How, When and Where

MCQS
Question 1.
History is about finding out how things were in the past and how things have
________
(a) Changed
(b) Started
(c) Ended/completed
(d) Evolved
Answer: (a) Changed

Question 2.
Historians believed that Time does not have _________ dates in terms of a
particular year or month
(a) Abstruse
(b) Precise
(c) Ambiguous
(d) Imprecise
Answer: (b) Precise

Question 3.
Historians often compared Past with the Present and always referred to _________.
i.e. Before and After.
(a) Event
(b) Time
(c) Period
(d) Phase
Answer: (b) Time

Question 4.
A list of historical events is given below. Choose the one where a precise date can
be fixed.
(a) Start of Mughal Rule in India
(b) Start of British rule in India
(c) Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
(d) Start of Non- cooperation Movement
Answer: (c) Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

Question 5.
James Mill was of the opinion that before British came to India, __________ruled
the country.
(a) Hindus and Muslims
(b) Only Hindus
(c) Hindus, Muslims and Christians
(d) Only Muslims
Answer: (a) Hindus and Muslims

Question 6.
What is Imperialism?
(a) Imperialism is a political system
(b) Imperialism is a technical term
(c) Imperialism is a traditional system
(d) None of these
Answer: (a) Imperialism is a political system

Question 7.
The chosen set of dates by the Historians become more vital when the focus is on a
(a) Particular set of events
(b) Particular Location
(c) Particular Battle
(d) Particular King
Answer: (a) Particular set of events

Question 8.
From a layman’s point of view, which one of the following option is synonymous
with the study of History and very difficult to memorise?
(a) Dates
(b) Census
(c) Surveys
(d) Artefacts
Answer: (a) Dates

Question 9.
When Historians write History, they divide it into different chapters. Why?
(a) To give a neat look and presentation
(b) To give each chapter some coherence
(c) For easier selection of dates.
(d) To associate the events separately
Answer: (b) To give each chapter some coherence

Question 10.
Pick out the statement that does not justify the significance of a timeline in History.
(a) A time line helps to identify the chronological occurrence of an event in a
planned and arranged manner

(b) A timeline helps to keep information according to the sequence of events

(c) A timeline is not a graphical interpretation
(d) A timeline is organized according to the dates
Answer: (c) A timeline is not a graphical interpretation

Question 11.
What was the important suggestion made by James Mill to the British?
(a) British should conquer all the territories in India to ensure the enlightenment
and happiness of Indian People

(b) Introduction of European manners and Western education will lower the level
of Indian civilization
(c) With Religious tolerance, caste taboos and other superstitious practices only
India can progress.
(d) India will progress without British help.
Answer: (a) British should conquer all the territories in India to ensure the
enlightenment and happiness of Indian People

Question 12.
Name the three volume work of James Mill, the Scottish economist and
philosopher.
(a) Glimpses of India
(b) History of British India
(c) An ancient History of India
(d) Glimpses of British History
Answer: (b) History of British India

Question 13.
Given below are some reasons to study History in the present world. Select the one
that is not applicable to the study of history
(a) Since future is moulded on the basis of past events, it is important to study
History.
(b) History is a record of people, places, events of the present arranged in
chronological order.
(c) History is all about finding out how things have changed over a period of time.
(d) History is a catalogue of events, to understand about people, their customs,
traditions etc.
Answer: (b) History is a record of people, places, events of the present arranged in
chronological order.

Question 14.
What are the sources of information of the periods?
(a) Primary sources
(b) Secondary sources
(c) Both a and b
(d) None of these
Answer: (c) Both a and b

Question 15.
History is considered to be a study of _____________.
(a) Comparisons
(b) The Present
(c) The Past
(d) The Future
Answer: (c) The Past

Question 16.
When did Tipu Sultan become the ruler of Mysore?
(a) 1781
(b) 1780
(c) 1779
(d) 1782
Answer: (d) 1782

Question 1 Define the word ‘history’.

Solution: History is ‘a record of all known past events’.
Question 2 What are the events that are usually recorded in history books?
Solution: The events that are usually recorded are wars, crowning of kings and
events related to kingdoms and the lives of rulers.
Question 3 Mention a few other events, which if recorded, will make history more
interesting to everyone.
Solution: Historians could write about the cultural changes in society, about how
people travelled and exchanged news in the olden days and about the livelihood of
people in the past.
Question 4 Who created the first map of India?
Solution: Major James Rennel an English geographer, historian and pioneer of
oceanography prepared the first Map of India. He was directed by Major-General
Sir Robert Clive to prepare the map.
Question 5 What do we mean by ‘time-span’ in connection with historical events?
Solution: When a specific date cannot be fixed for an event in the past and only an
approximate period can be fixed this period of time is called the time-span. When
we talk about changes that took place in certain social practices specific dates
cannot be fixed only a time-span can be mentioned, like ‘ people in India gave up
the practice of sati during the late 19th century’.
Question 6 What did British historians in India write about?
Solution: British historians in India wrote about the Governor Generals and
Viceroys who ruled India. Their History books contained the activities, policies
and achievements of the Governor Generals and nothing more. All the recorded
events with specific dates were linked to the lives of these Governor Generals.
Question 7 Why is it important to have dates or time frames while writing
History?
Solution: We need dates and time-spans to divide the history book into chapters. It
is necessary to give each chapter some consistency. Dates help us record history in
a way that makes some sense and can be followed.
Dates also help historians to focus on those particular events about which they are
writing.
Question 8 Who wrote the book ‘The History of British India’?
Solution: ‘The History of British India’ was written by James Mill. James Mill
was born in 1773. He was a Scottish historian, economist, political theorist, and
philosopher. His greatest literary achievement was this book.
Question 9 Why did James Mill divide his book, ‘The History of British India’
into the Hindu, Muslim and British Periods?
Solution: According to Mill before the British came to India, Hindu and Muslim
dictators ruled the country. There was religious intolerance, caste discrimination
and superstitious practices in the Indian society. James Mill felt that only the
British could bring enlightenment and happiness to the Indians by refining them.
He felt that European culture, arts and law were necessary to uplift the
downtrodden Indians.
So, James Mill divided his book into 3 periods; namely the Hindu, Muslim and
British; to establish his view that the period before British rule was one of darkness
and British rule represented all the forces of progress and civilisation.
Question 10 How were historians able to write about the last 250 years of Indian
history?
Solution: The historians were able to write about the last 250 years of Indian
history from the official records maintained by the British Administration.
Question 11 How were records preserved during the British rule?
Solution: Archives and museums were established to preserve important records.
Question 12 Write a brief note on the National Archives of India.
Solution: The National Archives of India is the repository of non-current records
of the Government of India and is holding them in trust for the use of
administrators and scholars. It is an Attached Office of the Department of Culture
under Ministry of Tourism & Culture. It was set up in March 1891 in Kolkata as
the Imperial Record Department and subsequent to the transfer of the National
Capital from Calcutta to New Delhi in 1911 it was shifted to its present building in
New Delhi, in 1926.
Question 13 Apart from official records what are the other sources of information
that is available to historians?
Solution:
The other sources of information that is available to historians are,
Diaries of people
Accounts of pilgrims and travellers
Autobiographies of important personalities
Popular booklets and newspapers
Books and letters written by Leaders, reformers, poets and novelists

Very Short Answer Type Question

1. When The National Archives of India came up?
Answer: The National Archives of India came up in the 1920s.
2. How did paintings project Governor-Generals?
Answer: Paintings projected Governor-Generals as powerful figures.
3. Who became the first governor general of British India?
Answer: Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of India in 1773.
4. What did James Mills think about all Asian societies?
Answer: Mill thought that all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilisation than
Europe.
5. How have historians divided Indian history?
Answer: Historians have usually divided Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’ and
‘modern’.
6. What do you mean by the term ‘ colonisation’?
Answer: When one country subjugates another country which leads to political,
economic, social and cultural changes refer to colonisation.
7. Who was James Mill?
Answer: James Mill was a Scottish economist and political philosopher, who
published a massive three-volume work, A History of British India.
8. Who wrote the book ‘A History of British India’?
Answer: In 1817, James Mill, a Scottish economist and political philosopher,
published a massive three-volume work, A History of British India.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What do you understand by history?
Answer: History is certainly about changes that occur over time. It is about finding
out how things were in the past and how things have changed.
2. With what did the British historians associate the modern period?
Answer: The British modern period was associated with the growth of all the forces of
modernity – science, reason, democracy, liberty and equality.
3. What evil practices, according to James Mill, dominated the Indian social life
before the British came to India?
Answer: Religious intolerance, caste taboos and superstitious practices dominated
social life.
4. What was an important aspect of the histories written by the British historians in
India?
Answer: In the histories written by British historians in India, the rule of each
Governor- General was important.
5. What official records do not tell?
Or
What were the things that official records did not tell?
Answer: Official records do not always help us understand what other people in the
country felt, and what lay behind their actions.
6. Mention the events for which specific dates can be determined.
Answer: The year a king was crowned, the year he married, the year he had a child,
the year he fought a particular war, the year he died, and the year the next ruler
succeeded to the throne.
7. Why do many historians refer to modern period as colonial?
Answer: Under British rule people did not have equality, freedom or liberty. Nor was
the period one of economic growth and progress. Many historians therefore refer to
this period as ‘colonial’.
8. Who are calligraphists? How were they important in the early nineteenth century?
Answer: Calligraphists are those who are specialized in the art of beautiful
handwriting. In the early years of the nineteenth century documents were carefully
copied out and beautifully written by calligraphists.
9. Mention one important source used by historians in writing about the last 250 years
of Indian history.
Or
What sources do historians use in writing about the last 250 years of Indian history?
Answer: One important source is the official records of the British administration.
Other sources include diaries of people, accounts of pilgrims and travellers,
autobiographies of important personalities, and popular booklets that were sold in the
local bazaars.
10. What do official records not tell? How do we come to know about them?
Or
What official records do not tell? From where do we get such information?
Answer: Official records do not always help us understand what other people in the
country felt, and what lay behind their actions. For that we have diaries of people,
accounts of pilgrims and travellers, autobiographies of important personalities, and
popular booklets that were sold in the local bazaars.
11. Why did the British preserve official documents?
Answer: The British believed that the act of writing was important. Every instruction,
plan, policy decision, agreement, investigation had to be clearly written up. Once this
was done, things could be properly studied and debated. This conviction produced an
administrative culture of memos, notices and reports.
12. By what criteria do we choose a set of dates as important?
Answer: The dates we select, the dates around which we compose our story of the
past, are not important on their own. They become vital because we focus on a
particular set of events as important. If our focus of study changes, if we begin to look
at new issues, a new set of dates will appear significant.
13. Why do we try and divide history into different periods?
Answer: We do so in an attempt to capture the characteristics of a time, its central
features as they appear to us. So the terms through which we periodise – that is,
demarcate the difference between periods – become important. They reflect our ideas
about the past. They show how we see the significance of the change from one period
to the next.
14. How did the British conquer India and establish their rule?
Answer: British came to conquer the country and establish their rule, subjugating
local nawabs and rajas. For this, they established control over the economy and
society, collected revenue to meet all their expenses, bought the goods they wanted at
low prices, produced crops they needed for export. They also brought changes about
in values and tastes, customs and practices.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. How did the invention of the printing press help in spreading news and
information?
Answer: In the early years of the nineteenth century documents were carefully copied
out and beautifully written by calligraphists. By the middle of the nineteenth century,
with the spread of printing, multiple copies of these records were printed as
proceedings of each government department. As printing spread, newspapers were
published and issues were debated in public. Leaders and reformers wrote to spread
their ideas, poets and novelists wrote to express their feelings.
2. What did the British do to preserve important official documents and letters?
Or
Why did the British set up record rooms attached to all administrative institutions?
Answer: The British also felt that all important documents and letters needed to be
carefully preserved. So they set up record rooms attached to all administrative
institutions. The village tahsildar’s office, the collectorate, the commissioner’s office,
the provincial secretariats, the lawcourts – all had their record rooms. Specialised
institutions like archives and museums were also established to preserve important
records.
3. James Rennel was supporter of British Rule in India. Discuss.
Answer: Rennel was asked by Robert Clive to produce maps of Hindustan. An
enthusiastic supporter of British conquest of India, Rennel saw preparation of maps as
essential to the process of domination. He had produced the first map in 1782. The
frontispiece to the first map tries to suggest that Indians willingly gave over their
ancient texts to Britannia – the symbol of British power – as if asking her to become
the protector of Indian culture.
4. Why we continue to associate history with a string of dates?
Or
What was the reason behind the use of dates in history?
Answer: This association has a reason. There was a time when history was an account
of battles and big events. It was about rulers and their policies. Historians wrote about
the year a king was crowned, the year he married, the year he had a child, the year he
fought a particular war, the year he died, and the year the next ruler succeeded to the
throne. For events such as these, specific dates can be determined, and in histories
such as these, debates about dates continue to be important.
5. How did James Mill view India?
Answer: James Mill’s view about India
Mill thought that all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilisation than Europe.
According to his telling of history, before the British came to India, Hindu and
Muslim despots ruled the country. Religious intolerance, caste taboos and
superstitious practices dominated social life.
British rule, Mill felt, could civilise India. Mill, in fact, suggested that the British
should conquer all the territories in India to ensure the enlightenment and happiness of
the Indian people. For India was not capable of progress without British help.
6. What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian history that James Mill offers?
Or
The Periodisation of Indian History made by James Mill during 1817 was unjustified.
Why?
Answer: James Mill divided Indian history into three periods—Hindu, Muslim and
British. This periodisation has its own problem.
It is not correct to refer to any period of history as ‘Hindu’ or ‘Muslim’ because a
variety of faiths existed simultaneously in these periods.
It is also not justified to characterise an age through the religion of the rulers of the
time. To do so is to suggest that the lives and practices of the others do not really
matter.
It is worth-mentioning that even rulers in ancient India did not all share the same faith.
7. Historians divide Indian history into ancient, medieval and modem. But this
division too has its problems. What are these problems?
Or
Historians divided history into ancient, medieval and modern period. What is the
problem with this periodisation?
Or
‘Dividing Indian history into ancient, medieval and modern periods by historians too
has its problem’ Explain.
Or
Historians have divided Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’ and ‘modern’. What
problems does this division have?
Answer: Moving away from British classification, historians have usually divided
Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’ and ‘modern’. This division too has its
problems.
It is a periodisation that is borrowed from the West where the modern period was
associated with the growth of all the forces of modernity – science, reason,
democracy, liberty and equality. Medieval was a term used to describe a society
where these features of modern society did not exist.
It is difficult to accept this characterisation of the modern period because under
British rule people did not have equality, freedom or liberty. Nor it was the period one
of economic growth and progress. Many historians therefore refer to this period as
‘colonial’.
8. How important are dates?
Or
“History is boring because it is all about memorizing dates.” Is such a conception
true?
Or
In the common-sense notion, history was synonymous with dates. Discuss
Answer: History is certainly about changes that occur over time. It is about finding
out how things were in the past and how things have changed. As soon as we compare
the past with the present we refer to time, we talk of “before” and “after”. But time
does not have to be always precisely dated in terms of a particular year or a month.
Sometimes it is actually incorrect to fix precise dates to processes that happen over a
period of time. Similarly, we cannot fix one single date on which British rule was
established, or the national movement started, or changes took place within the
economy and society. All these things happened over a stretch of time. We can only
refer to a span of time, an approximate period over which particular changes became
visible.
9. How did surveys become important under the colonial administration?
Or
Explain the importance of survey under the colonial administration.
Or
Why did surveys become a common practice under the colonial administration?
Answer: The practice of surveying also became common under the colonial
administration. The British believed that a country had to be properly known before it
could be effectively administered. By the early nineteenth century detailed surveys
were being carried out to map the entire country. In the villages, revenue surveys were
conducted. The effort was to know the topography, the soil quality, the flora, the
fauna, the local histories, and the cropping pattern – all the facts seen as necessary to
know about to administer the region. From the end of the nineteenth century, Census
operations were held every ten years. These prepared detailed records of the number
of people in all the provinces of India, noting information on castes, religions and
occupation. There were many other surveys – botanical surveys, zoological surveys,
archaeological surveys, anthropological surveys, forest surveys.