How, When and Where

Q1. Fill in the blanks.

                           i.        Census operations were held every ten years.

                          ii.        British established specialised institutions like archives and museums were also established to preserve important records.

                         iii.        More than 2000 policemen refused to take food during police strike in Delhi in 1946.

                         iv.        The periodisation of Indian history given by James Mill came to be widely accepted.

                          v.        History is certainly about changes that occur over time.

Q2. True/False

                           i.        James Mill divided Indian history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim, Christian. False

                          ii.        The practice of surveying also became common under the colonial administration. True

                         iii.        Official documents help us understand what the people of the country think. False

                        iv.        The British thought surveys were important for effective administration. True

                         v.        By the early nineteenth century detailed surveys were being carried out to map the entire country. True

Q3. When The National Archives of India came up?

Ans. The National Archives of India came up in the 1920s.

Q4. How did paintings project Governor-Generals?

Ans. Paintings projected Governor-Generals as powerful figures.

Q5. Who became the first governor general of British India?

Ans. Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of India in 1773.

Q6. What did James Mills think about all Asian societies?

Ans. Mill thought that all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilisation than Europe.

Q7. How have historians divided Indian history?

Ans. Historians have usually divided Indian history into ‘ancient’, ‘medieval’ and ‘modern’.

Q8. What do you mean by the term ' colonisation'?

Ans. When one country subjugate another country which leads to political, economic, social and cultural changes refer to colonisation.

Q9. Who was James Mill?

Ans. James Mill was a Scottish economist and political philosopher, who published a massive three-volume work, A History of British India.

Q10. Who wrote the book ‘A History of British India’?

Ans. In 1817, James Mill, a Scottish economist and political philosopher, published a massive three-volume work, A History of British India.

Q11. What do you understand by history?

Ans. History is certainly about changes that occur over time. It is about finding out how things were in the past and how things have changed.

Q12. With what did the British historians associate the modern period?

Ans. The British modern period was associated with the growth of all the forces of modernity – science, reason, democracy, liberty and equality.

Q13. What evil practices, according to James Mill, dominated the Indian social life before the British came to India?

Ans. Religious intolerance, caste taboos and superstitious practices dominated social life.

Q14. What was an important aspect of the histories written by the British historians in India?

Ans. In the histories written by British historians in India, the rule of each Governor- General was important.

Q15. What official records do not tell?
Or
What were the things that official records did not tell?

Ans. Official records do not always help us understand what other people in the country felt, and what lay behind their actions.

Q16. Mention the events for which specific dates can be determined.

Ans. The year a king was crowned, the year he married, the year he had a child, the year he fought a particular war, the year he died, and the year the next ruler succeeded to the throne.

Q17. Why do many historians refer to modern period as colonial?

Ans. Under British rule people did not have equality, freedom or liberty. Nor was the period one of economic growth and progress. Many historians therefore refer to this period as ‘colonial’.