movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi. He was a great advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity. He never approved Jinnah’s two-nation theory. He wanted a country in which Hindus and Muslims lived in perfect harmony.

17: Write a brief note on Khan Abdul Ghajfar Khan.

Answer: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was the Pashtun leader from the North-West Frontier Province. He was popularly known as Badshah Khan. He founded the Khudai Khidmatgars, which was a powerful non-violent movement among the Pattans of his province. He was a staunch supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity and was strongly opposed to the partition of India. He criticised his Congress colleagues for agreeing to the division of India in 1947.

18. How did the British expand its army during the War period?

Answer: People in village were pressurized to supply soldiers for an alien cause. A large number of soldiers were sent overseas.
Many returned after the war with an understanding of the ways in which imperialist powers were exploiting the people in Asia and Africa with a desire to oppose colonial rule in India. 

19. Mention the two demands of the Indian National Congress that it adopted in 1929?
Answer: The two demands of the Congress were:

• The Congress resolving to fight for Purna Swaraj (complete independence) in 1929 under the president ship of Jawaharlal Nehru. 
• Consequently “Independence Day” was observed on 26 January 1930 all over the country. 

20. What was the Congress demand after having won the elections?

Answer:  

• In September 1939, after two years of Congress rule in the provinces, the Second World War broke out. 
• Critical of Hitler, Congress leaders were ready to support the British war effort. 
• But in return they wanted that India be granted independence after the war. 
• The British refused to concede demand. 
• The congress ministries resigned in protest. 

India After Independence MCQ Questions Class 8 Social Science with Answers

Question. Some important features of the Indian Constitution are given below: Pick if any, statement not true.
(a) The Constitution stressed on Hindu Pakistan ideals
(b) It offered special privileges for the poorest and most disadvantaged Indians
(c) It guaranteed equality before the law to all citizens, regardless of their caste or religious affiliation
(d) All Indians above the age of 21 would be allowed to vote in state and national elections

Answer :  A

Question.When did the Constituent Assembly met in?
(a) Bombay
(b) New Delhi
(c) Calcutta
(d) Madras

Answer:  B

Question- _____ is known as the Father of Indian Constitution.
(a) Rajendra Prasad
(b) S C Mukherjee
(c) B R Ambedkar
(d) Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer :  C

Question. Who was Potti Sriramulu?
African leader
Gandhian leader
Congress leader
None of these

Answer:  B

Question. How many countries of the world joined the conference of Bandung in Indonesia?
(a) 29 countries
(b) Less than 20 countries
(c) More than 100 countries
(d) 100 countries

Answer :  A

Question- _____ died fasting for demand for a separate state for Telugu people.
(a) A C Rao
(b) Potti Sriramalu
(c) Maulana Azad
(d) T T Krishnamachari

Answer :  B

Question. Why was the date 26 January 1950 chosen for the new Constitution to come into force ?
(a) To coincide the Birthday of the Father of Indian Constitution , B R Ambedkar
(b) To coincide the integration of the princely states
(c) To coincide with the 20th anniversary of the celebration of the Independence day at the Lahore session of the Congress under Nehru
(d) To coincide the day on which Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated

Answer :  C

Question- ______ was formulated in 1956.
(a) Finance Commission
(b) Second Five Year Plan
(c) Planning Commission
(d) Agriculture Commission

Answer :  B

Question.How can we describe the practice of untouchability?
(a) Inhuman practice
(b) Derogatory practice
(c) Slur and blot on the Hindu society
(d) All of them

Answer :  D

Question.On which country’s model did Jawahar Lal Nehru develop the Five Year Plans?
(a) USA
(b) France
(c) Soviet Union
(d) Japan

Answer :  C

Question- ______ was the first woman Chief Minister of independent India.
(a) Sucheta Kripalani
(b) Aruna Asaf Ali
(c) Indira gandhi
(d) Vijaylakshmi Pandit

Answer :  A

Question.Name the Hindu fanatic, who shot and killed Mahatma Gandhiji.
(a) Narayan Apte
(b) Nathuram Godse
(c) Gopal Godse
(d) None of the Above

Answer :  B

Question- _____ was the first Deputy Prime Minister of India.
(a) B R Ambedkar
(b) S C Bose
(c) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(d) C Rajaji

Answer :  C

Question. Apart from building dams, name the important sector that was focused strongly on the Second Five Year Plan
(a) Cement and fertilizer sector
(b) Heavy industries like steel
(c) Agriculture
(d) Transport

Answer :  B

Question. Dharavi, the largest slum of the world, is situated in
(a) Calcutta
(b) Chennai
(c) Delhi
(d) Mumbai

Answer :  D

Question. What promise did the Congress make in 1920s?
(a) Own nation to linguistic group
(b) Own assembly to Linguistic group
(c) Own province to Linguistic group
(d) None of these

Answer :  C

Question- _____ was against Hindi being imposed on South India.
(a) C Rajaji
(b) Sarojini Naidu
(c) T T krishnamachari
(d) S P Mukherjee

Answer :  C

Question. How many Indians formed the Constituent Assembly?
(a) One hundred
(b) Two hundred
(c) Three hundred
(d) Four hundred

Answer :  C

Question. Which Industry was set up with the help of USSR?
(a) Barauni Dairy Plant
(b) Bhilai Steel plant
(c) Tata steel plant
(d) None of these

Answer :  B

Question- ______ is the old name of Madhya Pradesh.
(a) United Province
(b) Madras
(c) Central Province
(d) Bombay

Answer :  C

Question. What is Union List?
(a) Issue related to whole nation
(b) Issue related to state
(c) Issue related to central government
(d) None of these

Answer :  A

Question. The Planning Commission designed and executed suitable policies for economic development based on a ________________ model
(a) Market economy
(b) Mixed Economy
(c) Private enterprise
(d) Public enterprise

Answer :  B

Question. Pakistan was divided into two parts because of
(a) imposition of Persian on the Bengali speaking of the east
(b) imposition of Islamic language on the Bengali speaking of the east
(c) imposition of Urdu on Bengali speaking population of the east
(d) none of the above

Answer :  D

Question- Gandhi Sagar Dam is built on ______ river.
(a) Mahi
(b) Chambal
(c) Ganga
(d) Saraswati

Answer :  B

Question. Which one of the following words/terms refer to The Right to Vote
(a) Authorisation
(b) Permission
(c) Franchise
(d) Agreement

Answer :  C

Question. Up to which date were many of the princely states retained as administrative units?
(a) Up to October 15, 1947
(b) Up to October 31, 1947
(c) Up to October 15, 1955
(d) Up to October 31, 1956

Answer :  D

Question- Bhilai Steel Plant was set up with the help of _____ in 1959.
(a) Soviet Union
(b) United States of America
(c) Britain
(d) Burma

Answer :  A

Question.Mukti Vahini was formed by the Bengali Population under the leadership of
(a) Mira Behn
(b) Muziburr Rehman
(c) Potti Sriramulu
(d) None of these

Answer :  B

Question. A series of meetings of the Constituent Assembly were held in New Delhi after Indian’s independence with different political parties for an important discussion. What was the outcome of these series of meetings?
(a) Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
(b) Stress importance to be given for vernacular languages
(c) Importance of Western education
(d) Framing of Indian Constitution

Answer :  D

Question. Who was the first Prime Minister of independent India who hoisted the Indian flag on 15 August 1947?
(a) Jawaharlal Nehru
(b) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
(c) Mahatma Gandhi
(d) Dr Rajendra Prasad

Answer :  A

CBSE Class 8 History Chapter 12 Important Questions

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1: When was the Indian Constitution adopted?
Answer: The Indian Constitution was adopted on 26 January, 1950.

2: Which step has been described as revolutionary?
Answer: All Indians above the age of 21 would be allowed to vote in state and national elections.

3: On what point did Nathuram Godse disagree with Gandhiji?
Answer: Nathuram Godse disagreed with Gandhiji’s conviction that Hindus and Muslims should live together in harmony.

4: Name two subjects of the State List.
Answer: Education and health.

5: Name two subjects of the Concurrent List.
Answer: Forests and agriculture.

6: Who was Potti Sriramulu?
Answer: He was a veteran Gandhian who went on a hunger strike demanding the formation of Andhra state to protect the interests of Telugu speakers.

7: When did the new state of Andhra Pradesh come into existence?
Answer: The new state of Andhra Pradesh came into existence on 1 October, 1953. .

8: What were the points of focus of the Second Five Year Plan?
Answer: • Development of heavy industries.
• Building of large dams.

9: How was the Bhilai Steel Plant viewed?
Answer: The Bhilai Steel Plant was viewed as an important sign of the development of modem India after Independence.

10: What was the basic objective of the foreign policy of Independent India?
Answer: The basic objective of the foreign policy of Independent India was non-alignment, i.e., the American and Soviet alliances.

11. What is meant by ‘Universal Adult Franchise’? 
Answer: Universal Adult Franchise meant that everybody above the age of 18 regardless any caste, class, religion, gender and race can have a right to vote. 

12. Who was appointed as Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution? Answer: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. 

Short Answer Type Questions

Ques 1. Mention the challenges faced by independent India. 

Answer:

• Framing a new constitution for India 
• Integration of states into the Indian union. 
• Planning for development of nation (5year plan). 
• To develop an independent foreign policy for country. 

2. After Independence why was there a reluctance to divide the country on linguistic lines? 

Answer: India had been divided on the basis of religion: despite the wishes and efforts of Gandhi, freedom had come not to one nation but to two. As a result of the partition of India, more than a million people had been killed in riots between Hindu & Muslims. 

3. What did Dr. Ambedkar mean when he said that “In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality?

Answer: Dr. Ambedkar meant that in politics everybody regardless gender, class and education will have right to vote and everybody will be equal but in social and economic life there would be great difference between high castes and low castes, rich and poor; Hindu communities and Indian who practiced different faiths. Rich people will live in multi –storied buildings and poor will live in villages. 

4. What were the major objectives of new nation? 

Answer:
1. Lifting India and Indians out of poverty by building a modern technical and industrial base
2. In 1950, the planning commission was set up to help design suitable politics for economic development. 
3. In 1956, the Second Five Year Plan was formulated. 
4. This focused strongly on the development of heavy industries such as steel, and on the building of large dams. 
5. These sectors would be under the control of the State. 

5: What created problems in unifying the people of India after it got independence?

Answer: The points that created problems were:
(a) At the time of independence, India’s population was large. It was divided too. There were divisions between high castes and low castes, between the majority Hindu community and Indians who practised other faiths.
(b) The citizen of this country spoke different languages, wore different kinds of dresses, ate different kinds of foods and practised different professions.

6: What was the label of development of India at the time it got independence?

Answer: At the time India got independence the label of its development was very low. A vast majority of Indians lived in the villages. Farmers and peasants depended on the monsoon for their survival. So did the non-farm sector of the rural economy, for if the crops failed, barbers, carpenters, weavers and other service groups would not get paid for their services either.
In the cities too the condition was not good. Factory workers usually lived in crowded slums. They had little access to education and health care.

7: What special privileges were offered for the poorest and most disadvantaged Indians by the constitution?

Answer: First of all the practice of untouchability was abolished. Hindu temples were thrown open to all including the former untouchables.

• A certain percentage of seats in legislatures as well as jobs in government were reserved for members of the lowest castes.
• Alongwith the former untouchables, the adivasis also known as the Scheduled Tribes were also granted reservation in seats and jobs. They too had been deprived and discriminated against like the Scheduled Castes.

8: How have powers and functions of the Central and State Governments been divided by the Constitution?

Answer: The Indian Constitution gives the division of power in the form of three lists, known as Union List, State List and Concurrent List. The Union List includes subjects such as taxes, defence and foreign affairs. On these subjects the central government makes the laws. The State List includes subjects such as education and health. It is the exclusive responsibility of the state government to take care of these subjects. In the last comes the Concurrent List which contains subjects such as forests and agriculture. On these subjects the Centre and the States have joint responsibility.

Women Caste and Reform MCQ Questions Class 8 Social Science with Answers

Question. Who founded the Satyashodhak Samaj?
(a) Sri Narayan Guru
(b) E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker
(c) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
(d) Jyotirao Phule

Answer : D

Question. What was the occupation of Madigas?
(a) Plantation
(b) Sewing Sandals
(c) Cleaning work
(d) None of these

Answer : B

Question. _____ were often treated as untouchables.
(a) Shudras
(b) Brahmans
(c) Teachers
(d) Traders

Answer : A

Question. Stripurushtulana was written by _____.
(a) Ramabai Ranade
(b) Begum Rokya Shakhawat Hussain
(c) Tarabai Shinde
(d) Begum Kausar Bi

Answer : C

Question. Name the social reformer who worked for the upliftment of women in Maharashtra
(a) Jyotirao Phule
(b) Rama Bai Ranade
(c) Syed Ahmed Khan
(d) Annie Besant

Answer : A

Question. Name the important women personality who wrote and published a book Stripurushtulna, criticising the social differences between men and women
(a) Sarojini Naidu
(b) Mumtaz Ali
(c) Tarabai Shinde
(d) Rama Bai Ranade

Answer : C

Question. Few important points with respect to Raja Ram Mohan Roy are given below. Select the one that is not true.
(a) Through Brahmo Samaj he attempted to reform Hindu society
(b) Rajaram Mohan Roy encouraged the study of local languages and wanted to abolish Western education.
(c) He tried to show through his writings that the practice of widow burning had no sanction in ancient texts.
(d) Rabindranath Tagore called him as the Father of Indian Renaissance

Answer : B

Question. Who was the important reformer who reinterpreted verses from the Koran to argue for women’s education
(a) Mumtaz Ali
(b) Annie Besant
(c) Rashsundari Debi
(d) Sarojini Naidu

Answer : A

Question. Raja Rammohan Roy focused on spreading ____ all over the country.
(a) Western Education
(b) religious teachings
(c) castism
(d) untouchability

Answer : A

Question. ___ questioned religious texts that supported the caste system.
(a) Haridas Thakur
(b) Narayan Swami
(c) Ghasidas
(d) Patel

Answer : A

Question. _____ was founded by Henry Derozio.
(a) Young Bengal Movement
(b) Home Rule Movement
(c) Aligarh Movement
(d) Prerna Sabha

Answer : A

Question. Among the following, which class belonged to the traders and money lenders
(a) Brahmans
(b) Shudras
(c) Vaishyas
(d) None of these

Answer : C

Question. Name the uppermost caste in the social ladder that existed in ancient India
(a) Kshatriyas
(b) Shudras
(c) Vaishyas
(d) Brahmans

Answer : D

Question. ______ was a book written by Jyotiba Phule.
(a) Abhyas
(b) Gulamgiri
(c) Stripurushtulana
(d) Harijans of India

Answer : B

Question. Women who died by burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands were called ____
(a) Suhagan
(b) Devi
(c) Sati
(d) Mata

Answer : C

Question. Paramhans Mandali was founded in 1840 to work for the:
(a) Demands of Labour
(b) Labour
(c) Plantation Workers
(d) Abolition of Caste

Answer : D

Question. Who was the founder of Arya Samaj?
(a) Rammohan Roy
(b) Balgangadhar Tilak
(c) Swami Dayanand
(d) Vivekananda

Answer : C

Question.. Name the class that belonged to the lower most strata in the social ladder of ancient India
(a) Brahmans
(b) Kshatriyas
(c) Vaishyas
(d) Shudras

Answer : A

Question. ________ encouraged widow remarriages in 19th century India.
(a) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
(b) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
(c) Narendra Nath Dutt
(d) P C Mukherjee

Answer : A

Question. Widows’ Home in Poona was established by ______
(a) Tarabai Shinde
(b) Rokeya Hussain
(c) Pandita Ramabai
(d) Savitribai Phule

Answer : C

Question. His support for women upliftment made him pass the Widow Remarriage Act of 1856. Who is being referred to here?
(a) Keshab Chandra Sen
(b) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
(c) Ishwara Chandra Vidyasagar
(d) Dadabai Naoroji

Answer : C

Question. The Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College was founded by
(a) Muhammad Ali
(b) Shaukat Ali
(c) Sayyid Ahmed Khan
(d) Deoband School

Answer : C

Question. With respect to ancient India, a list of statements related to the untouchables are given below. Point out the one that is not true.
(a) They were not allowed to draw water from the wells used by the upper castes
(b) They were not considered as inferior human beings
(c) They were not allowed to bathe in ponds where the upper caste bathed
(d) They were not allowed to enter temples

Answer : B

Question. Who translated an old Buddhist text that was critical of caste.
(a) Pandita Ramabai
(b) Tarabai Shinde
(c) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(d) Jyotirao Phule

Answer : C

Question. Under which Governor General did Raja Ram Mohan Roy initiative to ban Sati?
(a) Lord Mountbatten
(b) William Bentick
(c) Lord Dalhousie
(d) Lord Ripon

Answer : B

Question. ______ belonged to the Ezhava caste.
(a) Srinath Guru
(b) Sri Narayana Guru
(c) Haridas Thakur
(d) Ambedkar

Answer : B

Question. The slaves of Africa were made to work in _____ plantations of America.
(a) rice
(b) potato
(c) cotton
(d) coffee

Answer : C

Question. What formed the basis for the division of Indian society?
(a) Gender
(b) Castes
(c) Colour
(d) None of these

Answer : B

Question. Which samaj was founded by Jyotirao Phule?
(a) Brahmo samaj
(b) Satyashodhak Samaj
(c) Arya samaj
(d) None of these

Answer : B

Question. Indian labourers were sent to work in the plantations of ____ by the British.
(a) China
(b) Mauritius
(c) USA
(d) Kenya

Answer : B

Question. B R Ambedkar belonged to ______ caste.
(a) Mahar
(b) Brahman
(c) Gond
(d) Dubla

Answer : A

Ncert Class 8 History Chapter 9 Important Questions

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1: Why are social reformers described so?
Answer: Social reformers are described so because they felt that some changes were essential in society and unjust practices needed to be rooted out.

2: How did reformers bring changes in society?
Answer: They brought changes in society by persuading people to give up old practices and adopt a new way of life.

3: What do you mean by ‘sad’?
Answer: Widows who chose death by burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands were known as ‘sati’, meaning virtuous woman.

4: Who were known as Vaishyas?
Answer: Traders and moneylenders were known as Vaishyas.

5: Who was Raja Rammohun Roy?
Answer: Raja Rammohun Roy was a learned social reformer. He was well versed in Sanskrit, Persian and several other Indian and European languages. He raised voice against the practice of sati and got it rooted out.

6: What was hook swinging festival?
Answer: It was a popular festival in which devotees underwent a peculiar form of suffering as part of ritual worship. With hooks pierced through their skin they swung themselves on a wheel.

7: Who was Mumtaz Ali?
Answer: Mumtaz Ali was a social reformer who reinterpreted verses from the Koran to argue for the education of women.

8: Who published the book named Stripurushtulna? What is it about?
Answer: Tarabai Shinde published Stripurushtulna. It is about the social differences between men and women.

9: How did widow’s home at Poona help the widows?
Answer: It trained them so that they could manage financial support for themselves.

10: What was the contribution of Christian missionaries in spreading education among tribal groups and lower castes?
Answer: These missionaries set up schools for tribal groups and lower caste children. Here, they were equipped with some skills to make their way into a new world.

11: Why do people view leather workers with contempt?
Answer: Leather workers work with dead animals which are seen as dirty and polluting. Hence, people see them with contempt.

12: Who were Madigas?
Answer: They were experts at cleaning hides, tanning them for use and sewing sandals.

13: Who were Shudras?
Answer: They belonged to labouring castes.

14: Who were Ati Shudras?
Answer: They were untouchables.

15: What was the Satyashodhak Samaj? Who founded it?
Answer: The Satyashodhak Samaj was an association that propagated caste equality. It was founded by Jyotirao Phule.

16: Why did E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker leave the Congress?
Answer: He left the congress because he found nationalists adhering to caste distinctions. At a feast organised by them, the lower castes were made to sit at a distance from the upper castes.

17: Name the Hindu scriptures which were criticised by Periyar.
Answer: The codes of Manu, the ancient lawgiver and the Bh^gavad Gita and the Ramayana.

18: Why were untouchable students not allowed to enter the classrooms where upper-caste boys were taught?
Answer: There was a false notion among the upper-caste that untouchables would pollute the rooms where their children were taught.

Short Answer Type Questions

1: What did Raja Rammohun Roy do to end the practice of sati?

Answer: Raja Rammohan Roy was a great social reformer. He moved to see the tyranny of old practices that were deeply rooted in the Indian society. Burning of widows on the funeral pyre of their husbands was one such old practice which, Rammohan Roy felt, needed to be rooted out immediately. He began a campaign against this. As he had deep knowledge of Sanskrit, Persian and several other Indian and European languages, die tried to show through his writings that the practice of sati had no sanction in ancient texts. He got support from the British officials who had also begun to criticise Indian traditions and customs by the early 19th century. Finally, in 1829, the practice of sati was banned.

2: Give an account of the movement that spread in different parts of the country in favour of widow remarriage. Did the movement get success?

Answer: The movement in favour of widow remarriage spread in different parts of the country by the second half of the 19th century. Veerasalingam Pantulu formed an association for widow remarriage in the Telugu- speaking areas of the Madras Presidency. Around the same time young intellectuals and reformers in Bombay pledged themselves to work for the same cause. In the north the founder of the Arya Samaj Swami Dayanand Saraswati also supported widow remarriage.

However, the movement did not get much success. The number of widows who actually remarried remained low. Those who remarried were not easily accepted in the society. The conservative people never approved the new law.

3: What do you know about Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai? What did they do for improving the condition of women?

Answer: Tarabai Shindewas a woman who got education at home at Poona. She is better known for publishing a book named Stripurushtulna meaning a comparison between women and men. She, in this book, criticises the social differences between men and women. Pandita Ramabai was a great scholar of Sanskrit. She found Hinduism very oppressive towards women and wrote a book about the pathetic condition of Hindu women belonging to upper caste. She started a widow’s home at Poona to provide shelter to widows who had been maltreated by their husband’s relatives. Here women were given training to make them self-dependent.

4: Give a brief description of movements that were organised by people from within the lower castes against caste discrimination.

Answer: By the second half of the 19th century, people from within the lower castes began to raise voice against caste discrimination. They organised movements against this practice and demanded social equality and justice. The Satnami movement became famous in Central India. It was initiated by Ghasidas, who came from a low caste, worked among the leather workers and organised a movement to improve their social status.

In Eastern Bengal, Haridas Thakur’s Matua sect worked among low caste Chandala cultivators. Haridas questioned Brahmanical texts that supported the caste discrimination. Shri Narayana Guru belonged to Ezhavas, a low caste in present-day Kerala. He proclaimed the ideals unity of all people within one sect, a single caste and one god. By organising these movements the leaders coming from low-caste tried to create awareness amongst the lower castes.

5: Who was E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker? What, did he do to improve the condition of the untouchables?

Answer: E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker belonged to a middle-class family. He had been an ascetic in his early life and had studied Sanskrit scriptures carefully. Afterwards, he became a member of the Congress but quit it when he found that at a feast organised by nationalists, seating arrangements followed caste discrimination, i.e., the lower castes were made to sit at a distance from the upper-castes. He founded Self Respect Movement which inspired untouchables to fight for their dignity. He argued that untouchables were the true upholders of an original Tamil and Dravidian culture which had been subjugated by Brahmans. He felt that all religious authorities saw social divisions and inequality as God-given. Untouchables had to free themselves from all religions to achieve equal social status.

Long Answer Type Questions

1: Why were changes necessary in Indian society?

Answer: Indian society had been a prey to many evil practices for a long time. Men and women were treated differently. Women were subjected to many restrictions. They were not allowed to go to schools. They were not allowed to choose their husbands. Child-marriage was an established custom in the society. Most children were married off at an earl age. Both Hindu and Muslim men could many more than one wife. In some parts of the country, sati was in practice. Those widows were praised who chose death by burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands. Women’s rights to property were also restricted.

One more evil practice that had crippled Indian society was that all people did not enjoy equal status. The upper-caste, consisted of Brahmans and Kshatriyas, availed all privileges. But other than these people were subjected to exploitation. The untouchables, who did menial works, were considered polluting. They were not allowed to enter temples, draw water from the well used by the upper castes. They were seen as inferior human beings.

These evil customs and practices had eclipsed the progress of society. Hence, debates and discussions began to take place from the early 19th century, with the development of new forms of communications. For the first time, books, newspapers, magazines, leaflets and pamphlets were printed. They spread awareness among the common mass.
Social reformers like Raja Rammohun Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, came forward and took initiatives to bring changes in society by abolishing the evil practices one after Another.

2: How did women involve themselves in their upliftment?

Answer: By the end of the 19th century, Indian women themselves began to work for their upliftment. They began to get higher education in universities. Some of them trained to be doctors, some became teachers. Many women began to write and publish their critical views on the status of women in society. The name of Tarabai Shinde is worth-mentioning here. She got education at home at Poona. She published a book, Stripurushtulna, meaning a comparison between men and women. She criticised the social differences between men and women. Another woman, Pandita Ramabai, was a great scholar of Sanskrit.

She criticised Hinduism which was so oppressive towards women. She wrote a book about the miserable lives of upperrcaste Hindu women. She established a widow home at Poona to provide shelter to widows who had been ill-treated in their families. From the early 20 th century, Muslim women such the Begums of Bhopal and Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain played active role in spreading education among Muslim girls. They founded schools for them. Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossairi fearlessly criticised the conservative ideas. She argued that religious leaders of every faith accorded an inferior position to women.

The orthodox Hindus and Muslims got alarmed to see all this. Several Hindu nationalists felt that Hindu women were adopting Western ways which would corrupt Hindu culture and erode family values. Orthodox Muslims were equally worried about the impact of these changes. Unaware of all these, women, from the early 20th century, began to form political associations, pressure groups to push through laws for female suffrage and better health care and education for them. Some of them even joined various kinds of nationalist and socialist movements from the 1920s.

Civilising the Native Educating the Nation MCQ Questions Class 8 Social Science with Answers

Question.William Jones was a linguist because
(a) he had studied Greek and Latin
(b) he knew French and English
(c) he had learnt Persian
(d) all of these

Answer : D

Question. Who started the journal Asiatick Researches?
(a) Henry Thomas Colebrooke
(b) Warren Hastings
(c) William Jones
(d) Max Muller

Answer : C

Question. The Education Act was introduced in the year
(a) 1850
(b) 1835
(c) 1910
(d) 1900

Answer : B

Question. The English Education Act was passed
(a) to materialise Macaulay’s thinking
(b) to make the English the medium of instruction for higher education
(c) to stop the promotion of oriental institutions
(d) all of the above

Answer : D

Question. Name the person who arrived in Calcutta in 1783 and was appointed as junior judge at the Supreme Court.
(a) Warren Hastings
(b) Lord Comwalis
(c) William Jones
(d) Henry Thomas

Answer : C

Question. Tagore wanted to combine the elements of ……………………. with traditional Indian Education.
(a) Eastern Education
(b) Western Education
(c) religious education
(d) Local education

Answer : B

Question. Name the person who was a part of the Scottish missionary who helped to establish the Serampore Mission
(a) Hudson Taylor
(b) Andrew Fuller
(c) William Carry
(d) William Ward

Answer : C

Question. Charles Wood despatch was also known as:
(a) Wood’s Despatch
(b) Wood’s Commission
(c) Macaulay Committee
(d) Court of Directors

Answer : A

Question. …………………… had argued that English education had enslaved Indians
(a) Mahatma Gandhi
(b) Raja Rammohan Roy
(c) Sardar Patel
(d) Rasbehari Bose

Answer : A

Question- A person who knows and studies several languages is known as
(a) teacher
(b) multi-talented
(c) linguist
(d) learner

Answer : C

Question- _______ was an English official who had deep respect for the Indian culture.
(a) Henry Colebrook
(b) James Warren
(c) Bruce Jones
(d) Paul Henry

Answer : A

Question. How did the European learning improve the moral character of Indians?
(a) It would expand the trade and commerce
(b) It would make them truthful and honest
(c) It would make the Indians realize the importance of developing resources of the country
(d) It would make them change their tastes and desires and create a demand for British goods

Answer : D

Question- Wood’s Dispatch for ‘Education for Commerce’ in India was introduced by ____.
(a) Charles Wood
(b) William Wood
(c) Henry Wood
(d) Archie Wood

Answer : A

Question. Three Englishmen were busy discovering the ancient Indian heritage and mastering Indian languages. One was Willam Jones and another Henry Thomas Colebrooke. Name the third person
(a) Max Muller
(b) Nathaniel Halhed
(c) Warren Hastings
(d) Henry Thomas Colebrooke

Answer : B

Question. Name the important scholar who studied Sanskrit and found it to be the most scientific language of the world. He also translated the important works Shakuntala and Manusmriti into English
(a) Charles Wood
(b) William Jones
(c) Nathaniel Halhed
(d) Max Muller

Answer : B

Question- Until 1813, East India Company was opposed to the _______ in India.
(a) missionary activities
(b) religious function
(c) education
(d) trade

Answer : A

Question. Asiatick Researches (Journal) was not started by
(a) William jones
(b) Henry Thomas Colebrooke
(c) Nathaniel Halhed
(d) William Carey

Answer : D

Question- _____ toured Bihar and Bengal in the 1830s to prepare a report on Education in vernacular schools.
(a) William Woods
(b) William Adams
(c) Robert Clive
(d) Thomas Bell

Answer : B

Question- ___ was a Scottish Missionary who helped to establish Serampore Mission.
(a) William Carey
(b) Thomas Woods
(c) Paul Derik
(d) James Watt

Answer : A

Question. What would you call a person who knows several languages ?
(a) Biographer
(b) Linguist
(c) Biolinguist
(d) Translator

Answer : B

Question- Wood’s Dispatch was introduced in _____.
(a) 1854
(b) 1855
(c) 1845
(d) 1839

Answer : A

Question. A Single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia. Who said these words?
(а) Wlliam Bentick
(b) James Mill
(c) Thomas Carlyle
(d) Thomas Babington Macaulay

Answer : D

Question- _______ started Shantiniketan in 1901.
(a) Rabindranath Tagore
(b) Subhash Chandra Bose
(c) Aurbindo Ghosh
(d) R C Mukherjee

Answer : A

Question. The temples of darkness that were falling of themselves into decay. Who said these words about the Calcutta Madrasa and Benares Sanskrit College?
(a) Lord William Bentick
(b) Lord Dalhousie
(c) Lord Ripon
(d) Lord Macaulay

Answer : D

Question- _______ first started setting up schools exclusively for girls’ education.
(a) Christian missionaries
(b) Indian pandits
(c) Company
(d) Local government

Answer : A

Question. Which year was the English education Act introduced in India?
(a) 1800
(b) 1900
(c) 1835
(d) 1880

Answer : C

Question. Who set up Asiatic Society of Bengal?
(a) William Jones
(b) Henry Thomas Colebrooke
(c) Nathaniel Halhed
(d) All of the above

Answer : D

Question. Some comments about the Orientalist Vision of Learning by the British are given below. Select the one that is not applicable to this particular style of learning.
(a) British argued that the aim of education ought to be to teach what was useful and practical.
(b) British argued that it is not advisable to encourage the study of Arabic and Sanskrit language and literature
(c) British said that knowledge of the east was full of errors and unscientific thoughts
(d) British observed that Western literature was non-serious and light hearted.

Answer : D

Question. Warren Hastings took the initiative to set up a Madras at one of the important cities of India and believed that the ancient customs of the country and Oriental learning ought to be the basis of British rule in India. Which city is being referred to here ?
(a) Pondicherry
(b) Madras
(c) Calcutta
(d) Bombay

Answer : C

Question. What does the Arabic word Madrasa refer to?
(a) A place of learning, a school or college
(b) A place of worship
(c) A mine
(d) A factory

Answer : A

CBSE Class 8 History Chapter 8 Important Questions

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1: Name the different languages that William Jones studied.
Answer: Greek, Latin, English, French, Arabic and Persian.

2: Why was Calcutta Madrasa set up?
Answer: Calcutta Madrasa was set up to promote the study of Arabic, Persian and Islamic law.

3: Why was the Hindu College established in Benaras?
Answer: The Hindu College was established in Benaras to encourage the study of ancient Sanskrit texts that would be useful for the. administration of the country.

4: Name two individuals who sharply attacked the Orientalists.
Answer: James Mill and Thomas Babington Macaulay.

5: What did Thomas Macaulay urge the British government in India?
Answer: Thomas Macaulay urged the British government in India to stop wasting public money in promoting Oriental learning for it was of no practical use.

6: How were Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and Benaras Sanskrit College viewed by the British?
Answer: These Oriental institutions were viewed as temples of darkness that were falling of themselves into decay.

7: Name the places where the British established universities.
Answer. Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.

8: Where were classes held under the system of pathshalas?
Answer: Classes were held under a banyan tree or in the comer of a village shop or temple or at the guru’s home.

9: What type of education was given to the children in pathshalas? 
Answer: Children were given oral education in pathshalas.

10: Why were classes not held during harvest time? 
Answer: It was because rural children had to work in the fields during harvest time.

11: What task was assigned to the pandit by the Company?
Answer: The Company assigned the pandit to visit the pathshalas and try to improve the standard of teaching.

12: Name two Indians who reacted against Western education.
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

13: What do you mean by Tagore’s abode of peace?
Answer: Tagore’s Shantmiketan was established in a rural setting, 100 kilometres away from Calcutta. As it was far from the din and bustle of the city it was an abode of peace.

14: How did Tagore view his school namely Shantmiketan?
Answer: He viewed his school as an abode of peace where living in harmony with nature, children would cultivate their natural creativity.

15. Why did the British decide to educate the Indians? 

Answer: The British in India wanted not only territorial conquest and control over revenues. They also felt that they had a cultural mission: they had to “civilize the natives”, change their customs and values. 

Short Answer Type Questions

1: Why did many Company officials in India want to promote Indian rather than Western learning?

Answer: Many Company officials felt that institutions should be set up to encourage the study of ancient Indian texts and teach Sanskrit and Persian literature and poetry. These officials were of the opinion that Hindus and Muslims ought to be taught what they were already familiar with and what they valued and preserved, not subjects that were alien to them. They believed that only by doing this the British could win the hearts of the Indians, only then they could expect to be respected by their subjects.

2: What were the views of other Company officials?

Answer: Other Company officials did not approve the ideas of the Orientalists. They began to criticise the Orientalist- vision of learning. They saved that the knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific thought. They saw Eastern literature as non-serious and light-hearted. So, they argued that it was wrong on the part of the British to spend so much effort in encouraging the study of Arabic and Sanskrit language and literature.

3: Define the term ‘vernacular’. Why did the British use this term in colonial countries like India?

Answer: The term Vernacular’ refers to a local language or dialect as distinct from what is known as the standard language.
In colonial countries like India, the British used this term to mark the difference between the local languages of everyday use and English, the language of the imperial masters.

4: What measures were taken by the English Education Act of 1835?

Answer: The following measures were taken under the English Education Act 1835:
(a) English was made the medium of instruction for higher education.
(b) Promotion of Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and Benaras Sanskrit College was stopped. These institutions were seen as temples of darkness that were falling of themselves into decay.
(c) English textbooks began to be produced for schools.

5: What measures were taken by the British after issuing of Wood’s Despatch?

Answer: Following measures were taken:
(a) Education departments of the government were set up to extend
control over all matters regarding education.
(fa) A system of universities education was introduced. Universities were established in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
(c) Attempts were also made to bring about changes within the system of school education.

6: How were the views of Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi on the West different?

Answer: Both Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi thought about education in similar ways. But there were differences too. Gandhiji was highly critical of Western civilisation and its worship of machines and technology. Tagore wanted to combine elements of modem Western civilisation with what he saw as the best within Indian tradition. He emphasised the need to teach science and technology at Shantiniketan alongwith art, music and dance.

7. Why did Mahatma Gandhi want to teach children handicraft? 

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi wanted to teach children handicraft because that would develop their minds and their capacity to understand. This would also enable them to know how different things operated. This would help them to have lived experience and practical knowledge. 

Long Answer Type Questions

1: What was Wood’s Despatch? What were its provisions?

Answer: The Court of Directors of the East India Company in London sent an educational despatch to the Governor- General in India in the year 1854. As the despatch was issued by Charles Wood, the President of the Board of Control of the Company, it came to be known as Wood’s Despatch. ‘Wood’s Despatch outlined the educational policy that was to be followed in India. It criticised the Oriental knowledge and emphasised the need of European learning.

The Despatch made it clear that European learning would enable Indians to recognise the benefits that would flow from the expansion of trade and commerce. It would also make them see the importance of developing country’s resources. Indians needed to adopt European ways of life because this would change their tastes and desires and create a demand for British goods.

Wood’s Despatch further argued that European learning would improve the moral character of the people of India. It would make them honest and reliable and thus supply trusted civil servants to the Company.

The Despatch strongly criticised the literature of the East because it was full of errors and unable to instill in people a sense of duty and a commitment to work.

2: What measures were undertaken by the Company to improve the system of vernacular education?
Or
How were the irregularities of pathshalas checked by the Company?

Answer: There were no rules and regulations in pathshalas. Hence, the Company decided to improve the entire system. It took several measures:
(a) It appointed a number of government pandits, each in charge of looking after four to five schools. The task of the pandit was to visit the pathshalas and try and improve the standard of teaching.
(b) Each guru was asked to submit periodic reports and take classes according to a regular time table.
(c) Teaching was now to be based on textbooks and learning was to be tested through a system of annual examination.
(d) Students were asked to pay a regular fee, attend regular classes, sit on fixed seats, and obey the new rules of discipline.

3: What type of education did Mahatma Gandhi want in India?

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi never approved English education because it had created a feeling of inferiority in the minds of millions of Indians. In fact he wanted an education that could help the people of India restore their sense of dignity and self-respect. During the time of the national movement he urged students to leave educational institutions to show the British that they could no longer enslave Indians.

Mahatma Gandhi never wanted English to be the medium of teaching. Instead he thought that students ought to be taught in the medium of Indian languages. Education in English crippled the people of India. It distanced them from their own surroundings. It made them alien in their own lands. Hence, he felt that English education ought not to flourish in India any more.

He urged that education ought to develop a person’s mind and soul. Simply learning to read and write did not matter at all. People had to learn a craft and know how different things operated. This would definitely develop their mind and their capacity to understand.

4: Write a note on Rabindranath Tagore and his school Shantiniketan.

Answer: Rabindranath Tagore, like Mahatma Gandhi, also did not approve Western education wholeheartedly. At the time when several Indians urged the British to open more and more schools, colleges and universities in order to spread English education in India, Rabindranath Tagore reacted strongly against such education.

He was a great educationist But he hated going to school because he saw it oppressive. In fact he wanted to establish a school where the children were happy and were free to explore their thoughts and desires without feeling any suppression. He advocated for giving children natural surroundings where they would be able to cultivate their natural creativity.

Keeping the above ideals in mind, Rabindranath Tagore established Shantiniketan in the year 1901. He regarded it as an ‘abode of peace’. He set up his school 100 kilometres away from Calcutta, in a rural setting in order to provide children a very peaceful environment. Here, they could develop their imagination and creativity. Tagore was of the opinion that existing schools were killing the natural desires of the children to be creative. Hence, it was necessary to help them develop their curiosity by providing them good teachers who could understand them. By establishing an institution like Shantiniketan he did a great job in the field of education.

5. Who was William Jones? 

Answer: 

• In 1783, a person named William Jones arrived in Calcutta. He had an appointment as a junior judge at the Supreme Court that the company had set up. In addition to being an expert in law, Jones was a linguist. 
• He had studied Greek and Latin at Oxford knew French and English, had picked up Arabic from a friend, and had also learnt Persian. 
• At Calcutta, he began spending many hours a day with pandits who taught him the subtleties of Sanskrit language, grammar and poetry. 
• Jones discovered the ancient Indian heritage, mastered and Persian works into English. He had set upped the Asiatic society of Bengal and started a journal called Asiatic’ Researchers. 
• He shared deep respect for ancient cultures, both of India and West. 

6. Describe the attitude of Colebrook towards India. 

Answer: 

• Colebrook came to represent a particular attitude forwards India. 
• He had a deep respect for ancient cultures, both of India and the West Indian civilization. 
• He felt, had attained its glory in the ancient past, but had subsequently declined. 
• In order to understand India it was necessary to discover the sacred and legal texts that were produced in the ancient period. 
• For only those texts could reveal the real ideas and laws of the Hindus and Muslims, and only a new study of these texts could form the basis of future development in India. 
• Colebrook went about discovering ancient texts, understanding their meaning translating them, and making their findings known to others. 
• This project, he believed, would not help Indians rediscover their own heritage, and understand the lost glories of their past. In this process, the British would become the guardians of Indian culture as well as its masters. 

7. When was English Education Act introduced and what were its features? 

Answer: The English Education Act was introduced in 1835. It was introduced by Macaulay It’s features were:

English was made the medium of instruction for higher education. English textbook began to be produced for schools. And to stop the promotion of Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and Banaras Sanskrit College. These institutions were seen as “temples of darkness that were falling of themselves into decay”. 

8. What were Gandhi’s view on British Education? 
Or 
Why did Mahatma Gandhi think that English education has enslaved Indians? 

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi argued that colonial education created a sense of inferiority in the minds of Indians. It made them see Western civilization as superior, and destroyed the pride they had in their own culture. 

There was poison in this education, said Mahatma Gandhi, it was sinful, it enslaved. Indians, it cast an evil spell on them.  Mahatma Gandhi wanted an education that could help Indians recover their sense of dignity and self – respect.  During the national movement he urged students to leave educational institutions in order to show the British that Indians were no longer willing to be enslaved. 

Education in English crippled Indians, distanced them from their own social surroundings, and made them “strangers in their own lands”. Speaking a foreign tongue, despising local culture, the English educated did not know how to relate to the masses. 

Western education, Mahatma Gandhi said, focused on reading and writing rather than oral knowledge; it valued textbooks rather than lived experience and practical knowledge.  He argued that education ought to develop a person’s mind and soul.

9. Write a short note on Tagore’s “abode of peace”. 

Answer: Tagore wanted to set up a school where the child was happy, where she could be free and creative, where she was able to explore her own thoughts and desires. Tagore felt that childhood ought to be a time of self –learning, outside the rigid and restricting discipline of the schooling system set up by the British. Teachers had to be imaginative, understand the child, and help the  child develop her curiosity. According to Tagore, the existing schools killed the natural desire of the child to be creative, her sense of wonder. Tagore was of the view that creative learning could be encouraged only within a natural environment. So he chose to set up his school 100 kilometers away from Calcutta, in a rural 

10. Why did William Jones feel the need to study Indian history, philosophy and law? 

Answer: 

• Jones shared a deep respect for ancient cultures, both of India and the West. Indian civilization, he felt, had attained its glory in the ancient past, but had subsequently declined. 
• In order to understand India it was necessary to discover the sacred and legal texts that were produced in the ancient period. 
• For only those texts could reveal the real ideas and laws of the Hindus and Muslims and only a new study of these texts could form the basis of future development in India. 

11. Why did James Mill and Thomas Macaulay think that European education was essential in India? 

Answer: James Mill thought that the British effort should met be to teach what the natives wanted, or what they respected in order to please them and “win a peace in their heart”. 

James Mill and Thomas Macaulay thought that European education would enable Indians to recognize the advantages that flow from the expansion of trade and commerce and make them see the importance of developing the resources of the country. 

• Introducing European ways of life would change their tastes and desires and create a demand for British goods, because Indians would begin to appreciate and buy things that were produced in Europe. 
• It would also improve the moral character of Indians. It would make them truthful and honest and thus supply the company with civil servants who could be trusted and demanded upon. It could also instill in people a sense of duty and commitment to work and develop the skills required for administration. 
• Macaulay felt that knowledge of English would allow Indians to read some of the finest literature the world had produced. It would make them aware of the developments in Western Science and philosophy. Teaching of English could civilize peoplesetting. He saw it as an abode of peace (santiniketan), where living in harmony with nature, children could cultivate their natural creativity. 

12. What according to the British was their responsibility towards India? 

Answer: They felt that institutions should be set up to encourage the study of ancient Indian texts and teach Sanskrit and Persian literature and poetry. The officials also thought that Hindus and Muslims ought to be taught what they were already familiar and what they valued and treasured 

not subjects that were alien to them. Only them, they believed, could the British hope to win a place in the hearts of the “native”, only them could the alien rubbers expect to be respected by their subjects. 

13. Mention the two schools of thought which wanted to introduce education in India? 

Answer: They felt that institutions should be set up to encourage the study of ancient Indian texts and teach Sanskrit and Persian literature and poetry. The officials also thought that Hindus and Muslims ought to be taught what they were already familiar and what they valued and treasured 

not subjects that were alien to them. Only then, they believed could the British hope to win a place in the hearts of the “native”, only then could the alien rulers expect to be respected by their subjects. 

14. Describe the differences of opinion between the orientalists and the anglicists. 

Answer: 

ORIENTALISTS 

• Orientalists thought in order to understand India it was necessary to discover the sacred and legal texts that were produced in the ancient period. 
• They thought that Eastern education would help Indian rediscover their own heritage and understand the lost geories of their past as well as it would help the British become the guardians of Indian culture and masters. 
• They also believed for the British, in order to win a place in the hearts of the “natives”. Indians ought to be taught what they were already familiarwith once what they valued not subjects that were have to them.

ANGLICISTS 

• Anglicists said that knowledge of the East were full of errors and unscientific thought, Eastern literature was won –serious and light hearted. 
• Anglicist thought the aim of educations ought to be teach what was useful and practical. So Indians should be made familiar with the scientific and technical advances that the had made. 
• They felt that knowledge of English would make the Indians aware of the developments in Western science and philosophy. Teaching of English could this be a way of civilizing people, changing their castes, values and culture. 

15. What steps did the East India Company take to improve the system of vernacular educations? 

Answer:

1. East India Company appointed a number of government pundits, each in charge of looking after four to five schools 
2. The task of the pundit was to visit the path shapes and try and improve the standard of teaching. Each guru was asked to submit periodic reports and take classes according to a regular timetable. 
3. Teaching was now based on textbooks and learning was tested through annual examination. 
4. Students were asked to pay regular fees, attend regular classes, sit on fixed seats and obey the new rules of discipline. 
5. Pathshalas which accepted the new rules were supported through government grants. Those who were unwilling to work within the new system received no government support

Weavers Iron Smelters and Factory Owners MCQ Questions Class 8 Social Science with Answers

Question. _______ on the West coast was one of the important sources of trade from Indian Ocean in the early 17th century.
(a) Bombay
(b) Surat
(c) Kozhikode
(d) Kandla

Answer : B

Question. Which type of cloth considers Chintz, cossaes, khassa, bandanna?
(a) Silk cloth
(b) Jute cloth
(c) Cotton coloured cloth
(d) Printed cotton cloth

Answer : D

Question. Why was the Indian textiles popular ?
(a) By its fine quality
(b) By its cheap price
(c) By its fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship
(d) By its exquisite craftsmanship

Answer : C

Question. Before 1750, ____ was the largest producer of cotton textiles in the world.
(a) India
(b) Britain
(c) Burma
(d) China

Answer : A

Question. The Europeans started using the term Chintz, derived from the Hindi word Chhint. What is the meaning of Chhint?
(a) A weaver
(b) A cloth made of silk
(c) A cloth with small and colourful flowery designs.
(d) An order ready to be shipped to Britain

Answer : C

Question. _____ was a major centre of weaving in 18th century Madhya Pradesh.
(a) Bhopal
(b) Burhanpur
(c) Nimach
(d) Gwaliar

Answer : B

Question. Who are Agaria?
(a) Person carrying Cotton
(b) Person carrying wood
(c) Person carrying iron ore
(d) None of these

Answer : C

Question. Printed cotton textiles were known as ____ in England.
(a) Chintz
(b) Odhni
(c) Bandhana
(d) Muslin

Answer : A

Question. ______ was a major centre of silk production as Company had started trading in India.
(a) Benaras
(b) Sangner
(c) Madura
(d) Ceylon

Answer : A

Question. Tipu sultan’s sword is made up of which metal?
(a) Wood
(b) Wootz
(c) Glass
(d) None of these

Answer : B

Question. _______ weavers were based in North India.
(a) Tanti
(b) Momin
(c) Devang
(d) Harijan

Answer : B

Question. Name the person who invented Spinning Jenny?
(a) Andrew Kay
(b) Thomas Kay
(c) James Kay
(d) John Kaye

Answer : D

Question. _______ weavers belonged to South India.
(a) Julaha
(b) Momin
(c) Kaikollars
(d) Tanti

Answer : C

Question. Which country from 1850’s came to be known as ‘workshop of the world’?
(a) England
(b) India
(c) Japan
(d) Africa

Answer : A

Question. It is believed that the word calico is derived from the name of a particular place in Kerala. Identify the place.
(a) Calicut
(b) Cochin
(c) Chittur
(d) Cannanore

Answer : A

Question. Specialized block prints used by weavers was known as
(a) Tanti
(b) Chhipigars
(c) Rangrez
(d) Solvyns

Answer : B

Question. Who invented the spinning jenny?
(a) Richard Ark Wright
(b) James Hargreaves
(c) James Thomas
(d) None of these

Answer : B

Question. In Western India, _____ emerged as one of the important sources of weaving during the late 19th century.
(a) Sholapur
(b) Madurai
(c) Bombay
(d) Kolhapur

Answer : A

Question. Name the machine that increased the productivity of the traditional spindles in textile industry
(a) Spinning engine
(b) Flying shuttle
(c) Steam engine
(d) Spinning Jenny

Answer : D

Question. As their work dried up, few weavers went on to work in plantations of ______
(a) Australia
(b) Japan
(c) America
(d) Europe

Answer : C

Question. Which of the following was woven in Surat, Ahmedabad and Patan and valued in Indonesia?
(a) Patola
(b) Muslin
(c) Calico
(d) Jamdani

Answer : A

Question. Name the important weavers of Northern India from the following list
(a) Sale
(b) Devangs
(c) Julahas
(d) Kaikollar

Answer : C

Question. The cheap textiles imported from _____ gave stiff competition to Indian textiles.
(a) Britain
(b) China
(c) Ceylon
(d) Africa

Answer : A

Question. Which one of the following does Muslin refer to?
(a) A type of coffee
(b) A fine cotton fabric
(c) A piece of metal
(d) A type of cultivation

Answer : B

Question. ______ saw its first cotton mill in 1861.
(a) Delhi
(b) Cochin
(c) Ahemdabad
(d) Madras

Answer : C

Question. A few statements pertaining to the weavers of India are given below. Identify the one that is not True with respect to the weavers.
(a) Weavers often belonged to the communities that specialized in weaving.
(b) Weaving provided livelihood for many Indians
(c) The tanti weavers, julahas are some of the important weavers.
(d) Weaving skills were not passed on from one generation to another

Answer : D

Question. Kanpur had its first cotton mill in ______
(a) 1862
(b) 1865
(c) 1861
(d) 1860

Answer : C

Question. ……………. cloth had a large market in Europe.
(a) Chintz
(b) Patola
(c) Jamdani
(d) None of these

Answer : A

Question. TISCO expanded steel production during the
(a) First World War
(b) Second World War
(c) Third World War
(d) None of these

Answer : A

Question. Michael Faraday spent four years in studying
(a) the property of Indian steel
(b) the ancient Indian culture
(c) the properties of Indian Wootz
(d) none of these

Answer : C

Question. Apart from the English, who were the other traders who benefitted and traded the Indian textiles?
(a) Dutch and French
(b) Greek and Chinese
(c) Chinese
(d) West Indians

Answer : A

Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Class 8 History Extra Questions and Answers

Very Short Answer Type Question

1. During which period patola weaving was famous?

Answer: Patola weaving was famous in mid-nineteenth century.

2. Why were bellows used?

Answer: Bellows were used for pumping air that kept the charcoal burning.

3. When and where was the first cotton mill set up in India?

Answer: The first cotton mill in India was set up as a spinning mill in Bombay in 1854.

4. What were piece goods?

Answer: Piece goods were usually woven cloth pieces that were 20 yards long and 1 yard wide.

5. What is Jamdani?

Answer: Jamdani is a fine muslin on which decorative motifs are woven on the loom, typically in grey and white.

6. Why were Indian textiles renowned in the world?

Answer: Indian textiles had long been renowned both for their fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship.

7. What were the most important centres of jamdani weaving?

Answer: The most important centres of jamdani weaving were Dacca in Bengal and Lucknow in the United Provinces.

8. Name the place where chintz was produced during the mid- nineteenth century?

Answer: Chintz was produced in Masulipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, in mid-nineteenth century.

9. How did the European trading companies purchase cotton and silk textiles in India?

Answer: European trading companies purchased cotton and silk textiles in India by importing silver.

10. What did Mahatma Gandhi urge people during national movement?

Answer: During the national movement, Mahatma Gandhi urged people to boycott imported textiles and use hand-spun and hand woven cloth.

11. What made Britain the foremost industrial nation in the nineteenth century?

Answer: Mechanised production of cotton textiles made Britain the foremost industrial nation in the nineteenth century.

12. How did Indian cotton factories prove to be helpful during the First World War?

Answer: During the First World War when textile imports from Britain declined and Indian factories were called upon to produce cloth for military supplies.

13. Name two towns emerged as important new centres of weaving in the late nineteenth century.

Answer: Sholapur in western India and Madura in South India emerged as important new centres of weaving in the late nineteenth century.

14. Why were printed Indian cotton textiles popular in England?
Or
Why there was craze for printed Indian cotton textiles in England and Europe?

Answer: There was craze for printed Indian cotton textiles in England and Europe mainly for their exquisite floral designs, fine texture and relative cheapness.

15. What was special about Tipu Sultan sword?
Or
Why was Tipu’s sword so special?

Answer: Tipu’s sword was made from special type of high carbon steel called Wootz. Wootz steel when made into swords produced a very sharp edge with a flowing water pattern.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Write a short note on Patola weave.

Answer: Patola weave came into existence in mid-nineteenth century. Patola was woven in Surat, Ahmedabad and Patan. Highly valued in Indonesia, it became part of the local weaving tradition there.

2. What kinds of cloth had a large market in Europe?

Answer: Indian textiles had long been renowned both for their fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Printed cotton cloths called chintz, cossaes (or khassa) and bandanna had a large market in Europe.

3. What is smelting?

Answer: Smelting is the process of obtaining a metal from rock (or soil) by heating it to a very high temperature, or of melting objects made from metal in order to use the metal to make something new.

4. What came to be called ‘calico’?

Answer: When the Portuguese first came to India in search of spices they landed in Calicut on the Kerala coast in south-west India. The cotton textiles which they took back to Europe, along with the spices, came to be called “calico” (derived from Calicut).

5. Why Britain came to be known as the workshop of the world?

Answer: Mechanised production of cotton textiles made Britain the foremost industrial nation in the nineteenth century. And when its iron and steel industry started growing from the 1850s, Britain came to be known as the “workshop of the world”.

6. What is bandanna?

Answer: The word bandanna now refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. Originally, the term derived from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying), and referred to a variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying.

7. How were Indian textiles viewed in the world market?
Or
Mention the importance of Indian textiles in the world market.

Answer: Indian textiles had long been renowned both for their fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship. They were extensively traded in Southeast Asia and West and Central Asia. From the sixteenth century European trading companies began buying Indian textiles for sale in Europe.

8. Who were weavers? Name some communities famous for weaving?

Answer: Weavers often belonged to communities that specialized in weaving. Their skills were passed on from one generation to the next. The tanti weavers of Bengal, the julahas or momin weavers of north India, sale and kaikollar and devangs of south India are some of the communities famous for weaving.

9. Who are the Agaria? Why did they leave their village?

Answer: The Agaria were an Indian community of iron smelters. In the late nineteenth century a series of famines devastated the dry tracts of India. In Central India, many of the Agaria iron smelters stopped work, deserted their villages and migrated, looking for some other work to survive the hard times. A large number of them never worked their furnaces again.

10. What was Calico Act?

Answer: By the early eighteenth century, worried by the popularity of Indian textiles, wool and silk makers in England began protesting against the import of Indian cotton textiles. In 1720, the British government enacted a legislation banning the use of printed cotton textiles – chintz – in England. Interestingly, this Act was known as the Calico Act.

11. What happened to the weavers and spinners who lost their livelihood?

Answer: Many weavers became agricultural labourers. Some migrated to cities in search of work, and yet others went out of the country to work in plantations in Africa and South America. Some of these handloom weavers also found work in the new cotton mills that were established in Bombay (now Mumbai), Ahmedabad, Sholapur, Nagpur and Kanpur.

12. Why did the wool and silk producers in England protest against the import of Indian textiles in the early eighteenth century?

Answer: Textile industries had just begun to develop in England in the early eighteenth century. Unable to compete with Indian textiles, English producers wanted a secure market within the country by preventing the entry of Indian textiles. Therefore, they protested against the import of Indian textiles.

13. What problems did the Indian textile industry face in the early years of its development?

Answer: The textile factory industry in India faced many problems. It found it difficult to compete with the cheap textiles imported from Britain. In most countries, governments supported industrialisation by imposing heavy duties on imports. This eliminated competition and protected infant industries. The colonial government in India usually refused such protection to local industries.

14. Write a short note on growth of cotton mills in India.
Or
Give a brief description of growth of cotton mills in India.

Answer: The first cotton mill in India was set up as a spinning mill in Bombay in 1854. By 1900, over 84 mills started operating in Bombay. Mills came up in other cities too. The first mill in Ahmedabad was started in 1861. A year later a mill was established in Kanpur, in the United Provinces. Growth of cotton mills led to a demand for labour. Thousands of poor peasants, artisans and agricultural labourers moved to the cities to work in the mills.

15. Why was the Wootz steel making process completely lost by the mid-19th century?
Or
Wootz steel making process was completely lost by the mid-19th century. Give reasons.
Or
Wootz steel making process was completely lost by the mid-nineteenth century. Why this was so?

Answer: Wootz steel making process was completely lost by the mid-nineteenth century because of the following reasons.

• The swords and armour making industry died with the conquest of India by the British.
• Imports of iron and steel from England displaced the iron and steel produced by craftspeople in India.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. How did the invention of spinning jenny and steam engine revolutionised cotton textiles moving in England?

Answer: Competition with Indian textiles led to a search for technological innovation in England. In 1764, the spinning jenny was invented by John Kaye which increased the productivity of the traditional spindles. The invention of the steam engine by Richard Arkwright in 1786 revolutionised cotton textile weaving. Cloth could now be woven in immense quantities and cheaply too.

2. What helped TISCO expand steel production during the First World War?

Answer: By the time TISCO was set up the situation was changing. In 1914 the First World War broke out. Steel produced in Britain now had to meet the demands of war in Europe. So imports of British steel into India declined dramatically and the Indian Railways turned to TISCO for supply of rails. As the war dragged on for several years, TISCO had to produce shells and carriage wheels for the war. By 1919 the colonial government was buying 90 per cent of the steel manufactured by TISCO. Over time TISCO became the biggest steel industry within the British empire.

3. Describe the process of weaving.

Answer: Process of weaving

• The first stage of production was spinning – a work done mostly by women. The charkha and the takli were household spinning instruments. The thread was spun on the charkha and rolled on the takli.
• When the spinning was over the thread was woven into cloth by the weaver. In most communities weaving was a task done by men.
• For coloured textiles, the thread was dyed by the dyer, known as rangrez. For printed cloth the weavers needed the help of specialist block printers known as chhipigars.

4. Describe the regions where textile production was concentrated in the early 19th century.

Answer: Textile production was concentrated in four regions in the early nineteenth century.

• Bengal was one of the most important centres. Located along the numerous rivers in the delta, the production centres in Bengal could easily transport goods to distant places.
• Decca in Eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh) was the foremost textile centre in the eighteenth century. It was famous for its mulmul and jamdani weaving.
• Cluster of cotton weaving centres was concentrated along the Coromandel Coast stretching from Madras to northern Andhra Pradesh.
• On the western coast there were important weaving centres in Gujarat

5. Why handloom weaving did not completely die in India?

Answer: Handloom weaving did not completely die in India.

• This was because some types of cloths could not be supplied by machines. For example, machines could not produce saris with intricate borders or cloths with traditional woven patterns. These had a wide demand not only amongst the rich but also amongst the middle classes.
• Nor did the textile manufacturers in Britain produce the very coarse cloths used by the poor people in India.
• Sholapur in western India and Madura in South India emerged as important new centres of weaving in the late nineteenth century.
• Later, during the national movement, Mahatma Gandhi urged people to boycott imported textiles and use hand-spun and handwoven cloth. Khadi gradually became a symbol of nationalism.

6. How did the development of cotton industries in Britain affect textile producers in India?

Answer: The development of cotton industries in Britain affected textile producers in India in several ways.

• Indian textiles now had to compete with British textiles in the European and American markets.
• Exporting textiles to England also became increasingly difficult since very high duties were imposed on Indian textiles imported into Britain.
• By the beginning of the nineteenth century, English made cotton textiles successfully ousted Indian goods from their traditional markets in Africa, America and Europe.
• Thousands of weavers in India were now thrown out of employment. Bengal weavers were the worst hit.
• By the 1830s British cotton cloth flooded Indian markets. This affected not only specialist weavers but also spinners.

7. How do the names of different textiles tell us about their histories?

Answer: It is interesting to trace the names of different textiles as it tells us about their histories.

Muslin – European traders first encountered fine cotton cloth from India carried by Arab merchants in Mosul in present-day Iraq. So they began referring to all finely woven textiles as “muslin”.

Calico – When the Portuguese first came to India in search of spices they landed in Calicut on the Kerala coast in south-west India. The cotton textiles which they took back to Europe, along with the spices, came to be called “calico” (derived from Calicut), and subsequently calico became the general name for all cotton textiles.

Chintz – It is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful flowery designs.

Bandanna – The word bandanna now refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. Originally, the term derived from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying), and referred to a variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying.

8. Why did the Indian iron smelting industry decline in the nineteenth century?

Answer: Indian iron smelting industry began to decline in the nineteenth century due to the following reasons:

• The new forest law colonial government prevented people from entering the reserved forests. Thus, the iron smelters were not able to find wood for charcoal and iron ore for producing iron.
• Defying forest laws, they often entered the forests secretly and collected wood, but they could not sustain their occupation on this basis for long. Many gave up their craft and looked for other means of livelihood.
• In some areas the government did grant access to the forest. But the iron smelters had to pay a very high tax to the forest department for every furnace they used. This reduced their income.
• Moreover, by the late nineteenth century iron and steel was being imported from Britain. Ironsmiths in India began using the imported iron to manufacture utensils and implements. This inevitably lowered the demand for iron produced by local smelters.

When People Rebel MCQ Questions Class 8 Social Science with Answers

Question. When soldiers as a group disobey their officers in the army then it is called a __________
(a) Cartridge
(b) Sepoy
(c) Mutiny
(d) Barracks

Answer :  C

Question.Name the son of Begum Hazart Mahal from Lucknow
(a) Birjis Qadr
(b) Nana Saheb
(c) Kunwar Singh
(d) Baji Rao

Answer :  A

Question. Who was the Indian rulers under the Doctrine of Lapse introduced by Lord Dalhousie?
(a)  They are not allowed to go out of their states.
(b)  They could not have relations with foreign powers.
(c)  They are not allowed to adopt an heir to the throne.
(d)  could not keep an army.

Answer :  C

Question. Among the following Residents of British India, who was forced to take refuge in a residency and killed by the forces of Begum Hazrat Mahal?
(a) John Nicholson
(b) Sir Henry Lawrence
(c) John Lawrence
(d) Henry Havelock

Answer :  B

Question. Bakht Kfian was a soldier from
(a)  Meerut
(b)  Agra
(c)  Bareilycorrect
(d)  Delhi

Answer :  C

Question. What did the East India Company do from the coins minted by the Company?
(a) The name of the Mughal emperor was removed from the coins.
(b) The name India was removed from the coins
(c) The name of the Governor general was removed from the coins
(d) The name of the British King was removed from the coins

Answer :  A

Question. In what way did the Christian missionaries help the British East India Company? From the statements given below, choose the one that is not TRUE with respect to the missionaries.
(a) The Christian missionaries functioned freely and even owned land and property.
(b) The Christian missionaries did not encourage education of women.
(c) An Indian converted to Christianity could inherit the property of ancestors
(d) The Christian missionaries converted the people as Christians

Answer :  B

Question. Who wrote the book Majhe Pravaas?
(a) Lalu Bakshi
(b) Bayjabai Shinde
(c) Vishnubhatt Godse
(d) Moropant Tambe

Answer :  C

Question. When was Gwalior recaptured by British?
(a) 1863
(b) 1842
(c) 1825
(d) 1858

Answer :  D

Question. How many sepoys were dismissed from service and sentenced to ten years in jail on 9 May, 1857?
(a) Eighty
(b) Eighty-fivecorrect
(c) Ninety
(d) Ninety-five

Answer :  B

Question. Name the ruler of Kanpur who called himself Peshwa?
(a) Nana Saheb
(b) Balaji Rao I
(c) Baji Rao II
(d) Bahadur Shah Zafar

Answer :  A

Question. Which incidence of Indian history is called as the first war of Indian Independence?
(a)  First war of Mughal independence
(b)  First war of Indian independence
(c)  First war of British independence
(d)  None of these

Answer :  B

Question. Who was Nana Saheb?
(a) Son of Peshwa Baji Rao II
(b) Son of Rani Lakshmi Bai
(c) Son of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah
(d) None of these

Answer :  A

Question. Who was the leaders of the revolt who actively took part in it?
(a) Nana Sahib
(b) Tantiya Tope
(c) Rani Lakshmibai
(d) All of these

Answer :  D

Question. Name the Indian soldier who tried to rebel against the British at Barrackpore, but was arrested and hanged to death on 8th April 1857.
(a) Nana Saheb
(b) Bahadur Shah Zafar
(c) Tantia Tope
(d) Mangal Pandey

Answer :  D

Question. Subsidiary Alliance was imposed on Awadh in
(a) 1800
(b) 1801correct
(c) 1810
(d) 1815

Answer :  B

Question- During the mid 18th century, the British had placed _____ inside the Court of many Nawabs.
(a) Residents
(b) Spy
(c) Advisors
(d) Ministers

Answer :  A

Question. Who helped Colin Campbell to rescue the British holed up in the residency of Lucknow?
(a) Kunwar Singh
(b) Nana Saheb
(c) Bahadur Shah Zafar
(d) Gurkha regiment

Answer :  D

Question. Who led the revolt in Kanpur ?
(a) Begum Hazrat Mahal
(b) Nana Saheb
(c) Mangal Pandey
(d) Bahadur Shah Zafar

Answer :  B

Question- Sepoys of British empire were severely punished in 1824 after they refused to go to
(a) Burma
(b) England
(c) Africa
(d) America

Answer :  A

Question- The revolt of ____ was the biggest armed resistance to colonialism during the 19th century.
(a) 1859
(b) 1857
(c) 1860
(d) 1861

Answer :  B

Question- _____ was the General of Nana Saheb.
(a) Baji Rao II
(b) Mangal Pandey
(c) Tantia Tope
(c) Begum Hazrat Mahal

Answer :  C

Question. The greased cartridges given to the Indian soldiers was made of what?
(a) Fat of the hen
(b) Fat of the dog
(c) Fat of the goat and the sheep
(d) Fat of cow and pig

Answer :  D

Question. When was Kanpur captured by Nana Saheb?
(a) 1890
(b) 1832
(c) 1857
(d) 1846

Answer :  C

Question- Bahadur Shah Zafar passed away in
(a) 1862
(b) 1859
(c) 1858
(d) 1865

Answer :  A

Question. Which one of the following best describes a Resident with respect to British India?
(a) An official who administers oath to the soldiers.
(b) A local money lender collecting revenue
(c) A senior British Government administrative official positioned in a local place and controlling the happenings of the kingdom.
(d) A local landlord to keep a check on the land revenue

Answer :  C

Question. Name the Governor General who declared that Awadh was being misgoverned and British rule was needed to ensure proper administration.
(a) Lord Ripon
(b) William Bentick
(c) Lord Dalhousie
(d) Lord Mountbatten

Answer :  C

CBSE Class 8 History Chapter 5 Important Questions

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1: What was the plea of Nana Saheb, the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao-II?
Answer: Nana Saheb pleaded that he be given his father’s pension when the latter died.

2: What was the first step taken by the Company towards ending the Mughal dynasty?
Answer: The name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company.

3: Why were the Indian sepoys unhappy with the British rule? Give any one reason.
Answer: The Indian sepoys were underpaid.

4: What rumour spread among the sepoys of the Meerut regiment about the new cartridges?
Answer: The rumour spread that the new cartridges were coated with the fat of cows and pigs.

5: What did the ageing Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar do after he was declared the leader of the rebels? 
Answer: He wrote letters to all the chiefs and rulers of the country to come forward and organise a confederacy of Indian states to fight the British.

6: Name any two smaller rulers who acknowledged the suzerainty of Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Answer: Nana Saheb and Biijis Qadr.

7: Who was Tantia Tope?
Answer: He was the General of Nana Saheb.

8: Who was Ahmadullah Shah? What was his prophesy?
Answer: Ahmadullah Shah was a maulvi from Faizabad. His prophesy was that the rule of the British would soon come to an end.

9: Who was Bakht Khan?
Answer: Bakht Khan was a soldier from Bareilly. He took charge of a large force of fighters who came to Delhi.

10: When did the British recapture Delhi?
Answer: The British recaptured Delhi in September 1857.

11: Why were the powers of the East India Company transferred to the British Crown?
Answer: The powers of the East India Company were transferred to the British Crown in order to ensure a more responsible management of Indian affairs.

12: Under what condition the ruling chiefs could pass on their kingdoms to their heirs?
Answer: They could do so only when they were ready to acknowledge the British Queen as their Sovereign Paramount.

13: Why did the British treat Muslims with suspicion and hostility?
Answer: The British believed that Muslims were responsible for the rebellion in a big way.

Short Answer Type Questions

1: Under what pretext did the Company take over Awadh?

Answer: In 1801, a subsidiary alliance was imposed on Awadh, and in 1856, it was taken over. Governor-General Dalhousie declared that the territory was being misgoverned and British rule was needed to ensure proper administration.

2: How did the Company plan to bring an end to the Mughal dynasty?

Answer: (a) First of all the name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company.
(b) In 1849, Governor-General Dalhousie announced that after the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the family of the king would be shifted out of the Red Fort and given another place in Delhi to live in.
(c) In 1856, Governor-General “Canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king and after his death his descendants would be known as princes.

3: Why were the Indian sepoys in the employ of the Company discontented? Give sufficient reasons.

Answer: Reasons for their discontentment:
(a) The Indian sepoys were given poor salaries and allowances.
(b) The conditions of service also made them unhappy.
(c) Some of the new rules even violated their religious sentiments and beliefs.
(d) Those were the days when many people in the country believed that if they crossed the sea they would lose their religion and caste. So when in 1824 the sepoys were told to go to Burma by the sea route to fight for the Company, they refused to follow this order. As a result they were given severe punishment. What is more, in 1856, the Company passed a new law which stated that every new person who took up employment in the Company’s army had to agree to serve overseas if required.

4: What reforms did the British introduce in the Indian society? How did the people of India respond to them?

Answer: The British introduced several reforms:
(a) They passed laws to stop the practice of sati and to encourage the remarriage of widows.
(b) They promoted English language education.
(c) In 1850, the Company passed a new law that made the conversion to Christianity easier.
Many Indians began to feel that the British were destroying their religion, their social customs and their traditional way of life. But at the same time there were other Indians who readily accepted the reforms introduced by the British. In fact, they wanted to change existing social practices.

5: Why did the chiefs and rulers support the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in the revolt?

Answer: The Mughal dynasty had ruled over a large part of the country. Most smaller rulers and chieftains controlled different territories on behalf of the Mughal ruler. Threatened by the expansion of British rule, many of them felt that if the Mughal emperor could rule again, they too would be able to rule their own territories once more, under the Mughal authority.

6: How did the British try to win back the loyalty of the people after they recaptured Delhi?

Answer: (a) The British announced rewards for loyal landholders by allowing them to continue to enjoy traditional rights over their lands.
(b) Those who had rebelled were told that if they submitted to the British and if they had not killed any white people, they would remain safe and their rights and claims to land would not be denied.

Tribals Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age MCQ Questions Class 8 Social Science with Answers

Question. For whom the term ‘diku’ was used?

(A) Chowkidar   
(B) Thikanedar

(C) Outsiders     
(D) None

Answer :  C

Question. The Santhal tribals belong to-

(A) Uttar Pradesh     
(B) Madhya Pradesh

(C) Jharkhand         
(D) Maharashtra

Answer :  C

Question. Type of cultivation in which farmer left the land after two or three years of cultivation-

(A) shifting agriculture

(B) primitive agriculture

(C) commercial agriculture

(D) none of the above

Answer :  A

Question. During which period the live of tribal groups mostly changed?

(A) Mughals

(B) Sultanate

(C) After Independence

(D) British period

Answer :  D

Question. Who were the followers of Birsa other than Mundra tribe?

(A) Khasi and Toda

(B) Santhal and Oraons

(C) Baiga and Khond

(D) Santhal and Khond

Answer :  B

Question. Who were Khonds?

(A) Hunters                 
(B) Settled

(C) Food gatherers     
(D) Jhum cultivators

Answer :  A

Question. Which tribe reared cocoons?

(A) Kol                 
(B) Baiga

(C) Khond           
(D) Santhals

Answer :  D

Question. Warli revolt took place in-

(A) Rajasthan             
(B) Gujarat

(C) Maharashtra       
(D) Tamilnadu

Answer :  C

Question. Santhal revolt took place in-

(A) 1850       

(B) 1855

(C) 1852       
(D) 1890

Answer :  B

Question. In 1910 which tribe revolted in Central India?

(A) Bastar     

(B) Gond

(C) Khond     
(D) Munda

Answer :  A

Question. Which tribe was reluctant to work for others?

(A) Khond     

(B) Munda

(C) Baiga       
(D) Kol

Answer :  C

Question. Van Gujjars and Labadis were.

(A) Cattle herders       

(B) Settled cultivators

(C) Hunters                 
(D) Food gatherers

Answer :  A

Question. The Santhal tribals belong to-

(A) Jharkhand

(B) Uttar Pradesh

(C) Madhya Pradesh

(D) Maharashtra

Answer :  A

Question. Type of cultivation in which farmer left the land after two or three years of cultivation

(A) shifting agriculture

(B) primitive agriculture

(C) commercial agriculture

(D) none of the above

Answer:  A

Question. During which period the live of tribal groups mostly changed?

(A) Sultanate

(B) After Independence

(C) British period

(D) Mughals

Answer:  C

Question. Who were the followers of Birsa other than Mundra tribe?

(A) Santhal and Oraons

(B) Baiga and Khond

(C) Santhal and Khond

(D) Khasi and Toda

Answer:  A 

Question. Who were Khonds?

(A) Jhum cultivators

(B) Food gatherers

(C) Settled

(D) Hunters

Answer:  D

Question. Which tribe reared cocoons?

(A) Kol

(B) Baiga

(C) Santhals

(D) Khond

Answer:  C

Question. Warli revolt took place in

(A) Maharashtra

(B) Rajasthan

(C) Gujarat

(D) Tamilnadu

Answer:  A

Question. Santhal revolt took place in

(A) 1855

(B) 1890

(C) 1850

(D) 1852

Answer:  A

Question. In 1910 which tribe revolted in Central India?

(A) Khond

(B) Bastar

(C) Gond

(D) Munda

Answer:  B

Question. For whom the term ‘diku’ was used?

(A) None

(B) Chowkidar

(C) Thikanedar

(D) Outsiders

Answer:  D

Question. Which tribe was reluctant to work for others?

(A) Baiga

(B) Khond

(C) Munda

(D) Kol

Answer:  A

Question. Van Gujjars and Labadis were.

(A) Cattle herders

(B) Hunters

(C) Settled cultivators

(D) Food gatherers

Answer:  A

Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Extra Questions Chapter 4 Class 8 History

Chapter 4 Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Extra Questions for Class 8 History is very helpful in knowing the important concepts given inside the chapter. Class 8 Extra Questions will increase concentration among students and prepare yourself well before examinations.

Chapter 4 Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs):

1. Why did the British introduce land settlements?

Answer

They did so in order to get a regular revenue source for the state.

2. What was Indian silk known for?

Answer

Indian silk was known for its fine quality.

3. Why did the British want tribal groups to settle down and become peasant cultivators?

Answer

Because settled peasants were easier to control and administer than people who were always on the move.

4. What was the political aim of the Birsa movement?

Answer

The political aim of the Birsa movement was to drive out missionaries, money-lenders, Hindu landlords and the government and set up a Munda Raj Birsa at its head.

5. Why were some forests classified as Reserved Forests?

Answer

These forests produced timber which the British wanted.

6. What problem did the British face after they stopped the tribal people from living inside forests?

Answer

They faced the problem of shortage of labour.

7. Why did the Forest Department establish forest villages?

Answer

In order to ensure a regular supply of cheap labour.

8. Who were the outsiders being referred to as dikus?

Answer

Traders, moneylenders, missionaries, Hindu landlords and the British were the outsiders being referred to as dikus.

9. Who was Birsa Munda?

Answer

Birsa Munda belonged to a family of Mundas, a tribal group that lived in Chottanagpur.

10. When did Birsa Munda die and how?

Answer

Birsa Munda died of cholera in 1900.

11. When and where was the forest satyagraha staged?

Answer

The forest satyagraha occurred in 1930s in the Central Provinces.

12. On what charges was Birsa convicted?

Answer

Birsa was convicted on the charges of rioting.

Chapter 4 Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Short Answer Questions (SAQs):

1. What did the Khond community of Orrisa do to earn living?

Answer

The Khond community of Orissa lived by hunting and gathering forest produce. Forests were essential for them. They regularly went out on collective hunts and then divided the meat amongst themselves. They ate fruits and roots collected from the forest and cooked food with the out they extracted from the seeds of the sal and mahua. They used many forest shrubs and herbs for medicinal purposes, and sold forest produce in the local markets.

2. How did the British officials view settled tribal groups and those who moved about from place to place?

Answer

The British officials saw settled tribal groups such as the Gonds and Santhals as more civilised than hunter-gatherers or shifting cultivators. These tribal groups lived in the forests and kept on moving. They did not have a fixed home. The British considered them wild and savage and therefore they needed to be settled and civilised.

3. Why was the British effort to settle jhum cultivators not very successful?

Answer

• It is usually difficult to carry on settled plough cultivation in areas where water is scarce and the soil is dry.

• Jhum cultivators who took to plough cultivation often suffered since their fields did not prdfcluce good yields. Hence, the jhum cultivators in north-east India insisted on continuing with their traditional practice.

• The British faced widespread protests. Therefore, they allowed them to carry on shifting cultivation in some parts of the forest.

4. How did traders and moneylenders exploit the tribal people?

Answer

Tribal groups often needed to buy and sell in order to be able to get the goods that were not produced within the locality. This led to their dependence on traders and moneylenders. Traders came around with things for sale. They sold the goods at high prices.

Moneylenders used to give loans with which the tribals met their cash needs, adding to what they earned. But the interest charged on the loans was very high. Thus, both traders and moneylenders always exploited the tribal people. It is therefore the tribals- saw them as evil outsiders and the cause of their misery.

5. Describe land settlements introduced by the British.

Answer

The British introduced land settlements to ensure a regular revenue source for the state. Under these settlements:

• The British measured the land, defined the rights of each individual to that land, and fixed the revenue demand for the state.

• Some peasants were declared landowners, others tenants. The tenants were to pay rent to the landowner who in turn paid revenue to the state.

6. How did Birsa resume his movement after his release in 1897?

Answer

Birsa was released in 1897. Now he began touring the villages to gather support. He used traditional symbols and language to rouse people, urging them to destroy dikus and the Europeans and establish a kingdom under his leadership. Birsa’s followers began targetting the symbols of dikus and European power. They attacked police stations and churches and raided the property of moneylenders and zamindars. They raised the white flag as a symbol of Birsa Raj.

7. In what ways was the Birsa movement significant?

Answer

The Birsa movement was significant in two ways:

• It forced the colonial government to introduce laws so that the land of the tribals could not easily be taken over by dikus.

• It showed once again that the tribal people had the capacity to protest against injustice and express their anger against colonial rule. They did this in their own specific way, inventing their own rituals and symbols of struggle.

8. What problem did the British face after they brought changes in forest laws? How did they solve this problem?

Answer

The British stopped the tribal people from living inside forests by introducing some changes in forest laws. This created a problem. They lost labour force because most of the jhum cultivators moved to other areas in search of work.

Colonial officials solved the problem of labour’s shortage by giving jhum cultivators small patches of land in the forests and allowing them to cultivate these on the condition that these who lived in villages would have to provide labour to the Forest Department and look after the forests. The Forest Department established forest villages in many regions to ensure a regular supply of cheap labour.

Ruling the Countryside MCQ Questions Class 8 Social Science with Answers

Question. The Champaran movement was against
(a) peasants
(b) East India Company
(c) the oppressive attitude of the planters
(d) none of the above

Answer :   C

Question. Gandhiji visited Champaran
(a) to see the plight of Indigo planters in Champarancorrect
(b) to see the progress of’Indigo plantation
(c) to see the managing system of company
(d) none of the above

Answer :   A

Question. In which year was the Permanent Settlement System started?
(a) 1900
(b) 1885
(c) 1890
(d) 1793

Answer :   D

Question.The lathi weilding strongmen maintained by planters are:
(a) Ryots
(b) Peasant
(c) Lathiyals
(d) Vat-Beater

Answer :   C

Question.Who among the following introduced the Ryotwari Settlement system ?
(a) Thomas Munro
(b) Holt Mackenzie
(c) Lord Dalhousie
(d) Lord Cornwallis

Answer :   A

Question. From among the regions mentioned below, which region introduced the Mahalwari Settlement System in 1822 ?
(a) Bombay
(b) Madras
(c) Bihar
(d) Uttar Pradesh

Answer :   D

Question. Growers of woad in Europe saw crop as competition to their earnings.
(a) tea
(b) rubber
(c) indigo
(d) coffee

Answer :   C

Question. Indigo production came down in Bengal in
(a) 1850
(b) 1852
(c) 1855
(d) 1859

Answer :   D

Question. How much proportion of Indigo was imported from India by Britain in 1810?
(a) 75%
(b) 95%
(c) 90%
(d) 85%

Answer :   B

Question. From the given possibilities, which year did the British introduce the Permanent Settlement of Bengal?
(a) 1793
(b) 1800
(c) 1815
(d) 1780

Answer :   A

Question. The Company tried many experiments to increase the land revenue. Name the Settlement system introduced in the Madras and Bombay presidencies ?
(a) Permanent Settlement System
(b) British Settlement System
(c) Ryotwari Settlement System
(d) Mahalwari Settlement System

Answer :   C

Question. Why was there a popular demand for Indian indigo in Italy, France and Britain?
(a) India was the biggest producer of indigo and no other country produced indigo
(b) There was a ban on indigo import in other countries
(c) Indigo imports were tax free
(d) Indigo was used to dye cloth and there was a huge demand\

Answer :   D

Question. Mahalwari systems was devised by:
(a) Thomas Munro
(b) Holt Mackenzie
(c) Charles Cornwallis
(d) Robert Clive

Answer :   B

Question. What do you mean by the term Mortgage?
(a) Agreement between moneylenders and nawab
(b) Agreement between king and peasants
(c) Agreement between moneylenders and peasants
(d) None of these

Answer :   C

Question. What happened in 1770 in Bengal so that one-third of the population was wiped out?
(a) The British shipped a lot of locals to Britain and the met with an accident.
(b) Robert Clive had to wage a battle with the locals and killed many .
(c) The British and the French had a war in Bengal and many were killed .
(d) Due to a terrible famine, ten million people in Bengal were wiped out.

Answer :   D

Question. What do you mean by nij and ryoti?
(a) The two main trading centres of indigo
(b) The two main areas where indigo was cultivated in India
(c) The two important systems of indigo cultivation
(d) The two main sets of zamindars

Answer :   C

Question. What is Bigha?
(a) Unit of temperature
(b) Unit of capacity
(c) Unit of measurement
(d) None of these

Answer :   C

Question. After harvest, the indigo plant was taken to the in the indigo factory.
(a) dye
(b) vatcorrect
(c) farm
(d) machine

Answer :   B

Question. What is the literal meaning of the Greek word indikon?
(a) Blue
(b) Dye
(c) From India
(d) From England

Answer :   C

Question. Given below are some points with regard to the nij cultivation of indigo. Select the one that is not related to the nij cultivation
(a) The planters produced indigo in the lands that he directly controlled.
(b) Planters cultivated in lands either bought by them or rented it from other zamindars and produced indigo by directly employing hired labourers
(c) Planters needed large areas in compact blocks to cultivate indigo
(d) The planters were forced to sign a contract , an agreement (satt(a)

Answer :   D

Question. Where did the Ryotwari Settlement was introduced?
(a) Bombay Presidency
(b) South and West India
(c) Deccan
(d) Punjab

Answer :   B 

Question- ______ was Governor General of India in 1793
(a) Warren Hastings
(b) Charles Cornwallis
(c) Louis Chole
(d) George Martin

Answer :   B

Question- Zamindars were responsible for collecting ____ from peasants.
(a) rent
(b) goods
(c) food
(d) money

Answer :   A

Question- _____ was Madras governor in 1819.
(a) Thomas Munro
(b) Franklin
(c) Jacob Smith
(d) Holt Mackenzie

Answer :   A

Question. Who introduced the Permanent Settlement of Bengal?
(a) Lord Cornwallis
(b) Lord William
(c) Lord Louise
(d) None of these

Answer :   A

Question. What are commercial crops?
(a) Crops cultivated for tax paying
(b) Crops cultivated for own use
(c) Crops cultivated for sale
(d) None of these

Answer :   C

Question- Morris cotton print was invented by
(a) William Morris
(b) Robert Morris
(c) John Morris
(d) Morris Will

Answer :   A

Question. What do you mean by the term ‘Plantation’?
(a) Rearing of animals
(b) A large farm operated by a planter
(c) A Large Kingdom
(d) None of these

Answer :   B

Ruling the Countryside Extra Questions Chapter 3 Class 8 History

Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside Class 8 History Extra Questions which is very useful in grasping important points inside the chapter properly. Extra Questions for Class 8 will be helpful in answering the difficult questions with ease.

Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs):

1. When was the East India Company appointed as the Diwan of Bengal? 

Answer 

On 12th August 1765, the East India Company was appointed as the Diwan of Bengal. 

2. When did Bengal face a severe famine and how many people were killed in it? 

Answer 

A terrible famine occurred in Bengal in 1770 and around 10 million people were killed.

3. Who were made the owners of land in Permanent Settlement? 

Answer 

The rajas and taluqdars were recognised as zamindars and they were made the owners of land.

4. Name the Governor-General of India when the Permanent Settlement was introduced. 

Answer 

Charles Cornwallis.

5. What did the Permanent Settlement actually mean?

Answer

The amount of revenue the peasants were expected to pay was fixed permanently, that is, it was not to be increased ever in future.

6. What was the advantage of Permanent Settlement to the Company? 

Answer 

As a result of the Permanent Settlement, the Company was assured of a fixed and regular income.

7. Who introduced the mahalwari system and where? 

Answer 

An Englishman named Holt Mackenzie devised the mahalwari system in the north-western provinces of the Bengal Presidency in 1822 CE.

8. What was the unit of measurement in the mahalwari system? 

Answer 

Mahal or village was the unit in the mahalwari system. 

9. Who was to pay revenue in the mahalwari system? 

Answer 

It was decided that the village would pay the revenue in the mahalwari system.

10. How did the Diwani of Bengal empower the Company?

Answer

As Diwan, the Company became the chief financial administrator of the territory under its control. Now it could administer the land and organise its revenue resources.

11. What did the woad producers in Europe want their government to do? Why?

Answer

The woad producers wanted their government to ban the import of indigo because they were worried by the competition from indigo.

12. Why did cloth dyers prefer indigo as a dye?

Answer

Indigo produced a rich blue colour whereas the dye from woad was pale and dull.

Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside Short Answer Questions (SAQs):

1. How did the responsibility of the Company change as the Diwan of Bengal? 

Answer 

• When the Company got Diwani rights of Bengal, it became the chief financial administrator of the areas under its control. 

• Now, the Company had to manage and organise revenue resources. 

• The Company was also responsible for the administration of its territory. It had to yield enough revenue to meet the increasing expenses. 

2. How did the Bengal economy fall into a deep crisis?

Answer 

• After the Company became the Diwan of Bengal it began its efforts to increase the revenue as much as it could and buy fine cotton and silk cloth as cheaply as possible. 

• Within five years the value of goods bought by the Company in Bengal doubled. Before 1765, the Company had purchased goods in India by importing gold and silver from Britain. 

3. What did the Company officials learn from their past experiences as administrators? 

Answer 

• As administrators, the Company officials learnt a lot from their past experiences. The officials had to move with great caution since they represented an alien or foreign power. 

• They had to pacify the local people who had ruled the countryside and wielded extensive power in the society.

• The Company officials knew it well that these local rulers could only be controlled, and not entirely eliminated. 

4. What were the consequences of the economic crisis that gripped Bengal?       

Answer 

• Artisans began to leave villages since they were being forced to sell their goods to the Company at low prices.

• Peasants were unable to pay the dues that were being demanded from them.

• Artisanal production was in decline and agricultural cultivation showed signs of collapse.

• The most terrible consequence came to be seen in 1770 when a terrible famine hit Bengal killing ten million people. About one- third of the population was wiped out.

5. How was indigo cultivated under the ryoti system?

Answer

Under the ryoti system, the planters forced the ryots to sign a contract, known as satta. At times they pressurised the village headmen to sign the contract got cash advances from the planters at low rates of interest to produce indigo. But the loan committed the ryot to cultivating indigo on at least 25 per cent of the area under his holding. The planters provided the seed, and the drill, white the cultivators prepared the soil, sowed the seed and looked after the crop. After the harvest the crop was delivered to the planters.

6. Why did the demand for Indian indigo increase in the late-eighteenth century Britain?

Answer

Britain began to industrialise by the end of the eighteenth century. As a result, its cotton production expanded dramatically. This created an enormous new demand for cloth dyes. While the demand for indigo increased, its existing supplies from the West Indies and America collapsed for several reasons. Between 1783 and 1789 the production of indigo in the world fell by half. Cloth dyers in Britain now desperately looked for new sources of indigo supply.

Chapter 3 Ruling the Countryside Long Answer Questions (LAQs):

1. Explain in brief about the Permanent Settlement, the ryotwari system and the mahalwari system. 

Answer

(i) Permanent Settlement
• Permanent Settlement is a system of revenue collection which was introduced in the provinces of Bengal and Bihar by Lord Cornwallis in 1793.
• The entire work of revenue collection was assigned to zamindars, who were given hereditary rights over the land on the condition that they would pay a fixed amount of revenue to the government every year.

(ii) Ryotwari system
• This system of land revenue collection was introduced by the British in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies.
• The government made settlements with farmers for a specific period of about 30 years.
• The farmer had to pay 50% of their production to the government every year. The settlement could be revised after the stipulated period.

(iii) Mahalwari system
• Holt Mackenzie, an Englishman, introduced a new system of mahalwari in 1822.
• In this system, the revenue-collectors went from village to village inspecting and measuring the land, and recording the customs and rights of different groups. The estimated revenue was calculated for each village. This demand was not fixed and could be revised.
• The village headman, and not the zamindar, was given the charge of collecting revenue and deposit it to the Company.

2. Describe the processes involved in indigo production.

Answer

Indigo production involved the following processes:

• After harvest, the indigo plant was taken to the vats (a fermenting or storage vessel) in the indigo factory. Three or four vats were needed to manufacture the dye.

• Each vat had a separate function. The leaves stripped off the indigo plant were first soaked in warm water in a vat known as the fermenting vat for several hours.

• When the plant fermented, the liquid began to boal and bubble. Now the rotten leaves were taken out and the liquid drained into another vat that was placed just below the first vat.

• In the second vat, known as the beater vat, the solution was continuously stirred and beaten with paddles. When the liquid gradually turned green and then blue, lime water was added to the vat.

• Gradually the indigo separated out in flakes, a muddy sediment settled at the bottom of the vat and clear liquid rose to the surface. The liquid was drained off and the sediment i.e. the indigo pulp transferred to another vat, known as the settling vat, and then pressed and dried for sale.