CBSE Class 12 – Page 20

Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context Class 12 Important Extra Questions Geography Chapter 9

June 1, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 Geography Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 9 Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context. Geography Class 12 Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 Geography Chapter 9 Important Extra Questions Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context

Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When was the First Five Year Plan started? State its period.
Answer:
In 1951; 1951-56.

Question 2.
When has the 10th Five Year Plan ended?
Answer:
31.3.2007.

Question 3.
State two approaches of planning?
Answer:
Sectoral and Regional.

Question 4.
What was the period of plan holiday?
Answer:
1966-67, 1968-69.

Question 5.
Examine the twin environmental problems that have emerged in the ‘Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area’. (C.B.S.E. Outside Delhi 2017)
Answer:
The problems that have emerged in the ‘Indira Gandhi Canal Command area’ are water logging and soil salinity.

Question 6.
How much area can be irrigated in drought prone areas?
Answer:
Less than 30%.

Question 7.
Name two hilly areas of Hill development.
Answer:
Darjeeling and Nilgiris.

Question 8.
In which district of Himachal Pradesh is Bharmaur tribal area located?
Answer:
In Bharmaur and Holi Tehsil of Chamba District.

Question 9.
Name two hill ranges in Bharmaur region.
Answer:
Pir Punjal and Dhaula Dhar Ranges.

Question 10.
State the population and population density of Bharmaur region.
Answer:
Total population = 32246 and the density of population = 20 person per sq. km.

Question 11.
From which Barrage was the Indira Canal taken out ?
Answer:
Harike Pattan.

Question 12.
When was NITI Aayog formed?
Answer:
On 1st January 2015.

Question 13.
What was the main objective to implement the Fourth Five Year Plan for the people in drought prone areas ? (C.B.S.E. 2009)
Answer:
The main objective was to provide employment to the people in drought prone areas.

Question 14.
In which Five Year Plan of India was the Hill Area Development programme initiated?
Answer:
Hill Area Development programme was initiated during the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-75 upto 1977-78) to harness indiginous resources.

Question 15.
What is sectoral planning ? (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
Development of various sectors of the economy.

Question 16.
How has the Gaddi Tribal community of Bharamaur region maintained the district identity ? (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
By practising Transhumance.

Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you mean by Planning? How is it a sequential process ?
Answer:
Planning is the process of evolving a sequence of actions, which are designed to solve problems in future. The planning problems vary but tend to be primarily economic and social; the planning period also varies according to the type and level of planning; but all planning involves a sequential process, which can be conceptualised into a number of stages.

Question 2.
In which areas Hill Area Development Programmes was intiated ?
Answer:
Hill Area Development Programme. Hill Area Development Programmes were initiated during the Fifth Five Year Plan covering 15 districts comprising all the hilly districts of Uttar Pradesh (present Uttarakhand), Mikir Hill and North Cachar hills of Assam, Darjeeling district of West Bengal and Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu.

The National Committee on the Development of Backward Area in 1981 recommended that all the hill areas in the country having height above 600 m and not covered under tribal sub-plan, be treated as backward hill areas.

Question 3.
What steps have been recommended for development of backward areas ?
Answer:
The National committee on the development of Backward areas have recommended the following steps:

All the people should get benefits.
To develop the local resources and talent.
To make the subsistence economy investment oriented.
Backward areas should not be exploited in internal trade.
To benefit the labourers by setting the markets.
To maintain the ecological balance.

Question 4.
Which aspects have been developed in hill area development ?
Answer:
The detailed plans for the development of hill areas were drawn keeping in view their topographical, ecological, social and economic conditions. These programmes aimed at harnessing the indigenous resources of the hill areas through development of horticulture, plantation agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry, forestry and small-scale and village industry.

Question 5.
What were the objectives of Drought Prone Area Programme ?
Answer:
Drought Prone Area Programme. This programme was initiated during the Fourth Five Year Plan wdth the objectives of providing employment to the people in drought-prone areas and creating productive assets. Initially this programme laid emphasis on the construction of labour-intensive civil works. But later on, it emphasised on irrigation projects, land development programmes, afforestation, grassland development and creation of basic rural infrastructure such as electricity, roads, market, credit and services.

Question 6.
Which areas are Drought Prone Areas in India ?
Answer:
Planning Commission of India (1967) identified 67 districts (entire or partly) of the country prone to drought. Irrigation Commission (1972) introduced the criterion of 30 per cent irrigated area and demarcated the drought prone areas.

Broadly, the drought-prone area in India are spread over semi-arid and arid tract of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada region of Maharashtra, Rayalseema and Telangana plateaus, Karnataka plateau and highlands and interior parts of Tamil Nadu. The drought prone areas of Punjab, Haryana and north-Rajasthan are largely protected due to spread of irrigation in these regions.

Question 7.
What do you mean by Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area? Describe its location and extent.
Answer:
Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area
The areas through which the Indira canal has been built and will get the benefits of it, are called its command area. Indira Gandhi Canal Project is a gigantic human effort to transform a part of desert land into a land of prosperity and plenty.

It is one of the largest canal systems of the world. The command area of Indira Gandhi Canal is located in north-western part of the Thar desert of Rajasthan in the districts of Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur and Churu. It is strecthed over an area of 2,37,725 sq. km., an approximate area of 525 x 45 sq. km along the border of Pakistan. The Indira Gandhi Main Canal runs parallel to the Pakistan border for an approximate distance of 38 km from north-east to south-west.

Question 8.
When was Indira Gandhi canal started? Name the states through which I this canal runs.
Answer:
Origin of Indira Canal

(i) Origin: Work on the Indira Gandhi canal began on 31 March, 1958.

(ii) Place of origin: This canal originates from Harike barrage near the confluence of Satluj and Beas rivers in Ferozpur district of Punjab.

(iii) Capacity: It is 40 metres wide at the bottom and 6.4 metres deep. The carrying capacity of canal is 18,500 cusecs of water at its head. According to a proposal in 1981, Rajasthan was allocated 8.6 million acre feet ofRavi-Beas surplus water. The Indira Gandhi Canal envisages the utilisation of 7.6 million acre feet of water allocated to Rajasthan.

(iv) Sharing States: The Indira Gandhi Canal is feeder up to a length of 204 km and traverses for a length of 150 km in Punjab and 19 km in Haryana where it does not have any outlet.

(v) Head of Canal: The head of the main canal is located near Masitanwali in Hanumangarh tehsil of Ganganagar district. The tail of the 445 km long main canal is located near Mohangarh in Jaisalmer district.

(vi) Command area: The Command Area of the canal is further extended till Gadra road in Barmer district, through Sagarmal Gopa branch. Construction work of the project is in progress and is being carried out into two states. Water was released in the main canal on 11 October 1967 and reached its tail on 1 January, 1987.

Question 9.
Describe the impact of irrigation on environment of command area.
Answer:
Impact of Irrigation on Environment.
Introduction of irrigation has brought about perceptible changes in agricultural landscape, and has increased agricultural production tremendously,

(i) Rise in water table. But it has led to environmental degradation in terms of water-logging and soil salinity. The ground-water table is rising at an alarming rate of 0.8 metre per year in most parts of Stage I. According to an estimate of the ground-water department, about 25 per cent of land under the command area in the vicinity of Ghaggar basin is critical area as the groundwater level in this area is less than 6 metres below surface level. About 50 per cent area of this region would be critical by the turn of this century if measures are not taken to arrest it.

(ii) Salinity in soils. In a large part of the command area in Stage I, soil salinity has arisen because of water-logging and the presence of strong salt regime in the soils.

(iii) Fertility of soil. This has adversely affected the soil fertility and agricultural productivity. This
problem is expected to be more serious in the command area of Stage II, where irrigation was introduced in mid-eighties. This part of the command area is underlain by hard pan of calcium carbonate and clay at a depth of few* metres which causes parched water table and water logging.

Question 10.
‘The development is a mixed bag of opportunit ies as well as [9nl; deprivations of India’. Support the statement with suitable examples.
(C.B.S.E. 2011)
Answer:
In India, development is marked by social discrimination and regional disparity. Present development has not been able to address the issues of social justice, regional imbalance and environment degradations. Development has effect on deteriorating human conditions. Environment pollution—air, soil, water have not only led to the tragedy of commons but also have threatened the existence of our society.

Thus, development in India is a mixed bag of opportunities as well as neglect and deprivation.

Few metropolitans with small section of population have modern facilities.
Large rural areas and slums in the urban areas do not have basic amenities.
Different sections of the society do not have opportunities of development.
Majority of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, landless agricultural labourers, poor farmers, are the most marginalised lot.
A large segment of female population is the worst sufferer among all.

1. Sectoral planning. The sectoral planning means formulation and implementation of the sets of schemes or programmes aimed at development of various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, irrigation, manufacturing, power, construction, transport, communication, social infrastructure and services.

2. Regional planning. There is no uniform economic development over space in any country. Some areas are more developed and some lag behind. This uneven pattern of development over space necessitates that the planners have a spatial perspective and draw the plans to reduce regional imbalance in development. This type of planning is termed as regional planning.

Question 8.
When was Indira Gandhi canal; started? Name the states through which At this canal runs.
Answer:
Origin of Indira Canal
(i) Origin. Work on the Indira Gandhi canal began on 31 March, 1958.

(ii) Place of origin. This canal originates from Harike barrage near the confluence of Satluj and Beas rivers in Ferozpur district of Punjab.

(iii) Capacity. It is 40 metres wide at the bottom and 6.4 metres deep. The carrying capacity of canal is 18,500 cusecs of water at its head. According to a proposal in 1981, Rajasthan was allocated 8.6 million acre feet of Ravi-Beas surplus water. The Indira Gandhi Canal envisages the utilisation of 7.6 million acre feet of water allocated to Rajasthan.

(iv) Sharing States. The Indira Gandhi Canal is feeder up to a length of 204 km and traverses for a length of 150 km in Punjab and 19 km in Haryana where it does not have any outlet.

(v) Head of Canal. The head of the main canal is located near Masitanwali in Hanumangarh tehsil of Ganganagar district. The tail of the 445 km long main canal is located near Mohangarh in Jaisalmer district.

(vi) Command area. The Command Area of the canal is further extended till Gadra road in Barmer district, through Sagarmal Gopa branch. Construction work of the project is in progress and is being carried out into two states. Water was released in the main canal on 11 October 1967 and reached its tail on 1 January, 1987.

(ii) Salinity in soils. In a large part of the command area in Stage I, soil salinity has arisen because of water-logging and the presence of strong salt regime in the soils.

(iii) Fertility of soil. This has adversely affected the soil fertility and agricultural productivity. This problem is expected to be more serious in the command area of Stage II, where irrigation was introduced in mid-eighties. This part of the command area is underlain by hard pan of calcium carbonate and clay at a depth of few metres which causes parched water table and water logging.

Question 10.
‘The development is a mixed bag of opportunities as well as deprivations of India’. Support the statement with suitable examples. (C.B.S.E. 2011)
Answer:
In India, development is marked by social discrimination and regional disparity. Present development has not been able to address the issues of social justice, regional imbalance and environment degradations. Development has effect on deteriorating human conditions. Environment pollution air, soil, water have not only led to the tragedy of commons but also have threatened the existence of our society.

Thus, development in India is a mixed bag of opportunities as well as neglect and deprivation.

Few metropolitans with small section of population have modern facilities.
Large rural areas and slums in the urban areas do not have basic amenities.
Different sections of the society do not have opportunities of development.
Majority of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, landless agricultural labourers, poor farmers, are the most marginalised lot.
A large segment of female population is the worst sufferer among all.

Question 11.
Distinguish between sectoral planning and Regional planning.
Or
Examine the concept of Regional Planning.
Answer:
Generally, there are two approaches to planning, i.e. sectoral planning and regional planning.
1. Sectoral planning. The sectoral planning means formulation and implementation of the sets of schemes or programmes aimed at development of various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, irrigation, manufacturing, power, construction, transport, communication, social infrastructure and services.

Question 12.
‘In India the Planning is still centralised’. Discuss and mention the subjects under it.
Answer:
In India, Planning is still centralized. National Development Council, consisting of the central cabinet, members of the Planning Commission and chief ministers of states and union territories set the policy of the planning. The Planning Commission is entrusted with the formulation of the national plans.

Subjects of national significance, such as defence, communication, railway, etc., come under the scope of Central Government, while vital elements of rural development, such as agriculture, power, education, health, social services, small-scale industries and development of roads and transport fall in the scope of the state government. In most cases, strategies, policies and programmes are formulated by the Planning Commission and states are simply asked to implement them.

Question 13.
What do you mean by “Target area’ and ‘Target group’? What programmes are being undertaken in these areas ?
Answer:
With the planning experience of about one and half decades, it was realised that regional imbalances in economic development were getting accentuated. In order to arrest the accentuation of regional and social disparties, the Planning Commission introduced the ‘target area’ and ‘target group’ approaches to planning.

Some of the examples of programmes directed towards the development of target areas are Command Area Development Programme, Drought Prone Area Development Programme, Desert Development Programme, Hill Area Development Programme.

The Small Farmers Development Agency (SFDA) and Marginal Farmers Development Agency (MFDA) which are the examples of target group programme. In the 8th Five Year Plan special area programmes were designed to develop infrastructure in hill areas, north-eastern states, tribal areas and backward areas.

Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe the overview of planning prespective in India.
Answer:
After Independence, the Planning Commission stated the following Five Year Plans.
1. First Five Year Plan. The First Five Year Plan was launched in 1951 and covered the period, 1951-52 to 1955-56.

2. The Second and Third Five Year Plans. Second and Third Five Year Plans covered the period from 1956-57 to 1960-61 and 1961-62 to 1965-66 respectively.

3. Plan Holiday. Two successive droughts during mid-sixties (1965-66 and 1966-67) and war with Pakistan in 1965 forced a plan holiday in 1966-67 and 1968-69.

4. Rolling Plans. This period was covered by annual plans, which are also termed as rolling plans.

5. The Fourth Five Year Plan. The Fourth Five Year Plan began in 1969-70 and ended in 1973-74.

6. The Fifth Five Year Plan. Following this the Fifth Five Year Plan began in 1974-75 but it was terminated by the then government one year earlier, i. e., in 1977-78.

7. The Sixth Five Year Plan. The Sixth Five Year Plan took off in 1980.

8. The Seventh Five Year Plan. The Seventh Five Year Plan covered the period between 1985 and 1990.

9. The Eight Five Year Plan. Once again due to the political instability and initiation of liberalisation policy, the
Eighth Five Year Plan got delayed. It covered the period, 1992 to 1997.

10. The Ninth Five Year Plan. The Ninth Five Year Plan covered the period from 1997 to 2002.

11. The Tenth Five Year Plan. The Tenth Plan began in 2002 and ended on 31.3.2007.

12. The Eleventh Plan. The Eleventh Five Year Plan covered the period of 2007 to 2012.

13. The Twelfth Five Year Plan. The Twelfth Five Year Plan started on 2012 and currently in progress.

Question 2.
Describe the physical environment of Bharmaur regions.
Answer:
1. Location and Area. This region lies between 32° 11′ N and 32°41′ N latitudes and 76° 22′ E and 76° 53’E longitudes and is spread over an area of about 1,818 sq. km.

2. Relief. The region mostly lies between 1,500 m to 3,700 m above the mean sea level. This region popularly known as the homeland of Gaddis is surrounded by lofty mountains on all sides. It has Pir Panjal in the north and Dhaula Dhar in the south. In the east, the extension of Dhaula Dhar converges with Pir Panjal near Rohtang Pass.

3. River. The river Ravi and its tributaries the Budhil and the Tundahen, drain this territary, and carve out deep gorges. These rivers divide the region into four physiographic divisions called Holi, Khani, Kugti and Tundah areas.

4. Climate. Bharmaur experiences freezing weather conditions and snowfall in winter. Its mean monthly temperature in January remains 4°C and in July 26°C.

Question 3.
Describe the development in Bharmaur integrated Tribal region and state their effects. (C.B.S.E. 2014)
Or
Examine the importance of ‘Integrated Tribal Development Project’
Answer:
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 9 Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context 1

implemented in Bharmaur region of Himachal Pradesh. (C.B.S.E. 2016)

What was the main aim of the ‘Tribal Sub-Plan’ introduced in 1974 in Bharmaur area? Review its contribution in the development of the Bharmaur region. (CBSE Outside Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Case Study-Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur Region.

1. Social life. Bharmaur tribal area comprises Bharmaur and Holi tehsils of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. It is a notified tribal area since 21 November 1975. Bharmaur is inhabited by ‘Gaddi’, a tribal community who have maintained a distinct identity in the Himalayan region as they practised transhumance and conversed through Gaddiali dialect.

Bharmaur tribal region has harsh climate conditions, low resources base and fragile environment. These factors have influenced the society and economy of the region. According to the 2001 census, the total population of Bharmaur sub-division was 37.246, i.e., 20 persons per sq. km. It is one of the most (economically and socially) backward areas of Himachal Pradesh. Historically, the Gaddis have experienced geographical and political isolation and socio-economic deprivation. The economy is largely based on agriculture and allied activities such as sheep and goat rearing.

2. Developmental Programmes. The process of development of tribal area of Bharmaur started in 1970s when Gaddis were included among ‘scheduled tribes’. Under the Fifth Five Year Plan, the tribal sub-plan was introduced in 1974 and Bharmaur was designated as one of the five Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDP) in Himachal Pradesh.

This area development plan was aimed at improving the quality of life of the Gaddis and narrowing the gap in the level of development between Bharmaur and other areas of Himachal Pradesh. This Plan laid the highest priority on development of transport and communications, agriculture and allied activities, and social and community services.

3. Objectives. The most significant contribution of tribal sub-plan in Bharmaur region is the development of infrastructure in terms of schools, healthcare facilities, portable water, roads, communications and electricity. But the villages located along the river Ravi in Holi and Khani areas are the main beneficiaries of infrastructural development. The remote villages in Tundah and Kugti areas still do not have sufficient infrastructure.

4. Social benefits. The social benefits derived from ITDP include tremendous increase in literacy rate, improvement in sex ratio and decline in child marraige.

(i) The female literacy rate in the region increased from 1.88 per cent in 1971 to 42.83 per cent in 2001.

(ii) The difference between males and females in literacy level, i.e., gender inequality, has also declined.

(iii) Traditionally, the Gaddis had subsistence agricultural, i.e., cumpastoral economy having emphasis on foodgrains and livestock production. But during the last three decades of twentieth century, the cultivation of pulses and other cash crops has increased in Bharmaur region. But the crop cultivation is still done with traditional technology.

(4) The declining importance of pastoralism in the economy of the region can be guaged from the fact that at present only about one-tenth of the total households practise transhumance. But the Gaddis are still very mobile as a sizeab . auction of them migrate to Kangra and surrounding areas during winter to earn their livings from wage labour.

Question 4.
Write an essay on sustainable development.
Answer:
Natural resources are a kind of assets which are double edged. They provide raw materials and energy for development; they also form a part of the environment which influences health and vitality. Wise use of the resources is therefore essential for human survival and development. The key lies in sustainable development which Mahatma Gandhi advocated as early as 1908.

Sustainable development refers to a process of development wherein the quality of the environment is maintained by the use of exhaustible resources. This is to ensure the quality of the total stock of all forms of wealth (including environmental wealth) must not be depleted. Many forms of development erode the environmental resources upon which they are based; which in turn, undermines present economic development and reduces future possibilities drastically. Therefore, sustainable development should keep in view the stability of the ecosystem.

With this view the International Union of Conservation of Nature has defined sustainable development as ‘improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of the supporting ecosystem. Thus the question is not simply of sustenance of life but of good quality of life.

The processes of human-environment interaction depend upon the level of technology and institutions nurtured by a society. While the technology and institutions have helped in increasing the pace of human-environment interaction, the momentum thus generated, in return has accelerated technological progress and transformation and creation of institutions. Hence, development is a multidimensional concept and signifies the positive, irreversible transformation of the economy, society and environment.

The concept of development is dynamic and has evolved during the second half of twentieth century. In the post World War II era, the concept of development was synonymous to economic growth which is measured in terms of temporal increase in Gross National Product (GNP) and per capita income/per capita consumption.

But, even the countries having high economic growth, experienced speedy rise in poverty because of its unequal distribution. So, in 1970s, the phrases such as redistribution with growth and equity were incorporated in the definition of development.

While dealing with the questions related to redistribution and equity, it was realised that the concept of development cannot be restricted to the economic sphere alone. It also includes the issues such as improving the well-being and living standard of people, availing of the health, education and equality of opportunity and

ensuring political and civil rights. By 1980s, development emerged as a concept encapsulating wide¬spread improvement in social as well as material well being of all in a society.

Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 9 Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context 3

The notion of sustainable development emerged in the wake of general rise in the awareness of environmental issues in the late 1960s in Western World. It reflected the concern of people about undesirable effects of industrial development on the enviornment. The publication of ‘The Population Bomb’ by Ehrlich in 1968 and ‘The Limits to Growth’ by Meadows and others in 1972 further raised the level of fear among environmentalists in particular and people in general.

This sets the scenario for the emergence of new models of development under a broad phrase ‘sustainable development.’Concerned with the growing opinion of world community on the environmental issues, the United Nations established a World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) headed by the Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.

The Commission gave its report (also known as Brundtland Report) entitled ‘Our Common Future’ in 1987. The report defines sustainable development as a “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Question 5.
What changes have been brought in western Rajasthan due to the Indira Gandhi Canal ?
Answer:
Command Area Development Programme
The Command Area Developmet Programme is an integrated area development approach towards the command areas of major and medium irrigation projects in the country. This programme is aimed at bridging the gap between created irrigation potential and its utilisation.

It is one of the major irrigation projects in India where this programme was introduced at the earliest. The importance of this programme is all the more in this command area because it requires efficient utilisation of irrigation water and overall economic and ecological development.

1. To check desertification. Due to scarcity of rainfall, Thar desert is rapidly advancing towards adjoining states. By afforestation and pasture development, the advance of this desert has been arrested.

2. Drinking water. The water table is low in this area. Fresh water is supplied to rural areas.

3. Development of transport system. This transport system is inadequate due to sandy area. This project will help in the development of transport.
It will provide communication and civic amenities which include construction of roads, connecting the settlements with markets, construction of new markets and supplying drinking water.

4. Agricultural development. Rajasthan is a man-made desert. Agriculture is possible in fertile areas. Irrigation will help in cultivation of wheat, sugarcane, etc. It is estimated that foodgrains worth ? 400 crore can be produced in this area. It will overcome problem of famines.Farm development includes surveying and planning water course lining, land levelling, shaping and reclaimation of degraded lands.

5. Industrial development. About 1200 cusecs water will be supplied to agro-based industries.

6. Irrigation. On its completion, the canal will be able to irrigate 14 Lakh hectares of land.
Implementation of this programme has helped in bringing the land under irrigation rapidly, increase
in water-use efficiency, agricultural production and productivity.

7. Afforestation. Afforestation and pasture development which includes canal side and roadside plantation, block plantation near new settlements, sand dune stabilisation and pasture development on culturable waste land.

8. Cropping pattern. Deficiency in soil-moisture has been a limited factor for agricultural development in western Rajasthan. Farmers can raise crops during kharif season only and a large tract of cultivable land lies uncropped in the form of cultivable waste land and fallow land. Introduction of irrigation has helped in increasing the net sown and double cropped areas.

In this region before introduction of irrigation, drought-resistant crops such as bajra, guar, moong, moth and gram occupied about 95 per cent of the gross cropped area. The cropping pattern of the region has changed drastically with the introduction of irrigation. As commercial crops such as cotton, groundnut, wheat and mustard have come up rapidly and occupy about 65 per cent of the gross cropped area in Stage I of the Canal Command Area.

Wheat occupied about one-fourth of the gross cropped in the Canal Command Area in 1984-85 followed by cotton, mustard and guar. Groundnut is coming up as a major irrigated crop in kharif season in the lower parts of the command area.

Agricultural production and productivity per hectare has increased rapidly in the command area of Indira Gandhi Canal. It will help in availability of modern agricultural inputs including ensuring supply of HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides and providing agricultural extension and training facilities to the farmers.

9. Development of Pastures. It will help livestock rearing by bringing an area of 3.66 Lakh hectares under pastures.

10. Civic amenities. This is a newly settled area and, therefore, requires civic amenities, infrastructural facilities and supply of modern agricultural inputs. It will increase employment opportunities. The population density will be increased. It will bring a socio-cultural and economic revolution in this area.

Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Explain any three human values which are required to empower socially and economically disadvan¬taged people. (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
The planning process has to take special care of those people which have remained economically and socially backward. Some resource rich regions remain backward. Their development requires technology. The social benefits required are :

Education can empower socially disadvantaged people. Education should be provided to all sections of the society.
The sex ratio has to be in favour of women. Social evils of female foeticide and infanticide should be stopped.
Child marriage is a curse and abolishing it will empower all sections of the society.

Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Class 12 Important Extra Questions Geography Chapter 1

June 1, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 Geography Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 1 Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition. Geography Class 12 Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Important Extra Questions Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the total population of India according to census 2011 ?
Answer:
121.02 crores (16.7% of total population of the world).

Question 2.
Where does India rank in the world as regards population and area ?
Answer:
Population—2nd place
Area—Seventh place.

Question 3.
When was the first complete census held in India ?
Answer:
In 1881.

Question 4.
What is the average density of population in India ?
Answer:
382 persons per sq. km.

Question 5.
Which state has the highest density of population in India ? Also mention density.(C.B.S.E. 2009)
Answer:
Bihar—1102 persons per sq. km.

Question 6.
What is the average annual rate of growth of population in India ?
Ans:
1.76 percent.

Question 7.
What is the average birth rate and death rate in India ?
Answer:
Birth rate 21 per thousand, death rate 7.9 per thousand.

Question 8.
Name the state of India with the highest literacy rate as per 2011 census. (C.B.S.E. 2016)
Answer:
Kerala.

Question 9.
What is the total number of villages in India ?
Answer:
6,40,867 (2011 data)

Question 10.
Which state has the highest population in India ?
Answer:
Uttar Pradesh—20 crores.

Question 11.
Which state has lowest population in India ? (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Or
Name the state of India having the least share of population according to the Census 2011. (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Sikkim—6.07 lakhs.

Question 12.
State three clusters of high density of population.
Answer:
Northern plain, East-coastal plain and Deltas.

Question 13.
Name two types of population growth.
Answer:
(i) Negative growth rate. When the population decreases.
(ii) Positive growth rate. When the population increases.

Question 14.
Which state has the highest percentage of rural population ?
Answer:
Arunachal Pradesh (94.50%).

Question 15.
What do you mean by urbanisation ?
Answer:
The process of society, transformation from a rural to urban population is known as urbanisation.

Question 16.
Which is the most urbanised state of India ?
Answer:
Goa (49.77%).

Question 17.
What is the total number of males and females in India ?
Answer:
Males—62 crores
Females—59 crores.

Question 18.
What is the average sex ratio in India ?
Answer:
940 females per 1000 males.

Question 19.
Which state has the highest sex’ ratio in India ?
Answer:
Kerala—1084 females per 1000 males.

Question 20.
Which state has the lowest sex ratio in India ?
Answer:
Haryana-877.

Question 21.
What does the proportion of literate population of a country indicate? (Sample Paper 2018-19)
Answer:
It indicates socio-economic development.

Question 22.
Which language is spoken by most of people in India ?
Answer:
Hindi (33.73 crores).

Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
India is a land of villages. Give two points to support it.
Answer:
(i) About 68.84 per cent of people live in villages.
(ii) There are 6.40 lakh villages in India.

Question 2.
In Delhi, in 2011, the total population was 1,67,53,235 and the total area was 1483 sq. kms. Calculate density of population.
Answer:
Density of population
$=\frac{\text { Total Population }}{\text { Total area }}=\frac{1,67,53,235}{1483}$
= 11297 persons per sq. km.

Question 3.
Compare the population and density of population of India and China.
Answer:
China has a total population of 134 crores while the total population of India is 121.02 crores. The density of population in China is 144 persons per sq. km. while India has a density of population of 382 persons per sq. km. Thus China has more population, while India has more density of population.

Question 4.
‘The distribution of population is highly uneven in India.’ Give three examples.
Answer:
India has an uneven distribution of population:
(i) Plains have more population than mountains, deserts and forested lands have less population.
(ii) Large states have greater population.
(iii) River basins and coastal plains have dense population.

Question 5.
State the areas of low density of population. Give reasons.
Answer:
Areas with density of below 200 persons per sq. km are sparsely populated. These are :

Major parts of Rajasthan
Madhya Pradesh
Chhattisgarh
Western Odisha
Eastern Karnataka
Central parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Thus this extensive tract of low density extend from the Aravallis in the west to Odisha in the east.

Reasons for low density :

Hilly and dissected topography.
Shallow and poor soils.
Low rainfall.
Forested land.
Desert area.
Availability of water is low.

Question 6.
What are pull factors ?
Answer:
When people, migrate in search of better economic opportunities, jobs, employment and better living conditions, These are called pull factors. Millions of people were attracted by the big cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi.

Question 7.
What are push factors ?
Answer:
The factors compelling people to leave the place of residence are called push factors. This is due to poverty, umemployment, high pressure of population and economic depression. Migration to big urban cities take place due to marriage, social insecurity, better social, cultural and health facilities.

Question 8.
What do you mean by population* composition ? State its main attributes.
Answer:
Population composition refers to the physical, socio-cultural and economic attributes of the population. These include age, sex, place of residence, language, religion, marital status, ethnicity, literacy, education and occupation.

Question 9.
The primitive communities societies lived in complete harmony with their natural environment and as such the humans were naturalised. Support the statement. (CBSE 2018)
Answer:
(i) The primitive society live in complete harmony with their natural environment.
(ii) It is realized that in all such cases nature is a powerful force worshipped, severed and conserved.
(iii) There is direct dependence of human beings on nature for resources which sustain them.

Question 10.
Which five states of India have more than half the urban population of India ? What is the position of Uttar Pradesh
Answer:
The five states—Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have 51% of the total urban population of India. Uttar Pradesh has the highest urban population of India, but only 31% of the total population lives in urban towns. This is due to rural background.

Question 11.
State four reasons for declining sex ratio.
Answer:
(i) More males are born than females.
(ii) Females die at infancy and during the reproductive period.
(iii) General neglect of females is largely responsible for high female sex mortality at childhood.
(iv) Pre-birth sex determination leads to female foeticide.

Question 12.
Distinguish between rural population and urban population.
Or
Explain any three characteristics each of rural and urban composition of population in India. (Outside Delhi 2019)
Answer:

	Urban Population	Rural Population
1.	Manufacturing and trade are the main occupations of urban people.	1. Agriculture is the main occupation of rural people.
2.	The urban population is provided with all the basic facilities of life.	2. The rural population is not provided with modern facilities.
3.	The density of population is high in urban areas.	3. The density of population is low in rural areas.

Question 13.
Explain three differences between a main worker and a marginal worker.
Answer:

Main Worker

Marginal Worker

1. An individual is a main worker if he is engaged in any economically gainful work for a period of 183 days in a year.

2. The high percentage of main workers represents a developed economy.

3. On an average, two persons are dependent on a main worker. Main workers are mostly found in urban areas.

1. An individual who works a lesser number of days (less than 183 days) in a year is called a marginal worker.

2. The high percentage of marginal workers represents a developing economy.

3. Marginal workers are mostly found in rural areas because the agricultural activities are seasonal.

Question 14.
Distinguish between Birth-rate and Growth-rate.
Answer:

Birth-rate

Growth-rate

1. The number of live births per thousand persons during a certain period of time is called the birth rate.

2. It is calculated for every 1000 persons for a year.

3. A high birth-rate shows an increasing population.

1. It is the difference between the birth rate and death rate per 1000 persons.

2. The growth-rate of population is expressed as percentage during a certain period of time.

3. When birth-rate is more than death-rate, it shows a positive growth rate.

Question 15.
Distinguish between Arithmetic density and Physiological density of population.
Answer:

Arithmetic density

Physiological density

1. This is measured to express the number of people per unit area.

2. The arithmetic density of India
$\frac{12102 \text { lakh persons }}{32.8 \text { lakh } \mathrm{km}^{2}}=382$

3. It explains the variation in distribution of population.

1. It is measured to express the ratio of total population to cultivated area.

2. The physiological density of India
$\frac{12102 \text { lakh persons }}{15.6 \text { lakh } \mathrm{km}^{2}}=780$

3. It shows the number of persons dependent on cultivated land.

Question 16.
State the place of India in the world in terms of population size and density.
Or
Compare India’s population size with some big countries of the world.
Ans.
India has a total population of 1210 million persons (in 2011). India is one of the most populous countries of the world. India ranks second in world population next to China. India has 16.7% of the world population, but it has only 2.4% of the worlds land. India’s population is more than the total population of North America, South America and Australia put together. This shows that India has a large population

Question 17.
(a) Name the four most populous states of the country.
(b) Name four large states of India (As regards to area). Compare their population size and area.
Answer:
(a) The four most populous states of India are (according to 2011 Census):

S. No.	State	Population	Rank
1.	Uttar Pradesh	19,95,81,477	1st
2.	Maharashtra	11,23,72,972	2nd
3.	Bihar	10,38,04.637	3rd
4.	West Bengal	9,13,47,736	4th

(b) Four large states of India (As regards area)

S. No.	Name of State	Area (kms)	Rank in area	Population	Rank in Population
1.	Rajasthan	3,42,239	First	6,86,21,012	Eighth
2.	Madhya Pradesh	3,08,245	Second	7,25,97,565	Seventh
3.	Maharashtra	3.07.713	Third	11,23,72,972	Second
4.	Uttar Pradesh	2,94,000	Fourth	19,95,81.477	First

Comparisons
(1) These four large states together account for about 1/3 of the total population of India.
(2) More than l/4th of total population of India lives in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
(3) Uttar Pradesh has more people than the two largest states of India i.e., Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
(4) Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are sparsely populated but Uttar Pradesh is densely populated.

Question 18.
Explain the causes of concentration of dense population in the Sutlej-Ganga plains.
Answer:
Sutlej-Ganga plains is the most densely populated area in India. This includes the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi (NCR), Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The density of population of these states is above national average density.

State	Density of population	State ’	Density of population
Punjab	550	Uttar Pradesh	828
Haryana	573	Khar	1102
Delhi (NCR)	11297	West Bengal	1029

This is the largest compact belt of high density of population. West Bengal has the highest density of population in India.

Reasons:
(1) Favourable climate
(2) Fertile river valleys and delta favouring agriculture.
(3) 2 to 3 crops of rice in a year.
(4) Irrigation facilities.
(5) Rural economy.
(6) Urban and Industrial development in Delhi and Kolkata.
(7) A network of developed means of transportation.

Question 19.
Highlight the significance of Socio-economic factors affecting the distribution of population.
Answer:
Socio-economic factors have helped to increase the economic development of an area.
(i) Technology has been the key to Development.
(ii) Technical know how has increased the supporting capacity of different areas.
(iii) Primary activities are being replaced by secondary and tertiary activities. These support a high density of population.
(iv) Industrialisation such as around Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata have high density of population.
(v) Urbanisation has increased the concentration of people.
(vi) Areas having the strategy of Green revolution such as Punjab has high density of population.

Question 20.
State the four phases into which Indian demographic history is divided.
Answer:
The process of change in a society, population is called the demographic Transition. It consists of four stages in India:

Period of Stagnant growth rate—Before 1921 (High death and birth rates)
Period of Steady growth rate—1921 to 1951 (High birth rate low declining death rate)
Period of rapid growth rate —1951 tol981 (Death rate declining faster than birth rate)
Period of declining growth rate—(after 1981) (Low birth rate and low death rate)

Question 21
‘The huge size of population dependent on a narrow resource base creates many problems.’ Discuss.
Answer:
India has a huge population (1210 million). 16.7 percent of the world population lives in only 2.4 percent of the world land. This huge population has created many social, political and economic problems. Large size of population means heavy pressure on natural and man-made resources. Two major problems are poverty and environmental degradation. Ethnic diversity, rural character and uneven distribution are also showing the socio-economic development. Indian Agriculture cannot absorb the fast growing population.

Question 22.
State the four phases into which Indian demographic history is divided.
Answer:
The Indian demographic history can be divided into the following four phases :—
1. Before 1921 Period. During this period, the increase in population was sporadic, irregular and slow. After 1921, it has increased steadily. Hence the year 1921 is called the demographic divide in the population study of India.

2. During 1921-51 Period. The population increased steadily with the development in medical facilities which reduced deaths caused by epidemics like plague, cholera and malaria. Deaths due to famines declined and sanitation and medical facilities improved. Consequently, crude death rate declined, but crude birth rate remained high. It is called mortality induced growth.

3. During 1951-81 Period. Average growth rate was about 2.2 per cent per annum during this period. The living conditions of the people improved enormously. Death rates however declined faster than the birth rates. This situation resulted in high natural increase. Thus it was fertility-induced growth.

4. After 1981 Period. The rate of growth started declining gradually. During this period, birth rate declined rapidly, from 34 per thousand in 1981 to 26 per thousand in 1999. The difference between birth and death rates narrowed to 17. This declining trend is a positive indicator of the official efforts of birth control and people’s own inclination to opt for smaller families.

Question 23.
What is meant by the term ‘index of population concentration’ ? What are its implications ?
Answer:
Index of population concentration is the proportion of India’s population living in a state of Indian union. For example, the index of concentration for Uttar Pradesh is
$\frac{1995 \text { Lakh }}{12102 \text { Lakh }}=\frac{1995}{12102} \times 100=16.48 \%$
It means 16.48% population of India lives in Uttar Pradesh Thus, it is a ratio between the population of state and total population of the country.

Question 24.
The decadal and annual growth rates of population in India are both very high and steadily increasing overtime. Substantiate the statement. (CBSE 2018)
Answer:
Growth of population is the change in the number of people living in a particular area between two points. The decadal and annual growth rates of population in India are both very high and steady.

The Decades 1921-1951

It is a period of steady growth of population rate.
There was an overall improvement in health and sanitation.
It brought down the Mortality rate.
The crude death rate remainded high.

The decades 1951-1981

It is a period of population explosion in India.
There was a rapid fall in Mortality rate.
There was a high fertility rate of population.
There was improvement in living conditions.
Migration from neighbouring countries particularly Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, etc. had contributed to high growth rate in India.

Question 25.
What factors are responsible for the high rate of population growth in India ?
Answer:
Between the years 1921-1950, India’s population was stable or had a meagre growth. There has been a rapid growth of population since 1951. The population increased from 361 million in 1951 to 439 million in 1961, 547 million in 1971 and 683 million in 1981 and 844 million in 1991, 1027 million in 2001 and 1210 million in 2011. The main causes for this rapid growth of population have been as under :
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 1 Population Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Questions 1

(i) Fall in Death-rate. Due to improved medical facilities and control over floods and epidemics, there has been a considerable fall in death-rate. It has declined from 47 in year 1921 to 7 per thousand in 2001.
(ii) Increase in life expectancy. The expectation of life has increased from 23 years to 65 years in 2001.
(iii) Fall in infant mortality rate. The death rate among children below one year of age has dropped from 250 to 125 per thousand.

Question 26.
What are the basic components ‘ um of change in population or growth of population ?
Ans.
Population never remains stable. It changes with time. The change in population depends on these components:
(i) Birth-rate
(ii) Death-rate
(iii) Migration.
A high birth-rate results in an increase in population, while a high death-rate shows a declining population. The difference between birth-rate and death- rate is called natural growth. When birth-rate is more than death-rate, it is called positive natural growth. Population declines due to out-migration or emigration of people to foreign countries. Population increases due to in-migration or immigration of people from foreign countries.

Question 27.
Why are the years 1921 and 1951 most significant in the history of population growth in India ?
Answer:
The population of India is increasing at a rapid rate during this century. Between 1901 and 1981, it has increased almost three times. The population growth has been fluctuating during this period.

From the table given below, it is clear—
(i) Till year 1921, the population of India remained more or less stable. During the years 1901-1921 there was an increase in population by only 13 million (at the rate of 3% per decade). This was due to a large death toll because of great influenza (1911-21), First World War (1914), epidemics (1918) and droughts (1920). After 1921, the population began to rise at a slow but definite rate. Thus, the year 1921, is known as a great divide in our demographic history.

(ii) Till 1951, there has been a steady growth of population. After 1951, the population rose at a rapid rate. Thus, the first stage of population growth was over by the year 1951. Between 1951-81, a period of 30 years, our population has been doubled almost at a growth rate of 2.42 per annum.

Question 28.
What do you mean by Census of population ? After how many years, it is held in India ?
Answer:
Census of Population.
Population data are mostly collected through censuses in all countries of the world. In the case of India, the first census was held in 1872, although the first complete census was taken in 1881 only. Since then, censuses have been held regularly with a gap of 10 years. A census of population involves a complicated process of collecting, compiling and publishing complete demographic data pertaining to all persons living in the country at the time of the censuses. Many improvements have been made to make Indian census as one of the best in the world.

Question 29.
How is arithmetic density not a sensitive measure of density of population ? Which method suits agricultural areas ?
Answer:
A ratio of population is a better measure of variation in the distribution of population. One such measure is the density of population expressed as number of people per unit area, for example, a square kilometre or a hectare. However, it is a crude measure, and is referred to as arithmetic density. It is a crude method. It is not a sensitive measure of densities.

It is crude because the entire area of a country or a state is taken into consideration while calculating the density. In fact, the population lives only in the selected areas which are productive, rich in natural resources and accessible to the humans. The hilly and the rugged terrain, swampy, marshy and forested tracts as well as the areas covered by water bodies are just not suited for human habitation. These are called negative areas. These areas should not be considered for population.

Since arithmetic density is not a very sensitive index of population crowding, densities are sometimes calculated for the rural population or agricultural population. In calculating the density, cultivated area is considered. A ratio of population to cultivated area is described in France as physiological density. This measure of density gives us an idea as to how many people are dependent on each hectare of cultivated land. It is a highly meaningful index, particularly for countries whose economies are largely dependent on agriculture.

Question 30.
Which are the major demographic attributes of human population ?
Answer:
The major attributes of population are :
(a) Sex Ratio. A population is comprised by males and females ; who are of different age groups.

(b) Rural and urban population. They may be residing in villages, small and medium towns or large cities.

(c) Working and non-working population. A substantive proportion of population may consist of non-workers who are either too young to work or do not work because they are ill or too old to accept any work.

(d) Others. Age, place of residence, language, religion, marital status, ethnicity, education and occupation. These characteristics of population composition may be described as demographic attributes.

Question 31.
Which state of India is most rural in character ?
Or
In which part of the country is proportion of rural population higher than national average ?
Answer:
The 2011 Census shows that 72.3 percent population is rural. About 741 million people live in villages. Some states are mostly rural. In Himachal Pradesh, about 90 percent people live in villages. Arunachal Pradesh is most rural with 94.50 percent rural population. All the Northern and North-Eastern states have higher proportion of rural population than national average.

Question 31.
Name the Million Towns of India
Answer:
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 1 Population Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Questions 2

Question 32.
State the distributional pattern of sex ratio in the country.
Answer:
(i) Sex ratio is the number of females per thousand males.
(ii) Sex ratio of India in 2011 is 940 while it was 972 in 1991.
(iii) Sex ratio is high in rural areas.
(iv) Sex ratio is lower in Union Territories.
(v) Kerala has the highest sex ratio of 1084.
(vi) 17 States and 2 Union Territories have sex ratio higher than national average.
(vii) Sex Ratio declines from South to North and from East to West.

Question 33.
“The sex ratio has been generally declining ever since 1901.” Critically examine the statement and give reasons for the declining trend.
Answer:
The sex ratio of India according to 2011 census is 940 per thousand males. There is a general declining trend in sex ratio. The ratio in 1901 was 972. It was declined to 940 in 2011. This decline has been due to social evils in our society.

Reasons of declining sex ratio :

In our society, female child is neglected. Male population dominates in our society
There is high death-rate among females
Death-rate is particularly high among married women
Women labour migrates to some mining and industrial centres. It also results in declining sex ratio.

Question 34.
Describe the growth of urban population in India.
Answer:
With rapid increase in population, the urban population has also rapidly increased. During the last 100 years of demographic history, it has rapidly increased. The total population has increased four times but the urban population has increased eight times. During the first four decades of this century, the urban growth has been very slow. But during the last two decades it has increased rapidly. The urban population in 1901 was 257 lakhs, it has increased to 3330 lakhs in 2011.

Question 35.
Which states of India have a high sex ratio and which states of India have a low sex ratio ?
Answer:
The highest sex ratio (1084 females per 1000 males) is found in Kerala whereas the national average is 940 females per 1000 males.
Area of High Sex Ratio. The following states of India have a sex ratio higher than the national average.

Odisha (978), Andhra Pradesh (992), Tamil Nadu (995), Karnataka (968), Himachal Pradesh (974), Meghalaya (986), Goa (968), Kerala (1084), Puducherry (1038), Chhattisgarh (991), Manipur (987), Uttarakhand (963), Tripura (961), Jharkhand (947).

Areas of Low Sex Ratio. The following states of India have a sex ratio lower than national average.
Sikkim (889), Nagaland (931), Haryana (877), Punjab (893), Uttar Pradesh (898), Bihar (916), Arunachal (920),Assam (954), Madhya Pradesh (930), Maharashtra (925), Gujarat (918), West Bengal (947) and Rajasthan (926).

Question 36.
What do you understand by term sex ratio ?
Answer:
The sex composition of population is often expressed as a ratio which is known as the sex ratio. It is computed as number of females per thousand males. Thus, a sex ratio of 1000 implies complete parity between the two sexes. Ratios above 1000 indicates excess of females over males; those below 1000 indicate a deficit of females. The overall sex ratio of 933 for Indian population suggests a general deficit of females. Kerala state has a sex ratio of 1058 where females outnumber males.

Question 37.
Describe the salient features of occupational structure of population of India.
Answer:
The occupation of population is often classified into primary, secondary and tertiary activities. The 2001 census of India published its data dividing the workers into four main categories.

India-occupational structure (2001) %

Occupations		Persons	Males	Females
1.	Cultivators	31.71	31.34	32.50
2.	Agricultural Labourers	26.69	20.82	39.43
3.	Household Industries	4.07	3.02	6.37
4.	Other workers	37.58	44.72	21.70

(1) More than half of the main workers are engaged in agricultural activities (31.71 + 26.69 = 58.40%)
(2) Workers engaged in Non-Agricultural activities are 41.65%.
(3) More females are engaged in Primary Sector.
(4) The number of workers in the tertiary sector are more in towns and cities.

Question 38.
Name the 18 major languages which have been specified in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
The following 18 major languages have been specified in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution:

Assamese
Bengali
Gujarati
Hindi
Kannada
Kashmiri
Malyalam
Marathi
Oriya
Punjabi
Sanskrit
Tamil
Telugu
Urdu
Sindhi
Nepali
Konkani
Manipuri.

Question 39.
Name the four language families to which Indian languages belong to.
Answer:
The languages spoken by the people of India have been divided into the following four language families:

Austric Family — (Nishada)
Dravidian Family — (Dravida)
Sino-Tibetan Family — (Kirata)
Indo-European Family — (Arya)

Question 40.
Which language family is predominant in India ?
Answer:
Most of the population of India speaks the languages of Aryan Family. About 73% of the total population of India speak Aryan Languages. Hindi is the main language of this family and is spoken by the majority of people in India.

Question 41.
Why do the people of India display high degree of diversity in their language and dialects ?
Or
“India is a land of linguistic diversity.” Support the statement. (Outside Delhi 2019)
Answer:
India is a vast country of severe contrasts. The languages and dialects show a great diversity. According to 1961 census, there are about 187 languages spoken in India. It is but natural when we look the huge size of population of India. The population of India has been derived from a number of racial groups.

The people in India has been in a long process during which different racial groups entered India. Each stock has its own spoken languages. This led to the development of different languages in different regions. Each region has tried to maintain its own language. Each linguistic group has tried to maintain its individual identity.

Language is a good indicator of ethnic diversity as well as unity. In 1961 Census, 1652 languages were enlisted on mother tongues in India. Hindi is the mother tongue of 337.27 million persons (40.42% of total).

Question 42.
‘The decades 1921-1951 are referred to as the period of steady l growth of population, whereas the decades of 1951-81 are referred to as the period of population explosion in India Explain giving reasons. (C.B.S.E. 2014)
Answer:
Growth the populations is the change in the number of people living in a particular area between two points. The decadal and annual growth rates of population in India are both very high.

The decades 1921 -1951

It is a period of steady growth of population rate.
There was an overall improvement in health and sanitation.
It brought down the Mortality rate.
The crude death rate remained high.

The Decades 1951 -1981

It is a period of population explosion in India.
There was a rapid fall in Mortality rate.
There was a high fertility rate of population.
There was improvement in living conditions,
Migration from neighbouring countries particularly Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, etc., had contributed to high growth rate of India.
Economy rose and development acitivites.

Question 43.
“Apart from birth and death, migration is another way by which the population size changes.” Justify the statement. (Outside Delhi 2019)
Answer:
Migration is one of the major factors that affects the population change. Rural urban migration is important factor contributing to the population growth of cities. Population declines due to out-migration or immigration of people to foreign countries. Population increases due to in-migration or immigration of people from foreign countries.

Internal migration does not make any change but international migration makes the differences in the size of population. Marriage is a social factor which change the size of population if women married to foreigner population decreased and population of her husband country increased. Facilities of education, health, etc. inspire people to migrate. Due to employment facilities people migrate from their birth place.

Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe briefly the factors responsible for the variations in ; density of population in India. (C.B.S.E. 2011)
Or
An uneven distribution of population suggests a close relationship between socio-population and physical and economic factors”. Support the statement with suitable examples. (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Density of population means the average number of people living in a sq. km. area. It is called arithmetic density. It is calculated as under :
Density ol population $=\frac{\text { Total population }}{\text { Total area }}$
Density of population of India in 2011
$=\frac{1210 \text { crore persons }}{32.8 \text { lakh sq. } \mathrm{km} . \text { area }}=382$ persons per sq. km.
With this average density of 382 persons per sq. km, India is considered to be one of the densely populated countries of the world.

Distribution Of Population

The population in India is not evenly distributed among different states. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are the most populous states of India while Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura are sparsely populated states. The factors affecting the distribution of population can be grouped into three classes:

Physical factors
Socio-economic factors
Demographic factors

The following factors determine the density of population:

(i) Relief of the Land. Plain areas attract more population than mountains and plateaus. It is so because in plains, it is easy to conduct business, industry and farming. Against this, in the mountainous areas like Himachal Pradesh and Meghalaya the density is low. It is so because in hilly areas facilities like flat land, transport, irrigation, etc. are not available for the conduct of trade, industry and farming. A high density of population is found in the fertile plains of the Ganga and Sutlej.

(ii) Climate. The extremely cold climate of Ladakh and northern Himachal Pradesh, extremely hot climate of Thar Desert in Rajasthan and wet climate of Meghalaya discourage human settlement.

(iii) Rainfall. Areas with regular and moderate rainfall are densely populated. For instance, in West Bengal, density of population is 1029 per sq. km. due to the adequate rainfall which is beneficial for farming.

(iv) Irrigational Facilities. If the rainfall is scanty in an area but irrigational facilities are available, agriculture becomes possible which in turn supports large population. It is for this reason that we find high density in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu where water is available for irrigation.

(v) Soil. Deep, fertile soils are suitable for agriculture. River valleys, deltas and lowlands are the most productive areas. River valleys are densely populated areas. There is sparse population in region of poor soils.

(vi) Minerals. The presence of mineral deposits supports a high population density. New towns have sprung up in Damodar valley due to presence of minerals. Coal, water power and petroleum help in the location of industries. These industrial areas support a large population.

(vii) Rivers and water supply. Rivers are the main source of water supply. Most of the towns are located along the banks of rivers. The ancient civilisation grew up in the river valleys. Deserts are sparsely populated due to shortage of water.

(viii) Agriculture. Productive areas can generally support dense population. In West Bengal, three crops a year are obtained in rice-cultivating areas. Therefore, West Bengal has high density of population in agricultural areas. Areas adopting modern high yielding crops have high density of population like Punjab.

(ix) Means of transportation. Means of transportation affect industries, agriculture and trade of region. Areas with developed and means of transportation attract population. Inaccessible areas like mountains are sparsely populated.

(x) Demographic factors. Fertility, mortality, migration and urbanisation also affect the distribution of population.

Question 2.
“The spatial distribution of population in India is highly uneven.” Discuss with the help of suitable examples. (C.B.S.E. 2017 Set-I)
Or
Describe the spatial patterns of density of population in India.
Answer:
The distribution of population in India is very unequal. According to 2001 census, the total population of India is 121.02 crores and the density of population is 324 persons per sq. kilometre. The density of population varies according to relief, climate and the agricultural productivity of the land. The density of population depends on the amount of rainfall. The areas of sufficient rainfall can support a large number of people.

Keeping in view, the national average density (382 persons per sq km), three types of population density areas are recognized: —
1. Densely populated areas: These areas have a density of more than 400 persons per sq kilometre. The high density areas make a girdle round the Deccan plateau. Right from Sutlej-Beas plain to Brahamputra valley, the density of population is very high. Three clusters of high density are found :
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 1 Population Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Questions 4
(а) West Coastal Plain. Kerala has 859 persons per sq. kilometre density of population.
(b) The East Coastal Plain. Tamil Nadu has a density of 555 persons per sq. kilometre. Mahanadi, Godawari and Krishna deltas are clusters of high density.
(c) The Northern Plain. It includes West Bengal (1029), Bihar (1102), Uttar Pradesh (828), Punjab (550), Haryana (573).

Factors favouring high density :

Sufficient rainfall.
Fertile river valleys and deltas.
2 to 3 crops of rice in a year.
Irrigation facilities.
Healthy climate.
Rich in mineral and power resources.
Rural economy.
Urban and Industrial development in Kolkata and Delhi.

2. Moderately populated areas. These include the areas with a density between 250 to 500 persons per sq. kilometre. These areas are surrounded by Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats. Maharashtra (365), Andhra Pradesh (308), Karnataka (319), Gujarat (308), Odisha (269), Goa (399), Assam (397) have a moderate density.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 1 Population Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Questions 5

Factors for moderate density:

Agriculture is not developed due to thin and rocky soils, undulating topography.
Rainfall is uncertain.
Means of transporation are not developed.
Some areas have high density of population due to irrigation and Green Revolution, lava soils, mineral resources and Industrial development.

3. Sparsely populated areas. These areas have a density less than 250 persons per sq. kilometre. The mountainous, arid and forest areas are not attractive to human habitation. An extensive tract of low density extends from the Aravallis to Odisha.

(a) North Eastern India. This region includes Meghalaya (132), Manipur (122), Nagaland (119), Sikkim (86) and Arunachal Pradesh (17).

(b) Rajasthan Desert. Rajasthan has a density of 128 persons per sq. kilometre.

Factors for low density:

The hilly nature of the land.
Dense forests.
Low rainfall.
Poor economic development.
Absence of minerals.
Lack of irrigation and agriculture.
Cold climate.

Ranking of States and Union Territories by Population : 2011

Rank in 2011	Indian States/Union Territories	Population 2011	Percent to total population of INDIA	Density of Population
1	2	1,21,01,93,422 3	100.00 4	382 5
	INDIA	1,21,01,93,422	100.00	382
1.	Uttar Pradesh	19,95,81,477	16.49	828
z.	Maharashtra	11,23,72,9/2	9.29	365
3.	Bihar	10,38,04,637	8.58	1,102
4.	West Bengal	9,13,47,736	7.55	1,029
5.	Andhra Pradesh	4,93,86,799	4 00	308
6.	Madhya Pradesh	7,25,97,565	6.00	236
7.	Tamil Nadu	7,21,38,958	5.96	555
8.	Rajasthan	6,86,21,012	5.67	201
9.	Karnataka	6,11,30,704	5.05	319
10.	Gujarat	6,03,83,628	4.99	308
11.	Odisha	4,19,47,358	3.47	269
12.	Kerala	3,33,87,677	2.76	859
13.	Jharkhand	3,29,66,238	2.72	414
14.	Assam	3,11,69,272	2.58	397
15.	Punjab	2,77,04,236	2.29	550
16.	Chhattisgarh	2,55,40,196	2.11	189
17.	Haryana	2,53,53,081	2.09	573
18.	NCT of Delhi*	1,67,53,235	1.38	11,297
19.	Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh*	1,25,48,926	1.04	124
20.	Uttarakhand	1,01,16,752	0.84	189
21.	Himachal Pradesh	68,56,509	0.57	123
22.	Tripura	36,71,032	0.30	350
23.	Meghalaya	29,64,007	0.24	132
24.	Manipur	27,21,756	0.22	122
25.	Nagaland	19,80,602	0.16	119
26.	Goa	14,57,723	0.12	394
27.	Arunachal Pradesh	13,82,611	0.11	17
28.	Puducherry*	12,44,464	0.10	2,598
29.	Mizoram	10,91,014	0.09	52
30.	Chandigarh*	10,54,686	0.09	9,252
31.	Sikkim	6,07,688	0.05	86
32.	Andaman & Nicobar Islands*	3,79,944	0.03	46
33.	Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu*	585,764	0.05	970
34.	Lakshadweep*	64,429	0.01	2,013
35.	Telangana *Union Territories	3,52,86,757	3.00	307

# Note: The erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir reorganised into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. As per Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union territories) Act, 2019, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have been merged.

Question 3.
Describe the geographical distribution of different language families in India.
Answer:
The people of India display a high degree of diversity in their languages. The languages spoken by the people can be classified into four language families.

1. Austric Family. The Austric languages are spoken by 6.2 million people in India. These include languages spoken by tribal people.

Munda language is spoken by tribal groups of Santhals, Mayurbhanj, Ranchi, Betul and Baudh Khondmahals (Jharkhand).
The Mon Khmer Khasi language is spoken in Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya.
Nicobari language is spoken in Nicobar Island.

2. Sino-Tibetan Family. These languages are spoken by tribal groups of Himalayan Region.

Tibeto-Himalayan group includes Tibetan, Balthi, Ladakhi, Lahauli and Bhutia : Lahauli, Kanauri and Lepcha. Ladakhi has the largest number of speakers.
North-Assam group includes Aka, Drafla, Abor, Miri and Mishmi Mishing mostly spoken in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Assam-Burmese group includes Bodo, Naga, Kochin and Kukichin.

3. Dravidian Family. These languages are spoken in Deccan plateau region. It includes Tamil (Tamil Nadu), Malayalam (Kerala), Kannada (Karnataka) and Telugu (Andhra Pradesh). There is less diversity in this group of languages. It also includes Kin, Parji, Khond, Tulu, Kurgi, etc.

4. Aryan Family. It has two main branches :
(i) Dardic
(ii) Aryan

The majority of people speak these languages. Hindi is the principal language spoken by the majority of people. Hindi is the main language in Northern plains. Urdu, Sindhi, Marathi, Konkani, Oriya, Bangla, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Marwari are other important languages in different regions. Hindi occupies the fourth place in the World. Urdu is very akin to Hindi and is widely spoken in this belt.

Question 4.
Discuss the religious composition of Indian population and its spatial distribution.
Answer:
Religious Composition : Important aspect of India’s population is the multiplicity of religious faiths. It is commonly known that the religion of the land is Hinduism. India witnessed successive penetration by other religions (Christianity, Judaism, Zorastrianism, Islam) and sections of Indian population embraced these faiths from time to time.

(1) The earliest to appear was Christianity. Historical records show that the Syrian Christians appeared on the west coast of India in the very first century of the Christian era.

(2) The Arab traders brought the message of Islam to the people of India living on the west coast much before the Muslim conquest of India.

(3) Buddhism which was once upon a time a major religion of the land is today confined to a few pockets only.
It is thus obvious that the religious composition of population has been changing with conversions from one faith to another, due to migration and partition of the country.

Different Religions. The religious groups of India include Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, although other religious faiths such as Judaism and Zorastrianism are also represented. Several tribal communities adhere to animism and totemism. Hindus account for 82 per cent of the total population. They are distributed in all parts of India. However, in some districts they are less numerous than the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs or Buddhists.

The Muslims are the largest minority group and account for 12.12 per cent of the total population. The proportion of Christians is 2.34 per cent while Sikhs account for 1.93 per cent of the total population. Buddhists and Jains account for 0.76 and 0.39 per cent of the total population, respectively. It may be noted that while Hindus are found everywhere, other religious groups have their concentration in a few pockets only.

(1) Hindus : Hindus remain the most numerous groups everywhere.

(a) In many parts of the country such as a few districts of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh the proportion of Hindus population goes up to 95 per cent or even above. It is lowest (5 %) in Mizoram.

(b) In the sub-Himalayan districts of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh the proportion of Hindu population is high above 95 per cent.

(c) The Hindu percentage remains well above 90 per cent in eastern Madhya Pradesh, eastern Gujarat, southern Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

(d) There are, however, certain districts on the west coast where the Hindu percentages fall below 70 per cent and even below 50 per cent. Hindus are in minority in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Nagaland and North East Tribal areas.

(2) Muslims : According to the 1991 Census, Muslim population numbered 101.5 million which accounted for 12.12 per cent of the country’s total population. The major areas of Muslims concentration are situated in the Kashmir Valley, parts of the upper Ganga plain (Uttar Pradesh) and a number of districts in West Bengal where the Muslim proportion ranges between 20 and 40 per cent. In Murshidabad (West Bengal), the Muslim proportion goes as high as 61.40 per cent. In the upper Ganga Valley, Muslims are fairly predominant in several districts.

(3) Christians : Of the 19.64 million Christians of India, about 29 per cent live in the state of Kerala alone. Other areas of Christian concentration are in Goa and Tamil Nadu.

About 30 per cent of population of Goa consists of Christians. Several Tribal districts of Odisha and Bihar have significant proportion of Christian population. Likewise, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur have very high proportion of Christians. In Nagaland for example, their share in the total population is as high as 87.47 percent.

Mizoram with 85.73 per cent of its population consisting of Christians follows closely. Percentages remain very high in the districts of Meghalaya and some districts of Manipur (between 50 and 98 per cent). Several districts of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have small Christian population.

(4) Sikhs : The 1991 Census returns show that there are 16.25 million Sikhs in the country. While there is no part in India where the Sikhs are not found, their major concentration is seen in the states of Punjab and neighbouring districts of Haryana. This is obvious because Sikhism arose from the soil of Punjab.

Minor pockets of Sikh concentration are found in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh, Ganganagar, Alwar and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan. Sikhs account for 4.84 per cent of the total population of the Union Territory of Delhi. In the urban areas of other states, Sikhs live in small numbers.

(5) Buddhists, Jains and Parsis : India has about 6.38 million Buddhists, 3.55 million, Jains and about 72,000 Parsis. Of the total Buddhists of India, 79 per cent live in Maharashtra alone. These are Neo-Buddhists who embraced this religion after large scale conversion under the influence of the movement launched by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The main pockets of traditional Buddhism, however, lie in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

Of the total population of India, 28.80 per cent live in Maharashtra, 16.78 per cent in Rajasthan and 14.65 per cent in Gujarat. These three states account for 60.23 per cent of the Jain population of the country. An interesting feature of the distribution of Jains is that their majority live in the urban areas. The Parsis are the smallest religious group. They are most concentrated in Western parts of India in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Question 5.
Discuss the trend of urbanisation in India with special reference to the post independence period.
Answer:
Urbanisation in India : According to census, the population is classified into two groups; rural and urban. People living in towns are included
in urban population. A town is an area which has a municipal committee, corporation etc. ; it has a population more than 5000 and 75% people are engaged in occupations other than agriculture.

India is primarily an agricultural country. Most of people live in villages. Villages have been the basis of Indian culture. India has a large urban population. According to census of 2011, the total urban population in India was 39 crores. It is almost equal to the urban population of U.S.A. (25,9 crore) India ranks the largest urbanised country in the world. But the degree of urbanisation in India is low as compared to other countries of the world.

Country	Urban population %
U.S.A.	82.6
Brazil	84.9
Egypt	43.7
Pakistan	36.7
India	31.7

Growth of urban population :

With the rapid increase in population, the urban population has also rapidly increased. During the last 110 years (1901-2011), the total population of India increased three times, but the urban population has increased eleven times during the same period.

Rural and Urban Population : 1901-2011

Census year	Population (million)		Percentage of total population
	Rural	Urban	Rural	Urban
1901	213	26	89.2	10.8
1911	226	26	89.7	10.3
1921	223	28	88.8	11.2
1931	246	33	88.0	12.0
1941	275	44	86.1	13.9
1951	299	62	82.7	17.3
1961	360	79	82.0	18.0
1971	439	109	80.1	19.9
1981	524	159	76.7	23.3
1991	629	218	74.3	25.7
2001	741	285	72.2	27.8
2011	833	377	68.8	31.7

The rate of growth of urbanisation has been slow during the period 1901.-61. But during the period of 20 years (1961-81) there has been a rapid growth of urbanisation in India. The urban population increased from 7.8 crores to 15.6.

The percentage of urban population increased from 17.9% to 23.3%. In 2001 the urban population has increased to 28.5 crores (27.8% of the total population). The growth of towns has helped rapid growth of urbanisation. Many industrial towns have been established. The Indian towns have been classified into 6 groups.

Class	Population
Class I Class II	More than 1 Lakh 50000 – 99999
Class III	20000 – 49999
Class IV	10000-19999
Class V	5000 – 9999
Class VI	Less than 5000

After independence, the number of big towns is increasing while the number of small towns is decreasing. In 1991, there were 299 class I towns out of 4689 towns. In 1981, there were 218 class I towns, but in 1901 there were only 24 class I towns. The number of million towns in India is 35.

These towns have a population of 10 crores which is about 1.3rd of total urban population of India. Kolkata, Mumbai, ‘Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Kanpur, Nagpur, Jaipur, Lucknow are million towns in India.

Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
‘Dense population is found in states in Ganga and Sutlej plain.’ Explain.
Answer:
West Bengal (1029 persons per sq. km) and Bihar (1102 persons) are the two states with dense population in Northern plains, Uttar Pradesh (20 crores population) is the state with highest population of India with density of population of 828 persons per sq. km. Punjab has density of population of 550 persons per sq. km. while Haryana has a density of population of 573 persons per sq. km. All the states he in Ganga Sutlej Basin.

Question 2.
Identify the challenges of the adolescent population before the society. Enlist a few measures to overcome these problems. (Sample Paper 2018-19)
Answer:
The share of adolescents is about 20.9% of the population. The adolescent population though regarded as the youthful population, having high potential is quite vulnerable if not quided properly. The National youth policy looks into the overall development of our large youth population. It stresses on an all round improvement of the youth and adolescent enabling them to shoulder responsibility towards constructive development of the country.

It reinforces the qualities of patriotism and responsible citizenship.
Special emphasis was given in empowering women and girl child to bring parity in the male and the female status.
Efforts were made to look into health. Sports and recreation creativity and awareness about new innovations in the spheres of science and technologies.

Map Skills

Question 1.
Show the following on the outline map of India and label these.
Answer:
(1) Most populated state.
(2) Least populated state.
(3) State with highest density of population.
(4) State with lowest density of population.
(5) State with highest growth rate of population.
(6) State with lowest growth rate of population.
(7) State with highest percentage of rural population.
(8) Most urbanised state.
(9) State with highest sex ratio.
(10) State with lowest sex ratio.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 1 Population Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Questions 7

Understanding Partition Class 12 Important Extra Questions History Chapter 14

June 1, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 14 Understanding Partition: Politics, Memories, Experiences. Class 12 History Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 History Chapter 14 Important Extra Questions Understanding Partition: Politics, Memories, Experiences

Understanding Partition Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When did India get independence?
Answer:
On 15th August 1947 A.D.

Question 2.
How many people died during the partition of India?
Answer:
Scholars believe that they could be within the range of 200,000 to 500,000.

Question 3.
How many people migrated during the partition of India?
Answer:
Around 15 million people.

Question 4.
When did the British give a separate Electorate to Muslims?
Answer:
In 1909 through Minto-Morley reforms.

Question 5.
What was the major objective of Arya Samaj?
Answer:
To revive Vedic learning and combine it with modern education in the sciences.

Question 6.
When and between whom the Lucknow Pact was made?
Answer:
Between Congress and Muslim League in 1916 A.D.

Question 7.
When were elections held in India for the provincial legislatures?
Answer:
In 1937 A.D.

Question 8.
In how many provinces, Congress made the government in 1937?
Answer:
In seven provinces.

Question 9.
Why did congress reject Muslim League’s offer to form a joint government in the United Province?
Answer:
Because it had an absolute majority over there.

Question 10.
When did Muslim League demand Pakistan?
Answer:
In 1940.

Question 11.
Who wrote ‘Sare Jahan Se Achha Hindustan Hamara?
Answer:
Urdu Poet Mahammad Iqbal.

Question 12.
When was Cabinet Mission sent to India by the British government?
Answer:
In March 1946.

Question 13.
When did Muslim League elaborate ‘Direct Action Day’?
Answer:
On 16th August 1946.

Question 14.
During the partition of India, how did the survivors describe the events of 1947?
Answer:
The survivors used the following words to describe the partition of the country in 1947:

Marshal-la (Martial Law)
Mara-Mari (Killings)
Raula (Tumult)
Hullar (Disturbance or Uproar).

Question 15.
Why did the Congress not accent the proposal to form a joint government with the Muslim League in the United Provinces? Give any two reasons.
Answer:

The Congress had won an absolute majority in the province.
The Muslim League supported Landlordism whereas Congress wanted to abolish it.

Question 16.
What did the Urdu poet Mohammad Iqbal meant by ‘northwest Indian Muslim State’?
Answer:
Addressing a meeting of the Muslim League in 1930, Mohammad Iqbal visualized the need for a ‘northwest Indian Muslim State’. He did not stress the emergence of a new state. He only wanted the reorganization of Muslim-majority areas in north-western India. In fact, he wanted an autonomous state within the Indian federation.

Question 17.
Why and when was the Cabinet Mission sent to India?
Answer:
The Cabinet Mission was sent to India in 1946 to fulfill the following objectives:

It wanted to examine the demands made by the Muslim League.
It was to suggest a suitable political framework for an independent India.

Question 18.
On the basis of any two points, tell the significance of the oral sources of history.
Answer:

It helps us to grasp experiences and memories.
It enables historians to give a beautiful and vivid description of events.

Question 19.
On which two demands of Jinnah, the discussions about the transfer of power broke down?
Answer:

Jinnah stuck on the demand that Muslim members of the Executive Council must be elected by the Muslim League.
He also wanted to have a system of veto in the council on a communal basis.

Understanding Partition Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
The partition of India was a holocaust. Justify your answer by giving five examples.
Answer:
The partition of India was not only a political event but also a holocaust. It can be substantiated with the following examples:

Lakhs of people were killed. A large number of women were either raped or abducted.
Millions of people had become refugees in alien lands.
A large number of people were rendered homeless.
Most of the people had lost their movable assets and immovable property.
Many people were separated from their relatives or friends.
There were killings, rape, arson, and loot. In other words, the partition of India in 1947 was a holocaust. It meant destruction or slaughter on a mass- scale.

Question 2.
Do you agree that the partition of the country was the contribution of separate electorates?
Answer:
The partition of India in 1947 was a culmination of communal politics. In 1909, the colonial government in India had created separate electorates for Muslims. The separate electorates meant that Muslims were entitled to elect their own representatives from the designated constituencies. It led to sectarian politics and communal clashes. Some politicians raised sectarian slogans to woo the voters.

Because of those separate electorates, the religious identities got a functional use. At times, they also got hardened. In other words, the creation of separate electorates increased opposition and hostility between different communities. They had an unhealthy impact on Indian politics which resulted in the partition of India in 1947.

Question 3.
What were the reasons for the establishment of the Muslim League in India? What was the contribution of the British Policy of ‘Divide and Rule’ in the establishment of the Muslim League?
Answer:
The Muslim League was established in India because of the following reasons:

The Muslims belonging to high classes had so far not forgotten that they had ruled India for many years. They had lost all their rights during the British rule. They established the Muslim League to attain an influential position in the society.
A Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College was set up at Aligarh. It had an English principal. He used to instigate the Muslim students against the Hindus.
Another reason for the establishment of the Muslim League was the British policy of Divide and Rule. The white men always told the Muslims that Congress was a Hindu party. So it cannot think about the welfare of the Muslims. The white men succeeded in their policy because the Muslims had made up their minds to create their own political party.

Question 4.
Under what circumstances, India attained independence?
Answer:
India fought a long-drawn war to attain its freedom. After the Second World War, the British Government was so weakened that it was impossible for her to control all the colonies. So in 1946, the British Government declared that it wanted to end its rule in India. It sent a Cabinet Mission to India for this purpose. This Mission proposed to call the Constituent Assembly and constitute an Interim Government.

As soon as the Interim Government was set up, the Muslim League raised its demand for Pakistan. So there were communal riots at many places like Bengal, Bihar, and Bombay. Under these circumstances, Lord Mountbatten placed his proposal for the division or partition of the country. All accepted this proposal. At last, India was partitioned on 15 August 1947. Since then, India is an independent country.

Question 5.
Why did the Cabinet Mission visit India? What were its recommendations? Analyze the provisions of the Cabinet Mission of 1946. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (D))
Answer:
A three-member Cabinet Mission visited India in March 1946. Its purpose was to examine the demand of the Muslim League for the creation of Pakistan. It also wanted to suggest a suitable political framework for independent modern India. It toured the whole country for three months. At last, it made the following recommendations:

It suggested a loose three-tier confederation for India.
It also suggested a weak central government having control only on foreign affairs, defense, and communications.
It retained provincial assemblies but categorized them into three groups for the elections to Constituent Assembly. Group-A was for the Hindu-majority provinces, Group-B had Muslim-majority provinces of the north-west and Group-C also had Muslim-majority provinces of the north-east including Assam.
All groups of provinces would also have regional units. They would also be empowered to set up intermediate-level executives and legislatures of their
own.

Question 6.
How personal letters and autobio¬graphies give us information about any person (author)? How these sources are different from government sources?
Answer:
Personal letters and autobiographies of any person only express those facts which the author wants to express in front of the world. Those facts could have been wrong as well. Except for this, we cannot get any type of information that the author does not want to disclose. Even then these personal letters and autobiographies give us information, to a certain extent, about the aspirations and problems of the masses.

These sources are different in two ways from government sources:

1. The language of the letters is generally shaped by the feeling that they might be printed one day. On contrary it, the language of government documents is determined by the government. These documents are secret documents and are out of reach of the general masses.

2. Personal letters generally disclose that how the government is responsible for the problems of the general masses. On the other hand, government documents blame the public and their leaders for any event or riots which took place in the country. The government never takes responsibility for itself for such events.

Question 7.
Write a critical note on the Provincial Elections held in 1946.
Answer:
After 1937, provincial elections were once again held in 1946. The results of these elections were as given below:
1. The Congress won all the seats in the general constituencies. It captured 91.3% of the non-Muslim votes.
2. The Muslim League also got a spectacular victory in constituencies reserved for the Muslims. It won all the thirty reserved constituencies in the centre. It got 86.6% of the Muslim vote.
3. Out of the total of 509 reserved constituencies in all the provinces, the Muslim League won in 442 constituencies. In other words, the Muslim League was able to prove that it really represented the Muslim community in India. It came up as the dominant party of the Muslims and vindicated its claim that it was the only spokesman of the Muslims of India.
4. In these elections, only a few people enjoyed the right to vote. The voters were just 10 to 12% of the total population. Similarly, only one per cent voters enjoyed the right to vote for the Central Assembly.

Question 8.
Enumerate the causes that led to the partition of India. Was this partition essential or could it be postponed?
Or
Partition of the country was the result of intricate problems which crept up because of communal tensions and policies of the British. Explain this statement.
Answer:
The communal tensions and the British policy of Divide and Rule led to the partition of India in 1947. The British Policy of Divide and Rule had strengthened communal politics in the country. If Hindu Mahasabha stood for the cause of the Hindus, the Muslim League vindicated the cause of the Muslims. The British spread the venom of hatred in different communities and played them against each other. As such they prepared a ground for the partition of the country.

Question 9.
Are you ready to accept that Congress approval for separate electorates in Lucknow Pact was one of the reason behind the partition of India? Give arguments in support of your answer.
Answer:
The Lucknow Pact was signed in 1916. In it, the Congress had accepted separate electorates. The Congressmen thought that it would strengthen Hindu- Muslim unity. But it was a blunder on the part of Congress. An understanding that had reached between the Congress and the Muslim League did not last long.

The differences erupted between the two parties. Following their policy of Divide and Rule, the British instigated one community against the other. Consequently, the Muslim League continued making communal demands. It started demanding Pakistan for the Muslims which resulted in the partition of the country.

Question 10.
Discuss the consequences of the Lucknow Pact.
Answer:
From the national perspective, the Lucknow Pact of 1916 was quite significant. It had brought both Moderates and Assertive Nationalists on one platform. They had parted ways from each other since 1907. Even more important than this development was the unity of understanding between the Congress and the Muslim League. Under this Pact, both Congress and the Muslim League opened to put forward their collective demands which included:

Most of the members in the legislative council should be elected.
These legislative councils should be given more powers than already given.
Half of the members should be from India in the Executive of the Viceroy.

Question 11.
Discuss the development of nationalism among the Muslims.
Answer:
Communalism played a significant role in the creation of nationalism among the Muslims. The communal feelings made them think that there was no such thing as a Hindu nation. On the other hand, they believed in Hindu Nation and Muslim Nation.

It was well known that before 1870, the Muslims had no communal feelings. Their communalism is the contribution of the colonial rule in India. In 1857, the Hindus and the Muslims had fought unitedly against the British rule. But the British had charged more severe punishments to only Muslims due to which the Muslims later on turned out to be aggressive. The British played a great role in it. When the National Movement started in the country, the British felt concerned for their empire in India.

They did not want unity between the Hindus and Muslims which was the basis of a national upsurge. So they adopted the policy of Divide and Rule. They followed this policy not only politically but also with people belonging to different religions. They also decided to attract Muslim landlords, land owners and newly-educated youth. They taught all the Muslims that their interests varied from that of the Hindus.

They advised all the Muslims that they should form their own organization if they want to make any progress. Sayyed Ahmed Khan helped a lot in instilling a feeling of separatism among the Muslims. During the last days of his life, he had become a conservative. He declared that the interests of the Hindus and the Muslims were different. So he laid the foundation of aggressive nationalism in the Muslims. He opposed the formation of Congress in 1885 with all his might.

Question 12.
Assess the impact of the partition of India on Indian women.
Answer:
The partition of India had the following impacts on the women in the country:

The women were kidnapped and sold in the market. They faced character-assassination and an assault on their respect.
The women were not given any right to express their bitter experiences.
The government remained indifferent towards the plight of the women.
To protect the honor and respect of the women, many relatives themselves killed the women of their families.
Many women considered it better to commit suicide than to fall prey in the hands of the enemy.

Question 13.
Why did Congress reject the offer of the Muslim League to form a Joint Government? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (O.D.))
Or
How did the Congress ministries contribute to the widening of the rift between the Congress and the Muslim League? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
The Congress rejected the offer of the Muslim League to form a Joint Government because it had won an absolute majority in the United Provinces. Moreover, the Congress had rejected the Muslim League proposal for the coalition government partly because Congress wanted to abolish landlordism although the party had not taken any concrete steps in this direction. On the other hand, the Muslim League tended to support landlordism. Most importantly, the Congress had not achieved any substantial gains in the “Muslim Mass Contact” program it launched. In this way, Congress contributed to the widening of the rift between the Congress and the Muslim League.

Question 14.
Explain how the migration in Bengal was more protracted? (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
After the partition, Muslim families kept migrating to Pakistan for many years. This migration was more protracted in Bengal as compared to other parts of the country. This meant that the Bengali division produced a process of suffering that may have been less concentrated but was as agonising. Furthermore, unlike Punjab, the exchange of population in Bengal was not near-total.

Many Bengali Hindus remained in East Pakistan while many Bengali Muslims continued to live in West Bengal. Finally, Bengali Muslims (East Pakistanis) rejected Jinnah’s two-nation theory through political action, breaking away from Pakistan and creating Bangladesh in 1971-72. Religious unity could not hold East and West Pakistan together.

Question 15.
Why did Congress vote for dividing Punjab into two halves? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
Initially, the Congress was against the partition of the country. But in March 1947, the Congress high command agreed to divide Punjab into two halves. One part would constitute the Muslim-majority areas. The other part would include areas having a Hindu-Sikh majority.

Many Sikh leaders and Congressmen were convinced that partition of Punjab was a necessary evil. The Sikhs felt that if they did not accept the partition, they would be over-powered by the Muslim majorities. Then they would be dictated and controlled by Muslim leaders.

A similar principle was applied to Bengal. There was a section of Bhadralok Bengali Hindus. They wanted to retain political power with them. They were also apprehensive of the Muslims. As the Hindus were in minority in Bengal, they thought, it prudent to divide the province. It would help them retain their political dominance. Thus Congress changed its perception about the partition of the country after adopting a pragmatic approach.

Question 16.
“Amidst all the turmoil following March 1947, Gandhiji’s valiant efforts bore fruit to bring harmony among the people.” Justify the statement. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Answer:
From March 1947 onwards, the bloodshed continued for one year. One of its main reasons was the collapse of all government institutions. At the end of the year, there was no sign of any administrative system. The whole of the Amritsar district became a scene of bloodshed. The British officials were unable to handle the situation. Indian sepoys and soldiers came to act as Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs.

This increased more communal tension in the country. Gandhiji came forward to restore communal harmony. He went on to journey from the villages of Noakhali in East Bengal (present Bangladesh) to the villages of Bihar. Then he moved to the riot turned slums of Calcutta and Delhi. Everywhere he reassured the minority community, whether Hindus or Muslims.

Question 17.
Analyze the impact of the partition of India on Punjab and Bengal. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (D))
Answer:
The partition had an adverse impact on Punjab and Bengal. Both the states were divided into two halves. One with Muslim majority, while the other with the Hindu or Sikh majority. It was felt that if there is no partition, they would be swamped by the Muslim community. The political power would not be in their control and began to fear the ‘tutelage of Muslims. The partition was most bloody and destructive in Punjab. There was a complete breakdown of authority in the city.

British officials were unable to handle the situation. The near-total displacement of Hindu and Sikhs eastward into India from West Punjab and of almost all Punjabi speaking Muslims to Pakistan happened in a relatively short period of two years between 1946 and 1948. In Bengal, the migration was even more protracted with people moving across a porous border. People here also faced bloodshed and violence. In both, the states, women, and girls became prime targets of persecution. Attackers treated women’s bodies as territory to be conquered. Dishonoring women of a community was seen as dishonoring the community itself and a mode of taking revenge.

Question 18.
Analyze the role of memoirs and oral narratives in constructing the history of the partition of India. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (D))
Or
Oral testimonies and memoirs are the important sources as for constructing the history of partition of India.” Examine the statement. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D))
Answer:
Oral narratives, memoirs, diaries, family histories, first-hand written accounts all these help us understand the trials and tribulations of ordinary people during the partition of the country. These people viewed Partition in terms of the suffering and the challenges of the times. For them, it was not a mere constitutional division or just the party politics, it meant an unexpected change in life between 1946-50 and beyond.

It even required psychological, emotional, and social adjustments. Memories and experiences shape the reality of an event. One of the strengths of personal reminiscence is that it helps us grasp experiences and memories in detail. It enables historians to write richly textured, vivid accounts of what happened to people during an event such as Partition. It is impossible to extract such information from government documents. Oral history also allows historians to broaden the boundaries of their discipline by rescuing from oblivion the lived experiences of the poor and the powerless.

Question 19.
Examine the events that took place during the 1920s and 1930s which consolidated the communal identities in the country. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (O.D))
Answer:
Many events in the decades of 1920 and 1930s led to the emergence of tension between Hindus and Muslims due to which the partition of the country took place.

Muslims were angered by ‘music before mosque’ by the cow protection movement and by the efforts of the Arya Samaj to being back to the Hindu fold those who had recently connected to Islam.
Hindus were angered by the rapid spread of tabligh and Tanzim after 1923.
As middle-class publicists and communal activists sought to build greater solidarity within their communities, mobilizing people against the other community, riots spread in different parts of the country.

Understanding Partition Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Discuss the growth of Communalism between 1930 to 1940. Also, evaluate the attempts made by nationalist movement to stop it.
Or
“The communal politics that started during the early decades of the 20th century was largely responsible for the partition of the country”? Examine the statement. (C.B.S.E. 2018)
Answer:
The communal factor was quite rampant in the Indian politics between 1930 and 1940. It was due to the Divide and Rule policy adopted by the colonial rulers. This communal element threatened the national movement for independence. Though all the important leaders of various political parties tried to suppress the communal feelings, yet they failed to control it. Communalism ruled the roost during the British rule in India.

The spread of Communalism: The following reasons were responsible for the spread of communalism in the country:

There was a limited franchise. Only 10 to 12% of people enjoyed the right to vote.
There were separate electorates for the Hindus and the Muslims. It generated communal feelings.
The Congress failed to win those seats in the provincial elections which were reserved for the minorities. Four hundred and eighty-two seats were reserved for the Muslims. Out of these, Congress was able to win only 26 seats. 15 out of these 26 seats existed in Northwest Frontier Province. The Hindu Mahasabha also lost most of the seats. The same was the case with the political parties under the control of Zamindars and moneylenders.
The Congress had adopted a basic agricultural programme which resulted in various Peasants’ ‘Movements.

Because of these factors, the zamindars and the moneylenders had started supporting the communal political parties. They had realized that their interest could be best served by strengthening communal parties. They did not see any future for those parties which sought wide political participation of the people. Under these circumstances, Mohammad Ali Jinnah started opposing the Congress everywhere. He started preaching that there was a danger of majority Hindus swallowing the minority Muslims. He also preached that both Hindus and the Muslims were distinct nations, different from each other. They cannot exist together.

Demand for Pakistan: In 1940, the Muslim League passed a Resolution that demanded the partition of India at the time of its independence. It demanded a separate state of Pakistan for the Muslims. As there were many Hindu communal organisations like the Hindu Mahasabha, the communal demand of the Muslim League drew the attention of all. A few Hindu fundamentalists also preached that Hindu was a separate nation and India was for the Hindus. It strengthened the cause of the Muslim League.

The Hindu fundamentalism was in fact not fully justified. In this country the religious, linguistic and caste minorities never felt that their interests were endangered because of the Hindu dominance. The majority of the Hindus also convinced them that they need not worry owing to their large number in the country. But when a few of the majority community voiced communal feelings, it naturally created a sense of insecurity among the minorities. In such a situation, communal feelings gained ground.

For example, during 1940s, the Muslim League had won seats only in those constituencies where most of the minority community people lived. But the party remained weak in those areas like NWFP, Punjab, Sindh, and Bengal where the Muslims were in majority.

Activities of Communal Organisations: The interesting thing is that sometimes the communal forces joined hands against the Congress. For example, the communal organizations in NWFP, Punjab, Sindh and Bengal supported the Muslim League in the formation of its governments. They were more opposed to Congress than to the Muslim League. They also adopted a pro-government attitude. It can be termed as their unique characteristic that the communal forces of NWFP, Punjab, Sindh, and Bengal were pro-Muslim League and pro-British. They were only inimical towards Congress. So they failed to raise any social and economic demands of the people. They represented the cause of the rich.

Attempts to contain communalism by nationalist movement: The national movement strongly opposed the communal forces. Even then, it was unable to face the challenge put by communal forces. At last, communalism resulted in the partition of the country. Some scholars feel that communal forces won at last because the nationalist leaders did not like to talk to them. They never tried to win their confidence. But the reality is otherwise. From the very start, the nationalist leaders tried to have a dialogue with the communal forces.

But it was not possible to satisfy and convince the communal bigots. If one communal group was satisfied, the other raised its own different demands. Between 1937 and 1939, the Congress leaders met Jinnah time and again and tried to assuage his feelings. But Jinnah was not serious and did not put forward any concrete demand. Rather he implored on the Congress to accept the fact that it was a party of the nationalist Hindus and represented only the Hindus. He was ready to talk to Congress only if this condition was met. It was not easy for the Congress to accept this demand of Jinnah. By doing so, it would have left its basic secular nationalist philosophy.

The truth is that communalism spread more when attempts to contain it increased. In fact, there was no need to satisfy the communal forces. A strong struggle was needed to uproot communalism from the country. But the nationalists could not do it. However, we should not underestimate the role played by nationalist forces. In spite of the communal riots of 1946-47, India formed its secular constitution. The principle of secularism is still the soul of the Indian Constitution.

Question 2.
Discuss the provincial elections held in 1937. What were its results and influences?
Or
How did the provincial elections of 1937 prepare ground for the partition of the country?
Or
Examine the outcomes of the provincial elections of 1937 and also examine the role of congress ministries and the Muslim League in it. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (O.D.))
Answer:
To constitute provincial parliaments, elections were held for the first time in 1937. These elections provided a limited1 franchise. Only 10 to 12% of people enjoyed the right to vote.

Results: During these elections, the results were favorable for the Congress. Out of the eleven provinces, it got an absolute majority in five provinces. It formed governments in seven provinces. But in the reserved constituencies, the Muslim League did not show good results. It got only 4.4% of the Muslim votes. It did not win even a single seat in Northwest Frontier Province. There were 84 reserved seats in Punjab. But the Muslim League won only two seats. Similarly, it won three seats in Sindh out of the total of 33 reserved seats.

Impact:

1. In United Provinces, the Muslim League wanted to form a joint government along with Congress. But Congress had got an absolute majority there. So it did not accept the demand of the Muslim League. Some scholars feel that it was here that the Muslim League realised that if India remained united, it is possible that the Muslims might not remain in a dominating position. In other words, the Muslims who were in minority would not be able to attain any political power. So it wanted to strengthen its position as a political party and told its members that the interests of the Muslims could best be served only by a Muslim Party.

The Congress cannot do it as it was a Hindu party according to the propagandist of the Muslim League. But at that time there were a few takers for the insistence of Jinnah that Muslim League should be considered as the sole representative of the Muslims. However the Muslim League was popular in the United Provinces, Bombay and Madras but it had a weak social base in Bengal. It had a negligible role in N.W.F.P and Punjab. It could not even form its government in Sindh. It is strange that within ten years, it was able to get its demand for Pakistan accepted. It also started strengthening its social base.

2. The Congress ministries also increased the hiatus between the Congress and the Muslim League. In United Provinces, the Congress had rejected the offer of the Muslim League to form a joint government because Muslim League supported the Zamindari System whereas Congress wanted to abolish it though it had so far not done anything in this regard. The Congress could also not succeed in increasing its base among the Muslims. It however remained a secular party.

3. In the last years of the 1930s, the leaders of Congress had started emphasizing secularism more than before. But all the ministers and leaders were not unanimous about it. In 1937, Maulana Azad raised the issue that if the Congress members were not free to join the Muslim League then why were they being stopped having links with Hindu Mahasabha.

According to him, such a situation prevailed in Madhya Pradesh. Only then in 1938, the Congress working committee declared that the members of the Congress could not be the members of Hindu Mahasabha. It was the time when the strength of the Hindu Mahasabha and R.S.S. was on the increase. In the 1930s, the R.S.S. had increased its influence from Nagpur to the United Provinces, Punjab and other parts of the country. By 1940s, the R.S.S. had about one lakh volunteers. They believed that India, was the land of the Hindus. Such a communal situation was a signal towards the future partition of the country.

Question 3.
Discuss in detail the plans of the Cabinet Mission Plan.
Answer:
After the declaration by Clement Attlee, a three-member Cabinet Mission reached India in March, 1946. Its three members were Lord Patthic Lawrence, Stafford Cripps and Alexander. It met 472 political leaders of India and discussed all political problems with them. On 16 May, 1946, it presented its plan which had the following recommendations:

India would be a loose three-tier confederation and would include all the provinces and the princely states.
This confederation would have its own Legislature and Executive having representatives from both the provinces and the princely states.
The princely state will get control of all those subjects which would not be given to the confederation.
The provinces would be free to collaborate regarding subjects of common interest.
To frame the Constitution of India, a Constituent Assembly would be organized. It would have 389 members who would be elected by the people.
The minorities would be allotted seats in proportion to their population.
Till the formation of a new government, there would be an interim government. It would have 14 members drawn from all political parties.

Question 4.
During the period of partition, what steps were taken by Mahatma Gandhi to re-establish communal harmony?
Answer:
After the turmoil of partition of the country in 1947, Mahatma Gandhi took the following steps to restore communal harmony in the country. All his efforts bore fruit in no time:

1. He believed in the path of non-violence. He was convinced that non-violence could change the heart of any person. So he moved from the villages of Noakhali in East Bengal to the villages in Bihar and also went to the slum-dwellers in Delhi and Calcutta. Everywhere he stopped Hindus and Muslims from killing each other. In fact, he made a heroic effort to stop communal violence.

2. Gandhiji assured protection to all the members of minority communities. In October 1946, he went to East Bengal where majority of Muslims were killing the minority Hindus. He valiantly persuaded the local Muslims to guarantee the safety of the Hindus.

3. He acted as a mediator between the Hindus and the Muslims and strengthened mutual trust and confidence between the two.

4. He exhorted the people of Delhi on 28 November 1947 to protect all the Muslims. He also began his fast to bring about a change of heart. Many Hindu and Sikhs also observed fast along with Gandhiji. According to Maulana Azad, the effect of this fast was electric. He strengthened Hindu-Muslim unity even by sacrificing his life.

In other words, Gandhiji had miraculous power. In all turmoiled areas, his arrival was as welcome as is the rain after a long and harsh summer.

Question 5.
Explain the development since March, 1946 that led to the partition of India.
Answer:
The major events that led towards the partition of India since March, 1946 were as under:

1. Arrival of the Cabinet Mission: After the Second World War, the Labour Party came to power in England. Clement Attlee became the Prime Minister of England. He was in favor of making India a free and independent country. In accordance with his declaration, a mission of ministers came to India on 23 March, 1946 to resolve the problems of India. This Mission held meetings with different political leaders of India. It recommended that a federal government might be set up in India.

2. Communal Riots: Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in 1946. The Indian National Congress won these elections with a thumping majority. Because of jealousy, the Muslim League refused to join the Interim Government and again raised its demand for Pakistan and gave a clarion- call for Direct Action. It resulted in communal riots at various places. At last, the Interim Government was formed in September 1946. The Muslim League agreed to participate in this government but did not extend any cooperation to the Prime Minister.

3. Failure of the Interim Government: When an Interim Government was formed in 1946, the Congress and the Muslim League got an opportunity to work hand in hand. But the Muslim League always put some obstacles in every work initiated by the Congress. A.s a result, the Interim Government remained a failure. It became quite evident that the Hindus and the Muslims could not rule together.

4. The British Declaration to Free and Leave India. On 20 February, 1947, Clement Attlee, the British Prime Minister declared to leave India in June 1948. This Declaration also classified that the British would leave India only if the Muslim League and the Congress agreed to govern the country unitedly. However, the Muslim League was not ready for it. It wanted to attain a separate Pakistan for the Muslims. Consequently, the British Government started planning for the partition of the country.

5. The Partition of the Country: With the aim of dividing India into two parts, Lord Mountbatten was sent as the Viceroy of India. With his sagacious wisdom, he brought round both, Nehru and Patel for the partition of the country. At last, India was partitioned in 1947.

Question 6.
Critically examine the impact of Cabinet Mission proposals on Indian polity.
Or
Explain the reasons why the plan, suggested by the Cabinet Mission was finally not accepted by the Congress and the Muslim League.
Or
What were the proposals of the Cabinet Mission in 1946? Why did the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League ultimately reject them? (CJB.S.E. Sample Paper 2011)
Answer:
The main recommendations of the Cabinet Mission (1946) are as under:

India will be accepted as a federation. It will include all the provinces and princely states of the country.
The Union will have?itSilegislature and executive. The legislature will have representatives from all the provinces and the princely states.
The princely states will have those subjects which have not been given to the Union.
The provinces will have the right to form joint groups so that they may determine collective subjects.
A Constituent Assembly will be established to frame a Constitution for India. The total number of members of the Constituent Assembly will be 389 who will be elected from the provinces on the basis of the population of the state.
The minorities will be alloted seats in proportion to the percentage of their population in the country.
An Interim Government will be established in the country till the new Constitution is framed.

Critical Evaluation. Almost all the political parties had accepted free recommendations in the beginning. But later on, they started interpreting these recommendations in their own1 tray. The Muslim League demanded that’ there “must be a federation and in the future, there must also be a right to secede. The Congress wanted’tfrat the provinces must have the right, to choose a group of their choice.

In this way, the resolution of Cabinet Mission Plan was disapproved. It paved a way for the partition of India.

Question 7.
Explain the valiant efforts of Gandhiji in restoring communal harmony. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (O.D.))
Answer:
After the turmoil of partition of the country in 1947, Mahatma Gandhi took the following steps to restore communal harmony in the country. All his efforts bore fruit in no time:

1. He believed in the path of non-violence. He was convinced that non-violence could change the heart of any person. So he moved from the village of Noakhali in East Bengal and villages in Bihar. He also went to the slum-dwellers in Delhi and Calcutta. Everywhere he stopped Hindus and Muslims from killing each other. In fact, he made a heroic effort to stop communal violence.

3. He acted as a mediator between the Hindus and the Muslims and strengthened mutual trust and confidence between the two.

4.(iv) He exhorted the people of Delhi on 28 November 1947 to protect all the Muslims. He also began his fast to bring about a change of heart. Many Hindus and Sikhs also observed fast along with Gandhiji. According to Maulana Azad, the effect of this fast was electric. He strengthened Hindu-Muslim unity even by sacrificing his life.

In other words, Gandhiji had miraculous power. In all turmoiled areas, his arrival was as welcome as is the rain after a long and harsh summer.

Question 8.
Explain how the demand for Pakistan was formalized gradually. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:

1. On 23rd March 1940, Muslim League passed a resolution demanding limited autonomy for Muslim-dominated areas of the sub-continent. But there was no mention of partition or Pakistan in this resolution. On contrary to it, Sikandar Hayat Khan, Prime Minister of Punjab and leader of the Unionist Party, who had drafted the 1940 resolution, declared in Punjab Assembly speech on 1 March 1941 that ‘‘Muslim Raj here and Hindu Raj elsewhere ”

2. Some people believe that the demand for the creation of Pakistan could be traced back to the Urdu poet Mohammad Iqbal. During his presidential speech to the Muslim League in 1930, he stressed the need for a ‘North West Indian Muslim State’. But in this address, he was not stressing the creation of a new country” but was stressing on an autonomous unit of Muslim-dominated areas in North-Western India. This unit must have been structured in the Indian federation.

3. It took only seven years between the raising of demand of Pakistan and actual partition of the country. No one was aware of the meaning of the creation of Pakistan or how it might shape the lives of people in the future. Many people who migrated from their homelands in 1947 thought that when peace prevailed again then they would return to their homelands.

Question 9.
Explain why many scholars have written of the months after the independence as being Gandhiji’s ‘finest hours’. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
There is no denying the fact that the months after the independence were Gandhiji’s ‘finest hours’. Its base is the struggle done by him for communal harmony. Gandhiji struggled so hard for independence and that independence was achieved with a very heavy price and the country was divided with independence. Hindus and Muslims wanted to kill each other. So Gandhiji called the Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims of riot-hit areas of Calcutta (Bengal) to forget the past and built a spirit of mutual trust between them. He also called them to take oath of living in peace with each other.

After establishing peace in Bengal, he went over to Delhi. From here he wanted to visit the riot-hit areas of Punjab. While in the capital, his meetings were disrupted by refugees who objected to readings from the Koran. Some shouted slogans asking why he did not speak of the sufferings of those Hindus and Sikhs still living in Pakistan. According to D.G. Tendulkar, “Gandhiji was equally concerned with the sufferings of the minority community in Pakistan. He wanted to go to their succor.

But with what face could he now go there, when he could not guarantee full redress to the Muslims in Delhi?” The last result of Gandhiji’s struggle was his death on 30 January, 1948. It was his great sacrifice for the country.

Question 10.
Explain how the Constitution of India protects the rights of the Central Government and the States. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Answer:
There was a vigorous debate in the Constituent Assembly on the topic of rights of the Central Government and the states. Jawaharlal Nehru was in favour of a strong Centre. He wrote a letter to the president of the Constituent Assembly in which he pointed out that a weak Centre would be dangerous for country because it would not be capable of coordinating important matters of common concern and of effectively speaking for the whole country in the international sphere.

In the draft of Constitution, all the subjects are divided into three lists – Central list, State list and Concurrent list. Subjects in the first list were to be under the jurisdiction of the Central Government. The second list of subjects was vested with the States. Centre and the States both shared the responsibility of the third list. But more subjects were kept under the Central control. Under Article 356, the Centre was given the power to take over a State administration on the recommendation of the Governor.

K. Santhanam from Madras strongly favoured the rights of the states. He felt that a reallocation of powers of the states as well as of the Centre is necessary. If the Centre was given more responsibility then it could not function in an effective manner. Some of its functions must be transferred to states then only the Centre could become more strong. In the State List, many subjects are given on which state governments can make laws. Moreover to bring about a change in the State List, the assent of Rajya Sabha or the Upper House of the Parliament is required. In this way, the rights of the states are also protected by the Constitution of India.

Question 11.
Examine the outcome of the provincial elections of 1937 and explain the role of Congress ministries and the Muslim League on it.
Answer:
To constitute provincial parliaments, elections were held for the first time in 1937. These elections provided a limited franchise. Only 10 to 12% of people enjoyed the right to vote.

Results: During these elections, the results were favorable for the Congress. Out of the eleven provinces, it got an absolute majority in five provinces. It formed governments in seven provinces. But in the reserved constituencies, the Muslim League did not show good results. It got only 4.4% of the Muslim votes. It did not win even a single seat in Northwest Frontier Province. There were 84 reserved seats in Punjab. But the Muslim League won only two seats. Similarly it won three seats in Sindh out of the total of 33 reserved seats.

Impact :

1. In United Provinces, the Muslim League wanted to form a joint government along with the Congress. But Congress had got an absolute majority there. So it did not accept the demand of the Muslim League. Some scholars feel that it was here that the Muslim League realized that if India remained united, it is possible that the Muslim might not remain in a dominating position. In other words, the Muslims who were in minority would not be able to attain any political power. So it wanted to strengthen its position as a political party and told its members that the interests of the Muslim could best be served only by a Muslim Party.

The Congress cannot do it as it was a Hindu Party according to the propagandist of the Muslim League. But at that time there were a few takers for the insistence of Jinnah that the Muslim League should be considered as the sole representative of the Muslim. However, the Muslim League was popular in the United Provinces, Bombay, and Madras but it had a weak social base in Bengal. It had a negligible role in N.W.F.P. and Punjab. It could not even form its government in Sindh. It is strange that within ten years, it was able to get its demand for Pakistan accepted. It also started strengthening its social base.

2. The Congress ministries also increased the hiatus between the Congress and the Muslim League. In United Provinces, the Congress had rejected the offer of the Muslim League to form a joint government because Muslilm League supported the Zamindari System whereas Congress wanted to abolish it though it had so far not done anything in this regard. The Congress could also not succeed in increasing its base among the Muslim. It however remained a secular party.

3. In the last years of the 1930s, the leaders of the Congress had started emphasizing secularism more than before. But all the ministers and leaders were not unanimous about it. In 1937, Maulana Azad raised the issue that if the Congress members were not free to join the Muslim League then why were they being stopped having links with Hindu’Mahasabha. According to him, such a situation prevailed in Madhya Pradesh.

Only then in 1938, the Congress working committee declared that the members of the Congress could not be the members of Hindu Mahasabha. It was the time when the strength of the Hindu Mahasabha and R.S.S. was on the increase. In the 1930s the R.S.S. had increased its influence from Nagpur to the United Provinces, Punjab, and other parts of the country. By the 1940s, the R.S.S. had about one lakh volunteers. They believed that India was the land of the Hindus. Such a communal situation was a signal towards the future partition of the country.

Understanding Partition Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Why do contemporary observers and scholars describe the violent incidents during the partition of the country as a holocaust? Give any two reasons.
Answer:
According to contemporary observers and scholars, violent incidents, during the partition were like holocaust which meant destruction or slaughter on a mass-scale.

The Indians and the Pakistanis considered each other as enemies. There were attempts from both sides to wipe out the entire population.
There were innumerable incidents of killing, rape, arson, and loot.

Question 2.
By the end of 1947, there was a complete breakdown of authority in Punjab. Give any two examples.
Answer:

There was bloodshed in Amritsar. There was no administrative machinery to restore law. The British officials did not know how to handle the situation. They neither intervened nor took any decision to improve the situation.
The Indian soldiers and policemen came to act as Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs.

Question 3.
What was the two-nation theory of Jinnah? How did it prove a myth?
Answer:
Jinnah stated that Hindus and Muslims were two different communities. So they cannot live together. There should be separate states for the both. But this theory, based on the religious bond, proved a myth in 1971-72 when Bangladesh separated from Pakistan.

Question 4.
Critically examine the importance of oral history in studying an event such as the Partition of India. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (O.D.))
Answer:
By oral history, we generally mean the individual experiences of the people. The information about such individual experiences can be gathered by having interviews with the concerned people.

Merits: The main advantage of the oral history is that it can be helpful in enlivening the events that occurred in the past. By this method, we can even know the experiences of the weak and the poor, who are often neglected in history.

Demerits: The main disadvantage of oral history is that it is based on memoirs. It lacks credibility and is unreliable. Our view of Oral History and Partition: When we adopt the method of oral history about the partition of the country, our knowledge is widened. In Govt, reports we get data and statistics, but they do not tell us about the trials and tribulations of the people.

For example, we can know how many women were exchanged after the partition of the country between India and Pakistan but we cannot know how much sorrow and hardships those women suffered. Only the bearer knows where the shoe pinches. Only the distressed women can relate their tales of woes.

Question 5.
“Some scholars see partition as a culmination of communal politics.” Examine the statement. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (D))
Or
Explain how the Indian partition was a culmination of communal politics that started developing in the opening decades of the 20th century. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Or
“Some scholars see partition as a culmination of a communal politics that started development in the opening decades of the twentieth century.” Examine the statement. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.), 2015 (D))
Or
Explain why some scholars see the partition of India as the culmination of communal politics. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D.))
Answer:
Some scholars believe that partition of the country was the culmination of communal politics. It started in the opening decades of the 20th century. They also say that the separate electorate which was created by the colonial government in 1909, had a great impact on communal politics.

Separate electorates meant that Muslims could now elect their own representatives in designated constituencies. This created a temptation for politicians working within this system to use sectarian slogans and gather a following by distributing favours to their own religious groups. Religious identities thus acquired a functional use within a modern political system, and the logic of electoral politics deepened and hardened these identities.

Community identities no longer indicated simple differences in faith and belief, they came to mean active opposition and hostility between communities. However, while separate electorates did have a profound impact on Indian politics, we should be careful not to over-emphasize their significance or see partition as a logical outcome of their work.

Understanding Partition Important Extra Questions Source-Based

Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
“I am simply returning my father’s

Karz, his debt”

This is what the researcher recorded:

During my visits to the History Department Library of Punjab University, Lahore, in the winter of 1992, the librarian, Abdul Latif, a pious middle-aged man, would help me a lot. He would go out of his way, well beyond the call of duty, to provide me with relevant material, meticulously keeping photocopies requested by me ready before my arrival the following morning. I found his attitude to my work so extraordinary that one day I could not help asking him, “Latif Sahib, why do you go out of your way to help me so much?” Latif Sahib glanced at his watch, grabbed his namaz topi and said, “I must go for namaz right now but I will answer your question on my return.” Stepping into his office half an hour later, he continued.

“Yes, your question. I …. I mean my father belonged to Jammu, to a small village in Jammu district. This was a Hindu-dominated village and Hindu ruffians of the area massacred the hamlet’s Muslim population in August 1947. On a late afternoon, when the Hindu mob had been at its furious worst, my father discovered he was perhaps the only Muslim youth of the village left alive. He had already lost his entire family in the butchery and was looking for ways of escaping.

Remembering a kind, elderly Hindu lady, a neighbor, he implored her to save him by offering him shelter at her place. The lady agreed to help father blit said, ’Son if you hide here, they will get both of us. This is of no use. You follow me to the spot where they have piled up the dead. You lie down there as if dead and I will dump a few dead-bodies on you. Lie there among the dead, son, as if dead through the night and run for your life towards Sialkot at the break of dawn tomorrow.’

“My father agreed to the proposal. Off they went to that spot, father lay on the ground and the old lady dumped a number of bodies on him. An hour or so later a group of armed Hindu hoodlums appeared. One of them yelled. ‘Any life left in anybody?’ and the others started, with their crude staffs and guns, to feel for any trace of life in that heap. Somebody shouted. There is a wrist watch on that body !’ and hit my father’s fingers with the butt of his rifle. Father used to tell us how difficult was for him to keep his outstretched palm, beneath the watch he was wearing, so utterly still. Somehow he succeeded for a few seconds until one of them said, ‘Oh, it’s only a watch. Come let us leave, it is getting dark.’ Fortunately, for Abbaji, they left and my father lay there in that wretchedness the whole night, literally running for his life at the first hint of light. He did not stop until he reached Sialkot.

“I help you because that Hindu man helped my father. I am simply returning my father’s karz, his debt.”

“But I am not a Hindu,” I said. “Mine is a Sikh family, at best a mixed Hindu-Sikh one.” “I do not know what your religion is with any surety. You do not wear uncut hair and you are not a Muslim. So, for me you are a Hindu and I do my little bit for you because a Hindu man saved my father.”

(i) Which incident is referred to in this report of the researcher? What kind of a period it was?
Answer:
The report of the researcher describes an incident that occurred at the time of the partition of India. It was a period of unprecedented violence, genocide, and loot.

(ii) What kind of a man was Abdul Latif? Why did he go out pf his way to help the researcher so much?
Answer:
Abdul Latif was a pious middle-aged man. His father lived in a Hindu-dominated village of Jammu District. One day the Hindu ruffians attacked the houses of the Muslims. While all other Muslims were killed by the mob, the father of Abdul Latif somehow escaped the fury of the people. He was left alone and wanted to escape. But a kind, elderly Hindu lady gave him shelter at the place where the dead bodies were kept by the Hindus. She saved his life. Abdul Latif helped the researcher so much because he wanted to return the debt of his father. He helped the researcher very much, even out of the way, as he was a Hindu Sikh.

(iii) How did any elderly Hindu women save the life of the father of Abdul Latif?
Answer:
On the suggestion of a kind, elderly Hindu lady,
the father of Abdul Latif kept lying among the dead bodies of the Muslim for the whole night. The armed Hindu ruffians even reached there. But somehow the father of Abdul Latif was about to save himself. As soon as it was dawn, he ran to Sialkot to save his life.

Question 2.
“No, no! You can never be ours.” This is the third story the researcher related:

I still vividly remember a man I met in Lahore in 1992. He mistook me to be a Pakistani studying abroad. For some reason he liked me. He urged me to return home after completing my studies to serve the qaum (nation). I told him I shall do so but, at some stage in the conversation, I added that my citizenship happens to be Indian. All of a sudden his tone changed, and much as he was restraining himself, he blurted out, “Oh Indian! I had thought you were Pakistani.” I tried my best to impress upon i him that I always see myself as South Asian. “No, no! You will never be ours. Your people wiped out my entire village in 1947, we have sworn enemies and shall always remain so.”
(i) What did the person advise to the researcher who met him in Lahore in 1992? Why did he say this? Explain.
Answer:
The person advised the researcher that, he should return home after completing his studies to serve the qaum (nation). He asked this because he mistook him to be a Pakistani studying abroad.

(ii) What did the person react on knowing that the researcher was an Indian?
Answer:
When he came to know that the researcher is an Indian than all of a sudden his tone changed. He said that Indians are his enemies.

(iii) What did the Indians try to explain?
Answer:
The Indian tried to explain that he did not consider himself as an Indian but as South Asian. It means that as South Asian it hardly matters that whether he is Indian or Pakistani.

(iv) Who was right and why Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2011)
Answer:
Both were right because that person was very angry with the blood-shed of 1947 in which people of his village were wiped out. On the other hand, the researcher was trying to make a new thinking by eliminating the enmity between them.

Question 3.
“A voice in the wilderness”

Mahatma Gandhi knew that he was “a voice in the wilderness” but he nevertheless continued to oppose the idea of Partition:

But what a tragic change we see today. I wish the day may come again when Hindus and Muslims will do nothing without mutual consultation. I am day and night tormented by the question of what I can do to hasten the coming of that day. I appeal to the League not to regard any Indian as its enemy… Hindus and Muslims are born of the same soil. They have the same blood, eat the same food, drink the same water and speak the same language.

Speech at Prayer Meeting, 7 September 1946, CWMG, Vol. 92, P. 139 But I am firmly convinced that the Pakistan demand as put forward by the Muslim League is un-Islamic and I have not hesitated to call it sinful. Islam stands for the unity and brotherhood of mankind, not for disrupting the oneness of the human family. Therefore, those who want to divide India into possible warring groups are enemies alike of Islam and India. They may cut me to pieces but they cannot make me subscribe to something which I consider to be wrong.

Harijan, 26 September 1946, CWMG, Vol. 92, p. 229
(i) Which concern of Mahatma Gandhi has been expressed in this excerpt?
Answer:
This excerpt expresses the concern of Mahatma Gandhi about the future partition of India.

(ii) What arguments did he give against partition?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi gave the following arguments:
(a) The demand for Pakistan, put forward by
the Muslim League, was un-Islamic and sinful. Islam stands for the unity and brotherhood of mankind. It is sinful to disrupt the oneness of the human family.
(b) Those who want to divide India into different walling groups, are the enemies of both Islam and India.
(c) They can cut my body to pieces but they cannot compel me to accept what is wrong.

(iii) What appeal did he make to the Muslim League? What arguments did he advance for rt?
Answer:
Mahatma Gandhi appealed to the Muslim League not to regard any Indian as its enemy. He stated that the Hindus and the Muslims were born on the same soil. They had the same blood. They ate the same food. They took the same water. They also spoke the same language. So Mahatma Gandhi exhorted the Muslim League not to be prejudiced towards the Indians.

Question 4.
A Small Basket of Grapes

This is what Khushdeva Singh writes about his experience during one of his visits to Karachi ‘ in 1949.

My friends took trie to a room at the airport where we all sat down and talked (and) had luri&h together. I brief to travel from Karachi to London … at 2.30 am. … At 5.60 p.m. … I told my friends that they had given me so generously of their time, I thought it would be too much for them to wait the whole night and suggested they must spare themselves the trouble. Bit nobody left until it.was inner time.

…Then they said they were leaving and that I must have, a little resh before emplaning. … I got up at, about 1.45 a.m and when I opened the door, I saw that all of them were still there … They all accompanied me to the plane, and, before parting,, presented me with a small basket of grapes. 1 had no words to express my gratitude for the overwhelming affection with which I was treated and the happiness this stopover had given me.
(i) Who was Khushdeva Singh?
Answer:
Khushdeva Singh was a Sikh doctor. He was a specialist in the treatment of typhoid. He was posted at Dharampur when there was a partition of India. This town is now in Himachal Pradesh.

(iii How did his friends show their affection to him during his visit to Karachi?
Answer:
When Khushdeva Singh visited Karachi, all his friends remained with him. They stayed for all the night at the place where Khushdeva Singh had put up. They remained with him till he caught an airplane for London. Before departing, they offered a basket of grapes to their friend. It was a symbol of their love for him.

(iii) How was Khushdeva Singh seen as a symbol of humanity and harmony?
Answer:
Khushdeva Singh was a kind-hearted and humane doctor. He offered food, shelter, and security to all migrant Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus without any discrimination during an era of violence when India was partitioned.

(iv) This source is an example of oral history. How does oral history help historians reconstruct events of the recent past? Give two points.
Answer:
The oral history provides numerous examples for written descriptions. It provides truthful material that is helpful to the historians for the reconstruction of the past history.

Question 5.
What “recovering” Women Meant

Here is the experience of a couple, recounted by Prakash Tandon in his Punjabi Century, an autobiographical social history of colonial Punjab:

In one instance, a Sikh youth who had run amuck during the Partition persuaded a massacring crowd to let him take away a young, beautiful Muslim girl. They got married, and slowly fell in love with each other. Gradually memories of her parents, who had been killed, and her former life faded. They were happy together, and a little boy was born. Soon, however, social workers and the police, laboring assiduously to recover abducted women, began to track down the couple.

They made inquiries in the Sikh’s home-district of Jalandhar; he got scent of it and the family ran away to Calcutta (Kolkata). The social workers reached Calcutta (Kolkata). Meanwhile, the couple’s friends tried to obtain a stay-order from the court but the law was taking its ponderous course. From Calcutta (Kolkata) the couple escaped to some obscure Punjab village, hoping that the police would fail to shadow them. But the police caught up with them and began to question them. His wife was expecting again and now nearing her time.

The Sikh sent the little boy to his mother and took his wife to a sugar-cane field. He made her as comfortable as he could in a pit while he lay with a gun, waiting for the police, determined not to lose her while he was alive. In the pit, he delivered her with his own hands. The next day she ran a high fever, and in three days she was dead. He had not dared to take her to the hospital. He was so afraid the social workers and the police would take her away.
(i) This excerpt belongs to which book? Whose story is related to it?
Answer:
This excerpt has been recounted by Prakash Tandon in his book entitled “Punjabi Century”. It is the story of a young couple.

(ii) How was a Sikh youth married to a Muslim girl? What kind of family life did they have?
Answer:
A Sikh youth came across a massacring crowd during the partition of India. He saw a young and beautiful Muslim girl. He fell in love with her and got married. A little boy was born to them after some time. They lived a happy married life.

(iii) Why was their family life on the verge of destruction?
Answer:
Their happy family life was threatened when the social activists along with the policemen followed them. They wanted to send the girl back to her country.

(iv) On what dark aspects does the incident throw light?
Answer:
This incident tells us that those who stood for the recovery of women were callous. They did not care for the feelings and sentiments of the recovered women. Sometimes they caused more trouble than any concrete help.

US Hegemony in World Politics Class 12 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 3

June 1, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 3 US Hegemony in World Politics. Political Science Class 12 Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 Political Science Chapter 3 Important Extra Questions US Hegemony in World Politics

U.S. Hegemony in World Politics Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What was the Gulf War of 1990? (C.B.S.E. 2009)
Or
What do you mean by the First Gulf War? (Imp.)
Answer:
On 2nd August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Immediately a meeting of the Security Council was held. U.N. Security Council condemned the invasion and demanded the withdrawal of Iraqi troops. The United Nations mandated the liberation of Kuwait by force. A massive coalition force of 660,000 troops from 34 countries fought against Iraq and defeated it. The U.N. operation was called ‘Operation Desert Storm.’ It is also known as the First Gulf War.

Question 2.
What is meant by ‘Hegemony’? (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
In international politics, countries, and groups of countries are constantly trying to capture and retain power. Power can be in the form of military domination, economic power, and cultural dominance. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, U.S.A. dominated world politics. When there is only one centre of power in the international system, it is called hegemony.

Question 3.
What is meant by ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’? (Imp.) (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Or
What was ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ launched by the United States of America? (C.B.S.E. 2014)
Answer:
On 11 September 2001 terrorists attacked World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Nineteen hijackers took control of four American commercial aircraft shortly after take-off and flew them into the important building of U.S. In response to that incident U.S.A. launched ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ and attacked Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Question 4.
How far is it correct to describe the ‘First Gulf War’ as the first act of US Hegemony in the post cold war period? (C.B.S.E. Sample Paper 2018)
Answer:

An American General led the UN coalition in the first Gulf War.
First Gulf War shows a vital technological and weapons gap between the U.S. and the Rest of the world.

Question 5.
The UN along with many other countries of the world refused to give their mandate to ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’? Elucidate their stand. (C.B.S.E. Sample Paper 2018)
Answer:

No traces of weapons of Mass destruction were found during the war.
U.S. main aim was to control Iraqi oil fields.

Question 6.
Why was the operation Infinite Reach’ ordered by President Clinton? (Imp.) (C.B.S.E. 2012 Delhi)
Answer:
In 1998, there was a bombing at the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania by Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization. President Clinton ordered ‘Operation Infinite Reach’ in which Al-Qaeda terrorist targets in Sudan and Afghanistan were attacked. America did not bother about the U.N. sanction in this regard.

Question 7.
Write the four forms of power which reflect the U.S. hegemony. (C.B. S.E. 2012 Outside Delhi)
Answer:

Hard power
Structural power
Soft power
Cultural power.

Question 8.
How was the U.S. benefitted from the Soviet disintegration? (C.B.S.E. 2015)
Answer:

The U.S.A. became the sole power or hegemon and no other country was in a position to challenge the supremacy of the U.S.A.
An international organisation like U.N.O., I.M.F. World Bank are dominated by the U.S.A.

Question 9.
Match the following events in Column ‘A’ with their corresponding dates in Column ‘B’: (C.B.S.E. 2019)

Column ‘A’	Column ‘B’
(a) World War II	(i) 1990
(b) Kuwait Invasion	(ii) 1992
(c) Presidency of Bill Clinton	(iii) 1941
(d) Pearl Harbour	(iv) 1945

Answer:
(a) 1945,
(b) 1990,
(c) 1992,
(d) 1941.

Question 10.
Find the correct sequence of the following events: (C.B.S.E. 2019)
(a) US invasion of Iraq under Operation Iraqi Freedom
(b) Bombing of the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Tanzania
(c) Attack on North and South towers of the World Trade Organisation
(d) Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait
Answer:
(d) Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait
(b) Bombing of the US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Tanzania
(c) Attack on North and South towers of the World Trade Organisation
(a) US invasion of Iraq under Operation Iraqi Freedom

U.S. Hegemony in World Politics Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type (2 Marks)

Question 1.
When did the era of U.S. hegemony start? (C.B.S.E. 2010)
Answer:
The U.S. hegemony began in 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Question 2.
What is meant by U.S. hegemony in World Politics? (Imp.) (C.B.S.E. 2008 Comp. 2009 Delhi)
Answer:
U.S. hegemony means the dominant position of the U.S.A. in the world in military, political, economic as well as cultural fields.

Question 3.
Name the first business school which was established in the U.S.A. in 1881.
Answer:
The first business school’s name was ‘Wharton School’.

Question 4.
Which event does “9/11” refer to in the context of Contemporary World Politics? (Sample Paper)
Or
Which incident was related to 9/11?
Answer:
On 11 September 2001, nineteen hijackers hailing from Arab countries took control of four American commercial aircraft and flew them into the important building in U.S. President George W. Bush launched ‘Operations Enduring Freedom’ against Afghanistan to curb terrorism

Question 6.
What was the main objective of ‘Operation Desert Storm’?
Answer:
On 2nd August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. The United Nations mandated the liberation of Kuwait by force. This was called Operation Desert Strom.

Question 7.
How did the U.S. respond to the 9/11 attacks? (Imp.) (C.BS.E. 2015)
Answer:
U.S. President George W. Bush launched ‘Operations Enduring Freedom’ against all those suspected to be behind the 9/11 attack to curb terrorism and to crush terrorists chiefly al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Question 8.
What does the word ‘Hegemony’ imply? (C.B.S.E. 2012 Delhi)
Or
What is meant by Hegemony? (C.B.S.E. 2015)
Answer:
Hegemony implies class ascendancy in the social, political, and particularly ideological spheres. Hard power hegemony relates to the supremacy of military power.

Question 9.
Explain hegemony as soft power. (Imp.) (C.B.S.E. 2015)
Answer:
Hegemony as a Soft Power implies class ascending into Social, Political, and particularly ideological sphere

Question 10.
Highlight any one main feature of the U.S. economy.
Answer:
The U.S. economy is based on a capitalist system.

Question 11.
Why was ‘Operation Desert “ Storm’ fought against Iraq?
Answer:
On 2 August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Immediately, a massive coalition force of 660,000 troops from 34 countries fought against Iraq and defeated it. This U.N. operation was called ‘Operation Desert Storm’.

Question 12.
What was the significance of operation Iraqi freedom’? (C.B.S.E. 2017)
Answer:
American Hegemony had been established after the operation Iraqi freedom.

Question 13.
How is 9/11 important in the context of U.S.A.? (C.B.S.E. 2009)
Or
What is meant by ‘9/11’ in the context of the U.S.A.? (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
Sept. 11, 2001, is important for the U.S.A. because on that day terrorists attacked World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington

Question 14.
What was the main reason for the beginning of the U.S. hegemony in 1991? (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
The main reason for the beginning of the U.S. hegemony in 1991 was the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Question 15.
Define the ‘Bandwagon Strategy’. (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
‘Bandwagon Strategy’ means to take advantage of the opportunity that a hegemony creates. Under ‘Bandwagon Strategy’ it is not wise to oppose the hegemon power. It is good to extract benefits by operating within the hegemonic system.

Question 16.
What was the purpose of ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’? (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
The purpose of Operation Iraqi Freedom was to prevent Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction.

Question 17.
Which country in the world in having global dominance. (C.B.S.E. Sample Q.P. 2017)
Answer:
The United States of America.

Question 18.
Why the dropping of Atom bombs on Japan by the U.S. towards the end of the second world war widely criticized? (C.B.S.E. Sample Paper 2018)
Answer:
Dropping of bombs was not necessary because the U.S. itself knew that Japan was about to surrender.
Choose the correct answer:

Question 19.
Operation Iraqi Freedom was launched on:
(a) 21 April 2003 (b) 19 March 2004
(c) 23 March 2003 (d) 19 March 2003.
Answer:
(d) 19 March 2003.

Question 20.
Which one of the following statements related to the Iraq invasion by the US is incorrect? (C.B.S.E. 2019)
(a) More than forty other countries were involved in this invasion.
(b) The UN had given consent to invade Iraq.
(c) The invasion was to prevent Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction.
(d) The US lost over 3000 military personnel in this war.
Answer:
(b) The UN had given consent to invade Iraq.

Question 21.
Which one of the following was a part of its global war on terrorism by the US.? (C.B.S.E. 2017)
(a) ‘Operation desert storm’
(b) Computer war
(c) ‘Operation enduring freedom’
(d) Videogame war
Answer:
(c) ‘Operation enduring freedom’

Question 22.
The strategy of staying as far removed from the dominant power as possible is also known as. (Sample Paper 2019-20)
Answer:
The strategy of staying as far removed from the dominant power as possible is also known as to hide.

U.S. Hegemony in World Politics Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Explain any two Constraints on the American hegemony. (C.B.S.E. 2019)
Answer:
The U.S. hegemony means that the U.S.A. is the sole superpower. The U.S.A. dominates the world in military, political, economic as well as the cultural field. Constraints on U.S. Hegemony: History tells us that empires decline because they decay from within. Similarly, the biggest constraint to American hegemony is from within. Broadly, the following are two constraints on American power

The first constraint is the institutional architecture of the American state itself. The American system is based on the division of powers between the three organs of the government, i.e., Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary. These organs put many restrictions on military powers.
The second constraint on American power is the open nature of American society and political culture.

Question 2.
Explain any two strategies to overcome hegemony. (Imp.) (C.B.S.E. 2014)
Answer:
These are the two strategies to overcome hegemony :

Bandwagon Strategy. ‘Bandwagon Strategy’ means to take advantage of the opportunity that hegemony creates. Under the ‘Bandwagon Strategy, it is not wise to oppose hegemony power. It is good to extract benefits by operating within the hegemonic system.
The policy of hiding. Another strategy open to states is to ‘hide’. This implies staying as far removed from the dominant power as possible.

Question 3.
Describe any four features of the U.S. hegemony as structural power. (C.B.S.E. 2019)
Answer:

the U.S.A is providing global public goods very early.
the U.S.A is a leading country in the field of computer and the internet.
The U.S share of the world economy remains an enormous 28%.
U.S.A. is also the leading country in the M.B.A. course.

Question 4.
Describe any four features of the U.S. hegemony as hard power. (C.B.S.E. 2019)
Answer:

Through its military capabilities, the U.S.A. can reach any point of the world.
the U.S.A spends more on its military than the next 12 power combined.
the U.S.A spends a large chunk of the military Budget on military research and development.
the U.S.A. destroys the enemy country while its own forces are sheltered to the maximum extent possible from the dangers of war.

Question 5.
Describe any four features of the U.S. hegemony as soft power. (C.B.S.E. 2019)
Answer:

American cultural value is very attractive.
American culture is the most powerful in the world.
The American cultural power based on the ability to persuade rather than coerce.
American blue jeans came to represent the aspirations of a good life.

U.S. Hegemony in World Politics Important Extra Questions Long Answer Types

Question 1.
Examine any three factors responsible for the U.S. Hegemony in world politics. (C.B.S.E. 2009, 2015)
Answer:
In world politics, the U.S.A. has the position of hegemony. Following factors are responsible for the U.S. hegemony in world politics.

After the end of the Cold War, there was no serious rival to the United States.
Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party, introduced political and economic reforms in the political and economic system of the Soviet Union. These reforms are also responsible for the U.S. hegemony in world politics.
The sudden collapse of the Soviet Union is mainly responsible for the hegemony of U.S.A. After the disintegration of U.S.S.R., one superpower ceased to exist. On the other hand, the powers of another superpower (U.S.) enhanced. Thus, the U.S. hegemony began in 1991 after the Soviet Union disappeared from the international scene.

Question 2.
“The bedrock of contemporary U.S. power lies in the overwhelming superiority of its military power.” Justify the statement with any three suitable arguments. (C.B.S.E. 2017)
Answer:
In international politics, countries and group of countries are constantly trying to capture and retain power. Power can be in the form of military domination, economic power and cultural dominance. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, U.S.A. dominated world politics. When there is only one centre of power in the international system, it is called hegemony.

The meaning of hegemony as a hard power relates to the relations, pattern and balance of military capability between states. The nation of hegemony as military domination is relevant to the current position and role of the U.S. in world politics.

The bedrock of contemporary U-S. the power lies in the overwhelming superiority of its military power. American military dominance today is both absolute and relative.1. In absolute terms, the U.S. today has military capabilities that can reach any point on the prevalent accurately, lethally and in no time, thereby crippling the opposite while its own forces are sheltered to the maximum extent possible from the dangers of war.
2. Moreover, America spends more on its military capability than the next 12 powers combined. A large part of the budget is spent on technology.
3. In fact, U.S. dominance is not just based as higher military spending, but in a qualitative gap, a technological chasm that no other power can at present conceivably span.

Question 3.
Examine the U.S. hegemony as a structural power. (C.B.S.E. 2017)
Answer:
With the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, one superpower ceased to exist. While another superpower, i.e., the U.S. enhanced its position. Thus, the U.S. hegemony began in 1991 after the Soviet Union disappeared from the international scene.

The hegemony of the U.S. as a structural power:
(a) The basic idea of the U.S. hegemony as structural power is that an open world economy requires a hegemon or dominant power to support its creation and existence.
(b) The hegemon must possess both the ability and the desire to establish certain norms to sustain a global structure.
(c) The hegemon usually does this for its own advantage. It takes advantage of the openness of the world economy without paying the cost of maintaining its openers.
(d) Thus, hegemony in this second sense as economic superiority is reflected by the roles played by the U.S. in providing global public goods.
(e) The U.S. hegemony prevails in all parts of the world, almost in all sectors in the world economy and in all areas of technology.

Question 4.
Evaluate India’s changing relationship with the U.S.A. (Imp.) (C.B.S.E. 2009)
Answer:
The Indo-U.S. relationship has gone through many phases. There had been many ups and downs in their relationship. After the independence of India, America wanted India to join the American bloc. But India was not ready to accept the superiority of any other nation and Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India adopted the policy of non-alignment. This policy turned America against India. America did not appreciate some other policies of India such as Nuclear test, Indo-Soviet friendship treaty, etc.

On the other hand, India stands against American help to Pakistan as Pakistan is the root cause of terrorism in India. Thus, America and India disagree with each other’s approach but after a meeting between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Reagan in October 1981, the administration of both the countries started to re-examine their policies and the process of normalisation kept on going on and on. After the Cold War, America and India adopted the policy of making a good relationship in the field of economic, political and military-strategic spheres. The steps that mark the process of normalisation of the relationship between India and the U.S. are given below:

1. In May 1994, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao visited the U.S.A. The American President Bill Clinton expressed satisfaction with his wide-ranging talks with Narasimha Rao and described the meeting productive. The American President extended full support to India in Economic reforms.

2. On 25 July 1999 U.S.A. asked Pakistan to pull out its forces from the areas of Kargil and immediately stop acts of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, showing for the first time Washington’s greater understanding of India’s concern of cross border militancy.

3. On October 26, 1999, India and the U.S.A. signed a joint declaration on energy co-operation and related environmental aspects, heralding a new dimension to multifaced bilateral relation.

4. On March 19, 2000, U.S. President Mr Bill Clinton visited India. It strengthened the relationship between the two largest democratic countries in the world. The Prime Minister of India Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and American President Mr Bill Clinton signed the ‘Vision Document’ on the future of Indo- U.S. relations in the new Millenium. They also signed ‘Vision-2000’ for a lasting and dynamic partnership.

5. On September 23, 2001, President Bush lifted sanctions imposed on India in the wake of 1998 nuclear tests.

6. On October 17, 2001, the two countries signed a new bilateral treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.

7. After 11, September 2001, terrorist attack on America; America has joined India in its fight against terrorism.

8. In January 2002, India and U.S.A. signed a defence pact.

9. In January 2004, both the countries agreed to increase co-operation on three issues-civilian nuclear programmes, the civilian space programme and high technology.

10. In June 2004, India’s Foreign Minister Mr Natwar Singh visited the U.S.A. to increase co-operation between the two countries. In November 2004, President George Bush was elected for his second term. India’s Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, in his congratulatory message to him, has said, “Our shared vision and common values provide an endearing base for our relations. India and the United States together and in partnership based on trust and mutual confidence can make a positive difference on issues of global significance in this country.”Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Co-operation Agreement, 2008. The Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear co-operation agreement consists of 22 pages and 17 articles. The agreement will remain in force for 40 years.

The purpose of the agreement is to enable full civil nuclear energy co-operation between India and the United States. This agreement would help to address the problem of energy deficit that has emerged as one of the primary constraints on accelerating India’s growth rate.

The agreement does not hinder India’s military nuclear programme and provides for uninterrupted supply of fuel. India-U.S. defence co¬operation received a big boost with India formalising a mega-deal with the U.S.A. for the supply of eight long-range Naval Reconnaissance aircraft. The agreement was signed on January 1, 2009.

In Nov. 2009, the Indian Prime Minister visited the U.S.A. During his visit, both countries said that they are committed to abolishing terrorism President Obama Visits (Nov. 2010). On November 6, 2010, American President Barack Obama visited India. Several landmark deals worth $ 10 billion were signed between Indian and American companies. President Obama said, “There is no reason why India cannot be our top trading partner. I am absolutely sure that the relationship between India and the U.S. is going to be one of the defining partnership of the 21st century.” President Obama backed India for United Nation Security Council seat. Bilateral Meeting between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and President Mr Obama.

Bilateral meeting between Indian Prime Minister and American President Obama took place on November 18, 2011, at Bali. Contending that there were ‘no irritants whatsoever’ in Indo-US ties, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh told President Obama that India had gone ‘some way’ to ally the concern of U.S. firms by notifying rules for nuclear business and any specific grievance would be addressed within the four corners of Indian laws.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and American President Obama meet on September 28, 2013, at White House. The U.S. and India sought more intensive engagement on a gamut of issues, including defence, security, bilateral trade and efforts to dismantle terrorist safe havens and promote clean energy. Both leaders emphasised the need for more intensive defence cooperation. Defence trade between the two nations has reached nearly $9 billion. The U.S. and India sought expansion of cooperation to address 21st-century challenges in the areas of counter-terrorism, cyber, space and global health security. Indian Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi and American President Obama met in September 2014. During this meeting, both leaders discussed Terrorism, Trade and Civil Nuclear Agreement.

In Jan 2015 American President Mr Barack Obama visited India to attend the Republic Day Parade. During this visit, both countries signed an important agreement like Nuclear Deal and Clean Energy. In Sept 2015, the Indian Prime Minister visited the U.S.A. During this visit, P.M. Narendra Modi pressed for President Obama’s help in securing India’s membership of the international export control regimes “within our targeted time of frame” and also sought American support to complete the UN reform process ‘within’ a fixed time frame. In June 2016, and 2017 Indian Prime Minister visited the U.S.A. During this visit, both leaders discussed Terrorism, Trade, and nuclear energy etc.

In September 2019, the Indian Prime Minister visited U.S.A to attend U.N.O. conference. During this visit, on 22 Sept. 2019, U.S.A. President Donald Trump attends ‘Howdy Modi; Programme. On 24 Sept. 2019. During their joint press conference, both leaders show concern on Terrorism and climate change. This shows that both countries are doing their level best to maintain a healthy and lasting relationship.

Question 5.
Analyse the political impact of j H hegemony of the U.S. on the world. (C.B.S.E: 2015)
Answer:
Following are the political impact of the hegemony of the U.S. on the world:
1. On 2nd August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Immediately a meeting of Security Council was held. U.N. Security Council condemned the invasion and demanded the withdrawal of Iraqi troops. The United Nations mandated the liberation of Kuwait by force. A massive coalition force of 660,000 troops from 34 countries fought against Iraq and defeated it. The U.N. operation was called ‘Operation Desert Storm.’ It is also known as the First Gulf War.

2. In 1998, there was a bombing at the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania by Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organisation. President Clinton ordered ‘Operation Infinite Reach’ in which Al-Qaeda terrorist targets in Sudan and Afghanistan were attacked. America did not bother about the U.N. sanction in this regard

3. USA dominating the International organisation like U.N.O., LM.F. and World Bank. On this basis, it influences the political and economic matters of other countries.

Question 6.
Analyse the three major different views within India about the type of relationship India should have with the United States of America. (C.B.S.E. 2016, 2017)
Answer:
It is very difficult to decide exactly what type of relationship India should have with the US. The debate rotates around the three possible strategies :
1. One group of Indian analysts opine that Indian should maintain its aloofness from Washington and focuses upon increasing its own national power.

2. Second thought of opinion advocate a strategy that India should take advantage of US hegemony and the mutual convergences to establish best relations. Opposing the US is a futile strategy and will only hurt India.

3. the Third group of analysis advocate that India should take the lead of developing nations and after some times this coalition would become more powerful and may succeed in weaning the hegemon away through its dominating style. Thus, India needs an appropriate foreign policy to deal with the US.

Question 7.
“Resistance is the only option available to overcome the U.S. hegemony”. Justify the statement by comparing it to other anti hegemony strategies. (CBSE 2017)
Answer:
It is true that resistance is the only option available to overcome the hegemony of U.S.A. other two anti hegemony strategies are known as “Bandwagon and Hide.”In world politics. the U.S.A. has the position of the hegemon. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, no other country is in a position to challenge America’s authority and military power. Big and resourceful states like China, Russia, India and the European Union are not in a position to challenge U.S. hegemony and these countries are not unduly antagonising the U.S.A.

It is unrealistic to expect much smaller states to offer any resistance to the U.S. But it is possible that the resistance may come from a combination of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), social movement and public opinion. Resistance can also start by intellectuals writers, artists and mass media. Due to globalisation, the whole world has become a ‘global village’. Thus, we are all neighbours of the village headman.

If the behaviour of the headman becomes intolerable then we have no other alternative except to resist against the headman because there is only one village or world where we have to live. In other words, resistance against U.S. hegemony will be the only option available.

Question 8.
Study the cartoon given below j carefully and answer the questions that follow : (Imp.) (C.B.S.E. 2015) Political Science Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 3 U.S. Hegemony ¡n World Politics im-1

(a) The mighty soldier with weapons represents which country?
Answer:
The mighty soldier with weapons represents the U.S.A.

(b) Why do the names of various countries appear on his uniform?
Answer:
The names of countries like Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan appear on his uniform as the U.S. has carried out various military operations in these countries.

(c) What important message does the cartoon convey to the world?
Answer:
The cartoon conveys the message that the U.S. has hegemony on the world politics. Though India and USA are having friendly relations, yet at the same time, friendly relations between India and Russia have achieved a new level of privileged strategic partnership.

Question 9.
Read the following cartoon and answer the following questions: (CBSE Sample Q.P. 2017)

Political Science Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 3 U.S. Hegemony ¡n World Politics im-1.png im-2
(а) What is the basic idea of this cartoon?
Answer:
The basic idea of this cartoon is that world converts into the American dollar.

(b) What does this cartoon say about the nature of hegemony?
Answer:
This cartoon says about the Nature of hegemony that the U.S.A. dominated world Politics through its dollar.

The basic idea of hegemony as a structural power is that an open world economy requires a hegemony or dominant power to support its creation and existence.
The hegemony must possess both the ability and the desire to establish certain norms for order and exist sustain and global structure.

Question 10.
Interpret the given picture and answer the following questions : (C.B.S.E. Sample Paper 2018) Political Science Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 3 U.S. Hegemony ¡n World Politics im.png img-3
(а) The US hegemony is being constrained in the current scenario. Justify with two suitable examples.
Answer:
1. China’s fastest-growing economy can constrain the U.S. hegemony.
2. Nowadays the world heading towards a multipolar world. This trend can also constrain the U.S. hegemony.

(b) Assess the steps taken by India to deal with US hegemony in the current scenario. 3
Answer:
It is very difficult to decide exactly what type of relationship India should have with the US. The debate rotates around the three possible strategies :
1. One group of Indian analysts opine that Indian should maintain its aloofness from Washington and focuses upon increasing its own national power.

Note: The following questions are for the visually impaired students, in line of Q.No.10
(a) The present world order is different from the cold war period. Justify.
Answer:
The present world order is different forms of the Cold War period because during Cold War World was bipolar in nature, but after the disintegration of U.S.S.R in 1991, the world order becomes unipolar in nature.

(b) Assess the implications of the US Hegemony economic terms on the world.
Answer:

The U.S.A. Dominate the economic world organisations such as I.M.F. and World Bank.
The U.S.A. also dominate the U.N.O. Through its Economic power.

Question 11.
Describe any three operations (Military actions) launched by the US which provide and established its supremacy as hard power. (C.B.S.E. 2018)
Answer:
1. 1st Gulf War: On 2nd August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, Immediately a meeting of Security Council was held. U.N. Security Council condemned the invasion and demanded the withdrawal of Iraqi troops. The United Nations mandated the liberation of Kuwait by force. A massive coalition force of 660,000 troops from 34 countries fought against Iraq and defeated it. The U.N. operation was called ‘Operation Desert Strom.’ It is also known as the First Gulf War.

2. Incident of 9/11: On 11 September 2001 terrorists attacked World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Nineteen hijackers took control of four American commercial aircraft shortly after take-off and few them into the important building of U.S. In response to that incident U.S.A. launched ‘Operation Enduring Freedom’ and attacked Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.3. Second Gulf War: Another operation launched by the U.S. which proved and established its supremacy as a hard power was second Gulf War on 19 March 2003 the U.S. launched its invasion of Iraq under the code name of operation Iraqi freedom.

U.S. Hegemony in World Politics Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Explain briefly two reasons for the First Gulf War.
Answer:

After the First World War, Kuwait fell under the British empire. Great Britain treated Kuwait and Iraq as separate countries known as Emirates. But Iraq never recognised the sovereignty of Kuwait.
Kuwait was allied with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. After the war, Iraq was heavily debted to Kuwait. But Iraq accused Kuwait of slant drilling into neighbouring Iraqi oil fields. Iraq wanted that debt to be cancelled.

Question 2.
What are the two causes of tension between India and the U.S.A.?
Answer:

India did not sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). For this, the American attitude towards India is not positive.
Another cause of tension between the two countries is the military assistance by America to Pakistan since Pakistan uses its weapons against India.

Question 3.
What is Al-Qaeda?
Answer:
Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organisation and it is mainly dominated by Islamic fundamentalists. In 1998 Al-Qaeda was responsible for the bombing of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.Question 4.
Write two main features of the Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear Co-operation Agreement.
Answer:

The agreement is between two states (India and the U.S.) possessing advanced nuclear technology, both parties having the same benefits and advantages.
The purpose of the agreement is to enable full civil nuclear energy co-operation between India and the United States.
The agreement grants prior consent to process nuclear material and its product.

Question 5.
How can NATO be a constraint in the exercise of the U.S. hegemony?
Answer:
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is perhaps the only international organisation which could possibly moderate the exercise of American power today. The United States has a great interest in keeping the alliance of democratic countries that follow the market economics alive and therefore, it is possible that its allies in the NATO will be able to moderate the exercise of U.S. hegemony.

Manufacturing Industries Class 12 Important Extra Questions Geography Chapter 8

June 1, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 Geography Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 8 Manufacturing Industries. Geography Class 12 Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 Geography Chapter 8 Important Extra Questions Manufacturing Industries

Manufacturing Industries Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When was TISCO at Jamshedpur established ?
Answer:
In 1907.

Question 2.
Classify industries on the basis of ownership.
Answer:
Public Sector, Private Sector and Cooperative Sector.

Question 3.
What is the total production of steel in India ?
Answer:
76.7 million tonnes.

Question 4.
When and where was the first modern cotton textile mill setup ?
Answer:
In 1854 in Mumbai.

Question 5.
State the number of total sugar mills in India.
Answer:
526.

Question 6.
What is the total production of sugar in India (2012) ?
Answer:
339 million tonnes.

Question 7.
Name the largest centre of electronic industry in India.
Answer:
Bengaluru.

Question 8.
Name two industrial centres of Chotta Nagpur region.
Answer:
Ranchi and Bokaro.

Question 9.
Classify industries on the basis of raw materials.
Answer:
Agro-based, Forest-based and Mineral-based industries.

Question 10.
On what factors does the Cotton textiles depend ?
Answer:

Raw materials
Fuel
Chemical
Machinery
Labour
Transport
Market.

Question 11.
Name the five main points of Pentagon formed by major centres of cotton textiles.
Answer:
Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Solapur, Nagpur, Indore, Ujjain.

Question 12.
Which state has the highest number of cotton textile mills ?
Answer:
Tamil Nadu—439 mills.

Question 13.
Give one example each of Ferrous and non-Ferrous industries. (Sample Paper 1)
Answer:
Ferrous—iron and steel, non-Ferrous-Copper.

Question 14.
Name any two sub-sections of cotton textile industry in the world. (C.B.S.E. 2009)
Answer:
(i) Handloom
(ii) Mill Sector.

Question 15.
Name the two rivers that provide water to Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO). (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
Khorkai and Subarnarekha.

Manufacturing Industries Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Name the industries classified on the basis of raw materials.
Answer:

Agro-based industries
Forest-based industries
Mineral-based industries
Assembling industries.

Question 2.
Name the industries classified on the basis of entrepreneurship.
Answer:
(i) Public Sector Industries
(ii) Private Sector
(iii) Co-operative Sector.

Question 3.
Describe five features of distribution of cotton textile industry in India.
Answer:
(i) Cotton Textile is widely distributed in India.
(ii) It is concentrated in Mumbai, Ahmedabad.
(iii) It is an agro-based industry
(iv) Cloth is produced in three sectors

Mills
Power-looms
Handlooms

(v) It is the largest industry in India.

Question 4.
What do you mean by “manufacturing” ?
Answer:
Manufacturing is the process of conversion of raw materials into useful finished products with the help of machines. It is a secondary occupation of man. Manufacturing has a major role in utilisation of resources as these transform resources into more valuable goods. For example, wood pulp and paper are manufactured from wood, yarn and cloth from cotton, steel and machine tools from iron ore.

Question 5.
What is heavy industry ?
Answer:
The industries using minerals for manufacturing bulky products are known as heavy industries. Thus, heavy industries are mineral-based. The products are manufactured in modern mills. These form the basis of industrialisation of a country. Iron and steel, Machine tools, Engineering industries are included in this category.

Question 6.
In what different ways, can industries be classified ?
Answer:
The industries can be classified on the following basis:
(i) On the basis of size of the industries, the industries can be classified into two categories:

Large-scale industries.
Small-scale industries.

(ii) On the basis of development of the industries, the industries are of two types:

Cottage industries.
Mill industries.

(iii) On the basis of ownership, the industries fall into three groups:

Public sector.
Private sector.
Cooperative sector.

(iv) On the basis of raw materials, industries are mainly of two types :

Agro-based industries.
Mineral-based industries.

(v) On the basis of manufactured goods, the industries are of two types :

Heavy industries.
Light industries.

(vi) Similarly different types of industries are grouped as handicrafts, village industries, household industries, key industries and consumer industries.

Question 7.
Name the five iron and steel towns of India.
Answer:
Iron and steel plants are established in the following towns which are known as steel towns of India.

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand)
Bokaro (Jharkhand)
Bhilai (Chhattisgarh)
Rourkela (Odisha)
Durgapur (W. Bengal)

Question 8.
State the different sectors on ‘the basis of structure of industries. (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
On the basis of ownership, the industries are grouped into three sectors:
(i) Public Sector. These are managed by the state. These are basic and heavy industries. For example, Bhilai steel plant, Nangal fertiliser factory.

(ii) Private Sector. These industries run under the private management of individuals such as Jamshedpur TISCO steel plant.

(iii) Joint or Cooperative Sector. These industries are managed by a group of persons or a co-operative society. For example, sugar industries.

Question 9.
What are the problems of cotton textiles?
Answer:
Cotton textiles is the largest organised industry, but it has some problems.

The production of long staple cotton is not large. India has to import long staple cotton
The machinery is old and obsolete. Its productivity is low and cost is high
Capital is required for modernisation of machinery particularly automatic machines
Competition from China and Japan is hard.

Question 10.
Why have the textile industries moved from Mumbai towards Ahmedabad ? Explain with the help of suitable examples.
Answer:
The first modern cotton textile mill was established in Mumbai in 1854. Location of the Port, humid coastal climate, development of chemical industry, availability of capital and easy import of machinery were some of the advantages. Raw cotton was imported from other states. After some time, the dispersal of cotton textile industry started.

With the result, cotton mills were established at Ahmedabad, in the heart of cotton growing belt. At Ahmedabad, level land as well as capital was available. Ahmedabad has no problems of strikes, high wages. Therefore Ahmedabad became the ‘Manchester of India’ (the largest textile centre of India).

Question 11.
Why is iron and steel industry located only in Peninsular India ?
Answer:
Iron and Steel is a heavy industry using very bulky raw materials. Therefore, its location is governed by close proximity to raw materials and good transport system. The north eastern and southern parts of Peninsular India are rich in minerals which is suitable for the location of Iron and Steel industries.

Question 12.
Classify industries on the basis of manufactured products.
Answer:
Classification of industries is based on the nature of the manufactured products. Seven classes of industries, thus, identified are:

Metallurgical Industries
Mechanical Engineering Industries,
Electrical Engineering
Chemical and Allied Industries
Textile Industries
Food Industries, and
Electricity Generation.

Electronics industries have emerged as the 8th group of industries.

Question 13.
Explain any three major objectives of New Industrial Policy of India, which was announced in 1991. (C.B.S.E. 2011)
Or
Mention any four major objectives of the New Industrial Policy, 1991 of India. Describe the role of globalisation in achieving these objectives. (C.B.S.E. Outside Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Industrial Policy. The new industrial policy was announced in 1991. The major objectives of this policy were:

To build on the gains already made.
To correct the distortions or weaknesses that have crept in.
To maintain a sustained growth in productivity and gainful employment.
To attain international competitiveness.

Question 14.
Describe the steps taken during Liberalisation Policy.
Answer:
New Industrial Policy of 1991 announced several liberalisation measures and private sector was destined to play an important role in industrial activities during the Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-1997).

Major liberalisation measures removed entry barriers to investment
opened trade
provided free access to foreign technology in some sectors
opened up foreign direct investment and
removed barriers inhibiting access to capital markets.

Question 15.
Name the major industrial regions, minor industrial regions and industrial districts.
Answer:
Industrial Regions and Districts
Major Industrial Regions.

Mumbai-Pune Region
Hugli Region
Bengaluru-Tamil Nadu Region
Gujarat Region
Chottanagpur Region
Vishakhapatnam-Guntur Region
Gurgaon- Delhi-Meerut Region, and
Kollam-Thiruvan- thapuram Region.

Minor Industrial Regions.

Ambala-Amritsar,
Saharanpur-Muzaffarnagar-Bijnaur
Indore- Dewas-Ujjain
Jaipur-Ajmer
Kolhapur-South Kannad
Northern Malabar
Middle Malabar
Adilbad-Nizamabad
Allahabad-Varanasi-Mirzapur,
Bhojpur-Munger
Durg-Raipur
Bilaspur- Korba, and
Brahmaputra valley.

Industrial Districts

Kanpur
Hyderabad
Agra
Nagpur
Gwalior
Bhopal
Lucknow
Jalpaiguri
Cuttack
Gorakhpur
Aligarh
Kota
Purnia
Jabalpur, and
Bareilly.

Question 16.
List tha factors which favour the location of steel plant at Jamshedpur.
Answer:
Jamshedpur is ideally situated with respect to raw materials and market for the location of iron and steel industry. The plant has the following favourable facilities:

Geographical factors for location

Availability of iron ore from Singhbhum region.
Coking coal from Jharia and Raniganj.
Limestone, Manganese and Quartz are available nearby.
Damodar, Subamrekha, Kharkai rivers provide water and sand.
Cheap labour from densely populated state of Bihar and West Bengal.
Facilities of cheap transport and port of Kolkata.
Water power is available from D.V.C.

Question 17.
Account for the concentration of cotton textiles at Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Or
Mention any two factors responsible for the establishment of cotton textile mills in Mumbai. (CBSE2018)
Answer:
The first cotton textile mill in India was established in 1854 in Mumbai. A large home market, manufacturing of textile machinery and abundant supply of raw cotton has favoured the growth of this industry in India. There are 1050 mills scattered over 80 towns of India. India is the world’s largest cotton textile producer.

Mumbai is the oldest centre of cotton textile industry in India. Mumbai is known as ‘Cotton Polis of India’. The following factors have led to the concentration of this industry at Mumbai:

Early start.
Warm and humid marine climate.
Nearness to cotton producing areas of Maharashtra.
Easy import of machinery, chemicals, long staple cotton from the port of Mumbai.
Cheap skilled labour.
Water power from Tata Hydro Electric Works.
Large ready market.
Facilities of trade, banking and transport.

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) is the largest producer of cotton textiles in India. It is known as the ‘Manchester of India’. Ahmedabad is situated in the heart of cotton growing areas of Gujarat. Cheap land, water power and skilled labour is available. The combination of these factors have led to the growth of cotton textiles in Ahmedabad.

Question 18.
Describe any five characteristics of ‘Gujarat Industrial Region’. (C.B.S.E. 2009)
Or
Explain any five factors responsible for the development of “Gujarat Industrial Region.” (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Gujarat Industrial Region.
This is the third largest industrial region of India. It is an inland industrial region and has the following favourable factors:

It is located near the raw cotton producing area. It is close to the marketing centres of Ganga- Sutlej plains.
Cheap skilled labour as well as cheap land is available.
The discovery of oil in the Gulf of Cambay region has led to establishment of an industrial complex of petro-chemical industries.
The development of new port of Kandla has provided the facilities of import-exports.
Ahmedabad is the major centre of cotton textiles and is known as the Manchester of India’.

Question 19.
Why are sugar mills con¬centrated within the sugarcane producing areas in India ? Explain citing five reasons. (C.B.S.E. 2009) (Sample paper 2017)
Answer:
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the major sugarcane producing states. Most of sugar factories are located in the above mentioned states. This is due to following reasons :

Sugarcane is a weight loosing crop. Therefore sugar mills are located near sugarcane producing areas.
It should be used immediately after harvesting otherwise its sucrose content begins to dry.
Sugarcane must be crushed within 24 hours of harvesting to get better recovery of sugar.
Transportation cost is avoided if it is transported to a short distance.
Sugar mills are located in areas where sucrose content is very high.

Question 20.
Explain with examples the factors that helped in the development of Hoogli Industrial region.(Delhi 2019)
Or
Explain any five factors responsible for the development of Hoogli Industrial region. (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Hoogli region is located along the Hoogli river to a distance of 100 kms. The following factors favour the development of the Hoogli region.

Opening of coal fields of Damodar Valley.
Opening of rich port of Kolkata along the Hoogli river.
Location of petroleum refinery at Haldia.
Roads and railways provides subsequante lines to the great benefit of the region.

Question 21.
Study the following diagram and answer the questions that follow: (CBSE 2010)
(10.1) Identify and name the steel plant shown in this diagram.
(10.2) Name the mining fields which supply coal and limestone to this plant.
(10.3) Mention the source of water for this plant.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 8 Manufacturing Industries 1
Answer:
(10.1) Jamshedpur steel plant
(10.2) Coal from Jharia, limestone from Birmitrapur
(10.3) Water from rivers Subarnarekha and Kharkai

Manufacturing Industries Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Explain the locational factors of Industries with the help of suitable examples. (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Or
Explain five main geographical factors influencing location of industries giving suitable examples from Indian industries.
Or
Why do large scale industries choose different location? Explain any four factors which influence the industrial location. (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Manufacturing. Manufacturing is a secondary process of transforming raw materials into finished products. The raw materials of agriculture, forests, minerals are changed into new products. For example, clay is changed into pottery, timber is changed into furniture, etc.

These manufactured goods are more useful and valuable than the raw material. The location of manufacturing industries depends on a number of physical and socio-economic factors. These factors are called the basis of industries. No single factor decides the location of industries.

Geographical Factors

(1) Nearness to raw materials. Large quantities of raw materials are needed for industries. Therefore, industries are located near the source of raw materials. The industries are located near mines, forests, farms and seas. It saves the cost of transportation. Sugar mills are located in the areas where sugarcane is produced. Iron and steel industry uses bulky raw materials.

Steel centres are developed where coal and iron are easily available. Industries producing perishable goods (meat, fish and dairy products) are located near the areas of their production. Example. Jute mills in West Bengal and Cotton Textile mills in Maharashtra are located due to the availability of the raw materials.

(2) Power resources. Coal, oil and water-power are the main sources of power. Most of the industries are located around coal-fields. The industrial regions of Damodar Valley (India), Ruhr Valley (West Germany) depends upon coal. Some industries use large amount of electricity.

Such industries like Chemical Industries, Aluminium Industries and Paper Industry are located near hydro-electric stations. Petro-chemical Industries use large quantities of Petroleum. Example. Iron and Steel centres in India are located near Jharia and Raniganj coal fields. Chemical fertiliser plant is located at Nangal where cheap water power is available from Bhakra Project.

(3) Means of Transportation. Modern industries need cheap, developed and quick means of transportation. Water-transport is the cheapest means of transport. Cheap means of transportation are required for the movement of workers, raw materials and machinery to the factories. Manufactured goods should be sent to the market at low cost. Example. Delhi is the nodal point of transport and industries concentrated around it.

(4) Climate. Stimulating climate increases the efficiency of the labourers. Certain industries require special type of climate. Cotton Textile industry requires humid climate, Film industry needs good weather with clear blue sky. Areas with favourable climate become huge markets.

Example. Mumbai is the leading centre of Cotton Textile due to wet coastal climate. Dry climate has led to the location of Aircraft Industry at Bengaluru (India) and California (U.S.A.).

Non-Geographical factors

(5) Cheap land. Heavy industries need cheap level land. Steel industry at Jamshedpur is located in a broad river-valley.

(6) Capital. Large amount of capital is invested in many industries. Many industries have been located in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata. Many banks and companies provide capital in these areas.

(7) Skilled labour. Cheap and skilled labour is essential for the location of the industries. Areas of dense population provide cheap and large labour force. Engineering industries need skilled labour. Cotton Textile industry in Lancashire, Glass industry in Ferozabad, Sports goods industry in Jalandhar are located due to the availability of the skilled labour. The Swiss are known for watch making, the British for specialised cotton textiles, the Japanese for electronic goods and Varanasi is known for Silk embroidery.

(8) Government policies. Most of the industries are located with government aid. Government policies may encourage or discourage the industries in an area. Government may offer cheap land, reduce taxes, help in providing machinery and transport. Bhilai and Rourkela tea plants were set up to develop tribal area.

(9) Nearness to market. Industries are located near the market for their manufactured goods. Urban and industrial centres with dense population provide a large market. Market is based on demand and the purchasing power of the people. Countries of Asia do not make a huge market because the people cannot afford to buy goods. Dairy Industry is located near the ready markets of towns. Light Engineering industries are located near the big factories which require these goods.

(10) Early start. Momentum of an early start leads to the location of an industry such as cotton textile in Mumbai.

(11) Defence. Some industries are located with a military motive such as Aircraft industry at Bengaluru.

(12) Historical Factors. Historical accident may bring an industry to a new location such as Automobile Industry at Detriot in U.S.A., Lock Industry at Aligarh.

(13) Other Factors. Some secondary factors also help in the location of industries such as availability of water, technical knowledge, political factors, etc. The location of industries keep on changing. A good location, today may become a bad location tomorrow.

Question 2.
Describe the location and development of Iron and Steel Industry in India. (C.B.S.E. Outside Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Iron and steel industry is the basis of modern industrialisation. It is the foundation of modern machines, tools, transportation (rail, road, water, air). It is used in making super structures, bridges, tanks, agricultural implements and many products of daily use. It has great strength, toughness, elasticity and low cost of production. The production and consumption of steel is the index of the nconomic development of country.

Ours is truly an ‘Age of Steel.’
Factors for the location of Iron and Steel industry.

Raw Materials. Iron and steel industry needs the bulky raw materials of manganese, limestone and scrap iron.
Coking coal. Coking coal or charcoal is required for smelting of iron ore.
Cheap land. Modern steel plants, furnaces require cheap level land.
Market. The products of iron and steel industry demand a big consumer market.
Capital. Iron and steel industry requires huge capital. Lack of capital is a main obstacle to this industry in the developing countries.
Other Factors. Iron and steel industry needs cheap transport, skilled labour and modern techniques.

The first modern steel plant was established in 1907 at Sakchi (Jamshedpur) in Jharkhand, by Jamshedji Tata. India produces the cheapest steel in the world. India has large reserves of high grade iron- ore, coking coal and limestone. These raw materials are found close to each other. India produces 340 lakh tons of steel. With the establishment of new steel plants, it is expected to reach 500 lakh tons of steel.

Iron steel industry

Centres of Production.

I. Damodar Valley. This region has TISCO (Tata Iron and Steel Company) steel plant at Jamshedpur and IISCO (India Iron and Steel Company) steel plant at Kulti-Burnpur.

Geographical Factors for location.

Availability of iron ore from Singhbhum region.
Coking coal from Jharia and Raniganj.
Limestone, Manganese and Quartz are available nearby.
Damodar, Subamrekha, Kharkai provide water and sand.
Cheap labour from densely populated states of Bihar and West Bengal.
Facilities of cheap transport and port of Kolkata.

II. Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited. This steel plant is located at Bhadravati (Karnataka). It produces alloy and special steel. Iron ore is obtained from Babaudan Hills, charcoal from Kadur forests, water power from Jog Falls, limestone from Bhandigudda mines.

III. Steel Centres in Public Sector. Four steel plants have been developed in the public sector, under HSL (Hindustan Steel Limited) with the collaboration of some foreign countries.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 8 Manufacturing Industries 2

Bhilai (Chhattisgarh)—with the help of Russia.

Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
Salem (Tamil Rourkela (Odisha)—By German Firm Krupps- Demag.
Durgapur (West Bengal)—With British aid.
Bokaro (Jharkhand)—With Russian help.

Geographical factors for location:

Bhilai gets iron ore from Dhalli Rajhara hills; coal from Korba and Jharia coal fields; manganese from Balaghat ranges and limestone from Nandani mines.
Durgapur gets iron ore from Singbhum; coal from Raniganj; lime stone from Gangpur and water from D.V.C.
Rourkela gets iron from Bonai; coal from Jharia and Raniganj, limestone from Birmittrapur.
Bokaro, an ore based steel plant gets coal from Jharia; iron from Keonjhar and water power from D.V.C.

IV. New Steel Plants. The Govt, has set up new steel plants at:

(i) Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
(ii) Salem (Tamil Nadu)
(iii) Vijayanagar (Near Hospet, Karnataka)
The capacity of the different steel plants is being expanded. The production of pig iron and steel is being increased by setting up new mini plants based on scrap iron. At present there are 169 mini steel plants in India. India exports about 20 lakh tonnes of steel every year earning a foreign exchange of ₹ 2000 crores. In 1973, SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited) has been established for the better management of these steel plants.

Question 3.
Describe the location and development of Cotton Textile Industry in India.
Answer:
Cotton Textile Industry
Cotton textile industry is one of the oldest industries in India. Spinning and weaving were the earliest crafts of primitive man. The industry owes its rapid development due to Industrial revolution, Many spinning and weaving machines were invented, These inventions changed this industry from a household to mill industry.

India has a glorious part of cotton textile industry. The first cotton mill was established in 1854 in Mumbai. A large home market, manufacturing of textile machinery and abundant supply of cotton have led to the growth of this industry in India. There are
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 8 Manufacturing Industries 12

about 1824 textile mills scattered over 80 towns and the annual production of cloth is about 3000 crore metres. India is the second largest producer of cotton textile in the world.

Distribution of Cotton Textile Industry :

(i) Maharashtra. Mumbai is the oldest centre of cotton textile industry in India. Mumbai is known as “Cotton Polis of India.” Nagpur, Pune, Sholapur, Amaravati are other centres. The following factors have led to the concentration of this industry at Mumbai:

Early start
Large amount of capital
Long staple cotton from Gujarat and Maharashtra
Facilities of Mumbai as a port
Easy import of machinery
Humid climate
Cheap labour
Water power from Tata Hydro-electric works
Large ready market
Opening of Suez Canal route.

(ii) Gujarat. Ahmedabad is the largest producer of cotton textiles in India. It is known as the ‘Manchester of India’. Ahmedabad is situated in the heart of cotton growing area. Cheap land is also available.

(iii) Tamil Nadu. The development of hydro-electricity in the South and cul tivation of long staple cotton led to the location of this industry in Southern India. Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem and Chennai are the main centres.

(iv) West Bengal. Most of the mills are located at Kolkata in the Hugh basin.

(v) Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur is the main centre and is called ‘The Manchester of Northern India’.

(vi) The dispersal of this industry has led to the growth of new centres like Bhopal, Gwalior, Bengaluru, Phagwara, Bhiv/ani, Delhi and Kota.

Importance

Cotton Textiles is the oldest and the biggest industry in India.
About 10 lakh workers are engaged in this industry
It has the largest amount of capital (X 1300 crores) invested
It earns about a sum of X 8000 crores as foreign exchange by export of manufactured goods.

(v) Many industries such as dyes, chemicals, etc., depend on cotton products.

Question 4.
Describe the importance, location and distribution of Sugar industry in India.
Answer:
Sugar Industry. Sugar is an important article of food. It has a universal demand. Sugar is obtained from two major sources:
(a) Sugarcane
(b) Sugar beet.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 8 Manufacturing Industries 6

India is regarded as the birth-place of sugarcane and sugar. The tropical areas have the sugarcane industry, while the temperate regions have the sugar beet industry.

Importance:

India is the largest producer of sugar in the world.
It is the second largest industry of India with a capital of ₹ 1000 crores.
About 3 lakh workers are engaged in this industry
About two crore farmers depend upon this industry.
India exports about 5 lakh tonnes of Sugar every year.
Many industries such as alcohol, paper, wax, fertiliser, cattle feed are based on its by-products.

India is one of the oldest producers of sugarcane in the world. The home industry was granted protection in 1932. Since then, the industry has rapidly developed. There are about 506 sugar mills producing about 160 lakh metric tons of sugar. North India (U.P. and Bihar) produces about 60% of sugar in India.

Factors of Growth :

Availability of sugarcane in Northern India
Cheap and skilled labour
Large demand
Availability of coal
Cheap transport.

Main Centres:

Uttar Pradesh. Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Sitapur, Bareilly.
Bihar. Champaran, Patna.
Maharashtra. Ahmednagar, Sholapur.
Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad.
Punjab. Amritsar, Bhogpur, Phagwara, Batala, Nawanshahar, Nakodar, Mukerian and Zira.
Ratlam. (M.P.), Rohtak (Haryana), Madurai (Tamil Nadu).

Problems. Sugar Industry is facing some problems. Yield of sugarcane and sugar content is low. It is a seasonal industry and there is absence of industries consuming the by-products of sugarcane. Moreover, the cost of sugar is also high.

Question 5.
Write a note on Petro-chemical industries of India: under the following heads:—
(i) Petro-chemicals
(ii) Polymers
(iii) Synthetic fibres.
Answer:
(i) Petro-chemical Industries. This group of industries is growing very fast in India. A variety of products come under this category of industries. At the same time, petroleum refining industry expanded rapidly. Many things are derived from crude petroleum, which provide raw materials to several new industries; these are collectively known as petro-chemical industries. Mumbai is the hub of petro-chemical industries. Cracker units are also located in Auraiya (Uttar Pradesh), Jamnagar, Nagothane, Gandhar, Haldia, Hazira (Gujarat) and Vishakhapatanam.

Three organisations are working in the petro-chemical sector under the administrative control of the Department of Chemicals and Petro-chemicals.

First is the Indian Petro-chemical Corporation Limited (IPCL), a public sector undertaking.
Second is the Petrofils Cooperative Limited (PCL)
Third is the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), involved in imparting training.

(ii) Polymers. Polymers are made from ethylene and propylene. These materials are obtained in the process of refining crude oil. Polymers are used as raw material in the plastic industry. Among polymers, polyethylene is widely used thermoplastics. Plastic is first converted into sheets, powder, resin and pellets, then these are used for manufacturing plastic products.

Plastic products are preferred because of their strength, flexibility, water and chemical resistance and low prices. The National Organic Chemical Industries Limited, instituted by the Mafatlal Group in 1961, started the first naphtha-based chemical industry at Mumbai. Mumbai, Barauni, Mettur, Pimpri, and Risra are major producers of plastic materials. Production of polymers was 3441 thousand tonnes in 2000-01. There are about 19,000 units, consuming about 3500 thousand tonnes of virgin polymers.

(iii) Synthetic fibres are wudely used in manufacturing of fabrics because of their inherent strength, durability, washability and resistance to shrinkage. These fabrics are equally popular in urban and rural areas. Units of manufacturing nylon filament and polyester filament yarns are at Kota, Pimpri, Mumbai, Modinagar, Pune, Ujjain, Nagpur and Udhna. Acrylic staple fibre is manufactured at Kota and Vadodara. Plants of polyester staple fibre are at Thane, Ghaziabad, Manali, Kota and Vadodara. Production of synthetic fibres was 2.4 billion tonnes in 2012.

Question 6.
Describe the knowledge based industries of India.
Answer:
Knowledge-Based Industries
The advancement in information technology (IT) has a profound impact on country’s economy and people’s lifestyle. The IT revolution has opened up new possibilities of economic and social trans- formation. The Indian software industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors in the econony. The total turnover of this industry increased from ₹ 3.45 billion in 1989-90 to ₹ 377.50 billion during 2000-01.

These industries include Telephone, Cellular Phones, Computers, Space crafts, equipment for weather forecasting, Hardware and Software. Bengaluru is the electronic capital of India. Science cities and Technology parks have been set up at 18 centres like Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Coimbatore, etc.

The IT software and services industry accounts for almost 2 per cent of India’s GDP and export from this industry amounted to 14 per cent of India’s total exports during 2000-01. The Indian software exports rose from ₹ 2.50 billion in 1990-91 to ₹ 283.50 billion in 2000-01. A large number of Indian software companies have acquired international quality certification. Moreover, majority of the multinational companies operating in the area of Information Technology has either Software Development Centre or Research Development Centre in India.

Question 7.
Discuss the formation of industrial clusters in India. Classify them and account for their existence.
Or
Analyse the factors that favoured the concentration of iron and steel industries in Chhota Nagpur region in India. (Sample paper 2018-19)
Answer:
The concentration of industries has led to the formation of industrial clusters in different regions of India. These clusters are not as large as found in Europe and North America. Manufacturing industries are located closer to each other.

Eight major Industrial regions have been developed in India:
1. Hugli Industrial Region. This is the most prominent industrial region of India. It has developed along the banks of Hugli river upto 97 km. inland from the sea. This region has developed due to the following favourable factors:

The port of Kolkata has the benefits of imports and exports.
Coal and iron are available from Damodar Valley.
It is well connected by a network of railways and road with the rich hinterland of Ganga and Brahmaputra plains.
The Tea plantation of Assam and cultivation of Jute in West Bengal has led to the development of this industrial region.
Kolkata is a commercial town.

Cheap labour is available from densely populated areas of Bihar and Odisha. The construction of Farakka Barrage on the Ganga and the development of new port of Haldia will provide additional advantages. Iron and Steel, Jute, paper manufactured goods and other industries have been developed in this region. (Delhi 2019)

2. Mumbai-Pune Region. This is the second largest industrial region of India. It has developed due to the growth of cotton textiles in this region. This region has developed in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan and Pune region. The following factors have favoured the development of this region :

The opening of first railway track between Mumbai and Thane in 1853.
The development of Mumbai as a port with facilities of imports and exports.
The opening of Suez Canal route.
Water Power from Western Ghats.
Availability of raw cotton from Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Cheap and skilled labour from rich hinterland.
The opening of Bhor Ghat and Thai Ghat connected this region by rail and road routes with the hinterland.
Cotton textiles, oil refineries, chemical industries and Engineering industries have developed in this region.

3. Ahmedabad-Vadodara Region. This is the third largest industrial region of India. It is an inland industrial region. It has the following favourable factors:

It is located near the raw cotton producing area.
It is close to the marketing centres of Ganga- Sutlej plains.
Cheap skilled labour is available.
Cheap land is available.
The discovery of oil in the Gulf of Cambay region has led to the establishment of an industrial complex of petro-chemical industries.
The development of new port of Kandla has provided the facilities of import-exports.
Ahmedabad is the major centre of cotton textiles and is known as the ‘Manchester of India’.

Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 8 Manufacturing Industries 8

4. Madurai-Coimbatore-Bengaluru Region. This is the largest industrial region in Southern India. Many industries have developed at Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Bengaluru and Mysore. This region has the following favourable factors:

Cheap water power from Mettur, Pykara and Shivsamudram works.
Cheap skilled labour is available.
A huge local market.
Favourable climate.
Favourable climate.
Raw cotton is available.
Coimbatore has many industries like cotton textiles, coffee mills, leather tanneries and cement factories.

Bengaluru has Hindustan Aeronautics (Aircraft industry), Hindustan Machine Tools, Indian Telephone Industry, Bharat Electronics, etc. In other centres, Cotton textiles, Woollen textiles, Silk, Chemicals, Automobiles and Leather industries have developed.

5. Chottanagpur Plateau Region. This region has developed in Jharkhand-Odisha mineral region of Damodar valley. Many steel plants have been located in this region such as Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Durgapur, etc. This region is called ‘The Ruhr of India’. A number of factors have favoured the industrial development in this region:

Coal from Jharia-Ramganj coalfields.
Iron from Bihar-Odisha region.
The facilities of port of Kolkata,
Water power and thermal power from Damodar valley project.
Many heavy industries and engineering industries have developed at Ranchi, Sindri, Chittranjan, Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh, etc.

6. Gurgaon-Deihi-Meerut Region. A number of industrial clusters have assumed importance after independence.
(1) These industries have developed in area adjoining to Delhi. One such industrial region has emerged between Agra-Mathura-Meerut and Saharanpur in U.P.

(2) Another parallel belt extends between Faridabad- Gurgaon-Ambala in Haryana. Both these belts merge in an agglomeration in the vicinity of Delhi.

(3) The hydro-electricity from Bhakra Nangal and thermal power from Harduaganj and Faridabad have very positively contributed to the industrial development of this region.

(4) Majority of the industrial units are agro-based, particularly sugar and textile mills.

(5) Glass, chemicals, engineering, paper, electronics and cycle are other important industries of the region.

(6) Main industries. Agra has glass industry, Mathura has an oil refinery with its petro-chemical complex. Gurgaon has a car factory as well as a unit of the IDPL. Faridabad has a number of engineering and electronics industries. Ghaziabad is a large centre of agro-industries. Saharanpur and Yamunanagar have paper mills. Modinagar, Sonipat, Panipat and Ballabhgarh are other important industrial nodes of this region.

7. Vishakhapatnam-Guntur Region. This industrial region extends from Vishakhapatnam district to Kurnool and Prakasam districts in the south. Industrial development of this region hinges upon Vishakhapatnam, and Machilipatnam ports and developed agriculture and rich reserves of minerals in their hinterlands. Coalfields of the Godavari basin provide power and energy.

Ship building industry was started at Vishakhapatnam in 1941. Petroleum refinery based on imported petroleum facilitated the growth of several petro-chemical industries. Sugar, textile, jute, paper, fertiliser, cement, aluminium and light engineering are principal industries of this region. One lead-zinc smelter is functioning in Guntur district. Iron and steel plant at Vishakhapatnam uses the ore from Bailadila.Vishakhapatnam, Vijayavada, Vijayanagar, Rajahumundry, Guntur, Eluru and Kurnool are important industrial centres.

8. Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram Region. This industrial region is spread over Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alwaye, Ernakulam and Allappuzha districts. Plantation agriculture and hydropower provide industrial base to this region. Located far away from the mineral belt of the country, agricultural products processing and market oriented light industries predominate the region.

Among them, cotton textile, sugar, rubber, matchbox, glass, chemical fertiliser and fish-based industries are important. Food processing, paper, coconut coir products, aluminium and cement industries are important. Petroleum Refinery at Kochi is also useful. Kollam, Alluva, Kochi, Vishakhapatnam uses the Bailadila iron ore. Punalus is another important centre.

Manufacturing Industries Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Account for the shifting of sugar industry towards southern India.
Answer:
Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of sugar in India despite the fact that ideal conditions for sugarcane are found in southern India. But recently, the industry is shifting towards the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in Peninsular India.

The yield per hectare of sugarcane is high in southern India
The sucrose content in sugarcane is high in southern India as compared to that in(Solved))— northern India
The southern states have installed new mills, where productivity is high and cost of productions is low.
Climatic conditions are ideal in southern states

The co-operative movement has helped to install new mills in these areas.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 8 Manufacturing Industries 10

Question 2.
Study the diagram given below and answer the questions that follow:
(1) Name the State in which this iron and steel plant is located.
Answer:
Rourkela (Odisha).

(2) Name the sources of coal and iron-ore for this plant.
Answer:
Coal from Jharia and iron-ore from-Odisha.

(3) Explain the principle on which this plant was set up.
Answer:
This plant provided machinery and consultancy to the plant among others.

Bhakti-Sufi Traditions Class 12 Important Extra Questions History Chapter 6

May 31, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 6 Bhakti-Sufi Traditions: Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional. Class 12 History Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 History Chapter 6 Important Extra Questions Bhakti-Sufi Traditions: Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional

Bhakti-Sufi Traditions Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Name the principal deity followed at Puri, Orissa.
Answer:
Jagannatha, a form of Lord Vishnu.

Question 2.
Who were Alvars?
Answer:
Alvars were those who immersed in the devotion of Lord Vishnu.

Question 3.
Who were Nayanars?
Answer:
Devotes of Lord Shiva was called Nayanars. Question 4. Name a composition written by Alvars. Answer: Nalayira Divyapradandham.

Question 5.
Name a woman devotee each of Alvars and Nayanars?
Answer:
Andal (Alvar) and Karaikkal Ammaiyar (Nayanar).

Question 6.
Who was Virashaivas?
Answer:
The followers of Basavanna in Karnataka were called Virashaivas or Lingayats.

Question 7.
Who challenged the idea of caste and the pollution attributed to certain groups by Brahmanas?
Answer:
Lingayats.

Question 8.
Who conquered Sindh in 711 A.D.?
Answer:
Muhammad Qasim, an Arab General Conquered Sindh in 711 A.D.

Question 9.
Who were Ulamas?
Answer:
Religious scholars of Muslims were called Ulamas. They guided the rulers to rule according to the Sharia.

Question 10.
Which branch of the Ismailis developed new modes of communication, dissemination ideas derived from the Quran?
Answer:
The Khojahs.

Question 11.
What is Ziyarat?
Answer:
The practice of visiting the tomb shrine of Sufi Shaikh was called Ziyarat.

Question 12.
Who composed Padmavat?
Answer:
Malik Muhammad Jayasi composed Padmavat.

Question 13.
Who preserved the Kabir Bijak?
Answer:
The Kabirpanth preserved the Kabir Bijak in Varanasi.

Question 14.
What was the most striking feature of sculpture as well as of texts of the phase of 8th to 18th century?
Answer:
Probably the most striking feature of sculpture as well as of texts was the increasing visibility of different gods and goddesses. This indicates toward continuation and extension of worship of major deities, i.e., Vishnu, Shiva, and the Goddess. Each of these deities was visualized in a number of forms.

Question 15.
Who were the Jogis?
Answer:
The Jogis were the disciples of Gorakh Nath and Aughur Nath. They were very popular in North India and influenced the Sufi saints.

Question 16.
Who brought up Saint Kabir and what are his followers known as?
Answer:
Saint Kabir was brought-up by a weaver Niru and his wife Nima. Followers of Kabir are known as Kabirpanthi.

Question 17.
What is the position of Bhakti in Indian tradition?
Answer:
Bhakti is considered as a part of devotion in Indian tradition. One can attain God through this. Lord Krishna himself told about this in Bhagwat Gita.

Question 18.
Name the two Sufi Shaikhs during the period of Delhi Sultanate.
Answer:
During the period of Delhi Sultanate, there were two Shaikhs namely Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti and Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya.

Question 19.
Why did the Nayanar saints express their opposition towards Jainism and Buddhism?
Answer:
The compositions of the Nayanars were marked for their opposition to Buddhism and Jainism. The historians believe that this hostility was due to competition for seeking royal patronage. The Nayanars were inspired by this feeling.

Question 20.
Explain two religious beliefs and behaviors of Lingayats.
Answer:

Lingayats believed that once, a devotee dies, he will be united with Shiva and will not return to this world.
They do not practice funeral rites instead they ceremonially bury their dead.

Question 21.
Why and which changes came in the status of Brahmanas in North India in the 13th century?
Answer:
During the last years of the 12th century, Brahmanas had a very important place in Rajput kingdoms and they performed a number of secular and ritual functions. No one tried to challenge their position directly. But when Turks established Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century, this condition changed. This undermined the power of many Rajput kingdoms and the Brahmanas associated with these kingdoms.

Question 22.
What do you mean by Zimmi?
Or
Give the meaning of Zirnrna. Who was Zimmis? (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Answer:
The word ‘Zimmi’ was derived from the Arabic word ‘Zimma’ which meant ‘protection’. In other words, the Zimmis were the protected people. They were non-Muslims and included Hindus, Jains, Jews, and Christians were: They lived under Muslim rulership and paid a tax called ‘Jizya’. So they were entitled to protection by the Muslims.

Question 23.
By giving examples clarify that Muslim rulers often adopted a fairly flexible policy towards their subjects.
Answer:
There is no denying the fact that Muslim rulers often adopted a fairly flexible policy towards their subjects. For example, many rulers gave land grants and tax exemptions to Jaina, Hindu, Christian, Zoroastrian, and Jewish religious institutions. They also expressed their respect and devotion towards non- Muslim religious leaders. These grants were given by rulers like Akbar, Aurangzeb, etc.

Question 24.
Who were Mlechchhas?
Answer:
‘Mlechchha’ word is used for migrating communities. This name indicates that they did not believe and observe the norms of caste, society and spoke those languages which were not derived from Sanskrit.

Question 25.
Write two rituals of initiation into ‘Silsila’.
Answer:
There were special rituals of initiation into Silsila and these were:

One has to take an oath of allegiance.
He should wear a patched garment and shave his hair.

Question 26.
Where was the dargah of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Aulia situated? What was the feature of its open kitchen (langar)?
Answer:
Dargah of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Aulia was situated on the banks of the river Yamuna in Ghiyaspur, on the outskirts of the then city of Delhi. The main feature of its open kitchen was that it was run on unasked-for charity or ‘future’.

Question 27.
Name those three poets or historians who visited Shaikh Nizam-ud-din and wrote about the Shaikh?
Answer:
Amir Hasan Sijzi, Amir Khusro, and the court historian Ziya-ud-din Barani were poets or historians who visited Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Aulia and wrote about the Shaikh.

Question 28.
Name four practices adopted by Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya which represent that he tried to assimilate love traditions.
Answer:

Bowing before the Shaikh.
Offering water to visitors.
Shaving the heads of inmates.
Yogic exercise.

Question 29.
What are Kabir’s Ulatbansi compositions?
Answer:
The Ulatbansi compositions of Kabir are intrinsically upside-down sayings. They are written in a form in which everyday meanings are inverted. They express difficulty in capturing the nature of the ultimate reality. They express Kabir’s mystical experiences.

Question 30.
Name two compositions of Kabir which convey a sense of Kabir’s mystical experiences.
Answer:
Kabir’s compositions like “the lotus which blooms without flower” and the “fire raging in the ocean” convey a sense of Kabir’s mystical experiences.

Question 31.
What is written about the religion of Kabir in Vaishnav traditions? Who was his Guru?
Answer:
Hagiographies within the Vaishnava tradition suggest that Kabir was born a Hindu (Kabirdas) but was brought up by a poor Muslim family who belonged to the weaver community. Vaishnava traditions also suggest that Kabir was initiated into Bhakti by a Guru Ramananda.

Question 32.
Who was Mirabai? Discuss any of her two works.
Answer:
Mirabai was the most famous poetess of the Bhakti tradition. She composed many bhajans in praise of Lord Krishna whom she considered as her lover. Her songs are very popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan. She was against the caste system and stood in defiance of the norms of the caste society.

Question 33.
Mention the two earliest Bhakti Movements of Tamil Nadu, giving the main difference between them. (C.B.S.E. 2011 0))
Answer:
The two earliest Bhakti Movements of Tamil Nadu were started under Alvars and Nayanars. Alvars were disciples of Vishnu and Nayanars were disciples of Lord Shiva.

Question 34.
Name the two women poet-saints of Tamil Nadu. Whom did they ‘ worship? (C.B.S.E. 2011 (D))
Answer:
Andal and Karaikkal Ammaiyar were the two women poet-saints of Tamil Nadu. Andal was the devotee of Vishnu and Karaikkal was the devotee of Lord Shiva.

Question 35.
Mention two features of the protest movement started by Nayanars and Alvars? (C.B.S.E. 2011 (D))
Or
Point out similarities between Lingayats and Nayanars. (CJ.S.K 2008, 2016 (O.D.))
Answer:

Both Alvars and Nayanars started a movement of protest against the caste system and the dominance of Brahmanas.
They even opposed Buddhism and Jainism.

Question 36.
Kabir Bijak and Kabir Granthavali are two distinct but overlapping traditions. How are they preserved? (C.B.S.E. 2015 (O.D.))
Answer:
The Kabir Bijak has been preserved by the Kabirpanth in Varanasi and elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh. The Kabir Granthavali is associated with Dadupanth in Rajasthan. Many of his compositions are found in the Adi Granth Sahib.

Question 37.
“The message of Guru Nanak Devji was based on divinity.” Mention any two aspects of it.
Answer:

According to Guru Nanak Devji, there is no gender or form of the ‘Absolute’ or rab.
He proposed a simple way to connect to the Divine by remembering and repeating the Divine Name expressing his ideas through hymns called ‘Shabad in Punjabi’.

Bhakti-Sufi Traditions Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Give a brief description of the new sources of history from the 8th to 18th centuries.
Answer:
The period from the 8th to 18th century witnessed many new sources of history. They include compositions of the poet-saints. Most of these poet-saints expressed themselves orally. They used regional languages which were often used by ordinary people. Their compositions were a set to music and were compiled by their disciples or devotees who sometimes modified their original message to fit in different political, social, and cultural contexts.

The historians also use the hagiographies or biographies of these saints. All these sources provide us an insight into the dynamic and diverse lives of these path-breaking poet-saints.

Question 2.
Explain the main features of the early Bhakti Tradition.
Answer:
The early traditions of Bhakti had the following features:

The poet-saints emerged as leaders having a large number of devotees. They initiated the tradition of the Bhakti movement.
They broke the orthodox Brahmanical framework by accommodating and acknowledging women and the people belonging to the lower castes.
The Bhakti tradition also had a lot of diversity.
The Bhakti tradition is classified into two categories: Saguna and Nirguna. Saguna means the worship of Specific deities such as Vishnu, Shiva and their incarnational forms like the goddess or Devi. It emphasized the attributes of deities. On the other hand, the Nirguna Bhakti was the worship of an abstract form of God. It was worship with attributes.

Question 3.
Who were Alvar and Nayanar; saints? Briefly describe their activities.
Or
Who were Alvars and Nayanars? In which language did they sing? (C.B.S.E. 2008 {O.D.))
Or
Who were Alvars and Nayanars ? (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
Alvar and Nayanar saints were Bhakti saints of Tamil Nadu. Early Bhakti movements were led by them. Alvars were the Bhakts of Vishnu and Nayanars were worshippers of Shiva. They traveled from one place to another singing hymns in Tamil in praise of their respective gods.

During their travels, Alvars and Nayanars declared few sacred places as the abode of their respective deities. Later on, large temples were constructed on these places and they became centers of pilgrimage. Hymns of saint-poets were sung in these temples at the time of temple rituals. Images of these saints were also worshipped in these temples.

Some historians believe that Alvar and Nayanar saints raised their voices against the caste system and the dominance of Brahmanas. This thing seems true to a certain extent because Bhakti saints belonged to diverse groups like Brahmanas, artisans, peasants, etc.

Compositions of Alvar and Nayanar saints were sometimes indicated by the claim that they were as important as the four Vedas. For example, one of the important anthologies of compositions of Alvars, the Nalayira Divyaprabandham was described as the Tamil Veda. In this way, it has been claimed that this text was as significant as the four Vedas.

Question 4.
How women’s devotion was associated with Bhakti tradition? Give example.
Answer:
Probably the most important feature of Bhakti tradition was the presence of women. For example, the compositions of an Alvar woman Andal were sung widely and are sung even today. Andal considered herself as the beloved of Lord Vishnu and expressed her love to her deity in the form of verses. Another woman devotee of Lord Shiva, Karaikkal Ammaiyar took the path of extreme asceticism to attain her objective. Her compositions were preserved in Nayanar traditions. These women renounced their social duties, even then they did not become members of any alternative system. The lifestyle and compositions of these women challenged the patriarchal norms of the society.

Question 5.
What were the five pillars or basic principles of Islam?
Or
Explain the features of Islamic religion which contributed to its spread through the sub-continent. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Answer:
All the followers of Islam accepted the five pillars of faith. They are as under:

There is one God, that is, Allah. Prophet
Mohammad is the messenger (Shahada) of Allah. Quran is the order of Allah.
A true follower of Islam should offer prayers five times a day. It is called Namaz.
He should give alms (Zakat) to the poor.
He should keep fast during the month of Ramzan (Sawn).
He should go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his life.

Question 6.
Discuss the main features of Mosques.
Or
Mention any two universal architectural features of the Mosque. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
Mosque has been considered as the basis of the Islamic way of life. It had a very simple structure. It had an open compound and pillars on all sides. The roof stood on all these pillars. In the middle of the compound, there was a pond where the devotees could bathe before offering Namaz. It had a big hall towards its West.

As it faces the side of Mecca, it tells which side a Muslim should sit to recite Namaz. It had a pulpit on the right side where the Imam sat to deliver his lecture. The mosque also had a minaret from which a loud call was given. In the mosque where Muslims assembled to offer Namaz on the day of Zumma, it was called the Zaami Mosque.

Question 7.
Discuss the similarities in Sufi and Bhakti traditions.
Answer:
The emerging places of Sufi and Bhakti movements were different but the ideologies of both these movements had many similarities. They can be discussed as follows :

Humanism: Both the movements considered an individual as the main subject. They advised all human beings to live in peace and harmony.
Monotheism: Both the movements believed in one God. The Sufis stated that God is one and we are all his children. The saints of the Bhakti movement also sang hymns in praise of God.
Love for Mankind: The saints of the Sufi and Bhakti movement advised all their followers to love human beings. Love for human beings leads to love for God.
Praise for Guru: Both Sufi saints and Bhakats have eulogized Guru in their hymns. The only difference is that the Sufis term their Guru as Pir.
Tolerance: The Sufi saints and Bhakats advised all the Hindus and the Muslims to be tolerant. They should live unitedly.
Similarity Between Sufis or Bhakats and Mystics: There was a great similarity between Sufis or Bhakats and mystics regarding nature, God, soul, and other things.

Question 8.
Why do you think that the traditions of Guru Nanak remain significant even in the 21st century?
Answer:
Keeping in mind the following points, we can say that the traditions established by Guru Nanak Dev Ji are quite important even in the 21st century.

His teachings were very simple and straight forward. They are relevant even today.
He repudiated distinction on the basis of caste. He did not consider anyone high or low on the basis of one’s caste.
He considered human service, mutual love, and fraternity as the true religion.
He opposed idol-worship, yajnas, and religious ceremonies.
His Bani is still a source of inspiration for all the people. It shows a true religious path to all the people.

Question 9.
Briefly describe the development of the Bhakti movement in Bengal.
Answer:
A movement of Krishna Bhakti began in Bengal. Its earliest preachers were Vidyapati Thakur and Chandidas. But the most famous preacher of Krishna Bhakti was Chaitanya (1485-1533 C.E.). He was born in a Brahman family. People used to worship him by considering him as an incarnation of Krishna.

He adopted Sanyasa and went over to Orissa from Bengal. There he spent two decades in the worship of Lord Jagannatha. A number of people of different religions came under his influence and became followers of Krishna. Many top officials of Bengal were also included in it.

Question 10.
Briefly describe the emergence of Sikhism.
Answer:
Guru Nanak Dev Ji was the founder of Sikhism. He was born in 1469 C.E. in a village called Talwandi in Punjab (now in Pakistan). Now this place is known as Nankana Sahib. Right from his childhood, he liked to live in the company of saints. He also traveled widely and spread the message of one God. Both Hindus and Muslims were included among his followers.

There were nine more Guru Sahibs after Guru Nanak Dev Ji. All of them contributed greatly to the development of Sikhism. The second Guru, Angad Dev Ji introduced the Gurmukhi script. The fourth Guru, Ram Dass Ji initiated the process of making a Sarovar in Amritsar which still exists over there. Harimandar Sahib was constructed in that Sarovar. Guru Arjan Dev Ji gave the sacred text ‘Adi Granth Sahib’ to the Sikhs. The last Guru, Gobind Singh Ji founded Khalsa Panth and changed the Sikhs into Saint-Soldiers who were always ready to sacrifice their lives for the protection of their religion.

Question 11. What were the main objectives of the Bhakti Movement?
Or
What were the reasons for the emergence of the Bhakti Movement?
Answer:
Following were the main objectives of the Bhakti Movement :

A number of dogmatisms became a part of Hinduism. People became very superstitious. They started to believe in idol worship, sacrifices, magic, etc. So the main objective of the Bhakti movement was to remove all these evil practices.
The caste system became very rigid in Hinduism. People of lower castes were hated by the upper caste. Lower castes started to adopt Islam and Hinduism came in danger. Preachers of the Bhakti Movement wanted to save Hinduism from this sort of danger.
Muslims also forced Hindus to convert to Islam. It led to an increase in mutual conflicts among them. Therefore, Bhakti Movement originated to remove mutual differences. There was another major objective of the Bhakti Movement and that was to encourage religious harmony within the country.

Question 12.
Discuss teachings of the Sufi tradition.
Answer:
The teachings of the Sufi tradition were as follows :

The Sufi saints preached that God is one. As God is one, we are all his children. God is not Rama, Krishna or Muhammad. They are all great men but not God.
The Sufi saints preached that those who wanted to attain God should love human beings. God loves those who love other human beings.
According to Sufi saints, a man becomes high not by his religion but by his deeds. If an untouchable performs a good deed, he will be considered as high.
The Sufis state that all religions are the same because the purpose of all religions is to attain God.
The Sufi saints and Bhakats gave more importance to peace and non-violence. They gave an exalted position of Guru arid Pir.

Question 13.
Discuss the contribution of Amir Khusrau in the fields of music and literature.
Answer:
Amir Khusrau was a literary person of the Persian language and was a great supporter of Hindi (Hindavi). He loved India and gave the status of Aristotle to Indian Brahmanas. He was born at Patiala in 1252 C.E. He gave more importance to this country in comparison with heaven. Following is given his contribution in the fields of music and literature :

Khusrau composed many anthologies which include the historical Premakhyan. He used all the forms of poetry and then formed a new Persian form which was later on called as Sabak-e-Hindi or Indian form of poetry.
Amir Khusrau gave a unique form to the Chishti Sama by introducing the qaul, a hymn sung at the opening or closing of qawwali. Qawwals at the shrine of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya always started their recital with the qaul.
Amir Khusrau was himself a great musician and took part in many religious Sabhas. These Sabhas were organized by Sufi saint Shaikh Nizam- ud-din Auliya. It has been said that Amir Khusrau died on the second day after the death of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya.

Question 14.
Explain the development of regional languages in the Sultanate period.
Answer:

Regional languages developed to a great extent during the Sultanate period. Bhakat Saints of the whole of the country preaching in these languages. These languages took the form of present languages with the passage of time.
Brij, Awadhi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bangla, Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil of this period took the form of certain languages.
Persian was the language of. the state. As a result, Indian languages certainly were influenced by this language. Many words of Persian became part of Indian languages.
The Urdu language originated in this age due to a mixture of Persian-Hindi languages.
Many Sanskrit texts were translated into regional languages during the Sultanate period.

Question 15.
Describe the development of music in the Sultanate period.
Answer:
During the Sultanate period, a mixed form of both Indian and Iranian style of music was developed. With the Turkish advent in India, many Iranian ragas were mixed into Indian ragas. Development of music took place in Khanqahs (hospice of Sufis). Many regional kings patronaged the music. Music was one of the major parts of the daily life of their palaces.

Amir Khusrau was one of the greatest musicians of this age who was given the title of ‘Nayak’. He helped in the development of many Iranian-Arabian ragas like Emaan, Gora, Sanam, etc. He also helped in increase in the practice of Sitar and even of the Tabla as well. Sultan of Jaunpur, Hussain Sharki was a great lover of music. One Sufi saint Pir Bodhan resided in his kingdom who was also known as a very good musician. Raja Man Singh of Gwalior was also a music lover. Lodhi rulers also patronaged music.

Question 16.
Throw light on the different aspects of the Virashaiva tradition of Karnataka.
Or
Discuss any five religious beliefs or principles of Lingayats.
Or
Who were Lingayats? Mention one idea that they challenged. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (O.D.))
Or
Who were Lingayats? Explain their contribution in the social and religious fields with special reference to a caste system. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Or
Mention the two ideas of the Brahmanical system challenged by the Lingayats. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (D))
Or
The Lingayats disappointed certain practices of the Dharmashastras. Give any two such practices. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (O.D.))
Answer:
A new movement emerged in Karnataka in the twelfth century. It was initiated by Basavanna, a Brahmana. He was earlier a Jaina and a minister in the court of Chalukya King. He had many followers who were called Virashaivas or the heroes of Shiva. They were also called Lingayats, that is, wearers of the linga.

The Beliefs or Principles of Lingayats: The Lingayats were an important community. They believed in the following principles :

They worshipped Shiva in his manifestation as a linga. They usually wore a small linga in a silver case. They hung it over, their left shoulder.
They believed that they would be united with Shiva after their death. After their meeting with Shiva, they would never return to this world.
They did not practice the funeral rites like cremation. They ceremonially buried their dead.
They did not believe in the caste system.
They attributed pollution to certain groups of Brahmanas.
They repudiated the theory of rebirth.
They encouraged post-puberty marriage and the re-marriage of widows.

Question 17.
What was the basis of the names of different communities in India?
Answer:
We generally take the terms like Hindu and Muslim for granted for religious communities. But these terms hardly prevailed for a long time. Historians studying Sanskrit texts and inscriptions dating between the 8th and 14th centuries indicate the fact that the term Muslim was virtually never used anywhere. Instead of this, people were mostly classified in terms of the region from which they come.

For example, Turkish Muslims were designated as ‘Turushka’. In the same way, people from Tajikistan were called Tajika and people from Persia were called Parashika. Sometimes, terms used for other people were applied to the new migrants. For example, the Turks and Afghans were called Shakas and Yavanas (a term used for Greek people).

Another general term was used for these migrant communities and that was Mlechchha. This term indicates that they did not observe the rules of caste society and generally used those languages which were not derived from Sanskrit.

Question 18.
How did Islam gain a place in Deccan?
Answer:
A different genre of Sufi poetry was composed in and around the city of Bijapur in Karnataka. These were the short poems written in Dakhani (a variant of Urdu). They were composed of Chishti saints living in this region during the 17th and 18th centuries. These poems were probably sung by women while doing household works like grinding grain and spinning. Some of the compositions were in the form of Lurinama and Shadinama.

Probably Sufis of this region was influenced by the already existing Bhakti traditions. Kannada vachanas of the Lingayats and the Marathi abhangs of Sants of Pandharpur also inspired that. It is through this medium that Islam gradually gained a place in the Deccan.

Question 19.
Discuss the controversy about the birth and Guru of Kabir.
Answer:
Kabir was a famous poet-saint. He was born in a Hindu family but was brought up by a Muslim family. He was a Hindu by birth. His name was Kabirdas. In the Arabic language, the word ‘Kabir’ means great. But Kabir was nourished in a Muslim family belonging to the community of weavers.

Kabir had a guru named Ramananda. He becomes a bhakta because of the influence of his guru on him.

However, he did not use the word guru or satguru for any individual. Many historians feel that Kabir and Ramananda could not be contemporaries. It could be possible only if Kabir had a very long life. So the tradition of their being contemporaries cannot be accepted.

Question 20.
Write a note on Mirabai.
Or
Explain how the biography of the saint poetess Mirabai has been reconstructed. How did she defy the norms of society? (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
Mirabai is considered the best-known woman poet within the Bhakti tradition. Her biographies have been reconstructed on the basis of bhajans sung by her. These bhajans were transmitted orally for centuries. Mirabai was a Rajput princess of Merta in Marwar. She was married against her wishes to a prince of the Sisodia clan of Mewar. She defied the order of her husband and refused to take the traditional responsibilities of a wife and mother. She recognized Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu, as her husband.

Class 12 History Important Questions Chapter 6 Bhakti-Sufi Traditions 1

Her in-laws tried to poison her but she left the palace and started to live as a wandering singer. She composed a number of songs full of intense expressions of emotions. Mira also defied the norms of a caste-based society. It is said that after rejecting the comforts of the palace, she had donned the white robes of a widow or the saffron robe of the renouncer.

Although she did not attract a number of followers and neither she found a sect but she remained a source of inspiration for centuries. Songs sung by Mirabai are still sung by people even today especially by poor people of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Question 21.
Explain the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Did he wish to establish a new religion? (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:
Following were the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji :

His teachings were very simple and straightforward. They are relevant even today.
He repudiated distinction on the basis of caste. He did not consider anyone high or low on the basis of one’s caste.
He considered human service, mutual love, and fraternity as the true religion.
He opposed idol worship, yajnas, and religious ceremonies.
His Bani is still a source of inspiration for all the people. It shows a true religious path to all the people.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji had organized his followers into a community. He fixed the rules for community worship. He gave his Guru Gaddi to one of his followers Guru Angad Dev Ji. But it seems that Guru Nanak Dev Ji never wanted to establish a new religion. He wanted that his followers must be organized but after his death, his followers organized themselves into an organization with a different identity.

Question 22.
“Sufism evolved as a reaction to the growing materialism of the caliphate as a religion and political institution.” Elucidate. (C.B.S.E. 2018)
Answer:

Sufism turned to asceticism and mysticism to protest against materialism.
The laid emphasis on seeking salvation through intense devotion and lane for God.
They were critical of the definitions and scholastic method of interpreting the Qur’an adopted by theology answer:
The Sufis began to organize communities around the hospice or Khanqah controlled by a teaching master known as a sheik, pir, or murshid.

Bhakti-Sufi Traditions Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
How was the religious ferment in North India? How dominance of Brahmanas was reduced over there?
Answer:
Rulers of North India constructed temples and deities like Vishnu and Shiva were worshipped over there. But historians did not found anything resembling the compositions of Alvar and Nayanar saints till the 14th century in North India. In this regard, some scholars are of the view that during this period, many Rajput kingdoms came into existence in North India. Brahmanas had an important place in all the Rajput kingdoms and they performed secular and religious functions.

Out of Brahmanical Structure: At the same time, other religious leaders were gaining ground that did not function within the traditional Brahmanical framework. These leaders include Naths, Jogis, and Siddhas. Many of them belonged to artisan groups including weavers. Their importance was also increasing with the development of organized craft production. Demand for this production increased with the emergence of new urban centers and with the spread of long-distance trade with western and Central Asia.

The decline in the dominance of Brahmanas: Many new religious leaders challenged the authority of Vedas and gave their ideas in the language of the common masses. Gradually, these languages developed over the centuries into the ones used today. Although these leaders were popular, they were unable to win over the support of the ruling elites. At the same time, Turks came to India and established Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century.

With the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, the importance of Rajput Kingdoms and Brahmanas, associated with them, declined to a great extent. These changes also influenced our culture and religion. The advent of the Sufis in India was an important part of such developments.

Question 2.
How did India become a part of the Islamic world? How rulers who had faith in Islam, maintained a balance with their subjects?
Answer:
Arab merchants frequently came along the parts of the western coast in the first millennium C.E. During the same period, people from Central Asia came to the sub-continent and settled in the north-western parts. With the advent of Islam and from the 7th century onwards, these regions became a part of that world which is often termed as the Islamic world.

Establishment of Islamic Authority: In 711 C.E., an Arab General Muhammad Bin Qasim conquered Sindh and annexed to the domains of Caliph. Later on (around the 13th century) Turks and Afghans established the Delhi Sultanate. Gradually, Sultanate spread in Deccan and other parts of the subcontinent. The religion of most of the rulers in most of the regions was Islam. This situation remained till the establishment of the Mughal empire in the 16th century. Many regional kingdoms emerged in the 18th century and most of them had faith in Islam.

Maintaining balance with Subjects: Theoretically, Muslim rulers were supposed to be guided by the Ulemas. It was expected from Ulemas that they could ensure that they ruled according to the Sharia. But the situation in the subcontinent was complicated because a large section of the population did not subscribe to Islam.

In this context, Zimmi, which means protected category, was developed. Zimmi word was used for the people who followed revealed scriptures like Jews and Christians living in the regions of Islamic rulers. These people paid a tax called Jizya. In lieu of that, they gained the right of protection by Muslim rulers. Hindus in India were also included among Zimmis. That is why rulers like Mughals regarded themselves as emperors of Muslims and of all peoples.

Actually, rulers generally adopted a fairly flexible policy towards their subjects. For example, many rulers gave land grants and tax exemptions to Jainas, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Christians, and Jewish religious institutions. They also expressed their respect toward non-Muslim religious leaders. These grants were given by many Mughal rulers including Akbar, Aurangzeb, etc.

Question 3.
How did Islam become popular in India?
Answer:
The changes that took place at the emergence of Islam were not confined to only the ruling class. In fact, they spread in the whole sub-continent. They affected different strata of social life such as the peasants, artisans, warriors and merchants. Those who adopted Islam accepted the following five pillars of the faith :

There is only one God i.e., Allah. Prophet Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
Namaz should be offered five times a day.
Alms (Zakat) should be given to the needy.
Fasts should be kept in the month of Ramzan.
All Muslims should make the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) at least once in their lives.

However, these universal principles were over-shadowed by various diversities. In practice, there
were sectarian affiliations. There were differences between Shias and Sunnis. For example, the Khojahs, a branch of the Ismailis (a sect of Shia) developed new modes of communication. They spread the ideas of the Quran through their literary works.

Another reason for the popularity of Islam was that Arab Muslim traders who settled along the Malabar coast in Kerala adopted Malayalam which was a local language. They also adopted local customs.

Question 4.
Give a brief description of the development of the Sufi idea and the organization of Khanqahs and Silsilas.
Or
“Sufism evolved as a reaction to the growing materialism of the caliphate as a religious and political institution.” Elucidate. (C.B.S.E. 2018)
Answer:
Sufism became a well-developed movement in the eleventh century. It led to the publication of literature on Quranic studies and Sufi practices. The word Sufi is derived from suf, meaning wool. It shows the coarse woolen clothes worn by Sufis. Some people derive this word from ‘safe’ which meant purity. It may also have been derived from ‘stuff’ which signified the platform outside the mosque of the Prophet. The followers of the Prophet assembled near this platform to learn about the faith. The Sufis began to organize communities around Khanqah. These Khanqahs were controlled by Shaikh who was a pir, or murshid, or the teaching master.

The Sufis rejected the intellectual explanation of the Quran given by conservative religious leaders.
They emphasized that the path of salvation lay in the devotion to God and obedience to his will.
They stated that Prophet Muhammad was the Insaan-e-Quamil and therefore we should follow his ideals and teachings.
They interpreted Quran on the basis of their personal experiences.

In other words, Khanqahs established rules for spiritual conduct. But in the 12th century, salsas began to crystallize in different parts of the Islamic world. The word ‘silsila’ literally meant a chain. It signified a continuous link between the master and the disciple. It helped in transmitting spiritual power and blessings to the devotees. Those who joined silsila took an oath of allegiance. They wore a patched garment and shaved their head.

When the Shaikh died, a tomb-shrine was built in his honor. This dargah soon became the center of devotion for all his followers. This encouraged the practice of pilgrimage or ziyarat. People visited such dargahs either on a death anniversary or marriage. In other words, the Shaikh was revered as Wali.

Question 5.
Discuss the activities of Chishti Silsila in the sub-continent on the basis of Khanqah of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya.
Answer:
Chishtis was the most influential among Sufi communities that came over to India at the end of the 12th century. It was so because they not only adapted themselves to the local environment but they also adopted many things of Indian bhakti tradition.

Khanqah of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya: Khanqah was the central point of social life. We can understand this thing by the Khanqah of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya (14th century). It was situated on the banks of river Yamuna in Ghiyaspur, on the outskirts of then Delhi. A number of small rooms and a big hall (Jama’at Khana) were there wherein inmates and visitors used to live.

Inmates included the family of the Shaikh, his attendants, and disciples. Shaikh used to live in a small room on the roof where he used to meet visitors in the morning and evening. A veranda was surrounded by the courtyard and a boundary wall ran around the complex of Khanqah. Once people of the neighboring areas took shelter in Khanqah at the time of the Mongol invasion.

There was an open kitchen (Langar) which was run on future (unasked-for charity) right from the morning till late night. People from all walks of life including slaves, soldiers, merchants, singers, travelers, poets, rich and poor, Hindu Jogis and qalandars came over here to seek discipleship, amulets for healing, and the intercession of the Shaikh in different matters. Some other visitors included Amir Hasan Sijzi, poets like Amir Khusrau, and court historians like Ziya-ud-din Barani. All of these wrote about the Shaikh.

Bowing before the Shaikh, offering water to visitors, shaving the heads of initiates, and yogic exercises indicated that efforts were made to assimilate local traditions.

Shaikh Nizam-ud-din also appointed his spiritual successors and deputed them to establish hospices or Khanqahs in different parts of the sub-continent. In this way, the teachings, practices, organization, and fame of Shaikh spread rapidly all over. People started to turn to his shrine and shrines of his spiritual ancestors as pilgrims.

Question 6.
Explain giving examples of the connection between the State and the Bhakti tradition and the State and the Sufi tradition.
Or
Identify the relationship between Sufis and the State Jainism, the eighth to the eighteenth century. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (O.D.))
Answer:
Relation Between State and Bhakti Tradition :

1. The initial Bhakti movement was launched under the leadership of Alvars and Nayanars i.e., the Shiva Bhaktas. The Alvars were the disciples of Lord Vishnu whereas the Nayanars were the devotees of Lord Shiva. They settled at one place and roamed in the nearby areas. They recited hymns in praise of their idol in the Tamil language.

2. During their travels, the Alvars and Nayanars declared some sacred places as the abode of then- respective deities. Later on, large temples were constructed on these places which became the centers of pilgrimage.

3. The central point of the Tamil devotional creations was their opposition to Buddhism and Jainism. This feeling of opposition is more distinct in the creation of the saints belonging to the Nayanar saints. According to the historians, the main reason for their opposition was that there was a competition between different religious communities to seek state patronage.

4. The powerful Chola rulers supported the Brahmanical and Bhakti traditions. They donated land for the construction of temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.

5. The vast and imposing temples of Lord Shiva in Chidambaram, Thanjavur, and Gangaikonda Cholapuram were built with the help of the Chola rulers.

6. The Alvar and Nayanar saints were honored by the Valley peasants. Even the rulers tried to seek their help and patronage. For example, the Chola rulers claimed to get divine support. They also got built vast and magnificent temples to expose their grandeur and authority. These temples had statues made of stone and metal.

7. An edict of 945 C.E. mentioned that a Chola ruler Parantak-I got built the metal statues of Saint poet Sambandar and Sundar. He got them installed in the Shiva temple.

8. The temples of North India especially emphasize the worship of Vishnu and Shiva. All these temples were basically built with the help of the rulers.

The relation between Sufi Saints and State

1. Major characteristic of the Chishti community was its simple and disciplined life. They emphasized remaining away from the mundane authority. But it did not mean to keep aloof from the political power. The Chishtis accepted all the donations made by the royal rulers. However, they themselves never demanded such gifts or donations. The Sultans gave Khanqahs land in a donation. Many trusts were set up regarding grants, gifts, and donations.

2. The Chishtis accepted donations both in cash and kind. But they never accumulated donations. They spent them on immediate requirements like food, clothes, living quarters, and ritual necessities. It enhanced the moral authority of the Shaikhs who attracted people from all walks of life. They became very popular as they possessed piety, scholarship, miraculous powers, and royal patronage. That is why all the rulers tried to secure their support.

3. The Sultans knew that most of their subjects did not follow Islam. So when the Turks set up the Delhi Sultanate, they rejected the wish of the Ulema to impose Shariat as state law. They expected opposition from their subjects as the majority of them were non-Muslims. They depended on the Sufis who derived their authority directly from God. They did not depend on jurists to interpret the Shariat.

4. There are many examples of conflict between the Sultans and the Sufis. Both wanted to assert their authority. Both emphasized the prostration and kissing of the feet. Because of the moral authority of the Chishtis, the kings often wanted their tombs to be in the vicinity of Sufi shrines. On the other hand, the Sufi Shaikhs were also addressed with high- sounding titles.

For example, the disciples of Nizam- ud-din Auliya addressed him as Sultan-ul-Mashaikh which meant Sultan amongst Shaikhs. The other Sufis like Suhrawardi (under the Delhi Sultans) and Naqashbandi (under the Mughals) were also associated with a state. But their association was different from those of the Chishtis. The Sufis accepted courtly offices whereas the Chishtis never accepted them.

Question 7.
Give main features of poetry of Saint
Explain the significance of Kabir’s poems and the traditions he drew to describe the ultimate reality. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (O.D.))
Or
How did Kabir describe the ultimate reality through his poems? (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
Kabir occupies an important place among poet-saints. Historians have studied his life and his age on the basis of his poetry and biographies which were written later on.

A. Three Traditions: Verses of Kabir are compiled into three distinct but overlapping traditions.

The First one is Kabir Bijak which is preserved by Kabirpanth in Varanasi and elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh.
The second is Kabir Granthavali which is associated with the Dadupanth in Rajasthan.
Except these, many of his compositions are found in the ‘Adi Granth Sahib Ji.’

B. Different Languages and Dialects: Compositions of Kabir are available in many languages and dialects. Few of these are composed in the special language of nirguna poets, the sant bhasha. Some compositions which are known as ulatbansi (upside down sayings) are written in such a way that everyday meanings are inverted. These compositions express the difficulties of capturing the nature of the ultimate reality in words. Expressions like “the lotus which blooms without flower” or the “fire raging in the ocean” express the message of Kabir’s mystical experiences.

C. Different Names of the Ultimate Reality: Kabir gave different names of the ultimate reality. In Islam, these include Allah, Hazrat, Khuda, and Pir. He also used terms taken from Vedantic traditions like a lakh (the unseen), Nirankari (formless), Brahmana, Atman, etc. Other terms with mystical connotations like Shabda (sound) or Shunya (emptiness) were taken from the yogic traditions.

Question 8.
Explain the development of the Bhakti Movement.
Or
Explain the basic principles or main ideas of the Bhakti community.
Or
Discuss the development of the Bhakti Movement. Also, discuss the basic principles or views of the Bhakti communities.
Answer:
The Bhakti Movement developed in South India from the 7th to 12th century. During this period, the Shaiva Nayanars and Vaishnava Alvars stated that the way to salvation or Mukti lays in devotion to God. They wrote in the local languages. They exhorted the people to forget differences on the basis of caste. They advised them to get closer to each other. One thing that needs to be mentioned here is that the Bhakti Movement of South India reached North India after a gap of many years.

The reason for this long time was that the languages of the South did not prove helpful in the spread of this movement in the North. Here, only Sanskrit could be a popular language. Whatever may be the reason for the late arrival of the Bhakti Movement in the North, one thing is quite clear that many saints and thinkers brought the Bhakti philosophy to North India.

Basic Tenets or Principles: The following are the basic principles of the Bhakti Movement:

1. Oneness of God: The propounders of the Bhakti Movement stated that God is one. He cannot be divided. Ram or Rahim are the two names of one God. So we should worship one God.

2. Importance of God: According to initiators of the Bhakti Movement, God is all-pervasive and almighty. He is present in every particle of the world.

3. True Devotion: The propounders of the Bhakti Movement emphasized true devotion to God. They stated that God becomes happy with true devotion and not external show. The true devotion to God leads to Mukti or salvation. So the people should give up religious malpractices.

4. Disbelief in Caste System: All the preachers of the Bhakti Movement opposed the caste system. They stated that for God, no one was big or small. God treats all alike… He considers everyone as equal. So the caste-based discriminations are futile.

5. Greatness of Guru: The saint-preachers have given the supreme place to the guru. They believed that God cannot be achieved without a true guru.

6. Opposition to Idc Worship: The protagonists of the Bhakti Movement severely opposed the idol-worship. Kabir and Namdev played a significant role in this task. Even Guru Nanak Dev stated that only the fools worship idols of stone.

7. No Belief in Rituals: The initiators of the Bhakti Movement repudiated false customs and futile rituals. They stated that nobody could become a saint by wearing saffron clothes or getting his head shaved. The true devotion to God lies in the pure mind.

Question 9.
Discuss in brief the famous saints of the Bhakti Movement.
Answer:
During the Middle Ages, many saints were born in different parts of India. A few important saints of this time were Ramanuja, Ramananda, Kabir, Ravidas, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and Chaitanya.

Ramanuja: Saint Ramanuja was a great preacher of the Vaishnava sect in South India. He was a Tamil Brahmana who advised all his disciples to worship Vishnu. He opposed the caste system.

Ramananda: He was born in a Brahmana family in Prayag (Allahabad). He was a devotee of Ram in the 14th century. He was a follower of Raghvananda. He advised all his disciples to worship both Rama and Sita. He bitterly criticized the blind faiths prevalent in Indian society. He was the first Bhakat-reformer who admitted the women in his sect.

Kabir: He was the main preacher of the Bhakti Movement. He was born in a poor family of weavers. So he could not get high education and adopted the profession of a weaver. He was a follower of Ramananda. He gave the message that God is one and all should live in mutual fraternity. He criticized idol-worship, caste-system, child marriage, and the practice of Sati. The couplets of Kabir have been included in Shri Guru Granth Sahib.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji: Guru Nanak Dev Ji was a prominent saint of the Bhakti Movement. He advised all his followers to worship one God. He emphasized Naam-Smaran (remembering the name of God). He stated that God is formless, all-pervasive, and all-powerful.

Namdev: He was the most famous saint of Maharashtra. He gave the message to all his disciples that God is formless, all-pervasive, and all-powerful. He inspired everyone to lead a pious life. He strongly opposed the caste system, idol worship, pilgrimage, yajna, sacrifice, and fast. His hymns have been incorporated in Shri Guru Granth Sahib.

Guru Ravi Das Ji: He was born in Benaras. He believed in the oneness of God and told all the people that God is present everywhere. He lives in the hearts of all. He emphasized the recital of God’s name and the purity of mind. He repudiated idol-worship, pilgrimage, fast, and casteism. Being impressed within true devotion towards God, many people became his disciples.

Chaitanya: He was a great saint of the Bhakti Movement. He was born in village Nadia in Bengal in the year 1486. He believed in the worship of God whom he called Krishna. He criticized the caste system and gave the message of mutual love and fraternity. He started the tradition of Kirtan. He preached the Vaishnava sect in Bengal, Assam, and Orissa.

Question 10.
Explain the variety of sources used by historians to reconstruct histories of religious traditions. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
Historians use a variety of sources to reconstruct histories of religious traditions:

1. Major sources till the middle of the first-century are religious buildings which include stupas, monasteries, temples. These buildings are the symbols of any specific religious beliefs and practices. Reconstruction of other religious beliefs of this age could be made on the basis of textual traditions like the Puranas. Except these, few other religious beliefs are also there which are only faintly visible in textual and visual records.

2. New literary sources from the 8th to 18th centuries include the compositions of poet-saints. Most of these compositions expressed themselves orally in the regional languages used by ordinary people. Most of these compositions set to music. Generations of devotees ended to elaborate on the original message and occasionally modified or even abandoned some of the ideas that appeared problematic or irrelevant in different political, social, or cultural contexts.

3. The most striking feature of this phase is the increasing visibility of a wide range of gods and goddesses in sculpture as well as in texts. At one level, it indicates the continued and even extended worship of the major deities-Vishnu, Shiva, and the goddess each of whom was visualized in a variety of forms.

4. According to historians, at least two processes were at work. The first process was disseminating Brahmanical ideas. This is exemplified by the composition, compilation, and preservation of puranic texts. These texts were in simple Sanskrit verse. Another process at work of this age was that the Brahmanas accepting and awarding the beliefs and practices of women, Shudras, and other social categories.

Bhakti-Sufi Traditions Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Why there was sometimes a situation of conflict among Vedic traditions and Tantric practices?
Answer:
Followers of Vedic traditions often condemned practices that went beyond the closely regulated contact with the divine through the performance of precisely chanted mantras or sacrifices. On the other hand, those who were engaged in Tantric practices frequently ignored the authority of the Vedas. That is why there was sometimes a situation of conflict among them.

Question 2.
What was the difference between the Saint movement and Vaishnav Bhakti movement?
Answer:
Saint movement: Those Bhakts who were against the human avatars of God or were against the idol worship were known as Saints. They believed in the worship of a formless God.

Vaishnav Bhakti: Those Bhakts who believed in human avatars of Lord Vishnu like Rama and Krishna and their worship were known as Vaishnavs. They also believed in idol worship.

Question 3.
What was the social structure of Alvar and Nayanar saints?
Answer:
The Alvar and Nayanar were saints of southern India. Alvars believed in the worship of Lord Vishnu and Nayanars believed in the worship of Lord Shiva.

Question 4.
Theoretically, who guided the Muslim rulers? Why were they not able to do that?
Answer:
Theoretically, Muslim rulers were to be guided by the Ulema. It was expected from Ulama to ensure that rulers must rule according to Sharia (Islamic laws). But Muslim rulers were unable to do that because a large portion of the population did not subscribe to Islam.

Question 5.
Why is the tradition of Ziyarat called urs?
Or
Explain the term Ziyarat. Give its purpose. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
Ziyarat means a pilgrimage to tombs of Sufi saints. In other words, it means to seek the Sufi’s spiritual grace, that is, Barakat. When the Shaikh died, his tomb-shrine (dargah) became a center, of pilgrimage or devotion for his followers. So, Ziyarat meant the pilgrimage to the tomb on the death anniversary of the saint. On the other hand, urs meant marriage. It signified the union of his soul with God. The purpose of both is the same. Therefore, Ziyarat is also known as urs.

Question 6.
Why do thousands of devotees visit dargahs of Muslim saints? (C.B.S.E. 2008 (O.D.))
Answer:
Thousands of devotees or pilgrims visit the dargahs of Muslim saints to seek their spiritual blessings or grace. It is called Ziyaret. It is prevalent in all Muslim countries. These visits take them away from the materialistic society. They provide solace in the realm of asceticism.

Question 7.
What was the reaction of Tamil Bhakti hymns towards Buddhism and Jainism? What was the reaction of this competition?
Answer:
One of the major themes of Tamil Bhakti hymns was their opposition towards Buddhism and Jainism. This voice of opposition can particularly be seen in the hymns of Nayanar saints. Historians gave the reason for this opposition that there was a competition between these religious communities to attain royal patronage.

Even then it is clear that powerful Chola rulers gave their support to Brahmanical and Bhakti traditions. They gave land grants to build Vishnu and Shiva temples. The most magnificent Shiva temples of Chidambaram, Thanjavur and Gangaikonda- Chola Puram were constructed with the help of Chola rulers. A number of bronze sculptures of Shiva were also produced in this age. In the end, we can say that the philosophy of Nayanar saints became an inspiration for all artisans were:

Question 8.
Describe practices associated with Chastity Silsila of the Sufis.
Or
In the late 12th century, the Chishtis adapted to the local environment and adopted features of Indian devotional tradition. Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D.)
Answer:

They believed in worshipping God through Mehfils of spiritual music. They remembered God and evoked his presence by reciting the Zikr and through Sama.
They gave more importance to ziyarat and qawwalis to evoke divine ecstasy. Through these devices, they sought the spiritual blessings of the saints.
They established Khanqahs at different places.
They started Langar (common kitchen) where people from all the groups used to partake.
Sufi saints appointed their spiritual successors to preach and spread their teachings.
They adopted local traditions like bowing heads in front of Shaikh and offering water to the people.

Question 9.
Give examples of differences and conflicts between religious beliefs and practices during the 8th century and 18th century.
Or
Explain the textual traditions regarding religious beliefs. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:
There were conflicts during the 8th and 18th centuries between different methods of worship, to attain state grants, and to gain a place anywhere.

Following examples could be given in this regard :

1. Worship of Goddess: Forms of worship of goddess were often classified as Tantric. Tantric practices were widespread in many parts of the sub¬continent. These practices were open for both men and women.
Except this, within the ritual context, differences of castes and classes were often ignored. Many of these ideas were also influenced by Shaivism and Buddhism, especially in the northern, eastern, and southern parts of the sub-continent. All these beliefs and practices were classified in the form of Hindu rituals.

2. Differences in Vedic and Puranic Traditions: These differences would become clear if we would compare Vedic and Puranic traditions. Deities like Agni, Indra, and Soma had completely lost their importance during the Vedic age. They are rarely visible in textual or visual representations.

But we can see a glimpse of Vishnu, Shiva, and the goddess in Vedic mantras since probably their Puranic form was changed. However, even after these discrepancies, the Vedas continued to be regarded as authoritative.

3. Situation of Conflict: There were sometimes conflicting situations as well. Followers of Vedic tradition generally condemned those practices which went beyond the closely regulated contact with the divine through a performance of precisely chanted mantras. On the other hand, there were people who were engaged in tantric practices. They often ignored the authority of the Vedas. Except this, devotees often tried to project their respective deity, Shiva or Vishnu, as supreme. Relations with other traditions like Jainism or Buddhism were often fraught with tension. Even then there were fewer chances of open conflict. An example of Bhakti tradition could be given in this regard.

4. Bhakti Tradition: Bhakti tradition included the devotion ranged from the routine worship of deities within temples to ecstatic adoration when devotees could attain a state of trance. The singing and chanting of devotional compositions were a part of this type of worship. It was particularly applicable on Vaishnava and Shiva sects.

Bhakti-Sufi Traditions Important Extra Questions Source-Based

Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow :

Question 1.
A Church in Khambat

This is an excerpt from a Farman (imperial order) issued by Akbar in 1598 :

Whereas it reached our eminent and holy notice that the padres (fathers) of the Holy Society of Jesus wish to build a house of prayer (church) in the city of Kambayat (Khambat, in Gujarat); therefore an exalted mandate is being issued, that the dignitaries of the city of Kambayat should in no case stand in their way but should allow them to build a church so that they may engage themselves in their own worship. It is necessary that the order of the Emperor should be obeyed in every way.
(i) From where has this excerpt been taken?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from a Farman (imperial order) issued by Akbar in 1598.

(ii) What message did Akbar convey to the people of Gujarat through this order?
Answer:
Through this Farman, Akbar ordered the people of Gujarat to allow the construction of a church at Khambat by padres (fathers) of the Holy Society of Jesus. He ordered the people of Gujarat not to stand in the way of the construction of a church.

(iii) Which aspect of the religious nature of Akbar does this order indicate?
Answer:
This order indicates Akbar’s policy of religious toleration. We come to know that Akbar used to give equal respect to all religions.

(iv) Who were the people from whom Akbar anticipated opposition to his order?
Answer:
Akbar anticipated opposition to his order from non-ChristiAnswer:

Question 2.
Reverence for the Jogi

Here is an excerpt from a letter written by Aurangzeb to a Jogi in 1661-62 :

The possessor of the sublime station, Shiv Murat, Guru Anand Nath Jio!

May our Reverence remain in peace and happiness ever under the protection of Sri Shiv Jio!

…. A piece of cloth for the cloak and a sum of twenty-five rupees which have been sent as an offering will reach (Your Reverence) Your Reverence may write to us whenever there is any service which can be rendered by us.
(i) From where has this excerpt been taken?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from a letter
addressed to a Jogi by Aurangzeb. This letter was written in 1661-62.

(ii) What was the name of the Jogi? Which diety did he worship?
Answer:
The name of the Jogi was Guru Anand Nath. He worshipped Lord Shiva.

(iii) Discuss the attitude of the king towards the Jogi.
Answer:
The king expressed his deep devotion towards the Jogi. He sent an offering comprising of a piece of cloth for the cloak and a sum of twenty-five rupees to the Jogi. He requested the Jogi to write whenever he needed any service to be rendered by the king.

(iv) Which aspect of Aurangzeb’s religious attitude does this excerpt indicate?
Answer:
This excerpt shows the attitude of Aurangzeb towards other religions.

Question 3.
Declining a Royal Gift

This excerpt from a Sufi text describes the proceedings at Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya’s hospice in 1313 :

(the author, Amir Hasan Sijzi) had the good fortune of kissing his (Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya’s) feet At this time a local ruler had sent him the deed of ownership of two gardens and much land, along with the provisions and tools for their maintenance. The ruler has also made it clear that he was relinquishing all his rights to both the gardens and land. The master had not accepted that gift. Instead, he had lamented. “What have I to do with gardens and fields and lands? None of our spiritual masters had engaged in such activity.”

Then he told an appropriate story: “ Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din, who at that time was still known as Ulugh Khan, came to visit Shaikh Farid-ud-din (and) offered some money and ownership deeds for four villages to the Shaikh, the money is for the benefit of the dervishes (Sufis), and the land for his use. Smiling, Shaikh-al-Islam (Farid-ud-din) said ‘Give me the money. I will dispense it to the dervishes. But as for those land deeds, keep them. There are many who long for them. Give them away to such persons.”
(i) From where has this excerpt been taken? Which incident is described in it?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from a Sufi text. It describes an event that occurred in the Khanqah of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya in 1313.

(ii) What had a local ruler sent to Shaikh Sahib? What is the name of Shaikh Sahib?
Answer:
A local ruler had sent a deed of ownership to two gardens and much land to the Shaikh Sahib. He had also sent the provisions and tools for their maintenance. The name of Shaikh Sahib was Nizam-ud-din Auliya.

(iii) Why does Amir Hasan Sijzi say that he was fortunate?
Answer:
Amir Hasan Sijzi considered himself fortunate because he was blessed with an opportunity of kissing the feet of Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya.

(iv) How did Shaikh Farid-ud-din and Shaikh- al-Islam indicate their selflessness?
Answer:
One day Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din, who was known as Ulugh Khan, went to see Shaikh Farid-ud-din. He offered some money and ownership deeds for four villages to the Shaikh. These things were for the benefit of the dervishes (Sufis). Seeing these things Shaikh-al-Islam (Farid-ud-din) smiled. He asked the Sultan to give him only the money so that he may distribute it among the dervishes. But he did not accept the land deeds. He suggested the Sultan to give these to those who needed them. This shows the self-lessness of the Shaikh.

Question 4.
The One Lord

Here is a composition attributed to Kabir: Tell me, brother, how can there be
No one lord of the world but two?
Who led you so astray?
God is called by many names :
Names like Allah, Ram, Karim,
Keshav, Hari, and Hazrat.
Gold may be shaped into rings and bangles. Isn’t it gold all the same?
Distinctions are only words
we invent …
Kabir says they are both mistaken.
Neither can find the only
Ram. One kills the goat, the other cows,
They waste their lives in disputation.
(i) Who composed the given verse?
Answer:
The given composition is attributed to Kabir.

(ii) According to Kabir, how many lords of the world are there? By which names do we call them? From where has these names been taken?
Answer:
According to Kabir, there is only one lord of the world. The people call him by various names such as Allah, Ram, Karim, Keshava, Hari, and Hazrat. All these names have been given by the man.

(iii) According to Kabir, why cannot both the Hindus and the Muslims attain God?
Answer:
According to Kabir, neither Hindus nor Muslims can attain god as they are mistaken and live in disputation. If the Hindus kill the goats, the Muslims kill the cows.

(iv) Write any two other teachings of Kabir.
Answer:
(a) He opposed idol-worship.
(b) He did not believe in caste discriminat¬ions.

Question 5.
The Pilgrimage of Mughal Princess Jahanara-1643

The following is an excerpt from Jahanara’s biography of Shaikh Muin-ud-din Chisti, titled Munis al Arwah (The Confidant of Spirits) :

After praising the one God …. this lowly faqir (humble soul) Jahanara went from the capital Agra in the company of my great father (Emperor Shah Jahan) towards the pure region of incomparable Ajmer I was committed to this idea, that every day in every station I would perform two cycles of optional prayer.

For several days… I did not sleep on a
leopard skin at night, I did not extend my feet in the direction of the blessed sanctuary of the revered saving master, and I did not turn me On Thursday, the fourth of the blessed month of Ramzan, I attained the happiness of pilgrimage to the illuminated and the perfumed tomb …. With an hour of daylight remaining, I went to the holy sanctuary and rubbed my pale face with the dust of that threshold. From the doorway to the blessed tomb I went barefoot, kissing the ground. Having entered the dome, I went around the light-filled tomb of my master seven times Finally with my own hand I put the finest quality of it on the perfumed tomb of the revered one, and having taken off the rose scarf that I had on my head, I placed it on the top of the blessed tomb…
(i) How does Jahanara show her devotion to the Shaikh? Answer by giving examples.
Answer:
Jahanara did not sleep on the skin of the tiger for many days. She did not spread her feet towards the dargah of the Shaikh. She even did not turn her back towards the dargah. When she had reached the dargah, she evinced deep respect towards the Shaikh.

(ii) Why did the Dargah attract a lot of devotees?
Answer:
All the wishes were fulfilled if ever the devotees asked for something at the Dargah. That is why the dargah was a center of attraction for all the devotees. Besides, it was quite popular on account of the faith and good demeanor of the Shaikh, the great spiritual heritage, and the patronage provided by the guests.

(iii) How do we know that Akbar also had great regard for the Saint?
Answer:
Akbar had visited the dargah of the Shaikh fourteen times. Many a time he visited this holy place twice or thrice a year. He observed this tradition till 1580. He donated and offered a huge amount to this dargah during all his visits. In 1568, he had presented a big cauldron so that the food for the pilgrims may be prepared. He had also built a mosque in the compound of the dargah.

(iv) What other activities were part of the Ziyarat or ‘Pilgrimage’.
Answer:
Dance and Music were a part of the worship. They were especially used when the qawwals recited their mystical devotional songs.

Bricks, Beads and Bones Class 12 Important Extra Questions History Chapter 1

May 31, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 1 Bricks, Beads and Bones: The Harappan Civilisation. Class 12 History Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 History Chapter 1 Important Extra Questions Bricks, Beads and Bones: The Harappan Civilisation

Bricks, Beads and Bones Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Bones of which animals were found at Harappan sites?
Answer:
Cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo and pig.

Question 2.
At which sites the terracota models of the plough have been found?
Answer:
At Cholistan and Banawali Haryana.

Question 3.
At which Harappan site, traces of canals have been found?
Answer
At Shortugai in Afghanistan.

Question 4.
Name two cities which were first to be found in Indus valley civilisation.
Answer:
Harappa and Mohenjodaro.

Question 5.
Name few buildings found at Harappan sites.
Answer:
The Great Bath, Lower Town, Granery etc.

Question 6.
On which pattern, the roads and streets were laid out in Harappan cities?
Answer:
The roads and streets in Harappan cities were laid in the grid pattern, intersecting at right angles.

Question 7.
How many wells have found in Mohenjodaro?
Answer:
Scholars have estimated that there were approximately 700 wells found in Mohenjodaro.

Question 8.
What was the Great Bath?
Answer:
The Great Bath was a large rectangular tank in a courtyard surrounded by a carridor on all four sides.

Question 9.
How can you say that Harappan people believed in the afterlife?
Answer:
Some graves contain pottery and ornaments which indicates that Harappan people believed in the afterlife.

Question 10.
Which material was used to make beads?
Answer:
Carnelian, jasper, crystal, quartz, steatite, copper, bronze, gold, shell, faience, terracotta.

Question 11.
What was Lapis Lazuli?
Answer:
Lapis Lazuli was a blue stone with very high value.

Question 12.
From where copper and gold was brought?
Answer:
Copper from Khetri region of Rajasthan and gold from South India.

Question 13.
With which countries did Harappan people have trading contacts?
Answer:
Oman, Mesopotamian civilisation, Bahrain, etc.

Question 14.
How many seals were found at Harappan sites?
Answer:
Around 2000 but 375 – 400 were quite common.

Question 15.
When were Harappan sites abandoned?
Answer:
Around 1800 BCE.

Question 16.
Name the first Director – General of ASI.
Answer:
Alexander Cunningham.

Question 17.
Who discovered Harappa and Mohenjodaro?
Answer:
Daya Ram Sahni and Rakhal Das Banerji respectively.

Question 18.
Who was R.E.M. wheeler?
Answer:
He was the Director – General of the ASI who took over in 1944.

Question 19.
Explain how different methods of irrigation were developed for agriculture in the Harappan sites. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D.))
Answer:
Traces of canals have been found at the Harappan site of Shortugai in Afghanistan. Other means of irrigation were:

Water drawn from the wells.
Water reserved in water reservoirs.

Question 20.
Which architectural features ; of Mohenjodaro indicate towards planning?
Or
Mention two features of Harappan Cities. (C.B.S.E. 2011 D))
Answer:

Division of whole of the city into two towns.
Roads and streets laid out in a grid pattern.
Use of bricks of same size or standardised ratio.
Making of residential buildings with a definite plan.

Question 21.
What is Faience ? Why the little pots made by it were considered precious ?
Answer:
Faience is a material made of ground sand or silica mixed with colour and gum and then fired. The little pots of faience were probably considered precious because it was very difficult to make them.

Question 22.
The culture of which region has been named as Ganeshwar-Jodhpur culture by the archaeologists? Enumerate two distinct characteristics of this culture.
Answer:
The archaeologists have named the Khetri area of Rajasthan as the Ganeshwar-Jodhpur culture.
Two distinct characteristics of this region were as follows :

It had non-Harappan pottery.
It had a great wealth of copper objects.

Question 23.
What did sources indicate that land routes were important means of transport for Harappan people?
Answer:
Terracotta toy models of bullock carts indicate that land routes were important means of transport for Harappan people.

Question 24.
How can you say that Harappan people liked cleanliness ?
Answer:
Following points indicate towards the Harappan people’s interest in cleanliness:

There was a bathroom in almost every house.
There was a proper arrangement of the disposal of wastewater.
A drainage system was covered and regular cleaning of drains was done.
People used to do some kind of a special ritual bath in the Great Bath.

Question 25.
On which objects, writing has been found from Harappan sites ?
Answer:
Writing has been found on seals, rims of jars, copper tools, copper and terracotta tablets, bone rods, jewellery and even on the ancient signboard.

Question 26.
How can we say that whole of Harappan society was a single state ?
Answer:
On the basis of thinking and implementation of complex decisions, we can say that whole of the Harappan society was a single state.

Question 27.
What causes were responsible for the decline of the Harappan civilisation ?
Answer:

Change of climate.
Cutting of forests or deforestation.
Excessive floods.
The shifting of the path or drying up of rivers.
Over-use of the landscape.

Question 28.
Who was John Marshall?
Answer:
John Marshall was the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). He was the first professional archaeologist who brought his experience of working in Crete and Greece. In 1924, he announced the discovery of new civilisation in Indus Valley.

Question 29.
What were the problems of piecing together to know about Harappan life ?
Answer:

The harappan script is undeciphered till today due to which we are still unable to attain information about ancient civilisation.
Materials like cloth, leather, wood and reeds decomposed due to the passage of time.

Question 30.
Which evidences give us information about Harappan civilisation ?
Answer:
Only materials and physical evidences give us information about Harappan civilisation and these are:

Remains of cities and towns.
Beads, querns, stone blades and pots.
Burials and bones of animals.
Seals and weights.

Question 31.
What are Shamans ?
Answer:
Shamans are those men and women who claim that they have magical and healing power and have an ability to communicate with the other world.

Question 32
Mention the two sections of the Harappan settlements and give one main feature of each. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (D))
Answer:
1. Harappan settlements were divided into two sections. The first section of this city was small and was built on higher place. The second section was the lower town.
2. The archaeologists designated the first section as the citadel and the second section as the lower town.

Question 33
Give two features of the | Harappan settlements. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (D))
Answer:
Two features of Harappan settlements are:

There were generally large settlements with large and small buildings.
A well-planned network of roads and drainage systems was the key feature of their settlement.

Question 34.
Mention any four items found in the graves of the Harappans. (C.B.S.M mi (O.D.))
Answer:
Jewellery of both men and women, an ornament consisting of three shell rings, a Jasper (types of semi-precious stone), bead and hundreds of microbeads, copper mirrors, etc., were found in the graves.

Question 35.
Mention two strategies adopted to identify the social differences among the Harappans. (C.B.S.EJ 2011 (O.D.))
Answer:

Study of the structure-of burials and things found from these burials.
Artefacts are generally classified into useful and luxurious things.

Question 36.
How did the Harappans’ obtain the red colour of carnelian? (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Answer:
Harappans obtained red colour of carnelian by firing the yellowish raw material and beads at various stages of production.

Question 37.
Who was Cunningham? Mention any one account used by him to locate the early settlements of Harappa civilisation. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (O.D.))
Or
Who was Cunningham? Mention any one source he collected to understand the Harappa culture. (C.B.S.E. 2016 (O.D.))
Answer:
Alexander Cunningham was the first Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India. He used accounts of Chinese pilgrims who visited India between the 4th and 7th centuries C.E. to locate early settlements.

Question 38.
Mention any two difficulties faced by historians in deciphering the f. Indus script. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:

The harappan script is undeciphered till today due to which we are unable to get information about this civilisation.
Materials like cloth, leather, wood and reeds decomposed due to the passage of time.

Bricks, Beads and Bones Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Discuss the terms, places and times of Harappan culture.
Answer:
The Indus Valley Civilisation is also known as the Harappan culture. According to archaeologists, the term ‘Culture’ is used for a group of objects which are distinctive in style and are generally found together within a particular geographical area and time period. In the case of Harappan culture, these distinctive objects include beads, seals, stone blades, weights, baked bricks, etc. They were found from the areas of Jammu, Afghanistan, Gujarat and Baluchistan (Pakistan).

Term and Times. This civilisation was named after the place called Harappa as the first site of this culture was discovered over there. This civilisation is dated between C. 2600 and 1900 B.C.E. There exist earlier and later cultures, generally called early Harappan and late Harappan culture. This civilisation is sometimes called as the Mature Harappan culture to distinguish it from these cultures.

Question 2.
What were the main subsistence methods of the Harappan.people?
Answer:
1. The Harappan people got food from a wide range of plants and animal products. Fish was their main food.

2. Their food included grains like wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sesame. From many Harappan sites, charred grains and seeds have also been found.

3. The people also ate rice and millet. The grains of millet have been found from many sites in Gujarat. Rice was perhaps not used much because the grains of rice are relatively found rare.

4. Bones of deer and gharial have also been found. From this, one can imagine that the people of Harappan civilisation also ate flesh and meat. But it is not known whether the people of Harappan culture themselves hunted or they got meat from other hunting communities. They also ate a few birds.

5. They also got food from many animals like sheep, goat, buffalo and pig. All these animals were domesticated by them.

Question 3.
Explain, while describing the spread and centres of Harappan culture, why is it known as Harappan culture?
Answer:
Harappan culture spread in a great deal and in a larger area. It was spread in 12,99,600 sQuestion km. area. Punjab, Sind, Rajasthan, Gujarat, some parts of Baluchistan and bordering areas of western Uttar Pradesh were included in it. In this way, it was spread from Jammu in the North, up to banks of river Narmada in the South, from Makran Seashore of Baluchistan in the West and till Meerut in the North-East. Its main centres were Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Lothal, Kot Diji, Chanhudaro, Azamgarh, etc.

None of the cultures of that age had spread to such a large extent. This culture has been given the name of Harappan culture because Harappa was the first site where this unquestioned culture was discovered. Now this place is situated in Pakistan.

Question 4.
Discuss the main ‘characteristics of the planned urban centres of the Harappan civilisation.
Or
“The most unquestioned feature of Mohenjodaro was the planned urban centre.” Support the statement with examples. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Or
Describe briefly the most distinctive feature of urban centres of Harappa. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Or
How did architectural features of Mohenjodaro indicate planning? Support with suitable examples. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (D))
Answer:
The urban planning was of high quality in the Harappan civilisation. All towns were developed under a plan. The streets and roads of the towns were quite wide. All the roads intersected at right angles. The people who lived in houses made of bricks. The people belonging to the ruling class had their homes on the citadel of the town. The common people lived on the land below the citadel.

The houses had a provision of doors and windows. Each house had a courtyard, bathroom, kitchen and a staircase to take the residents on the roof. A few houses had two or three storeys. Many people had big houses. Mohenjodaro had a Great Bath with a length of 11.88 meters, the width of 7.01 metres and depth of 2.43 metre. The largest building in this town was the citadel which was 45.71 metres long and 15.23 metres wide. Six citadels have been found in Harappa.

There was a very good provision of drains for the outlet of wastewater in the towns of the Harappan civilisation. All the drains were made of concrete that was covered with such bricks which could be easily removed to be cleaned. The water of the residential drains fell in the street drain. There was a big drain outside the city where the wastewater of the whole town was accumulated.

Question 5.
Discuss the development made into the field of craft and industry during the Harappan period.
Answer:
The people of the Harappan civilisation were familiar with the use and production of bronze. The metal craftsmen prepared bronze by mixing tin with copper. The community of bronze craftsmen occupied an important place among the sculptors of Harappan society. They made many kinds of instruments and weapons besides statues and utensils. For example, many things have been excavated like an axe and dagger.

The things that have been found after excavations indicate that there were other important crafts as well in the towns of Harappa. The people of Harappa used spinners to prepare wool and coarse thread. They knitted both woollen and cotton clothes. The vast buildings made of brick bear testimony to the fact that architecture was one of the most important crafts of the masons.

The people of Harappa also built boats. They were also proficient in making public currency (seals made of mud) and sculpture. Some people made gold, silver and diamond or gem ornaments. The craftsmen of Harappa were also very efficient in the making of beads. They were aware of the art of making utensils of mud, copper and bronze. The mud-utensils made by them were quite smooth and shining.

Question 6.
Describe the economy (economic life) of the Harappan people.
Answer:
The economic life of the people of Indus Valley (Harappa) was based on many trades and professions. They earned their livelihood through these professions. The description of these professions is as under :
1. Agriculture: The main profession of the Indus Valley people was agriculture. They cultivated land to grow wheat, barley, rice and cotton. They used wooden ploughs for agriculture. They had a good system of irrigation for their fields.

2. Cattle-Rearing: The second main profession of the Indus Valley people was cattle-rearing. They mainly reared cow, ox, elephant, goats, sheep and dogs.

3. Trade: Trade was the main profession of the Indus Valley people. The towns traded among themselves. They also had trade relations with Afghanistan and Iran.

4. Industry: Most of the people were engaged in small business. The craftsmen were quite efficient in making utensils of mud, copper and brass. They also made beautiful ornaments of gold and silver.

Question 7.
Give few features of the religion of Harappan culture which are still prevalent.
Answer:
The following characteristics of the religion of Harappan civilisation are still prevalent:

Lord Shiva was worshipped by most of the people during the Harappan civilisation. He is still worshipped by millions of people.
The people of the Indus Valley worshipped Mother Goddess. Even today, the Mother Goddess is worshipped all over India with utter devotion and dedication.
Even today many people find the abode of Gods and Goddesses in peepal and other such trees.
The people of the Harappan times worshipped an ox and many such animals. These days all such animals are considered as the carriers of different Gods and Goddesses.
The worship of lingam is still prevalent in the Hindu religion.
The people of the Harappan civilisation considered water as pious and sacred. They took bath in the Great Bath on all special religious occasions. This glory and piety of the water still find a prominent place in all the religions.

Question 8.
Describe the religious beliefs of Harappan people.
Or
Describe briefly how seals of Harappan period help in reconstructing their religious beliefs. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
1. Religious customs: Archaeologists found certain objects which may have had a religious significance. These include terracotta figurines of women, heavily jewelled, some with elaborate headdresses. People believe that Harappan people might consider it as the goddess of the fertility of the land.

2. Male Gods of Indus Valley: One seal found in excavation depicts a male God. Three horns are shown on his head. It has been shown seated cross-legged in a ‘Yogic’ posture, sometimes surrounded by animals. One buffalo and two dears are also shown nearby this picture. This may be the depiction of Pashupati (Lord Shiva). Many seals with pictures of ‘Linga’ and ‘Yogi’ have been found over there. Maybe people started to worship them at this age.

3. Worshipping Trees and Animals: One seal found here, depicts one God between the branches of ‘Peepal’ tree which shows that people of Indus region worshipped trees as well. One bull has also been shown on one of the seals.

Question 9.
Write the main features of the social life of the Harappan people.
Or
Describe the opinion of some of the archaeologists about the Harappan society. (C.B.S.E. 2009)
Answer:
According to archaeologists, the following were the features of Harappan society :
1. Dietary practice: The Harappans ate wheat, rice, vegetables and drank milk. Fresh fish and eggs were a part of their diet.

2. Clothing: People of Harappan culture used to wear both cotton and woollen clothes. Males wore ‘Dhoti’ and ‘Shawl’. Females generally wore colourful clothes with designs of flowers. Males and females both liked to wear jewellery.

3. Means of Entertainment: People liked playing indoor games to entertain themselves. Children were provided with different types of toys.

Question 10.
What could be the possible reasons for the decline of Harappan civilisation?
Answer:
The following were the reasons for the decline of the Harappan civilisation:

1. Floods: Some scholars believe that many towns of the Harappan civilisation were destroyed because of the floods in the Indus River. With the passage of time, they were buried beneath the sands of time.

2. Earthquakes: It is also believed that many earthQuestionuakes might have jolted various cities. They might have dashed many towns to the ground.

3. Droughts and Epidemics: Some scholars think that the sites of Harappan civilisation might have been hit by acute droughts or deadly epidemics. These might have resulted in the destruction of various towns.

4. Aggressions by the Aryans: Many historians believe that the people of Harappan civilisation had to face many aggressions by the Aryans. The people of Harappa were defeated in many of these wars. It led to the decline of Harappan civilisation.

Question 11.
Explain trade relations of Harappa with western Asia.
Or
To what extent had the Harappans established trade relations with the world? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2013(D))
Or
Explain how did Harappans maintain contact with distant lands. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
Archaeologists found Harappan trade relations with Western Asia through the following archaeological evidence:

Copper was probably brought from Oman. Chemical analysis has shown that both the Omani copper and Harappan artefacts have traces of nickel.
A distinctive type of Harappan vessel with a thick layer of black clay has been found at one of the sites of Oman.
There is a mention of Meluhha in Mesopotamian texts, which was probably the Harappan region. They mentioned the products from Meluhha like copper, gold, carnelian, lapis lazuli and varieties of wood.
Harappan weights, seals, etc., have been found from the sites of Mesopotamia.
Depictions of ships and boats on Harappan seals clearly show trade relations between Harappa and Western Asia.

Question 12.
Relate any four factors of Indus Valley civilisation or Harappan culture which are still visible in the Indian society.
Or
Discuss the contribution of the Harappan Culture to Indian society.
Answer:
The following four factors of the Indus Valley Civilisation can still be seen in Indian society :
1. Town Planning: The towns of the Indus Valley were developed with proper planning. All the towns had wide roads and streets. This feature can be seen in the cities of present times.

2. Residence: The houses of the Indus Valley had doors and windows like the present-day houses. Each house had a courtyard, bathroom and a staircase to go on the roof or the first storey of the house.

3. Ornaments and Cosmetics: Like the modern women, the women of the Indus Valley Civilisation were also fond of beauty and cosmetics They used lip-sticks and powder. They wore omamerits of different kinds. They liked to wear bangles, earrings and necklaces.

4. Religious Equality: The religion of the people of the Indus V&lley Civilisation resembled modern religions. They worshipped Lord Shiva, the Mother Goddess and other1 such Gods and Goddesses. Even today, such worship is prevalent among the Hindus.

Question 13.
Explain the main characteristics of the burials of the Harappan civilisation.
Or
Describe briefly what has been found in burials at the Harappan sites. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
The burials that have been found at the Harappan sites indicate that the dead were generally laid in the pits. Sometimes these burial pits were made in different ways. For example, in some burials, the hollowed-out Spaces were lined with bricks.

In some graves, pottery and ornaments have been found. It indicated the belief that these could be used in
the afterlife. Jewellery has been found in the burials of both men and women. In the mid-1980s, various excavations were made at the cemetery in Harappa. The digging led to the finding of an ornament consisting of three shell rings, a jasper bead and hundreds of micro-beads. This ornament was found near the skull of a male. Some of the dead were buried with copper mirrors. But generally, most of the people did not believe, in burying precious things with the dead. In fact, the burials were like the big pyramids of Egypt.

Question 14.
How did the Harappan civilisation decline?
Or
Describe any five pieces of evidence which reflect the decline and abandonment of mature Harappan sites by 1800 BCE. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Or
Mention any three pieces of evidence that reflected the disappearance of Harappan civilisation by 1800 BCE. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (O.D.))
Or
What evidences have been put forward to explain the collapse of the Harappan Civilisation? (C.B,S.E. 2017 (D))
Answer:
Many pieces of evidence have been found that the Harappan civilisation developed in the region of Cholistan in 1800 BCE. Later on, these sites were abandoned., In its places, there was an expansion of population at new settlements in Gujarat, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh.

There is evidence that some of the Harappan sites remained occupied even after 1900 BCE. But at most of the
Harappan sites, there was a transformation of material culture such as :

Weights, seals and special beads had disappeared.
Writing, long-distance trade and craft specialisation had also disappeared.
Generally, far fewer materials were used to make far fewer things.
There was a deterioration in the techniques of house construction.
The construction of large public structures had come to an end. All the settlements had adopted a rural way of life. All these cultures were called as “Late Harappan” or “Successor Cultures”.

Question 15.
What was the feature of the weight system of Harappan civilisation?
Answer:
A precise system of weights prevailed for regulating the exchanges. These weights were generally made of a stone called chert. They were generally cubical with no markings. The lower denominations of weights were binary (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc., up to 12,800). Higher denominations followed the decimal system. The smaller weights were used for weighing the jewellery and beads. Metal scale pans have also been found at the sites of Harappan civilisation.

Question 16.
Give a brief description of the Great Bath of Mohenjodaro.
Answer:
The Great Bath was the finest structure found in the citadel of Mohenjodaro. It was a large rectangular tank made in a courtyard. It was surrounded by a corridor on all four sides. Two flights of steps were there on the north and south leading into the tank. It was made watertight by setting bricks on edge of tank and by using a mortar of gypsum. Rooms on three sides were made in one of which was a large well. Water from the tank flowed into a huge drain.

Across a lane to the north, there was a smaller building with eight bathrooms. Out of these eight, four were on
each side of a corridor, with drains from each bathroom connecting to a drain that ran along the corridor. Several scholars suggest that the Great Bath was used for some kind of a special ritual bath.

Question 17.
Describe the ways in which the Harappans procured material for craft production. (C.B.S.E 2008 (D))
Or
Explain the strategies for procuring material by the Harappans for craft production. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (O.D.))
Or
Prove with the help of examples that the Harappans had established their contacts with western Asia for purchase/exchange of artefacts. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (D))
Answer:
Recent archaeological finds suggest that Harappan civilisation had contacts with distant lands. The main reason of these contacts was the exchange of goods. Following examples could be given regarding Harappan contacts with distant lands :
1. Copper was brought from Oman, on the southeastern tip of the Arabian peninsula. Chemical analyses suggest that Omani copper and Harappan artefacts both have traces of nickel. A distinctive type of vessel, coated with the thick layer of black clay, has been found at Omani sites. Yet we don’t know what was carried in these vessels but thick coatings prevented the percolation of liQuestionuids. Maybe Harappan people exchanged the contacts of these vessels for Omani copper.

2. Mesopotamian texts mentioned contacts with a region of Dilmun (maybe Bahrain) from where copper was procured. Here one thing is interesting that copper products excavated from sites of Mesopotamia have traces of nickel.

Question 18.
“An understanding of the function of an artefact is often shaped I by its resemblance with present-day things.” Support your answer with suitable evidence. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
It is correct that an understanding of the function of an artefact is often shaped by its resemblance to present-day things. It is so because still, we are unable to decipher the script of that time with which we could easily understand the function of an artefact. Moreover, the present-day resemblance with things can easily lead us to the function of an ancient artefact. Archaeologists try to identify the function of an artefact by investigating the context in which it was found.

Question 19.
How have historians provided new Insight into the subsistence strategies of the Harappan culture? (C.B.S.E. 2015 (D))
Answer:
Archaeologists have been able to reconstruct dietary practice from finds of charred grains and seeds. These are studied by archaeo-botanists, who are specialists in ancient plant remains. Grains found at Harappan sites include wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea and sesame. Millets are found from sites in Gujarat. Finds of rice are relatively rare. Animal bones found at Harappan sites include those of cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo and pig. Studies done by archaeo-zoologists indicate that these animals were domesticated. Bones of wild species such as boar, deer and gharial are also found. Bones of fish and fowl are also found.

Question 20.
Explain the distinctive features of the residential buildings of the Mohenjodaro. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (D))
Answer:
The Lower Town of Mohenjodaro had an expansion of residential buildings. All these buildings had a courtyard with rooms on all its sides. In the hot and dry weather, this courtyard was perhaps the centre of activities like cooking and weaving. While constructing residential buildings, the people had full concern for their privacy. These buildings did not have any windows in the walls along with the ground level. Besides this, the main entrance does not give a direct view of the interior of the courtyard.

Every house had its own bathroom paved with bricks. Its drain was connected to the street drain through the wall. Some houses also had staircases to reach a second storey or the roof. Many houses had wells. These wells were in a room which was easily approached from outside which was mostly used by passers-by. However, they were described as the bouQuestionuet of flowers (gold sta) who were united by the loyalty of the emperor. Many scholars believe that there were about 700 such wells in Mohenjodaro.

Question 21.
Describe the opinions of the archaeologists over the central authority of the Harappan Civilisation.
Answer:
1. Some archaeologists are of the view that there were no rulers in Harappan society. All enjoyed equal status.

2. Some other archaeologists feel that there was no single ruler but there were several rulers. According to them, Mohenjodaro and Harappa had different rulers.

3. Some other scholars argue that there was a single state which is evident from the similarity of artefacts, the planned settlement, the standardised ratio of brick size and the establishment of settlements near sources of raw material.

Question 22.
Explain the exclusive features ‘ of the craft production in Chanhudaro. (C.B.S.E. 2015 (D))
Answer:
Chanhudaro was exclusively devoted to craft production including bead-making, shell-cutting, metal-working, seal-making and weight making.

A variety of materials were used for making beads¬like stones, for example, carnelian, jasper, crystal quartz
and steatite; metals like copper, bronze and gold; and shell, faience terracotta or burnt clay. Some beads were made of two or more stones, cemented together, some stones had caps made of gold. It had a variety of shapes-disc, cylindrical, spherical, barrel¬shaped or segmented. Some were decorated by incising or with paintings or designs. Even the techniQuestionues of bead-making differed with the material. Steatite, a soft stone was easily worked as beads could be moulded out, formed into a paste with its powder. It could be made into various shapes.

Archaeologists’ experiments have revealed that the red colour of carnelian was obtained by firing the yellowish raw material and beads at various stages of production. Nodules were chipped into rough shapes and then finely flaked into the final form. Grinding, polishing and drilling completed the process. Specialised drills have been found at Chanhudaro.

Bricks, Beads and Bones Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Harappan people had contacts with distinct lands. Give examples.
Answer:
Recent archaeological finds suggest that Harappan civilisation had contacts with distant lands. The main reason of this contact was an exchange of goods. Following examples could be given regarding Harappan contacts with distant lands :
1. Copper was brought from Oman; on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Chemical analysis suggests that both Omani copper and Harappan artefacts have traces of nickel. A distinctive type of vessel, coated with a thick layer of black clay has been found at Omani sites. Yet we do not know what was carried in these vessels but thick coatings prevented the percolation of liQuestionuids. The Harappan people may have exchanged the contents of these vessels for Omani copper.

3. Other archaeological evidence indicating towards distant contacts include seals, weights, beads, etc., of Harappan culture. Here one thing is important that texts of Mesopotamia mentioned the regions named Dilmun (probably Baharain), Magan and Meluhha (probably Harappan regions). These texts mention the products from Meluhha like lapis lazuli, carnelian, gold, copper and varieties of wood. Probably sea contacts were there with Oman, Bahrain or Mesopotamia because Mesopotamian texts refer Meluhha as a land of sea. Apart from this, depictions of ships and boats on seals have also been found.

Question 2.
While analysing discovery of Harappan civilisation, clarify the statement that Cunningham was unable to understand the importance of Harappa, regarding the beginning of Indian history due to his confusion.
Answer:
People gradually forgot all about them when Harappan cities fell into ruins. Thousands of years later, when people began living over the region, they were hardly aware of the importance of the strange artefacts that surfaced occasionally, exposed by soil erosion or washed by floods or digging for treasure or turned up while ploughing.

Confusion of Cunningham. Cunningham was the first Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). He
started the archaeological excavations in the mid 19th century. Archaeologists of that time preferred to use the written word as a guide to investigations. Cunningham was mainly interested in the archaeology of early historic and later periods. He used accounts of Chinese pilgrims who visited India between the 4th and 7th centuries CE to locate early settlements. Cunningham also collected, documented and translated inscriptions found during his surveys. He tried to recover artefacts, during excavation, that he thought had some cultural value.

But a site like Harappa was completely different from the nature of research of Cunningham because it was neither a part of the itinerary of the Chinese pilgrims and nor it was a historical city. So, although Harappan artefacts were found fairly and some of them reached Cunningham he did not realise its importance.

For example, once one British gave a Harappan seal to Cunningham. He noted the object but unsuccessfully tried to place that seal in that time frame with which he was familiar. It was so because, like many others, he too believed that Indian history began with the first cities in the Ganga valley. Just because of his specific focus, he missed the importance of Harappa. Harappan age was much earlier than the age of Indian history imagined by him.

Question 3.
Briefly describe the stage of classification of discoveries in reconstructing the past.
Or
Describe how did the archaeologists “.classify their finds. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:
The earliest stage of reconstruction of the past is the discovery of archaeological artefacts. After this, archaeologists classify their findings.

Classifying Finds: The general theory of classification is in terms of materials like clay, stone, bone, metal, ivory, etc. Second and more complex classification is based on the utility of artefacts. For example, archaeologists have to decide whether an artefact is a tool or any ornament. This artefact could also be useful in both forms. Understanding the Function of an Artefact :

The function of any artefact could be understood by its resemblance with present-day things like querns, beads, pots, stone blades, etc.
Archaeologists try to understand the function of any artefact in that context in which it is found. For example, what was found in a house, a grave or in a kiln.

Indirect Evidence: Many times archaeologists have to take help of indirect evidence. For example, pieces of cotton have been found at some Harappan sites, even then we have to take help of indirect evidence, like pictures or statues, to know about the clothing. Assumptions have been made, regarding clothing by using indirect evidence.

Developing Frames of References: Many times archaeologists have to develop frames of reference. For example, the first Harappan seal could not be understood till archaeologists had a context in which it was found and in terms of a comparison with finds in Mesopotamia.

Question 4.
Discuss in detail about the town planning of Indus Valley Civilisation.
Answer:
The quality of the Indus Valley Civilisation which impressed the archaeologists the most was its urban planning. The towns that have been excavated bear testimony to the fact that they were well- planned. All the cities had a provision for streets and markets. There were many kinds of houses which were made of bricks. Along with the residencies, there were buildings which were used for public purposes. The greatest merit of these towns was that they were developed keeping in mind the rules concerning the health and sanitation. The description of this unquestioned and remarkable town planning is as follows :

1. Well-planned Roads and Streets: All the roads and streets of the Indus Valley were developed under a plan. All the roads were straight and intersected each other at right angles. All modern settlements were established on this pattern. All the roads either led from the north to the south side or from the east to the west side. It was done keeping in mind the direction of the winds. Whenever the wind blew, it took with it the rubbish scattered on the roads.

2. Width of the Roads and Streets: All the roads of the Indus Valley were quite wide. It is said that one road was 36 feet wide whereas another road was just 18 feet wide. There were also a few narrow roads. There was a road which was even wider than 36 feet. The streets were 4 to 7 feet in width.

3. Corners of the Towns: The corners of the towns where the roads turned, had a round shape. It was done for the comfort of the animals and bullock- carts. Special round bricks were used to make the corner of the house round. One thing needs a special mention here. The people of the Indus Valley Civilisation used many kinds of bricks in the construction of their houses. These bricks were flat, round and of big size.

4. Planned Houses: The houses of the Indus Valley Civilisation were built with planning. Each house had a bathroom, narrow staircase and a courtyard. There were rooms on all the sides of the courtyard. The size of the small houses was 30 × 27 feet. There was a gap of one foot between the two houses. It was probably done to escape from mutual disputes. The walls were very wide. No part of the house had any projection towards the roads or streets. The scholars estimate that perhaps the houses were built after the approval of their maps. The main purpose of this planning was to keep the cities beautiful.

5. Construction, Doors and Windows: The people of the Indus Valley had houses made of pucca bricks. These bricks were fixed with mud and mortar. They also used lime for this purpose. In the construction of walls, they used the mud to fix bricks because, in this way, the bricks could be reused if there rose the need for doing so. All the doors and windows of the houses opened towards the roads and streets. They were so fixed to enable the inflow of the fresh air in the house. They were 3 to 4 feet wide and six feet in height. In fact, the size of the doors depended on the size of the house. Some doors have been found which were 18 feet wide. It is certain that in such houses the vehicles could go inside the house. Some doors had bolts of iron.

6. Roofs of the Houses: The roofs of the houses were built with strips of wood. A carpet was laid on all these wooden strips. This carpet was made of grass or small twigs and was plastered with mud. There were drains to enable the outlet of rainwater. A brick was fixed at the end of this drains. It was done to throw the water away from the houses.

7. Drains: There was a well-planned system of drainage in the Indus Valley Civilisation. Every house had drained. The gutters of the houses fell directly in the street drains. These drains were one foot deep and nine inches wide. Some drains were even bigger and were made of solid bricks, mud and lime. The bricks were also used to cover these drains. At the time of cleaning the drains, these bricks could be easily removed. The water of these drains further fell into a bigger drain which carried the whole water out of the city.

8. Vast Buildings: Many vast buildings have been found in the Indus Valley Civilisation which are praiseworthy. Their description is as follows:

(i) Vast Warehouse: A massive warehouse has been found in the Indus Valley Civilisation. It is 168 feet in length and 144 feet in width. Its excavation has still not been completed. The foundation of this building is very wide. The historians estimate that perhaps this building was used to store food grains.

(ii) Temple: A massive building has been found in the excavation. It is rectangular and has twenty pillars. All these pillars are also rectangular. Sir John Marshall has compared this building to a Buddha Temple.

(iii) The Great Bath: A Great Bath has also been found in the excavation. It is 180 feet in length and 108 feet in width. In its middle, there is a tank made of solid bricks. This tank is 3914 feet long, 2314 feet wide and eight feet deep. It also has stairs. There are eight bathrooms on its south-west side. They had a provision of hot water. There is also a well nearby. It shows that the tank was filled with the water of this well.

When needed, this water was flushed out through a big drain. The historians believe that the tank was used for bathing on religious ceremonies. Its walls are wide and strong. About this well, Majumdar has written, “The truth is that the people of the Indus Valley had a well-planned urban system.” The houses were of many kinds and were made of solid bricks.

There was a provision of a well, bathroom and furniture in the houses. Besides this, the system of drainage was the symbol of their excellent town planning. Their homes, roads and streets – all indicate that no ancient civilisation has reached near the well-planned townships of the Indus Valley.

Thus, we see that the Great Bath had an unquestioned structure. It also had many distinctive buildings. It seems as if it was meant for some kind of a special bath ritual. That is why some scholars consider the Great Bath as a ritual structure.

Bricks, Beads and Bones Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Which two things indicate that there was a break between early Harappan and Harappan civilisation?
Answer:

Evidence of a large-scale burning at some places or sites.
The abandonment of certain settlements.

Question 2.
How was the Lower Town of Mohenjodaro distinct from the citadel?
Answer:

The citadel was in the western part of Mohenjodaro whereas the Lower Town was in its eastern part.
The Lower Town was quite vast as compared to the citadel.
The citadel was built on mud-brick platforms. On the other hand, many buildings in the Lower Town were built on platforms which served as foundations. Mud was used to erect these platforms.

Question 3.
How are the burials found from the sites of Harappan culture different from the pyramids of Egypt?
Answer:
The pyramids of Egypt were the royal burials. They were the places where huge qualities of wealth were buried. On the other hand, the burials of Harappa are concerned with the common people. Here the dead have been laid in pits. They did not bury precious things with the dead.

Question 4.
Where were Nageshwar and Balakot situated? Why and for which craft were they famous?
Answer:
Nageshwar and Balakot both were situated near the sea coast. They were specialised centres for making shell objects. It was so because shells were easily available as they were situated near the sea.

Question 5.
Which products of Meluhha are mentioned in the Mesopotamian texts ?, What is meant by Meluhha here?
Answer:
Mesopotamian texts mention many products of Meluhha like lapis lazuli, carnelian, gold, copper and varieties of wood. Here Meluhha may mean the Harappan region.

Question 6.
What were the problems in the excavation work of John Marshall? Who solved this problem?
Answer:
John Marshall tried to excavate along with regular horizontal units, measured uniformly throughout the mound ignoring the stratigraphy of the site. That is why valuable information on the context of these finds was irretrievably lost. This problem was solved by R.E.M. Wheeler who became the Director-General of ASI in 1944.

Question 7.
In your opinion, why is the script of Harappan culture considered mysterious or enigmatic? State the main features of this script.
Or
Write a brief note on the Harappan script.
Or
Why do archaeologist and historians find Harappan script enigmatic? Explain the reasons. (C.B.S.E. 2016 (D))
Answer:
The Harappan script is called enigmatic because it has not been possible to decipher it so far. So its mystery has still not been solved.
Characteristics :

It was not alphabetical. It had too many signs or motifs. Each sign stood for a vowel as a consonant. All the signs were a symbol of something.
The signs of this script were between 375 and 400.
This script was written from right to left. It is clear from the fact that it had a wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left. It seemed as if the writer began writing from the right and then ran out of space in the left.
This script has been found on a variety of ..objects. It may also have been written on some perishable material. All these things show that there was widespread literacy in the Harappan civilisation.

Question 8.
Would you agree that the drainage system of the Harappan cities indicates town-planning? Give reasons for your answer.
Or
Describe briefly the drainage system of the Harappan cities. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Or
“The drainage system in Harappan. Civilisation indicates town planning.” Support the statement with examples. (C.B.S.E, 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
We completely agree with the fact that all the Harappan cities had a carefully planned drainage system. In other words, the drainage system was an integral part of the town-planning. This system was essential to keep the city neat and clean. From this point of view, the drainage system of the Harappan cities was perfect. The domestic wastewater passed through gutters to flow into the street drains.

It seems as if the streets along with the drains were laid out first. Then the residences were made alongside these roads. One wall of the house always touched the side of a street so that the wastewater may easily flow into the drains of the street.

The main drain was made of mud and bricks. It was covered with such bricks which could be removed for the purpose of sanitation. The gutters Sf the houses first fell into a sump or cess-pit. The solid in the water was accumulated here and the water flowed into the main drain. In this way, the dirty water flushed out of the city. According to Mackay, “It is certainly the most complete ancient system as yet discovered.” In the end, we can say that every house of the Harappan society was connected to the street drains which were made of bricks set in mortar. They were covered with limestone or lose bricks which could be easily removed for cleaning. In fact, the drainage system is considered a wonder of archaeology.

Question 9.
How archaeologists identify centres of craft production?
Or
Describe briefly how the centres of craft production are identified. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Or
Describe the basis on which Archaeologists identified the centres of craft production in the Harappan Culture. (C.B.S.E. 2018)
Answer:
Archaeologists generally look for certain things to identify centres of craft production and these are raw materials like stone nodules, copper ore, whole shells, tools, unfinished material, rejects and waste material. Actually, waste indicates craftwork. For example, if a shell or stone is used to make any object then pieces of shell or stone will be discarded as waste at the place of production.

Many times smaller objects were made by using larger waste pieces, but minuscule bits were generally left in the
work area. These traces suggest that craft production was also undertaken in large cities like Harappa and Mohenjodaro.

Question 10.
What were the main aspects of agriculture and agricultural technology of Harappan culture?
Answer:
Archaeologists have found charred grains from sites of Harappa, which indicate towards their agriculture. But no information is available regarding their actual agricultural practices.
Other Evidence of Agriculture
1. Seals containing animal motifs indicate that people were aware of bulls. On this basis, archaeologists believe that bulls used to till the land.

2. Terracotta models of plough have been found at Baluchistan (Pakistan) and Banawali (Haryana). It indicates the use of plough in agriculture.

3. Evidence of a ploughed field at Kalibangan (Rajasthan) have been found. The field had two sets of furrows at right angles to each other. It suggests that two different crops were grown together.

Tools: Archaeologists have tried to identify the tools used in agriculture except for the plough. Harappans used stone blades set in wooden handles or metal tools to cut the crop.

Irrigation: Most of the Harappan sites were located in a semi-arid land. Here, was irrigation was probably necessary for agriculture. At Harappan site of Shortughai in Afghanistan, traces of canals have also been found. No such evidence has been found in Punjab and Sindh. May be ancient canals over here silted up long ago. Besides, water reservoirs may have been used to store water for irrigation in Dholavira (Gujarat).

Question 11.
What reasons are given regarding the existence of authority and ruler class in Harappan culture? Explain.
Or
Describe the different arguments given by the archaeologists over the central authority of Harappa.
(C.B.S.E. 2014 (D))
Or
“Archaeologists have no proper response for the central authority of the Harappans.” Substantiate.
(C.B.S.E. 2016 (O.D.))
Or
“There are indications of decisions being taken and implemented in Harappan society.” In light of this statement, explain whether there may have been rulers to rule over the Harappan society. (C.B.S.E. 2018)
Answer:
Ancient Authority: There are indications of complex decisions being taken and their implementation in Harappan society. Evidence of this could be seen from the Harappan artefacts like pottery, seals, weights and bricks. Important thing is that probably there was no clear centre of bricks production but still bricks with the same ratio were used from Jammu till Gujarat.

Except this, labour was also organised for making of bricks, construction of massive walls and platforms. It is not possible to perform such functions without any authority. That is why we can say that there might have been an authority regulating all these activities.

Centre of Authority and Rule: No specific information is available regarding the centre of authority or ruler class in the Harappan civilisation.
1. A large building found at Mohenjodaro was given the name of a palace by archaeologists but no spectacular finds were associated with it.

2. In the same way a stone statue was labelled as a “priest-king”. It was so because archaeologists had information about the Mesopotamian history and their priest-kings. They also found parallels in Sindh region and statue was labelled as a priest-king. This king probably was associated with ritual practices. But ritual practices of Harappans have not been well understood yet. There is no means of knowing whether those who performed ritual practices also held political power.

3. Some archaeologists are of the view that there were no rulers in Harappan society. In fact, all enjoyed
equal status. Some other archaeologists feel that there was no single ruler but there were several rulers. According to them, Mohenjodaro and Harappa had different rulers. Some other scholars argue that there was a single state which is evident from the similarity of artefacts, the planned settlement, the standardised ratio of brick size and the establishment of settlements near sources of raw material.

In the end, we can say that the last theory looks more suitable as it is not possible that the whole of the community could have made and implemented such complex decisions.

Question 12.
How Harappan civilisation came up to limelight? Which archaeologists contributed in this work. Mention specifically the contribution of Sir John Marshall.
Or
Describe the contribution of Sir 1 John Marshall, Director-General of the A.S.I. to Indian archaeology. (C.B.S.E. 2016 (O.D.))
Or
Describe the contribution of John I * Marshall in the Indian archaeology. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (D.))
Or
Describe the major changes marked I by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Harappan archaeology. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (Comp.))
Answer:
Archaeologist Dayaram Sahni found some seals of Harappa in the early decades of 20th century. These seals were definitely much older than early historic levels. Now their significance began to be realised. Another archaeologist Rakhal Das Banerji found the same seals at Mohenjodaro as were found at Harappa. It led to the assumption that both archaeological sites were parts of a single archaeological culture.

Based on these findings, in 1924, the then Director-General of ASI John Marshall declared in front of the world about the discovery of new civilisation in Indus Valley. S.N. Roy wrote in the “Story of Indian Archaeology” that, “Marshall left India three thousand years older than he had found her”. Similar seals were also found in the excavation of archaeological sites of Mesopotamia. In this, not only new civilisation came in limelight but we also came to know that this civilisation was contemporary to Mesopotamia.

Sir John Marshall’s term as the Director-General of ASI was actually a term of major change in the Indian
archaeology. He was the first professional archaeologist who worked in India. He brought with himself his experience of Greece and Crete. Like Cunningham, he was also interested in spectacular findings, but he was equally interested in looking for patterns of daily life.

Marshall tended to excavate along with regular horizontal units, measured unit firmly throughout the mound, ignoring the stratigraphy of the site and this was the biggest drawback in his excavation process. It means all the artefacts, found from the same unit, were grouped together. As a result, valuable information about the context of these finds was irretrievably lost.

Bricks, Beads and Bones Important Extra Questions Source-Based

Question 1.
How Artefacts are Identified?

Processing of food required grinding equipment as well as vessels for mixing, blending and cooking. These were made of stone, metal and terracotta. This is an excerpt from one of the earliest reports on excavations at Mohenjodaro, the best-known Harappan site :

Saddle querns are found in considerable numbers and they seem to have been the only means in use for grinding cereals. As a rule, they were roughly made of hard, gritty, igneous rock or sandstone and mostly show signs of hard usage. As their bases are usually convex, they must have been set in the earth or in mud to prevent their rocking. Two main types have been found: those on which another smaller stone was pushed or rolled to and fro, and others with which a second stone was used as a pounder, eventually making a large cavity in the nether stone. querns of the former type were probably used solely for grain; the second type possibly only for pounding herbs and spices for making curries. In fact, stones of this latter type are dubbed “curry stones” by our workmen and our cook asked for the loan of one from the museum for use in the kitchen.

(i) What are grinding equipment or saddle querns?
Answer:
The saddle querns have been found in large numbers at Mohenjodaro. They were used to grind cereals.

(ii) How is the surface of these grinding equipment? What does it indicate?
Answer:
They had a rough surface made of hard rock or sandstone. They mostly show signs of hard usage. They were set in the earth or in the mud so that they may not rock or waver.

(iii) What are its two kinds?
Answer:
Saddle querns were of two kinds such as :
(a) Those on which another smaller stone was pushed or rolled to and fro. They were used to grind grains and cereals.
(b) Those with which a second stone was used as a pounder. They were used to grind herbs and spices.

(iv) Which aspect of the Harappan culture do these grinding equipment highlight?
Answer:
They tell us about the processing of food in the Harappan culture. The people knew the art of grinding and cooking. They also knew about the herbs and spices.

Question 2.
The Most Ancient System Yet Discovered (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))

About the drains, Mackay noted: “It is certainly the most complete ancient system as yet discovered.” Every house was connected to the street drains. The main channels were made of bricks set in mortar and were covered with loose bricks that could be removed for cleaning. In some cases, limestone was used for the covers. House drains first emptied into a sump or cesspit into which solid matter settled while wastewater flowed out into the street drains. Very long drainage channels were provided at intervals with sumps for cleaning. It is a wonder of archaeology that “little heaps of material, mostly sand, have frequently been found lying alongside drainage channels, which shows that the debris was not always carted away when the drain was cleared.”

From Ernest Mackay, Early Indus Civilisation, 1948. Drainage systems were not unquestioned to the larger cities but were found in smaller settlements as well. At Lothal for example, while houses were built of mud bricks, drains were made of burnt bricks.

(i) The drains of which place are being described in this passage?
Answer:
These drains are of Harappan culture. They have been found in the Lower Town.

(ii) What was the drawback in the sanitation system?
Answer:
The drawback of sanitation is that the debris was not always removed when the drain was cleared.

(iii) What was the most interesting aspect of these houses? Give two reasons to support your answer.
Answer:
The most interesting aspect of these houses was a loneliness which is evident from the following points:
(a) The walls that stood on the surface of the earth, did not have windows.
(b) The internal part and courtyard of the house were not visible from the main gate.

(iv) Except the drains, enumerate any four characteristics of these houses.
Answer:
(a) Almost every house had a courtyard.
(b) Each house had a bathroom whose floor was made of bricks.
(c) A few houses had stair-case to go on the roof or the second storey.
(d) Many houses had wells which were often used by raahgirs (travellers).

Question 3.
Evidence of an “Invasion”

Deadman Lane is a narrow alley, varying from 3 to 6 feet in width… At the point where the lane turns westward, part of a skull and the bones of the thorax and upper arm of an adult was discovered, all in very friable condition, at a depth of 4 ft 2 inches. The body lay on its back diagonally across the lane. Fifteen inches to the west were a few fragments of a tiny skull. It is to these remains that the lane owes its name.

FROM JOHN MARSHALL, Mohenjodaro and the Indus Civilisation, 1931. Sixteen skeletons of people with the ornaments that they were wearing when they died, were found from the same part of Mohenjodaro in 1925.

Much later, in 1947, R.E.M. Wheeler, then Director-General of the ASI, tried to correlate this archaeological evidence with that of the Rigveda, the earliest known text in the subcontinent.

He wrote: The Rigveda mentions pure, meaning rampant, fort or stronghold. Indra, the Aryan war-god is called puramdara, the fort-destroyer.

Where are-or were-these citadels? It has in the past been supposed that they were mythical. The recent excavation of Harappa may be thought to have changed the picture. Here we have a highly evolved civilisation of essentially non-Aryan type, now known to have employed massive fortifications What destroyed this firmly settled civilisation? Climatic, economic or political deterioration may have weakened it, but its ultimate extinction is more likely to have been completed by deliberate and large- scale destruction. It may be no more chance that at a late period of Mohenjodaro men, women and children, appear to have been massacred there. On circumstantial evidence, Indra stands accused.

FROM R.E.M. WHEELER, “Harappa 1946” Ancient India, 1947. In the 1960s, the evidence of a massacre in Mohenjodaro was Questioned by an archaeo¬logist named George Dales. He demonstrated that the skeletons found at the site did not belong to the same period.

Whereas a couple of them definitely seem to indicate a slaughter, … the bulk of the bones were found in contexts suggesting burials of the sloppiest and most irreverent nature. There is no destruction level covering the latest period of the city, no sign of extensive burning, no bodies of warriors clad in armour and surrounded by the weapons of war. The citadel, the only fortified part of the city, yielded no evidence of the final defence.

FROM G.F. DALES, “The Mythical Massacre of Mohenjodaro.” The expedition, 1964. As you can see, a careful re-examination of the data can sometimes lead to a reversal of earlier interpretations.

(i) On what basis has it been called the Deadman’s Lane?
Answer:
There was a narrow street. It was three to six feet wide. It was called the Deadman’s Lane because the following things were discovered in it:
(a) Part of a skull.
(b) The bones of the thorax.
(c) Upper arm of an adult.

(ii) What reasons have been given by R.E.M. Wheeler for the destruction of the Harappan culture?
Answer:
(a) The climatic changes or the social and economic deterioration might have weakened the Harappan civilisation.
(b) There might have been deliberate and .large-scale destruction.
(c) There might be a large-scale massacre of men, women and children.

(iii) Who did he consider responsible for the large-scale destruction in Mohenjodaro and why?
Answer:
R.E.M. Wheeler considered Indra, the Aryan war-god, responsible for the large-scale destruction in Mohenjodaro because, according to Rigveda, Indra was puramdara, that is, the fort-destroyer.

(iv) What arguments were advanced by George Dales in 1960 against Wheeler’s theory of large-scale destructions?
Answer:
According to George Dales :
(a) The skeleton found at the site did not belong to that period.
(b) There is no evidence of large-scale destruction.
(c) There are no signs of extensive burning.
(d) No one has found bodies of warriors clad in armour and surrounded by weapons.
(e) The fort does not provide any evidence of the final defence.

Population Composition Class 12 Important Extra Questions Geography Chapter 3

May 31, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 Geography Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 3 Population Composition. Geography Class 12 Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 Geography Chapter 3 Important Extra Questions Population Composition

Population Composition Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When is sex ratio unfavourable ?
Answer:
When number of men is more than number of women.

Question 2.
What is the average world sex ratio ?
Answer:
990 females per 1000 males.

Question 3.
In which country, is the highest sex ratio found ?
Answer:
In Estonia—1190 females per 1000 males.

Question 4.
In which country, is the lowest sex ratio found ? (CJ3.S.E. 2011)
Answer:
In Qatar—303 females per 1000 males.

Question 5.
In how many countries (according to U.N.O.), the sex ratio is favourable ?
Answer:
139 countries.

Question 6.
In how many countries (according to U.N.O.), the sex ratio is unfavourable ?
Ans.
72 countries.

Question 7.
What is age structure ?
Or
Define the term ‘Age structure’. (Delhi 2019)
Answer:
Age structure represents the number of people of different age groups.

Question 8.
Which diagram shows age-sex structure ?
Answer:
A population pyramid.

Question 9.
Which country’s population shows a constant Pyramid ?
Answer:
Australia.

Question 10.
Which country shows a declining pyramid ?
Answer:
Japan.

Population Composition Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the main characteristic of people of a country ? What are the distinguishing attributes of people ?
Answer:
People of India are diverse and unique in many respects. People can be distinguished by their age, sex and their place of residence. Other distinguishing attributes of the population are :

occupation
education
life expectancy.

Question 2.
What is sex ratio ? How is it calculated in India ? (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
The ratio between the number of women and men in the population is called the sex ratio. It is number of females per 1000 males. In India the sex ratio is worked out using the formula.
sex Ratio = $\frac{\text { Female Population }}{\text { Male Population }} \times 1000 $

Question 3.
Why Japan has a declining population Pyramid ?
Answer:
Japan’s pyramid has a narrow base and it tapers topward. It shows low birth and low death rates. The population growth is zero or negative.

Question 4.
What are the characteristics of population in developed countries ?
Answer:
(i) Share of older people is large.
(ii) Population in higher age group has increased due to increased life expectancy.
(iii) The proportion of children has declined due to reduction in birth rates.

Question 5.
Describe the Ageing Population.
Answer:
This is the process by which the older population share becomes proportionally larger. This is a new phenomena of 20th century. Population in higher age groups in most of the developed countries has increased because of increased life expectancy.

Question 6.
Describe the distribution of world pattern of sex ratio.
Answer:

On an average, the world population reflects a sex ratio of 990 females per 1000 males.
The highest sex ratio in the world has been recorded in Latvia which is 1187 females per 1000 males.
The lowest sex ratio occurs in Qatar which is 320 females per 1000 males.
The sex ratio is favourable for females in 139 countries of the world.
It is unfavourable sex ratio for females in 72 countries listed by the United Nations.
In general, Asia has a low sex ratio. Countries like China, India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan have a lower sex ratio.
On the other extreme is greater part of Europe (including Russia) where males are in minority.

Question 7.
What is meant by literacy rate ? Why is there a wide variation in the literacy rate among different countries of the world ?
Answer:
Literacy rate is the percentage of people above 7 years age who can read and write in their everyday life. Literacy rate is different in different countries due to different levels of economic development, urbanisation and standard of living.

Question 8.
Describe the characteristics of world population as revealed by the age structure.
Answer:
(i) World population is more youthful with about 36% population in age group below 15 years. In developed countries, it is 23 per cent while in developing countries, it is 40 per cent. This is an unproductive group.
(ii) The adult age group (15-59 years) is higher in number and is a productive group.
(iii) Aged people (above 60 years) increase with increase in population.

Question 9.
Discuss the factors responsible for imbalance in the sex-ratio found in different parts of the world.
Answer:

In developing countries, infant mortality is higher among males than females.
In developed countries, male mortality is higher than females.
Migration of males or females also affects sex ratio.
In developing countries, male migration from villages to towns also affects sex-ratio.

Question 10.
Explain the inter-relationship between population and development.
Answer:
Since Malthus’ projection, the study of population and development has become important. A further growth of population, puts pressure on land for food production. Large population is a negative factor in development. However, it depends upon its quality. Growth of population creates an imbalance in population and resources.

Other factors like technology also affects this balance. Thus, development depends upon a set of social, economic, technological and political conditions. A new concept of Human Development Index (HDI) has been introduced to assess it.

Question 11.
Write a short note on literacy in the world.
Or
‘The proportion of literate population of a country is an indicator of its socioeconomic development.” Evaluate the statement. (Outside Delhi 2019)
Answer:
Literacy is an index of socio-economic development of an area. It reflects quality of populations. There is a wide variation over the world in the literacy rates which denotes the percentage of people aged 7 and above who can, with understanding, both read and write a short, simple statement in their everyday life.

Major factors affecting this rate are

levels of economic development
urbanisation and
standard of living
social status of females
availability of educational facilities and
the policies of the government.

Level of economic development is both a cause and a consequence of literacy.

The developed and urban economies reflect higher literacy rate and higher standards of education. Low levels of literacy and education indicate rural-farm economies.

Population Composition Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Write a note on Age-Sex structure in the world.
Answer:
Age Composition. The composition of population according to age or sex is called age and sex structure. It is fundamental to understand demographic characteristics. People are grouped according to age groups. The age is written in round number. The differences in age groups create economic disparities in the world.

Importance. Age composition unfolds many mysteries of population and affects long range future results. It helps to determine the labour force of a region and its efficiency. It estimates the needs and employment of a region. It helps to know the dependent population. It helps to know the future growth of population of a region.

Determinants of Age Structure
The following elements are the main determinants of age structure :

Fertility
Mortality
Migration.

Distribution of age groups

1. Young age group. It includes the population below 15 years. In developing countries, 40% of population consists of young population; whereas this percentage is about 20 per cent in developed countries.

2. Adult group. It includes the population between 15-64 years age. It is the productive population group. In developed countries, this group is 60% and it is 35% in developing countries.

3. The Old age group. It includes the population above 65 years age. In developed countries, this group is 10 to 12%. It is only 4% in developing countries. In India, old age group is 8%. This is dependent population.

Question 2.
What do you mean by age-sex Pyramid ? Describe the different types of age-sex Pyramids.
Answer:
Age-Sex Pyramid (Imp)
Or
What is age structure? Interpret with example. (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)

The age-sex structure of a population refers to the number of females and males in different age groups. A population pyramid is used to show the age-sex structure of the population.

The shape of the population pyramid reflects the characteristics of the population. The left side shows the percentage of males, while the right side shows the percentage of women in each age group.

Different types of age-sex Pyramid

(1) Expanding Populations. This is a triangular shaped pyramid with a wide base and is typical of less developed or under-developed countries. These have a larger population in the lower age groups due to high birth rates.
Examples. The Pyramids for Bangladesh, Mexico and Nigeria.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 3 Population Composition 1

(2) Constant Population. It is bell shaped structure and taper towards the top. This shows that the birth and death rates are almost equal, leading to a near constant population. Example. Australia’s age-sex pyramid.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 3 Population Composition 2

(3) Declining Pyramid. It has a narrow base and a tapered top showing low birth and death rates. The population growth in developed countries is usually zero or negative.
Example. Pyramid of Japan.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 3 Population Composition 3

Question 3.
Describe the different types of Human occupations.
Answer:
Human activities. Man adopts some ways to make a livelihood. He may be engaged in certain economic activities. These activities are called human occupations. These human occupations are considerably influenced by physical conditions. Lumbering is carried on in Taiga forests. Sheeps are reared in temperate grasslands. Agriculture is the mainstay of people in tropical lowlands.

Cultural conditions help in the choice of occupations. Man adapts his occupations according to his needs and cultural development. Religion, education, social systems, technical knowledge and the standard of living also influences human occupations. The economic activities can be divided into four groups :

(i) Primary Activities. These activities are directly related to physical conditions. Man obtains products directly from nature through these activities. The primary activities include, gathering, hunting, fishing, lumbering, mining, cattle-rearing and agriculture.

(ii) Secondary Activities. In secondary activities, man changes the form of raw materials. This increases the value and utility of products. Manufacturing, dairy farming and commercial fishing are secondary activities.

(iii) Tertiary Activities. Tertiary activities include all services and occupations. These are used for exchange and distribution of products. These include transport and trade.

(iv) Quarternary Activities. Some high services which indirectly influence the human activities are included in Quarternary Activities. Some high services like Education, Research, Medical services, Administrative, Defence, etc. are included in Quarternary Services.

Population Composition Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
In which area a deficit of males is found ? Give two reasons.
Answer:
In Europe (including Russia) males are in minority. There is a deficit of males in European countries.
(i) This is due to better status of women.
(ii) There is an excessive male-dominated out-migration to other countries.

Question 2.
“In western countries of the world, males outnumber females in rural areas and females outnumber the males in urban areas.” Evaluate the statement. (Outside Delhi 2019)
Answer:
The population of the world is divided into two groups – Rural population and Urban population. This division is necessary as the rural and urban lifestyles are different from each other. In western countries of the world, males outnumber females in rural areas and females outnumber the males in urban areas.

In countries such as Nepal, Pakistan and India the case is reverse. The excess of female population is urban areas of U.S.A., Canada and Europe is the result of influx of females from rural areas to avail the great jobs. In these developed countries farming is also mechanised and remains a male occupation.

By contrast in Asian Urban areas sex ratio remains male dominated because of the pre dominance of male migration. In countries like India, female participation in farming activity in rural areas is quite high. Shortage of housing, high living cost, lack of security, etc. discourage women to migrate from rural to urban areas.

Kinship, Caste and Class Class 12 Important Extra Questions History Chapter 3

May 31, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 3 Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies. Class 12 History Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 History Chapter 3 Important Extra Questions Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies

Kinship, Caste and Class Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Under whose leadership the process of preparing the critical edition of Mahabharata started?
Answer:
Under the leadership of V.S. Shankar.

Question 2.
How many years did it take to complete the critical edition of Mahabharata?
Answer:
47 years.

Question 3.
What is Kinfolk?
Answer:
A larger network of families is called Kinfolk.

Question 4.
Which system of lineage was followed by most of the ruling dynasties?
Answer:
They followed the system of patriline.

Question 5.
Who did not have any claim to the resources of the household?
Answer:
Daughters did not have any such claim.

Question 6.
When was Manusmriti compiled?
Answer:
Manusmriti complied between C. 200 BCE and 200 C.E.

Question 7.
How many forms of marriage were recognized in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras?
Answer:
Eight forms of marriage.

Question 8.
On what basis Brahmanas were classified from 100 BCE onwards?
Answer:
They were classified on the basis of their gotras.

Question 9.
Where did Satavahanas rule?
Answer:
Satavahanas ruled over parts of western India and the Deccan.

Question 10.
What is polygynous?
Answer:
When a male marries more than one female, it is called polygynous.

Question 11.
Through which side the Satavahana rulers were identified?
Answer:
They were identified through metronymic or through mother’s side.

Question 12.
From where did Shakas Came?
Answer:
Shakas came from Central Asia.

Question 13.
Who was regarded as Mlechchhas?
Answer:
Shakas were regarded as Mlechchhas.

Question 14.
Where did the duties of the Chandalas lay down?
Answer:
The Manusmriti laid down the duties of the Chandalas.

Question 15.
Which Chines monk come to India during the fifth century CE?
Answer:
Fa Xian.

Question 16.
With whom is the central story of Mahabharata associated?
Answer:
The central story of Mahabharata is about two sets of warring cousins. This text also contains sections laying down norms of behavior for different social groups. The principal characters, occasionally, seem to follow these norms.

Question 17.
Why and among whom, the war of Mahabharata was fought? What was its result?
Answer:
The war of Mahabharata was fought between Kauravas and Pandavas. It was fought to acquire land and authority. Both the parties were related to the Kuru clan. The war was won by the Pandavas.

Question 18.
Distinguish between Patriliny and Matriliny.
Answer:
Priligy means: to trace descent from father to son, grandson, and so on. On the other hand, matriliny means to trace the descent through the mother.

Question 19.
What were Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras ?
Answer:
Brahmanas layer down codes of social behavior in great detail. They were supposed to be followed by Brahmanas in particular and by the rest of society in general. From 50 BCE, these norms were compiled in Sanskrit texts which were known as Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras.

Question 20.
What were the two most important rules about the gotra? Mention two rules about gotra, particularly of women, according to Brahmanical practice after 1000 B.C.E. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (O.D.))
Or
Mention the two rules about the classification of people in terms of gotra under Brahmanical practice; around 1000 BCE onwards. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:

After marriage, every woman gave up the gotra of her father and adopted the gotra of her husband.
Members of the same gotra could not marry.

Question 21.
Who was Gandhari? What advice had she given to Duryodhana? What was its impact on Duryodhana?
Answer:
Gandhari was the mother of the Kauravas. She had advised her eldest son Duryodhana not to wage a war against the Pandavas. But it had no effect on Duryodhana. He fought against the Pandavas and was defeated.

Question 22.
Who were Gotama and Vashishtha? Which earlier rulers gotra’s names were taken by their names? Give examples.
Answer:
Gotama and Vashishtha were Vedic seers. Gotras of Satvahana kings were taken by their names like :

Raja Gotami-puta Siri-Satakani.
Raja Vasithi-puta (Sami) Siri Pulumayi.

Question 23.
Where did endogamy prevail in India during 600 B.C.E.—600 C.E. ? What was its importance?
Answer:
Endogamy existed in certain South India communities between 600 BCE—600 CE and it still exists. Such marriages among kinfolk ensured a close-knit community.

Question 24.
What do the names of Satavahana rulers indicate towards the status of mothers in the society? Is this thing applicable to succession to the throne?
Or
How were mothers important under the Satavahana rule? Give an example to support your Answer. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
Satavahana rulers were identified through metonymies means that names were derived from that of the mother. It indicates that mothers had an important place in society.

This thing is not applicable on succession to the throne as it was generally patrilineal.

Question 25.
According to the Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda, how did the four Varnas emerge under the Varna system?
Answer:
According to the Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda, the four Varnas emerged from the sacrifice of the Purusha, the primeval man. All the four social categories emanated from his body. His mouth became the Brahmanas and the arms came out to be Kshatriyas. His thighs became the Vaishya and from his feet, the fourth Varna was born.

Question 26.
Who was designated as Chandalas by Brahmanas? What was their place in society?
Answer:
Some people were engaged in occupations like handling corpses and dead animals. These occupations were considered impure. Those who performed such tasks were designated as Chandalas. They were placed at the very bottom of the hierarchy.

Question 27.
What has been said about the right on paternal property in the Manusmriti?
Or
How was a paternal estate to be I ’ divided after the death of the parents, according to Manusmriti? (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, the paternal property should be equally divided among all the sons after the death of their parents. However, the eldest son is entitled to a special share. The women were not allowed to demand any share in this property.

Question 28.
Tell any two pieces of evidence to show that the people were linked to matriliny.
Answer:

Many inscriptions of the powerful Satavahanas have been found. They tell us that many rulers had their lineage from matriliny.
There is a list of the hierarchy of ancestors in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. It contains a list of successive generations of teachers and students. Most of them were designated as metronymic.

Question 29.
What is the Bhagavad Gita ?
Answer:
The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most important didactic section of the Mahabharata. It contains the advice offered by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Question 30.
Who, according to traditions, is considered as the author of Mahabharata? From whom did he scribe the epic?
Answer:
According to literary traditions, Maharishi Ved Vyasa is considered the author of Mahabharata. He scribed this epic from the Lord Ganesha.

Question 31.
Mention two ideal occupations of Brahmanas according to Dharmashastras. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:
According to Dharmashastras, two ideal occupations of Brahmanas are:

Study and teach the Vedas.
Perform sacrifices and get sacrifices performed as well as give and receive gifts.

Question 32.
How were the Shakas, who came from Central Asia, regarded by the Brahmanas? Name their best-known ruler and one of his contributions. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:
Shakas, who came from Central Asia were regarded as Mlechchhas or the barbarians were: or outsiders by the Brahmanas.

Rudradaman was their best-known ruler and one of the major contributions of Rudradaman was that he rebuilt Sudarshana lake.

Question 33.
Mention any two ideal occupations of Kshatriyas according to Dharma-shastras. (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))
Answer:

Kshatriyas were expected to engage in warfare, protect people and administer justice.
They were expected to study the Vedas, get sacrifices performed, and give gifts.

Question 34.
Mention two such populations which were beyond the four varnas and I) were viewed with suspicion. Give one characteristic of each. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:

Forest dwellers for whom hunting and gathering remained an important means of subsistence.
Mlechchhas who spoke non-Sanskritic languages.

Kinship, Caste and Class Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
“The Mahabharata is a story of changing relationships.” Discuss. How did it strengthen the ideal of patriline?
Or
Describe how the kinship relations changed with reference to Mahabharata. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Or
The Mahabharata is a good source to study the Kinfolk’s values of ancient times.” Justify this statement with suitable arguments. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (D))
Or
“The central story of Mahabharata reinforced the idea of kinship and succession”. Explain.
(C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Or
“The Mahabharata is a story of Kinship, marriages, and patriline.” Examine the statement.
(C.B.S.E. 2017 (D))
Answer:
In reality, the Mahabharata is a story of changing human relations. It depicts a struggle and clash for land and authority between two parties of cousins namely the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Both sides were related to the Kuru clan which ruled over the Kuru region. Their conflict resulted in a full-fledged war. The Pandavas won this war. Thereafter, an announcement was made about patriline inheritance.

Though the tradition of patrimony was vague even before the composition of this epic, yet, the content of the Mahabharata strengthened the ideal of patriline. According to the principle of patriline, the sons, after the death of their father, could claim their right to resources. In the case of the kings, this claim included even the throne.

Question 2.
When and how people were classified into gotras by Brahmanas? Were these rules applicable to the Satavahana clan?
Or
Mention any two features of gotra as per the Brahmanical practice. What evidences do we get from the Satavahana inscriptions regarding the inheritance of gotra? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
From C. 1000 BCE onwards, people were classified into gotras by Brahmanas. Each gotra was named after a Vedic seer as all the members of that gotra were assumed as the descendants of that seer. There were two important rules of gotras:

The woman had to adopt the gotra of her husband after her marriage.
Members of the same gotra could not marry each other.

Rules of Gotra and Satavahana kings: Some of the Satavahana rulers had more than one wife (polygamy). A study of the names of wives of Satavahana rulers reveals that few of them had names derived from gotras such as Gotama and Vashishtha which were their father’s gotras. They probably had retained these names instead of adopting the names of their husband’s gotras. Some women also belonged to the same gotra as their husbands. This fact was against the rules of exogamy. This fact actually exemplified an alternative practice that of endogamy or marriage within the kin group.

Question 3.
What was the relationship between the Varna system and occupation according to Brahmanical texts? Which strategies were used by Brahmanas for l enforcing these norms? (From Sample Paper)
Or
What according to the Dharmashastras, were the ideal occupations for the four Varnas? Give one way in which the Brahmanas tried to enforce these norms. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (D))
Or
Explain the rules contained in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras about the ideal occupations of the four categories of Varnas. (CJB.S.E. 2012 (D))
Or
Explain the ideal occupation as laid down in Dharmashastras and Dharmasutras for the four varnas. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))

Answer:
The relation between the Varna system and occupations according to Brahminical texts.

1. Brahamanas: Study and teach the Vedas, perform sacrifices and get sacrifices performed as well as give and receive gifts.

2. Kshatriyas: Engage in warfare, protect people and administer justice, study the Vedas, get sacrifices performed, and give gifts.

3. Vaishyas: Study Vedas, perform yajnas, give gifts, agriculture, pastoralism, and trade.

4. Fourth Varna: Serving the higher three Varnas. Brahmanas used the following strategies to enforce these norms:

Asserting that the Varna order was of divine origin.
Advised kings to ensure that these norms were followed by their subjects.
Attempted to persuade people that their status was determined by birth.

Question 4.
What is meant by Metronymics? Is this concept correct in the case of Satavahanas?
Or
What evidences do we get from the Brahmanical practice and Satvahana lineage regarding the inheritance of gotra? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2013 (O.D.))
Answer:
The meaning of Metronymics is that most importance is given to the mother in any clan or dynasty. The name of that clan is derived from the name of the mother. This social custom is clearly seen in the society of Satavahanas. Even kings used to associate the names of their mothers with their names.

Gotami-puta Satakani and Vasithi-puta are evidence of this practice. Although more importance was given to females in the society still Satavahana dynasty was patrilineal as the successor to the throne was generally a male member.

Question 5.
Who was Gotami-puta Satakani? Describe his main achievements.
Answer:
Gotami-puta Satakani was the bravest king of the Satavahana dynasty. He ruled from 106 C.E. till 130 C.E. and increased the strength and prosperity of his dynasty. He called himself the alone Brahmana and killed many Kshatriyas. He also defeated the Shakas and claimed to destroy the Kshaharat dynasty.

The important leader of this dynasty was Nahapan. Whichever silver coins of Nahapan have been found, they indicate that they might have been minted again. This work could have been done after the defeat of Nahapan at the hands of Satakani. It has been believed that the empire of Satakani was spread from Malwa in the North and till Karnataka in the South. Probably Andhra Pradesh was also a part of his empire.

Question 6.
What was the relation between Varna and Property?
Answer:
According to the Brahmanical texts, access to wealth was linked with the Varna. All the Varnas performed different jobs. The Brahmanas read the Vedas and taught their pupils. The Kshatriyas fought in the battles. The Vaishyas were engaged in the trade. But the Fourth Varna served all the above mentioned three Varnas.

In other words, the only occupation prescribed for the Fourth Varna was servitude. In fact, the Brahmanas and the Kshatriyas performed a variety of occupations. So they were the wealthiest men. The kings and priests were also very rich people. However on some occasions, the BrahmAnswer: are depicted to be poor.

Question 7.
What was the basis of criticism of the Varna system?
Answer:
When Brahmanical ideas were being compiled in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras, at that time some other traditions expressed their criticism of the Varna system. The most important criticism, out of these was developed in the early Buddhist religion (around the 6th century). Buddhists admitted that there existed differences in society but according to them these differences were not natural. They even rejected the idea of social prestige based on birth.

Question 8.
What did the Buddhists say about the inequalities prevalent in society? What does it indicate?
Answer:
The Buddhists were aware of the social inequalities. So they developed institutions to regulate social conflict. There is a myth in the well-known text entitled ‘Sutta Pitaka’ which tells us that originally human beings did not have fully evolved bodily forms. Similarly, the world of plants was also not fully developed. All the people lived in an idyllic state of peace. They took from nature only what they needed for each meal.

However, this ideal state did not remain for long. There was a gradual deterioration in the peaceful stage. Most human beings became greedy, vindictive, and deceitful. So the people thought of electing a man who could set things in order. He would punish those who deserved to be punished. He would expel those who were fit to be expelled. In lieu of this job, he would be given a proportion of the produce. As he would be chosen by all people, he would be called as Mahasammata, i.e., the great elect.

From this, we come to know that the office of the king depended on the will of the people. In other words, the institution of kingship was based on human choice. People paid taxes for the services rendered to them by the king. This myth also indicates that human deeds play a great role in strengthening social and economic relations. For example, if human beings could create the system, they could also change it in the future.

Question 9.
While giving an example of Gotami-puta Satakani, clarify that assimilation in the caste system was a complex social process.
Answer:
The most famous ruler of the Satavahana dynasty, Gotami-puta Satakani claimed himself as the only Brahmana and acted as a destroyer of the prestige of Kshatriyas. He also claimed that he restricted the marital relations between the four Varnas but he himself established marital relations with the family of Rudradaman.

On the basis of this example, we can say that assimilation in the caste system was a complex social process. Satavahana kings claimed themselves as Brahamanas but according to Brahmanical shastras, Kshatriya should be the king. They claimed to maintain the integrity of the four-fold Varna system but established marital relations with those who were not the part of Varna system. Except for this, they followed the endogamous form of marriage which was not sanctioned by the Brahmanical texts.

Question 10.
Explain the factors that should be kept in mind by the historians were: while handling textual traditions.
Or
Explain any five elements considered by the historians were: while analyzing the texts. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
While analyzing a book or a literary source, the historians were: should keep different aspects in their mind such as follows:

1. They should examine in which language the book has been written. They should see if the book has been written in Pali, Prakrit, or Tamil which were usually spoken by the people. They should also see if the book has been written in Sanskrit which was used by a particular section of the society.

2. The historians were: also paid attention to the kind of text. They tried to analyze if the text contained mantras or the stories which could be read or heard by the people.

3. The historians were: also wanted to know the authors whose views and perceptions gave a concrete shape to the text.

4. The historians were: also examine the audience because every author keeps in mind the audience.

5. They also analyze the possible period of the creation of the book.

Thus, every historian completely analyses the issues involved in the text. By examining the subject- matter, he can recreate history. This task becomes all the more intricate and complicated in texts like Mahabharata.

Question 11.
Write a brief note on the language and subject-matter or content of IVlahabharata.
Or
How did the historians be: classify the content and the language of IVlahabharata? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Or
Describe briefly how do the historians usually classify the contents of Mahabharata. Why is the text described as an itihas? (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Or
Explain the language and content of Mahabharata. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (O.D.)
Answer: Language :
The epic called Mahabharata is available in many languages but was actually written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit used in this epic is far simpler than the Sanskrit used in Vedas or Prashastis. That is why we can say that it was probably widely understood.

Content: The content of this epic is generally classified under two heads—narrative and didactic. The narrative section contains stories and the didactic section contains prescriptions about social norms. But this division is not clear in itself because the didactic section includes stories and the narrative contains a social message. However, generally, historians were: agree with the fact that this epic was meant to a dramatic, moving story. Didactic portions could have been added later.

This epic is described as an ‘itihasa’ within earlySanskritic tradition. The literal meaning of this term is ‘thus it was.’ HistoriAnswer: have different views about the war of Mahabharata. Some historians were: believe that memory of an actual conflict among kinfolk was preserved in the narrative. While some historians were: believe that there is no other corroborative evidence of the battle.

Question 12.
“The Mahabharata is a dynamic book.” Explain.
Or
Describe the Mahabharata as a dynamic text. (C.B.S.E. 2011 (O.D.))
Or
Explain why we call Mahabharata a ‘Dynamic, Text’. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Or
Explain how you will prove that the text of Mahabharata was a dynamic one. (C.B.S.E. 2017 (O.D.))
Or
“The Mahabharata is an invaluable source available to historians were: to study social practices and norms in early societies.” Justify the statement with suitable examples. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (Comp.))
Answer:
The Mahabharata is a great dynamic epic. It contains vivid descriptions of battles, forests, palaces, and settlements. Its growth was not hindered by its language, that is, Sanskrit Over the centuries, it has been written in many languages of the world. It depicts an on-going dialogue between the people and communities on the one hand and the authors on the other hand.

As it incorporated many stories that originated in different regions, the Mahabharata became an epical text. At the same time, the main story of the epic was often retold in different ways. Many episodes of this text had been depicted in sculptures and paintings. They also provide a wide range of themes and performing arts like plays, dances, and narratives.

Question 13.
Explain the factors that should be kept in mind by the historians were: while handling textual traditions. (Sample Paper)
Answer:
While studying the literary traditions or sources, the historians were: should keep the following points in their minds:

1. They should examine the language of the book. They should see if the text is in Pali, Prakrit, or Tamil language – the language of the common people or if it is in Sanskrit, the language of the priests of the distinct or the elite people.

2. The form of the book whether it is in the form of the Mantras changed by the ritual specialists or is
it in narrative form, that is stories read, heard, and retold by the people.

3. To get information about the author of the book as his attitude and views, perspective and ideas affect the writing of the book.

4. For whom has the book been written as the author must have kept in his mind the taste and interest of the readers or audience.

5. To get information about the period of the creation or compilation of the book and to analyze its background.

Question 14.
Describe the position of the untouchables in ancient society. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (O.D.))
Answer:
In ancient society, the position of the untouchables was very pitiable. They were kept at the lowest place in the society. They were assigned the following duties :

1. They were compelled to live outside the village.

2. They used discarded utensils. They wore clothes worn out by the dead at the time of their burial or cremation. They wore ornaments made of iron.

3. They were not allowed to move or walk in the village at night.

4. They had to perform the last rites of those dead persons who had no relatives. They also acted as the hang-man.

Question 15.
“The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras also contained rules about the ideal occupations of the four categories of Varnas.” Critically examine the statement. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (O.D.))
Answer:
The Dharmashastras and the Dharmasutras contained many rules regarding the ideal occupations of the four varnas. They are as follows:

1. The Brahmanas studied and taught the Vedas. They performed sacrifices and got sacrifices performed. They also gave and received gifts.

2. The Kshatriyas were engaged in warfare. They protected people and administered justice. They also studied the Vedas and gave gifts. They got sacrifices performed.

3. The Vaishyas were engaged in agriculture, pastoralism, and trade. They also studied the Vedas. They made gifts and got sacrifices performed.

4. The fourth varna was given only one occupation. Their prime duty was to serve the three higher varnas.

Question 16.
What did B.B. Lai note about the houses in the second phase of the Mahabharata period (C. twelfth-seventh centuries BCE)? Explain. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
B.B. Lai noted about the houses in the second phase (C. twelfth-seventh centuries BCE) that within the limited area excavated, no definite planner: of houses were obtained but walls of mud and mud bricks were duly encountered. The discovery of mud plaster with prominent reed-marks suggested that some of the houses had red walls plastered over the mud.”

Question 17.
Describe briefly the ideas found in Upnishadas about the relationship between human beings and the cosmic order.
Answer:
Many ideas found in the Upanishads show that people were curious about the meaning of life, the possibility of life after death, and rebirth. Was rebirth due to past actions of an individual? Such issues were debated a great deal. Thinkers were also concerned with understanding and expressing the nature of the ultimate reality.

Other people, outside the Vedic tradition, asked whether or not there even was a single ultimate reality. People also started to speculate on the importance of the sacrificial tradition.

Question 18.
Explain the findings of the archaeologist B.B. Lai on excavations at the village named Hastinapur (Distt. .Meerut, U.P.). (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
B.B. Lai found evidence of five occupational levels of which the second and third are of interest to us. Lai wrote that within the limited area excavated, no definite planner: of houses were found but walls of mud and mud bricks were duly encountered. The reed walls were plastered over with mud.

For the third phase, he also wrote that the houses of this period were built of mud bricks and burnt bricks. Soakage jars and brick drains were used for draining out refuse water, while terracotta ring wells may have been used both as wells and drainage pits.

Question 19.
How are all families not identical? Explain the kind of variations that occurred in ancient times. C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
All families, in ancient times, were not identical. They vary in terms of the number of members,
their relations with each other, and the type of activities they share. Generally, people belonging to the same family share food and other resources, and they live, work and perform rituals together. Families are generally parts of a larger network of people defined as relatives or kinfolk. While familial ties are often regarded as natural and based on blood, they are defined in many different ways.

Kinship, Caste and Class Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1. What is Mahabharata? How its critical edition was prepared?
Or
Describe the various stages through which Mahabharata was compiled in the 20th century. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (D))
Or
Describe briefly the method worked out by the team of scholars for comparing the verses for each manuscript of Mahabharata. What were their findings? (C.B.S.E. 2011 (D))
Or
Describe the elements considered by historians were: to analyze Mahabharata. State the efforts of V.S. Sukthankar and his team for the preparation of the critical edition of Mahabharata. (C.B.S.E. 2019 (D))
Answer:
Mahabharata is one of the most colossal epics of the sub-continent. This epic, in its present form, has over one lakh verses. It also depicts a wide range of social categories and situations. It was composed over a period of about 1000 years (500 BCE onwards). Some of its stories may be in circulation even earlier.

The central story of Mahabharata is about two sets of warring cousins. It also contains sections laying down norms of behavior for different social groups. The principal character of this epic occasionally seems to follow these norms.

Critical Edition of Mahabharata: A very ambitious project was started in 1919 CE under the leadership of noted Sanskrit scholar V.S. Sukthankar. Many scholars collectively decided to prepare a critical edition of Mahabharata. Initially, Sanskrit manuscripts of the epic, written in different scripts and in different parts of the country, were collected.

This team, comprising of scholars, worked out a method of comparing verses from each manuscript. They selected all those verses which appeared common in all manuscripts. They published all these in several volumes running into 13,000 pages. Around 47 years were taken to complete this project. Two things become apparent throughout the whole of the process.

1. The First one was that there were similarities in many elements of the Sanskrit version of the story. This similarity found in all the manuscripts stretched in the whole of the sub-continent from Kashmir and Nepal in the north to Kerala, Tamil Nadu in the south.

2. The Second one was that a number of regional variations came in front of the ways in which the epic had been transmitted over the centuries. These variations were written as footnotes and appendices to the main texts. More than half of the total pages are devoted to these variations when they were taken together.

Actually, these variations could be reflected in the complete process that shaped early and later social histories through dialogues between dominant traditions and resilient local ideas and practices. These dialogues are featured by moments of conflict as well as consensus.

Our information about all these processes is mainly based on those Sanskrit texts which were written by BrahmAnswer: for themselves. HistoriAnswer: in the 19th and 20th centuries, for the first time, explored these texts while concentrating on different issues of social history. They believed that whatever is written in the texts, could have been actually practiced. Later on, scholars also studied other traditions with the help of Pali, Prakrit, and Tamil texts. These studies indicated that the ideas contained in normative Sanskrit texts were recognized as authoritative, but they were also questioned and sometimes even rejected.

Question 2.
What did the Right to Property mean in the context of women and men in the period of Mahabharata?
Answer:
There were fierce competition and rivalry for a long between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Therefore, Duryodhana invited Yudhisthira to a game of dice. In the game, Yudhisthira lost all his gold, elephants, chariots, slaves, army, treasury, kingdom, the property of his subjects, his brothers and finally himself. He was deceived by his rival. At last, he staked their common wife Draupadi. He also lost her in this game of dice. It shows that during those days, the wife was considered as the property of the husband. It also shows that the eldest brother enjoyed special rights over the property.

Divisions of Property among Sons: The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras also deal with the issues of ownership. According to Manu Smriti, the paternal estate was to be equally divided among all the sons after the death of their parents. However, the eldest son enjoyed a special share. But the women could not claim any share in this estate.

Sridhara: Literally, the stridhana means the wealth of the woman. The women were allowed to retain the gifts that they received on the occasion of their marriage. Her husband had no claim on her wealth but her children could inherit it. The Manu Smriti warned the women not to hoard family property. They were also forbidden to hoard their valuables without the permission of their husbands.

Upper-Class Women and Resources (wealth): However the upper-class women like the Vakataka queen Prabhavati Gupta could have an access to resources. However, the land, the cattle, and the money were controlled by men. In fact, social differences between men and women were sharpened because of the differences in access to resources.

Kinship, Caste and Class Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Why is the careful study of available books necessary to write the history of early societies of India?
Answer:
Every book is written with a perspective for a particular community. It is possible that some communities may have been ignored out of jealousy or some other reason. It is also possible that the description of any particular community may be exaggerated. That is why a careful perusal of these books is considered necessary.

Question 2.
What is the meaning of marriage for bride and bridegroom according to Rig Veda?
Answer:
The meaning of marriage for a bridegroom is to give his love and affection to the bride whereas the meaning of marriage for the bride is that she will have fine sons and be fortunate in her husband’s love. For this, the father of the bride worships God ‘Indra’ at the time of her marriage.

Question 3.
What policies were adopted by the Brahmanas to ensure that everybody obeyed the rules of the Varna system?
Or
Mention any two strategies evolved by Brahmanas to enforce the norms about the ideal occupations for all the four varnas contained in Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Or
Explain one strategy evolved by the BrahmAnswer: to enforce the norms of ideal occupations. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Or
Identify any two strategies evolved by BrahmAnswer: to enforce the names of Varna order from C. 600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. (C.B.S.E. 2014 (O.D.))
Answer:
The Brahmanas adopted the following policies for the obedience to the rules of the Varna system:

They told the people that the Varna system was a divine system.
They advised the kings to ensure compliance with the rules of the Varna system.
They also tried to convince the people that their prestige depended on their birth. In other words, they persuaded the people that their status was determined by their birth.

Question 4.
What do you think why Brahmanas quoted Purusha Sukta of Rig Veda very frequently?
Answer:
According to Purusha Sukta, the Varna system was a system that originated from the divine. Brahmanas also wanted that people should also consider it divine. That is why, to evident their assumption, they quoted Purusha Sukta very frequently.

Question 5.
What was Stridhana?
Answer:
Literally, Stridhana means a woman’s wealth. The wealth could be inherited by her children without the husband having any claim on it. The women were allowed to keep the gifts they received on the occasion of their marriage. It was considered as her Stridhana. However, she could not hoard any family property as valuables.

Question 6.
How can you say that Mahabharata was widely understood?
Answer:
The original version of the Mahabharata is in Sanskrit. The Sanskrit used in the Mahabharata is far simpler than that of the Vedas or of the Prashant is. That is why it was probably widely understood.

Question 7.
Distinguish between Varna and Jati. Also, tell the similarities between the two.
Answer:

There were only four Varnas but the number of Jatis was not fixed.
All the sections of the society were not included in the Varna system. But the Jati system was encompassing and comprehensive. It included even those who were not in any Varna system.

Similarity: Both the Varna and the Jati were based on the birth of a person.

Question 8.
What was the position of those people in a society whose social practices were not influenced by Brahmanical ideas?
Answer:
Due to diversity in the sub-continent, there were many people whose social practices were not influenced by Brahmanical ideas. Their mention has been found in many Sanskrit texts. They are often described as odd, uncivilized, and beastly people. They are also considered as forest dwellers who hunted to survive. The Nishida, Eklavya was one of them and belonged to this category of people.

The others who were suspected included nomadic pastoralists. They did not adjust themselves in the framework of settled agriculturists. The people who did not speak Sanskrit were often termed as Mlechchhas. They were looked down upon in society. There are many stories about such people in the Mahabharata.

Question 9.
Explain how access to property sharpened social differences between men and women in ancient times. (C.B.S.E. 2008 (D))
Answer:
In accordance with the Manusmriti, the parental property should be equally divided between all the sons after the death of their parents. But the eldest son was entitled to a special share. The women had no right to demand any share in this property. But they had complete ownership in all the gifts presented to them on the occasion of their marriage. It was called the wealth of the women. This property could be easily inherited by their progeny. The husband had no right on this property of the woman often called stree dhan. But the Manusmriti also prohibited all the women to hide any family property or accumulate precious things secretly without the permission of the husbands.

There are undoubtedly some indications that a few women from the higher strata of a society controlled all the resources. But the land, animals, and money were always under the control of men. In other words, the disparity between the social position of the men and women became rampant because of diverse control of men and women over the resources.

Question 10.
How was “integration within the framework of caste often a V y complicated process”? Explain with examples. (C.B.S.E. 2012 (O.D.))
Answer:
The meaning of caste is a set of a ranking system according to the social status or authority of a person. This ideal order is given in the Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras. Brahmanas were given the top rank and it was divinely ordered. The BrahmAnswer: had two or three strategies to implement these norms. They told the people that the Varna system was a divine system. They advised the kings to ensure compliance with the rules of the Varna system and also tried to convince the people that their prestige depended on their birth.

But many important ruling lineages had different origins. Actually, anyone who was capable of bringing support and resources together was open to political power. For example, Rudradaman who was the famous Shaka ruler was very much well versed with Sanskritic traditions. On the other side, Gotami-puta Satakani maintained to be both Brahmana and destroyer of the pride of Kshatriyas. The Satavahanas also claimed to be Brahmanas. Due to this way, the integration within the framework of caste was often a complicated process.

Kinship, Caste, and Class Important Extra Questions Source-Based

Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow :

Question 1.
Producing “Fine Sons”

Here is an excerpt of a mantra from the Rigveda, which was probably inserted in the text c. 1000 B.C.E. to be chanted by the priest while conducting the marriage ritual. It is used in many Hindu weddings even today.

I free her from here but not from there. I have bound her firmly there so that through the grace of Indra she will have fine sons and be fortunate in her husband’s love.

Indra was one of the principal deities, a god of valor, warfare, and rain. “Here” and “there” refer to the father’s and husband’s house respectively.

(i) In the context of the mantra, discuss the implications of marriage from the point of view of the bride and groom.
Answer:
It was expected of the bride to give birth to fine sons. But it was expected from the bridegroom that he should love his wife.

(ii) Are the implications of the mantra identical or are there differences?
Answer:
These mantras imply identical as well as different things. They are identical because the mutual love of the husband and his wife can help in the birth of fine sons. It is not identical because the daughters are not expected to give birth to fine daughters.

(iii) Who was Indra? What did the people pray him for?
Answer:
Indra was one of the main gods of Hindu mythology. He was a god of valor, warfare, and rain. The people prayed to Indra to seek the blessing of fine sons.

(iv) Why did the people wish for fine sons?
Answer:
The people wished for fine sons because of the principle of patriline. In this tradition, only the sons carried forward the generation.

Question 2.
Why Kinfolk Quarreled?

This is an excerpt from the Adi Parvan (literally, the first section) of the Sanskrit Mahabharata, describing why conflicts arose amongst the Kauravas and Pandavas :

The Kauravas were the sons of Dhritarashtra, and the Pandavas were their cousins. Since Dhritarashtra was blind, his younger brother Pandu ascended the throne of Hastinapura However after the premature death of Pandu, Dhritarashtra became king, as the royal princes were still very young. As the princes grew up together, the citizens of Hastinapura began to express their preference for the Pandavas, for they were more capable and virtuous than the Kauravas. This made Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas, jealous.

He approached his father and said, “You yourself did not receive the throne, although it fell to you, because of your defect. If the Pandava receives the patrimony from Pandu, his son will surely inherit it in turn, and so will his son, and his. We ourselves with our sons shall be excluded from the royal succession and become of slight regard in the eyes of the world, lord of the earth!” Passages such as these may not have been literally true, but they give us an idea about what those who wrote the text thought! Sometimes, as in this case, they contain conflicting ideas.

(i) From where has this excerpt been taken? What does it depict?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from the Adi Parvan which is the first section of Mahabharata written in Sanskrit. It describes the conflict between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

(ii) How did Dharitrashtra become the king of Hastinapur?
Answer:
Dhritarashtra was the elder brother of Pandu. But as he was blind. Pandu became the King of Hastinapur. However, Pandu met with a pre¬mature death. At that time, all the sons of Pandu were very young. So Dharitrashtra became the king.

(iii) Who was Duryodhana? Why was he jealous of the Pandavas?
Answer:
Duryodhana was the son of Dhritarashtra. He was the eldest of the Kauravas. But the people expressed their preference for the Pandavas as they were more capable and virtuous than the Kauravas. So Duryodhana felt jealous of the Pandavas.

(iv) How did Duryodhana express his anguish to his father?
Answer:
Duryodhana told his father that the latter sat on the throne just by chance. But if Pandavas sat on the throne, they would get the royal succession. In this case, Duryodhana and his brothers would feel slighted.

Question 3.
Eight Forms of Marriage

Here are the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth forms of marriage from the Manusmriti :

First: The gift of a daughter, after dressing her in costly clothes and honoring her with presents of jewels, to a man learned in the Veda whom the father himself invites.

Fourth: The gift of a daughter by the father after he has addressed the couple with the text, “May both of you perform your duties together”, and has shown honor to the bridegroom.

Fifth: When the bridegroom receives a maiden, after having given as much wealth as he can afford to the kinsmen and to the bride herself, according to his own will.

Sixth: The voluntary union of a maiden and her lover which springs from the desire

(i) What is Manusmriti and when was it compiled?
Answer:
Among all the Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras, Manusmriti is the most important text about the law. It was compiled between 200 B.C.E. and 200 C.E.

(ii) What is this excerpt about? Who had made these rules?
Answer:
This excerpt is concerned with different types of marriages. These norms were made by the BrahmAnswer:

(iii) Distinguish between the methods of first and fifth marriage.
Answer:
In the first kind of marriage, the father dressed her daughter in costly clothes and gave her gifts. He also honored her with presents of jewels. He offered her to a man whom he himself invited. But in the fifth kind of marriage, the bridegroom received a maiden only after giving wealth to the bride and other kind men.

(iv) How many marriages are approved by Dharamsutra and Dharmashastras? How have they been classified?
Answer:
The Dharmasutras and Dharmashastra approved of eight kinds of marriages. Out of these, the first four kinds of marriages were considered good. The latter four marriages were however condemnable. These were practiced by those who did not believe in Brahmanical norms.

Question 4.
Names of Satavahana Kings from Inscriptions

These are the names of several generations of Satavahana rulers, recovered from inscriptions. Note the uniform title raja. Also note the following word, which ends with the term puta, a Prakrit word meaning “son”. The term Gotami-puta means “son of Gotami”. Names like Gotami and Vasithi are feminine forms of Gotama and Vasistha, Vedic seers after whom gotras were named.
raja Gotami-puta Siri-Satakani
raja Vasithi-puta (sami-) Siri-Pulumayi
raja Gotami-puta sami-Siri-Yana-Satakani
raja Madhhri-puta svami-Sakasena
raja Vasathi-puta Chatarapana-Satakani
raja Hariti-puta Vinhukada Chutukulanamda-Satakamni
raja Gotami-puta Siri-Vijaya-Satakani

(i) Who were Satavahanas ? What was the main source of information about them ?
Answer:
The Satavahanas ruled over parts of western India and the Deccan from the second century B.C.E. to the second century C.E. The main source of information about them are the inscriptions.

(ii) What was the meaning of the word ‘Puta’? How many Gotami-putas and how many Vasithi putas are there?
Answer:
The term ‘Puta’ has been derived from a Prakrit word which means a son. There are three Gotami-putas and one Vasithi-puta. The names of the three Gotami-putas were:
(i) Siri-Satakani (ii) Sami-Siri-Yana – Satakani and (iii) Siri-Vijaya-Satakani. However the name of Vasithi-puta was Chatarapana-Satakani.

(iii) From where have the names of Gotami and Vasithi been derived?
Answer:
The name of Gotami was derived from the Gotama gotra. Similarly, the name of Vasithi was derived from the Vasistha gotra. The Gotama gotra was based on the name of Gautam who was a Vedic Rishi. The Vasistha gotra was based on Vashistha, a Vedic Rishi.

(iv) Bring out the contradictions among Satavahana kings about gotra and marriage.
Answer:
(a) The women who married Satavahana
rulers sometimes retained the gotras of their father. They did not adopt the gotra of their husband. They ignored the Brahmanical rules which required them to leave the gotra of their father and adopt the gotra of their husband.

(b) They ignored the ideal of exogamy recommended in the Brahmanical texts. Some of the Satavahana women married within the kin group or the same gotra.

Question 5.
A Mother’s Advice

The Mahabharata describes how, when war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas became almost inevitable, Gandhari made one last appeal to her eldest son Duryodhana:

By making peace you honor your father and me, as well as your well-wishers it is the
wise man in control of his senses who guards his kingdom. Greed and anger drag a man away from his profits; by defeating these two enemies a king conquers the earth… You will happily enjoy the earth, my son, along with the wise and heroic Pandavas There is no good in a war, no law (dharma) and profit (artha), let alone happiness; nor is there (necessarily) victory in the end – don’t set your mind on war

Duryodhana did not listen to this advice and fought and lost the war.

(i) Explain briefly Gandhari’s appeal to Duryodhana.
Answer:
Gandhari appealed to Duryodhana not to fight a war against the Pandavas. It is in his interest because war is nothing except destruction. It is not necessary that victory could come in war. Greed and anger drag a man away from his profits. By defeating these two enemies, one could save his state.

(ii) Do you agree with Gandhari’s advice to Duryodhana? Give two arguments in support of your Answer.
Answer:
Yes, we agree with Gandhari’s advice because:
(a) There is no good in a war, No law and profit are there to fight a war.
(b) Another name of war is destruction.

(iii) Why did Duryodhana not listen to his mother’s advice? Give two possible reasons. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
Duryodhana did not listen to his mother’s advice because:
(a) He was proud of himself and his power.
(b) His advisors were not good enough.

Question 6.
A Divine Order?

To justify their claims, Brahmanas often cited a verse from a hymn in the Rigveda known as the Purusha Sukta, describing the sacrifice of Purusha, the primeval man. All the elements of the universe, including the four social categories, were supposed to have emanated from his body :

The Brahmana was his mouth, of his arms was made the Kshatriya.

His thighs became the Vaishya, of his feet the Shudra was born.

(i) Which order was called the divine order by the Brahmanas?
Answer:
The BrahmAnswer: called the Varna System as the divine order.

(ii) Which were the four vamps and what was the proper occupation for each of them?
Answer:
The four varnas were the Brahmanswer, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras.
(a) The BrahmAnswer: studied and taught the Vedas. They performed sacrifices and got sacrifices performed. They also gave and received gifts.
(b) The Kshatriyas were engaged in warfare. They protected people and administered justice.
(c) The Vaishyas were engaged in trade, agriculture, and pastoralism.
(d) The Shudras were supposed to serve the three higher varnas.

(iii) According to Purusha Sukta, how did the four vamps emanate?
Answer:
According to Purusha Sukta, the four varnas emanated from the body of the primeval man. When the Purusha was sacrificed, the BrahmAnswer: emanated from his mouth, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from thighs, and the Shudras emerged from his feet.

(iv) Which policies were adopted by the BrahmAnswer: to ensure proper implementation of the rules of occupation?
Answer:
The BrahmAnswer: evolved the following strategies to enforce the norms of occupation.
(a) They told the people that the varna order was of divine origin.
(b) They advised kings to ensure that these norms were practiced by the people within their kingdoms.
(c) They persuaded people that their status was determined by their birth.

Question 7.
“Proper” Social Roles

Here is a story from the Adi Parvan of the Mahabharata :

Once, Drona, a Brahmana who taught archery to the Kuru princes, was approached by Ekalavya, a forest-dwelling Nishida (a hunting community). When Drona, who knew, the dharma, refused to have him as his pupil, Ekalavya returned to the forest prepared an image of Drona out of clay, and treating it as his teacher, began to practice on his own. In due course, he acquired great skill in archery. One day, the Kuru princes went hunting and their dog wandering in the woods came upon Ekalavya.

When the dog smelt the dark ‘ nishada wrapped in black deerskin, his body caked with dirt, it began to bark. Annoyed Ekalavya shot seven arrows into its mouth. When the dog returned to the Pandavas, they were amazed at this superb display of archery. They tracked down Ekalavya who introduced himself as a pupil of Drona.

Drona had once told his favorite student Arjuna, that he would be unrivaled amongst his pupils. Arjuna now reminded Drona about this. Drona approached Ekalavya who immediately acknowledged and honored him as his teacher. When Drona demanded his right thumb as his fee, Ekalavya unhesitatingly cut it off and offered it. But thereafter, when he shot with his remaining fingers, he was no longer as fast, as he had been before. Thus, Drona kept his word: no one was better than Arjuna.

(i) Do you think Drona’s action was justified? Explain.
Answer:
No, we do not agree with Drona’s action. Drona was a teacher and the duty of a teacher is to give education without keeping discrimination on the basis of caste. But Ekalavya was a Nishada which is why Drona refused to have him as his pupil. This action of his is wrong.

(ii) Examine the story and explain the character of Ekalavya.
Answer:
Ekalavya was a forest-dwelling Nishada. He was a very hard worker and a strong boy. He accepted Drona as his teacher and wanted to take the education of archery from him. But Drona refused him. So Ekalvya returned to the forest, prepared an image of Drona out of clay, and treating it as his teacher, began to practice on his own. He became proficient in archery. He even shot seven arrows into the mouth of a dog.

(iii) After giving his thumb to Drona did he (Ekalavya) repent? Explain your opinion. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
No, after giving his thumb to Drona, he did not repent. He was a true student and was satisfied with the fact that he fulfilled his duty as a student.

Question 8.
A Tiger-like husband (C.B.S.E. 2016 (D))

This is a summary of a story from the Adi Parvan of the Mahabharata :

The Pandavas had fled into the forest. They were tired and fell asleep; only Bhima, the second Pandava, renowned for his prowess, was keeping watch. A man-eating rakshasa caught the scent of the Pandavas and sent his sister Hidimba to capture them. She fell in love with Bhima, transformed herself into a lovely maiden, and proposed to him. He refused. Meanwhile, the rakshasa arrived and challenged Bhima to a wrestling match.

Bhima accepted the challenge and killed him. The others woke up hearing the noise. Hidimba introduced herself and declared her love for Bhima. She told Kunti: “I have forsaken my friends, my dharma and my kin; and good lady, chosen your tiger-like son for my man….whether you think me a fool, or your devoted servant, let me join you, great lady, with your son as my husband.”

Ultimately, Yodhisthira agreed to the marriage on condition that they would spend the day together but that Bhima would return. every night. The couple roamed all over the world during the day. In due course, Hidimba gave birth to a rakshasa boy named Ghatotkacha. Then the mother and son left the Pandavas. Ghatotkacha promised to return to the Pandavas whenever they needed him.

Some historians were: suggest that the term rakshasa is used to describe people whose practices differed from those laid down in Brahmanical texts.

(i) Who sent Hidimba to Pandavas and why?
Answer:
Hidimba was sent to the Pandavas by her brother. Her brother was a man-eating rakshasa. He wanted her to capture the Pandavas.

(ii) How was a man-eating rakshasa killed?
Answer:
A man-eating rakshasa was the brother of Hidimba. He sent her to capture the Pandavas. When she did not return, he himself went to the Pandavas. He challenged Bhima to a wrestling match. As Bhima was very brave, he accepted the challenge of Hidimba’s brother. Thus, the man-eating rakshasa was killed by Bhima.

(iii) How did Hidimba become the wife of Bhima?
Answer:
Hidimba had gone to capture the Pandavas. But she fell in love with Bhima. So she transformed herself into a lovely maiden and proposed to him. But Bhima refused to accept her love. So she declared her love for Bhima before all the Pandavas. She told Kunti that she had forsaken her friends, her dharma, and her kins for Bhima. She was even ready to live like a devoted servant. So Yudhisthira agreed to the marriage of Hidimba with Bhima on the condition that they would spend the day together. But Bhima would have to return to the forest every night.

(iv) Who was called a tiger-like husband and why?
Answer:
Bhima was called a tiger-like husband because he was very brave as a tiger.

Question 9.
The Bodhisatta as a Chandala

Did chandalas resist the attempts to push them to the bottom of the social order? Read this story, which is part of the Matanga Jataka, a Pali text, where the Bodhisatta (the Buddha in a previous birth) is identified as a chandala. Once, the Bodhisatta was born outside the city of Banaras as a chandala’s son and named Matanga. One day, when he had gone to the city on some work, he encountered Dittha Mangalika, the daughter of a merchant. When she saw him, she exclaimed “I have seen something inauspicious” and washed her eyes.

The angry hangers-on then beat him up. In protest, he went and lay down at the door of her father’s house. On the seventh day, they brought out the girl and gave her to him. She carried the starving Matanga back to the chandala settlement. Once he returned home, he decided to renounce the world. After attaining spiritual powers, he returned to Benaras and married her. A son named Mandavya Kumara was born to them.

He learned the three Vedas as he grew up and began to provide food to 16,000 Brahmanas every day. One day, Matanga, dressed in rags, with a clay alms bowl in his hand, arrived at his son’s doorstep and begged for food. Mandavya replied that he looked like an outcast and was unworthy of alms; the food was meant for the Brahmanas. Matanga said: “Those who are proud of their birth and are ignorant do not deserve gifts.

On the contrary, those who are free from vices are worthy of offerings.” Mandavya lost his temper and asked his servants to throw the man out. Matanga rose in the air and disappeared. When Ditta Mangalika learned about the incident, she followed Matanga and begged his forgiveness. He asked her to take a bit of the leftover from his bowl and give it to Mandavya and the Brahmanas.

(i) From where has this story been taken? To whom is it related?
Answer:
This story has been taken from the “Matanga Jataka” written in the Pali language. It is identified with Bodhisatta who was once born as a Chandal.

(ii) How did Matanga marry Dittha?
Answer:
Matanga was the son of a chandal. Once he went to a city for some work. There he met Dittha Mangalika, the daughter of a merchant. Looking at him, Ditta felt as if she had seen something ‘ inauspicious. So she washed her eyes. Her v servants felt enraged and beat up Matanga. In protest against this beating, Matanga lay down at the door of her father’s house. On the seventh day, the members of Dittha’s family yielded. They brought out the girl and gave her to him. The starving Matanga had become very weak. So Ditta took him to the Chandala settlement. But when Matanga reached home, he decided to renounce the world. After attaining spiritual powers, Matanga returned to Benaras and married Ditta

(iii) Who was Mandavya Kumara? Why did he refuse to give food to Matanga? What did Matanga say in this regard?
Answer:
Mandavya Kuinara was the son of Matanga and Ditta. When he grew up, he had learned the three Vedas. He provided food to 16,000 Brahmanas every day. One day Matanga reached the door-steps of Mandavya. He was dressed in rags. He held a clay alms bowl in his hand. He begged for food. But Mandavya replied that the food was meant only for the Brahmanas. Matanga looked like an outcast and therefore was not worthy of food or alms. ‘ But Matanga stated that those who were proud t of their birth were ignorant and did not deserve any gifts. Those who were free from vices were worthy of the* offerings. Hearing this, Mandavya lost his temper. He ordered his servants to throw Matanga out.

(iv) What duties have been assigned to the Chandals in the Manusmriti?
Answer:
The Manusmriti has laid down the following duties of the Cfidndals :
(a) They had to live outside the village.
(b) They had to use discarded utensils.
(c) They had to wear clothes of the dead.
(d) They had to wear ornaments of iron.
(e) They were not allowed to walk about in villages and cities at night.
(f) They had to dispose of the bodies of those people who had no relatives.
(g) They served as executioners.

Question 10.
Draupadi’s Question

Draupadi is supposed to have asked Yudhisthira whether he had lost himself before staking her. Two contrary opinions were expressed in response to this question.

One, that even if Yudhisthira had lost himself earlier, his wife remained under his control, so he could stake her.

Two, that an unfree man (as Yudhisthira was when he had lost himself) could not stake another person.
The matter remained unresolved; ultimately, Dhritarashtra restored to the Pandavas and Draupadi their personal freedom.

(i) Explain the message that goes after reading this episode.
Answer:
This episode gives us the message that the high-class people of Mahabharata also gambled. They even reached to the extent that they could keep their wife at stake.

(ii) Which of the two views, do you agree with?
Answer:
We agree with the view that an unfree man could not stake another person. Here Yudhishtira lost everything. Even then he kept his wife at stake. In my view, he had no right to do so.

(iii) Compare the status of women at that time with the present. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (D))
Answer:
During Mahabharata’s age, the female was considered as the property of her husband. A Male could keep his wife at stake in gambling but at present, her status has been changed completely. Today, she is given equal status as compared to males. Today, she has broken all the clutches of the male- dominant society and has become independent.

Question 11.
How Could Men and Women Acquire Wealth? (C.B.S.E. 2009 (D))

For men, the Manusmriti declares, there are seven meAnswer: of acquiring wealth: inheritance, finding, purchase, conquest, investment, work, and acceptance of gifts from good people.

For women, there is six menswear: acquiring wealth: what was given in front of the fire (marriage) or the bridal procession, or as a token of affection, and what she got from her brother, mother, or father. She could also acquire wealth through any subsequent gift and whatever her “affectionate” husband might give her.

(i) What does Manusmriti say about the paternal estate?
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, the paternal estate was divided equally among all the sons after the death of their parents. But the eldest son had a special share in the parental estate. However, the women were not entitled to claim any share in this parental estate.

(ii) According to Manusmriti, by which means could the men acquire wealth?
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, there were the following seven means for men to acquire wealth :
(a) Inheritance
(b) Finding
(c) Purchase
(d) Conquest
(e) Investment
(f) Work
(g) Acceptance of gifts from good people

(iii) What were the means for the women to acquire wealth? What was called the Stridhana?
Answer:
Literally, the strident meant a woman’s wealth. The women were allowed to keep the gifts that they received on the occasion of their marriage. It was called the stridhana. Her husband had no claims over this wealth. However, her children Could inherit it. However, the women could acquire wealth by adopting any one of the following six means:
(a) The gifts are given in front of the fire (marriage).
(b) Gifts received on the occasion of bridal procession.
(c) By receiving tokens of affection.
(d) Whatever she got from her brother, mother, or father.
(e) Subsequent gifts.
(f) Gifts received from her husband.

(iv) What warning does the Manusmriti give to the women not to acquire two kinds of wealth?
Answer:
According to the Manusmriti, the women should not hoard the family property. They should also not hoard their own valuables without the permission of their husbands.

Question 12.
The Wealthy Shudra

This story, based on a Buddhist text in Pali known as the Majjhima Nikaya, is part of a dialogue between a king named Avantiputta and a disciple of the Buddha named Kachchana. While it may not be literally true, it reveals Buddhist attitudes towards varna.

Avantiputta asked Kachchana what he thought about Brahmanas who held that they were the best caste and that all other castes were low; that Brahmanas were a fair caste while all other castes were dark; that only Brahmanas were pure, not non-Brahmanas; that Brahmanas were sons of Brahma, born of his mouth, born of Brahma, formed by Brahma, heirs to Brahma. Kachchana replied: “What if a Shudra were wealthy … would another Shudra … or a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya … speak politely to him ?”

Avantiputta replied that if a Shudra had wealth or com or gold or silver, he could have as his obedient servant another Shudra to get up earlier than he, to go to rest later, to carry out his orders, to speak politely; or, he could even have a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya as his obedient servant.

Kachchana asked ’’This being so, are not these four variances exactly the same ?” Avantiputta conceded that there Was no
the difference amongst the varnas on this count.

(i) What did Avnatiputta want to know from Kachchana about Brahmanas? ,
Answer:
Kachchana was the disciple of Buddha. Avantiputta wanted to know from him that why the position of Brahmanas was superior in society and other castes are inferior to it. Brahmanas were a fair caste while all other castes were dark. Only Brahmanas were pure not the others. Brahmanas were sons of Brahma and were born of his mouth. So, they are heirs to Brahma.

(ii) What was Kachchana’s reply? Explain.
Answer:
Kachchana replied that if a Shudra was wealthy then he would make other Shudra as his servant. He could have as his obedient servant another Shudra. Not only this, he could have a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya as his obedient servant. On this basis, all the four areas are exactly the same and there was no difference amongst the vamas on this count.

(iii) If a Shudra had wealth, would Brahiqanas and others speak to him politely? Give reason. (C.B.S.E. 2010 (O.D.))
Answer:
Yes, if a Shudra had wealth then he could have been respected in society and his status would become highest because wealth is given much importance in life. In this condition, the Brahmanas and others would speak with him politely.

Question 13.
The Poor Generous Chief

In this composition from the Puranaruru, one of the anthologies of poems of the Tamil Sangam literature (c first century CE), a bard describes his patron to other poets thus:

He (i.e. the patron) doesn’t have the wealth to lavish on others every day.

Nor does he have the pettiness to say that he has nothing and so refuse!…. he lives in Irantai (a place) and is generous. He is an enemy to the hunger of bards!

If you wish to cure your poverty come along with me, bards whose lips are so skilled!

If we request him, showing him our ribs thin with hunger, he will go to the blacksmith of his village.

And will say to that man of powerful hands. “Shape me a long spear for war, one that has a straight blade!”

(i) From which book has this excerpt been taken? With which literature is this book associated?
Answer:
This excerpt has been taken from ‘Puranaruru’ which is an anthology of poems.
It is associated with the Tamil Sangam literature.

(ii) Why did the bard call his patron a donor? What did he do to declare him a donor?
Answer:
The bard calls his patron a donor to seek wealth from him. He states that his patron does not have the wealth to spend lavishly on others every day. But he is also not so petty as to refuse by saying that he has nothing to give. He is generous. He cannot tolerate the hunger of the bard. So he exhorts all the bards to accompany him if they want to remove their poverty.

(iii) What had the patron do to acquire wealth so that he may give a part of it to the bard?
Answer:
The patron had to fight a war to acquire
wealth. So he kept a long spear with a straight blade.

(iv) How far was the claim of the people for social prestige based on wealth justified?
Answer:
The claim of the people for social prestige based on wealth was justified. But it had also exceptions. Society respected the generous, donor. But it despised the misers or those who accumulated wealth for themselves. These principles have been followed in the ancient Tamilakam.

Question 14.
Draupadi’s Marriage

Drupada, the king of Panchala organized a competition where the challenge was to string a bow and hit a target; the winner would be chosen to marry his daughter Draupadi. Arjuna was victorious and was garlanded by Draupadi. The Pandavas returned with her to their mother Kunti, who, even before she saw them, asked them to share whatever they had got. She realized her mistake when she saw Draupadi but her command could not be violated. After much deliberation, Yudhisthira decided that Draupadi would be their common wife.

When Drupada was told about this, he protested. However, the seer Vyasa arrived and told him that the Pandavas were in reality incarnations of Indra, whose wife had been reborn as Draupadi and they were thus destined for each other.

Vyasa added that in another instance a young woman had prayed to Shiva for a husband and in her enthusiasm, had prayed five times instead of once. This woman was now reborn as Draupadi, and Shiva had fulfilled her prayers. Convinced by these stories, Drupada consented to the marriage.

(i) Which competition was organized by Drupada, the king of Panchala, for the marriage of his daughter?
Answer:
Drupada was the king of Panchala. He organized a competition to find a suitable match for his daughter. He put a challenge to string a bow and hit a target. His daughter was to be married to the winner of this competition.

(ii) By which two things did Vyasa convince the king that Draupadi was the common wife of the Pandavas?
Answer:
Vyasa convinced the king by saying the following two things :
(a) The Pandavas were in reality the incarnations of Indra. The wife of Indra had been reborn as Draupadi. So Draupadi was destined to meet the Pandavas.

(b) A young woman prayed Lord Shiva. She desired the blessing of a husband. But she was very enthusiastic. So she, instead of praying once, prayed five times. That woman has now been reborn as Draupadi. Her prayers have been granted by Shiva. Drupada, the father of Draupadi, felt convinced and agreed to marry her daughter to the Pandavas.

(iii) What kind of marriage was between Draupadi and the Pandavas? Give any two views of the historians were about the marriage.
Answer:
Draupadi’s marriage with the Pandavas is an example of polyandry. Many historians believed that polyandry was prevalent amongst ruling elites. It was prevalent in the Himalayan region. A few historians believed that during the times of warfare, there was a shortage of women. This led to the practice of polyandry.

Human Settlements Class 12 Important Extra Questions Geography Chapter 10

May 31, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 Geography Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 10 Human Settlements. Geography Class 12 Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 Geography Chapter 10 Important Extra Questions Human Settlements

Human Settlements Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Give three examples of settlements.
Answer:
A village, a town and a city.

Question 2.
Name two main types of settlements.
Answer:
Rural and Urban.

Question 3.
Upto which population, is a settlement called rural ?
Answer:
Upto 5000 persons.

Question 4.
What is the main occupation of people in rural settlements ?
Answer:
Agriculture.

Question 5.
Where is linear pattern of settlement found ?
Answer:
Along roads.

Question 6.
What should be the density of population in urban settlements ?
Answer:
400 persons per sq km.

Question 7.
Give an example of an administrative town.
Answer:
New Delhi.

Question 8.
How many million towns are there in the world ?
Answer:
438.

Question 9.
What is the average total population of a mega city ?
Answer:
100 lakh.

Question 10.
Which is the largest populated town of the world ?
Answer:
Tokyo.

Question 11.
Where is a sub-urban area ?
Answer:
An area around an urban town.

Question 12.
What are wet settlements ?
Answer:
Water based settlements around rivers, lakes, springs, etc.

Question 13.
Where are dry point settlements ?
Answer:
Settlements on river terraces and levees are called dry point settlements.

Question 14.
Where are linear pattern of villages found? (C.B.S.E. 2017)
Answer:
(i) along a road
(ii) along a railway line
(iii) along a river
(iv) along a canal
(v) along a levee.

Question 15.
Along which water bodies, circular pattern on of villages develop.
Or
Which form of rural settlement pattern develops along roads railway lines, rivers and canals in the world? (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
(i) Around Lakes
(ii) Around Tanks.

Question 16.
Where do T-shaped settlements develop ?
Answer:
At Tri-Junctions of roads (T).

Question 17.
Which town was the first urban settlement to reach a population of one million?
Answer:
London in 1810.

Question 18.
How much population of world lives in urban areas ?
Answer:
52.6 percent.

Question 19.
Where is the population of an urban area in India ?
Answer:
5000 persons.

Question 20.
Name any four places of religious pilgrimage.
Answer:
Jerusalem, Macca, Puri and Varanasi.

Question 21.
Where is Addis Ababa located ? When was it established ?
Answer:
Capital of Ethiopia. It was established in 1878.

Question 22.
Where is Canberra located ?
Answer:
Canberra is the capital of Australia established in 1912.

Human Settlements Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the basic difference between towns and villages ?
Answer:
On the basis of population size, a village is different from a town. But the basic difference between towns and villages is that in towns the main occupation of the people is related to secondary and tertiary sectors, while in villages, most of the people are engaged in primary occupations.

Question 2.
What are suburbs ? Why do people shift to suburbs ?
Answer:
Smaller towns around the congested towns are called suburbs. People move away from the congested area to cleaner areas outside the city in search of a better quality of living.

Question 3.
Describe the building materials used for dwellings in different areas.
Answer:
(i) In Loess areas of China, cave dwellings were important.
(ii) In Africa, Savanna mud bricks were used as building material.
(iii) In polar regions, Eskimos used ice blocks to construct Igloos.

Question 4.
What are canal colonies ? Give one example.
Answer:
Planned settlements constructed by government by providing shelter water and infrastructure are called canal colonies built along the banks of canals. In India Indira Gandhi Canal Command area has such colonies.

Question 5.
What factors influence the pattern of Rural settlements ?
Answer:

The way houses are sited in relation to each other.
The site of the villages.
The surrounding topography.
The terrain.
Shape and size of a village.

Question 6.
State the types of villages on the basis of shapes.
Or
Which are the two major types of settlements according to their shape found in the world? (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:

Linear
Rectangular
Circular
Star-like
T-shaped
Double villages
Cross-shaped villages.

Question 7.
Name the different functions of towns.
Answer:
The earliest towns were centres of administration, trade, industry, defence and religious importance. Now towns perform multiple functions as recreational, residential, transport, mining, manufacturing and information technologies.

Question 8.
According to Census of India 1991, what is the definition of an urban settlement ?
Answer:
A town should satisfy the given ahead criteria :

It should have a municipal or corporation or cantonment board or a notified town area committee.
A minimum population of 5000 persons.
75% people engaged in Non-agricultural activities.
A density of at least 400 persons per sq. km.

Question 9.
Distinguish between compact (Nucleated) settlements and dispersed settlements.
Or
Explain any three points of distinction between ‘Hamleted rural settlements’ and ‘Dispersed rural settlement of India. (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Settlements may be classified by their shape, pattern types :

1. Compact Settlements (Nucleated settlements). In these settlements, houses are built in close vicinity to each other. Initially, it may begin as a small hamlet at the intersection of two footpaths or near a water body. As new households are added, the hamlet expands in size.

Such settlements are commonly seen in river valleys and fertile plains. The houses are closely spaced and streets are narrow. Socially, the people are closely knit and share common occupations.

2. Dispersed Settlements (Scattered settlements). In these, houses are spaced apart. These are generally, found over hills, plateaus and highlands. They consist of one or two dwelling units knitted together in a common bond by a cultural feature such as a church, a mosque or a temple.

In Africa, scattered settlements of this kind are common. In India such settlements are found in hilly terrain such as northern Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and northern West Bengal. Isolated hamlets are found in mountainous regions of China.

Question 10.
What are ‘wet point’ settlements? State their three advantages.
Answer:
Generally rural settlements are located near water bodies, such as rivers, lake and springs. These are called wet points settlements. Despite some disadvantages, people settle around islands and swampy areas.

Advantages

They meet the need of water of the people.
Water for drinking, cooking and washing is obtained.
Rivers and lakes irrigated farms.
Fishing is practised in water bodies.
Rivers and lakes can be used for water transportation.

Question 11.
What is the difference between cities of developed countries and developing countries ?
Answer:
Towns and cities of developed and developing countries reflect marked differences in planning and development. While most cities in developed countries are planned, most urban settlements of developing countries have grown haphazardly with irregular shapes. For example, Chandigarh and Canberra are planned cities, while smallest town in India have grown haphazardly from walled cities to large towns.

Question 12.
Study the given diagram carefully and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi 2019)
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 10 Human Settlements 1
(i) Identify and name the pattern of rural settlement shown in the diagram.
Answer:
Circular pattern.

(ii) Explain any two characteristics of this type of pattern of rural settlement.
Answer:
Circular pattern develop around lakes, tanks and sometimes the village is planned in such a way that the central part remains open and is used for keeping the animals to protect from wild animals.
Or
Study the given diagram carefully and answer the questions that follow. (Delhi 2019)
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 10 Human Settlements 2
(i) Identify and name the pattern of rural settlement shown in the diagram.
Answer:
Star like pattern.

(ii) Explain any two characteristics of this type of rural settlement.
Answer:
Where several roads converge, star shaped settlements develop by the houses built along the roads.

Question 13.
‘Rural settlements are a great challenge for planners.’ Discuss highlighting the problems of rural settlement.
Or
Explain the nature of rural settlements. Describe any four problems related to rural settlements of the world. (Sample Paper 2018-19)
Answer:
Rural settlements in the developing countries are large in number and poorly equipped with infrastructure. They represent a great challenge and opportunity for planners.

Supply of water to rural settlements in developing countries is not adequate
People in villages, particularly in mountainous and arid areas have to walk long distances to fetch drinking water.
Water borne diseases tend to be a common problem
Diseases like cholera and jaundice are common
The countries of South Asia face conditions of drought and flood very often
Crop cultivation sequences, in the absence of irrigation, also suffer.

Question 14.
What is a healthy city ?
Answer:
WHO suggests that among other things a healthy city must have :
(i) A clean and safe environment.
(ii) Meets the basic needs of all its inhabitants.
(iii) Involves the community in local government.
(iv) Provides easily accessible health services.

Question 15.
Distinguish between Administrative ’ towns and Cultural towns.
Answer:
1. Administrative Towns. Headquarters of the administrative departments of central government such as New Delhi, Canberra, Moscow, Beijing, Addis Ababa, Washington D.C., Paris and London are National Capitals. Jaipur, Bhopal, Patna and Bengaluru in India are examples of administrative headquarters of states.

2. Cultural Towns. Cultural towns are either religious, educational or recreational towns. Jerusalem, Mecca, Ayodhya, Hardwar, Madurai and Varanasi have religious importance, hence, they are called religious
towns. Some places are known for educational institutions e.g. Varanasi.

Question 16.
Distinguish between squatter settlements and slums.
Answer:
Squatter settlement is a residential area built on vacant land in an urban locality by the very poor. These suffer from pollution such as Jhuggi-jhopri in India. Slums are residential areas in which satisfactory family life is impossible. It has bad housing, and inadequate light, air and toilet facilities. Dharavi (Mumbai) in India is Asia’s largest slum.

Question 17.
Study the table given below and answer the questions that follow: (C.B.S.E. 2016) Continent-wise distribution of million cities

Continent	Early 1950	Mid 1970s	Mid 2000
Europe	23	30	58
Asia	32	69	206
North and Cental America	16	36	79
South America	8	17	43
Africa	3	8	46
Australia	2	2	6
World Total	2	2	6

(10.1) Name the two continents which have shown the highest growth rate of million cities from 1950 to 2000.
Answer:
Asia, Africa.

(10.2) What could have been the reason for such a growth in million cities?
Answer:
Migration of population from rural areas to urban towns.

(10.3) Give the meaning of a million city.
Answer:
Million city means a town with a population of one million.

Human Settlements Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe the factors on which the location of rural settlements depend.
Or
Explain factors which affect the location of rural settlements in the world. (Sample Paper 2018-19)
Answer:
Rural settlements Sitting factors of rural settlements
(i) Water Supply. Usually settlements are located near rivers, lakes and springs w’here water can be easily obtained. Sometimes the need for water drives people to settle in otherwise disadvantaged sites such as islands surrounded by swamps or low lying river banks.

Most water based on “wet point’, settlements have many advantages such as drinking water, cooking, washing- rivers and lakes can be used to irrigate farm land-water contains fish which can be caught for diet and navigable rivers and lakes can be used for transportation.

(ii) Land. Farmers choose to settle near fertile lands suitable for agricultures. In Europe, villages grew up near rolling country avoiding swampy, low lying land while people in South East Asia chose to live near low lying river valleys and coastal plains suited for wet rice cultivation.

(iii) Up Land. Up land which is not prone to flooding was chosen to prevent damage to houses and loss of life. Thus in low lying river basins people chose to settle on terraces and levees which are “dry points”. In tropical countries people build their houses on stills near marshy lands to protect themselves from flood insects and animal pests.

(iv) Shelter. The availability of building materials: woods, stone near settlements is another advantage. Most early villages were built in forest clearings where wood was plentiful. In loess areas of China cave dwellings were important and African Savanna’s building materials were mud bricks and the Eskimos, in polar regions, use ice blocks to construct igloos.

(v) Defence. During the times of political instability, war, hostility of neighbouring groups villages were built on defensive hills and islands. In Nigeria, upstanding inselbergs formed good defensive sites. In India most of the forts are located on higher grounds or hills.

(vi) Planned Settlements. Sites that are not spontaneously chosen by villagers themselves planned settlements are constructed by governments by providing water, food and shelter in uninhabited areas.

Question 2.
What is Settlement Pattern ? Describe the different Rural Settlement y patterns on the basis of a number of criteria. (C.B.S.E. 2011, 2014)
Answer:
Rural Settlement Patterns. Patterns of Rural Settlements can be defined as the relationship between one house or building to another. The site of the village, the surrounding topography and terrain influence the shape and size of a village. Rural settlements may be broadly classified into :

(i) On the basis of setting. The main types are plain villages, plateau villages, coastal villages, forest villages and desert villages.

(ii) On the basis of functions. There may be farming villages, fishermen’s villages, Lumber-jack villages, Pastoral villages, etc.

(iii) On the basis of forms or shapes of the settlements. There may be a number of geometrical forms and shapes such as linear, rectangular, circular, star-like, T-shaped village, double village cross-shaped village.

(a) Linear patterns. In such settlements, houses are located along a road, railway line, river, canal edge of a valley or along a levee.

(b) Rectangular patterns. Such patterns of rural settlements are found in the plain areas or wide inter
montane valleys. The roads are rectangular and cut each other at right angles. (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)

(c) Circular pattern. Circular villages develop around lakes, tanks and sometimes the village is planned in such a way that the central part remains open and is used for keeping the animals to protect them from wild animals.

(d) Star-like pattern. Where several roads converge, star-shaped settlements develop by the houses built along the roads.

(e) T-shaped, Y-shaped, Cross-shaped or cruciform settlements. T-shaped settlements develop at tri-junctions of the roads (T) while Y-shaped settlements emerge at the places where two roads converge on the third one and houses are built along these roads. Cruciform settlements develop on the crossroads and houses extend in all the four directions.

(f) Double village. These settlements extend on both sides of a river, where there is a bridge or a ferry.

Question 3.
Give a functional classification MIJ of towns. (C.B.S.E. 2011)
Answer:
Functions and development of a town depends upon its size and site. Towns are classified according to their dominant function. Some towns are commercially important, while in other towns, administration, defence or culture are dominant.

1. Administrative Towns. Public Administration is the major function of such towns. These include capitals of countries and states. These towns have offices, govt, buildings, courts and head offices of many organisations. London, Delhi, Islamabad, Chandigarh are some examples.

2. Defensive Towns. These are towns noted for armies, air force, naval force for the defence of the country. Such towns have barracks and training facilities for armed forces. Jalandhar, Jodhpur and Jammu are some examples of such towns.

3. Cultural Towns. Towns based on the major function of education, religion, culture and art are classified as cultural towns such as :

(a) Educational centres. Most of the educational centres develop on the outskirts of the towns. Such towns have a complex of university, colleges, libraries, hostels, playgrounds and shopping centres. Shanti Niketan, Oxford, Aligarh are educational towns.

(b) Entertainment centres. These towns provide the facilities of entertainment or recreation like theatres, film-making, cultural functions. Hollywood, Stratford are such towns.

(c) Religious centres. Some towns develop as seats of religious leaders of different religions, such as Rome, Lhasa, Varanasi, Amritsar.

4. Collection Towns. In collection centres, raw materials are collected before sending these to factories.
(a) Mining towns. Such towns are based on minerals or fuels like gold, copper, iron, coal and oil, such as Raniganj, Kolar Kalgoorlie,

(b) Fishing ports. Such coastal towns have the facilities of landing, storing, packing and exporting the fish. Halifax, Cochi, Calicut are good examples.

(c) Lumbering towns. Lumbering towns are collecting centres for logs. They have saw mills, pulp plants and paper mills, such as Kathgodam, Nepanagar.

5. Production Centres. Production centres are based on manufacturing activity. These towns have warehouses, godowns, banks and transport networks. Steel centres such as Birmingham, Jamshed Pur are known as ‘Black country’ due to furnaces, but Tokyo, Manchester are neat and clean due to textiles.

6. Distribution Centres. Commercial towns distributing manufactured goods are known as Distribution Centres.
(a) Market towns. These towns consist of banks, stock exchanges, shops, stores and commercial organisations, such as Meerut, Hapur, Moga
.
(b) Port towns. Sea-ports are important for port facilities, docks, warehouses and functions of import, export and international trade such as Tokyo, Mumbai, London, etc.

(c) Financial towns. Such towns have facilities of trade, finance and consist of stock markets, auction rooms, banks, travel agencies. Frankfurt (Germany), Zurich (Switzerland) are good examples.

7. Resorts. Some resort towns develop due to facilities for tourists along sea coast, on the mountains or by the side of an attractive scenery and health giving waters. Srinagar, Shimla, Darjeeling are good examples of such tourist resorts.

Question 4.
Describe the different types of towns on the basis of size of population.
Answer:
Types of Urban Settlements. Depending on the size, services available and functions rendered, urban centres are designated as town, city, million city, conurbation, megalopolis.

(i) Town. The concept of ‘town’ can best be understood with reference to‘ village.’ Population size is not the only criterion. Functional contrasts between towns and villages may not always be clear-cut, but specific functions such as manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade and professional services exist in towns.

(ii) City. A city may be regarded as a leading town, which has outstripped its local or regional rivals. In the words of Lewis Mumford, “the city is in fact the physical form of the highest and most complex types of associative life. ” Cities are much larger than towns and have a greater number of economic functions. They tend to have transport terminal, major financial institutions and regional administrative offices.

(iii) Million City. When the population crosses the one million mark it is designated as a million city.

(iv) Conurbation. The term conurbation was coined by Patrick Geddes in 1915 and applied to a large area of urban development that resulted from the merging of originally separate towns or cities. Greater London, Manchester, Chicago and Tokyo are examples.

(v) Megalopolis. This Greek word meaning “great city”, was popularised by Jean Gottman (1957) and signifies ‘super-metropolitan’region extending, as union of conurbations. The urban landscape stretching from Boston in north to south of Washington in USA is the best known example of a megalopolis.

(vi) Million Cities. The number of million cities in the world has been increasing as never before. The earliest of these was probably in China. London reached that figure in 1800, followed by Paris in 1850, New York in 1860 and by 1950 there were around 80 such cities. The rate of increase in the number of mega cities has been three fold in every three decades around 160 in 1975 to around 438 in 2005.

The Continent-wise Distribution of Million Cities

Continent	Early 1956	Mid 1970	Mid 2000
Europe	23	30	58
Asia (India)	32	69	206 (43)
N. & C. America	16	36	79
South America	8	17	43
Africa	3	8	46
Australia	2	2 –	06
World Total	84	162	438

(vii) Mega Cities. A mega city or megalopolis is a general term for cities together with their sub-urbs with a population in excess of 10 million people. New York was the first to attain the status of a mega city by 1950
with a total population of about 12.5 million. The number of mega cities is now 25. The number of mega cities has increased in developing countries during the last 50 years vis-a-vis the developed countries.

Mega Cities of the World (According to 2012 data)

S. No.	Name of the City	Country	Population
1.	Tokyo	Japan	37,126,000
2.	Jakarta	Indonesia	26.063,000
3.	Seoul	South Korea	22,547,000
4.	Delhi NCR	India	22,242,000
5.	Manila	Philippines	21.951,000
6.	Shanghai	China	‘ 20,860,000
7.	New York	USA	20,464,000
8.	Sao Paulo	Brazil	20,186,000
9.	Mexico City	Mexico	19,463.000
10.	Cairo	Egypt	17,816,000
11.	Beijing	China	17,311,000
12.	Osaka – Kyoto	Japan	17,011,000
13.	Mumbai	India	16,910,000
14.	Guangzhou	China	16,827,000
15.	Moscow	Russia	15,512,000
16.	Dhaka	Bangladesh	15,414,000
17.	Los Angels	USA	14,900,000
18.	Kolkata	India	14,374,000
19.	Karachi	Pakistan	14,198,000
20.	Buenos Aires	Argentina	13,639,000
21.	Istanbul	Turkey	13,576,000
22.	Rio-de-Janeiro	Brazil	12,043.000
23.	Shenzhen	China	11,885,000
24.	Lagos	Nigeria	11,547,000
25.	Paris	France	10,755,000
26.	Nagoya	Japan	10,027,000

Human Settlements Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Describe the priorities which have been outlined by the United Nations development programme as part of its urban strategy. (Outside Delhi 2019)
Answer:
United Nations development programme as part of its urban strategy have been outlined following priorities.

For the urban population increasing shelter.
UNDP has outlined provisions of the basic urban services for example education facilities.
Primary health care facilities, sanitation and clean water facilities.
For the basic services UNDP improve women’s access.
UNDP has outlined priorities for upgrading energy use and also for the alternative transportation.
To provide clean and safe environment and reduction of air pollution, etc.

The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth Class 12 Important Extra Questions Geography Chapter 2

May 31, 2023

Here we are providing Class 12 Geography Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 2 The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth. Geography Class 12 Important Questions are the best resource for students which helps in class 12 board exams.

Class 12 Geography Chapter 2 Important Extra Questions The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth

The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What was the world population at the beginning of 21st century ?
Answer:
Over 6 billion.

Question 2.
Which two elements help us to understand demographic characteristics of an area ?
Answer:
(i) Population Distribution
(ii) Density of Population.

Question 3.
How is density of population calculated ?
Answer:
Density of Population $=\frac{\text { Population }}{\text { Area }}$

Question 4.
Name a mineral belt in Africa which has dense population ?
Answer:
Katanga—Zambia Copper belt.

Question 5.
Which Industrial Region of Japan is densely populated ?
Answer:
Kobe-Osaka Region.

Question 6.
What is the present rate of growth of world population ?
Answer:
1.2 percent.

Question 7.
How many times, has the world population increased during last 500 years ?
Answer:
10 Times.

Question 8.
What is the proportion of Indian population in world population ?
Answer:
There is one Indian after every six persons.

Question 9.
How much population is found in ten most populated countries of the world ?
Answer:
60 percent.

Question 10.
What is the average density of population in the world ?
Answer:
53.7 persons per sq. km.

Question 11.
Name the country with highest density of population in the world ?
Answer:
Macao SAR, (China)-19,509.9 persons per sq. km. (2011 data)

Question 12.
Which continent has the highest growth rate of population in the world ?
Answer:
Africa.

Question 13.
Differentiate between growth and development. (CBSE 2018)
Answer:
Growth is a quantitative change and development is a qualitative change.

Question 14.
What are immigrants ?
Answer:
Migrants who move into a new place are called immigrants.

Question 15.
What are emigrants ?
Answer:
Migrants who move out of a place are called emigrants.

Question 16.
Which country has the lowest growth rate of population in Asia (1995-2000) ?
Answer:
Japan.

Question 17.
Define positive growth of population.
Answer:
When birth rate is more than the death rate between two points of time is called positive growth of population.

Question 18.
Name the most densely populated region of North America. (C.B.S.E.2013)
Answer:
North Eastern part of U.S.A.

Question 19.
Give the meaning of negative growth of population.
Answer:
When the birth rate falls below the death rate.

The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
“The population of the world is unevenly distributed’. Explain with two examples. (C.B.S.E. 2017 Set-I)
Answer:
The population of the world has an uneven pattern of distribution
(i) About 90% of the world population live in 10% area of the world
(ii) 10 most populous countries have about 60% of world population. Like G.B. Cressey, we can say ‘world has many places where people are few and few places where people are very many”.

Question 2.
What do you mean by density of population ? How is it calculated ?
Answer:
Density of population is a man-land ratio. It is a ratio between the number of people to the area of the land. It is expressed in persons per sq. km.
Density of population $=\frac{\text { Number of people }}{\text { Area of land }}$

Question 3.
How does availability of water affect density of population ? Give two examples.
Answer:
People prefer to live in areas where fresh water is easily available. Water is used for domestic purposes, crops, cattle, industries and navigation,

River valleys are densely populated areas such as Ganga valley.
Earliest civilisations developed in Nile valley and Indus valley.

Question 4.
Why are mountains sparsely populated ? Explain giving two examples.
Answer:
Hilly areas are sparsely populated areas. These hinder the development of agriculture and transport. These do not favour settlements and industries. So mountain areas of Himalayas are sparsely populated. Rocky and Andes mountains have low density of population.

Question 5.
Why are mineral belts densely populated ? Give reasons.
Answer:
Mineral areas attract industries. These also generate employment. Skilled and semi-skilled workers move to these areas. So these become densely populated. Katanga Zambia copper belt in Africa and Singhbhum in Jharkhand (India) are densely populated.

Question 6.
What do you mean by Population Growth ? State its three impacts on a region. (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
Change of population in a period of time in an area means growth of population, It may be positive as well as negative. Population growth affects

Economic development
Social uplift
Cultural development.

Question 7.
What is crude birth rate ? What are its effects ? (C.B.S.E. 2013)
Answer:
Crude birth rate (CBR) is expressed as number of live births in a year per thousand of women.
It is calculated as $\mathrm{CBR}=\frac{\mathbf{B} 1}{\mathbf{P}} \times \mathbf{1 0 0 0}$
CBR Crude B1 = live births
P = Mid year population

Effects: (i) It affects change of population
(ii) Increasing birth rate shows a positive growth of population.

Question 8.
What is Crude Death Rate ? What are its effects ?
Answer:
Crude death rate (CDR) is expressed as number of deaths in a year per thousand of population changer.
CDR is calculated as CDR = $\frac{\mathbf{D}}{\mathbf{P}}$ x 1000
CDR = Crude Death Rate
D = Number of deaths
P = Mid year population

Effects.
(i) It affects mortality rates, and level of economic development.
(ii) An increasing death rate shows a negative growth of population.

Question 9.
How much density of population is found in densely populated areas, moderately populated areas and sparsely populated areas ? Give two examples of each type.
Answer:
The distribution of population is uneven on the earth. Some areas are crowded and some areas are empty.
1. Densely Populated areas. In these areas density of population is more than 200 persons per sq. km. These are N.E. part of U.S.A, N.W. part, of Europe, South, South-East and East Asia.

2. Moderately populated areas. These areas have density of population of 11 to 50 persons per sq. km. These areas are Western China, Southern, India, Norway, Sweden, etc.

3. Sparsely populated areas. These areas have density of 1-10 person per sq. km. These areas are Tundra, hot and cold deserts, dense forests.

Question 10.
What is growth of population ? Name its types. How will you calculate the growth of population for India for the 1991-2000 decade ?
Answer:
Growth of population. Change of population in particular area between two points of time is known as growth of population. It is calculated on the basis of difference between birth rate and death rate.

Population growth %
$=\frac{\text { Natural increase (Births – Deaths) }}{\text { Average Population }} \times 100$
Average Population
Take the case of India; the population of India in 1991 = 84.63 crore.
The Population of India in 2001 = 102.70 crore
Difference = 18.07 crore.
Growth rate =$\frac{18.07 \text { crore }}{93.67 \text { crore }}$ x 100 = 1.93%
Growth of population is classified as of three types.

(a) Natural growth of population. This is the population difference between births are deaths in a particular region between two points of time.
Natural growth = Births – Death.
Actual growth of population = Births – Deaths + in migration – out migration.

(b) Positive growth of population. This happens when birth rate is more than death rate or when people migrate to a region.

(c) Negative growth of population. This happens when death rate is more than birth rate or people migrate to other countries.

Question 11.
What do you mean by density of population ? What are its types ?
Or
Distinguish between Arithmetic and Physiological density.
Answer:
Population Density. It refers to a ratio between population and land area in a country.
Types of population density.
(i) The arithmetic population density. In this the number of people is divided by the total land area. It is the simplest method to understand the degree of concentration of population. Although density ignores differences in population distribution within a country or region taken, it is still a better method to compare population characteristics of the countries. For example, in 2011, the United States population density was relatively low, about 34.1 persons per sq. km while United Kingdom had a population density of 259.4 persons per sq. km.

(ii) Physiological or nutritional density. It is a more refined method of calculating man-land ratio. It is a ratio between total population and total cultivated area or crop land. In developing countries where subsistence agriculture remains the most important economic activity, physiological density reflects the intensity of agriculture.

In nearly all the populous developing countries in Asia-including India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, there is less than one acre (0.4 hectare) of cropland per person. Exactly, in India 1 hectare of cultivated or cropland supports 5 persons. In China, each hectare of cropland supports 12 persons, while in USA it is only 1.5 persons per hectare.

Question 12.
Write a note on Doubling time of world population.
Answer:
Doubling Time of World Population.
Another way of comparing population growth rates is by calculating the time it takes for a population to double using the current annual growth rate. The time taken by the World Population as a whole has been given below.

There is great variation among regions in doubling its population. But the time of doubling is reducing fast. It took a minion years for the population to attain one billion but it took only 12 years to rise from 5 Billion to 6 Billion.

Doubling time of world population

Period	Population	Time in which population doubles
10,000 BCE	5 million	…………
1650 CE	500 million	1500 years
1850 CE	1000 million	200 years
1930 CE	2000 million	80 years
1975 CE	4000 million	45 years
2012	7000 million	37 years
2044	9000 million (projected figure)	…………..

Question 13.
Distinguish between growth of population and growth rate of population ? Give examples.
Answer:

Growth of population

Growth rate of population

1. It is measured as Absolute number.

2. In India growth of population in 2011 decade is (121.0 crore — 102.7 crore) = 18.3 crores.

3. It affects development of a region.

1. It is expressed in percentage.

2. The growth rate of population for 2001 – 11 decade is 17.3%.

3 It affects demographic attributes of a region.

Question 14.
Distinguish between positive growth of population and negative growth of population. Give examples. (Sample Paper 2018-19)
Answer:

Positive growth of population

Negative growth of population

1. When birth rate exceeds death rate.

2. It is increase in population.

3. It helps in utilising resources.

1. When death rate exceeds birth rate.

2. It is decrease in population.

3. It leads to declining resource use

The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Describe the main facts about world’s population. Describe the distribution of population on the earth. (Sample Paper 2018-19)
Or
Why the Monsoon Asia and N.W. Europe are two most densely populated parts of the world ?
Or
Why are the arid, frigid, humid and mountainous parts of the world sparsely populated ?
Or
“90 percent of the world population lives in about 10 percent of its total land area, whereas remaining 10 percent population resides in the 90 percent of its land areas”. Support the statement with suitable examples. (C.B.S.E. Delhi 2017)
Answer:
Man is the pivotal point in Human Geography. So the distribution of population on the earth’s surface is of special significance to geographers. The distribution of population is very uneven on the surface of the earth. The rapid growth of population is another striking feature. Some universal factors influence the pattern of distribution of population
.
Main Facts :
(i) The world population has increased fourteen-times i.e. from 50 crores in 1650 to 700 crores in 2000 during the period of 350 years.

(ii) At the present rate of growth, the present population will be 1000 crores by the year 2050.

(iii) It is estimated that about 700 crore people live on the earth’s surface on an area of 14.5 crore sq. kms.

(iv) The average density of population is 48 persons per sq. km. for the whole world.

(v) Asia has the largest population of about 400 crores.

(vi) China is the largest populated country in the world. It has a population of 139 crores.

(vii) Bangladesh with 1203(2014) persons per sq. kilometre has the highest density of population of the world. Macau (China) has the highest density of population 22,134(2013) persons per sq. km.

(viii) About 90% of population occupies only 10% of the land.

(ix) The Northern continents have about 90% of population of the world. About 75% population is found between tropic of cancer and 70°N. The Southern hemisphere has only 10% population.

(x) About half of the population of the world is found in between 20°N and 40°N latitudes. About 4/5th population of the world is found between 20°N to 60°N latitudes.

Distribution of Population. The distribution of world’s population is very irregular and ill balanced. Most of the areas are empty. Densely populated areas are few. About 50% of the population of the world lives on 5% land area of the world. While 50% land area is occupied by only 5% population.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth 1
World Population

Continent	Total Population (Millions) 2914	Density of Population, 2011 (per sq. km.)
Asia	4351	96.4
Europe	741	72.9
Africa	1136	36.7
South America	618	22.8
North America	353	22.9
Oceania	39	4.5
Antarctica	0.004	0.0003
World	7,238	53.7

1. Areas of High Density. These areas have a density of population of more than 200 persons per sq. kilometre. The high density of population is found in two areas :
(а) Agricultural Areas. Eastern and Southern Asia.
(b) Industrial Areas. North-West Europe and North-East U.S.A.

(A) Agricultural Monsoon Areas. Eastern Asia includes China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan. Southern Asia includes India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Asia is the largest area of high population density. China has about 1/6 population of the world. The fertile valleys of

Hwang-Ho, Yangtze, Indo-Gangetic Plain, the rice- howl of Irrawaddy Delta, Kwanto plain and Volcanic islands of Java support almost half the human race. Factors favouring high density :

Hot-wet monsoon climate.
Two to three crops of rice a year.
Fertile river-valleys and deltas.
Irrigation facilities.
Industrial development in Japan.
Huge Mineral resources.

(B) North West Europe and North East U.SA. In Western Europe dense population is found along 50°N latitudes, from English Channel to Ukraine region. 50°N latitude is known as the axis of population of Europe. Great Britain, Ruhr Valley (Germany), Po-Delta (Italy), Paris Basin (France) and Moscow-Ukraine regions are densely populated areas. In North America the Atlantic coast, St. Lawrence Valley and the Great Lakes region are densely populated areas. The high density of population is mainly due to manufacturing.

Population of Some Leading Countries

Country	Population (millions) (mid-2014)	Density of Population per sq. km. (2013)
China	1364	145
India	1296	421
C.I.S.	275	13
U.S.A.	971	35
Japan	127	349
Brazil	203	24
Pakistan	194	236
Indonesia	251	138
Bangladesh	158	1203
Nigeria	177	191

Factors favouring high density :

Industrial development.
Cool-temperate climate.
Development of trade and trade routes.
Rich mineral resources.
Coastal location.
Mixed farming.
Large scale urbanisation.
High standard of living.

2. Areas of Moderate Density. These areas have a density of population between 25 to 200 persons per sq. kilometre.

Prairies of North America.
Western Africa
Eastern Europe
North-East Brazil and Central Chile.
Deccan Plateau, Indo-China, Central China in Asia.
Eastern Australia.

Factors favouring moderate density :

These areas are found on the margins of densely populated areas.
Large-scale commercial farming requires a few labourers in these areas.
Some areas have developed mining and support moderate population.
Some of the hilly areas don’t support large population.
In some sparsely populated areas, the plantation crops and dairy farming have been introduced. It has increased the density of population.

3. Areas of Low Density. These areas have a density less than 25 persons per sq. kilometre. About half the land area of the world has a density of only 2 to 3 persons per sq. kilometre. These are almost empty lands. These include high mountains, deserts, dense forests and polar areas.

High Mountains. These include the Himalayas, the Rockies, the Andes, the Tibet Plateau and mountains of Central Asia.
Deserts. These include the Sahara, Kalahari, Atacama, Gobi desert and Western Australia.
Dense Forests. These include the equatorial forest of Amazon and Zaire basin.
Polar Areas. These include Tundra, Alaska, Greenland and Antarctica.

Factors for low density. These areas have unfavourable conditions for human settlement. People have to face many hardships. These are called the regions of everlasting difficulties.

Lack of level-land.
Stony and sandy soils.
Very cold climate.
Short-growing season.
Permanent frost in Polar areas.
Lack of means of transportation.
Lack of minerals and industries.
Unhealthy climate due to fatal disease.

Question 2.
Describe the growth of world population, its determinants and spatial distribution of population growth in the world.
Answer:
Population Growth. Growth of population means change of size of population in a particular area during a given period. It can be positive as well as negative. Land resources cannot be increased much. So positive growth of population cannot go on for a long time. The main cause of population growth is that the birth rate is higher than death rate. It is also called natural growth of population. It is calculated on the basis of difference between birth rate and death rate. It is calculated with the help of following rule.
Population growth % $=\frac{\text { Natural increase (Births – Deaths) }}{\text { Average Population }} \times 100$

Determinants of Population Growth Rate.
The following are the three main determinants of population growth:
(i) Birthrate
(ii) Death rate
(iii) Mobility of population (Migration)

(i) Birth rate. In developing countries, there is high birth rate (Nearly 40 per 1000). So, these countries have a higher population growth rate than that of developed countries. On the other hand, due to low birth rate in developed countries, the rate of growth of population is low.
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth 2

(ii) Death rate. High death rate does not allow population to grow rapidly. When the birth rate is higher than death rate, the population growth rate is high. On the other hand, both birth rate and death rate are low, the population growth rate is low.

(iii) Mobility of population. The migration of population also effects growth rate. During 1880-1920, about 4 crore people settled in U.S.A. and Canada. It not only resulted in higher growth rate in U.S.A. and Canada; but also a lower growth rate in European countries.

Spatial distribution of population growth rate in world.

It has been estimated that in Pre-historic period (8000 B.C.E.), the total population was only 5 million. Large areas were uninhabited. Agricultural revolution led to growth of population upto 1000 million till Industrial revolution in 1850. The period was a slow long term increase in population. Faster population growth came with Industrial revolution. The urban population increased. The standard of living also increased.

It is clear that population growth rate is high in developing countries, while developed countries have a low population growth. Africa has the highest growth rate, while Europe is getting negative growth of population due to decrease in population.

The growth rate of population is not same in all the countries. These countries can be grouped into four divisions :

1. Regions with very high growth rate. This group includes continents where growth rate is about 3 per cent. It includes Africa, Central America, South and West Asia, South America.

2. Regions with high growth rate. This group includes areas where growth rate is 2 to 2.9 percent. It
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth 3

includes some parts of South America, Eastern Asia, Australia.

3. Regions with moderate growth rate. This group includes countries where growth rate is between 1-1.9 per cent. It includes South America, Carribbean Region, Asia.

4. Regions with low growth rate. This group includes countries where growth rate is less than 1 per cent. It includes North America, Europe, Russia, Japan and New Zealand.

Question 3.
Define migration. What are its causes ? What are its types ?
Answer:
Migration : Migration is the third component of population change. It is an effort to achieve better balance between population and resources. It is the permanent or semi-permanent change of a person’s place of residence. Migration is probably a more important element in determining population structure and change in an area than fertility and mortality.

Types of migration. Pattern of migration may be rural to rural, rural to urban, urban to urban, interregional and international, etc.
(i) Seasonal migration. On a time scale, migration may be temporary or permanent. Temporary movement may take the form of seasonal migration. It may be of agricultural workers to meet a demand during labour-intensive agricultural seasons, migration which is a movement of people between places for a period of more than one season but less than a lifetime may be important.

(ii) International migration refer to movement of people between countries and continents. It plays an important role in changing population patterns over relatively short periods. In recent decades, international migration has again increased. For most of the people, voluntary migration offers improved economic or other opportunities.

A significant number of people, on the other hand, have to move to other countries as refugees due to civil war, political unrest or environmental degradation, which is less common. At the beginning of the 21st century, the UN estimated that about 120 million people world-wide, were living outside their native countries, including about 15 million refugees.

(iii) Internal migration is an even more widespread demographic process. It involves hundreds of millions of people leaving the countryside for cities, or from overcrowded to other regions offering better opportunities. The movement of rural population to the growing urban cities is caused by push and pull factors.

The adverse conditions operating in rural areas including poverty, unemployment, poor facilities of education, health, recreation and other services push the population to seek a living elsewhere while pull factors are the attractions of the city or destination areas. They include high wages, cheap land, better living conditions and opportunities for economic advancement. As a result, people migrate to the towns and cities, which in turn, have given rise to a large number of slums among them.

(iv) Rural migration. The movement of population also takes place between one rural tract and the other, particularly in the agricultural countries of the world. Such migration takes from crowded areas of low per capita agricultural productivity to areas of new developments.

The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth Important Extra Questions HOTS

Question 1.
Explain the views of Thomas Malthus regarding population control.
Answer:
Thomas Malthus in his theory (1793) stated that :
(i) Number of people would increase faster than food supply.
(ii) Any further increase would result in a population crash caused by famine, disease and war.
(iii) Preventive checks are better than physical checks.
(iv) Rapid population increase be controlled for the sustainability of resources.

Question 2.
“Technological advancement helped in the reduction of birth rates, but population growth remained high.” Justify the statement. (Outside Delhi 2019)
Answer:
Technological advancement helped in the reduction of birth rates but population growth remaind high due to –
(1) Steam engine provided mechanised energy of wind and water which replaced human energy. This increased industrial and agricultural productivity.
(2) Vaccination against epidemics and other diseases, improvement in health services contributed rapid fall in death rates.
(3) Improvement is sanitation facilities also beneficial for humans.

Map Skills

Question 1.
Four Geographical features are shown on the outline political map of the world. Identify these and write their names on the dotted lines given in the map.
Answer:
Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 2 The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth 4
Answer:
1—Chad
2—Pakistan
3—Australia
4—Scandinavian countries

Category: CBSE Class 12

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Class 12 Geography Chapter 1 Important Extra Questions Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

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Class 12 History Chapter 14 Important Extra Questions Understanding Partition: Politics, Memories, Experiences

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Class 12 Political Science Chapter 3 Important Extra Questions US Hegemony in World Politics

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Class 12 Geography Chapter 8 Important Extra Questions Manufacturing Industries

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Class 12 History Chapter 6 Important Extra Questions Bhakti-Sufi Traditions: Changes in Religious Beliefs and Devotional

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Class 12 History Chapter 1 Important Extra Questions Bricks, Beads and Bones: The Harappan Civilisation

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Class 12 Geography Chapter 3 Important Extra Questions Population Composition

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Class 12 History Chapter 3 Important Extra Questions Kinship, Caste and Class: Early Societies

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Class 12 Geography Chapter 10 Important Extra Questions Human Settlements

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Class 12 Geography Chapter 2 Important Extra Questions The World Population: Distribution, Density and Growth

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