Let’s recall
1. State whether true or false:
(a) James Mill divided Indian history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim, Christian.
(b) Official documents help us understand what the people of the country think.
(c) The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.
Let’s discuss
2. What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian history that James Mill offers?
3. Why did the British preserve official documents?
4. How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that found in police reports?
Let’s do
5. Can you think of examples of surveys in your world today? Think about how toy companies get information about what young people enjoy playing with or how the government finds out about the number of young people in school. What can a historian derive from such surveys?
Let’s recall
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 |
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.
3. State whether true or false:
(a) The Mughal empire became stronger in the eighteenth century.
(b) The English East India Company was the only European company that traded with India.
(c) Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the ruler of Punjab.
(d) The British did not introduce administrative changes in the territories they conquered.
Let’s discuss
4. What attracted European trading companies to India?
5. What were the areas of conflict between the Bengal nawabs and the East India Company?
6. How did the assumption of Diwani benefit the East India Company?
7. Explain the system of “subsidiary alliance”.
8. In what way was the administration of the Company different from that of Indian rulers?
9. Describe the changes that occurred in the composition of the Company’s army.
Let’s do
10. After the British conquest of Bengal, Calcutta grew from a small village to a big city. Find out about the culture, architecture and the life of Europeans and Indians of the city during the colonial period.
11. Collect pictures, stories, poems and information about any of the following – the Rani of Jhansi, Mahadji Sindhia, Haidar Ali, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lord Dalhousie or any other contemporary ruler of your region.
Let’s recall
1. Match the following:
| ryot | village |
| mahal | peasant |
| nij | cultivation on ryot’s lands |
| ryoti | cultivation on planter’s own land |
2. Fill in the blanks
(a) Growers of woad in Europe saw __________ as a crop which would provide competition to their earnings.
(b) The demand for indigo increased in late- eighteenth-century Britain because of __________.
(c) The international demand for indigo was affected by the discovery of __________.
(d) The Champaran movement was against __________.
Let’s discuss
3. Describe the main features of the Permanent Settlement.
4. How was the mahalwari system different from the Permanent Settlement?
5. Give two problems which arose with the new Munro system of fixing revenue.
6. Why were ryots reluctant to grow indigo?
7. What were the circumstances which led to the eventual collapse of indigo production in Bengal?
Let’s do
8. Find out more about the Champaran movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s role in it.
9. Look into the history of either tea or coffee plantations in India. See how the life of workers in these plantations was similar to or different from that of workers in indigo plantations.
Let’s recall
1. Fill in the blanks:
(a) The British described the tribal people as ____________.
(b) The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as ____________.
(c) The tribal chiefs got ____________ titles in central India under the British land settlements.
(d) Tribals went to work in the ____________ of Assam and the ____________ in Bihar.
2. State whether true or false:
(a) Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds.
(b) Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at five times the purchase price.
(c) Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves, give up drinking liquor and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery.
(d) The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.
Let’s discuss
3. What problems did shifting cultivators face under British rule?
4. How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?
5. What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?
6. What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why do you think such a vision appealed to the people of the region?
Let’s do
7. Find out from your parents, friends or teachers, the names of some heroes of other tribal revolts in the twentieth century. Write their story in your own words.
8. Choose any tribal group living in India today. Find out about their customs and way of life, and how their lives have changed in the last 50 years.
Let’s recall
1. What was the demand of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi that was refused by the British?
2. What did the British do to protect the interests of those who converted to Christianity?
3. What objections did the sepoys have to the new cartridges that they were asked to use?
4. How did the last Mughal emperor live the last years of his life?
Let’s discuss
5. What could be the reasons for the confidence of the British rulers about their position in India before May 1857?
6. What impact did Bahadur Shah Zafar’s support to the rebellion have on the people and the ruling families?
7. How did the British succeed in securing the submission of the rebel landowners of Awadh?
8. In what ways did the British change their policies as a result of the rebellion of 1857?
Let’s do
9. Find out stories and songs remembered by people in your area or your family about San Sattavan ki Ladaai. What memories do people cherish about the great uprising?
10. Find out more about Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. In what ways would she have been an unusual woman for her times?
Fig. 17 – Ruins of the Residency in Lucknow
In June 1857, the rebel forces began the siege of the Residency. A large number of British women, men and children had taken shelter in the buildings there. The rebels surrounded the compound and bombarded the building with shells. Hit by a shell, Henry Lawrence, the Chief Commissioner of Awadh, died in one of the rooms that you see in the picture. Notice how buildings carry the marks of past events.
Let’s recall
1. State whether true or false:
(a) In the Western world, modern cities grew with industrialisation.
(b) Surat and Machlipatnam developed in the nineteenth century.
(c) In the twentieth century, the majority of Indians lived in cities.
(d) After 1857 no worship was allowed in the Jama Masjid for five years.
(e) More money was spent on cleaning Old Delhi than New Delhi.
2. Fill in the blanks:
(a) The first structure to successfully use the dome was called the _____________.
(b) The two architects who designed New Delhi and Shahjahanabad were _____________ and _____________.
(c) The British saw overcrowded spaces as _____________.
(d) In 1888 an extension scheme called the _____________ was devised.
3. Identify three differences in the city design of New Delhi and Shahjahanabad.
4. Who lived in the “white” areas in cities such as Madras?
Let’s discuss
5. What is meant by de-urbanisation?
6. Why did the British choose to hold a grand Durbar in Delhi although it was not the capital?
7. How did the Old City of Delhi change under British rule?
8. How did the Partition affect life in Delhi?
Let’s do
9. Find out the history of the town you live in or of any town nearby. Check when and how it grew, and how it has changed over the years. You could look at the history of the bazaars, the buildings, cultural institutions, and settlements.
10. Make a list of at least ten occupations in the city, town or village to which you belong, and find out how long they have existed. What does this tell you about the changes within this area?
Click Below forClass 8th Geography Exercise Questions (English Medium)