Ruling the countryside Question Answers

  

                        Ruling the countryside
 

Q2: Fill in the blanks:

(a) Growers of woad in Europe saw  indigo  as a crop which would provide competition to their earnings.
(b) The demand for indigo increased in late eighteenth-century Britain because of   industrialisation.
(c) The international demand for indigo was affected by the discovery of synthetic dyes.
(d) The Champaran movement was against indigo planters

Q3: Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement.

Answer:

a. Permanent Settlement was introduced by East India Company in 1793.

b. By the terms of the settlement, the rajas and taluqdars were recognised as zamindars.

c. Zamindars would collect rent from the peasants and pay revenue to the Company.

d. It would ensure a regular flow of revenue into the Company’s coffers and encourage the zamindars to invest in improving the land.

Q4: How was the Mahalwari System different from the Permanent Settlement?

Answer:

	Mahalwari System	Permanent Settlement
1.	Devised by Holt Mackenzie	Introduced by Lord Cornwallis
2.	Introduced in 1822	Introduced in 1793
3.	Alternative to Permanent Settlement	Main objective to have constant land revenue
4.	Village Headmen to collect revenue	Rajas, Taluqdars (called Zamindars) would collect revenue
5.	Revenue amount was not fixed	Initially revenue amount was fixed be revised periodically

Q5: Give two problems which arose with the new Munro system of fixing revenue.

Answer:
  (i) Revenue officials fixed too high a revenue demand in order to increase their revenue income.
  (ii) Peasants were unable to pay, ryots fled the countryside. Villages became deserted in many regions.

Q6: Why were ryots reluctant to grow indigo?

Answer: Ryots were reluctant to grow indigo for the following reasons:

a. British officials forced them to sign contract and ryots had to cultivate indigo at least 25% of the area.

b. Price for indigo was very low as compared to other crops.

c. The cycle of loans given to ryots became a vicious circle.

d. Indigo crops exhausted the soil fertility and after its harvest the land could not be sown with rice.

 Q7: What were the circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo production in Bengal?

Answer:
a. Resentment grew among Indian peasants led to Blue Rebellion in March 1859. b. Farmers refused to pay rent to the planters. They attacked the indigo factories with weapons and their womenfolk attacked with pots and pans.

c. The agents of the planters were beaten and farmers who worked for the planters were socially boycotted.

d. The government set up Indigo Commission to enquire into the system of indigo production. It collapsed indigo production in Bengal and planters shifted their operation to Bihar.

Glossary

Mahal – In British revenue records mahal is a revenue estate which may be a village or a group of villages.

Plantation – A large farm operated by a planter employing various forms of forced labour.

Slave – A person who is owned by someone else – the slave owner. A slave has no freedom and is compelled to work for the master.

Bigha – A unit of measurement of land. Before British rule, the size of this area varied

from trade to territory question ans

Q.4: 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.

Q.5: What were the areas of conflict between the Bengal Nawabs and the East India Company?

Ans: In the 18th century, after the death of Aurangzeb, the Bengal Nawabs asserted their power and refused to grant the company further concessions. 

These Nawabs also denied to give them any right to mint coins and stopped it from extending its fortifications. 

The Nawabs accused the company for depriving from huge amounts of revenue and undermining the authority of the Nawab.

The company on the other hand, was refusing to pay taxes and writing disrespectful letters and trying to humiliate the Nawab and his officials. 

Q.6: How did the assumption of Diwani benefit the East India Company?

Ans:  1. The Diwani allowed the company to use the vast revenue resources of Bengal.

2. Earlier the company had to buy most of the goods in India in exchange of gold and silver which, they imported from Britain. After the assumption of Diwani the company started to purchase the goods in India with these revenues.

3. Now the revenues from India could be used to purchase cotton & silk textiles and also meet various expenses including maintaining the troops, meet the cost of building the company fort and offices at Calcutta.

Q.7: Explain the “Subsidiary Alliance”?

Ans: After the battle of Plassey in 1757, the battle of Buxar in 1764, the company began the policy of “Subsidiary Alliance”. According to the terms of this alliance –

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

b) 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.

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

Q.8: In what way was the administration of the company different from that of Indian rulers?

Ans: a) 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.

b) Each administrative unit was ruled by a Governor.

c) The supreme head of the administration was the Governor-General.

d) Warren Hastings introduced the new system of justice. Each district was to have two courts- civil & criminal court.

e) The European District Collector presided over civil courts.

f) The criminal courts were still under a Qazi and a Mufti.

g) Under the Regulating Act of 1773, a new supreme court was established.

Q.9: Describe the changes that occurred in the composition of the company’s army.

Mughal army was composed of the cavalry and infantry who were basically peasants and were given training in archery and sword.   

Initially East India Company adopted the same method and recruited Indian Sepoy Army.

They trained sepoy on the basis of European warfare technology.

They reduced cavalry and increased infantry regiments.

They also introduced uniform military culture in the form of drill and discipline.

The Indian soldiers were not given the salary and treatment like their British counterparts.

Glossary

Dharmashastras – Sanskrit texts prescribing social rules and codes of behaviour,  

Sawar – Men on horses 

Musket – A heavy gun used by infantry soldiers 

Matchlock – An early type of gun in which the powder was ignited by a match

Mufti – A jurist of the Muslim community responsible for expounding the law that the qazi would administer 

Impeachment – A trial by the House of Lords in England for charges of misconduct brought against a person in the House of Commons.

Subservience – Submissiveness.

Find answers of the following additional questions? 

1. Who implemented the Doctrine of lapse? Give the name of those states 
which were annexed under this policy.
Ans, LordCornwallis implemented the doctrine of lapse. Satara, Nagpur,Sambalpur and Jhansi were annexed in this policy.
2. Who initiated a new policy of “paramountcy” in India? 
Ans, Lord Hestings initiated a policy of paramountcy.

3. In which battle Tipu Sultan was killed?
Ans, The battle of seringapattnam.

 

 

land, soil wildlife question answers

Answer the following questions:

(i). Which are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation?

Ans. Temperature and rainfall are the two main climatic factors responsible for soil formation.

(ii) Write any two reasons for land degradation today.

Ans. Deforestation and the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers in agricultural lands are two factors contributing to land degradation.

(iii). Why is land considered an important resource?

Ans. Land is among the most important natural resources. It provides habitation to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Human beings use land for various purposes such as agriculture, forestry, mining, building houses and roads, and setting up industries.

(iv). What steps has government taken to conserve plants and animals?

Ans. Two steps that the government has taken to conserve plants and animals:

(a) Has set up national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves for protecting natural vegetation and wildlife; for example, the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

(b) Has banned the killing of lions, tigers, deer, great Indian bustards and peacocks. It has also prohibited the trade of the species of plants and animals protected under the international agreement CITES.

(v) Suggest three ways to conserve water.

Ans. Three ways to conserve water:

(a) Rain-water harvesting.

(b) Reducing wastage of water.

(c) Replenishing ground water by promoting afforestation.

2. Tick the correct answer:

(i). Which one of the following is not a factor of soil formation?

Ans. (b). Soil texture

(ii). Which one of the following methods is most appropriate to check soil erosion on steep slopes?

Ans. (c) Terrace cultivation

(iii). Which one of the following is not in favour of the conservation of the nature:

Ans. (c) Dispose polypacks after shopping

Q What does CITES stand for?

Ans;Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Q : What are Deciduous trees?
Ans: Deciduous trees shed their leaves in a particular season to conserve loss of moisture through transpiration.

What are the causes of landslide?
Ans: Causes of the landslide are:
i.  Earthquakes
ii. Floods
iii. Volcanic eruption
iv. Prolonged spell of rainfall.

link for geography chap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Se2bPQKpk

why do we need a parliament

Q1. Why do you think the nationalist movement supported the idea that all adults have a right to vote?

Early legislatures under the British government did not allow for all adults to vote nor could people participate in decision making.

The nationalists were thought that all persons in independent India would be able to participate in making decisions.

So the Constitution of independent India that laid down the principle of universal adult franchise, i.e. that all adult citizens of the country have the right to vote.

Q2: Why do you think there are so few women in Parliament? Give two reasons.

Ans: Absence of any system for proper representation of women in the parliament such as, reservation of seats for women.

2 Discrimination against women in a male dominated society.

Q3: You have read that most elected members whether the Panchayat, or the Vidhan Sabha or the Parliament are elected for a fixed period of 5 years. Why do we have a system where the representatives are elected for a fixed period not for a life?

Ans: Members are elected for a fixed period so that people can use their preferences again after 5 years to elect their member. This is required for efficient working in a democratic system. Moreover, in democracy people have right to express their choices and elect their leaders which will not be possible unless they are elected for a fixed period.

Glossary

Approval: To give one’s consent to and be favorable towards something.

Coalition: A temporary alliance of groups or parties. It refers to the alliance formed by political parties after elections when no party has been able to get adequate seats to form a clear majority.

Unresolved: Situations in which there are no easy solutions to problems.

Additional Questions

Q1 Write a brief note on the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

Solution:

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha functions primarily as the representative of the states of India, in the Parliament. There are 233 elected members plus 12 members nominated by the President. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of various states.  

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha, known as the House of the People, with a total membership of 543, is presided over by the Speaker. The country is divided into 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. During a Lok Sabha election, people from different political parties stand for elections. Once elected, these candidates become Members of Parliament or MPs. These MPs together make up the Parliament.

 Q2 what are the three major duties of the Parliament?

Ans; The three major duties of the Parliament are...

To Select the National Government

To Control, Guide and Inform the Government

Law-Making

Q3 Who designed parliament house?

The parliament house was designed by British Architecture Herbert Baker.

Q4 What is EVM machine?

Evm is a Electronic Voting Machine. EVMs were used throughout the country for the first time in the 2004 general elections.

Q5 What is a constituency?

The country is divided into many areas for election purposes. Each area is called a constituency. Representatives are elected from each constituency to serve in the legislative body.

Q6 What is Question Hour in the Parliament?

The question hour is an important mechanism through which MPs can  obtain information about the working of the government. This is a very important way through which the Parliament controls the executive.

Resources Question answers

Question – 1- Answer the following questions.

(a) Why are resources distributed unequally over the earth?

Answer: Earth has different topography, climate and altitude at different places. Difference in these factors has resulted in unequal distribution of resources over the earth.

(b) What is resource conservation?

Answer: Saving resources for the future generations is called resource conservation.

(c) Why are human resources important?

Answer:  Human can make the best use of nature to create more resources when they have the knowledge, skill and the technology to do so. That is why human beings are a special resource.

(d) What is sustainable development?

Answer:  Sustainable Development is Carefully utilising resources so that besides meeting the requirements of the present, also takes care of future generations.

Question – 2 - Differentiate between the followings.

(a) Potential and actual resources

Answer: Resources who quantity is known and which are being used at present are called actual resources.     The dark soils of the Deccan plateau in Maharashtra are all actual resources.On the other hand, resources who quantity is not known and which are not being used at present are called potential resources.The uranium found in Ladakh is an example of potential resource that could be used in the future.

(b) Ubiquitous and localised resources

Answer: Ubiquitous resources are available everywhere,the air we breathe, are ubiquitous. while localized resources are available at select locations.like copper and iron ore.

                                                                                               

There are are many ways of conserving resources. Each person can contribute by reducing consumption, recycling and reusing thing.

Glossary 

Patent: It means the exclusive right over any idea or invention.

Technology: It is the application of latest knowledge and skill in doing or making things.

Stock of Resource It is the amount of resources available for use.

resources chapter

Resources

Resource: Anything which has some utility for us is called a resource. 

Some resources have economic value, while some do not. For example; milk has economic value, but a beautiful landscape has no economic value. But both are important because both satisfy some human needs.

Time and technology are two important factors which can change a substance into resources. For example; petroleum was not a resource before people learnt to use it.

Types of Resources:

Resources are usually classified into three types, viz. natural, human made and human resources.

Natural Resources: Resources which are obtained from nature are called natural resources. Some of the natural resources can be used directly, while for using some others we need the help of some technologies.

Types of Natural Resources:

Natural resources can be classified on the basis of their level of development and use, origin, stock and distribution.

Classification of natural resources on the basis of development and use:

1. Actual Resources: Resources whose quantity is known and which are being used at present are called actual resources, e.g. coal and petroleum.
2. Potential Resources: Resources whose entire quantity may not be known and which are not being used at present are called potential resources. Potential resources can be used in future once technology for that is properly developed. For example; uranium reserves in Ladakh.

Classification of natural resources on the basis of origin:

1. Abiotic Resources: Resources which come from non-living sources are called abiotic resources, e.g. soil, rocks and minerals.
2. Biotic Resources: Resources which come from living beings are called biotic resource, e.g. milk, leather, timber, etc.

Classification of natural resources on the basis of their exhaustibility:

1. Renewable Resources: Resources which can be quickly replenished are called renewable resources, e.g. wind energy, hydel energy, solar energy, etc.
2. Non-renewable Resources: Resources which cannot be replenished in the near future are called non-renewable resources, e.g. coal and petroleum. It takes millions of years for the formation of coal and petroleum and hence they cannot be replenished in our lifetime.

Classification of natural resources on the basis of distribution:

1. Ubiquitous Resources: Resources which are available everywhere on the earth are called ubiquitous resources, e.g. air and water.
2. Localised Resources: Resources which are available at select locations on the earth are called localized resources, e.g. coal mines in Jharkhand. Topography, climate and altitude are the major factors which affect the distribution of natural resources.

Human Made Resources

When a natural resource undergoes drastic change by human intervention, it becomes human-made resource. For example; iron ore is processed to make steel and hence steel is a man-made resource. Buildings, bridges, railways, machines, etc. are examples of human-made resources. Technology is also a human-made resource.

Human Resources

People are the human resources. Education and health improve the quality of human resources. Improving the quality of people’s skills to enable them to create more resources is called human resource development.

CONSERVING RESOURCES

Most of the natural resources are limited in stock. Even some of the renewable resources can become scarce if they are not used judiciously. We are already facing shortage of water at many places because of excessive exploitation of water. Scientists predict that coal and petroleum are going to be exhausted in the near future. Hence, it is important to conserve the natural resources. Conservation not only secures our life but also the life of future generations. Making a balance between our need and conservation of resources is called sustainable development. We should follow the three Rs of conservation for sustainable development.

Reduce: We should reduce consumption.

Reuse: We should reuse as many items as possible.

Recycle: We should recycle discarded items wherever possible.

Some Principles of Sustainable Development

• Respect and care for all forms of life.
• Improve the quality of human life.
• Conserve the earth’s vitality and diversity.
• Minimize the depletion of natural resources.
• Change personal attitude and practices toward the environment.
• Enable communities to care for their own environment.