HISTORY-: Ch 1 How, When and Where

EXERCISE-
 1. State whether true or false:
 a) James Mill divided Indian History into three periodsHindu, Muslim, and Christian.
► False
b) Official documents help us understand what the people of the country think.
 ► False
c) The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.
► True
2. What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian History that James Mill offers?

Answer-  In his massive three volume work known as ‘A history of British India’ James Mill divided the Indian history into Hindu, Muslim and British. He laid emphasis on the upliftment of society which was introduced by the Britishers in India. According to him there was religious intolerance, caste taboos, superstitious beliefs, darkness etc. However this division was problematic for many reasons.

1)A variety of faiths, apart from Hinduism and Islam, existed in the periods categorised as Hindu and Muslim by Mill.
2) All rulers in ancient India did not share the same faith.
3. Why did the British preserve official documents?
Answer The British preserved documents because of the following reasons:

• Any information or proof of any decision can be read/used from the preserved documents.
• The preserved documents reveal the progress made by country in the past.
• One can study the notes and reports which were prepared in the past
• Their copies may be made and used in modern times.
• Documents were helpful in understanding social, economical and history of those times.

4. How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that found in police reports?
Answer -The information printed in newspaper are usually affected by the views and opinions of the reporters, news editors etc. But what historians find in police reports are usually true and realistic.
Extra questions :

Question.1. Name the events for which specific dates can be determined.
Answer. The year a king was crowned, the year he married, the year he had a child, the year he fought a particular battle, the year he died, etc.

Question.2. What was an important aspect of the histories written by the British historians in India?
Answer. The rule of each Governor-General was an important aspect.

Question.3. Who was James Mill?
Answer. He was a Scottish economist and political philosopher and is known for his book A History of British India.

Question.4. What was Mill’s opinion about the Asian societies?
Answer. In Mill’s opinion all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilisation than Europe.

Question.5. What evil practices, according to James Mill, dominated the Indian social life before the British came to India?
Answer. According to James Mill, the evil practices that dominated to the Indian social life were religious intolerance, caste taboos and superstitious practices.

Question.6. How did paintings project Governor- General?
Answer. Paintings projected Governor-Generals as powerful figures.

Question.7. Why do many historians refer to modem period as colonial?
Answer. It is because, under British rule people did not have equality, freedom or liberty—the symbols of modernity.

Question.8. Mention one important source used by historians in writing about the last 230 years of Indian history.
Answer. The official records of the British administration.

Question.9. What is done under census?
Answer. It records the number of people living all the provinces of India and gathers information on castes, religions and occupation.

Question.10 .What do official records not tell?
Answer. Official records do not tell what other people in the country felt, and what lay behind their actions.