CBSE Class 12 History Colonialism And Countryside Exploring Official Archives Worksheet Set A

Key concepts in nutshell

- Bengal- Establishment of colonial rule- New land revenue, Auction system under Warren Hastings, 1793 Permanent Revenue settlement in Bengal by Lord Cornwallis 10/11 of produce - British, 1/11 of 11 to zamidars

- Crises in village economy, revenue demand of the state was fixed.

- The rise of the Jotedars, Their land was cultivated through share croppers.

- Resistance of Zamindars, their land was auctioned frequently.

- The fifth report- report submitted to British parliament 1813.

- The Hoe and the Plough- Shifting agriculture, expensive of village economy.

- Paharias - hunters food gathers connected with forests, invaded settled farmers 1770

- Santhals- settled in Bengal- practiced cultivation; land demarcated to them known as Damani- Koh.

- Conflicts with unsettled Paharias- 1850- they resisted the British- Santhals revolt.

- Revolt in the Bombay and Deccan- 1875.

- Burning of account book of money lenders and shop keepers

- New revenue System- Ryotwari system in Bombay Deccan- Direct settlement, land assessed for 30 years subject to periodic revision.

- Experience of injustice by peasants.

ASSERTION AND REASON BASED MCQs (1 Mark each)

Directions : In the following questions, a statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of
Reason (R). Mark the correct choice as:
(A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(B) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
(C) A is true but R is false.
(D) A is false and R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): The East India Company realised that there was a need to fix the revenue amount for regular flow of income.
Reason (R): British officials felt that agriculture, trade and the revenue resources of the state could all be developed by encouraging investment in agriculture. 
Answer : A

Question. Assertion (A) : Burdwan Raja’s estates had been publicly sold, but he remained in control of his zamindari.
Reason (R): East India Company allowed the Raja to maintain his zamindari under permanent Settlements. 
Answer : C

Question. Assertion (A): In the early decades after the Permanent Settlement, zamindars regularly failed to pay the revenue demand and unpaid balances accumulated.
Reason (R): The Company had recognised the zamindars as important, but it wanted to control and regulate them, subdue their authority and restrict their autonomy. 
Answer : B

Question. Assertion (A) : The Paharias regularly raided the plains where settled agriculturists lived.
Reason (R) : In the 1770s the British embarked on a brutal policy of extermination, hunting the Paharias down and killing them. U+E
Answer : B

Question. Assertion (A): With their base in the hills, the Paharias regularly raided the plains where settled agriculturists lived.
Reason (R): These raids were necessary for their survival, particularly in years of scarcity U
Answer : A

Question. Assertion (A) : Within the villages, the power of jotedars was more effective than that of zamindars.
Reason (R) : Unlike zamindars who often lived in urban areas, jotedars were located in the villages and exercised direct control over a considerable section of poor villagers. 
Answer : A

Question. Assertion (A): The British encouraged forest clearance, and Zamindars and jotedars turned uncultivated lands into rice fields.
Reason (R): The British associated forests with wildness, and saw forest people as savage, unruly, primitive, and difficult to govern.
Answer : A

Question. Assertion (A) : The British turned to the Santhals and they were given land and persuaded to settle in the foothills of Rajmahal.
Reason (R) : Having failed to subdue the Paharis and transform them into settled agriculturists, the British turned to the Santhals.
Answer : A

Very Short Answers

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.

Question. How Jotdars did resists Zamindars?
Answer:
(1) They prevented Zamindars from performing their duties;
(2) They mobilized riots against Zamindars.

Question. When and who established permanent settlement?
Answer: In 1793 lord Cornwallis introduced permanent settlement.

Question. What were the demerits of ryotwori system?
Answer: The land revenue was very high. To pay land revenue was compulsory.

Question. What was fifth report?
Answer: The fifth report was submitted to the British Parliament in 1813 about administrative activities of the East India Company.

Question. Examine the impact of limitation law passed by British in 1859.
Answer: 1859 British passed a limitation law that stated that loan bond signed between money lender and Royt would have validity for three years which check the accumulation of interest over time. The moneylender however turned around a law for forcing the ryot to sign to new bond every three years; money lenders used variety of other means to short change the ryot; they refuse to give receipt when loan repaid, entered fictitious figures in bond, acquired the harvest at low prices and ultimately took over peasants property.

Question. Why Jotedar were more powerful than Zamindar?
Answer:(1) The Jotedar had vast area of land.
(2) He was a local moneylender.
(3) He was local trader.
(4) The Jotedar lived in the village.
(5) He would not allow Zamindar to perform his duties.

Short Answers

Question. Examine the policies adopted by the British towards paharias during 18th century.
Answer:
(1) Firstly British adopted policy of extermination.
(2) Augusts Cleveland, the collector of Bhagalpur proposed policy of pacification.
(3) Under policy of pacification paharia chiefs was to ensure proper conduct of their men.
(4) Paharia went into mountains and deep forests and continued their war against outsiders.

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 moneylenders were charging high rates of interest and snatching their lands. The Zamindars asserted control over their land.

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 Jotdar were more powerful than Zamindar?
Answer:
(1) The Jotdar had vast area of land.
(2) He was a local moneylender.
(3) He was local trader.
(4) The Jotdar lived in the village.
(5) He would not allow Zamindar to perform his duties.

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) Moneylenders 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. What are the problems of using official sources in writing about the history of peasants?
Answer:
(1) The official sources reflect official concerns and interpretation of events,
(2) The government was not ready to admit that discontent was because of government action,
(3) Official reports must be verified with evidence gathered from newspapers, unofficial records, legal records and oral sources.

Long Answers

Question. How did zamindar of Bengal succeed to save their zamindaries during auction? 8 Explain it. 
Answer: (i) Numerous purchasers came to the auction and estate were sold to highest bidder. Many of purchasers turned out to be servants and agent of Rajas who had bought the land on behalf of their masters
(ii) Over 95% of sale at the auction was fictitious the Rajas state had been publically sold but he remained in control of his Zamindari.
(iii) When a part of state was auctioned zamindars’ men bought property, out bidding other purchasers. Subsequently they refused to pay of money, so that state had to be re sold. Once again it was bought by Zamindar’s agent, once again the purchase money was not paid, once again there was an auction. At last the state was sold at low price back to zamindar’s men.
(iv) When people from outside, the Zamindari bought an Estate at an auction, they could not always take possession. Sometimes even the Ryot resisted entry of outsiders.
(v) Many Rajas transferred some of his zamindaries to his mother. Since company had decreed that property of women could not be taken over.
(vi) By the above methods rajas succeed to save their zamindaries during auction at British time.

Question. Give the account of Buchanan in detail. Why did East India Company appoint him as surveyor? Explain it.
Answer: (i) Buchanan was the employee of East India Company and he marched every where with draftmen, surveyors.
(ii) Buchanan had specific instructions about what he had to look for and what had to record according to company need because company wanted to exploit Indian resources.
(iii) Buchanan was extra ordinary observer. He observed the stones and rocks, different strata and layers of soil he searched for minerals, iron, mica granite and saltpeter.
(iv) Buchanan wrote how the land could be transformed and made more productive.
(v) What craft could be cultivated, which trees cut down and which ones grown.
(vi) Buchanan vision and Priorities different from those of the local inhabitants, his assessment of what was necessary was set by the commercial concerned of the company.
(vii) He was inevitably critical of life style of forest dwellers and felt that forest land to be turned into agricultural lands. He gave the details of santhal life style.
(viii) Company wanted to consolidated its power and expanded its commerce by natural resources it could control. Hence company appointed Buchanan survey the natural resources of India in Rajmahal hills.

Question. Who were Santhal ? why did they revolt against british.
Answer: I. Santhal were the tribals residing foothill of rajmahal. By 1832 a large areas of land was demarcated as damin-I koh.
II. The Land to santhal stipulated that at least one – tenth of the area was to cleared and cultivated within ten years .
III. Cultivation expanded, an increased volume of revenue flowed into company,s coffers.
IV. The santhals soon founded that the land they had bought under cultivation was slipping away from their hands. The state was leving heavy taxes on the land that the santhal cleared .
V. Moneylender (dekus) were charging them high rate of interest and taking over the land when land debt remained unpaid.
VI. Zamindar were asserting control over Damin area.
VII. By the 1850s Santhal thought that time had come to rebel against zamindars, moneylender, and colonial state. Siddhu Manjhi and Kanhu were revolt leaders of Santhal community.
VIII. Revolt begin in 1855 and Santhal attacked on British, Dikus, moneylender and killed so many Britishers.
IX. But British crushed the revolt brutally by killing, hanging Santhal leaders and Santhal people.In 1856 Santhal pargana was created, carving out 5500 sq miles from the districts of Bhagalpur and Birbhum.

Question. In what ways was the livelihood of the paharias different from that of Santhals?
Answer:
(1) The paharias practised shifting cultivation and lived on forest production. The Santhals practised settled-cultivation.
(2) The agriculture of the paharias depended on hoe. Santhals practised with plough.
(3) Besides agriculture the forest products too were means of livelihood of the paharias. The Santhals gave up life of mobility and had started settled cultivation.
(4) The paharias were intimately related to the forest because of their occupations. The Santhals were settled in a specific region.
(5) The paharias regularly raided plains for food, power and tax. The Santhals had friendly relations with British, moneylender and traders.
(6) The paharias liked to gather forest produce for selling in the market but Santhals did not like it.

Question. What explains the anger of the Deccan ryots against the moneylenders?
Answer:
(1) Ryotwari settlement of land revenue was direct revenue settlement of government with ryot.
(2) The peasants were in need of money for many purposes.
(3) Once They got entangled in the clutches of Sahukar, it would become very difficult for them to get themself free from it.
(4) Being unable to back the loan to the moneylender, they had no choice but to give over all their possessions.
(5) They took land on rent and animals on hire from Sahukar.
(6) The Sahukars would not give receipts when loans were repaid.
(7) Ficticious figures were entered in the bonds.
(8) Peasants harvest was procured at low prices.
(9) The government increased the land revenue from 50 to 100 percent.
(10) After American civil war moneylenders refused to extend advances.
(11) The moneylender started renewing the bond every three years.

Read the following passage carefully and answers the Questionss given below;
On 16 May, 1875 the district magistrate of Poona wrote to the police commissioner:
On arrival at Supa on Saturday 15, May learnt of the disturbance. One house of a moneylender was burnt down; about a dozen were forcibly broken into and completely gutted of their content. Account papers, bonds, grains, country cloth were burnt in the street where heaps of ashes are still to be seen. The chief constable apprehended 50 persons. Stolen property worth Rs. 2000 was recovered. The estimated loss is over Rs. 25000. Moneylenders claim is over 1 lakh.

Question. Where and how did the Deccan riots start?
Answer: The riot started from Supa, a large village in Poona district. It was market centre where many shopkeepers and moneylenders lived. On 12 May, 1875 riots from the surrounding rural areas attacked the shopkeepers and demanded their Bahikhatas and debt bonds. They burnt the Khatas and looted grain shops.

Question. What steps did the British took to quell the revolt?
Answer: The British established police station in the village reinforcements were rushed to the Deccan. 95% people were arrested and many were convicted.

Question. State two reasons why peasants revolted?
Answer: High revenue demand and rigid system of collection angered the peasants, the moneylenders manipulating laws and forging accounts.