Detailed explanations in West Bengal Board Class 10 History Book Solutions Chapter 3 Resistance and Rebellion: Characteristics and Analyses offer valuable context and analysis.

WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 3 Question Answer – Resistance and Rebellion: Characteristics and Analyses

Class 10 History Chapter 3 Question Answer WBBSE – Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark)

Question 1.
What was the picture of forests in india at the time when the country became independent?
Answer:
By the time British left india her forest resources were considerably depleted.

Question 2.
How did the restrictions imposed on the use of forest affect the tribal women?
Answer:
The imposition of restrictions on the use of forest affected the tribal women adversely because they were unable to cook food using fuel- wood from forest.

Question 3.
How did the Forest Acts impact the traditional method of cultivation ?
Answer:
Millions of indian peasantry suffered because the Forest Acts banned the traditional shifting cultivation or jhum by the colonial government.

Question 4.
Which tribesmen organized a major revolt against the penetration of state in forest ?
Answer:
The tribesmen of Gudem and Rampa in Andhra Pradesh organized a major revolt against the steady penetration of state in forest.

Question 5.
What is a rebellion ?
Answer:
A rebellion may be defined as a violent uprising of the masses for any goal including change to a system of government.

Question 6.
Can the protest of the tribals against the Forest laws be termed as ‘revolution’ ?
Answer:
Protest of the tribals against the Forest laws cannot be termed as ‘revolution’ because it did not aim at bringing about any fundamental change in the governance of forest.

Question 7.
What led the ryots of Rangpur to raise the banner of rebellion ?
Answer:
The ryots of Rangpur burst out in rebellion as the petitions sent to the district authorities for redressal of their grievances received no attention.

Question 8.
How did the Rangpur Rebellion pave the way for settlement of revenue on a permanent basis ?
Answer:
The Rangpur Rebellion paved the way for settlement of revenue on a permanent basis, that is to say, the Permanent Settlement of 1793.

Question 9.
What caused tension in the tribal society leading to their rebellion ?
Answer:
Encroachment on the tribal areas by outsiders like the moneylenders, contractors, etc. under the British caused tension in the tribal society leading to their rebellion.

Question 10.
What led the Chuars to align themselves with the zamindar to raise the banner of rebellion?
Answer:
Levy of land-revenue at a high rate led the Chuars in lianson with Durjan Singh, the zamindar, to burst out in rebellion.

Question 11.
What was the paikan land ?
Answer:
Paikan was a rent-free land assigned to the paiks who acted as the private army of the local zamindars.

Question 12.
What was the impact of the Chuar rebellion in respect of the paikan land ?
Answer:
An impact of the Chuar Rebellion was that the British Government immediately stopped the take-over of the paikan land.

Question 13.
Who were the Bheels ?
Answer:
The Bheels were a backward warlike community spread over in the hilly region of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Question 14.
Why did the British occupy Khandesh ?
Answer:
The law and order problem created by the continuous plunder of the Bheels in Khandesh provoked the British Government to occupy Khandesh.

Question 15.
How did the Kol rebellion start in Chotonagpur ?
Answer:
The Kol rebellion started in 1831 when the farm of two Sikh contractors was plundered and burnt by the Kols.

Question 16.
How did the Kols fight the British soldiers ?
Answer:
The Kol tribesmen fought with their traditional primitive weapons against the British soldiers who were armed with modern instruments of warfare.

Question 17.
Why did the Santals take up arms against the oppressors ?
Answer:
The peace-loving Santals took up arms against by the colonial rulers as also their agents like the moneylenders, contractors, etc. who oppressed them beyond endurance.

Question 18.
What was the character of the Santal Rebellion ?
Answer:
So far as the character of the Santal Rebellion is concerned it took the shape of a full-fledged guerilla war spearheaded by their leaders.

Question 19.
What was the consequence of the Santal Rebellion ?
Answer:
The consequence of the Santal Rebellion was that the British administrators became conscious about the problem of the Santals and tried to reduce their suffering.

Question 20.
What administrative changes followed the Santal Rebellion ?
Answer:
The Santal Rebellion forced the British administrators to reorganize the districts populated by the Santals into a separate district of Santal Parganas.

Question 21.
What did the Santals mean by the term ‘neighbours’ ?
Answer:
By the term ‘neighbours’ Santals meant the English officials and their agents like the zamindars, traders, moneylenders, etc. who came from outside the tribal area.

Question 22.
How were the tribal peasants subjected to the medieval system of slavery ?
Answer:
Under the colonial rule the tribal peasants were forced to offer free-labour to the zamindars which was akin to the medieval system of slavery.

Question 23.
How were the female-labour procured by the arkatias (recruiters) from the tribal villages ?
Answer:
Under the colonial rule the recruiters were found moving around local village- markets where from they used to recruit or purchase girls for employment in plantations, mines and factories.

Question 24.
What was the call given by Birsa to his associates ?
Answer:
Birsa’s prediction of the coming of a golden age attracted the Mundas and with their support he gave a clarion call to establish an independent Mundaraj.

Question 25.
How did the Ulghulan begin in 1899 ?
Answer:
With a view to establishing a mundnmj Birsa called upon his fellowmen to rise, drive out or slay the foreigners, and tnat began the Munda Revolt or Ulghulan.

Question 26.
What was the character of the Munda Rebellion ?
Answer:
Character of the Munda Rebellion was definitely anti-British because Birsa Munda set forth the ideal of an independent Mundaraj.

Question 27.
What was the primary objective of the Sannyasi and Fakirs prior to the Bengal Famine of 1769-70 ?
Answer:
Prior to the Bengal Famine the objective of the Sannyasi and Fakirs was to loot properties indiscriminately.

Question 28.
Who were the Pagal-Panthis ?
Answer:
The Pagal-Panthis was a religious sect founded by a mendicant named Karam Shah.

Question 29.
Who burst out in rebellion against the zamindar of Sherpur ?
Answer:
The Gaos of the Pojal-Panthi sect burst out in rebellion against the zamindar of Sherpur, in present Bangladesh.

Question 30.
Were the Wahabi and Ferazi two separate movements ?
Answer:
Yes, the Wahabi and Ferazi were the two separate movements, the former began in Barasat and the latter in Faridpur.

Question 31.
Who was the founder of the Wahabi Movement ?
Answer:
The founder of the Wahabi Movement was Muhammad Abdul Wahhab of Nejd in Arabia.

Question 32.
Why is Titumir famous ?
Answer:
Titumir is famous because a believer in the Wahabi ideal he directed his energies in organizing the peasants against the oppressive zamindars, moneylenders, indigo planters, etc.

Question 33.
What led to a fight between Titumir’s followers and the British army ?
Answer:
Being scared at the defiance of land reforms introduced the British deployed soldiers to suppress Titumir and this led a fight between the British troops and Titumir’s followers.

Question 34.
What is ‘Barasat Uprising’
Answer:
The standard of rebellion raised by Titumir and his followers, and the resistance they offered to the British troops from the hurriedly built “bamboo fortress’ is famous in history as the ‘Barasat Rebellion’.

Question 35.
What did Dudumiyan say in his call to the peasants of the Ferazi community ?
Answer:
In the name of religion Dudumiyan gave a fervent call to rise against the oppressive zamindars, indigo-planters, money-lenders, etc. who were agents of the British.

Question 36.
Why was the Ferazi Movement unsuccessful ?
Answer:
The Ferazi Movement was unsuccessful because the rebels had no political training as also because they could not come out of the narrow limits of religion.

Question 37.
What is meant by the term Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya ?
Answer:
The term Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya means the path as shown by Hazrat Muhammad, and the term is also optionally used to mean Wahabi Movement.

Question 38.
Why did the Wahabiis enter into a clash with the Sikhs ?
Answer:
The military preparation of the Wahabis in the north-west India was taken to be their attempt to oust the Sikhs from Punjab.

Question 39.
Where did the indigo rebellion begin in West Bengal ?
Answer:
The indigo rebellion began at Chaugacha of Krishnanagar, in Nadia District of West Bengal in 1859 and continued for about a year.

Question 40.
what was the most important feature of the Indigo Rebellion ?
Answer:
The most important feature of the Indigo Rebellion was that for the first time considerable interest was shown by the middle class in support of the indigo rebels.

Question 41.
How was the spirit of passive resistance expressed in the indigo Rebellion ?
Answer:
The indigo cultivators of Barasat for the first time took a vow unitedly that they would not sow indigo anymore.

Question 42.
How was the Tenancy Act beneficial for the zamindars ?
Answer:
The Tenancy Act of 1859 while did not allow occupancy right to the peasants allowed the zamindars to enhance rent at their sweet-will.

Class 10 History Chapter 3 Questions and Answers WBBSE – Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)

Question 1.
Why did the Forest Acts affect the tribals (adivasi) adversely?
Answer:
Adivasis were virtually the ‘children of forest’. Their life centred round forests. The Forest Acts enforced by the British imposed various restrictions on the use of forest which adversely affected the tribal communities.

Question 2.
What were the strategies adopted by the adivasis against the barriers imposed on the use of forests?
Answer:
The adivasis adopted various strategies to protect their rights on forests. They started with petitioning the British government for repealing the Forest Acts. As this did not yield results the adivasis organized revolts to protect their rights on forest lands.

Question 3.
Illustrate by an example what was an ‘uprising’?
Answer:
An ‘uprising’ is a protest organized locally against certain policy or action of government authorities. The peasants of Deccan organized an uprising against the moneylenders and sowcars for their oppressions. Thus the ‘Deccan Uprising’ is an instance in point.

Question 4.
Why did the peasants of Rangpur organize revolt sainst the ijaradars?
Answer:
Ijaradars were speculators in land-revenue. Debi Singh, the ijaradar of Rangpur, forcibly collected revenue from the peasants at a high rate. The immediate cause of the revolt was the takeover and disposal of the agricultural land of the defaulting peasants by Debi Singh.

Question 5.
Why did the ‘Chuars’ burst out in rebellion ?
Answer:
The adivasis living in some parts of Bankura, Midnapur and Manbhum were called the ‘Chuars’. The Chuars burst out in rebellion in 1799 against the oppressions of the British authorities and their agents. The ‘agents’ included the moneylenders, contractors who were the creation of the British.

Question 6.
Why did the Bhils organize revolt against the British Government?
Answer:
The ‘Bhils’ were a warlike community living in parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. They enjoyed monopoly of power at Khandesh where they resorted to plunder and loot of the rich landholders. When the British with a view to putting an end to the anarchical condition occupied Khandesh the Bhils burst out in rebellion in 1818.

Question 7.
Why did the Kol tribesmen burst out in rebellion ?
Answer:
The Kol tribesmen of Chotonagpur had long been exploited by the non-tribal outsiders. The Kols became restive as they found that their territories were being encroached upon by the non-tribal planters, zamindars, etc. Finally, in 1831 the Kols under the leadership of Joa bhagat, Buddhu Bhagat and others raised the banner of rebellion.

Question 8.
What forced the Santals to burst out in rebellion?
Answer:
The Santals of the Santal Parganas were generally peace-loving people. They found that their simple and peaceful life was being disturbed by the British and their agents like the moneylenders, contractors, etc. Redress of the grievances through court of law being of no avail the Santals burst out in rebellion in 1855 under the leadership of Kanu and Sidhu.

Question 9.
What was bet-began as imposed upon the Munda tribals?
Answer:
The Munda tribals were forced to offer free-labour to the zamindars in addition to the land-revenue paid by them. The medieval system of forced labour came to be known as bet-began amongst the tribals. The Mundari society could not remain immune from the new system introduced by the British.

Question 10.
How did the Ulghulan begin under the leadership of Birsa Munda’
Answer:
After Birsa’s release from jail he clearly defined his objective to be the establishment of the Mundaraj (rule of the Mundas). He also called upon his fellowetten to rise, drive out or slay all the foreigners’ from the land of the Mundas. Here was the beginning of the Ulghuian of 1899-1900 under Birsa’s leadership.

Question 11.
What were the immediate results of the Mundari Movement of 1899-1900?
Answer:
Though unsuccessful the Mundari Ulgiwlan resulted in some administrative measures by way of review of the land settlement in the tribal areas. Forced labour or bet-begczri was declared illegal. British Government was also forced to introduce certain administrative reforms.

Question 12.
What was the character of the sannyasl and fakir rebellion?
Answer:
One opinion suggested that the sannyasi and Fakir Rebellion was a full-fledged anti-colonial. But researches subsequently revealed that it was the economic distress that provoked the sannyasi and fakirs to raise the banner of rebellion.

Question 13.
What forced the Santals to burst out in rebellion?
Answer:
The Santals of the Santal Parganas were generally peace-loving people. They found that their simple and peaceful life was being disturbed by the British and their agents like the moneylenders, contractors, etc. Redress of the grievances through court of law being of no avail the Santals burst out in rebellion in 1855 under the leadership of Kanu and Sidhu.

Question 14.
What was bet-began as imposed upon the Munda tribals?
Answer:
The Munda tribals were forced to offer free-labour to the zamindars in addition to the land-revenue paid by them. The medieval system of forced labour came to be known as bet-began amongst the tribals. The Mundari society could not remain immune from the new system introduced by the British.

Question 15.
How did the Ulghulan begin under the leadership of Birsa Munda?
Answer:
After Birsa’s release from jail he clearly defined his objective to be the establishment of the Mundaraj (rule of the Mundas). He also called upon his fellowmen to ‘rise, drive out or slay all the foreigners’ from the land of the Mundas. Here was the beginning of the Ulghulan of 1899-1900 under Birsa’s leadership.

Question 17.
What were the immediate results of the Mundari Movement of 1899-1900?
Answer:
Though unsuccessful the Mundari Ulghuian resulted in some administrative measures by way of review of the land settlement in the tribal areas. Forced labour or bet-began was declared illegal. British Government was also forced to introduce certain administrative reforms.

Question 18.
What was the character of the sannyasi and fakir rebellion?
Answer:
One opinion suggested that the sannyasi and Fakir Rebellion was a full-fledged anti-colonial. But researches subsequently revealed that it was the economic distress that provoked the sannyasi and fakirs to raise the banner of rebellion.

Question 19.
What were the features of the Wahabi Movement?
Answer:
Though began as a religious movement its anti-British character gave it a political overtone. Another fcature of the movement was that it was directed against the oppressors like the money landers, zamindars, etc. The movement, however, in the ultimate analysis the Wahabi movement did not remain confined within the narrow fold of religion.

Question 20.
Who were the Ferazis?
Answer:
In 1820, one named Haji Shariatullah of Faridpur (in Bangladesh) founded a kindered brotherhood called Ferazi. The Arabic word Ferazi means ‘one who acts upto the commandments of God’.

Question 21.
What is Tariqah I Muhammadiya?
Answer:
The real name of the Wahabi Movement was Tciriqah i Muhammadiya. The term literally means the path as shown by Muhammad. In India the founder of the movement was Syed Ahmed Barelvi.

Question 22.
Why were the peasants unwilling to cultivate indigo?
Answer:
Indigo cultivation was not at all profitable for the indigo cultivators. They did not get the wage equal to their labour. Moreover, the oppressions of the European planters made the peasants unwilling to cultivate indigo.

Question 23.
How did the Bengali middle class take up the cause of the indigo-cultivators?
Answer:
For the first time the Bengali middle class openly supported the cause of the indigo-cultivators. Harish Chandra Mukhopadhyay, who came of a middle class family despite driven to financial ruin, offered help to the indigo-cultivators. Again, Sisir Kumar Ghosh, a petty zamindar of Jessore, used to send eye-witness accounts of popular struggles of the indigo-cultivators for publication of the news in the Hindoo Patriot.

Question 24.
What is the importance of the in digo Rebellion in the history of peasants’ movement in India ?
Answer:
Importance of the indigo Rebellion lies in the fact that for the first time a close affinity was established between the peasants and the zamindars. Further, instead of lodging a silent protest, the indigo-cultivators had built up a united mass movement. Again, the spirit of passive resistance expressed in the Indigo Rebellion may be said to be the forerunner of the Non Co-operation Movement started by Gandhiji later.

Question 25.
How did the Pabna Revolt reveal that the question of rent created a bitter relationship between the ryots and the zamindars ?
Answer:
All evidences show that the Revolt was due to the enhancement of rent (khazna) by the zamindars of Pabna (in Bangladesh). In the Revolt the Muslim peasants fought hand in hand with the Hindus. The Revolt took the form of a rent-strike as the peasants refused to pay rent to the zamindars.

WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 3 Questions and Answers – Analytical Answer Questions (4 Marks)

Question 1.
How did the British colonists deplete the forest resources of the country ?
Answer:
In the beginning the colonial rulers did not feel the need for protecting the forests. Rather they thought that the forests were unproductive. Forests were considered as ‘an obstruction to agriculture and consequently a bar to the prosperity of the Empire’. it was felt that if the forest areas were brought under cultivation these would yield agricultural products and land-revenue.

Moreover, in order to meet the growing demand of timber for making English ships trees of the forests were felled on a massive scale. Thus vast quantities of timber were being exported from India. The spread of railways new demand was created. Wood was necessary for laying the railway lines sleepers which would hold the tracks together. Also wood was for use as fuel in running locomotives. Thus Indian forest resources were depleted by the colonial
rulers.

Question 2.
Why did the colonial rulers of India establish a forest department in 1864?
Answer:
The control of the forests of India through setting up of a department became necessary for the colonial rulers as they found that great chunks of forest were destroyed to meet the demand for railway sleepers. As there was no supervision over the felling operation a large number of trees was felled unnecessarily. Good quality of trees lay rotting on the ground.

Private contractors, both Indian and European, were chiefly responsible for this destruction. Realisation that India’s forests were not inexhaustible Lord Canning, the then Governor-General, called for establishment of a department that could ensure regular supply of wood to the different railway companies. The imperial forest department was formed in 1864.

Question 3.
What led the British colonial rulers to introduce forest Acts?
Answer:
The colonial rulers introduced the Forest Acts not for the benefit of the adivasi nor was the intention to save the forest resources. In fact, the Forest Acts aimed at establishing government control over the forests. After the formation of the imperial forest department in 1864 the checking the deforestation of the past decades became necessary.

With this end in view the urgent need was to formulate legal mechanism to safeguard state control over forests.The first attempt at asserting state monopoly was through the Indian Forest Act of 1865. This was followed by a number of Forest Acts.

Question 4.
What was the impact of the Forest Acts on the villagers and foresters ?
Answer:
The Forest Acts meant hardship to the villagers across the country.

• The Forest Acts deprived the tribals (adivasi) of all their everyday practices.
• Cutting of wood for their houses, collecting fruits and roots, hunting, etc. were banned.
• The tribal women were particularly disturbed as they were unable to cook food using fuel-wood collected from forests.
• Most importantly grazing and shifting cultivation (jhum) that were the life-blood of millions of Indians suffered immensely as these were banned in areas under control of the colonial government.

Question 5.
What led to the Rangpur Rebellion ?
Answer:
Rangpur Rebellion was the first peasant uprising against the oppressions perpetrated by the East India Company’s administration. The administration of Warren Hastings was marked by experiments in land-revenue settlement. Under the Ijaradari system land used to be farmed out to the highest bidder. Ijaradar basically was a speculator in land. He used to squeeze out as much money as possible from the ryots during his tenure of office.

Rangpur Rebellion took place because Debi Singh, the Ijaradar, forced the ryots to pay the revenue at the highest rate. Alongside the revenue other illegal demands made the total demand so high that the ryots were unable to pay it even after selling their wives. In the rebellion the ryots and the zamindars combined together against Debi Singh.

Question 6.
Why did the tribal people rebel during the East India Company’s rule ?
Answer:
The tribals, very much a part of the Indian society felt the brunt of the Company’s rule. Various factors led the tribals to burst out in rebellion.

• Under the Company’s rule the tribals lost their traditional rights on land.
• The foreign rulers imposed taxes on the land reclaimed by the tribals themselves.
• The tribals were subjected to oppressions by the zamindars, who were nothing but the agents of the British.
• The illiterate tribals revolted more violently than any other community including the peasantry of the country.

Question 7.
Why did the Chuars burst out in rebellion against the British rulers ?
Answer:
The adivasis living in the territorial limits of south-west Bankura, north-west Medinipur were known as the Chuars. The Chuars were subjected to oppressions by the British rulers and their agents like the moneylenders, contractors and such others. Ultimately, the Chuars burst out in rebellion in 1798-1799.

The most important cause of the rebellion, however, was the resumption of the rent-free paikan land by the British government. The Chuars who acted as the private army of the local zaminders used to enjoy rent-free paikan. As the government converted the paikan into rent-paying land the Chuars burst out in open rebellion.

Question 8.
Why did the Bheels raise the banner of rebellion against the foreign rules?
Answer:
The Bheels were a section of backward and warlike community of central india. They remained scattered in the hilly regions of Maharashtra and Gujarat. They were in the habit of resorting to plunder and loot of the rich landholders. Continuous plunder affected the law and order situation particularly in Khandesh region.

The British Government in india with a view to bringing an end to the anarchical condition ultimately occupied Khandesh. This enraged the Bheels as they lost monopoly of power in Khandesh. Of the insurgent Bheels leaders mention may be made of Chil Naik, Hiria, Dusrut, etc.

Question 9.
Why did the Kol tribesmen rebel against the agents of the British ?
Answer:
The Kol tribesmen of Chotonagpur raised the banner of rebellion against the oppressions of the agents of the British. The local zamindars, non-tribal landlords who were the agents of the British exploited the Kols in various ways. The landlords resorted to forced labour, fines, and often ‘took away their cattle’.

The Kol insurrection began in 1831 when the farm of two Sikh thikadars (contractors) were plundered and burnt. Under the leadership of Bhundu (Buddhu) Bhagat and others the Kols put up a strong resistance until they perished to the last man.

Question 10.
Was the Kol rebellion revivalist ?
Answer:
The Kol tribesmen were very much a part of the Indian society. Under the new revenue system introduced by the British every land was brought under the system. The Kols found that the land reclaimed by them was placed under zamindars or landlords, and imposed revenue on it. Besides, the Kols were subjected to oppressions by the agents of the British.

In Chotonagpur a series of uprisings broke out in the 19th century of which the most important was the one that broke out in 1831. The Kol rebellion was revivalist because they wanted to get back the rights and privileges of the land and forest that they had been enjoying earlier.

Question 11.
What led the Santals to burst out in rebellion in 1855 ?
Answer:
The Santhals of Santal Pargana raised the banner of revolt in 1855 under the leadership of Kanu and Sidhu. The Santals were generally peace-loving people who worked under primitive agricultural conditions. The simple and peaceful life of the Santals was disturbed by the effects of the alien civilisation. Besides, the contractors, money lenders, revenue-collectors and other agencies exercised a variety of tyrannies upon the timid Santal tribesmen.

Redressal of the grievances through the machinery of law being of no avail the Santals themselves took up arms against the oppressors. Under the leadership of Sidhu and his elder brother Kanu of Bhagnadihi, about ten thousand Santals armed with primitive weapons rose in revolt in 1855. The Santal rebellion for some months swept the British rule out of existence in the region.

Question 12.
What were the characteristic features of the Santal rebellion of 1855 ?
Answer:
The Santal Rebellion was the first organized resistance of its kind against feudal oppressions,

• An important feature of the rebellion was the support the rebel Santals had received from the so-called lower classes like the dom, chamar, telli, etc.
• Zamindars and other associates of the British supported the administration against the rebel Santals. Thus the British found it easy to suppress the rebels,
• That the Santal Rebellion had an anti-British character was evident from the objective of the rebels. The Santals’ aim was to bring an end to the ‘sinful’ rule that obviously meant the alien British rule in india.

Question 13.
What were the results of the Santal Rebellion of 1855
Answer:
The Santal Rebellion was a failure, yet it is not possible to ignore the results that followed.

• Santal Rebellion was the first organized resistance of its kind against the feudal oppressions.
• The rebellion brought to the surface the sufferings of the innocent tribal people. The British also henceforth became conscious about the tribal problem and sought to alleviate their sufferings.
• Despite failure the Santals drew inspiration from it and subsequently organized another resistance movement, against the British.
• The rebellion of the Santals forced the British to reorganize the districts to create a separate district of Santal Parganas.

Question 14.
What was the social cause of the Munda Movement ?
Answer:
The Munda society could not remain immune from the new economy that had been introduced by the British. In fact, it shook the old Munda society at its roots. For instance, the Panchczyati system of the Mundas decayed and even minor social disputes were now referred to the British police or judicial courts for settlement. Infiltration of the dikus or foreigners also severely affected the morale of the race. All this created a strong sentiment of protest against the intruders among the Mundas.

Question 15.
What was the nature of the Munda Movement under the leadership of Birsa Munda in the early stage ?
Answer:
The Munda movement had its beginning in 1858. But this was a failure. It was Birsa Munda taking lesson from the failure, chalked out altogether a new pattern of movement later on. Birsa’s reputation as a ‘healer’ earned him popularity. It was on the strength of this mass support that Birsa chose to embark on a popular movement.

The nature of the movement was revivalist as because Birsa predicted the coming of a golden age when bad days would be over. The British administration being annoyed with Birsa put him behind the bar. On his release in 1897 Birsa’s movement entered into the second stage.

Question 16.
Was the Ulghulan of the Mundas anti-British in character?
Answer:
The second phase of Birsa’s movement, called Ulghuian, had an anti-British element. Brrsa’s objective after 1897 was clearly defined to be the establishment of the Mundaraj that is to say, rule of the Mundas. With this end in view he called upon his fellow men to rise, drive out or slay all the foreigners. Here was the beginning of the Ulghulan. The revolt started with the attacks upon the church and missionary establishments. The main centres of the Ulghulan were Tamar, Tepa, etc.

Question 17.
Who were the Sannyasi and Fakirs ?
Answer:
The sannyasi and fakirs are very much a part of the Indian society. Both the sannyasi and fakirs lived on charitable gifts. They used to keep long hairs, and always carried with them knives and arrows. Majnu Shah was the leader of the fakirs while Bhawani Pathak led the sannyasis.

The Sannyasi and Fakir rebellion may be divided into two phases, namely, before and after the Bengal Famine. In 1760 the sannyasis of Burdwan (West Bengal) made an attack upon the English officers, and in 1763 the fakirs of Barisal (in present Bangladesh) attacked the English settlement there.

Question 18.
Why did the Sannyasi and Fakirs oppose the British ?
Answer:
It was, in fact, as a consequence of the East India Company’s drive for enhancement of land-revenue that the Sannyasis and Fakirs broke out in rebellion. The Sannyasis acquired rent-free lands on different parts of Bengal from small zamindars during the eighteenth century. In lieu of this the Sannyasis gave services as forces to repeal the aggression of other rival zamindars.

In a similar manner the Fakirs also came to acquired rentfree land from various authorities in Bengal. The British attempt to levy tax, that is to say, impose land-revenue was resisted by the Sannyasis and Fakirs. The restrictions on the movement of the Fakirs and a ban declared on the carrying of arms by the Sannyasis and Fakirs also constituted other cause that led to rebellion by the Sannyasis and Fakirs.

Question 19.
Write in short about the Pagal-Panthi Revolt.
Answer:
The religious sect called Pagal-Panthi was founded by a mendicant named Karam Shah. His doctrine became very much popular with the Garo hill tribe that inhabited in the region below the Garo hills. Karam’s successor Tipu laid stress on truthfulness and equality between man and man. The Garos of the Pagal-Panthi sect burst out in rebellion against the oppressions of the zamindar of Sherpur (in present Bangladesh). Tax levied by the zamindar became unbearable for the Garos. The Pagal-Panthi Garos then decided to undo the tax-hike by armed rebellion. The insurrection yielded result.

Question 20.
Why was Dudumiyan famous?
Answer:
In the name of religion Dudumiyan made a fervent call to the peasants of the Ferazi community to rise against the oppressions of the zamindars, indigo-planters, moneylenders, etc. He declared that Allah being the real owner of land none had the right to levy tax on the ryots. Apprehensive of the designs of the Ferazis under the leadership of Dudumiyan the zamindars further increased oppressions that led to armed clashes between the zamindars and the Ferazis. The rebels did not spare even the indigo factories. Thus Dudumiyan became famous as the leader of the suffering peasantry.

Question 21.
Why was the Ferazi movement unsuccessful ?
Answer:
The Ferazi Movement began as a religious movement. In course of time religion was utilized by the Ferazis to give vent to their agrarian grievances. Yet the movement was bound to be a failure as the Ferazis could not come out of the influence of religion.

The Ferazis were religious fanatics and thus completely alienated from the Hindus. The Muslims of the old Islamic faith were also opposed to the Ferazis. Even the Ferazis were disliked by the Wahabis because of the fanaticism of the former. Another factor responsible for the failure of the movement was that the leaders had no political training or vision.

Question 22.
What was the Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya?
Answer:
The real name of the Wahabi Movement was Tariqah-i- Muhammadiya. The term Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya literally means the path as shown by Muhammad. In India the founder of the movement was Syed Ahmed Barelvi. He toured extensively preaching the ideal of Tariqah Muhammadiya. Between 1820 and 1822 the movement gained considerable momentum, and centres were established in many parts of north India.

Question 23.
What were the objectives of the Tariqah i-Muhammadiya?
Answer:

• The Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya or the Wahabi movement initiated by Syed Ahmed Barelvi was designed to revive the ways of the Prophet.
• Along with this he put forward the objective of driving the British out of the country.
• According to Syed Ahmed Barelvi, under the British rule India had become an “unholy land’ (dar-ul-harb), and Barelvi desired, through the movement, to convert the country into the land of Islam’ (dar-ul-Islam).
• The movement, however, did not remain confined to the narrow limits religion exclusively.

Question 24.
Why is Titumir remembered ?
Answer:
Titumir is remembered for his armed struggle against the British. Alongside the British Titumir also severely dealt with the zamindars, money-lenders etc. who were the agents of the British. At Narkelberia, in present North 24 Parganas, Titumir constructed a fortress with bamboo and mud. From this fortress Titumir gave a strong fight to the British soldiers in 1831. Titumir-British armed struggle, known as the Barasat Rebellion, ended with the death of Titumir Titumir, thus, is remembered for his heroic fight against the British.

Question 25
Why were the indigo cultivators of Beigal unwilling to cultivate indigo ?
Answer:
The Europeans introduced the cultivation of indigo in India during the eighteenth century,

• The fertile land of Bengal was very suitable for growing indigo plants. The indigo-planters did not hesitate to convert the food-growing areas into indigo plantation.
• Indigo was an important and profitable item of trade for the Europeans in India. But for the indigo cultivators growing of indigo was not at all profitable.
• The European planters did not hesitate to apply all kinds of cruelty to force the peasants to cultivate indigo.
• Another issue was that the indigo cultivators were deprived of their legitimate wages. Above are the reasons why the indigo cultivators of Bengal were unwilling to cultivate indigo.

Question 26.
Write in short how the middle class Bengali intelligents is came in support of the indigo cultivators.
Answer:
An important feature of the Indigo Rebellion was that the middle class Bengali intelligentsia did not hesitate to support the rebellious indigo cultivators. In no other occasion such a support was lent by the middle class. The point may be explained by some examples. Harish Chandra Mukhopadhyay, Sisir Kumar Ghosh and other Bengali intellectuals took up the cause of the indigo cultivators.

Sisir Kumar Ghosh used to send eye-witness accounts of popular struggle for publication in the Hindu Patriot. Dinabandhu Mitra, a government employee, wrote highly popular drama Neel Darpan in which he vividly described the oppressions and injustice done to the indigo cultivators. This was how the Bengali middle class openly supported the indigo cultivators.

Question 27.
What was the impact of the Indigo Rebellion on the mass awakening ?
Answer:
An important aspect of the Indigo Rebellion was that instead of lodging silent protest against the oppressions perpetrated on them the indigo cultivators unitedly built up a mass movement. For example, the indigo cultivators of Barasat took a vow unitedly that they would no more sow indigo.

Again, the spirit of passive resistance expressed in the Indigo Rebellion may be said to be the forerunner of the Non Co-operation Movement under the leadership of Gandhiji. Lastly, the Indigo Rebellion made the people of the country conscious about their unity against the British.

Question 28.
Why did the Tenancy Act of 1859 fail to safeguard the interests of the ryots of Pabna ?
Answer:
The Tenancy Act of 1859 was designed to safeguard the interests of the rich peasants and of jotedars. The ryots or tenants were not given occupancy right. At the same time the zamindars were allowed to evict the tenants as also permitted to enhance the rent. Moreover, the zaminndars did not issue rent receipt and collected illegal cesses along with rent by improper means.

In such a situation the discontent of the ryots of Pabna, in present Bangladesh, found expression in locally organized resistance of the zamindars. Thus it may be said that the failure of the Tenancy Act of 1859 forced the tenants to organize resistance that finally took the shape of a revolt.

Question 29.
What were the characteristic features of the Pabna Revolt ?
Answer:
The characteristic features of the Pabna Revolt were as follows :

• An important feature of the revolt was that the Muslim peasants of Pubna fought hand in hand with the Hindus,
• The revolt took the form of a rent-strike as the peasants refused to pay rent to the zamindars.
• Leaders of the movement came from the rich peasants, jotedar, village headmen and others,
• Ishan Chandra Roy, a small talukdar (landed magnate) and a trader, called bidrofu raja by the rebel peasants, was an important leader. He with his assistant, Sambhunath Pal, moved from village to village organizing a league of the peasants against the zamindar.
• As the Act of 1859 had failed to ensure security of the ryots the Bengal Tenanacy Act was passed in 1885. The Act sought to protect the interests of the ryots.

Class 10 History Chapter 3 Questions and Answers West Bengal Board – Explanatory Answer Questions (8 Marks)

Question 1.
How did the colonial British rulers systematically establish control over Indian forests through Forest Acts ? What was the impact of the Forest Acts on the forest-depended communities ?
Answer:
a. Control over Forests through Forest Acts : The British administration in order to ensure availability of wood for their enormous requirement in London formed the forest department in 1864. Subsequently, through Forest Acts the officials sought to assert total control over forests.

The first attempt at asserting state monopoly was through the Forest Act of 1865. The 1865 Act was passed to facilitate the acquisition of those forest areas that were earmarked for railway supplies. However, from that time onwards the British Government in India passed a number of Acts. By the Forest Act of 1878 the Indian forests were divided into three categories, namely,

• Reserved Forest
• Protected Forest, and
• Village Forest. The villagers or the tribal forest-dwellers were not allowed to use any other forest except the Village Forests. In short the sole purpose of the Forest Acts was to terminate gradually a century-old system of rights and privileges of forest-inhabiting and forest-dependent communities.

b. Impact of the Forest Acts : The Forest Acts meant hardship to the villagers across the country.

• The Forest Acts deprived the tribals (adivasi) of all their everyday practices.
• Cutting of wood for their houses, collecting fruits and roots, hunting, etc. were banned.
• The tribal women were particularly disturbed as they were unable to cook food using fuel-wood collected from forests.
• Most importantly grazing and shifting cultivation (jhum) that were the life-blood of millions of Indians suffered immensely as these were banned in areas under control of the colonial government.

Question 2.
What was the importance of the Rangpur Rebellion ? What was the nature of the rebellion ?
Answer:
a. Rtiportance of the Rangpur Rebellion : The Rangpur rebellion of 1783 was significant on many accounts.

• The uprising of 1783 clearly exposed the evils associated with the system of colonial exploitation.
• The rebellion of 1783 demonstrated the colonial oppression. It also exposed how the law of independent social development was being suppressed by the foreign rulers.
• It has been pointed out by Prof. N. Kaviraj that all the native agents of the East India Company were linked with the Company’s high officials in the same chain in oppressing the people of the country.
• The Rangpur rebellion made clear the evils of the Ijaradari system. Devi Singh, and ijaradar of Rangpur showed the way how people could be exploited beyond their endurance.
• The Rangpur uprising paved the way for devicing a land settlement that would be permanent in nature.

b. Nature of the Rebellion : The Revolt of 1783 was a real peasant uprising.

• The uprising was led by the village headmen who palyed a very important role in the uprising. This is one of the examples to show that the uprising was a peasnat rebellion.
• The mass character of the revolt is reflected in the huge assembly of peasants in times of action.
• The peasant character of the uprising is also attested by the mass of local evidence collected at that time. The peasants showed a marvellous initiative throughout the course of the uprising.

Question 3.
What were the characteristic features of the Santal Hool ? What were its results ?
Answer:
a. Characteristic Features : The characteristic features of the Santal rebellion were many as they were varied.

• On the basis of the facts revealed through recent researches some believe that this was the first armed insurrection in India against the British.
• Contemporary records show that fighting with traditional weapons the Santals defeated the British soldiers at every place from Bhagalpur to Rajmahal in Dumka district.
• The Santal rebellion took the shape of a full-fledged guerilla war spearheaded by their leaders.
• The Santal Hool spread like wildfire in the entire Chotonagpur region before the East India Company’s soldiers contained it after a month-long battle.
• Another important feature of the Santal Hool was the support that the rebellious Santals had received from the so-called lower classes of people, particularly, the doms, chamars, telis and such others.
• The Santal Hool of 1855-56 definitely had an anti-British character because the rebels wanted to bring an end to the ‘sinful’ rule that obviously meant the British rule.

b. Results : The Santal rebellion was the first organized resistance of its kind against the feudal oppression.

• The rebellion brought to surface the sufferings of the innocent tribal people. The British administrators as an impact of the rebellion became conscious about the problem and tried to reduce their suffering.
• In spite of the failure of the rebellion the Santals drew inspiration from it and subsequently organized another resistance movement against the British. It may be mentioned here that the Santal rebellion of 1861 over the hike in rent was successful.
• The rebellion of the Santals forced the British administrators to reorganize the districts to create a separate district of Santal Parganas.

Question 4.
What was the significance of the Munda movement ? What were its results ?
Answer:
a. Significance : One can hardly underestimate the significance of the Munda Movement.

• The strained relation between the Munda peasants and the zamindars manifested, through the movement, did never imporve in the following years.
• the discontent of the Mundas against the British raj remained smouldering in the hearts of the Mundas for many years following the Ulghulan.
• The legal rights on the lands that had been derived by the tribal Mundas through the Ulghulan seem considerable as it not took ling year for the peasants of Bihar to wrest similar rights from the British.
• Importance of the Munda movement lies in the fact that the ideal of an independent Mundaraj set forth by Birsa definitely had in it an anti-British element.

b. Results : The Munda movments, though unseccessful, resulted in certain administrative measures taken by the British government.

• Necessary arrangements were made to review the land settlement in the tribal areas.
• On the basis of the survey reports new Regulations were passed.
• Forced labour or beth-begari was declared illegal.
• The British government was compelled to introduce certain administrative reforms following the Munda movement.

Question 5.
Who were the Sannyasi and Fakirs ? Why did they oppose the British ?
Answer:
a. Sannyasi : The Sannyasis of the eighteenth century were descent from the ten branches of Adwaita school established thousand years before by Shankaracharya. They were also known as dasnamis. The Sannyasis were wanderers who moved out from place ot place seeking alms.

Along side religious curriculum the Sannyasis also developed skill in the use of arms. For they believed training in arms was necessary for defence of the religion. The Sannyasis rebelled when the British government imposed certain restrictions on the movement and some activities of the Sannyasis.

b. Fakirs : The Fakirs, also known as the Madari Fakirs, were descendents of Shah-i-Madar who introduced a major Sufi order in India in the fourteenth century. There was much similarity between the Sannyasis and the Fakirs. The Fakirs, like the Sannyasis cultivated combat techniques regularly. Manju Shah was the leader of the Fakirs, while Bhawani Pathak led the Sannyasis. The Fakirs also burst out in rebellion in protest against the oppressive prohibitory orders issued against them by the British administration.

c. Their Opposition to the British : It was, in fact, as a consequence of the East India Company’s drive for enhancement of land-revenue that the Sannyasis and Fakirs broke out in rebellion. The Sannyasis acquired rent-free lands in different parts of Bengal from small zamindars during the eighteenth centuiy.

In lieu of this the Sannyasis gave services as forces to repeal the aggression of other rival zamindars. In a similar manner the Fakirs also came to acquire rent-free land from various authorities in Bengal. The British attempt to levy tax, that is to say, impose land-revenue was resisted by the Sannysis and Fakirs. The restrictions on the movement of the Fakirs and a ban declared on the carrying of arms by the Sannyasis and Fakirs also constituted other cause that led to rebellion by the Sannayasis and Fakirs.

Question 6.
How was Wahabi Movement carried to Bengal ? Write in short about the ‘Barasat uprising’.
Answer:
a. Wahabi Movement in Bengal : Titumir : The founder of the Wahabi Movement was Muhammad Abdul Wahab of Najd (in Arabia). This was orthodox Islamic religious movement, and aimed at purging Islam of all the impurities that crept into it. The Wahabi movement was successfully carried to Bengal by Mir Nisar Ali, popularly known as Titumir of North 24-Parganas.

• A believer in the Wahabi ideal Titumir, from the very beginning directed his energies in organizing the peasants against the oppressive zamindars, money-lenders, indigo planters, etc. He acquired much influence among the peasants of the present North 24-Parganas and Nadia districts of West Bengal, irrespective of their religious affiliation.
• Titumir and his followers offered the first armed resistance to the zamindar of Pura who imposed punitive tax on the Wahabis. The action on the part of the zamindar of Pura sparked off an armed rebellion against him.
• Another reason why the Wahabis took the law into their own hands was the failure to get redress either from the administration or from the court of law.
• In fact, the government machineiy and the law courts always sided with the zamindars and the village rich. Thus redress through peaceful means having failed the Wahabis resorted to armed rebellion against the oppressors.

b. Barasat Uprising : Seeing that Titumir’s activities had assumed an anti-govmment character the British deployed military contingent to suppress the rebels. In order to resist the British soldiers Titumir with his six hundred followers hurriedly built up a fortress with bamboo and mud.

This was the famous Banser Kella (bamboo-fortress) constructed at Narkelberia (Barasat), about 20 kilometres away from Kolkata. The standard of rebellion raised by Titumir and his followers, and the resistance offered by the British troops from the bamboo-fortress is famous in history as the Barasat Rebellion of 1831.

Question 7.
What was the role of Dudumiyan in the Ferazi Movement ? What were its limitations ?
Answer:
a. Dudumiyan and the Ferazi Movement: In the name of religion Dudumiyan (1840) gave a fervent call to the peasants’ of the Ferazi community to rise against the oppressive acts of the zamindars, indigo planters and money-lenders. Dudumiyan declared that Allah being the real owner of the land, the zaminders had no right of levying taxes on the ryots (cultivators, tenants or peasants).

The zamindars of the Eastern Bengal being apprehensive of the design on the Ferazis under the leadership of Dudumiayn made a common cause and further increased oppression on the peasants who had Ferazi leanings. This further deteriorated the situation and armed clashes took place between the zamindars and the Ferazis (1840-47). The Ferazi rebels did not even spare any indigo factories.

This was how the Ferazis had raised the banner of protest against the oppressors. The limitation from which the Ferazis had suffered was that the movement was confined to the Ferazi sect of the Muslims and hardly spread among the Hindus. The Ferazi movement did not have any anti-British character.

b. Limitations : The Ferazis were religious fanatics and this alienated themselves completely from the Hindu community. The Muhammadans strongly opposed to them. The Muhammdans of the old faith were sometimes found in the witness box in the court of law recording their evidence against Dudumiyan.

The Ferazi leaders were ignorant people and proud of their influence over the lower clases. This was a feature that was responsible for their differences from other Wahabi sects. Thus it may be said that the greatest limitations of the Ferazis were that they were isolated from similar other religious movements in force at that time.

Question 8.
Write some of the characteristic features of the Wahabi Movement. What was the nature of the movement ?
Answer:
a. Characteristic Features : The characteristic features of the Wahabi Movement were as follows :

• The movement initiated by Syed Ahmed was designed to revive the ways of the Prophet. Along with this he put forward the objective of driving the British out of the countiy. For according to him, India under the British had become an unholy land or ‘Dar-ul-Harb\ and it was Syed Ahmed’s desire to convert the ‘Dar-ul-Harb’ into ‘Dar-ul-Islam’, that is the land of Islam. Indeed, the anti-British aspect of the movement had given it a political overtone.
• Another important feature of the movement was that it no longer remained confined within the narrow fold of religion exclusively. Syed
  Ahmed did not even hesitate to appeal to Hindurao, the Maratha leader, for help in his fight against the British.
• Under his instructions training centres were established in different parts of the country where the Wahabis received some sort of military training.
• As peasantry formed the core of the Wahabis, the movement was also directed against the oppressors like the zamindars, indigo farmers, money-lenders etc.

b. Nature of the Movement : The Ferazi Movement began as a religious movement. But in course of time the motive of religion was utilized by the Ferazis to give vent to their agrarian grievances. The movement was anti-British in the sense that the Ferazis struck terror into the hearts of the oppressors who were practically the agents of the British.

Dudumiyan had pleaded that his movment was not anti-British in character. Yet one can hardly deny that attack upon the agents of the British like money-lentders, zamindars and the like amounted to an attack upon the British government.

It must be remembered that the Ferazis because of their doctrinaire attitude alienated themselves completely from the Hindu community. Moreover, the Ferazis were not liked by the Wahabis. Belonging to a movement of a lower order, the Ferazis evoked opposition from the village rich, the zamindars, mahajans and the indigo planters.

Question 9.
What were the causes of the Indigo Rebellion ? What was its significance ?
Answer:
a. Causes of the Rebellion : Indigo cultivation was not at all profitable for the peasants. Forceable employment of the peasants to grow indigo and deprevation of the cultivators of their legitimate wages formed the background of the Indigo Rebellion. The causes of the rebellion may be summed up as follows :

• The peasants were unwilling to cultivate indigo as they did not get the wage equal to their labour
• The powerful European plantersforcibly employed the peasants to grow indigo. In fact, the cultivators were reduced to a state of slavery.
• Since the indigo-planters converted the best plots of cultivable land to indigo plantation, the production of food-crops declined considerably.
• The greedy indigo-planters did not even hesitate to augment the plantation area evicting the peasants from their villages. The armed gangman, employed by the planters used to clear village after village burning the peasants’ huts.
• Oppressions of the indigo-planters reached such a stage that even the family members of the peasants were not spared. Abduction of women was a regular affair. In short, the miseries of the indigo cultivators knew no bounds, and all this led the peasants to rise in revolt.

b. Significance of the Rebellion :

• The indigo Rebellion of Bengal constitues an important chapter in the history of the peasant movement in India. Whatever might have been the nature of the movement there is no denying the fact that it was in this rising that aclose affinity was first established between the peasants and the zaminders. This was so because of the simple fact that the indigo cultivation had adversely affected the interests of both the peasants and the zaminders.
• Another important aspect of the movement was that instead of lodging a silent protest, the indigo-cultivators, had unitedly built up a mass movement. Indeed, the indigo cultivators of Barasat took a vow unitedly not to sow indigo any more.
• The spirit of passive resistance expressed in the Indigo Rebellion may be said to be the forerunner of the Non-Cooperation Movement started by M. K. Gandhi later. Fourth important aspect of the Indigo Rebellion was the support lent by the middle class people to the oppressed peasantry.
• The revolt of the indigo cultivators made the people of India conscious about their unity against the British.

Question 10.
Write an essay on the Peasants’ Revolt in Pabna.
Answer:
Peasants’ Revolt in Pabna (presently in Bangladesh) is an ideal example of how the question of rent (khazna) created bitter relationship between the zamindars and the ryots. The Tenancy Act of 1859 was put into force to safeguard the interests of rich peasants and the landed peasantry (jotedai). It was expected that the two classes of people would act as precursor to the development of agriculture.

In reality, however, this did not happen. The zamindars did never follow the provisions of the Act. While the Tenancy Act did not allow occupancy right to the peasants, allowed the zamindars to enhance rent at their sweet-will. Official records show that enhancement of rent proceeded after 1859.

The peasants were forced to pay increased rent failing which they were evicted. In such a condition the discontent of the peasants found expression in locally organizing resistance to the zamindars. The resistance finally took the shape of a revolt in 1873 when an agrarian league was formed at Esafshahi in the Pabna district of present Bangladesh. All evidences show that the revolt was due to enhancement of rent by the zamindars.

• The characteristic feature of the revolt was that the Muslim peasants of Pubna fought hand in hand with the Hindus.
• The revolt took the form of a rent-strike as the peasants refused to pay rent to the zamindars.
• Leaders of the movement came from the rich peasants, jotedar, village headmen and others.
• Ishan Chandra Roy, a small talukdar (landed magnate) and a trader, called bidrohi raja by the rebel peasants was an important leader. He with his assistant, Sambhunath Pal, moved from village to village organizing the league. Khoodi Mollah, a Muslim jotedar, also organized the peasants against the zamindar.
• As the Act of 1859 had failed to ensure security of the ryots the Bengal Tenanacy Act was passed in 1885. The Act sought to protect the interests of the ryots.

Detailed explanations in West Bengal Board Class 10 History Book Solutions Chapter 2 Reform: Characteristics and Observations offer valuable context and analysis.

WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 2 Question Answer – Reform: Characteristics and Observations

Class 10 History Chapter 2 Question Answer WBBSE – Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark)

Question 1.
What were the contributions of the print media ?
Answer:
One can hardly deny the contributions of the print media, namely, journals, newspapers, etc. in social and other fields as also the part it played in promoting nationalism.

Question 2.
Which papers and periodicals addressed to the social problems of contemporary bengal ?
Answer:
Of the papers and periodicals that published articles on social problems facing society mention may be made of Bamabodhini, Hindoo Patriot,etc.

Question 3.
How did Bamabodhini help to uplift the social position of the women of Bengal ?
Answer:
During the 20s of the 19th century the Bamabodhini helped to bring about women’s progress in education and social matters.

Question 4.
Show by an example how the Hindoo Patriot addressed contemporary social problems.
Answer:
The Hindoo Patriot in clear terms pointed out that the Hindu marriage law imposed disability on the part of the girls to marry on their own initiative.

Question 5.
How did Kaliprasanna Sinha ridicule the Europeans ?
Answer:
Kaliprasanna ridiculed the Europeans in Kolkata for their fear of the Revolt of 1857 and for
exaggerating atrocities committed by the rebels.

Question 6.
In Neel Darpan what did the author say about the oppressions perpetrated by the indigo planters ?
Answer:
In the Neel Darpan the author exposed the grim picture of inhuman villainy and torture perpetrated on the peasants by the European indigo planters.

Question 7.
What was the greatest contribution of Kangal Harinath Majumdar ?
Answer:
The greatest contribution of Harinath is that through the Grambarta Prakashika he led a relentless struggle to promote education in Bengal.

Question 8.
What is the importance of the Charter Act of 1813 in respect of education in india ?
Answer:
The Charter Act of 1813 passed by the British Parliament provided amongst other things, a sum of repees one lac to be set aside a year for the promotion of learning in india.

Question 9.
Who were the Evangelists ?
Answer:
The Evangelists were those who constantly put pressure upon the British Government in London for the spread of education in india.

Question 10.
Under whose initiative the Anglicist-Orientalist controversy was set at rest ?
Answer:
The Anglicist-Orientalist controversy was set at rest by the initiative of Lord William Bentinck, the then Governor-General of india.

Question 11.
How did Lord Hardinge give stimulus to the English education ?
Answer:
In 1844 Lord Hardinge gave stimulus to English education by linking up knowledge of English with government employment.

Question 12.
What was the content of the memorial sent by Rammohan Roy to Lord Amherst, the then Governor-General of india ?
Answer:
In the memorial sent to Lord Amherst Rammohan Roy strongly advocated for the introduction of Western education in India.

Question 13.
Why did Radhakanta Dev pressurize to dismiss Derozio from the Hindu College ?
Answer:
When it appeared that the teaching of Derozio exercised a subversive influence on the Hindu way of life he was dismissed as the teacher under the pressure from Radhakanta Dev.

Question 14.
How did John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune help the women education in Bengal ?
Answer:
The college founded by Bethune first as Hindu Girls’ College and then as Bethune College emerged as an important institution for the higher education of women in Bengal.

Question 15.
How did the foundation of the University of Calcutta help indian awakening ?
Answer:
The foundation of the University of Calcutta followed by the introduction of Western education was undoubtedly one of the main factors that caused indian awakening.

Question 16.
What was the objective of Debendranath as the President of the Friend’s Social Welfare ?
Answer:
Under the Presidentship of Debendranath the Society aimed at promoting female education, abolition of child-marriage and polygamy.

Question 17.
How did the magnetic personality of Keshab Chandra Sen draw youth to join the Brahmo Samaj ?
Answer:
Drawn by the magnetic power of Keshab’s oration hundreds of young men subscribed to the Brahmo faith.

Question 18.
How did Keshab Chandra Sen generate public opinion in favour of Hindu widow remarriage?
Answer:
In order to generate public opinion in favour of the Hindu widow remarriage, Keshab Chandra Sen actively helped in staging the Bidhava- Vibaha-Natak.

Question 19.
What was the realization of William Carey after studying the Hindu scriptures on the practice of sati ?
Answer:
After studying the Hindu scriptures William Carey was convinced that the practice of sati was not a compulsory practice applicable to all the Hindu widows.

Question 20.
How did William Bentinck finally decide to abolish the practice of sati ?
Answer:
Armed with the support from the Court of Directors in London, the public opinion in England as also the opinion of a large number of judges and officials in India that Bentinck finally decided to abolish the practice of sati.

Question 21.
What was the message of Derozio to his students ?
Answer:
Derozio as the teacher contsntly encouraged his students to think freely and question all authority.

Question 22.
How did Derozio promote advanced studies through student societies ?
Answer:
The advanced studies was promoted by Derozio through societies in which debates and discussions on literature, history, philosophy and science were organized.

Question 23.
How did the Young Bengal help to acquaint the Bengali youths with the works of the European philosophers ?
Answer:
The young educated Bengalis were profoundly influenced by the works of Voltaire, Tom Paine and others and in all this the Young Bengal had an indirect support.

Question 24.
Why did the earlier attempts to introduce Hindu widow remarriage fail ?
Answer:
In the nineteenth century attempts of the enlightened middle class to introduce Hindu widow remarriage failed miserably due to the opposition of the orthodox section of the Bengali society.

Question 25.
What was the role of the Young Bengal in the issue of Hindu widow remarriage ?
Answer:
In the paper Gyananweshan published by the Young Bengal articles were published appreciating the efforts of some enlightened people towards the introduction of the Hindu widow remarriage.

Question 26.
How did Vidyasagar try to build up opinion in favour of widow remarriage ?
Answer:
Vidyasagar tried to build up public opinion through the pamphlets published by him in which he strongly refuted the argument advanced by the orthodox people imposing disability on widow for a remarriage.

Question 27.
How did Debendranath infuse new blood to the Brahmo movement ?
Answer:
The credit of transforming the Brahmo Samaj into a distinctive religion belonged to Debendranath Tagore, and thereby infused a new blood to the Brahmo movement.

Question 28.
What was meant by sarva dharma samannya by Ramakrishna ?
Answer:
By sarva dharma samannya Ramakrishna recognized the differences among religions, and at the same time the differences are to be overcome and harmony of religions established.

Question 29.
What is the meaning of the term Bengal Renaissance.
Answer:
The intellectual awakening in the nineteenth century Bengal is commonly known as the Bengal Renaissance.

Class 10 History Chapter 2 Questions and Answers WBBSE – Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)

Question 1.
What were the objects of the Bengali periodical Bamabodhini as stated by Umesh Chandra Datta ?
Answer:
In the first instance the Bamabodhini laid strong emphasis on women issues. It also desired to focus on the needs of the womenfolk. Also it was said that the periodical would promote necessary knowledge in different subjects amongst the women of the country.

Question 2.
In what ways did the Hindoo Patriot address contemporary social issues ?
Answer:
The Hindoo Patriot addressed many of the contemporary social problems. In the opinion of the Hindoo Patriot the Hindu Marriage Law imposed disability on the part of the girls to marry according to their own choice. The weekly paper also raised its voice against the abolition of early marriage.

Question 3.
Illustrate by an example how the Hutom Pyanchar Naksha ridiculed the Europeans.
Answer:
In the Hutom Pyanchar Naksha Kaliprasanna Sinha ridiculed the Europeans living in Calcutta. He ridiculed the fear psychosis from which the Europeans had been suffering during the Revolt of 1857. Also he laughed at the Europeans for exaggerating the atrocities committed by the rebels.

Question 4.
How did Dinabandhu Mitra expose the inhuman villainy of the indigo planters?
Answer:
In the play Neel Darpan Dinabandhu Mitra exposed the villainy of the European indigo planters on the poor indigo cultivators. Describing the inhuman torture on the indigo cultivators Dinabandhu Mitra raised his voice of protest against the indigo planters through his play.

Question 5.
What were the contributions of the Grambarta Prakashika ?
Answer:
The greatest contribution of the Grambarta Prakashika is that it led a relentless struggle to promote education in Bengal. The journal through the articles published sought to create public opinion against the political and social wrongs done by the British in India.

Question 6.
How was the Anglicist-Orientalist controversy set at rest ?
Answer:
It was Lord Macaulay’s Education Minute that finally set at rest the Anglicist-Orientalist controversy. Macaulay, in his Minute, expressed opinion in favour of the English education. On the strength of the opinion of Macaulay Lord William Bentinck finally resolved the issue in favour of introducing English education in India.

Question 7.
Why did Vidyasagar pay utmost attention to the education of womenfolk of India ?
Answer:
Vidyasagar sincerely believed that no real social progress was possible in India till the womenfolk were educated. That was the primary reason why Iswarchandra paid most attention to the education of women. He himself set up many schools where only girl students were admitted.

Question 8.
Why is Rammohan called the ‘first modern man of India’ ?
Answer:
Rammohan Roy is rightly called the “first modern man of India’. It was he for the first time realized that without Western learning the Indians would not be able to build up a nation of their own. Rammohan also firmly believed that a new india could be built only after indians were enlightened by modem Western scientific education.

Question 9.
How did David Hare help the spread of women education ?
Answer:
Apart from being one of the founders of the Hindu College David Hare actively helped the spread of women education in India. He was actively attached to the Ladies’ Society for Native Female Education. In 1818 David Hare also founded the School Society that did much for women’s education.

Question 10.
Why is Madhusudan Gupta remembered ?
Answer:
Madhusudan Gupta is remembered because he stands out as the person who first dissected a corpse at the Calcutta Medical College. He did the job ignoring the contemporary prejudices and fear of social disgrace involved in dissection of human body.

Question 11.
How did Rammohan Roy try social reform through the Brahmo Samaj ?
Answer:
The Brahmo Samaj founded by Rammohan Roy became the centre of reformist movement in India. He considered the caste system of the Hindu society as the greatest obstacle to progress. The Brahmo Samaj was meant to be a cradle for the evolution of a casteless society.

Question 12.
What was the contributions of Keshab Chandra Sen to the cause of the Brahmo Samaj ?
Answer:
After Keshab Chandra Sen joined the Brahmo Samaj the Brahmo movement acquired a wide popularity. Drawn by the magnetic power of Keshab’s oration hundreds of youngmen joined the Brahmo faith. Another great contribution of Keshab Chandra Sen was that he included a programme of social reform alongside the missionary activities of the Samaj.

Question 13.
How did the Bengali public opinion come to be divided on the issue of anti-sati movement ?
Answer:
When the anti-sati movement was gathering momentum the orthodox section of the Bengali society did not sit quiet. They came out openly in support of the practice of sati. Thus the Bengali public opinion came to be sharply divided into two opposing groups.

Question 14.
How did the Derozians or Young Bengal lend support to the widow remarriage ?
Answer:
The Young Bengal took up the issue of the widow remarriage by publishing articles in support of the movement. Jnananveshan, a Derozian paper, published articles appreciating the efforts of some individuals in promoting remarriage of Hindu widows.

Bengal Spectator, another Derozian paper, published an article in which hope was expressed that a time would come when all prejudices regarding widow remarriage would be removed.

Question 15.
How did Vidyasagar refute all arguments against the remarriage of Hindu widows ?
Answer:
Vidyasagar was the key person who waged a long struggle in favour of Hindu widow remarriage. In one of his pamphlets he strongly refuted the argument advanced by the orthodox people against the widow remarriage. The arguments put forward by Vidyasagar caused a stir in the country in favour of Hindu widow remarriage.

Question 16.
What was the contribution of Debendranath Tagore to the Brahmo Movement?
Answer:
Debendranath Tagore infused a new life into the Brahmo Movement. In fact, the credit of transforming the Brahmo Samaj into a distinctive religion belongs to him. Compilation of the tenets of Brahmoism in two volumes by him gave a new dimension to Brahmoism as a new religion.

Question 17.
How was the Brahmo Samaj of India formed by Keshab Chandra Sen ?
Answer:
Debendranath was opposed to the idea of linking up programme of social reforms side by side with the missionary activities of the Brahmo faith as drawn up by Keshab Chandra Sen. As a consequence of the difference between the two Keshab Chandra parted away from the parent body Brahmo Samaj. Afterwards Keshab Chandra formed a new organization named Brahmo Samaj of India.

Question 18.
What was Sadharan Brahmo Samaj ?
Answer:
A second division in the Brahmo movement became inevitable when most of the followers of Keshab Chandra Sen renounced his leadership. The breakaway group was under the leadership of Bijay Krishna Goswamee and Shiv Nath Shastri. This group founded a new organization named Sadharan Brahmo Samaj.

Question 19.
How did Vivekananda set forth the ideal of conquest of the world by india ?
Answer:
Vivekananda set forth the great ideal of conquest of the world by India. According to him this was possible with the transfer of technology of the West and its integration with the Hindu culture. In turn Hindus would transfer their spirituality to the West.

Question 20.
What is the essential difference between Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and other saints ?
Answer:
Ramakrishna was born a Hindu, and yet he indulged in divergent religious practices. Thus he arrived at the realization that all religions are equally valid and ultimately led to the same goal. No other saint had ever made this point so clear as Ramakrishnadeva.

WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 2 Questions and Answers – Analytical Answer Questions (4 Marks)

Question 1.
How did the Bamabodhini, a Bengali periodical, serve the cause of women of Bengal ?
Answer:
Bamabodhini was a Bengali periodical published in 1863. In the colonial period Bamabodhini laid strong emphasis women issues. In describing the objects of the paper Sri Umesh Chandra Datta, the editor, wrote that the paper intended to focus the needs of the womenfolk.

Further, it was stated that the Bamabodhini would address itself to promote necessary knowledge in different subjects amongst women. Bamabodhini continued to be published till 1923. During the period Bamabodhini helped to bring about women’s progress in education and social matters.

Question 2.
How did the Hindu Patriot emerge as the leading news weekly of Bengal ?
Answer:
Hindu Patriot, an English weekly published from Kolkata, was the most famous paper of Bengal for quite some time. The weekly was first published by Madhusudan Roy. But it was under the editorship of Harish Chandra Mukherjee that Hindu Patriot became the leading news weekly of Bengal. The Hindu Patriot addressed contemporary social problems.

For example, in the opinion of the Hindu Patriot the Hindu marriage law imposed disability on the part of the girls in exercising their right to marry on their own initiative. It was also a newspaper with national outlook. During the Revolt of 1857 the Hindu Patriot published articles. The paper became the mouthpiece of protest against the injustices done to the peasants by the indigo planters.

Question 3.
How did Huton Pyanchar Naksha express the turmoil in contemporary of Bengal with humour?
Answer:
Hutom Pyanchar Naksha (literally Sketches by a Watching Owl), authored by Kaliprasanna Sinha was first published in 1862. The book occupies a special place in Bengali literature. During the nineteenth century several factors caused some kind of strain within the Bengalee society. The causes behind the turmoil in the society found expression in the pages of the Hutom Pyanchar Naksha.

Hutom was a keen observer. It looked at the changes that had been taking place. It noticed and expressed with irony and humour how the old and the new lived side by side. At the same time the Hutom Pyanchar Naksha was an attempt to understand the chaos and the change all around. Kaliprasanna ridiculed the Europeans in Kolkata for their fear of the Revolt and for exaggerating atrocities committed by the rebels.

Question 4.
How did Dinabandhu Mitra narrate the misery of the indigo cultivators and raised voice against the colonial rulers in the pages of his Neel Darpan?
Answer:
Staying in Jessore Dinabandhu had the first-hand knowledge how the peasantry treated by the indigo planters. In the play Neel Darpan Dinabandhu exposed the grim picture of inhuman villainy and torture perpetrated by the indigo planters most of whom were Europeans.

In the days when the British in india were in the height of their power it was indeed daring and bold for Dinabandhu Mitra to raise voice of protest against the European indigo planters. Though the main theme of the Neel Darpan was the plight of the indigo cultivators, the play also highlighted the oppressive machinery of the colonial rulers that suppressed the natives in local levels.

Question 5.
What was the role of Rammohan Roy in the introduction of Western education in india ?
Answer:
Rammohan Roy as the ‘first modern man’ of India realized that the traditional indian learning would not be able to instil scientific outlook among the readers. He was very much opposed to British government’s initiative in establishing Sanskrit College, Madrassas, etc. In a letter addressed to Lord Amherst he clearly advocated for the introduction of English education.

In his zeal to promote Western education Rammohan, however, was not forgetful of the importance of the vernacular language. To facilitate interaction between the Englishmen and the Indians Rammohan wrote the book entitled ‘Bengalee Grammar in the English Language’. Thus Rommohan worked tirelessly for the introduction of English education in india.

Question 6.
Write in short about the Angiicist-Orientalist controversy regarding the introduction of Western education in india.
Answer:
By the Charter Act of 1813 the British Government in England directed the East india Company to spend yearly a sum of rupees one lac towards education in India. Despite the directive no initiative could be taken due to the controversy in the official circle as to what type of education was to be introduced in India.

The Anglicists were those who favoured the introduction of Western learning while the Orientalists were in favour of disseminating the traditional oriental learning. This was the Angiicist-Orientalist controversy that continued till 1835.

Question 7.
What were the contributions of iswarchandra Vidyasagar to the emancipation of women ?
Or
How did Iswarchandra Vidyasagar contribute to the women education ?
Answer:
Iswarchandra Vidyasagar firmly believed that the regeneration of India was possible only through education. Particularly he emphasized on women education.

He rightly believed that the emancipation of women was not possible as long as they remained ignorant. Noticing the British government’s indifference towards female education Iswarchandra himself started a few model schools for girls. He also collaborated with Drinkwater Bethune in establishing the Hindu Female School (present Bethune School and College of Kolkata) in 1849.

Question 8.
Write about the initiative of the foreigners for the spread of Western education in india.
Answer:
Initiative was taken by a good number of foreigners for the spread of Western education in india. In this respect mention may be made of two personalities, namely David Hare and John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune.

a. David Hare : David Hare realized the need of Western learning and sciences among the people. He also felt that free-thinking, secularism and idealism were to be encouraged. Foundation of the Hindu College (presently Presidency University) in 1817 was a landmark in the history of the growth of Western education.

David Hare was one of the founders of the Hindu College. In the same year (1817) he was instrumental in establishing the School Book Society that published text books both in English and Bengali.

b. Drink water Bethune: It was John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune who devoted himself to the cause of female education in india. He came to india and joined as the Law Member of the Governor-General’s Council in 1848. He was a great patron of female education.

The College founded by Bethune first as Hindu Girls’ College and then as Bethune College emerged as an important institution for the higher education of women in Bengal. Vidyasagar rendered all possible help to Bethune for setting up of girls’ college.

Question 9.
With objectives did Rammohan found the Brahmo Samaj ?
Answer:
Rammohan as the ‘first modern man’ of India realized early that social reform was the precondition for the regeneration of the people of our country. But he was aware that in those days society and religion in India were linked up with one another. Thus he approached reform of the social system through religious reforms.

The Brahmo Samaj was established by Rammohan with the purpose of promoting, among different religious groups, a faith in the unity of the divine and man, as also spirit of tolerance. He attacked the caste system. Also he protested against the sati and child-marriage. Rammohan also had in his mind the matter of the uplift of the womenfold. These were, in short, the objectives with which the Brahmo Samaj was founded by Rammohan.

Question 10.
How did Keshab Chandra Sen attach importance to social reforms in the Brahmo movement?
Answer:
To Keshab Chandra Sen more important than the missionary activities was to relieve the countrymen of the various superstitions. That is why he included a programme of social reform in the Brahmo movement.

His efforts were also directed against the caste-system, and in favour of widow-remarriage as well as inter-caste marriage. Another achievement of Keshab Chandra was his untiring never be possible without their proper education and hence his efforts to spread female education.

Question 11.
Why did Bijoy Krishna Goswami, a devout Brahmo, turn to Vaishnavism?
Answer:
Bijoy Krishna Goswami entered the Brahmo movement around 1860. However, owing to some difference of opinion with Debendranath Tagore Bijoy Krishna followed Keshab Chandra into the newly founded Brahmo Samaj of India. Still later Bijoy Krishna, though did not leave Brahmoism, abandoned Keshab Chandra Sen and joined the newly founded Sadhuran Brahmo Samaj. At a point of time Bijoy Krishna being disillusioned with the Brahmo movement felt attracted to Vaishnavism as taught by Sri Krishna Chaitanya. By 1889 he completely broke with the Brahmism and began his career as a spokesman of Vaishnavism.

Question 12.
Write in short what you know about Rammohan Roy as a social reformer.
Answer :
Rammohan Roy, who was called Bharat Pathik by Rabindranath, realized that unless the social reforms were introduced the country would never be freed from the social evils from which it suffered. One of the social evils of contemporary India was the practise of Sali. Besides, women unjustifiably denied many rights to which they are entitled by nature.

Rammohan Roy raised his voice against all these. For he was convinced that social regeneration must precede political movement against the foreigners. Rammohan’s protests against the sali did not go unheeded. It was Rammohan’s movement that influenced Lord William Bentinck to declare Sati illegal and a punishable offence by the Regulation XVII of 1829.

Question 13.
What ideal did Derozio set forth before his students?
Answer:
In spite of his being an Indo-European, Derozio looked upon India as his motherland. It is possible to know about the ideals Derozio stood for from the various poems that he composed. Of the poems composed by him the Fakir of Jhurigeera was full of his high patriotic feeling for India. Besides deep sense of patriotism Derozio was a free-thinker and encouraged his students to debate freely and question all authority. The ideal he stood for found expression in his lectures to the students who later on came to be known as the young Bengal. He urged them to live and die for truth, to cultivate and practice all the virtues, shunning vice in every shape.

Question 14.
Write what you know about the Young Bengal Movement.
Answer:
Derozio as a teacher of the Hindu College had tremendous influence among his students. Besides himself being a true patriot Derozio was a free-thinker and encouraged his students to debate freely and question all authority. Though Derozio died a premature death his inspiration among the contemporary youth lived longer. The students of Derozio collectively known as the Young Bengal made an intense study of Western literature and drew their inspiration from it.

The Young Bengal ridiculed all kinds of old tradition and insisted on freedom of thought and expression. The Young Bengal organized meetings that aimed at collecting information about the condition of the people of our country. Besides they published journals in which topics of national interest were discussed.

Question 15.
How did Iswarchandra Vidyasagar build a movement in favour of Hindu widow remarriage ?
Answer:
Iswarchandra Vidyasagar began a campaign for widow remarriage during the mid-nineteenth century. He waged a long struggle in favour of widow remarriage. Vidyasagar raised his powerful voice, backed by the weight of immense traditional learning in favour of widow remarriage.

At last he found what he wanted in a verse of the Parasara Samhita. In 1855 Vidyasagar published a pamphlet on the issue of remarriage of Hindu widow. In the pamphlet he strongly refuted the argument advanced by the orthodox people imposing disability on widow for a remarriage. The arguments put forward by Vidyasagar caused a stir in the country. It became the talking point everywhere.

Question 16.
What were the contributions of the Brahmo Movement to the regeneration of India ?
Answer:
The Brahmo movement played an important role in the regeneration of india.

• Originating in Bengal the movement spread far and wide in India.
• The Brahmo movement was not exclusively a religious movement, it brought within its fold the programme of social services.
• Another feature of the Brahmo movement was that the movement also concerned itself with the welfare of the common people as well as of labourers.
• In conclusion it may be said that the Brahmo movement upheld the human rights. Besides, the humanistic approach of the Brahmo movement helped to awaken the spirit of nationalism amongst the people of the country.

Question 17.
How did Ramakrishna contribute to the reform of contemporary indian society?
Answer :
Ramakrishna had no formal education, but his spiritual realization was immense. His power of explaining deep philosophical points in simple and easy words and metaphors was astounding. He strongly believed that all regions were equally valid and ultimately led to the same goal. Thus Ramakrishna inspired a Muslim to be a true Muslim, and a Christian to be faithful to Christ. Under his inspiration the Hindus regained their faith in Hinduism.

This was a great ideal that Ramakrishna set forth before the Indian people. Ramakrishna, however, could not build up ‘n all-India movement by his teaching. This task was later on completed by his great disciple, Swami Vivekananda. SriRarnakrishna Swami Vivekananda.

Question 18.
What are the ideals set forth by Swami Vivekananda?
Answer :
Vivekananda was pained to see the decadent Hindu society caused by the apathy and ignorance of the people. At the same time he became convinced about the potentialities of the Hindu religion as a binding force to unite the people of India. In course of time Vivekananda planned a programme for the regeneration of the people.

• He set forth the ideal of a new social order based on freedom and equality.
• Modernization, according to Vivekananda was a necessity. And this could only be done by borrowing western technical know-how.
• Vivekananda strongly argued for education, particularly women education, that would rid society of all ailments.
• Vivekananda projected the image of a classess society in which the Brahmanas would help elevate the society.

Question 17.
How did Vivekananda visualize the mutual dependence between the East and the West?
Answer :
Vivekananda admitted that the West had certain positive achievements such as freedom and respect to women. Besides, its emphasis on work and the high level of material prosperity were, indeed, commendable. But at the same time the West was ‘gross, material, selfish and sensual’. To Vivekananda compared to the spiritual East the West was materialistic.

Of course by referring to the ‘spiritual East’ he meant India and Hinduism. Vivekananda set before the people the great ideal of conquest of the world by India. This was possible with the transfer of technology of the West and its integration with the Hindu culture. In turn Hindus would transfer their spirituality to the West.

Question 19.
Was there anything called the ‘Bengal Renaissance’?
Answer:
The intellectual awakening of Bengal in the nineteenth century is commonly known as the Bengal Renaissance. The term, obviously, has been derived from the italian and for that matter European Renaissance of fifteenth century. Thus a comparison between the European Renaissance and that of Bengal is inevitable.

There was a dawn of a new period in Europe through the Renaissance. In the same vein some of the scholars preferred to say that through the Bengal Renaissance, there was the emergence of a new period in Bengal as also in india. Yet there are others who believe there is hardly any resemblance between the European and Bengal Renaissance. As such there is nothing called ‘Bengal Renaissance’.

Class 10 History Chapter 2 Questions and Answers West Bengal Board – Explanatory Answer Questions (8 Marks)

Question 1.
How reflections of society of society revealed in the periodical Bamabodhini as also the English weekly Hindu Patriot ?
Answer:
a. Introduction : During the nineteenth century a host of newspapers, periodicals, weeklies, etc were published. In such print media articles appeared in which the problems of contemporary society referred to. In this respect the Bamabodhini and Hindu Patriot may be discussed.

b. Bamabodhini : Bamabodhini was a Bengali periodical published in 1863. In the colonial period Bamabodhini laid strong emphasis women issues. In describing the objects of the paper Sri Umesh Chandra Datta, the editor, wrote that the paper intended to focus the needs of the womenfolk.

Further, it was stated that the Bamabodhini would address itself to promote necessary knowledge in different subjects amongst women. Bamabodhini continued to be published till 1923. During the period Bamabodhini helped to bring about women’s progress in education and social matters.

c. Hindu Patriot : Hindu Patriot, an English weekly published from Kolkata, was the most famous paper of Bengal for quite some time. The weekly was first published by Madhusudan Roy. But it was under the editorship of Harish Chandra Mukherjee that Hindu Patriot became the leading news weekly of Bengal. The Hindu Patriot addressed contemporary social problems.

For example, in the opinion of the Hindu Patriot the Hindu marriage law imposed disability on the part of the girls in exercising their right to marry on their own initiative. It was also a newspaper with national outlook. During the Revolt of 1857 the Hindu Patriot published articles.

The paper became the mouthpiece of protest against the injustices done to the peasants by the indigo planters. Under the editorship of Krishnadas the Hindu Patriot also raised voice against the British Government’s action in muzzling the press in India.

Question 2.
How did the Neel Darpan take up the cause of the indigo planters against the oppressions of the indigo planters ?
Answer:
a. Introduction : Neel Darpan (literally meaning An Indigo Mirror) is a Bengali play authored by Dinabandhu Mitra. The play was written in the background of the Indigo Revolt (1859-1860). The ‘Blue Mutiny’, as the Indigo Revolt came to be known in English, was the revolt of the indigo peasants against the forcible cultivation of indigo

b. Oppressions of the Indigo Planters : The indigo planters did what they liked to the peasantry. Dinabandhu’s native place Jessore was one of the main centres of indigo production in Bengal and the indigo cultivators there were worst affected because of the oppressions of the indigo planters.

c. Personal Experience of Dinabandhu Mitra rewaled in the Play: Staying in Jessore Dinabandhu had the first-hand knowledge how the peasantry treated by the indigo planters. In the play Neel Darpan Dinabandhu exposed the grim picture of inhuman villainy and torture perpetrated by the indigo planters most of whom were Europeans. In the days when the British In India were in the height of their power it was indeed daring and bold for Dinabandhu Mitra to raise voice of protest against the European indigo planters.

d. Impact of the Neel Darpan : The Neel Darpan impacted the intellectual circles of Bengal. In fact, it was largely due to the efforts of Dinabandhu’s Neel Darpan that the Bengalee middle class for the first time came out in open support to the indigo rebels. Though the main theme of the Neel Darpan was the plight of the indigo cultivators the play also highlighted the oppressive machinery of the colonial rulers that suppressed the resistance of the natives in local levels.

Question 3.
What was the educational policy of the British in india ? Write about the Anglicist-Orientaiist controversy regarding the introduction of Western education in india ?
Answer:
a. The Education Policy of the British in india : Initially the British were not at all interested introducing a definite educational policy in India. Rather English education was introduced first by the Christian missionaries. The first directive from the British Government in England in this regard came in 1813.

It was directed through the Charter Act of 1813 that a sum of rupees one lac was to be spent annually for the spread of education. But there was no directive as to on what sort of education the money was to be spent. As such no positive step in this regard could be taken till 1835. Mean while there started a great debate that later on came to be known as the Anglicist-Orientaiist controversy.

b. Anglicist-Orientaiist Controversy: In 1813 the British government in England directed the Company’s government in India to spend yearly a sum of rupees one lakh towards the spread of education. Despite the directive of the British government, the East India Company’s government in India took no initiative to spend the money for the promotion of education in India.

This indifference was largely due to the controversy that reared its head in the official circle regarding the type of education to be introduced in India. The opinion that favoured the introduction of western scientific knowledge in india came to be known as the Anglicist while the Orientalist view was in favour of promoting and disseminating the traditional oriental learing. This Anglicist Orientalist controversy continued for quite some time. Ultimately, the two controversies were settled in 1835 under the Governor-Generalship of Lord William Bentinck.

Hands of Lord William Bentinck, the then Governor-General of India were strength by the coming of Lord Macaulay to India as the Law member of the Governor-General’s Council. Macaulay was infavour of introducing Western education in India. On the strength of the opinion Macaulay expressed in his famous Education Minute Lord Bentinck introduced Western education and thus the Anglicist won the day.

Question 4.
Write in short about the activities of the Brahmo Samaj and its different denominations.
Answer:
a. Introduction : The far-reaching changes that took place in the nineteenth century Bengal affected the Indian society. As in other fields of activity Raja Rammohan Roy was a pioneer of social reform movement in India through the Brahmo Samaj.

b. Rammokan Roy : The Brahmo Samaj founded by him became the centre of reformist movement in Bengal. Rarnmohari considered caste-system of the Hindu society as the greatest obstacle to the development of patriotic feeling amongst them.

His Bra hrrio Samaj was meant to be a cradle for the evolution of a casteless society. Rammohan sincerely believed that improvement of society was not possible without the regeneration of the womenfolk. His anti-Sad movement on the teeth of conservative section of people constituted an important landmark in the history of reform movement of India.

c. Debendranath Tagore : After the death of Rammohan the leadership of the Brahmo movement was taken over by Debendranath Tagore. He provided the movement with a better organizational structure. Debendranath employed a number of preachers for propagating the creed of the Samaj in the suburbs of Calcutta. Many more centres also sprang up in the provincial towns. Indeed, Debendranath infused new life to the Brahmo movement by compiling the tenets of Brahmoism in two volumes.

He also sought to strengthen unity of the members of the Samaj by introducing certain rituals. It is said that it was owing to the leadership of Debendranath that the Indians could witstand the onslaught of Westernization let loose by the British colonialism.

d. Keshab Chandra Sen : The next phase of the Brahmo Movement started in 1857 when Keshab Chandra Sen joined the Brahmo Samaj. Very soon Keshab Chandra became one of its stalwarts and dedicated himself to the promotion of social reform in the country. Keshab Chandra included a programme of social reform in the Brahmo movement.

Keshab Chandra sincerely believed that no substantial progress in society would be possible without the emancipation of women. He was strongly in favour of widow remarriage. Keshab Chandra also roundly condemned polygamy and child-marriage.

e. Schism in the Brahmo Samaf: Owing to some difference of opinion with Debendranath, Keshab Chandra was eventually dismissed from the Brahmo Samaj. After that Keshab Chandra started a new organization called the Bra hmo Samaj of India in 1865. The organization of Debendranath also adopted new name Adj Brahmo Samaj.

Question 5.
Write how the anti-sati movement developed in India. Mention how the movement was opposed by the orthodox people.
Answer:
a. Introduction : It was not until nineteenth century that an organized attempt was made against the barbarous practice of burning Hindu widows on the funeral pyre of their husbands. It is known from the official records that as many as 8000 such burnings took place between 1815 and 1828.

b. Early Initiatives: Much before the East India Company’s government in India took any effective measure to prohibit the SaLi, the Christian missionaries like the Danes of Serampore, the Dutch at Chinsura and the French at Chandernagore had prohibited the practice in the areas under their jurisdiction.

c. Rammohan Roy: It was Raja Rammohan Roy who launched a strong movement against the practice of Sati On the authority of the Hindu shastras Rammohan proved that there is no religious sanction for the evil practice of SaLi. He organized a fiery campaign against the practice through signature campaign. He also sent a petition to the British Parliament.

d. Support of the Press: Professor Nemai Sadhan Bose informs that contemporary journals like Sambad Kaumadi, Samachar Darpan and others with progressive ideas also took up the cause of the abolition of the practice of Sati (Indian Awakening and Bengal : p202: Nemai Sadhan Bose).

e. Lord Bentinck and the Movement : Lord William Bentinck was a ‘reformer by temperament’. He had made up his mind about the question of Sati before he had arrived in India as the Governor-General (1828). Armed with support from the Court of Directors, public opinion in England, opinion of a large number of judges and high officials in India, Bentinck finally decided to abolish the practice once for all.

f. Attitude of the Orthodox People: When the anti-SaLi Movement was gathering momentum the orthodox section of Bengalee people did not sit quiet. Some newspapers also lent support to the orthodox view regarding the practice of Sati. Samachar Chandrika, for example, came out openly in support of the practice of Sati and favoured its continuance. Evidently, the Bengali public opinion came to be sharply divided into two opposing groups.

Question 6.
Write an essay on ‘DerOzio and the Young Bengal Movement’.
Answer:
a. Derozto : Under the impact of the Western contact the life of Bengal experienced a radical change. The establishment of the Hindu College in 1817 further accelerated the change. The education imparted at the Hindu College generated patriotism among its students. In this respect the name of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, a teacher of the Hindu College, stands out pre-eminent. Derozio was born in Calcutta 1809. in a Portuguese-Indian family.

b. His Inspiration to the Youths: The students of Derozio, collectively known as the ‘Young Bengal’ or the ‘Derozians’, ridiculed all kinds of old tradition and demanded freedom of thought and expression. In 1838 the Young Bengal organised the Gyanoparjika Sabhía which aimed at collecting information about the condition of the people of our country. The Young Bengal published such journals as the Parthenon, Qyananneswan and others which discussed topics of national interest.

c. The Young Bengal : In spite of his Indo-European lineage, Derozio looked upon India as his motherland. Of the poems composed by him the Fakir of Jhungeera was full of high patriotic feeling. The greatest contribution of Derozio is that he inculcated a deep love for motherland among this students through his teachings.

He also urged upon his students “to live and die for truth…” Though Derozio died a premature death in 1831, his inspiration among the centemporary youth lived longer. The most favourite students of Derozia who later on came to be known as the ‘Young Bengal. were Krishnamohon Banerjee, Rasik Krishna Maflick, Radhanath Sikdar etc.

d. Social Origin and Fate of the Young Bengal : The movement initiated by the ‘Young Bengal’ did not continue for more than ten years. By 1840 the movement lost all its momentum. This was inevitable because of the simple fact that the Derozians could not define their objectives in clear terms, nor they had any leadership after the death of Derozio.

But more important than all this was their lack of understanding of the toiling masses. Indeed, the failure of the Young Bengal movement was perhaps inevitable because of the social roots of the Derozians. Many of the members of the Young Bengal group belonged to the middle class family that had been the product of the colonial structure.

To cite an example, the family of Ramgopal Ghosh, one of the most important members of the Young Bengal, amassed huge wealth as trader in food grain. Obviously, it was not possible for him, like many other members, to organise a mass movement for the overthrow of the foreign rule of which he was a beneficiary.

Question 7.
Write about the development of the widow remarriage movement in India.
Answer:
a. Introduction : Attempts at introducing widow remarriage were not new in the nineteenth century. Several attempts had been made during the eighteenth century to introduce it in the local Hindu society. But it was Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, an orthodox Brahmin, whose life long efforts ultimately led to the passing of the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act Act XV of 1856.

b. Beginning of the Movement : Rammohon was sympathetic to the cause of widows, but he is not known to have done anything concrete towards legalizing their marriage. However, from the 30s of the nineteenth century the question of widow marriage gathered importance.

c. Other Initiatives: The Christian missionaries always came forward in support of the reforms of evil social practices. The Samachar Darpan published letter of an unmarried girl in which attention was drawn to the sufferings of the Hindu widows. Subsequently, the Young Bengal paper Gyczrlanweshan also took up the cause.

The Young Bengal also welcomed the plan to call a meeting for removing existing superstition against widow remarriage. Some influential personalities of Calcutta like Nilkamal Bandyopadhyay and others fruitlessly attempted to introduce the widow remarriage.

d. Iswarchadra Vidyasagar : It was not until Iswarchandra Vidyasagar took up the cause of widow remarriage that it became a historic social issue. Iswarchandra Vidyasagar began a campaign for widow remarriage during the mid-nineteenth century. He waged a long struggle in favour of widow remarriage.

However, he realized that the campaign for widow remarriage would have an appeal to the general people if it was backed by reference to Shastric instructions. Thus Iswarchandra began studying sacred books. At last he found what he wanted in a verse of the Parasara Samhita.

e. Hindu Widow Remarriage Act passed : Strengthened by the movement for legalizing the remarriage of Hindu widows the British government in India finally passed the Act XV Hindu Widow Remarriage Act. on 26 July 1856. The first widow remarriage took place on 7 December 1856 between Srischandra Vidyaratna and Kalimati Devi who was a widow of only eleven years.

Question 8.
Write in short about the religious reform of the Brahmo Samaj.
Answer:
a. Introduction : Foundation of the Brahmo Samaj was the culmination of the religious thought and activities of Rammohan Roy. It also marked the beginning of the Brahmo movement.

b. Rammohan Roy : Rammohan emphasized religious and social reforms as political consciousness was yet to develop amongst the Indians. Rammohan realized how idolatry and caste system created divisions amongst the Indians. At first he established a society that was Atmiya Sabha. Later on this was transformed to the Brahmo Samaj.

The Barhmo Samaj was established with the purpose of promoting among different religious groups a faith in the unity of the divine and of man, as also a spirit of tolerance. Rammohan did not intend to bring about any religious revolution. He fought single-handed to clear away a mass of popular prejudice. The Brahmo movement initiated by him, proved to be a dynamic force and ushered in many progressive movements and ideas in different aspects of life in Bengal.

c. Debendranath Tagore : After Rammohan’s death the leadership of the Brahmo movement was taken over by Debendranath Tagore. He provided the movement with a better organizational structure. Debendranath sought to strengthen unity of the members of the Samaj by introducing certain rituals to be performed mandetarily by the members. It may be said that under the leadership of Debendranath the Indians could withstand the onslaught of Westernization let loose by the British colonialism.

d. Keshab Chandra Sen: Keshab Chandra’s specific focus was not to restrict the Brahmo movement within the confines religious reform. He considered the reform of social evils as a matter of greater importance. Also Keshab Chandra wanted to reach out to the large number of non- Westernized people across the country.

Drawn by the magnetic power of Keshab’s oration hundreds of youngmen subscribed to the Brahmo faith. Thus it has been pointed out by Professor Ramesh Chandra Majumdar that Keshab’s credit lay in popularizing the Brahmo movement all over India. And this all-India aspect of the movement was the first step towards the achievement of national unity.

Question 9.
What were the contributions of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansadeva to religious syncretism and social reforms ?
Answer:
a. Introduction: The history of emergence of a socio-religious movement that combined defence of Hinduism, social service and restructuring of ancient monasticism life of a monk. began with Gadadhar Chattopadhyay.

b. A Spiritual Miracle : Gadadhar, later famous as Ramakrishna Paramahansadeva 1836-1886., was born of a poor orthodox Brahmin family in the village of Kamarpukur, in the district of Hooghly, West Bengal. SriRamakrishna of the temple of goddess Kali at Dakshineshwar near present Kolkata.

Is a spiritual miracle. He had no formal education, but his spiritual realizations were stupendous. His power of explaining abstruse difficult. philosophical points in simple and easy metaphors and analogies was astounding even to the highly educated persons of his times.

c. Religious Syncretism : Ramakrishna was born as a Hindu, and yet he went through divergent religious and spiritual disciplines. And thus he arrived at the realisation that all religions were equally valid and ultimately lead to the same goal, if professed with sincerity and devotion. No other saint has ever made this point so clear as did Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansadeva.

He inspired a Muslim to be a true Muslim, and a Christian a real one. Under his inspiration the Hindus retrieved their faith in Hinduism, even though they had an English education. It is indeed a great ideal for the indians, who are divided into a various religins and sects. The significance of this ideal still remains to be cherished.

d. A Social Reformer : Though Ramakrishna could not build up an all-India movement by his teachings as did Keshab Chandra with his oratory, yet his influence on the Indian people was indeed great. Ramakrishna, too, could not agree to the disparities of caste and creed in Indian society. He firmly believed that by obtaining self-knowledge or proper devotion to God, men would no longer go by the labels of caste and creed.

Question 10.
How did Vivekananda pave the way for unity among the indians ?
Answer:
a. Introduction : Narendranath Datta, better known as Swami Vivekananda 1863-1902., was one of the very few personalities of the nineteenth century who had revitalized the country and her people.

b. Varied Experience : Of the contemporary India, the experience of Vivekananda was possibly the most varied and widest. Initially he was associated with the Brahmo movement of Keshab Chandra Sen. Later on he came under the influence of Sri Ramakrishna.

He set out on a pilgrimage over the country. Still later he came to aquire a first hand knowledge about the western world. From all this Vivekananda came to realize that blindfold imitation of everything western cannot help people to make progress. At the same time he was thoroughly convinced that the prevalent superstitions in our society cannot be a part of religion.

c. Vivekananda in the USA : Vivekananda considered India’s isolation from the rest of the world to be one of the causes of our degeneration and believed that ‘its only remedy is getting back into the current of the rest of the world.

Motion is the sign of life.’ In order to vindicate india before the world and to make Hinduism known to the peoples abroad, Vivekananda went to Chicago in the United States of America in 1893 to participate in the famous World Parliament of Religions. Through his speech in the assembly Vivekananda introduced the spirituality of indian faith to the west, and restored India’s past glory.

d. Urge for Unity of the People : After returning to India, Vivekananda devoted himself to the task of regenerating his people. He was strongly opposed to the social inequality and religious bickerings prevalent amongst the Indian people. Vivekananda sincerely believed that the misfortune of India was primarily due to the lack of unity in her people.

That is why Vivekananda’s programme of reform aimed at establishing a new social order based on freedom and equality. His image of a classless society helped the process of unity amongst the Indian people. Vivekananda’s keen sense of patriotism is evident in his writings such as, Prachya-O-Pashcatya The East and the West., Bartaman Bharat The present India., etc.

Detailed explanations in West Bengal Board Class 10 History Book Solutions Chapter 1 Ideas of History offer valuable context and analysis.

WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 1 Question Answer – Ideas of History

Class 10 History Chapter 1 Question Answer WBBSE – Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark)

Question 1.
What does the Sanskrit term itihasa imply ?
Answer:
Itihasa implies the idea of the state of affairs as it prevailed before or earlier.

Question 2.
Why history is called the study of man as he lives in society?
Answer:
Because history studies man as a social being living in geographical and natural environment.

Question 3.
Is history a set of laws or generalizations ?
Answer:
No, it is the story of man’s progress.

Question 4.
Would you call the dates and years of political events as history proper ?
Answer:
No, these are the skeleton of history.

Question 5.
When did the modern history emerge ?
Answer:
Modern history appeared in the wake of liberal nationalism of the nineteenth century.

Question 6.
What is the essence of the new turn in the historical thinking during the early part of the twentieth century ?
Answer:
Since the 30s of the twentieth century historians like Marc Bloch, Braudel and others brought geography, sociology, linguistic, folklore, etc. within historical purview.

Question 7.
How did the subaltern historians look at history ?
Answer:
The subaltern historians favoured looking history from below.

Question 8.
How did New Social History emerge ?
Answer:
The New Social History emerged through the writings of such British historians as Edward Thomson, Eric Hobsbawm, etc.

Question 9.
How did sports help to boost national pride ?
Answer:
Football is England’s national game, and when the Indian football team had lifted the cup of victory by playing against the British players in Calcutta, it served as a great booster to national pride.

Question 10.
Which book did deal with the social history of cricket ?
Answer:
In recent times the sports-historian Boria Majumdar’s book entitled Twenty-two yards of Freedom is a landmark dealing with social history of cricket.

Question 11.
How is the opening of international and political relations possible through cricket ?
Answer:
Recently Ramchandra Guha, a social historian, enriched the domain of sports by suggesting the possibility of opening up international and political relations with foreign countries through cricket.

Question 12.
How is food habits influenced by climatic and geographical factors ?
Answer:
For example it may be said that owing the presence of water bodies in the form of rivers fish and rice have become important items of food with the Bengali people.

Question 13.
What is the oldest preserved example of Indian music ?
Answer:
The oldest preserved example of Indian music is to be found in the Samaveda of the Vedic corpus.

Question 14.
What influence was active in the early Bengali music ?
Answer:
The earliest music in Bengal was influenced by the Vaishnava poetry Gitagovinda by Jaidev in the thirteenth century.

Question 15.
Show by an example how in dance is exposed the connection between identity politics and the classical dance ?
Answer:
In depth study has revealed that classicism in the Kuchipudi dance creates and supports hegemonic version of the Telegu history.

Question 16.
Which treatise on music has included a chapter on dance as well ?
Answer:
The monumental treatise Sangitaratnakara includes a chapter on the tradition of dance.

Question 17.
Which dance forms did heavily influence the Bengali dance ?
Answer:
Bengali dance has been influenced heavily from the folk traditions,particularly the tribal dances.

Question 18.
What is meant by the drama or theatre historiography ?
Answer:
Drama or theatre historiography means study of the methodologies that determine how theatre history is written.

Question 19.
How would you say that the Indian drama has a long history ?
Answer:
Bhasa belonging to the 5th century BC is one of the earliest Indian playwright in Sanskrit.

Question 20.
What is the importance of Kutiyattam of Kerala ?
Answer:
The Kutiyattam of Kerala is one of the oldest surviving theatre traditions of the world.

Question 21.
What the Tolkappiyam ?
Answer:
Tolkappiyam is the earliest available work in Tamil, written by Tolkappiar, which provides guideline for writing and acting out plays.

Question 22.
Why is the treatise Natyasashtra important ?
Answer:
It is important because Natyasashtra, attributed to Bharatamuni is regarded as the most elaborate treatise in Sanskrit on ancient plays in the world.

Question 23.
What was the comment of the art critique, Thirumalai, on the treatise Natyasashtra ?
Answer:
Thirumalai commented that the Natyasashtra ‘is of great significance for indian poetics, drama and fine arts’.

Question 24.
Why is the year 1872 a milestone in the development of drama in Bengal ?
Answer:
The year 1872 is a milestone in the development of drama in Bengal because in that year was founded the National Theatre.

Question 25.
How did the drama movement passed on to professionals from the grip of the aristocracy ?
Answer:
After the foundation of the National Theatre the drama movement passed from the grip of aristocracy to the professionals under the leadership of Girishchandra Ghosh.

Question 26.
Why did the historians find it difficult to write stage wise narrative of the development of cinema in india ?
Answer:
It was because of the phenomenon of mixture of Indian and European features in Indian cinema that the historians find it difficult to write linear narrative of the development of cinema in India.

Question 27.
When did cinema arrive in india ?
Answer:
According to the Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema cinema arrived in India almost at the same time as it did in the major cities of European countries.

Question 28.
What is the unique feature of the Indian cinema during the colonial period ?
Answer:
The unique feature of the development of Indian cinema that this was the only major indigenous film industry that emerged under the colonial rule.

Question 29.
How old is india’s history of clothing ?
Answer:
India’s history of clothing goes back to the period of Indus Valley Civilization which as old as 5000 BC.

Question 30.
What idea may be had from Rigveda in the matter of clothing ?
Answer:
In Rigveda there is mention of garments known as paridhan.

Question 31.
What is ‘fashion’ ?
Answer:
Fashion may be defined as a popular style or practice particularly in clothing that changes from time to time.

Question 32.
What type of transport was in use in Bengal in the early days ?
Answer:
In a riverine country like Bengal the natural means of transportation in use in the early days was boat.

Question 33.
In rural india what was used as overland transport in early days ?
Answer:
In rural india bullock carts were used as overland transport in early days.

Question 34.
What was mentioned by the Greek historians as regards transportation in india ?
Answer:
Greek historians mentioned that the might of the Ganga kingdom rested on the elephant brigade which testified that elephants had many uses including transportation.

Question 35.
How palanquin bearers found reference in Bengali poem and song ?
Answer:
Satyendranath Datta, a Bengali poet, has a poem Palkir-gaan set to music by famous composer Salil Chaudhuri.

Question 36.
What were the earliest specimens of painting found in Bengal ?
Answer:
The earliest specimens of painting survived come from the time of the Pala rule in Bengal when Buddhist manuscripts were illuminitated.

Question 37.
How Kolkata became the centre of modern indian renaissance in painting ?
Answer:
Kolkata became the centre of Indian renaissance because many of the young artists of Calcutta Art School excelled as portrait painters.

Question 38.
Who was Ernest Benfield Havell ?
Answer:
Ernest Benfield Havell was an influential English arts admintrator, art historian and author of many books, whose field of activities was Kolkata.

Question 39.
Who was Nandalal Bose ?
Answer:
Santiniketan in the Birbhum District of West Bengal, emerged as a centre of painting when Nandalal Bose, an artist of eminence joined the Kala Bhutan there.

Question 40.
What was the contribution of the Calcutta School of Industrial Arts in the progress of photography ?
Answer:
The Calcutta School of Industrial Arts, established in 1854, started imparting instructions in photography.

Question 41
Why is the Indian Academy of Fine Arts important?
Answer:
The indian Academy of Fine Arts, established in 1919, started publishing a quarterly that sought to place photography on an equal status with painting and sculpture.

Question 42.
What appeal was made by Colonel Mahimchandra Thakur regarding photography?
Answer:
Colonel Mahichandra Thakur, in a paper published in the Bhandar, appealed to the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad to engage photographers to take the photographs of varieties of things and thereby to keep those as record.

Question 43.
What was the proposal made by Mrs. Wince regarding photography?
Answer:
Mrs. Wince’s proposal was to give lessons in the art of photography to the ladies and gentlemen.

Question 44.
How did Annapurna Devi earn her living ?
Answer:
Srimati Annapurna Devi earned her living through photography between 1930 and 1940 .

Question 45.
How Jagadish Chandra Bose contributed to photography ?
Answer:
Jagadish Chandra Bose was pioneer in X-ray photography in India.

Question 46.
Where was the first X-ray unit set up in Calcutta ?
Answer:
The first X-ray unit of diagnosing diseases was initiated in Calccutta by Dr. Nilratan Sircar.

Question 47.
What was the important feature of the Indian architecture?
Answer:
An important feature of Indian architecture was continuous absorption of new ideas.

Question 48.
What was the objective of Fergusson regarding Indian art?
Answer:
The objective of Fergusson was to reveal to the English readers how India’s arts are more original and more varied.

Question 49.
What is the distinctive feature of the temple architecture of Bengal?
Answer:
A distinctive feature of the temple architecture of Bengal has been the particular roofing style.

Question 50.
What is the importance of ‘local history’?
Answer:
Local history is an important area of socio-historical studies and disclose historical episodes.

Question 51.
What was the opinion expressed by Rabindranath Tagore regarding local history?
Answer:
Rabindranath Tagore urged upon the students to undertake studies in local history.

Question 52.
Where is found the earliest reference to armies in Indian history?
Answer:
The earliest known reference to armies is to be found in the Vedas as also in the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Question 53.
What was the difference in character between the Bengal army and the army set up in Bombay and Madras by the East india Company ?
Answer:
The essential difference between the Bengal army and the armies of Bombay and Madras set up by the East India Company was that the former remained more high caste in character while the two latter had a heterogeneous character.

Question 54.
What was shift in the army recruitment policy of the British in the period after the Revolt of 1857 ?
Answer:
After the Revolt of 1857 the British government in India disbanded the regiments which had mutinied.

Question 55.
How did the landscape find expression in poetry of Rabindranath ?
Answer:
The poetry of Rabindranath reveal the influence of the landscape of the Gangetic Bengal, particularly that of Silaidaha in present Bangladesh.

Question 56.
When did urbanization of Calcutta start ?
Answer:
After the Battle of Plassey the urbanization of Calcutta went on unabated, though in an unplanned manner.

Question 57.
How does environment influence people’s mind ?
Answer:
The influence of environment moulds the thought and dealings in life of the respective people.

Question 58.
How Rachel Carson has expressed his concern for environmental pollution ?
Answer:
Carson in his book emphasized the detrimental effects on the environment as a result of the indiscriminate use of pesticide.

Question 59.
Mention two of the scholars engaged in environmental studies.
Answer:
Mahesh Rangarajan and Ramchandra Guha are the two scholars engaged in environmental studies.

Question 60.
Why is Madhusudan Gupta remembered ?
Answer:
Madhusudan Gupta is remembered because he pioneered the dissection of corpse (dead body of human being) and also translated a text book on anatomy into Sanskrit.

Question 61.
What is Bangadarshar’s contribution to the study of science ?
Answer:
The Bangadarshan, published by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee started carrying features on science from its second number in 1872.

Question 62.
Why is Ramendra Sundar Trivedi famous ?
Answer:
Ramendra Sundar Trivedi is famous because as a writer he wanted to share with everyone the ‘fun, the delight and ecstasy of science.’

Question 63.
Why is Akshay Kumar Datta important ?
Answer:
Akshay Kumar Datta is important because he seriously worked for the propagation of modern scientific outlook.

Question 64.
Would you say that women played an important role in the evolution of civilization ?
Answer:
The anthropologists have accredited women with the discovery of agriculture, the process of generation of plants from seeds.

Question 65.
What government documents regarded as the primary source materials for reconstruction of history ?
Answer:
Government documents such as reports, narratives, entries of police and such other things may be regarded as the primary source materials for the reconstruction of history.

Question 66.
What are the secondary source materials for the reconstruction of history ?
Answer:
Interpretation and analysis of the government documents, private letters, etc. may be regarded as the secondary source for the reconstruction of history.

Question 67.
What is the difference between autobiography and memoirs ?
Answer:
While autobiography tells the story of life a memoir often tells story from life.

Question 68.
What is the importance of Sattar Batsar of Bipin Chandra Pal ?
Answer:
Sattar Batsar has a documentary value from historical perspective as it contains a graphic description and account of the first stirrings of nationalist feeling of the country.

Question 69.
Why is Jibansmriti of Rabindranath important ?
Answer:
Jibansmriti is important as it is the source book for information about the cultural, religious and literary atmosphere of the late nineteenth century Kolkata.

Question 70.
How did Sarala Devi recommend for the success of the national movement ?
Answer:
In her autobiography, Jibaner Jharapata, Sarala Devi wrote that the improvement of health and physique of the youths of the country was essential to the success of national movement.

Question 71.
What was initiated by Sarala Devi as the first feminist of modern Bengal ?
Answer:
As a feminist Sarala Devi pioneered the women organization named Bharat Stri Mahamandal.

Question 72.
What was communicated by Nehru through the letters written to his daughter about the indian society?
Answer:
Through the letters written to his daughter, Nehru explained in a very simple language the complex things like race and religion that developed in india.

Question 73.
What are the most popular source of information that helps to draw the map of contemporary events?
Answer:
Periodicals and newspapers are important source of information that helps to draw the map of contemporary events.

Question 74.
What are ‘periodicals’ ?
Answer:
Magazines, journals, newsletters, etc. may be classified as ‘periodicals’.

Question 75.
Why are periodicals important source of information for the reconstruction of the history of modern India ?
Answer:
The chief advantage that the periodicals have over books is that in periodicals information comes out quickly compared to books.

Question 76.
What was the objective of the Bangadarshan ?
Answer:
The objective of the journal Bangadarshan was to reach the unlettered mass of the country and not the educated few.

Question 77.
What was the most commendable job of the weekly paper Somprakash?
Answer:
The most commendable job of the Somprakash was that it taught the Bengali people interested in journalism a new style of journalism.

Question 78.
How did the Somprakash give proof of its national consciousness ?
Answer:
The Somprakash gave proof of its national consciousness when in 1882 it published the wrongs done by the British administrators in India.

Class 10 History Chapter 1 Questions and Answers WBBSE – Short Answer Questions (2 Marks)

Question 1.
What do you understand by the term ‘New Social History’?
Answer:
A new trend in historical studies appeared during the 60s of the twentieth century. The trend is called the Social History or New Social History. This is a broad branch of history that studies the experiences of the common people.

Question 2.
How is Samaveda of the Vedic corpus important ?
Answer:
The oldest preserved example of Indian music is to be found in the Samaveda. The melodies of the Samaveda, commonly known as Sama- gan are still sung in certain vedic sacrifices.

Question 3.
Why is the treatise Sangitaratanakara important for the study of the development of dance in India ?
Answer:
Though Sangitaratanakara is a treatise on music, it includes a chapter on the traditions of dance. The treatise also deals with the topic how dance developed in different parts of the country. All this made the treatise important for the study of the development of dance in india.

Question 4.
Why is Tolkappiyam important ?
Answer:
Tolkappiyam is the earliest available work on drama in Tamil language. A work of the pre-Christian era, the treatise provides guideline for writing and acting out plays.

Question 5.
Why is the question of Indian cinema in the background of colonialism is a comples one ?
Answer:
The issue is a complex one because it was under the colonial rule that cinema emerged as a major industry in India. This has happened even at the time of clashes between nationalism and colonialism.

Question 6.
How did the Tagore family of Bengal experiment with designs for a national dress for women ?
Answer:
It was Jnanadanandini Devi, wife of Satyendranath Tagore, of the Tagore family who first experimented with designs for a national dress for women of India. She adopted a Parsee style of wearing the sari.

Question 7.
Why did Calcutta become a centre of the Renaissance of modern indian painting ?
Answer:
Calcutta was the city where a number of art schools came up. After the foundation of the art schools like Calcutta Art School, Jubilee Art School, etc. many of graduates excelled as portrait painters. Of the artists mention may be made of Sashi Kumar, E.B. Havell and others.

Question 8.
How did Santiniketan become a centre of painting ?
Answer:
Santiniketan became a centre of painting when Nandalal Bose joined the Kala Bhauan there. Of his disciples Ramkinkar Beij became famous both for painting and open air monumental sculptures. At Santiniketan Rabindranath himself was a great painter of an unconventional newness.

Question 9.
What is the importance of photography as a source material for the reconstruction of modern Indian history ?
Answer:
It was during the colonial period that the British rulers encouraged photography to record the archeological sites. In fact, photography became an important source for identifying artifacts and archeological evidences that help to reconstruct modern Indian history.

Question 10.
Illustrate by an example how environment moulds the thought and dealings in life of the respective people.
Answer:
Environment moulds the thought and dealings in life of the respective people. For example, poetry of Rabindranath Tagore reveal the influence of the landscape of the Gangetic Bengal.

Question 11.
Show how Bankim Chandra developed interest in science.
Answer:
The Banga Darshan published by Bankim Chandra started carrying features on science from its second number in 1872. In 1875 he published his Bijnan Rahasya. All this definitely testifies to Bankim Chandra’s interest in science.

Question 12.
How studies in feminism became popular in Bengal ?
Answer:
Women’s history has attracted the academic attention in the post-independence period. Significant researches on feminism have come out in the form of books. Professor Sukumari Bhattacharyya, for example, has done a lot of researches with regard to the position of women thus making feminism a popular study.

Question 13.
What is reflected in the Jibansmriti of Rabindranath Tagore ?
Answer:
Jibansmriti of Rabindranath is a collection of “memory pictures’. It reflects the environment in which he was brought up. Also in it there is some reference of the contemporary political scenario.

Question 14.
How did Somprakash become an important source of writing contemporary history ?
Answer:
Somprakash encouraged national consciousness when it published articles on the wrongs done by the colonial rulers of India. It also addressed contemporary social problems of the country and thereby made people conscious about them. Such information supplied by the Somprakash became an important source of writing contemporary history.

WBBSE Class 10 History Chapter 1 Questions and Answers – Analytical Answer Questions (4 Marks)

Question 1.
Would you say that “history’ is a social science ?
Answer:
History is essentially the study of man as he lives in society. It is a social science. A. L. Rowse, the historian, has remarked that history studies man as a social being living in geographical and natural environment.

It keeps the account of man’s measure of achievements, how he masters nature and looks over it. Another historian, Bury, said, History is science, no less and no more. Just as science searches for truth, conducts inquiries, observes and analyzes the findings, so does history work in the laboratory of society, but arrives at no universal laws.

Question 2.
Do you agree with the view that ‘history’ is essentially the story of the man’s progress ?
Answer:
History is not a set of laws or generalizations rather, it is the story of man’s progress. Therefore, it remains for the historians to follow the map of man’s rise and fall in politics, religious life, artistic and literary activities, scientific enterprise, etc. It should be unexceptionable to say that modem historical inquiry is not confined to narrating the chronicle of kings and their dynasties.

On the contrary it is a vast panorama of human society. Dates and years of political events are not history proper. These are but the skeleton of history. History notes the dates and years of political events only to trace the road map of historical directions, while history properly so-called, is the synoptic view of the people’s comprehensive civilizational progress.

Question 3.
In modern times how is sports linked with history ?
Answer:
Sports has been an integral part of the social life of people of a country. Sports and games are the objects of national identity. Football and Cricket for England, or Rugby for the USA, Kabaddi and wrestling for rural Northern India, archery for Bhutan are some of the examples.

Football is England’s national game, and when the Indian football team had lifted the cup of victory by playing against the British players in Calcutta, it was a great booster for the national spirit. Coming to cricket it may be said that a British sports gradually became indigenized (Indianized) in colonial India and eventually was decolonized. It must be remembered that through cricket the British colonial rulers sought to create divide among different communities.

Question 4.
Write in short about the historiography of music.
Answer:
Rob Wegman in his article on Historical Musicology argued that historical enquiry is fundamentally creative and expressive of “who we are’? Thus writing of history creates community identity and makes it vitally important to adopt an appropriate method for writing history including music history. Music has been an integral part of India’s culture.

Natyasashtra of Bharata Muni, written in Sanskrit, classified musical instruments into five systems. However, presently there are two distinct styles in music, namely, Carnatic and Hindusthani. As regards music in Bengal it may be said that in the nineteenth century Bengali ballad songs, collectively called Panchali gan, created history.

Question 5.
Write about the historiography of dance as a performing arts.
Answer:
The historiography of dance exposes the important connections between identity politics and the creation of classical dance. This may be illustrated by the example of the Kuchipudi dance of Andhra region.

An in depth study revealed that classicism (adherence to classical principles) in Kuchipudi dance creates and supports hegemonic version of the Telegu history. However, Natyasashtra and Abhinaya Darpana are the two most important ancient Sanskrit works on indian classical dance. In fact, the modem interpretation of the classical Indian dance, Bharatnatyam, is based on the treatise Natyasastra.

Question 6.
Examine why it is difficult to write stage-wise narrative of the development of cinema.
Answer:
Debate about the relationship between cinema and history is on for many years now. Yet cinema or film may be regarded as being related to history of the society in which it is produced. Cinema can function as history; again, history can be presented on film.

However, the hybrid (mixture of Indian and European) phenomenon of Indian cinema from the very beginning has made it difficult for the historians who seek to write linear (stagewise) narrative of its historical development.

Question 7.
What is the latest trend in the historiography of cinema ?
Answer:
Recently it has been pointed out by Ms Oindrila Mukherjee, a renowned journalist, that films and documentaries about the glory of indian cinema are there a plenty. But none have tried to capture the lost history of Indian cinema through ‘objects, images and artifacts’.

Thus the recent trend in the historiography of cinema is to use elements like poster, costumes, props (objects used in a play) and such other things in relating the histoiy of Indian cinema. The props encapsulate the history of Indian cinema.

Question 8.
Mention the modern trend in the historiography of clothing.
Answer:
A modern writer stated that history of clothing and fashion constitutes a large and sophisticated field of academic research. The history of clothing and fashion has its own historiography that dates long ago and the modern trend is discernible from around mid-nineteenth century.

The modem historiography is based across a series of academic spaces like social and economic history, feminist studies and many other similar branches of study. As for the historiography of clothing social historians go to ancient or classical texts that bear graphic description of the dresses of men and women of a particular time.

Question 9.
How did Kolkata become a centre of renaissance of modem indian painting ?
Answer:
After the foundation of art schools like Calcutta Art School, Jubilee Art School, etc. many of the graduates excelled as portrait painters. Of the artists mention may be made of Sashi Kumar who excelled as a portrait painter.

Ernest Benfield Havell was an influential English arts administrator, art historian and author of many books about Indian art and architecture. As the Principal of Calcutta School of Art, Havell brought about fundamental changes of far-reaching consequences. Thus began the Renaissance of modem Indian art, as the so-called Bengal School came into existence.

Question 10.
How would you explain the importance of photography in modern Indian history ?
Answer:
Though introduced by the British Photography helped the process of acculturation (adopting customs from another civilization) in Bengali society. This is evident in the two novels of Rabindranath Tagore, namely Chokher Bali and Yogayog.

In the former the hero Mahendra indulged in taking photographs of the inmates of the house as a matter of hobby. In the early years of photography foreign photographers have left photographs of military activity of the British before and after the Revolt of 1857. Photography thus is an important source that helped to recognize important activity or important event.

Question 11.
Why is there dearth of archeological evidence in Bengal ?
Answer:
There is plenty of reference of human settlement in Bengal from prehistoric times. Yet there is dearth of archeological evidence. This is largely due to the soil structure of Bengal. Washed by the mighty rivers like the Ganges and Brahmaputra the whole of the Bengal region is susceptible to flood resulting in disturbing geographical pattern. The nature of the soil as also the architectural pattern are reflected in the buildings and temples constructed. In order to increase the lifetime the roof structure of the temples is such as to get rid of the huge amount of water due to heavy rainfall as soon as possible.

Question 12.
How is local history important ?
Answer:
Local history is the study of history of a particular geographical area. The local history is an important area of socio-historical studies. First of all, the local history concentrates on the local community. It also incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history also reflects the political aspirations of the community of a particular geographical area.

Local history is often documented by local historians and local historical societies and is likely to document significant occurrences in the locality in the past. An important aspect of the local history is that oral tales are included in historical context. Realizing the importance of the local history Rabindranath Tagore in an address to the students of the University of Calcutta urged upon them to undertake studies in local history in right earnest.

Question 13.
How urban history is helpful in the reconstruction of history ?
Answer:
Urban history is a field of history that investigates the historical nature of cities and towns, as also deals with the process of urbanization. A city usually has a story about its origin, development and importance in the life of the people.

Urban history examines the process how a city developed, the process through which a rural centre emerged as a city. The phenomenon may be explained by the example of Delhi. Delhi incarnated many times in different regimes.

From Hastinapur and Indraprastha to Shahjanabad to Delhi and then to New Delhi is a fascinating narrative by itself. Thus urban history helps the historians to reconstruct the history of transformation of rural traditional societies.

Question 14.
Why studying the military history is important ?
Answer:
All civilizations of the world have war in their cultures. Indeed the states within which we live came into existence through conquest, civil war and struggles for independence. Thus military history is an important field of study. It is important both to the professional soldiers and civilians. For, civilian life has always been affected by warfare.

Moreover, the national leaders whom the historians called ‘great’ became great because they fought and won wars. Thus there is no shade of doubt that military history provides opportunity to understand past and present conflicts in context. The military history also enables to understand why wars were fought and at the same time gives direction how war can be prevented. Considering the role war and conflict continues to play it is hard to underestimate the value of studying military history.

Question 15.
How does environment influence the life and living of human beings ?
Answer:
The environment affects the life and living in every possible ways. Starting from the evolution of mankind to the growth of civilization environment has been playing a vital role. Environment moulds the thought and dealings in the life of the respective people.

This may be elaborated by the example of India. There is no shred of doubt that India’s environment created by the mountains, rivers, forests and seas has gone a long way in shaping the lives, thinking and mode of living of the people of the country. Thus inquiry into the history of environment has become imperative.

Question  16.
How was the study of science introduced in Bengal ?
Answer:
The story of science, technology and medicine began in an humble manner in Bengal. But as the decades followed decades there were flourishing in an all round way. Several people made their contributions in this strand.

John Mack helped the study of chemistry when his book on chemistry was published from Serampore Press. In 1817 the School Book Society published a mathematical treatise called Ganit. The study of science when the Hindu College started regular teaching of science subjects to the students. It was in this way that the study of science was introduced in Bengal.

Question 17.
Write in short about the women’s history.
Answer:
Studies in feminism branches out in various directions. The role of women in society has been studied by scholars of different branches of study. The protagonists of feminism have undertaken the role women have played in the evolution of society and culture. Women’s study was started in America, and many universities there offer courses in the subject.

In India, too, women’s history has attracted academic attention, thanks to the globalization. Many significant researches on feminism have come out in the form of books. Aluwalia’s Rethinking Boundaries of Feminism and Internationalism is a significant study on the subject. Professor Sukumari Bhattacharya also has done a lot of researches with regard to the position of women.

Question 18.
What are the source materials for the reconstruction of modern indian history ?
Answer:
There is no dearth of source materials for the reconstruction of the history of modern India. The source materials may be divided into two parts, namely, primary and secondary. Government documents may be described as primary source.

This includes government documents and reports. Besides, speeches of national leaders also may be considered as primary source. The analysis of the reports and documents published in journals and newspapers may be treated as secondary sources. Autobiography and memoirs are also part of the secondary source.

Question 19.
How would you define autobiography and memoirs ?
Answer:
An autobiography is a history of a person’s life written or told by that person. Memoir, usually memoirs, on the other hand, is a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation.

In short, while autobiography tells the story of a life, a memoirs often tells a story from life. Sunil Gangopadhyay’s memoirs Purba O Pashchim expressed the pain of losing one’s homeland and living a life haunted with bitter memories. Jibansmriti, an autobiography of Rabindranath Tagore is a wonderful specimen of Bengali literature.

Question 20.
Would you say that the Sattar Batsar of Bipin Chandra Pal has a documentary value ?
Answer:
Indeed, the Sattar Batsar, written by Bipin Chandra Pal has a documentary value from historical perspective. It contains a graphic description and account of the first stirrings of nationalist feelings. Such feelings were first ringed out in songs of Bengali dramas staged in Kolkata where Pal was studying in the Presidency College (present Presidency University). Pal also mentions the historical point that patriotism properly so-called was enunciated by the Hindu Mela founded by Jyotirindranath Tagore and Nabakumar Mitra.

Question 21.
Is there anything of historical interest in the Jibansmriti of Rabindranath Tagore ?
Answer:
Of historical interest, in the Jibansmriti, is the story of the young Tagore’s participation in the activities of Hindu Mela, under the guidance of his elder brother. The poet imbibed the spirit of patriotism and the nationalist mindset.

One of his earliest patriotic songs was composed for a session of the Mela : With the chanting of Vande mataram a million hearts had come to be united. There are valuable pen-pictures of the luminaries of Bengali cultural sky such as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Rajendralal Mitra and Iswarchandra Vidyasagar.

Question 22.
Discuss the importance of Sarala Devi’s memoirs ?
Answer:
Importance of Sarala Devi Chaudhurani’s memoirs lies in the fact that it reveals the contemporary political and social condition and her participation in it. She was the first woman who actively participated in politics.

In her memoirs Jibaner Jharapata, Sarala Devi narrated how she was in close contact with the revolutionaries of Bengal, and infused a new life to the ‘Suhrid Samiti’, a secret society of contemporary Bengal. Sarala Devi was also the first feminist of modern Bengal. It was she who initiated the women organization Bharat Stri Mahamandal in 1910. Through the organization she sought to improve the situation of women all over the country.

Question 23.
In what way Nehru’s letters to his daughter important ?
Answer:
Letters from a Father to His Daughter is a collection of 30 letters written by Jawaharlal Nehru to his daughter Indira Priyadarshini who herself later on became the Prime Minister of India. Through the letters Nehru as a father came close to his daughter. These were not ordinary letters, but a way that developed a standing bond between a father and daughter.

In the letters Nehru explained very complex things in a simple way, be it the Big Bang theory or Egyptian mummies. The essential difference between man and other animals was also explained. The letters opened up a child to the wonderful world around. The best part of the letters is that it leaves room for further studies and thought.

Question 24.
How periodicals and newspapers constitute important source of information for the reconstruction of the history of modem india ?
Answer:
Magazines, journals, newsletters, etc. which are published in regular intervals may be classified as ‘periodicals’. There are certain advantages in using the periodicals as the source of information for reconstruction of the history of modern india.

There is no shred of doubt that in periodicals information comes out quickly compared to books. Newspapers may be described as the collection of articles about current events published generally on a daily basis. The newspapers are great source for the local, national and international news.

Class 10 History Chapter 1 Questions and Answers West Bengal Board – Explanatory Answer Questions (8 Marks)

Question 1.
What do you understand by the term ‘history’ ? Would you say that history is a social science ?
a. What do you understand by the term ‘history’?
Answer:
The English word history has been derived either from the Latin historia which means learning by investigation, or from the Greek istoria that bears the same meaning. However, there are a great variety of definitions about history. In a narrower sense, “history’ is the story of mankind, of what it has done, suffered and enjoyed. In the broadest sense, it considers every action and every thought that man has had since his first appearance.

b. Would you say that history is a social science ?
Answer:
History is essentially the study of man as he lives in society. It is a social science. A. L. Rowse, the historian, has remarked that history studies man as a social being living in geographical and natural environment.

It keeps the account of man’s measure of achievements, how he masters nature and looks over it. Another historian, Bury, said, History is science, no less and no more. Just as science searches for truth, conducts inquiries, observes and analyzes the findings, so does history work in the laboratory of society, but arrives at no universal laws.

Question 2.
What is meant by varieties of modem historical studies ? What is ‘New Social history’ ?
a. What is meant by varieties of modern historical studies?
Answer:
Historical studies are as variable as history itself. In the light of new awareness and thought history assumes newer forms. Modern history appeared in the wake of liberal nationalism of the nineteenth century. In this perspective constitutional, administrative, diplomatic and military strategies, etc. were considered important ingredients of history. This line of historical thinking had its thinkers in Ranke, Maitland and others.

A decisive turn took place in the early part of the twentieth century. Since the 30s of the twentieth century historians as Marc Bloch, Braudel and others brought geography, sociology, linguistic, folklore, etc. within historical purview.

This was followed by the subaltern people pioneered by Ranajit Guha, Gautam Bhadra, Gyanendra Pandey and others who favoured looking history from below. Previously, history was conceived as the narrative of the people belonging to the higher strata of the society, but new history recounts the story of men, his dealings in everyday life within the bounds of space and time.

b. What is ‘New Social history’ ?
Answer:
A new trend in historical studies appeared during the 60s of the twentieth century. It is called ‘Social History’ also known as the New Social History. It is a broad branch of history that studies the experiences of ordinary people.

The social history incorporates the accounts of the daily life of the people, social and economic relationship between the people of various stratums in society. The social history also includes state of the class of labourers, religious affairs, music and literature, education, thought and culture.

Question 3.
What is the relation between history and the sports ? How is food habits and cuisine become a part of historical studies ?

a. What is the relation between history and the sports?
Answer:
History is basically the reflection of human life. As sports has been an integral part of the life of the people, it has become a part of history. Sports and games are the objects of national identity. Football and Cricket for England, or Rugby for the USA, Kabaddi and wrestling for rural Northern India, archery for Bhutan are some of the examples.

Football is England’s national game, and when the Indian football team had lifted the cup of victory by playing against the British players in Calcutta, it was a great booster for the national spirit. Ever since 1970s history of sports had caught on, and histories of sports came to be written. In recent times the sports historian, Dr. Boria Majumder’s book entitled Twenty-two Yards of Freedom is a landmark.

b. How is food habits and cuisine become a part of historical studies ?
Answer:
In the studies of new social history attention is also paid to people’s food habits and cuisine. The International Association of Culinary Professionals takes care of the history of food habits and cuisine. It may be noted that food habits of a people is largely determined by climatic and geographical factors of the area where they live. Rice remains the staple food for the people of Bengal.

Again owing to the presence of water bodies in the form of rivers all over the land fish has come to remain an important item of food with rice. Rice and fish go together to make for Bengali food irrespective of whether or not one is rich or poor. Professor Niharranjan Roy has collected accounts of Bengali food habits and cuisine from ancient texts such as Charyapada and the writings of the authors of social codes.

Question 4.
Write about the historiography of performing arts like music and dance.
Answer:
Discussion on the historiography of performing arts like music and dance relates to the culture of performing these and the thought process these express.

a. Music : EMk Writing of history creates community identity and makes it vitally important to adopt an appropriate method for writing history including music history. Music has been an integral part of India’s culture. Natyasastra of Bharata Muni, a sage of Tamilnadu (400 BC), written in Sanskrit has classified musical instruments into five systems.

However, the oldest preserved example of Indian music is to be found in the Samaveda of the Vedic corpus. The melodies of the Samaveda, commonly known as Sama- gaan (Sama-songs), are still sung in certain Vedic sacrifices. They are the earliest account of Indian musical hymns. The Samaveda and other Hindu texts influenced Indian classical musical tradition.

b. Dance: The historiography of dance exposes the important connections between identity politics and the creation of classical dance. This may be illustrated by the example of the Kuchipudi dance of Andhra region. Through an in depth study it has been found that classicism (adherence to classical principles) in Kuchipudi dance creates and supports hegemonic version of the Telegu history. Natyasashtra and Abhinaya Darpana are the two most important ancient Sanskrit works on Indian classical dance.

In fact, the modern interpretation of the classical Indian dance, Bharatnatyam, is based on the treatise Natyasastra. The monumental treatise on music Sangitaratnakara includes a chapter on the traditions of dance. The treatise also deals with the topic how dance developed in different parts of the country. The author of the treatise, Sharangadeva, pointed out that the Natyasastra tradition was usually followed in different regions, but there were also deviations and changes that were well accepted.

Question 5.
What is the relationship between cinema and history ? Discuss indian cinema in the background of colonialism and nationalism
Answer:
a. The Relationship between Cinema and History Theoretical debate on the relationship between cinema and history is on for many years now. Yet cinema or film may be regarded as being related to history of the society in which it is produced.

Cinema can function as history; again, history can be presented on film. However, The hybrid (mixture of indian and European) phenomenon of Indian cinema from the very beginning has made it difficult for the historians who seek to write linear (stage-wise) narrative of its historical development.

As chronicled by Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen in Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema (1999), cinema arrived in India almost at the same time as it did in the major cities of European countries. Pundalik was the first feature film of India released in May 1912.

But the nationalist historians are reluctant to bestow Pundalik the honour of being the first Indian film on the ground that the film was a joint venture of P.R. Tipnis and a British. Instead the honour of making the first Indian feature film is bestowed on Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke).

b. Discus Indian cinema in the background of colonialism and nationalism. The question of Indian cinema in the background of colonialism and nationalism is a very complex one. It has been pointed out by scholars like Roy Armes that india is a unique case globally as it has the only major indigenous film industry to emerge under colonialism.

The Bombay and Bengali film industry, also known as Bollywood and Tollywood respectively, has earned fame for producing art and commercial films. The long tradition of filmmaking has produced in india famous directors like Rajkapoor, Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan and many others. Historians usually credit Satyajit Roy for starting the art cinema.

Question 6.
Write what you know about the historiography of clothing
Answer:
a. modem writer stated that history of clothing and fashion constitutes a large and sophisticated field of academic research, with contributions both from trained scholars and amateur writers. The field has its own historiography that dates long ago and the modern trend is discernible from around mid-nineteenth century. The modem historiography is based across a series of academic spaces like social and economic history, feminist studies and many other similar branches of study.

b. As for the historiography of clothing in India social historians go to ancient or classical texts which bear graphic description of the dresses of men and women of a particular time.

c. Evidence of India’s history of clothing goes back to the period of Indus Valley Civilization (around 5000 BCJ Statues and seals discovered from the Indus Valley sites are the source of knowledge for the clothing used. Some knowledge about clothing in ancient India can also be obtained from the writings of Herodotus.

Besides, the grand epics Ramayana and Mahabharata also delineate the clothing of the contemporary period (around 400 BC). In Rig-veda there is mention of garments known as poridhwi. Present knowledge about the fashion and Indian clothing in different historical periods largely comes from the statues, sculpture and paintings.

d. An important feature of clothing is ‘fashion’or style of dress. ‘Fashion’ may be defined as a popular style or practice particularly in clothing. It changes from tune to time. For example, in the medieval period some changes in the pattern of dress took place that was distinct from what was used in the ancient times.

e. In the colonial period, again, distinctive changes were visible in dress pattern. Incidentally, it may be mentioned here that the Tagore family of Bengal experimented in 1870s with designs for a national dress for women. Jnanadanandini Devi, wife of Satyendranath Tagore, adopted a Parsec style of wearing the san, pinned to the left shoulder with a brooch and worn with a blouse and shoes.

Question 7.
Write an essay on the history of transportation in India.
Answer:
a. Riverine Country: Watercrafts in keeping with the geo-physical features, India has been described as a country nursed by rivers. In such a riverine country the natural means of transportation has been boats of different sizes and shapes. The common Bengali word for such means of transportation by water has been nauko.

Such water crafts have been intimately related with everyday life and existence of people, particularly those of Bengal. Professor Niharranjan Roy in his Ban go leer itihas ‘Part I has quoted passages from the ancient Bengali songs, the Caryapadas, to illustrate the point.

In the medieval Bengali epic like Manasamangal’ there is reference to a wreck of the mercantile fleet of boats Saptadinga Madhukar, belonging to the merchant named Chand Sadagar. In later days Rabindranath Tagore’s poems and songs bear witness to the reverine imagery.

b. Bullock cart: Next to the watercrafts come the bullock carts as a means of overland transport. Even today bullock carts are in use in rural india for carrying people and transporting goods. The bullock cart appears not to have undergone any major change through the ages. Interestingly Gautama Buddha used the metaphor of bullock in the Dhammapada. Dha inmapada, however, is a collection of verses dealing mainly with ethical saying.

c. Elephants and Horses Elephants and horses were in use, both militarily and otherwise. Elephants were used in carrying heavy loads. Horses were put into various uses, the men of wealth rode horses, and messengers were sent on horseback. Greek historians mentioned that the might of Ganga kingdom consisted in the elephant brigades. Sher Shah had introduced postal system by horse-men.

d. Palanguin : Palanquin or palki was also used as a means of transportation. This was used as overland transport by those who could afford to engage the bearers. Palkis were mostly privately owned by the rich. Sarojini Naidu celebrated the palanquin bearing the bride in a memorable poem The Palanquin Bearers. Satyendranath Datta, a Bengali poet, has a poem Palkirgan set to music by famous composer Salil Chaudhuri. Palkis were very much in use in nineteenth century Kolkata.

e. Horse driven Carriage. There were also horse-driven carriages for carrying more than one person. These could be hired or had one’s own. Before the introduction of public transport system in Kolkata horse-drawn carriages were the general means of transport in the city.

Question 8.
Write in short about the history of painting in India. How did photography develop in India?
Answer:
a. History of Painting

i. Introduction : The aesthetic sense of a people is manifested even before to painting, in the art of drawing. There has been the art of drawing on pottery. Drawing has been practiced by women on floor of houses. Those done on the floor go by the name alpona.

ii. Illuminated Manuscripts: Paintings, compared with other forms of visual arts, do not last long enough. However, quite a few specimens of paintings that have survived come from the time of the Pala kings. The Palas were Buddhists and illuminated Buddhist manuscripts. Astasahnsrika Prajnaparamita, or Pancharaksha or Dhnrani texts are some of the Buddhist manuscripts that were illuminated.

A few of such illuminated manuscripts are in the possession of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. Sarasikumar Saraswati’s Palyuger Chitrakala has been a remarkable piece of research work in this direction. No post-Pala or post- Buddhist manuscripts with illumination, if at all survived, can be noticed.

iii. Modern Indian Paintings: Kolkata was the centre of Renaissance of modern Indian painting called the Bengal School Abanindranath Tagore framed a new syllabus for the budding painters admitted in the school. Another centre of painting was established at Santiniketan when Nandalal Bose joined the Kaki Bhavan there. He was the acknowledged Master of the school. At Santiniketan. Rabindranath Tagore himself was a great presence as a painter of an unconventional newness.

iv. Jamini Roy : Jamini Roy worked his way out in another direction. His early works were done in European style which he had mastered. But later on he evolved his own style reminiscent of Kallghat drawings and Bengal temple terracotta forms of depicting human Paintings or figures. His style is unmistakably his own, jam Roy.

b. Photography : Camera arrived in Kolkata in 1840. and Messers Boume & Shepherd is the earliest photographic institution. It opened its studio in Kolkata in 1864. The studio had distinguished persons including Ramakrishna Paramhansadeva and Rabindranath Tagore as customers. Calcutta School of Industrial Arts, established in 1854, started imparting instructions in photography. The school later grew into the Government Art College.

i. The Photographic Society of Bengal : The Photographic Society of Bengal was established in 1856, and it had a mixed membership of Indians and Englishmen. The most distinguished member of the Society was Rajendralal Mitra.

The Society had attracted many luminaries among the Bengali elite. The names of Kanailal Dey and Priyanath Seth stand out along with Rajendralal, who were excellent photographers. In course of time a Postal Portfolio Club was founded keeping in view the photography enthusiasts living outside of Kolkata.

ii. Women Photographers : There were also women photographers, working professionally in Kolkata. There was one Mrs. Wince, who opened a studio at Manicktola, in north Kolkata. She proposed to give lessons in the art of photography to ladies and gentlemen. Jnanadanandini Debi, the wife of the first Indian ICS, Satyendranath Tagore, was passionately devoted to the art of the camera. Another lady, Annapurna Datta. used to earn her living through photography between 1930 and 1940.

iii. It may be mentioned that Jagadish Chandra Bose had an interest in photography, and was a pioneer in X-ray photography in the country. The first X-ray unit of diagnosing diseases was initiated by Dr. Nitratan Sircar.

Question 9.
What do you know about the development of Architecture in india?
Answer:
i. Introduction An important feature of Indian architecture has been continuous absorption of new ideas. The earliest architectural production is to be found in the Indus Valley Civilization. The civilization was characterized by planned cities and houses. In the subsequent period, the indigenous traditions of scholarly writing are embodied in treatises known collectively as shilpasastra.

ii. Modern Period : In the modern period James Fergusson’s path-breaking History of Indian and Eastern Architecture (1876) made a detailed analysis of the indian art. The purpose of Fergusson was to reveal to English readers how India’s arts are more original and more varied.

Also he established that India’s forms of civilization present an ever-changing variety such as are nowhere else to be found. Art historian Thomas Metcalf in his book An Imperial Vision (1989) considered the British scholarly writing on the architecture of India’s past as also on the British colonial architecture. Tapati Guha-Thakurta in her book The Making of a New Indian Art (1992) focused on art chiefly in Bengal around the twentieth century.

iii. Bengal Architecture: As regards the features of the architecture of Bengal the following may be said : The temple architecture of Bengal has a distinctive roofing style. The temples of Bishnupur in the district of Bankura are examples of such style.

The Bhanja style is another form of architecture practiced in Bengal. Dakshineswar Temple of goddess Kali is one example of such style. The origin of common ‘bungalow’ architectural style has its roots in Bengal. In fact, bungalow means ‘house in Bengali style’. These are usually small houses and are very popular in the rural Bengal.

Question 10.
Write in short about the history of environment.
Answer:
Impact of Environment in Literature : The influence of environment moulds the thought and dealings in life of the respective people. The influence of the Lake District of England on the poetry of Wordsworth is widely acknowledged. In a similar vein the studies in the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore reveal the influence of the landscape of the Gangetic Bengal (Silaidaha in present Bangladesh).

b. Present Situation: In the wake of global warming people all the world over are facing environmental hazards. There is no shred of doubt that India’s mountains, rivers, forests and seas have gone a long way in shaping the lives, thinking and mode of living of the people of India. Thus inquiry into the history of environment has become imperative.

c. Environmental Studies Scholars such as Mahesh Rangarajan and Ramchandra Guha’s environmental studies are of particular importance. Rangarajan’s books like ‘Hunting and Shooting’. ‘Facing the Forest’ and Temple of Bishhnupur

others have received the notice of the environmentalists. Ramchandra Guha, besides authoring his work on the history of sports, has his environment study, The Unquiet Wood. His other works in the line are This Fissured Land, Ecology and Equality and others.

Question 11.
Write what you know about women’s history.
Answer:
a. Introduction : Women’s Studies grew out of women’s participation in the people’s movements that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s across the world. Women questioned the failure of the existing frames of study to accommodate women’s experiences and contributions in their analysis.

b. Studies in Feminism : Studies in feminism branches out in various directions. The role of women in society has been studied by scholars of different branches of study. The protagonists of feminism have undertaken the role women have played in the evolution of society and culture. For example, anthropologists have accredited women with the discovery of agriculture, the process of generation of plants from the seeds.

c. Beginning of the Women’s Study : Women’s study was started in America, and many universities there offer courses in the subject. In india, too, women’s history has attracted academic attention, thanks to the globalization. Many significant researches on feminism have come out in the form of books.

d. Indian Writers on Women Studies : Indian scholars have produced some of the most exciting and innovative research in Women Studies. In India women’s history has attracted academic attention, thanks to the globalization.

Many significant researches on feminism have come out in the form of books. Aluwalia’s Rethinking Boundaries of Feminism and Internationalism is a significant study on the subject. Professor Sukumari Bhattacharya has done a lot of researches with regard to the position of women. University of Jadavpur has a vibrant wing of women’s studies, and publishes researches in the area.

Question 12.
Why is the Sattar Batsar of Bipin Chandra Pal important as a memoir of Bipin Chandra Pal?
Answer:
a. Introduction: Bipin Chandra Pal, popularly known as the father of revolutionary thought in Indian nationalism, wrote his memoirs (or autobiography) under the title Sattar Batsar (Seventy Years). It describes his early childhood till his youth when he became a Brahmo activist under the guidance of Shivnath Shastri.

b. Documentary Value of the Book: The Sattar Batsar has documentary value from historical perspective as it contains a graphic description of the budding nationalist feelings. Such feelings were first ringed out in the songs of Bengali dramas staged in Kolkata where Pal was studying in the Presidency College (present Presidency University). Pal also mentions the historical point that patriotism properly so-called was enunciated by the Hindu Mela founded by Jyotirindranath Tagore and Nabakumar Mitra.

c. Reference to Surendranath Banerjeel Pal tells us how Surendranath Banerjee had emerged as a national leader endowed with great power of oratory. His speeches infused the audience with deep sense of patriotism. Also these mobilized the people against the unjust dealings of the ruling colonial powers.

d. About the Brahmo Samaj : On the cultural aspect Pal gives us the inner dialectic of the Brabmo Samaj, the vain elitist pretensions of its members and rancor (enmity) amongst the factions of the Samaj. Pal gives us the insider’s view of the schisms that took place within the Samaj.

e. About other Issues : Pal also dwelt on a number of important social and historical issues like caste hierarchies,communal relations, etc. These were virtually a description of what he had seen in Syihet (in present Bangladesh) villages in his days. Pal’s memoirs is immensely valuable for the historians of modern india.

Question 13.
How does Jibansmriti of Rabindranath Tagore reflect the atmosphere in which he was brought up as also the cultural and literary atmosphere of the late nineteenth century Kolkata ?
Answer:
a. Introduction: Rabindranath Tagore’s Jibansmriti is the reminisenses of his boyhood days till the 23rd year. It is a source book for information about the cultural and literary atmosphere of the later nineteenth century Kolkata.

b. The Boyhood days at Jorasanko: Rabindranath started writing his first autobiography Jibansmriti around the age of 50. Of course Rabindranath himself frankly stated in the preamble of the book that it was not the story of his life, rather it was a collection of ‘memory pictures’ The Jibansmriti reflects the environment in which he was brought up.

He recalled the unfenced roof of the outer apartment at his residence in Jorasanko, Calcutta. He said that many of his moods and thoughts are associated with the roof when he used to spend time days on end. A small quotation will be helpful to understand the state of mind of Rabindranath when he was growing up from his childhood.

c. Cultural Activities at Jorasanko: Apart from the account of Tagore’s own development and maturity as a young poet, Rabindranath in his Jibansmriti described the cultural atmosphere at his house in Jorasanko. The house of Tagore was a centre of various cultural activities and it drew the attention and interest of the Kolkata elite. Tagore was groomed with a comprehensive mode of education comprising anatomy to astronomy, literature and performing arts. It was a sort of home university.

d. Patriotic Mindset Developed : Of historical interest is the story of the young Tagore’s participation in the activities of the Hindu Mela.Through his participation, under the guidance of his elder brother the young poet imbibed the spirit of patriotism and the national mindset. One of his earliest patriotic songs was composed for a session of the Mela: With the chanting of Vande Mataram a million hearts had come to be united. These are valuable pen-picture of the luminaries of Bengal’s cultural sky such as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Rajendralal Mitra and Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar.

e. Conclusion: Jibansmriti Is a landmark in the autobiographical writings in Bengali as it is written in chaste Bengali prose, spiced often with a subtle sense of humour.

West Bengal Board Class 10 History MCQ Questions with Answers WBBSE

WBBSE Class 10 History MCQ Questions in English Medium

1. Ideas of History Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
2. Reform: Characteristics and Observations Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
3. Resistance and Rebellion Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
4. Early Stages of Collective Action Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
5. Alternative Ideas and Initiatives Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
6. Peasant, Working Class and Left Movements in 20th Century India Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
7. Movements Organized by Women, Students, and Marginal People in 20th Century India Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
8. Post Colonial India: Second Half of the 20th Century Class 10 WBBSE MCQ

WBBSE Class 10 History MCQ Questions in Hindi Medium

1. इतिहास की अवधारणा Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
2. सुधार, विशेषताएँ एवं निरीक्षण Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
3. प्रतिरोध और आन्दोलन Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
4. संगठनात्मक क्रियाओं के प्रारम्भिक चरण Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
5. वैकल्पिक विचार एवं प्रयास Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
6. 20वीं शताब्दी में भारत के किसान, मजदूर वर्ग एवं वामपंथी आन्दोलन Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
7. 20वीं शताब्दी में भारत में महिलाओं, छात्रों और अल्पसंख्यकों के द्वारा आंदोलन का संगठन Class 10 WBBSE MCQ
8. उत्तर-औपनिवेशिक भारत बीसवीं शताब्दी का द्वितीयार्द्ध Class 10 WBBSE MCQ

WBBSE Class 10 Solutions

Comprehensive WBBSE Class 9 Physical Science Notes Chapter 6 Heat can help students make connections between concepts.

Heat Class 9 WBBSE Notes

Heat : It is an external agency whose absorption turns a body hot and extraction turns a body cold.

Sensible heat : It is the type of heat that is perceptible by senses. This causes rise of temperature of a body that can be measured with a thermometer.

Latent heat : It is the quantity of heat absorbed or released when a substance of unit mass undergoes a physical change of state at a constant temperature and pressure.

Radiant heat : It transmits from a source of heat in all directions with the speed of light and in the form of waves.

Temperature : The temperature of a body is the thermal condition which determines whether it will absorb heat from other body or release heat to that body when they are kept in contact.

Lower fixed point of a thermometer : At normal atmospheric pressure, the temperature at which ice melts into water or pure water freezes into ice is called the lower fixed point of a thermometer.

Upper fixed point of a thermometer : It is the temperature at which pure water boils and transforms into steam under normal atmospheric pressure.

Fundamental interval : The range of temperature between the upper and lower fixed points is called fundamental interval.

Celsius scale of temperature : In this scale, the lower fixed point is 0°C and the upper fixed point is 100°C. The fundamental difference is divided into hundred equal parts and each part represents 1°C.

Fahrenheit scale of temperature : In this scale, the lower fixed point is 32°F and the upper fixed point is 212°F. The fundamental difference is divided into 180 equal parts and each part represents 1°F.

Kelvin scale of temperature : In this scale the lower fixed point is 273K and the upper fixed point is 373K, the fundamental interval is divided into 100 equal divisions like that in the Celsius scale. Each division represents 1K.

Calorie : It is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of pure water through 1°C.

Specific heat : It is defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of unit mass of it by 1 degree.

Specific heat capacity of a substance : Specific heat capacity of a substance is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1kg of the substance through 1K.

Units of specific heat :

• CGS : calg^-10 C^-1
• SI : Jkg^-1K^-1

Thermal capacity or heat capacity of a body : It is defined as the quantity of heat needed to raise the temperature of the body for unit degree rise of temperature.

Units of heat capacity :

• CGS : calg^-10 C^-1
• SI : Jk^-1

Water equivalent : The water equivalent of a body is the mass of water which will be heated through one degree by the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of the body through one degree.

Units of water equivalent:

• CGS: gram (g)
• SI: kilogram (kg)

Fundamental principle of calorimetry :

Conditions :

• During the process of heat transfer, there is no heat exchange with the surrounding.
• No chemical reaction takes place between the bodies.

Principle :
Heat lost by the hotter body = Heat gained by the colder body.

First law of thermodynamics : Whenever mechanical work is converted into heat energy, the heat so obtained is directly proportional to the work done.
If, ‘W’ be the mechanical work done and ‘H’ be the corresponding heat energy produced, then from first law of thermodynamics,
W α H or W = JH
where J is the constant of proportionality and is known as mechanical equivalent of heat.

Mechanical equivalent of heat : The mechanical equivalent of heat is numerically equal to the work done to produce unit quantity of heat.

Unit of mechanical equivalent of heat :

• CGS: 4.8 x 10⁷ erg cal^-1
• SI : In SI, both heat and work are measured in Joule, so mechanical equivalent of heat has no unit and its value is 1.

Change of state : There are three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas. Substances can be changed from one state to other by application or removal of heat from them. This process is known as change of state.

Mathematical expression of Latent heat : Q = mL
where Q is the amount of heat supplied (or extracted) to change the state of ‘m’ mass of substance and L is latent heat

Unit of Latent heat :

• CGS : cal g^-1
• SI : J kg^-1

Types of Latent heat:

• Latent heat of fusion
• Latent heat of solidification
• Latent heat of vaporisation
• Latent heat of condensation

Latent heat of fusion of ice and latent heat of solidification of water are both equal:

• CGS : 80 cal g^-1
• SI: 336 × 10⁵ Kg^-1

Latent heat of vaporisation of water and latent heat of condensation of steam are both equal:

• CGS: 537cal g^-1
• SI : 226 × 10⁶ Jkg^-1

Melting point : The melting point of a solid is the definite temperature at which it melts on heating under normal atmospheric pressure and the temperature remains constant until the melting is
completed.

Boiling point : The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which a liquid boils under normal atmospheric pressure. The boiling point of a liquid depends upon:

• The nature of the liquid
• Presence of dissolved substance
• The superincumbent pressure

pressure: Whenever a liquid evaporates at any temperature, the vapour exerts a definite pressure on everything in contact. This pressure is called vapour pressure of the liquid at that temperature.

Saturated vapour : If a liquid is allowed to evaporate in a closed space, after some time it is found that evaporation stops i.e. at a given temperature. there is a maximum limit to the amount of
vapour the space can hold. The space is said to be then saturated with vapour and the vapour is then called saturated vapour.

Unsaturated vapour : If at a given temperature, a space contains a smaller amount of vapour than the maximum possible amount that the space can hold, the space is then said to be unsaturated and the vapour is called unsaturated vapour.

Saturated vapour does not obey Charles’ law or Boyle’s law, while unsaturated vapour obeys charles’ and Boyle’s law.

Critical temperature : For every substance in gaseous state there is a certain temperature such that if the substance is below this temperature, it can be liquefied by the application of suitable pressure,
and above this temperature, it cannot be liquefied, however large the pressure may be, then the temperature is called the critical temperature for that substance.

Gas : A substance at a temperature above critical temperature is called gas.

Vapour : When the substance is at a temperature below its critical temperature it is called vapour.

Anomalous expansion of water: Usually liquids expand on heating. But in the case of water we find deviation from this general behaviour of the liquids within a certain range of temperature. It is found that if certain mass of water at an temperature about 10°C be taken and allowed to cool, its volume is observed to fall gradually till it reaches the temperature of 4°C, when with further cooling the volume of water will increase instead of decreasing.

The behaviour of water is some how different from other liquids. The volume of water is minimum at 4°C and its density is maximum at 4°C. This phenomenon is called the anomalous expansion of water. This phenomenon is called the Ienipentturi anomalous expansion of water.

Effect on marine life : Anomalous expansion of water has great practical importance on the marine life in the cold countries. In these countries when air above the surface of water of pond falls below 0°C, the water on the surface on cooling, become denser than that below and gradually sinks downwards.

This continues until the temperature of water falls to 4°C. As the surface temperature falls further it becomes less dense than the water below, which is at 4°C and is the densest. It thus remains at the top, cooling C more and more and ultimately a layer of ice is formed there and remains there as ice is lighter than water. The layer of ice forms a poor conducting layer on the top, which prevents the heat from water below to pass into colder atmosphere above.

The temperature of the deeper layers of the water in the pond remains nearly at 4°C and falls gradually to 0°C upwards till the layer of ice is reached. The marine life in water is thus saved.