HISTORY-: Ch 1 How, When and Where

EXERCISE-

1. State whether true or false:

a) James Mill divided Indian History into three periods- Hindu, Muslim, and Christian. 

Ans:False

b)Official documents help us understand what the people of the country think.

Ans.False 

c) The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.

Ans. T kirue 

Let's Discuss

2. What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian History that James Mill offers?

Answer.  He divided Indian history into three periods Hindus, Muslims and British. This periodisation has several problems which is not acceptable due to following reasons: 

1.He characterised the age only through the religion of rulers of that time.

2. A variety of faiths, apart from Hinduism and Islam, existed in the periods categorised as Hindu and Muslim by Mill. 

3.  All rulers in ancient India did not share the same faith. 

4.  It is this country from where two other religions like- Buddhism and Jainism developed and spread to other parts of the world while Hindu religion also existed.

5.Mill presented British rule as the period of progress and civilization and the period before British rule as darkness.

3. Why did the British preserve official documents?

Ans . 

1) The British believed that the act of writing was important.

ii) Every institution plan, policy decision, agreement investigation had to be clearly written up.

iii) written things could be properly studied and debated.

iv) The British also felt that all important documents and letters needed to be carefully preserved.

v) The preserved documents could be used as a point of reference whenever required.

vi) To preserve the documents they set up record rooms, Museum and Archives. 

Q.4. How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that found in police reports?

Ans. 

1)The information in police reports tells us only about what officials thought, what they were interested in and what they wished to preserve for posterity.

2) However, the information from old newspapers tell us about the feelings and actions of other (common) people of the country.

Extra Questions 

1.Who was the last Viceroy of India?

Answer:

Lord Mountbatten

2. Who prepared the first map and when?

Answer:

James Rennel in 1782.

3. Who was James Mill?

Answer:

He was a Scottish economist and a political philosopher who published a massive three volume work- A History of British India.

4. How did Mills divide Indian History?

Answer:

Mills divided Indian History into three periods namely, Hindu, Muslim and British.

5. Who was the first Governor General of Bengal.  

Ans . Warren Hastings. 

6.How do dates become important in history?

Answer. Dates become vital in history because we focus on a particular set of events as important.

7. Why do we divide history into different periods?

Answer. In an attempt to capture the characteristics of a time, its central features as they appear to us.