Class 8 HISTORY Ch. 2 - From Trade To Territory

      Class 8 Social science Chapter 2 -                  From Trade To Territory

                                          

                                                 TEXT BOOK QUESTIONS

Question 1:

Match the following:

Diwani	Tipu Sultan
“Tiger of Mysore”	right to collect land revenue
faujdari adalat	Sepoy
Rani Channamma	criminal court
sipahi	led an anti-British movement in Kitoor

Ans-

Diwani	right to collect land revenue
“Tiger of Mysore”	Tipu Sultan
faujdari adalat	criminal court
Rani Channamma	led an anti-British movement in Kitoor
sipahi	Sepoy

Question 2:

Fill in the blanks:

(a) The British conquest of Bengal began with the Battle of ___________.

(b) Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers of ___________.

(c) Dalhousie implemented the Doctrine of ____________.

(d) Maratha kingdoms were located mainly in the __________ part of India.

Ans-

(a) The British conquest of Bengal began with the Battle of Plassey.

(b) Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers of Mysore.

(c) Dalhousie implemented the Doctrine of Lapse.

(d)Maratha kingdoms were located mainly in the South-Western part of India.

Question 3:State whether true or false

1. The Mughal empire became stronger in the eighteenth century.
2. The English East India Company was the only European company that traded with India.
3. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the ruler of Punjab.
4. The British did not introduce administrative changes in the territories they conquered.

Answer: (a) False, (b) False, (c) True, (d) False

Q4. What attracted European trading companies to India?

Ans.  European trading companies were attracted to India because of a number of reasons: 

1. Trading with India was highly profitable and fruitful to the 

businessmen in Europe. 

2. The European trading companies purchased goods at cheaper and sold them in Europe at the higher prices. 

3.The fine qualities of cotton and silk produced in India had a big market in Europe. 

4.Indian spices like - pepper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon were in great demand in Europe.

5.What were the areas of conflict between the Bengal nawabs and the East India Company?

Ans. 

1. After the death of Aurangazeb, the Bengal Nawabs asserted their power and autonomy.

2. They refused to grant the company concessions and demanded large tributes for the company’s right to trade.

3. They denied the right to mint coins.

4. Nawabs even stopped the Company from extending fortifications.

5. the Company declared that its trade was getting ruined because of the unjust demands of the local officials.

Q6. : How did the assumption of Diwani benefit the East India Company?

Answer: The assumption of Diwani benefited the East India Company in the following way.

1. In 1765 Diwani allowed the company to use the vast revenue resources of Bengal.

2. The outflow of gold and silver the company imported to buy goods in India was stopped.

3. The revenue from Bengal could be used to purchase cotton and silk textiles in India.

4. The revenue helped the company maintain its troops and meet the cost of building forts and Company offices.

Q7. Explain the system of subsidiary alliance. 

Ans. According to the terms of this alliance -

1. Indian rulers were not allowed to have their independent armed forces. 

2. They were to be protected by the company but pay for the Subsidiary Forces, that the company was supposed to maintain for the purpose of their protection. 

3. If the Indian rulers failed to make payment, then that part of territory was taken away by the company as penalty. 

4. The states which had to lose their territories on this ground were Awadh and Hyderabad.

8. In what way was the administration of the Company different from that of Indian rulers?

Answer

1.British territories were broadly divided into administrative units called Presidencies. There were three Presidencies like - Bengal, Madras & Bombay  whereas under the Indian rulers administration was divided into four parts -District (Zila), Paragana, Tehsil and Villages.

2.In British administration The supreme head of the administration was the Governor-General , whereas under the Indian Administrative system the supreme head was King or Nawab.

3.The main job of the Governor-General was to introduce administrative reforms while the main job of the Collector was to collect revenue and taxes- and maintain law and order in his district.

Q9.Describe the changes that occurred in the composition of the Company’s army.

Answer:

1. East India Company adopted its own method when it began recruitment for the army.

2. It was known as the sepoy army (from the Indian word sipahi, meaning soldier).

3. With the change in warfare technology . the soldiers were armed with muskets and matchlocks

4. The infantry regiments now became more important.

5. In the early 19th century the British began to develop a uniform military culture.

6. Soldiers were given European-style training drills and discipline.

7. Caste and community feelings were ignored in building a force of professional soldiers.

Extra Questions 

1.Who was called ‘nabobs’?

Answer:
Several Company officials returned to Britain with wealth and led flashy lives and showed their riches with great pride. They were called “nabobs’.

2.Who were the Residents?
Answer:
The Residents were the political or commercial agents and their job was to serve and further the interests of the Company.

3.What was Lord Dalhousie’s Doctrine of Lapse?
Answer:
If an Indian ruler died without a male heir his kingdom would become the part of Company territory.