NCERT Class 8 English Chapter 3 Glimpses of the Past
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 3 Glimpses of the Past
Comprehension check I
Question 1.
Look at picture 1 and recall the opening lines of the original song in Hindi. Who is the singer? Who else do you see in this picture?
Answer:
Lata Mangeshkar is the singer. We see our political leaders such as Pandit Jawahar Lai Nehru, Lai Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi in the picture on the top right. At the bottom, one can see pictures of Rani Lakshmi Bai, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi.
Question 2.
In picture 2 what do you understand by the Company s “superior weapons ’’?
Answer:
The Company’s “superior weapons” are its clever strategies and tactics and support from the British Empire.
Question 3.
Who is an artisan? Why do you think the artisans suffered? (picture 3)
Answer:
An artisan is a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand. Local artisans display handwoven textiles,painted ceramics, and leather goods in street markets. The artisans suffered because they had to pay huge taxes to the British government. At the same time, the British sold machine-made goods.
Question 4.
Which picture, according to you, reveals the first sparks of the fire of revolt?
Answer:
Picture 7 reveals the first sparks of the fire of revolt.
Working with the text
Answer the following questions.
Question 1.
Do you think the Indian princes were short-sighted in their approach to the events of 175 7?
Answer:
The Indian princes were short-sighted in their approach to the events of 1757 because they helped British overthrow local rulers. In this way, they gave more power to the British inadvertently. They did not realize that by going against each other, they were paving a way for the British rule. If they were far-sighted, they would have joined hands and overthrown the East India Company together.
Question 2.
How did the East India Company subdue the Indian princes?
Answer:
The East India Company subdued the Indian princes using its superior weapons. They used the rivalries among local rulers to subdue the Indian princes one by one.
Question 3.
Quote the words used by Ram Mohan Roy to say that every religion teaches the same principles.
Answer:
The following are the words used by Ram Mohan Roy to say that every religion teaches the same principles:
“Cows are of different colours, but the colour of their milk is the same. Different teachers have different opinions but the essence of every religion is the same.”
Question 4.
In what ways did the British officers exploit Indians?
Answer:
The British officers exploit Indians in the following ways:
- They treated the Indians like slaves.
- They imposed heavy taxes on farmers, thus forcing them to abandon their fields. They put the defaulters into jail.
- The British policies ruined the expert artisans and their business.
- The East India Company’s laws began to cripple Indian industries.
- The British oppressed Indians by passing Regulation III in 1818. Under it, an Indian could be jailed without trial in a court.
Question 5.
Name these people.
i. The ruler who fought pitched battles against the British and died fighting.
ii. The person who wanted to reform the society.
iii. The person who recommended the introduction of English education in India.
iv. Two popular leaders who led the revolt (Choices may vary.)
Answer:
i. Tipu of Mysore
ii. Ram Mohan Roy
iii. Macaulay
iv. Sepoy Mangal Pande; Emperor Bahadur Shah; Tatya Tope; Kunwar Singh; Begum Hazrat Mahal; Maulvi Ahmedulla; Peshwa Nana Saheb
Question 6.
Mention the following.
i. Two examples of social practices prevailing then.
Answer:
Untouchability and child marriage
ii. Two oppressive policies of the British.
Answer:
Heavy taxes on farmers and sending defaulters to jail; Regulation III.
iii. Two ways in which common people suffered.
Answer:
They lost their jobs and they were being converted by the British.
iv. Four reasons for the discontent that led to the 1857 War of Independence.
- The following are the four reasons for the discontent that led to the 1857 War of Independence:
- The British had enslaved the Indians in their own land. They had no jobs, paid heavy taxes and could be jailed without a trial.
- The East India Company reaped all profits and destroyed Indian industries and local artisans. At the same time British officers in India drew big salaries and also made fortunes in private business. Taxes continued to ruin the peasants, who had lost their lands to the British.
- There were claims that the grease in the bullets used by the East India Company Army was made of cow and pig fat. These were prohibited for the Hindus and Muslims respectively. Besides, the Indian soldiers received a differential treatment from the British in comparison to their British counterparts.
MCQs Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
Where was the function held where Lata sang the song “Aaye Mere Vatan?”
(a) Bombay
(b) Calcutta
(c) Delhi
(d) Madras
Answer:
(b) Calcutta
Question 2.
Who said : Anyone who crosses the seas loses his religion.
(a) Political leader
(b) Religious gurus
(c) Britishers
(d) Intellectual teachers
Answer:
(b) Religious gurus
Question 3.
Cows are of different colours, but the colour of their milk is the same. Who said ?
(a) Tipu Sultan
(b) Ram Mohan Roy
(c) Lord Macauley
(d) General Bentinck
Answer:
(b) Ram Mohan Roy
Question 4.
Where did Sepoy Mangal Pandey attack the adjutant of his regiment ?
(a) Delhi
(b) Kanpur
(c) Meerut
(d) Allahabad
Answer:
(c) Meerut
Question 5.
What was the main policy of the British to subdue Indian Rajahas ?
(a) Do or die
(b) Divide and Rule
(c) Disarm the sepoys
(d) Crush under wheels
Answer:
(b) Divide and Rule