Class 8 History Chapter 2 From Trade to Territory 

Question 1.

Match the following:

Answer:-

Question 2.

Fill in the blanks:

1. The British conquest of Bengal began with the Battle of …………
2. Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan were the rulers of …………..
3. Dalhousie implemented the Doctrine of ……………
4. Maratha kingdoms were located mainly in the part of …………… India.

Answer:

1. Plassey
2. Mysore
3. Lapse
4. Western

Question 3.

State whether true or false:

1. The Mughal empire became stronger in the eighteenth century.
2. The English East India Company was the only European company that traded with India.
3. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the ruler of Punjab.
4. The British did not introduce administrative changes in the territories they conquered.

Answer:

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. False

Question 4.

What attracted European trading companies to India?

Answer:

• The fine qualities of cotton and silk produced in India.
• Indian spices such as pepper, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.

Question 5.

What were the areas of conflict between the Bengal Nawabs and the East India Company?

Answer:

• The Bengal nawabs asserted their power and autonomy and refused to grant the Company concessions,
• They demanded large tributes for the Company’s right to trade,
• They denied the Company any right to mint coins,
• They stopped the Company from extending its fortifications
• Accusing the Company of deceit, they claimed that the Company was depriving the Bengal government of huge amounts of revenue and undermining the authority of the nawab. It was refusing to pay taxes, writing disrespectful letters, and trying to humiliate the nawab and his officials. These were the areas of conflict between the Bengal Nawabs and the East India Company.

Question 6.

How did the assumption of Diwani benefit the East India Company?

Answer:

The Mughal emperor, in 1765, appointed the Company’s the Diwan of the provinces of Bengal. The Diwani allowed the Company to exploit the vast revenue resources of Bengal. This solved a major problem that the company had earlier faced. Although its trade had expanded, it had to buy most of the goods in India with gold and silver imported from Britain. The overflow of gold from Britain stopped after the assumption of Diwani. Now revenue from India could finance Company expenses. These revenues they used to purchase cotton and silk textiles in India, maintain Company troops and meet the cost of building the Company fort and offices at Calcutta.

Question 7.

Explain the system of ‘subsidiary alliance’.

Answer:

Under the system of ‘subsidiary alliance’, Indian rulers were not allowed to have their independent armed forces. They were to be protected by the Company, but had to pay for the ‘subsidiary forces’ that the Company was supposed to maintain for the purpose of this protection. If the Indian rulers failed to make the payment, the part of their territory was taken away as penalty. The states which had to lose their territories on this ground were Awadh and Hyderabad.

 Class 8 Chapter 2 Understanding Secularism

Question 1.

What examples does history provide us on the grounds of religion?

Answer:

History provides us with several examples of discrimination, exclusion, and persecution on the grounds of religion.

Question 2.

What happened in the Jewish state of Israel?

Answer:

Muslim and Christian minorities were treated badly in the Jewish state of Israel.

Question 3.

How are non-Muslims treated in Saudi Arabia?

Answer:

In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims are not allowed to build a temple, church etc. They also cannot gather in a public place for prayers.

Question 4.

What does the term ‘secularism’ refer to?

Answer:

The term ‘secularism’ refers to the separation of the power of religion from the power of the State.

Question 5.

What do you mean by the freedom to interpret’?

Answer:

‘Freedom to interpret’ means an individual’s liberty to develop his own understanding and meaning of the religion that one practices.

Question 6.

Why cannot government schools celebrate religious festivals?

Answer:

Government schools cannot celebrate religious festivals because it will be a violation of the government’s policy of treating all religions equally.

Question 7.

Why is Paramjit allowed to drive in pagri?

Answer:

Paramjit is a Sikh youth and for him wearing a pagri is a very important part of his religion.

Question 8.

How is Indian secularism different from that of American secularism?

Answer:

Unlike Indian secularism, there is a strict separation between religion and the State in American secularism.

Question 9.

What is meant by ‘principled distance’?

Answer:

This means that any interference in religion by the State has to be based on the ideals laid out in the Constitution.

Question 10.

What are the three objectives of a secular State?

Answer:

The three objectives of a secular State are:

• One religious community does not dominate another.
• Some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community.
• The State does not enforce any particular religion nor does it take away the religious freedom of individuals.

Class 8 Chapter 4 Agriculture

Class 8 Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture Ncert Textbook Questions Solved

Question 1.

Answer the following questions.

(i) What is agriculture?

(ii) Name the factors influencing agriculture.

(iii) What is shifting cultivation? What are its disadvantages?

(iv) What is plantation agriculture?

(v) Name the fibre crops and name the climatic conditions required for their growth.

Answer:

(i) Agriculture is the primary activity that involves the cultivation of crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock.

(ii) Factors influencing agriculture include the topography of soil and climate. 

(iii) Shifting cultivation is the type of farming in which agricultural activities are shifted from one field to another when the fertility of the soil of the former is diminished

Disadvantages:

• Deforestation
• Soil erosion
• Small patches for cultivation
• Not sufficient for feeding a large population.

(iv) Plantation agriculture is a type of commercial farming where only a single crop (like tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton) is grown. A large amount of labour and capital are required. The product is processed on the farm itself or nearby factories.

(v) Two major fiber crops are jute and cotton. Jute grows well on alluvial soil and requires high temperature, heavy rainfall, and a humid climate for its growth. Cotton needs high temperatures, light rainfall, and bright sunshine for its proper growth.

Question 2.

Tick the correct Answer:

(i) Horticulture means

(a) growing of fruits and vegetables

(b) primitive farming

(c) growing of wheat

(ii) Golden fiber refers to

(a) tea

(b) cotton

(c) jute

(iii) Leading producers of coffee

(a) Brazil

(b) India

(c) Russiac

Answer:

(i) (a), (ii) (c), (iii) (a).

Question 3.

Give reasons.

(i) In India agriculture is a primary activity.

(ii) Different crops are grown in different regions.

Answer:

(i) Agriculture is an activity of growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and rearing of livestock. It is a primary activity since it directly involves natural resources. In India, a huge number of people derive the activity from their ancestors. Due to lack of literacy in general, farmers prefer agriculture since they acquire the required skills from their ancestors, and so feel comfortable with it.

(ii)

• Different topography
• Different soils
• Different climates
• Different lifestyles of the people in different regions.

Question 4.

Distinguish between the following.

(i) Primary activities and secondary activities.

(ii) Subsistence farming and intensive farming.

Answer:

(I)