NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

Class 8 History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory OwnersNcert Textbook Questions Solved

Question 1.
What kinds of cloth had a large market in Europe?
Answer:
Chintz (chhint), Cossaes (Khassa) and Bandanna. Bandanna word was derived from the word bandhan . It referred to a variety of brightly coloured cloth, produced through a method of tying and dying.

Question 2.
What is jamdani?
Answer:
Jamdani is a fine muslin on which decorative motifs are woven on the loom, typically in grey and white.

Question 3.
What is bandanna?
Answer:
Bandanna is a brightly coloured and printed scarf for neck and head. This word was derived from the word Bandhan. It referred to a variety of brightly coloured cloth, produced through a method of tying and dying.

Question 4.
Who are the Agarias?
Answer:
Groups of men and women carrying basket-loads of iron are known as the Agarias.

Question 5.
Fill in the blanks:

  1. The word chintz comes from the word ________
  2. Tipu’s sword was made of _____ steel.
  3. India’s textile exports declined in the _____ century.

Answer:

  1. chintz
  2. Wootz
  3. 19th.

Question 6.
How do the names of different textiles tell us about their history?
Answer:

  • European traders first saw fine cotton cloth from India in Mosul in present-day Iraq. They referred to all finely woven textiles as “muslin”.
  • Portuguese first came to India in search of spices and landed in Calicut on the Kerala coast in south-west India. They took back cotton textiles to Europe, along with the spices. They named it “Calico”. Subsequently Calico became the general name for all cotton textiles.
  • Many other words point to the popularity of Indian textiles in Western markets.
  • The pieces included printed cotton cloths called Chintz, (?5fe), Cossaes (or Khassa) and
  • Bandanna is a brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. This term was derived from the word “Bandanna” (Hindi for tying).
  • Other clothes were known by their place of origin: Kasimbazar, Patna, Calcutta, Orissa and Charpoore.
  • The widespread use of such words shows how popular Indian textiles had become in different parts of the world.

Question 7.
Why did the wool and silk producers in England protest against the import of Indian textiles in the early eighteenth century?
Answer:
Textile industry had just begun to develop in England in the early 18th century. The wool and silk producers in England found themselves unable to compete with Indian textiles. They wanted to secure the market within the country by preventing the entry of Indian textiles. Therefore, they protested against its import.

Question 8.
How did the development of cotton industries in Britain affect textile producers in India?
Answer:
Cotton industries in Britain developed and adversely affected textile producers in India in several ways:
1. Indian textiles faced competition from British textiles in the European and American markets.
2. Export of textiles to England became more and more difficult because the British Govt, imposed very high duties on Indian textiles.
3. In the beginning of the 19th century, cotton textiles made in Britain successfully ousted Indian goods from their traditional markets in Africa, America and Europe.
4. Thousands of weavers in India were now thrown out of employment.

  • Bengal weavers were the worst hit.
  • English and European companies stopped to buy Indian goods. Their agents no longer gave out advances to weavers to secure supplies.
  • Distressed weavers wrote petitions to the government to help them.

5. By the 1830s British cotton cloth flooded Indian markets. Actually by the 1880s, 67% of all the cotton clothes worn by Indians were made of cloth produced in Britain. This affected not only specialist weavers but also spinners.
6. Thousands of rural spinner women were rendered jobless.

Question 9.
Why did the Indian iron smelting industry declined in the nineteenth century?
Answer:
There were several reasons:

  1. The new forest laws of the colonial government prevented people from entering the reserved forests. Now it became difficult for the iron smelters to find wood for charcoal. Getting iron ore was also a big problem. Hence, many gave up their craft and looked for other jobs.
  2. 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.
  3. By the late 19th century iron and steel were 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.
    All these reasons caused the decline of the Indian iron smelting industry.

Question 10.
What problems did the Indian textile industry face in the early years of its development?
Answer:
During the early period of its development, the textile industry in India faced many problems.

  • In most countries, governments supported local manufacturers by imposing heavy duties on imports. This finished the competition and protected their infant industries.
  • English producers wanted a secure market within the country by preventing the entry of Indian textiles. British government enacted the Calico Act.
  • The colonial government in India usually refused such protection to local industries.

Question 11.
What helped TISCO expand steel production during the First World War?
Answer:
Before the First World War India imported British steel for rails. When in 1914 the war broke out, steel produced in Britain now had to meet the demands of the war in Europe. So, imports ‘of British steel into India declined and the Indian Railways turned to TISCO for the 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% of the steel manufactured by TISCO. Over time TISCO became the biggest steel industry within the British empire.

Question 12.
Find out about the history of any craft around the area you live in. You may wish to know about the community of craftsmen, the changes in the techniques they use, and the markets they supply. How have these changed in the past 50 years?
Answer:
History of Handloom weaving:

  • Spinning of thread
  • Weaving by Julahas in village
  • Sale of the fabric in the local market
  • Looms were set up
  • Fabric woven for local, national and international markets
  • Powerlooms
  • International markets.

Changes in the Past 50 years

  • Constitution of All India Handloom board in 1952.
  • Government support for the supply of yam, dyes chemicals, etc.
  • Encouragement by giving awards.
  • Insurance cover against calamities etc.

Question 13.
On a map of India, locate the centres of different crafts today. Find out when these centres came up.
Answer:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Q13

Class 8 History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters, and Factory Owners Exercise Questions

Question 1.
Choose the correct option:
(i) One of the most important Indian ports of the 17th century.
(a) Bombay
(b) Madras
(c) Surat
(d) Vishakhapatnam

(ii) Bandana patterns were mostly produced in
(a) Rajasthan and Gujarat
(b) Rajasthan and Orissa
(c) Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
(d) Chhattisgarh and West Bengal

(iii) The job of a rangrez was to
(a) Weave cloth
(b) Dye thread
(c) Transport goods to. the markets
(d) Spin thread on the charkha

(iv) The first cotton mill in India was established in
(a) Gujarat
(b) Bombay
(c) Madras
(d) West Bengal

(v) Wootz steel was produced all over
(a) South India
(b) North India
(c) Central India
(d) North-east India
Answer:
(i)(c), (ii)(a), (iii)(b), (iv)(b), (v)(a)

Question 2.
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

  1. The cotton textiles which the Portuguese took back to Europe, along with the spices came to be known as …………..
  2. The …………….. was invented by John Kaye which increased the of the traditional spindles.
  3. Weavers often belonged to communities that specialized in ……………..
  4. ………….. and ………………. emerged as important new centres of weaving in the late 19th century.
  5. Indian Wootz steel fascinated ………………. scientists.
  6. The Tata Iron and Steel factory is situated on the banks of the river …………..
  7. TISCO had to expand its capacity and extend the size of its factory to meet the demands of the …………..

Answer:

  1. Calico
  2. Spinning Jenny
  3. weaving
  4. Sholapur; Madurai
  5. European
  6. Subamarekha
  7. war

Question 3.
State whether each of the following statements is True or False.

  1. From the 1850s, Britain came to be known as the ‘workshop of the world’.
  2. The invention of the spinning jenny and steam engine revolutionized cotton textile weaving in England.
  3. European trading companies such as the Dutch, the French, and the English purchased cotton and silk textiles in India by importing diamonds.
  4. Men were usually involved in the work of spinning.
  5. Iron smelting in India was extremely common until the end of the 19th century.
  6. The Tata Iron and Steel Company began to produce steel after the First World War.

Answer:

  1. True
  2. True
  3. False
  4. False
  5. True
  6. False

Question 4.
Match the items given in Column A correctly with those given in Column B.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Exercise Questions Q4
Answer:
(i) (c), (ii) (a), (iii) (e), (iv) (b), (v) (d)

Class 8 History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Give two reasons why Indian textiles were renowned all over the world.
Answer:
Their fine quality and beautiful craftsmanship made them renowned all over the world.

Question 2.
Why were printed Indian cotton textiles I popular in England?
Answer:
Printed Indian cotton textiles were popular in England for their exquisite floral designs, fine texture and relative cheapness.

Question 3.
During which period patola weaving was famous?
Answer:
It was famous during the mid-19th century.

Question 4.
Name the origin of the word calico.
Answer:
Calicut.

Question 5.
Name the important centres of jamdani weaving.
Answer:
Dacca in Bengal and Lucknow in the United Provinces (U.P.).

Question 6.
Name two places where chintz were produced during the mid-19th century.
Answer:
Masulipatnam and Andhra Pradesh.

Question 7.
How did European trading companies purchase cotton and silk textiles in India?
Answer:
European trading companies purchased cotton and silk textiles in India by importing silver.

Question 8.
Name the household spinning instrument.
Answer:
Charkha and takli.

Question 9.
What did Mahatma Gandhi urge people during the national movement?
Answer:
During the national movement Mahatma Gandhi urged people to boycott imported textiles and use hand-spun and hand-woven cloth.

Question 10 .
What became a symbol of nationalism?
Answer:
Khadi became a symbol of nationalism.

Question 11.
How did growth of cotton mills in the country prove to be a boon for the poor peasants, artisans and agricultural labourers?
Answer:
They got work in the mills.

Question 12.
How did Indian cotton factories prove to be helpful during the First World War?
Answer:
They began to produce cloth for military supplies.

Question 13.
Why was Tipu’s sword so special?
Answer:
Tipu’s sword was made of Wootz steel. Wootz steel when made into swords produced a very sharp edge that could easily rip through the opponent’s armour.

Question 14.
Why was the Wootz steel making process completely lost by the mid- 19th century?
Answer:
There are two reasons for it:

  1. The sword and armour making industry died with the conquest of India by the British.
  2. Imports of iron and steel from England displaced the iron and steel produced by craftsmen in India.

Question 15.
What were the furnaces made of?
Answer:
The furnaces were made of clay and sun-dried bricks.

Question 16.
Why were bellows used?
Answer:
Bellows were used to keeping the charcoal burning.

Question 17.
What were the piece goods?
Answer:
Piece goods were usually woven cloth pieces that were 20 yards long and 1 yard wide.

Class 8 History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
How were Indian textiles viewed in the world market?
Answer:
India was the largest producer of cotton textiles in the world before the British conquered Bengal around 1750. Indian textiles had long been renowned both for their fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship. They were extensively traded in Southeast Asia (Java, Sumatra, and Penang) and West and Central Asia. From the 16th-century European trading companies began buying Indian textiles for sale in Europe.

Question 2.
How did the inventions of the Spinning Jenny and Steam Engine revolutionise cotton textile weaving in England?
Answer:
Textile industries had just emerged in England in the early 18th century.
So, it was difficult for the English producers to compete with Indian textiles. This 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.
Then came the steam engine. It was invented by Richard Arkwright in 1786. These two inventions revolutionised cotton textile weaving in England. Cloth could now be woven in immense quantities and cheaply too.

Question 3.
Give a description of the four regions where textile production was concen¬trated in the early 19th century.
Answer:
Textile production was concentrated in the following four regions in the early 19th century:

  1. 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.
  2. Dacca in Eastern Bengal, present-day Bangladesh, was the foremost textile centre in the 18th century. It was famous for its mulmut and jamdani weaving.
  3. Textile production was concentrated along the Coromandal coast stretching from Madras to northern Andhra Pradesh.
  4. On the west coast there were important weaving centres in Gujarat.

Question 4.
Who were the weavers? Name some communities famous for weaving.
Answer:
Weavers often belonged to communities that specialised in weaving. Their skills were passed on from one generation to the next.
List of some communities famous for weaving includes:

  1. the tanti weavers of Bengal.
  2. the julahas or momin weavers of north India.
  3. sale and kaikollar and devangs of South India.

Question 5.
Describe the process of cloth making.
Answer:
The process of cloth making consists of two stages:

  1. The first stage of production was spinning, Le. 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
  2. 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, called rangrez. For painted cloth the weavers needed the help of specialist block printers called chhipigars.

Question 6.
Handloom production did not completely die in India. Why?
Answer:
This was because some types of cloths could not be supplied by machines. Just take the examples of saris with intricate borders and cloths with traditional woven patterns. Machines could not produce them. These had a wide demand not only amongst the rich but also amongst the middle classes. Moreover, the textile manufacturers in Britain could not produce the very coarse cloths used by the poor people in India.

In the late 19th century, Sholapur and Madurai grew as important new centres of weaving. During the national movement, Gandhiji urged people to use hand-spun and handwoven cloth Khadi which gradually became a symbol of nationalism.

Question 7.
Give a brief description of the 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 were set 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. The growth of cotton mills led to a demand for labour. As a result, thousands of poor peasants, artisans, and agricultural labourers moved to cities to work in the mills.

Question 8.
Who are the Agarias? Why did they leave their village?
Answer:
The Agarias are a community of iron smelters. They are specialised in the craft of iron smelting. In the late 19th 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.

Class 8 History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Write a few lines on each of the following:
(a) Patola weave
(b) Jamdani weave
(c) Chintz
Answer:

  1. Patola weave: It came into existence in the mid-19th century. It was woven in Surat, Ahmedabad, and Patan. It was highly valued in Indonesia. It became a part of the local weaving tradition there.
  2. Jamdani weave: It grew in the early 20th century. Jamdani is a fine muslin on which decorative motifs are woven on the loom, typically in grey and white. Often a mixture of cotton and gold thread was used. The most important centres of jamdani weaving were Dacca in Bengal and Lucknow in the United Provinces.
  3. Chintz: The term chintz is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful flowery designs. It was produced in Masulipatnam and Andhra Pradesh in the mid-19th century. It was in great demand in England and Europe.

Question 2.
How did Iron and Steel factories come up in India?
Answer:
Jamsetji Tata had decided to spend a large part of his fortune to build a big iron and steel industry in India. But this could not be done without identifying the sources of fine quality iron ore. For this reason his son, Dorabji Tata along with Charles Weld, an American geologist, began travelling in Chhattisgarh in search of iron ore deposits. It was the year 1904. One day, after travelling for many hours in the forests, Weld and Dorabji came upon a small village where they met the Agarias, who were carrying basket loads of iron ore. When asked where they had found the iron ore, the Agarias pointed to a hill in the distance, Weld and Dorabji rushed to the hill. On exploring the hill the geologist declared that they had at last found what they had been looking for.

But there was a problem. The region was dry and the Tatas had to search for a more suitable place to set up their factory.
A few years later a large area of forest was cleared on the banks of the river Subarnarekha to set up the factory and an industrial township, i.e. Jamshedpur. Here, there was water near iron ore deposits. The Tata Iron and Steel Company, popularly known as TISCO began producing steel in 1912.

Class 8 History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters, and Factory Owners Source-Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the following extract (Source 1) taken from the NCERT textbook and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Source Based Questions Q1

Questions:
(i) Who wrote the petition and to whom?
(ii) What did the petition state?
Answers:
(i) Weavers wrote the petition to the Company government.
(ii) The petition stated the miserable condition of the weavers. As the Company had abolished the arrange (warehouses) they had to face a situation of starvation. They did not know any other business and were destined to die for want of food if the Company did not timely intervene.

Class 8 History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters, and Factory Owners Picture-Based Questions

Question 1.
Observe the pictures taken from the NCERT textbook subsequently and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Picture Based Questions Q1

Questions:
(i) This is an important port on the Western coast of the early 17th century India. Identify the port.
(ii) What was the significance of this port in trade during this period?
Answers:
(i) Surat
(ii) It was an important port in the early 17th century that Dutch and English trading ships used.

Question 2.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Picture Based Questions Q2
Questions:
(i) What is it? What design does it carry?
(ii) Why does a line run through the middle?
(iii) Name the two states where these designs were mostly produced.
Answers:
(i) It is an odhni. It carries bandanna design.
(ii) In this odhni, two tie-and-dye silk pieces are seamed together with gold thread embroidery.
(iii) Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Map Skills
Question 1.
On an outline map of India, mark the major centres of weaving that existed in the late 18th century.
Answer:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners Map Skills Q1

More CBSE Class 8 Study Material

NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 12 India After Independence

NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 12 India After Independence

Class 8 History Chapter 12 India After Independence Ncert Textbook Questions Solved

Question 1.
Name three problems that the newly independent nation of India faced. The Problem of the rehabilitation of given below
Answer:

  • The three problems that the newly 8 million refugees who had come into the country from newly born Pakistan.
  • The problem of the princely states. There were almost 500 princely states, each ruled by a Maharaja or a Nawab, and each of them had to be persuaded to join the new nation,
  • The new nation had to adopt a political system that would best serve the hopes and aspirations of the people.

Question 2.
What was the role of the Planning Commission?
Answer:
Role of Planning Commission

  1. Lifting India and Indians out of poverty, and building a modem technical and industrial base were among the major objectives of the new commission.
  2. A broad agreement was reached on “mixed economy” model.
  3. In mixed economy, both the State and the private sector would play important and complementary roles in increasing production and generating jobs.
  4. These roles were:
    • Which industries should be initiated by the state.
    • Which industries by the market.
    • How to achieve a balance between the different regions and states.
  5. Roles of state and private sectors were to be defined by the Planning Commission.
  6. To make 5-year plans.

Question 3.
Fill in the blanks.

  1. Subjects that were placed on the Union List were ………….., …………, and …………..
  2. Subjects on the Concurrent List were …………… and ………….
  3. Economic planning by which both the state and the private sector played a role in development was called a …………. model.
  4. The death of …………. sparked off such violent protests that the government was forced to give in to the demand for the linguistic state of Andhra.

Answer:

  1. Taxes, defense, foreign affairs
  2. Forests, agriculture
  3. ‘mixed economy’
  4. Potti Sriramulu

Question 4.
State whether true or false:

  1. At independence, the majority of Indians lived in villages.
  2. The Constituent Assembly was made up of members of the Congress Party.
  3. In the first national election, only men were allowed to vote.
  4. The Second Five Year Plan focused on the development of the heavy industry.

Answer:

  1. True
  2. False
  3. False
  4. True

Question 5.
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.
By the statement, he meant that in political life UAF would give equality. We have one person one vote policy. But this would not automatically remove inequality between castes, rich or poor.In our social and economic life the principle of one man one value will still be denied.

Question 6.
After Independence, why was there a reluctance to divide the country on Uguistic times?
Answer.

  • Way back in the 1920s, the Indian National Congress, in the beginning, had promised that after independence, each major linguistic group would have its own province.
  • After independence, the Congress did not take any steps to honour this promise.
  • India had been divided on the basis of religion: despite the wishes and efforts of Mahatma Gandhi, freedom had come not to one nation but to two.
  • As a result of the partition of India, more than ten lakh people had been killed in riots between Hindus and Muslims.
  • The country could not afford further divisions on the basis of language.
  • Both Prime Minister Nehru and Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Patel were against the creation of states on the basis of languages.

Question 7.
Give one reason why English continued to be used in India after Independence.
Answer.
English continued to be used in India after Independence because south Indian states expressed strong opposition to Hindi.

Question 8.
How was the economic development of India visualised in the early decades after Independence?
Answer.
In 1950, the government set up a Planning Commission to help design and execute suitable policies for economic development. There was a broad agreement on the “mixed economy’ model. Here, both the state and the private sector would play important and complementary roles in increasing production and generating jobs. Now, it was on the Planning Commission to define which industries should be initiated by the state and which by the market and how to achieve a balance between the different regions and states.

In 1956, the Second Five Year Plan was formulated which focused on the development of heavy industries such as steel, and on the building of large dams. These sectors would be under the control of the state. This focus on heavy industry and the effort at state regulation of the economy was to guide economic policy for the next few decades.

Question 9.
Who was Mira Behn? Find out more about her life and her ideas.
Answer.
Mira Behn was actually Madeline’s shade, daughter of a British admiral. Mira Behn wrote in 1949, “by science and machinery the mankind may get huge returns for a time, but ultimately will come desolation. We have got to study Nature’s balance, and develop our lives within her laws if we are to survive as a physically healthy and morally decent species.” She worked with Mahatma Gandhi.

Question 10.
Find out more about the language divisions in Pakistan that led to the creation of the new nation of Bangladesh. How did Bangladesh achieve independence from Pakistan?
Answer.
After the division of India in 1947 into India and Pakistan (West and East), the Urdu speaking rulers of West Pakistan kept torturing the Bengali speaking population of East Pakistan. A time came when the East Pakistani population rose in revolt against West Pakistan. The government committed atrocities on the Bengalis and thousands of them came to India as refugees.
The Bengali population formed Mukti Vahini under the leadership of Muziburr Rehman. India helped him and got the West PAKISTANI army surrendered. As a result, Bangladesh came into being on 16th December 1971.

Class 8 History Chapter 12 India After Independence Exercise Questions

Question 1.
Choose the correct option.
(i) Which one is not a feature of the Indian Constitution?
(a) It adopted the universal adult franchise
(b) It gave politicians special powers
(c) It provided equality before the law to all citizens
(d) It offered special privileges for the poorest and most disadvantaged Indians

(ii) Which one is the subject of the State List?
(a) Education
(b) Defence
(c) Forests
(d) Agriculture

(iii) Who is called the father of the Indian Constitution?
(a) Mahatma Gandhi
(b) Jawaharlal Nehru
(c) Vallabhbhai Patel
(d) Bhimrao Ambedkar

(iv) The bilingual state of Bombay was divided into separate states for
(a) Marathi and Telugu speakers
(b) Marathi and Malayalam speakers
(c) Marathi and Gujarati speakers
(d) Bengali and Gujarati speakers

(v) Who was the Deputy Prime Minister of Independent India?
(a) Motilal Nehru
(b) Bhim Rao Ambedkar
(c) Vallabhbhai Patel
(d) MaulanaAzad
Answer.
(i) (b), (ii) (a), (iii) (d), (iv) (d), (v) (c).

Question 2.
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

  1. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was also the ………….. minister of newly independent India.
  2. The Bhilai steel plant was set up with the help of the former …………. in 1959.
  3. In 1966, the state of Punjab was divided into ………… and ……………..
  4. India’s population in 1947 was almost …………… million.
  5. Soon after Independence, India chose to grant …………… right to all its citizens regardless of gender, class or education.

Answer.

  1. Foreign
  2. Uncivilised, civilised
  3. Punjab, Haryana
  4. 345
  5. Voting

Question 3.
State whether each of the following statements is True or False.

  1. The Adivasis or the Scheduled Tribes were not granted reservation in seats and jobs.
  2. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar belonged to a Marathi-speaking Dalit family.
  3. Bridges and dams became the symbol of development in free India.
  4. Dharavi in Gujarat is one of the world’s largest slums.
  5. Nehru and Patel wanted to divide the country on the basis of language.

Answer.

  1. False
  2. True
  3. True
  4. False
  5. False

Question 4.
Match the items given in Column A correctly with those given in Column B.
NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 12 India After Independence Exercise Questions Q4
Answer.
(i) (c), (ii) (a), (iii) (e), (iv) (b), (v) (d).

Class 8 History Chapter 12 India After Independence Very Short Answer Type Questions

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

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

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

Question 8.
What were the points of focus of the Second Five Year Plan?
Answer.
Development of heavy industries.
The building of large dams.

Question 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.

Question 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.

Class 8 History Chapter 12 India After Independence Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What created problems in unifying the people of India after it got independence?
Answer.
The points that created problems were:

  1. 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.
  2. The citizen of this country spoke different languages, wore different kinds of dresses, ate different kinds of foods, and practiced different professions.

Question 2.
What was the label of development of India at the time it got inde¬pendence?
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.

Question 3.
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.
  • Along with the former untouchables, the Adivasis also known as the Scheduled Tribes were also granted reservations in seats and jobs. They too had been deprived and discriminated against like the Scheduled Castes.

Question 4.
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, defense, 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.

Question 5.
Under what circumstances a compromise was made with respect to language?
Answer.
Several members of the Constituent Assembly believed that the English language should be driven out of India with the British rule. They were of the opinion that Hindi should take place in the English language. However, those who did not speak Hindi were of a different opinions. T.T. Krishnamachari on behalf of the people of the south strongly opposed Hindi. Some threatened to separate from India if Hindi was imposed on them. Finally, a compromise was made. It was decided that while Hindi would be the ‘official language’ of India, English would be used in the courts, the services, and communications between one state and another.

Question 6.
Under what circumstances did the new state of Andhra Pradesh come into being?
Answer.
The decision of the Congress leaders not to divide the country on linguistic lines disappointed the Kannada speakers, Malayalam speakers, and the Marathi speakers. They had all looked forward to having their own state. The Telugu-speaking districts of what was the Madras Presidency raised the strongest protests. In October 1952, a veteran Gandhian named Potti Sriramulu went on a hunger fast demanding the formation of Andhra state to protect the interests of Telugu-speakers. The fast went on and with it hartals and bandhs began to be observed. Meanwhile, Potti Sriramulu died. This incidence intensified the situation. The protests now became widespread and intense. This forced the Central Government to give in to demand. On 1 October 1953, the new state of Andhra Pradesh came into being.

Class 8 History Chapter 12 India After Independence Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Give detailed descriptions of the features of the Indian Constitution.
Answer.
We have a written Constitution which was adopted on 26 January 1950.
Features:
(a) One feature of the Indian Constitution was that it adopted a universal adult franchise. All Indians above the age of 21 (now 18) would be allowed to vote in state and national elections.

(b) Our Constitution guaranteed equality before the law to all citizens, regardless of their caste or religious affiliation.

(c) The Constitution offered special privileges for the poorest and most disadvantaged Indians. The evil practice of untouchability was abolished. Hindu temples were thrown open to all, including the former untouchables. After a long debate, the Constituent Assembly also recommended that a certain percentage of seats in legislatures as well as jobs in government be reserved for members of the lowest castes, including the Adivasis.

(d) Our Constitution clearly defined the powers and functions of the central and the state governments. It gave division of power in the form of three lists – a Union List with subjects such as taxes, defense, and foreign affairs, which would be the exclusive responsibility of the Centre, a State List of subjects such as education and health, which would be taken care of mainly by the States, a Concurrent List under which would come subjects such as forests and agriculture in which the Centre and the States would have joint responsibility.

Question 2.
Write in brief the process of state formation.
Answer.
The Congress leaders were in no mood to further divide the country into linguistic lines. This created great
disappointment among the Kannada speakers, Malayalam speakers, and the Marathi speakers, and the Telugu speakers, because they had all looked forward to having their own state. The Telugu speakers, however, showed the strongest protests. Their leader Potti Sriramulu went on a hunger fast demanding the formation of Andhra state to protect the interests of Telugu speakers. As the fast went on, it attracted much Hartals and bandhs began to be observed. Meanwhile, Potti Sriramulu died. This incidence intensified the situation. The protests took intense form. This forced the Central Government to give in to the demand and the new state of Andhra Pradesh came into existence on 1 October 1953.

After the formation of Andhra Pradesh, other linguistic communities also demanded their own separate states. Hence, a State Reorganisation Commission was set up, which submitted its report in 1956. It recommended the redrawing of the district and provincial boundaries to form compact provinces of Assamese, Bengali, Oriya, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu speakers respectively. The large Hindi-speaking region of north India was broken up into several states. Then in 1960, the bilingual state of Bombay was divided into separate states for Marathi and Gujarati speakers. In the year 1960, the state of Punjab was also divided into Punjab and Haryana, Punjab for the Punjabi speakers, and Haryana for the rest who spoke Haryanvi or Hindi.

Question 3.
Give an account of the successes and failures of the country during the sixty-two years of its independence.
Answer.
Sixty-two years of independence have passed. This duration covers a long journey. A lot has been achieved during this time. But at the same time, there have been a number of failures.

Successes :

  1. India is still united and it is still democratic. These achievements definitely make us proud. Many foreign observers had felt that India could not survive as a single country. Others believed that it would come under military rule. Neither of these predictions proved to be true. As many as thirteen general elections have been held since independence, as well as hundreds of state and local elections.
  2. There is a free press and an independent judicially.
  3. The fact that people speak different languages or practice different faiths has not come in the way of national unity.

Failures:

  1. Deep divisions are still there. Despite constitutional guarantees, people belonging to the lowest castes, such as Dalits face violence and discrimination. In many parts of rural India, they are not allowed access to water sources, temples, parks, and other public places.
  2. The gulf between the rich and the poor has grown over the years. Some groups of people avail all facilities while many others continue to live below the poverty line.
  3. Our Constitution provides equality before the law but in real life, this does not happen. Some Indians are more equal than others.

Class 8 History Chapter 12 India After Independence Source-Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the following extract (Source 1) taken from the NCERT textbook and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 12 India After Independence Source Based Questions Q1

Questions:
(i) What problem does Nehru talk about in this letter?
(ii) How does he propose to sort it out?
Answers:
(i) Nehru talks about the problem of Muslim minority living in India after the partition,
(ii) He proposes to sort out this problem by providing security and the rights of citizens to the Muslim minority.

Class 8 History Chapter 12 India After Independence Picture-Based Questions

Question 1.
Observe the picture taken from NCERT textbook and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 12 India After Independence Picture Based Questions Q1

Questions:
(i) Who is the person addressing the audience?
(ii) What is he speaking about? .
Answers:
(i) Jawaharlal Nehru is addressing the audience.
(ii) He is introducing the resolution that outlined the objectives of the Constitution.

More CBSE Class 8 Study Material

NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement: 1870s-1947

NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement: 1870s-1947

Class 8 History Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement Ncert Textbook Questions Solved

Question 1.
Why were people dissatisfied with British rule in the 1870s and 1880s?
Answer:
The dissatisfaction against British rule was intensified in the 1870s and 1880s.
1. The Arms Act was passed in 1878, which disallowed Indians from having arms.
2. Same year the Vernacular Press Act was also enacted to silence the critics of the government.

  • The Act allowed the government to confiscate the assets of newspapers including their printing presses if the newspapers published anything “objectionable”.

3. In 1883, there was a furore over the attempt by the government to introduce the Ilbert Bill.

  • The bill provided for the trial of British or European persons by Indians, and sought equality between British and Indian judges in the country.
  • But the British (white) forced the government to withdraw the bill. Indians burst into anger. This event highlighted the whim of the British against Indians.

Question 2.
Who did the Indian National Congress wish to speak for?
Answer:
The Indian National Congress wished to speak for the entire people belonging to different communities of India.

Question 3.
What economic impact did the First World War have on India?
Answer:

  1. World War I altered the economic and political situation in India.
  2. Defence expenditure of the Government of India rose manifold. As a consequence taxes on individual incomes and business profits increased several times.
  3. Increased military expenditure and demands for war supplies, resulted in a sharp rise in prices, causing great difficulties for the common people.
  4. Demand for industrial goods (jute bags, cloth, rails) and a decline of imports from other countries led to the expansion of Indian industry. So, Indian business groups earned a huge profit.

Question 4.
What did the Muslim League resolution of 1940 ask for?
Answer:
The Muslim League resolution of 1940 asked for “Independent States’ for Muslims in the north-western and eastern areas of the country. The resolution did not mention partition or the name Pakistan.

Question 5.
Who were the Moderates? How did they propose to struggle against British rule?
Answer:
The Congress in the first twenty years of its formation was “moderate” in its objectives and methods.
1. During this period it demanded a greater voice for Indians in the government and in administration.

  • It wanted that the Indians should be given more representation in the Legislative Councils and given more power.
  • Legislative councils should be introduced in provinces where it did not exist.
  • It demanded that Indians be placed in high positions in the government.
  • For this, it called for civil service examinations to be held in India as well, not just in London.

2. Other demands of the Congress included:

  • The separation of the judiciary from the executive
  • The repeal of the Arms Act and
  • Freedom of speech and expression.

3. The early Congress raised numerous economic issues.

  • The Congress demanded:
  • reduction of revenue
  • cut in military expenditure
  • more funds for irrigation

4. It passed various resolutions on:

  • The salt tax
  • Good treatment of Indian laborers abroad
  • The sufferings of forest dwellers.

5. The Moderate leaders wanted to develop public awareness about the unjust nature of British rule. For this, they published newspapers, wrote articles, and showed the economic ruin of the country by the British.

  • They criticised British rule in their speeches and sent representatives to different parts of the country to mobilise public opinion.

6. Congress talked about many other issues concerned with the Indians, besides those of professional groups, zamindars, and industrialists.
7. The Moderates felt that the British had respect for the ideals of freedom and justice.

  • So they would accept these demands if they made the government aware of the feelings of Indians.

Question 6.
How was the politics of the Radicals within the Congress different from that of the Moderates?
Answer:
The Radicals within Congress cherished different opinions. They had a deep faith in action and wanted to drive away from the foreigners as soon as possible. They criticised the Moderates for their “politics of prayers’ and gave emphasis on self-reliance and constructive work. They argued that people must fight for swaraj. Unless they fought against the British rule unitedly, they would not bring independence to their country.

Question 7.
Discuss the various forms of the Non-Cooperation Movement took in different parts of India. How did people understand Gandhiji?
Answer:

  • The leaders of the Khilafat agitation, Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, wished to start a full-fledged Non-Cooperation Movement.
  • Gandhiji supported their call. He urged the Congress to campaign against “Punjab wrongs” (Jallianwala massacre), the Khilafat wrong and demand
  • Different classes and groups, interpreting Gandhiji’s call in their own manner, protested in their own ways. Thus, people linked their movements to local grievances.

Examples:

  • In Kheda, Gujarat, Patidar peasants organised non-violent campaigns against the high land revenue demand of the British.
  • In coastal Andhra and interior Tamil Nadu, liquor shops were
  • In the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, tribals and poor peasants staged a number of “forest satyagrahas” by sending their cattle into forests without paying grazing fee.
  • In many forest villages, peasants declared swaraj and believed that “Gandhi Raj” would be established.
  • In Sind (now in Pakistan), Muslim traders and peasants supported the Khilafat call wholeheartedly.
  • In Bengal, the Khilafat/Non-Cooperation alliance gave a strong communal unity and strength to the national movement.
  • In Punjab, the Akali agitation of the Sikhs removed corrupt mahants—supported by the British—from their gurdwaras.
  • In Assam, tea garden labourers shouted “Gandhi Maharaj ki Jaif. They demanded a big increase in their wages. They left the British-owned plantations declaring that they were following Gandhiji’s wish.
  • In the Assamese Vaishnava, songs of the period the reference to Krishna, was Substituted by “Gandhi Raja”.

Understanding of Gandhiji by the people

  • People thought of Gandhiji as a messiah, as someone who could help them overcome their misery and poverty.
  • Gandhiji wished to build class unity, not class conflict, yet peasants could imagine that he would help them in their fight against zamindars.
  • Agricultural labourers believed Mahatma Gandhi would provide them land and get taxes reduced.
  • Common people credited Gandhiji with their own.

Question 8.
Why did Gandhiji choose to break the salt law?
Answer:
Gandhiji was very much worried about the salt law. According to this law, the state had a monopoly on the manufacture and sale of salt. Gandhiji thought that it was sinful to tax salt because it is an essential item of our food and is required equally by the rich and the poor. Hence he decided to break this law in anticipation that people from all walks of life would extend their support. Needless to say that Gandhiji’s Salt March became very successful.

Question 9.
Discuss those developments of the 1937 – 47 period that led to the creation of Pakistan.
Answer:
Developments of 1937-1947 period Leading to the creation of Pakistan:

  • Muslim league was formed in 1906 but Congress’s failure to mobilise the Muslim masses in the 1920s allowed the League to widen its social support.
  • In Election results of 1937, they got very less seats, even in areas where a large number of Muslims lived, made them feel as a minority community.
  • In 1940 two nation theory was floated by them.
  • Elections to the provinces were again held in 1946. Congress did well in the “General” constituencies but the the league’s success in the seats reserved for Muslims was spectacular. So the league persisted with its demand for “Pakistan”.
  • In March 1946 the British cabinet sent a three-member mission to Delhi to examine this demand and to suggest a suitable political framework for a free India.
  • After the failure of the Cabinet Mission, the Muslim League decided on mass agitation for winning its Pakistan demand and announced 16 August 1946 as “Direct Action Day”.
  • On this day riots broke out in Calcutta, lasting several days and resulting in the death of thousands of people, mostly Hindus.
  • By March 1947 violence spread to different parts of northern India.
  • With mass agitation, India was partitioned in 1947 and Pakistan was born.

Question 10.
Find out how the national movement was organised in your city, district, area or state. Who participated in it and who led it? What did the movement in your area achieve?
Answer:

(Students to do it as per their area)
Organisation of National Movement in our city:
Hints:

  • Visit of Gandhiji.
  • Formation of Action Committees.
  • Meetings and awareness of different events at the national level.
  • Prabhat Pheries and Rallies.
  • Protest march to district headquarters.
  • Mass arrests.
  • Hanging of the freedom fighters.
  • Award after getting independence.

Question 11.
Find out more about the life and work of any two participants or leaders of the national movement and write a short essay about them. You may choose a person not mentioned in this chapter.
Answer:
Life and work of two leaders:
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari

  1. He played an important role with Gandhiji before the Gandhi-Jinnah talks, 1944.
  2. A veteran nationalist and leader of the Salt Satyagraha in the South. C. Rajagopalachari is popularly known as Rajaji.
  3. He served as a member of the Interim Government of 1946 and as free India’s first Indian Governor-General.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

  1. He played an important role in the negotiations for independence from 1945-47.
  2. Patel hailed from an impoverished peasant-proprietor family of Nadiad, Gujarat.
  3. A foremost organiser of the freedom movement from 1918 onwards, Patel served as President of the Congress in 1931.
  4. The British government declared 565 states, small and big, independent. They were given freedom: whether to join in India or Pakistan or remain independent.
  5. Sardar Patel did herculean efforts for merging all the states, included in Indian territory, in India.

Class 8 History Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement Exercise Questions

Question 1.
Choose the correct option.
(i) The book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India is authored by
(a) Mahatma Gandhi
(b) Dadabhai Naoroji
(c) Jawaharlal Nehru
(d) Sarojini Naidu

(ii) The Marathi newspaper was edited by
(a) Balgangadhar Tilak
(b) Bepin Chandra Pal
(c) Lala Lajpat Rai
(d) Dadabhai Naoroji

(iii) The slogan ‘Freedom is my birthright and I shall have it’ was raised by
(a) Bepin Chandra Pal
(b) Sarojini Naidu
(c) Lala Lajpat Rai
(d) Balgangadhar Tilak

(iv) The Indian who renounced his knighthood after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre
(a) Subhas Chandra Bose
(b) Rabindranath Tagore
(c) Abanindranath Tagore
(d) Bhagat Singh

(v) The first Indian woman to become President of the Indian National Congress was
(a) Sarojini Naidu
(b) Kamla Nehru
(c) Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain
(d) Kasturba Gandhi

(vi) Free India’s first Indian Governor- General was
(a) Lala Lajpat Rai
(b) Motilal Nehru
(c) C. Rajagopalachari
(d) Sardar Ballabbhai Patel
Answer:
(i) (b), (ii) (a), (iii) (d), (iv) (b), (v) (a), (vi) (c).

Question 2.
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

  1. The Indian National Congress was established when ……………. delegates from all over the country met at ……………… in December 1885.
  2. The Moderate leaders did not believe in ………….. actions.
  3. The All India Muslim League was formed by a group of Muslim …………. and …………….
  4. The Rowlatt Act curbed ………… rights such as the freedom of expression and strengthened …………… powers.
  5. Mahatma Gandhi abruptly called off the ……………… Movement when it took violent turn.
  6. The Congress resolved to fight for Puma Swaraj in 1929 under the presidentship of ……………….
  7. The Quit India Movement started in August …………..

Answer:

  1. 72, Bombay
  2. extreme
  3. landlords, nawabs
  4. fundamental, police
  5. Non-Cooperation
  6. Jawaharlal Nehru
  7. 1942.

Question 3.
State whether each of the following statements is True or False.

  1. Subhas Chandra Bose was a moderate nationalist.
  2. The Simon Commission had two Indian representatives.
  3. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred in Amritsar on Baishakhi day.
  4. The Swadeshi Movement started after the partition of Bengal.
  5. MaulanaAzad became the major spokes-person for the demand for Pakistan.
  6. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Badshah Khan, founded the Khudai Khidmatgars.

Answer:

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True
  4. True
  5. False
  6. True

Question 4.
Match the items given in Column A correctly with those given in Column B.
NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement 1870s-1947 Exercise Questions Q4
Answer:
(i) (b), (ii) (c), (iii) (d), (iv) (e), (v) (a).

Class 8 History Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement  Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 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.

Question 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.

Question 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.

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

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

Question 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.

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

Question 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.

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

Question 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.

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

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

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

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

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

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

Question 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.

Class 8 History Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement  Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What were the demands of the Congress in its early years?
Answer:
In its early years the Congress was moderate in its objectives and methods. It made several demands; which are given below:

  1. The Congress demanded a greater voice for Indians in the government and in administration.
  2. It demanded that Indians be placed in high positions in the government. For this purpose it called for Civil Service examinations to be held in India as well, not just in London.
  3. The Congress demanded for the separation of the judiciary from the executive.
  4. The repeal of the Arms Act and the freedom of speech and expression was also a major demand of the Congress.
  5. It also demanded reduction of revenue, cut in military expenditure and more funds for irrigation.

Question 2.
What caused the partition of Bengal in 1905?
Or
Under what pretext, did the British divide Bengal?
Answer:
At the time of partition Bengal was the biggest province of British India which comprised Bihar and parts of Orissa. The British argued for dividing Bengal for reasons of administrative convenience. But it was a totally false argument. In fact, the partition of Bengal was closely tied to the interests of British officials and businessmen. The British also wanted to curtail the influence of Bengali politicians and split the Bengali people. It was therefore, instead of removing the non-Bengali areas from the province, they separated East Bengal and merged it with Assam.

Question 3.
What were the consequences of the partition of Bengal?
Answer:
(a) The partition of Bengal enraged people all over the country. Both the Moderates and the Radicals in the Congress opposed this action of the British.
(b) Public meetings and demonstrations began to be organised. Novel methods of mass protest were also developed. They struggled against the partition of Bengal came to be known as Swadeshi Movement. In Bengal this movement was the strongest. In other regions .such as in deltaic Andhra the movement was called the Vandemataram Movements.

Question 4.
What was the Khilafat agitation?
Answer:
In the year 1920 the British imposed a harsh treaty on the Turkish Sultan, known as Khalifa. It enraged people. Indian Muslims wanted that the Khalifa be allowed to retain control over Muslim sacred places in the erstwhile Ottoman empire. The leaders of the Khilafat agitation Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, now wished to start a full-fledged Non-Cooperation Movement. They got support from Mahatma Gandhi who urged the Congress to campaign against “Punjab wrongs’, the Khilafat wrong and demand swaraj.

Question 5.
How did people participate in the Non-Cooperation Movement during 1921-22?
Answer:

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

Question 6.
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’.

Question 7.
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.

Question 8.
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.

Question 9.
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.

Class 8 History Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement  Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What was the Rowlatt Act? Give an account of the Rowlatt Satyagraha.
Answer:
The British passed the Rowlatt Act in the year 1919. The Act curbed fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression and strengthened police powers. The Act was very repressive and therefore it enraged Indians. Prominent leaders of the freedom struggles such as Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, etc. felt that the government had no right to restrict the basic freedoms of people. They viewed the Act as devilish and tyrannical. Gandhiji decided to oppose this Act. He asked people of India to observe 6 April 1919 as a day of non-violent opposition to the Act, as a day of “humiliation and prayer’ and hartal. He organised Satyagraha Sabhas to launch the movement.

The Rowlatt Satyagraha spread far and wide. It became the first All- India struggle against the British government. In April 1919 several demonstrations and hartals took place in the country. But the government suppressed them taking brutal measures. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was the climax of its brutality. This incident took place on 13 April in Amritsar on Baishakhi day. Thousands of people had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh to celebrate the occasion. General Dyre opened fire on them all of a sudden.
Both Hindu and Muslim unitedly criticised the British action.

Question 2.
Describe Gandhi’s march to Dandi.
Answer:
Gandhiji felt that Purna Swaraj would not come on its own. It had to be fought for. He was very much worried about government’s Salt Law. In 1930, he decided to break this law.
NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement 1870s-1947 LAQ Q2
According to the law, the state had a monopoly on the manufacture and sale of salt. Mahatma Gandhi and other prominent leaders of the freedom struggle thought that it was sinful to tax salt because it is an essential item of our food. Both the rich and the poor needed it equally. Gandhiji felt that his Salt March would become popular and would represent the genral desire of freedom to a specific grievance shared by all. On 6 April, 1930, Gandhiji alongwith his followers marched for over 240 miles from Sabarmati to the coastal town of Dandi. Here, they broke the government law by gathering natural salt found on the seashore, and boiling sea water to produce salt.

A large number of people including women participated in this historic march. The government tried to crush the movement through brutal action against peaceful satyagrahis. Thousands were arrested and sent to jail. But the movement played a significant role in achieving freedom of India.

Question 3.
Under what circumstances did Gandhiji initiate the Quit India Movement?
Answer:
In September 1939, the Second World War broke out. The. British government in India needed help from the Indian leaders. The 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 accept the demand. This enraged the Congress ministries. They all resigned to show their protest.
Mahatma Gandhi was deeply perturbed. He now decided to initiate a new phase of movement against the British rule in the middle of the Second World War. This movement came to be known as the Quit India Movement. Gandhiji thought that the British must Quit India without further delay. He raised the slogan ‘do or die’ which spread among the common mass very soon. But at the same time he warned the people not to be violent in any condition.

The British took repressive measures. Gandhiji along with other leaders were sent to jail immediately. But this did not prevent the movement from spreading. It specially attracted peasants and the youth who gave up their studies to join the movement. Communications and symbols of state authority were attacked all over the country. In several areas people set up their own governments. The British tried to repress these developments severely. About 90,000 people were arrested and wound 1,000 killed in police firing. But the movement did not go in vain. It brought freedom very close.

Class 8 History Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement Source-Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the following extract (Source 2) taken from the NCERT textbook and answer the questions that follow:
In pursuit of gold
This is what a Moderate leader, Dinshaw Wacha, wrote to Naoroji in 1887:
Pherozeshah is nowadays too busy with his personal work … They are already rich enough … Mr. Telang too remains busy. I wonder how if all remain busy in the pursuit of gold can the progress of the country be advanced?

Questions:
(i) Who was Dinshaw Wacha?
(ii) Whom did he write to?
(iii) What did he write in the letter?
Answers:
(i) Dinshaw Wacha was a Moderate leader of the Congress.
(ii) He wrote to Naoroji.
(iii) He wrote in the letter that if people like Pherozeshah and Telang remained busy in making wealth, then how would the country achieve its independence?

Class 8 History Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement Picture-Based Questions

Question 1.
Observe the pictures taken from NCERT textbook subsequently and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement 1870s-1947 Picture Based Questions Q1

Questions:
(i) Who is he?
(ii) Which book did he write?
(iii) What was the book about?
Answers:
(i) He is Dadabhai Naoroji.
(ii) He wrote a book named Poverty and Un-British Rule in India.
(iii) The book offered a scathing criticism of the economic impact of British rule.

Question 2.
NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement 1870s-1947 Picture Based Questions Q2
Questions:
(i) Identify the above personality.
(ii) Which state did he belong to?
(iii) Write two sentences about him.
Answers:
(i) Lala Lajpat Rai.
(ii) He belonged to Punjab.
(iii) He was one of the leading members of the Radical group. He criticised the moderates for their politics of petitions:

Question 3.
NCERT Solutions For Class 8 History Social Science Chapter 11 The Making of the National Movement 1870s-1947 Picture Based Questions Q3
Questions:
(i) Describe the image given above.
(ii) Who is holding the tricolour?
Answers:
(i) In the above image Mahatma Gandhi has been shown as a divine being occupying a place within the pantheon of Indian gods. Here he is driving Krishna’s chariot, guiding other nationalist leaders in the battle against the British.
(ii) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru is holding the tricolour.

More CBSE Class 8 Study Material

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation

Question 1.
Match the following:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the Native Educating the Nation Q1
Answer:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the Native Educating the Nation Q1.1

Question 2.
State whether true or false

  1. James Mill was a severe critic of the Orientalists.
  2. The 1854 Despatch on education was in favour of English being introduced as a medium of higher education in India.
  3. Mahatma Gandhi thought that the promotion of literacy was the most important aim of education.
  4. Rabindranath Tagore felt that children ought to be subjected to strict discipline.

Answer:

  1. True
  2. True
  3. False
  4. False

Question 3.
Why did William Jones feel the need to study Indian history, philosophy and law?
Answer:

  • William Jones came to represent a particular attitude towards India. He shared a deep respect for ancient cultures, both of India and of the West.
  • Jones and Colebrooke felt that India had attained its glory in the ancient past. It declined later on. In order to understand India, it was necessary to discover the sacred and legal texts produced in the past.
  • These texts would reveal the ideas and laws of Hindus and Muslims and would form the basis of future development.
  • Jones and Colebrooke believed that their project would help the British learn from Indian culture. Indians would also rediscover their own heritage. In this way the British would become guardians and masters of Indian culture.

Question 4.
Why did James Mill and Thomas Macaulay think that European education was essential in India?
Answer:

  • James Mill was the strongest critic of the Orientalists.
  • He declared that the British should not teach what the natives wanted, or what they respected, in order to please them and “win a place in their heart”.
  • The £pm of education should be to teach what was useful and practical.
  • Indians should be made familiar with the scientific and technical advances that the West had made, and not the sacred literature of the Orient.
  • Macaulay urged the British government in India to stop wasting public money in promoting Oriental learning, for it had no practical use.
  • He 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.
  • The teaching of English could thus be a way of civilizing people, changing their tastes, values, and culture.

Question 5.
Why did Mahatma Gandhi want to teach children handicrafts?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi wanted to teach children handicraft because of the following reasons:

  • People would work with their hands.
  • The craft would develop their minds.
  • It would also develop their capacities to understand.

Question 6.
Why did Mahatma Gandhi think that English education had enslaved Indians?
Answer:

  1. According to Mahatma Gandhi, colonial education created a sense of inferiority in the minds of Indians. He said it made them see Western civilisation as superior which destroyed the pride they had in their own culture.
    He said: It was sinful—it enslaved Indians—it cast an evil spell on them.
  2. Charmed by the West, appreciating everything that came from the West, Indians educated in these institutions admired British rule.
  3. Mahatma Gandhi wanted an education that could help Indians recover their sense of dignity and self-respect.
  4. Mahatma Gandhi -strongly was in favour of Indian languages to be the medium of teaching.
  5. Education in English crippled Indians and distanced them from their own social surroundings. This made them “straneers in their own lands”. Speaking a foreign tongue (language) despised local culture.
  6. Mahatma Gandhi further said that western education focused on reading and writing rather than oral knowledge;
    • It valued textbooks rather than life experience and practical knowledge.
    • He said education should develop a person’s mind and soul.
    • Literacy or simply learning to read and write—by itself did not count as education.
  7. People had to work with their hands and learn a craft. They should know how different things operated.

Question 7.
Find out from your grandparents about what they studied in school.
Answer:

  • Urdu/Hindi language
  • Mathematics
  • Social study, Drawing.

Question 8.
Find out about the history of your school or any other school in the area you live.
Answer:
I study in St. Peters Acadamy. It is the oldest one in this region. It was established by a Christian Missionary in 1980. It has created many histories by achieving so many events to its credit. The Principal is always appointed by the missionary. The man of high academic repute and administrative quality is appointed here as Principal. Teachers are also of high talent. There are five thousand students. Its students always bring high laurels to school and region by achieving bright result in Board Examinations. I am proud of my school.

Class 8 History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Exercise Questions

Question 1.
Choose the correct option.
(i) The ideas of William Jones were supported by
(a) James Mill
(b) Thomas Macaulay
(c) Charles Wood
(d) Henry Thomas Colebrooke

(ii) A madrasa was set up in Calcutta in 1781 to promote the study of
(a) Urdu
(b) Arabic
(c) Ancient history of India
(d) Muslim religion

(iii) Who attacked the Orientalists?
( a) James Mill
(b) Thomas Macaulay
(c) Both (a) to (b)
(d) None of the above

(iv) The name associated with the establishment of Serampore Mission
(a) Thomas Macaulay
(b) Henry Thomas Colebrooke
(c) William Carey
(d) William Jones

(v) William Adam toured the districts of
(a) Bihar and Orissa
(b) Bihar and Bengal
(c) Bengal and Rajasthan
(d) Orissa and Madhya Pradesh
Answer:
(i) (d), (ii) (b), (iii) (c), (iv) (c), (v) (b).

Question 2.
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

  1. Warren Hastings took the initiative to set up the Calcutta ………… and believed that ancient customs of the country and ……………..of learning ought to be the basis of ………… rule in India.
  2. Thomas Macaulay saw India as an …………… country that needed to be.
  3. Together with Henry Thomas Colebrooke and Nathaniel Halhed, Jones set up the ……………. of Bengal, and started a journal called …………………
  4. Many British officials said that knowledge of the was full of errors and thought …………….
  5. There was no system of annual examinations in …………..
  6. Rabindranath Tagore started …………… in 1901.

Answer:

  1. Madrasa, customs, oriental
  2. uncivilised, civilised
  3. Asiatic Society, Asiaticle Researches
  4. East, unscientific
  5. Pathshalas
  6. Shantiniketan

Question 3.
State whether each of the following statements is True or False.

  1. Wood’s Despatch emphasised the practical benefits of a system of European learning.
  2. Mahatma Gandhi never approved English education in India.
  3. Rabindranath Tagore did a lot for the spread of English education in India.
  4. Pathshalas followed strict rules and regulations.
  5. Thomas Macaulay was in favour of the promotion of Oriental institutions.
  6. James Mills was a Scottish missionary who toured the districts of Bengal and Bihar.
  7. Tagore set up his school, Le. Shantirdketan in a rural setting.

Answer:

  1. True
  2. True
  3. False
  4. False
  5. False
  6. False
  7. True.

Question 4.
Match the hems given in Column A correctly with those given in Column B.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the Native Educating the Nation Exercise Questions Q4
Answer:
(i) (c), (ii) (a), (iii) (e), (iv) (b), (v) (d).

Class 8 History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Very Short Answer Type Questions

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

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

Question 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.

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

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

Question 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.

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

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

Question 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.

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

Class 8 History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Short Answer Type Questions

Question 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.

Question 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.

Question 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.

Question 4.
What measures were taken by the English Education Act of 1835?
Answer:
The following measures were taken under the English Education Act 1835:

  1. English was made the medium of instruction for higher education.
  2. Promotion of Oriental institutiohs 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.
  3. English textbooks began to be produced for schools.

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

  1. Education departments of the government were set up to extend control over all matters regarding education.
  2. A system of universities education was introduced. Universities were established in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
  3. Attempts were also made to bring about changes within the system of school education.

Question 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.

Class 8 History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Long Answer Type Questions

Question 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 raliable 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.

Question 2.
What measures were undertaken by the Company to improve the system of vernacular education?
Or
How were the irregularities ofpathshalas 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:

  1. It appointed a number of government pandits, each in charge of looking after four to five schools. The task of the pandit was to vi§it the pathshalas and try and improve the standard of teaching.
  2. Each guru was asked to submit periodic reports and take classes according to a regular time table.
  3. Teaching was now to be based on textbooks and learning was to be tested through a system of annual examination.
  4. Students were asked to pay a regular fee, attend regular classes, sit on fixed seats, and obey the new rules of discipline.

Question 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 wanlfttf 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.

Question 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.

Class 8 History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Source-Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the following extract (Sources 2 and 3) taken from NCERT textbook  subsequently and answer the questions that follow:

1. An argument for European knowledge
Wood’s Despatch of 1854 marked the final triumph of those who opposed Oriental learning. It stated:
We must emphatically declare that the education which we desire to see extended in India is that which has for its object the diffusion of the improved arts, services, philosophy, and literature of Europe, in short, European knowledge.

Questions:
(i) When did Wood’s Despatch come in light?
(ii) What type of education did the Despatch want to extend in India?
Answers:
(i) Wood’s Despatch came in light in 1854.
(ii) The Despatch advocated for European learning, because it was the only way to make Indians perfect in all sense. It would introduce them the European ways of life and would change their tastes and desires.

Question 2.
“Literacy in itself is not education”
Mahatma Gandhi wrote:
By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man—body, mind and spirit. Literacy is not the end of education nor even the beginning. It is only one of the means whereby man and woman can be educated. Literacy in itself is not education. I would therefore begin the child’s education by teaching it a useful handicraft and enabling it to produce from the moment it begins its training … I hold that the highest development of the mind and the soul is possible under such a system of . education. Only every handicraft has to be taught not merely mechanically as is done today but scientifically, i.e. the child should know the why and the wherefore of every process.
‘ The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol. 72, p. 79’

Questions:
(i) How does Mahatma Gandhi view literacy?
(ii) Why does he give so much emphasis on learning a useful handicraft?
Answers:
(i) According to Mahatma Gandhi literacy in itself is not education. It is not the end of education nor even the beginning. It is only one of the means whereby man and woman can get education. Hence, it should not be anyone’s goal.
(ii) He gives much emphasis on learning a useful handicraft because it enables the child to produce from the moment he Begins its training. It makes him aware of how different things are operated.

Class 8 History Chapter 8 Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Picture-Based Questions

Question 1.
Observe the pictures taken from NCERT textbook and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the Native Educating the Nation Picture Based Questions Q1

Questions:
(i) Who is he?
(ii) What do you know about him?
Answers:
(i) He is Heniy Thomas Colebrooke.
(ii) He was a great scholar of Sanskrit and ancient sacred writings of Hinduism.

Question 2.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 8 Civilising the Native Educating the Nation Picture Based Questions Q2
Questions:
(i) What is it?
(ii) Write a brief note on the system of education that existed here.
Answers:
(i) It is a village pathshala.
(ii) The system of education that existed here was flexible. There were no rules and regulations. There were no roll-call registers, no annual examinations and no regular time-table. Students were given oral teaching. They were taught in accordance with their needs.

More CBSE Class 8 Study Material

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 5 When People Rebel

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 5 When People Rebel

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 5 When People Rebel

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Ncert Textbook Questions Solved

Question 1.
What was the demand of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi that was refused by the British?
Answer:
To accept her adopted son to succeed the throne of the king, after the death of her husband.

Question 2.
What did the British do to protect the interests of those who converted to Christianity?
Answer:
Those who converted to Christianity would inherit the property of his ancestors.

Question 3.
What objections did the sepoys have to the new cartridges that they were asked to use?
Answer:
Objections the sepoys had to the new cartridges were:

  • The cartridges were greased with the fat of cows and pigs.
  • The sepoys had to use mouth to remove the covering of the cartridges.
  • They termed the cartridges to be a violation of the religious sentiments.
  • Hence, they rebelled.

Question 4.
How did the last Mughal emperor live the last years of his life?
Answer:
The last Mughal emperor lived a very pathetic life during the last years of his life. He was tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment. He and his wife were sent to prison in Rangoon. He died there after four years.

Question 5.
What could be the reasons for the confidence of the British rulers about their position in India before May 1857?
Answer:
Reasons for the confidence of the British rulers about their position in India before May 1857

  1. The traditional rulers failed to develop independent leadership.
  2. They also failed to have independent social, economic, and political aims of their own.
  3. They fought among themselves and could not present a united front against the foreign rule.
  4. A section of the people practiced inhuman social practices. They did not rise in revolt against the Britishers.

Question 6.
What impact did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion have on the people and the ruling families?
Answer:
Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion boosted the morale of the people and the ruling families. They became united to fight the British authority with double spirit.

People of the towns and villages rose up in rebellion and rallied around local leaders, zamindars and chiefs. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao, who lived near Kanpur, gathered arme^ forces and expelled the British garrison from the city. He proclaimed himself Peshwa.

He declared that he was a Governor under emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. In Lucknow, Birjis Qadr, the son of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, was proclaimed the new Nawab. He too acknowledged the suzerainty of Bahadur Shah Zafar. In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined the rebel sepoys and fought the British along with Tantia Tope, the general of Nana Saheb.

Question 7.
How did the British succeed in securing the submission of the rebel landowners of Awadh?
Answer:
British succeeded in securing the submissions of the rebel landowners of Awadh:

  • They provided inheritance rights to the landowners (who would enjoy traditional rights over their land).
  • They were exempted from taxes.
  • They were rewarded.
  • They would be safe and their rights and claims would not be denied to them.

Question 8.
In what ways did the British change their policies as a result of the rebellion of 1857?
Answer:
Some important changes brought by the British after the revolt were:
1. According to the Act of 1858 powers of the East India Company were transferred to the British Crown in India.

  • Secretary of State was appointed for governance and Governor-General was given the title of Viceroy.
  • Secretary of State was to be assisted by a council of 15 members. It was only an advisory body.
  • Governor-General was answerable to the Secretary of State.

2. All rulers were made to acknowledge British Queen as Sovereign Paramount and were allowed to pass their kingdoms to their heirs.

  • The proportion of Indian soldiers in the army was reduced. More soldiers were taken from Gurkhas, Sikhs and Pathans.

3. Muslims were seen held responsible for rebellion and their land was confiscated.
4. Social and religious practices were given respect.

  • Zamindars and landlords were given protection and rights over their lands.

Question 9.
Find out stories and songs remembered by people in your area or your family about San Satavan Ki Ladaai. What memories do people cherish about the great uprising?
Answer:
Memories

  • Sepoy Mutiny started from Meerut. .
  • Support of Bahadur Shah Zafar.
  • Spread of the mutiny over all of India.
  • Thousands of Firangis killed.
  • Thousands of people sacrificed their lives.
  • Mutiny suppressed.
  • British Foundation was shaken in India.
  • Concessions given to Indians.

Question 10.
Find out more about Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. In what ways would she have been an unusual woman for her times?
Answer:
Rani of Jhansi: Rani Lakshmibai was the bravest among all the leaders of 1857 who tried to defeat the British forces. After the death of her husband she had adopted a son but the then Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie refused to give the rule of Jhansi to the adopted child, and Jhansi was annexed to the British Empire.

When the revolt started against the British, Rani Lakshmibai also participated in it and fought very bravely. Her bravery would always continue to inspire the Indians. With the help of her commanders Nana Sahib, Tantia Tope, and her Afghan supporters, she occupied Gwalior. Hearing about her bravery, the army of Scindia deserted their Maharaja and joined Rani of Jhansi. In the end, she was defeated by the British and died fighting bravely against the British.

She might be called an unusual woman of her times because of the following reasons:

  • She became a widow at the age of 15 years but she did not lose heart.
  • She did not accept the British atrocities and challenged them.
  • She ruled Jhansi very bravely and efficiently after her husband’s death.

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Exercise Questions

Question 1.
Choose the correct option:

(i) The new law passed in 1850 made
(a) conversion into Christianity easier
(b) people of India Christians
(c) the life of the Indians difficult
(d) none of the above

(ii) The Revolt of 1857 began from:
(a) Lucknow
(b) Kanpur
(c) Awadh
(d) Meerut

(iii) Mangal Pandey, a young soldier, was hanged to death for
(a) killing an Englishman
(b) attacking his officers in Barrackpore
(c) telling lies
(d) attacking English factories

(iv) The Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar died in-
(a) the Rangoon jail
(b) the Royal palace
(c) the Mosque
(d) the Audience Hall

(v) The British regained control of the country in the year
(a) 1857
(b) 1858
(c) 1859
(d) 1860
Answer:
(i) (a), (ii) (d), (iii) (b), (iv) (a), (v) (c)

Question 2.
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

  1. In the countryside peasants and zamindars resented the …………. and the rigid methods of collection.
  2. The British passed laws to stop the practice of …………….. and to encourage the …………. of widows.
  3. The rebels rushed to Delhi from Meerut and proclaimed ……………. as their leader.
  4. Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao, gathered armed forces and expelled the ……………. from the city.
  5. ……………. fought a guerrilla war against the British with the support of several tribal and peasant leaders.

Answer:

  1. High taxes; revenue
  2. Sati, remarriage
  3. Bahadur Shah Zafar
  4. British Garrison
  5. Tantia Tope

Question 3.
State whether each of the following statements is True or False.

  1. None of the Indians wanted to change existing social practices.
  2. In 1856, Governor-General Canning decided that Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last Mughal king.
  3. The Indian sepoys were unhappy about their pay, allowances and conditions of service.
  4. The British could not repress the revolt and called the rebels for negotiations.
  5. After the Revolt of 1857, the Governor-General of India was given the title of Admiral-General.

Answer:

  1. False
  2. True
  3. True
  4. False
  5. False

Question 4.
Match the items given in Column A correctly with those given in Column B.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Exercise Questions Q4
Answer:
(i) (d), (ii) (c), (iii) (a), (iv) (e) (v) (b).

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 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.

Question 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.

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

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

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

Question 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.

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Short Answer Type Questions

Question 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.

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

  1. First of all the name of the Mughal king was removed from the coins minted by the Company.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Question 3.
Why were the Indian sepoys in the employ of the Company discontented? Give sufficient reasons.
Answer:
Reasons for their discontentment:

  1. The Indian sepoys were given poor salaries and allowances.
  2. The conditions of service also made them unhappy.
  3. Some of the new rules even violated their religious sentiments and beliefs.
  4. Those were the days when many people in the country believed that if they crossed the sea they would lose their religion and caste.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

Question 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:

  1. They passed laws to stop the practice of sati and to encourage the remarriage of widows.
  2. They promoted English language education.
  3. 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.

Question 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.

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

  1. The British announced rewards for loyal landholders by allowing them to continue to enjoy traditional rights over their lands.
  2. 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.

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
How did other Indian soldiers in Meerut participate in the Revolt of 1857? How did the regiments stationed in Delhi respond when they came to know about the arrival of the Meerut sepoys in the city?
Answer:
The other Indian soldiers in Meerut participated in the uprising wholeheartedly. On 10 May, 1857 they marched to the jail in Meerut and released the sepoys who were sentenced to ten years’ jail for disobeying their officers. They attacked and killed British officers. They captured guns and ammunition and set fire to the buildings and properties of the British and declared war on the firangis. The soldiers were determined to bring an end to the British rule in the country.

The sepoys of Meerut rushgd to Delhi in the early hours on 11 May. As news of their arrival spread, the regiments stationed in Delhi also rose up in rebellion. Again British officers were killed, arms and ammunition were seized, buildings were set on fire. Triumphant soldiers gathered around the walls of the Red Fort where the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar lived, demanding to meet him.

The emperor was not willing to challenge the mighty British power but the soldiers persisted. They forced their way into the palace and proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leaders. The emperor finally accepted this demand. After getting the leader, the soldiers began to plan for further action.

Question 2.
How did the rebellion spread to other regions of the country?
Answer:
The position of the British became very weak in Delhi and they were almost defeated by the rebel force. Therefore, there was no uprising for almost a week. Afterwards a spurt of mutinies began in several parts of India. Regiment after regiment mutinied and took to join otlter troops at nodal points like Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow. After them, the people of the towns and villages also” rose up in rebellion. They rallied around local leaders, zamindars and chiefs who were prepared to establish their authority and fight the British.

Nana Saheb, the adopted son of the late Peshwa Baji Rao who lived near Kanpur, gathered armed forces and expelled the British Garrison from the city. He proclaimed himself Peshwa. He delcared that he was a Governor under emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. In Lucknow, Birjis Qadr, the son of the deposed Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, was proclaimed the new Nawab. He too acknowledged the suzerainty of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

In Jhansi, Rani Lakshmibai joined the rebel sepoys and fought the British along with Tantia Tope, the General of Nana Saheb.
A situation of widespread rebellion also developed in the region of Awadh. Many new leaders also came up and joined the revolt. Ahmadullah Shah, a maulvi from Faizabad, raised a large force of supporters. He came to Lucknow to fight the British.
In Delhi, a large number of religious warriors came together to wipe out the white people. Bakht Khan, a soldier from Bareilly, took charge of a large force of fighters who came to Delhi. In Bihar, an old zamindar, Kunwar Singh, joined the rebel sepoys and battled with the British for several months.

Question 3.
How did the Company suppress the revolt?
Answer:
The Company did not get nervous to sea the strength of the rebel forces. Instead, it decided to suppress the revolt with all its might. It brought reinforcements from England, passed new laws so that the rebels could be convicted with ease, and then moved into the storm centres of the revolt. Delhi was recaptured from the rebel forces in September 1857. The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar was tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment. He and his wife were sent to prison in Rangoon in October 1858.

The recapture of Delhi did not mean that the rebellion died down completely. People continued to resist and battle the British. So, the British had to fight for two years to suppress the massive forces of popular rebellion. The British took Lucknow in 1858. Rani Lakshmibai was defeated and killed in June 1858. Tantia Tope, who fought a guerrilla war, was finally captured, tried and killed in April 1859.

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Source-Based Questions

Question 1.
Read the following extract taken from the NCERT textbook (page 53) and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Source Based Questions Q1

Questions:
(i) Who was Vishnubhatt Godse? Where was he going and for what purpose?
(ii) Whom did he meet on the way? What did they tell him?
(iii) What further information did they give to Vishnubhatt?
Answers:
(i) Vishnubhatt Godse was a Brahman from a village in Maharashtra. He was going to Mathura to attend a yajna.
(ii) He met some sepoys on the way. The sepoys told him that he should not proceed on the journey because a massive upheaval was going to break out in three days.
(iii) The sepoys further informed Vishnubhatt about the ways the British were destroying the religions of the Hindus and the Muslims and anger that spread due to it among the rulers and the common mass. All the big people had fixed a date for the war of religion and that date would be coming in three days.

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Picture-Based Questions

Question 1.
Observe the picture given below taken from NCERT textbook and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Picture Based Questions Q1

Questions:
(i) What do you see in the above picture?
(ii) What does the artist want to show?
Answers:
(i) British forces are capturing the rebels.
(ii) The artist wants to show the might of the British soldiers who valiantly advanced on the rebel forces.

Map Skills

Question 1.
On an outline political map of India, mark the important centres of Revolt in North India.
Answer:
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science History Chapter 5 When People Rebel Map Skills Q1

More CBSE Class 8 Study Material