NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science (History) Chapter 1 How, When & Where?

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SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 8TH

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Book - Our Pasts-III Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 History

Class : 8th
Subject : History
Chapter : 1
Chapter Name : How, When and Where

Q1 State whether true or false:
(a) James Mill divided Indian history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim, Christian.
(b) Of�cial documents help us understand what the people of the country think.
(c) The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.

Answer. (a) James Mill divided Indian history into three periods — Hindu, Muslim,
Christian.
False
(b) Of�cial documents help us understand what the people of the country think.
False
(c) The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.
True

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Q2 What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian history that James Mill offers?
Answer. In his massive three-volume work, A History of British India, James Mill divides
Indian history into three periods - Hindu, Muslim and British. According to his
prejudiced version of Indian history, the British rule represents all the forces of progress
and civilisation, while the period before British rule represents darkness, ignorance,
despotism, religious intolerance, caste taboos, superstitious practises, etc. However, the
periodisation of Indian History on the basis of religion is problematic for several reasons.
A variety of faiths, apart from Hinduism and Islam, existed in the periods categorised as
Hindu and Muslim by Mill. Also, it is not right to classify an age according to the religion
of the rulers of the time. To do so would suggest that the lives and the practises of the
others do not really matter. Another point to keep in mind is that all rulers in ancient
India did not share the same faith.
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Q3 Why did the British preserve of�cial documents?

Answer. For the British, the act of writing was important. Everyof�cial document had to
be clearly written up and preserved. Once this was done, things could be properly studied
and debated. The preserved documents could be used as a point of reference whenever

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Book - Our Pasts-III Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 History

required.

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Q4 How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that
found in police reports?

Answer. historian also goes through the unof�cial records relating to that period, like the
diaries of people, accounts of pilgrims and travellers, autobiographies of important
personalities, popular booklets, newspapers, etc. Unlike the restricted nature of of�cial
documents like police records, recordings such as newspapers have the advantage of
providing varied information to the historian. However, it would not be right to say that
such information represents the complete truth. Even a newspaper report may be
in�uenced by the biases and interests of the person writing report.

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Q5. Can you think of examples of surveys in your world today? Think about how toy
companies get information about what young people enjoy playing with or how the
government �nds out about the number of young people in school. What can a historian
derive from such surveys?

Answer. In the present day scenario various kinds of surveys are carried on both by the
government as well as private enterprises. The government surveys include census in
which various details of a family are collected. Private companies also carry surveys for
the use of their products and to �nd the prospective customers. We can take example of
the toy companies. These companies prepare a questionnaire and put them on a sheet of
paper. They engage a number of representatives. For this purpose who visit school and
distribute these papers among young people after the school is over. Young people are
asked to take or cross options of their choice. Then they get these papers back through
which they derive their conclusion about the toy liked by young people. The government
carries out census every 10 years. Each household provides details of its children. It is
from this detail that the government comes to know about the number of young people
in the school. Historians study these data and come to know about the education level
and other details.

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