8-HISTORY: Ch 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

 

HISTORY: Ch 7 Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory             Owners

 

EXERCISE:

Q1. What kinds of cloth had a large market in Europe? 
Answer: Cotton and silk textiles had a huge market in Europe. Indian textiles were by far the most popular, both for their fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Different varieties of Indian textiles were sold in the Western markets; for example, chintz, cossaes or khassa, bandanna and jamdani.
2. What is jamdani?
 Answer: 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 is used.
Q3. What is bandanna? 
Answer: 'Bandanna' refers to brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head produced through a method of tying and dying.
Q4. Who are the Agarias?
Answer: The Agarias are an Indian community of iron smelters.
Q 5. Fill in the blanks: 
(a) The word chintz comes from the word __________.
(b) Tipu's sword was made of _________ steel.
(c) India's textile exports declined in the _________ century.
Answer (a)The word chintz comes from the word chhint.
(b)Tipu's sword was made of Wootz steel.
(c)India's textile exports declined in the nineteenth century.
Q6. How do the names of different textiles tell us about their histories? 
Answer →European traders first encountered fine cotton clothes from Indian carried by Arab merchants in Mosul in presentday Iraq. So they began referring to all finely woven textiles as 'muslin' – a word acquired wide currency
. Calico: When Portuguese first came to India in search of spices they landed in Calicut on the Kerala coast in South West India. The cotton textiles which they took back to Europe, along with the spices, came to called “Calico” (derived from Calicut) and subsequently calico became the general name for all cotton textiles.
  Chintz is derived from the Hindi word chhint, a cloth with small and colourful flowery designs.

  Bandanna now refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head. Originally the term derived from the word “bandanna” (Hindi for tying).
 Q7. Why did the wool and silk producers in England protest against the import of Indian textiles in the early eighteenth century?
Answer: By the early eighteenth century, worried by the popularity of Indian textiles, the wool and silk makers in England began protesting against the import of Indian cotton textiles. At this time, the textile industries had just begun to develop in England. Unable to compete with Indian textiles, English producers wanted a secure market within the country by preventing the entry of Indian textiles.
Q8. How did the development of cotton industries in Britain affect textile producers in India? 

Answer :Effects of the development of cotton industries in Britain on the textile producers in India:
1) Indian textiles had to compete with British textiles in European and American markets.
 2) Exporting textiles to England became increasingly difficult due to the very high duties imposed on Indian textiles imported into Britain.
3)  The English and European companies stopped buying Indian textiles and their agents no longer gave out advances to weavers to secure supplies.
4) Thus, Indian textiles declined in the nineteenth century, and thousands of Indian weavers and spinners lost their livelihood.

5)Indian weavers became unemployed.
Q9. Why did the Indian iron smelting industry decline in the nineteenth century?
Answer The Indian iron smelting industry declined in the nineteenth century because of  the following reasons.
1)The forest laws implemented by the colonial administration prevented the free movement of people in reserved forests. Charcoal - an essential ingredient in the iron smelting process - could therefore not be obtained easily.
2) When in some areas the government did grant access to the forests, the iron smelters were in return required to pay a very high amount in tax to the forest department for every furnace they used. This reduced their income.
 3) By the late nineteenth century, iron and steel was being imported from Britain. Ironsmiths began using the imported iron to manufacture utensils and implements. This reduced the demand for iron produced by local smelters.
 4) In the late nineteenth century, a series of famines devastated the dry tracts of India. As a result, many of the local smelters stopped work, deserted their villages, and migrated, looking for some other work to survive the hard
 10. What problems did the Indian textile industry face in the early years of its development? 

Answer: The development of cotton industries in Britain affected textile producers in India in several ways.
1) Indian textiles now had to compete with British textiles in the European and American markets. Exporting textiles to England also became increasingly difficult since very high duties were imposed on Indian textiles imported into Britain.
2) Thousands of weavers in India were now thrown out of employment.
3)Bengal weavers were the worst hit. English and European companies stopped buying Indian goods and their agents no longer gave out advances to weavers to secure supplies.
4)The textile factory industry in India  found it difficult to compete with the cheap textiles imported from Britain.
5) In most countries, governments supported industrialisation by imposing heavy duties on imports. This eliminated competition and protected infant industries.
11. What helped TISCO expand steel production during the First World War? 
Answer-This was because of the following reasons-
 1) In 1914 the First World War broke out.
2) Steel produced in Britain now had to meet the demands of war in Europe.
3) So imports of British steel into India declined dramatically and the Indian Railways turned to TISCO for the supply of rails.
4) As the war dragged on for several years, TISCO had to produce shells and carriage wheels for the war.
5) By 1919 the colonial government was buying 90 percent of the steel manufactured by TISCO.
 6) Over time TISCO became the biggest steel industry within the British Empire.

 

Extra 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:
(a) The sword and armour making industry died with the conquest of India by the British.
(b) 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 keep the charcoal burning.

 

NCERT Class 8 History Chapter 6 Colonialism and the City

 

Class 8 History Chapter 6 Colonialism and the City

 

Q1.State weather true or false

(a) In the Western world, modern cities grew with industrialisation. True

(b) Surat and Machlipatnam developed in the nineteenth century. False

(c) In the twentieth century, the majority of Indians lived in cities. False

(d) After 1857 no worship was allowed in the Jama Masjid for five years. True

(e)More money was spent on cleaning Old Delhi than New Delhi. False

 

Q2. Fil in the blanks

(a)The first structure to successfully use the dome was called the Jama Masjid.

(b) The two architects who designed New Delhi and Shahjahanabad were Edward Lutyens and Herbert Baker. (Please note that Edward Lutyens and Herbert Baker designed New Delhi and its buildings.

(c) The British saw overcrowded spaces as unhygienic and unhealthy.

(d) In 1888 an extension scheme called the Lahore Gate Improvement Scheme was devised.

Q3.Identify three differences in the city design of New Delhi and Shahjahanabad.
Answer:
Three differences were:

1.      Shahjahanabad was crowded with mohallas, and several dozen bazaars. But New Delhi was not crowded nor were there mazes of narrow by-lanes.

2.      Shahjahanabad was not established in a planned manner while New Delhi was beautifully planned.

3.      There was chaos everywhere in Shahjahanabad. But New Delhi represented a sense of law and order. 

Q 4.Who lived in the ‘white’ areas in cities such as Madras?
Answer:The British lived in the ‘white’ areas in cities such as Madras.

 

Q5.What is meant by de-urbanisation?

Anse-De-urbanisation is a process by which more and more people began to live in villages or rural areas.
In the late 18th century, Calcutta, Bombay and Madras emerged as Presidency cities. They became the centres of British power in different regions of India. At the same time, several smaller cities declined. Old trading centres and ports could not survive when the flow of trade shifted to new centres. Similarly, earlier centres of regional power collapsed with the defeat of local rurals by the British and new centres of administration grew. This process is described as de-urbanisation

Q6.Why did the British choose to hold a grand Durbar in Delhi although it was not a capital?
Answer: The British were aware of the symbolic importance of the city of Delhi. It had been the seat of the Mughal Empire since last four hundred years. The Mughal emperor though had lost all his powers and autonomy, he was still important to the people.  Therefore, the British choose to hold a grand durbar in Delhi with much pump and show to display the power and authority of the British empire.

Q 7.How did the Old City of Delhi change under British rule?
Answer: They wanted Delhi to forget its Mughal past. Hence, the area around the Fort was completely cleared They either destroyed, the mosques or put them to other uses. For example, the Zinat-al-Masjid was converted into a bakery. No worship was allowed in the Jama Masjid for five years.
One-third of the city was demolished and its canals were filled up.
 walls of Shahjahanabad were broken to establish the railway . They developed Civil Lines areas.

Q8.How did the partition affect life in Delhi?

Ans :During partition of British India , millions of people were displaced from their homes. Partition changed the social and economic structure of the city.

 1) As a result, the population of Delhi increased all of a sudden.

2)The job of the people changed and the culture of the city became different.

3)Most of these migrants were from Punjab. They stayed in camps, schools, etc. While some got the opportunity to occupy residences that had been vacated by the Muslims. Yet others were housed in refugee colonies.

4) New colonies like Lajpat Nagar and Tilak Nagar grew at this time.

5) Shops and stalls were set up to cater the needs of the migrants, schools and colleges were opened.

6.Partition changed their lives and occupations. They had to take up new jobs like hawkers, vendors, carpenters, and ironsmiths.

 

Extra question

Q1.In which year did Delhi became the capital of British India?

1.      1931

2.      1947

3.      1941

4.      1911

Ans- 4.

Q2. What term from the list given bolow can be given to the rebirth of art and living. It is often described as a period of high creativity.

1.      Renaissance

2.      De-urbanisation

3.      Globalisation

4.      Urbanisation

Ans.1

Q3.Match the following:

(i) Kingsway	(a) 1947
(ii) Edward Lutyens	(b) Rajpath
(iii) The Partition	(c) Delhi
(iv) Nizamuddin Auliya	(d) Architect

Ans : i -(a) ,  ii -(d) , iii -(a) , iv -c

Q4.How was colonial India divided for administrative purposes?

Ans : Colonial India was divided into 3 “Presidencies” for administrative purposes. Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were the 3 Presidencies which rose in importance under East India Company.

Q5.How was colonial India divided for administrative purposes?

Ans ;Colonial India was divided into 3 “Presidencies” for administrative purposes. Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were the 3 Presidencies which rose in importance under East India Company.

Q6.What were called havelis?

Ans. The Mughal aristocracy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries lived in grand mansions called havelis.

Q7. Mention the cities that were deurbanized during the nineteenth century

Ans : Machlipatnam, Surat and Seringapatam 

Q:What is Khanqah?

Ans. Khanqah – A sufi lodge, often used as a rest house for travellers and a place where people come to discuss spiritual matters, get the blessings of saints, and hear sufi music.

Q8. Why was a Durbar held in Delhi in 1911?

Ans. In 1911, when King George V was crowned in England, a Durbar was held in Delhi to celebrate the occasion. The decision to shift the capital of India from Calcutta to Delhi was announced at this Durbar.

Q9. Who lived in the “white” areas in cities such as Madras?

Ans. In colonial cities such as Madras, Bombay or Calcutta, the living spaces of Indians and the British were sharply separated. Indians lived in the “black” areas, while the British lived in well-laid out “white” areas.

Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel 1857 and After

 

                                Class 8 History Chapter 5 When People Rebel

                                1857 and After

 

 

     Textbook questions                                

Q1. What was the demand of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi that was refused by the British?

Answer:Rani Lakshmibai wanted her adopted son to be the ruler of Jhansi after the death of her husband. But the British refused her plea.

 

Q2. What did the British do to protect the interests of those who converted to Christianity?

Answer:In 1850, the British passed a new law to make conversion to Christianity easier. This law allowed an Indian who had converted to Christianity to inherit the property of his ancestors

 

Q3. What objections did the sepoys have to the new cartridges that they were asked to use?

Answer:The new cartridges that the sepoys were asked to use were reported to be greased with the fat of cows and pigs. They had to bite the cartridges to load them into the rifles. The Hindu and the Muslim soldiers felt that it was a made by the British to defame their religion. Thats why they denied using the new cartridges.

Q 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. After the failure of the revolt, he was tried in the court and was sentenced to life imprisonment. His sons and grandson were shot dead by the British. He and his wife were sent to prison in Rangoon where he died in 1862.

Q5.What could be the reasons for the confidence of the British rulers about their position in India before May 1857?
Answer:The reasons are given below:

1)Most of the Indian kings and the nawabs were under the British rule. The presence of British Residents in the courts eroded their authority and reduced their freedom to administer their kingdoms.

2) Various kingdoms were forced to disband their armies and enter into the Subsidiary Alliance system with the British.They impose doctrine of lapse. This type of control helped British annex territories one after another.

3)Indian ruler fought among themselves and could not present a united front against the foreign rule.

Q6. What impact did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion have on the people and the ruling families?

Answer: Bahadur Shah’s support to the rebellion changed the scene:

1)Large part of country was ruled by chiefs under Mughal rule and threatened by British. They thought if Mughal could be powerful again, they too could rule again, under Mughal authority.

 2)Emperor’s blessing to the rebels gave an alternative and filled people with courage and enthusiasm to fight.

Q 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:

(1)They provided inheritance rights to the landowners (who would enjoy traditional rights over their land).

(2) They were exempted from taxes.

(3)They were rewarded.

(4)They would be safe and their rights and claims would not be denied to them.

Q8. 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 Act of 1858 powers of East India Company were transferred to British Crown in India.

2.Secretary of State was appointed for governance and Governor General was given the title of Viceroy.

3. Secretary of State was to be assisted by a council of 15 members. It was only a advisory body. Governor General was answerable to the Secretary of State.

4. Muslims were seen held responsible for rebellion and their land was conscated.

5. Social and religious practices were given respect.

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

 

Extra questions

1.Match the items given in Column A correctly with those given in Column B.

Column A	Column B
i)Birjis Qadar	(a)Bihar
ii)Rani Lakshmibai	(b)Faizabad
iii)kunwar singh	(c) Jhansi
iv) Bakht Khan	(d)Lucknow
v) Ahmadullah Shah	e)Bareilly
vi)Bahadur Shah Zafar	f)Delhi
vii)Nana Saheb	g)Kanpur

Answer:
(i) (d), (ii) (c), (iii) (a), (iv) (e), (v) (b) ,(vi) (f),(vii) (g)

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

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

4.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.

5. The rebels rushed to Delhi from Meerut and proclaimed ……………. as their leader.

Ans : Bahadur Shah II

6.………... fought a guerrilla war against the British with the support of several tribal and peasant leaders.

Ans: Tantia Tope

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

Ans (d)

8. Who was the governor-general during the Revolt of 1857?

A. Lord Canning

B. Lord Irwin

C. Lord Lytton

D. Lord Willington

Ans A

 

9.Explain the following :

Mutiny:When soldiers as a group disobey their officer in the army

Firangis: Foreigners, the term reflects an attitude of contempt.

Map Skills
On an outline political map of India, mark the important centres of Revolt in North India.
Answer

 

NCERT Class -8 Social Science ( History ) Chapter 4 : Tribals , Dikus and the Vision of Golden Age

    Chapter  4 : Tribals , Dikus and the Vision of Golden Age

 

Exercise

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks:

1.    The British described the tribal people as …………

2.    The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as …………….

3.    The tribal chiefs got …………. titles in central India under the British land settlements.

4.    Tribals went to work in the………….. of Assam and the ……………… in Bihar.

Answer:

1.    Wild and savage

2.    broadcast

3.    land

4.    tea plantations, coal mines

Question 2.
State whether true or false:

1.    Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds.

2.    Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at five times the purchase price.

3.    Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves, give up drinking liquor, and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery.

4.    The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.

Answer:

1.    False

2.    True

3.    True

4.    False

 

Q3. What problems did shifting cultivators face under British rule?

Answer:

1)The British extended their control over all forests

2) They declared that forests were state property. Some forests were classified as Reserved Forests for they produced timber which the British wanted.

3)In these forests people were not allowed to move freely and practise jhum cultivation. As a result, many jhum cultivators had to move to other areas in search of work eg. mining ,plantation, and labor

Question 4. How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?

Answer: Under the British rule, the functions and powers of these tribal chiefs changed to a great extent:

1.They were allowed to keep their land titles over a cluster of villages and rent out lands, but they lost much of their administrative power and were forced to follow laws made by British officials in India.

3.They had to pay tribute to the British and discipline the tribal groups on behalf of the British.

4.They lost the authority they had earlier enjoyed amongst their people, and were unable to fulfil their traditional functions.

Question 5. What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?

Answer: The tribals wanted to drive out the dikus, missionaries, moneylenders, Hindu landlords, and the government because they saw them as the cause of their misery. The following facts account for their anger against the dikus:

1.The land policies of the British were destroying their traditional land system.

2.Hindu landlords and moneylenders were taking over their land.

3.Missionaries were criticising their traditional culture.

Question 6.What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why do you think such a vision appealed to the people of the region?

Answer:Birsa’s vision of golden age was to have their land free of dikus. He considered that age to be the ‘age of truth’. According to Birsa, in the golden age, the tribal sirdars will be able to rule among themselves and no one will be there to dictate terms to them. His golden age vision was to have an age with no vices like liquor, witchcraft, sorcery and uncleanliness. He did not want any role of outsider participants like missionaries, Hindu landlords, moneylenders, traders and Europeans.

Extra question

Q1.What were the activities of the Tribals?

Ans : Tribal people in different parts of India were involved in a variety of activities like -

·         Shifting Cultivation

·         Hunting & Gathering forest produce

·         Herding animals settled cultivation

Q2. Who were Mundas?

Ans. Mundas was a tribal group that lived in Chottanagpur.

Q3. What is the other name of jhum cultivation?

Ans. The other name of Jhum cultivation is shifting cultivation

 

Ans. Fallow field is a field left uncultivated for a while so that the soil recovers fertility.

Q5. Why did the British introduce land settlement?

Ans. The British introduced land settlement because they wanted a regular revenue source for the state.

Q6. Why did the British introduce land settlement?

Ans. The British introduced land settlement because they wanted a regular revenue source for the state.

Q 7. For what purpose Kusum and plash flowers are used.

(a)  

(b) Extracting oil from the seeds

(c) Cooking and making food

(d) All of these

Ans: (a )

Q8.What were the Santhal of Hazaribagh?

Options :

A) cultivated small patches of land

(b) reared silkworm

(c)  Pastoralist

(d) None of these

Ans:-b

Q9. Which region did the Gujjar and bakarwal belog to?

Options:

(a) Punjab

(b) Jammu and Kashmir

 (c) Tamil Nadu

(d) Tripura

Ans:-b

Q10.Birsa belong to which tribal group?

 (a)Baiga

(b) Santhal

(c)Munda

(d) Khond

Ans: c

 

 

 

 

 

Map skill : Mark the following tribes in political map of india.

1) Baiga

2)Bhil

3)Gonds

4)Mundas

5)Banjara

6)Santhal

7)Gadis

8)Van Gujjar

9)Oraon

10)Baigas