CBSE Class 12 History Colonialism And The Countryside Assignment

Very Short Answer Questions :

Question. What were Paharias livelihood?
Answer: Subsisting on forest produce and practicing shifting cultivation.

Question. Why did deccan riots commission formed?
Answer: Gonernment of Bombay set up commission of enquiry to investigate causes of deccan riots.

Question. Who were Jotedars?
Answer: Jotedar were located in village and exercise direct control over a considerable section of poor villagers.

Question. Who is the author of Badshahnama.
Answer: Abdul Hamid Lahori.

Question. Who is author of Baburnama.
Answer: Babur.

Question. Who was the founder of Mughal Dynasty?
Answer: Babur was the founder of Mughal Empire.

Question. Why were many Zamindaris auctioned after the permanent settlement?
Answer: Agricultural products prices were very low. The East India Company had fixed high amount of revenue.

Question. When and who introduced permanent settlement?
Answer: In 1793, Lord Cornwallis introduced permanent settlement.

Question. Why were many Zamindaris auctioned after the Permanent Settlement?
Answer: Agricultural products prices were very low. The East India Company had fixed high amount of revenue.

Question. What steps were taken by East India Company to control the Zamindars?
Answer: (1) The troops of Zamindars were disbanded;
(2) The courts were brought under the control of British collectors.

Short Answer Questions :

Question. Describe the daily routine and special festivities associated with the Mughal Court.
Answer: a) Physical arrangement of the court, focused on the sovereign and status.
a. The throne (Takht) was the center of power.
b. In court, status was determined by spatial proximity to the king.
c. Social control in court society.
d. The forms of salutation to the ruler.
e. The protocols of government diplomatic envoys at the Mughal Court were equally explicit.
f. The day began with personal religious devotions then Jharokha Darshan.
g. After that conduct of primary business of his government.
h. Discuss the confidential matters.
i. Celebration of festivals.

Question.. Describe in brief about the architecture under the Mughals-
Answer: a) Babar and Humayun did not get the time to construct the buildings.
b) During Akbar’s period – Agra Fort, Buland Darwaja, Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Panch Mahal, Jodha Bai’s Palace, Birbal Palace, Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti.
c) Akbar’s Tomb – Sikandara.
d) Jama Masjid, Taj Mahal, Moti Masjid, Lal quila Delhi-Shahjahan.
e) Shahi Masjid at Lahore by Aurangzeb.

Question. Describe in brief the elements of the Mughal ideal of Kingship.
Answer: a) The concept of divine light- In which the divine light was transmitted to the king who then became the source of spiritual guidance for his subject.
B) A unifying force – Emperor was a source of all peace, stability and justice.
C) Implementation of Sulh-i-Kul through state policy.
The Mughal nobility was a composite one comprising of Iranis, Turanis, Afghans, Rajputs, Deccan’s etc. With loyalty to the King. e) Secular religious policy.
D) Idea of Just sovereignty as social contract.

Question. Write in brief about the Mughal Provincial administration.
Answer: Head of provincial government was – governor.
a. He reported directly to the emperor.
b. Provinces (Subas) were divided into Sarkar.
c. Sarkars into parganas under – qanungo, chaudhary and qazi.
d. Each department was supported by official staff.

Question. What is Sulh-i-Kul?
Answer: a) Akbar’s Religious Policy.
b) Sulh-i-Kul means absolute peace.
In this ideal emperor was source of all peace and stability, stood above all religious and ethnic groups, insured justice and peace.

Question. What was Damin-i-Koh? Why did Santhals resist against Britishers during 18th century.
Answer: Damin-i-Koh was a large area given by British to Santhals. The colonial government had imposed heavy taxes on their land. The money lenders were charging high rates of interest and snatching their lands. The Zamindars asserted control over their land.

Question. Who were Paharias? What were their livelihood?
Answer: Paharias were hill folk. they lived around the Rajmahal Hills, subsisting on forest produce and practicing shifting cultivation. They cleared patches of forest by cutting bushes and burning the undergrowth. On the patches, enriched by the potash from the ash, the Pahariyas grew a variety of pulses and millets for consumption.

Question. How did American civil war affect the lives of ryots in India?
Answer: (1) Traders of the Bombay persuaded farmer for growing more cotton.
(2) Money lenders were ready for long term loans.
(3) Cotton productive area doubled between 1860-1864.
(4) The government started to collect more land revenue from peasants.
(5) Only rich farmers gained profit.

Question. How did the Zamindars manage to retain control over their Zamindaris?
Answer: (1) Benami sales enabled the estate to be sold at a low price back to the Zamindar.
(2) New Zamindars were attacked by former Zamindars.
(3) The ryots resisted the entry of outsiders.
(4) Some Zamindaris were declared property of ladies.

Question. Why did deccan riots commission formed? Write their report.
Answer: (i) Gonernment of Bombay set up a commission of enquiry to investigate causes of Deccan riots.
(ii) The commission produced a report that was presented to british parliament in 1878.
(iii) It held enquires in the district where the riots spread, recorded statement of riots and eyewitness.

Passage based Question:

In praise of taswir
Abu’l Fazl held the art of painting in high esteem: Drawing the likeness of anything is called taswir. His Majesty from his earliest youth, has shown a great predilection for this art, and gives it every encouragement, as he looks upon it as a means both of study and amusement. A very large number of painters have been set to work. Each week, several supervisors and clerks of the imperial workshop submit before the emperor the work done by each artist, and His Majesty gives a reward and increases the monthly salaries of the artists according to the excellence displayed. … Most excellent painters are now to be found, and masterpieces, worthy of a Bihzad, may be placed at the side of the wonderful works of the European painters who have attained worldwide fame. The minuteness in detail, the general finish and the boldness of execution now observed in pictures are incomparable; even inanimate objects look as if they have life. More than a hundred painters have become famous masters of the art. This is especially true of the Hindu artists. Their pictures surpass our conception of things. Few, indeed, in the whole world are found equal to them.

Question. Why did Abu’l Fazl consider the art of painting important?
Answer: Means both of study and amusement; the general finish and the boldness of execution now observed in pictures are incomparable; even inanimate objects look as if they have life.

Question. How did he seek to legitimise this art?
Answer: Abul Fazl: an artist has a unique way of recognising God when he must come to feel that he cannot bestow life on his work …”

Question. Why was painting a bone of contenton between the emperor and the orthodox Islamic group?
Answer: The reference of Islamic prohibition of the portrayal of human beings enshrined in the Qur’an as well as the had is, which described an incident from the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Here the Prophet is cited as having forbidden the depiction of living beings in a naturalistic manner as it would suggest that the artist was seeking to appropriate the power of creation.