NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science (History) Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners [Old Bok]

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 8TH

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Book - Our Pasts-III Ncert Solutions | Chapter-6 History

Class : 8th
Subject : History
Chapter : 6
Chapter Name : Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners

Q1 What kinds of cloth had a large market in Europe?

Answer. Cotton and silk textiles had a huge market in Europe. Indian textiles were by far the
most popular, both for their ne quality and exquisite craftsmanship. Different varieties of
Indian textiles were sold in the Western markets; for example, chintz, cossaes or khassa,
bandanna and jamdani. From the 1680s, there started a craze for printed Indian cotton textiles
in England and Europe, mainly for their exquisite oral designs, ne texture and relative
cheapness.

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Q2 What is jamdani ?

Answer. Jamdani is a ne muslin on which decorative motifs are woven on the loom, typically in
grey and white. Often a mixture of cotton and gold thread is used.

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Q3 What is bandanna?

Answer. The word “bandanna” refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or
head. The term is derived from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying) which refers to a variety of
brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying.

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Q4 Who are the Agaria?

Answer. The word “bandanna” refers to any brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or
head. The term is derived from the word “bandhna” (Hindi for tying) which refers to a variety of
brightly coloured cloth produced through a method of tying and dying.

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Q5 Fill in the blanks:

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Book - Our Pasts-III Ncert Solutions | Chapter-6 History

(a) The word chintz comes from the word _________.
(b) Tipu’s sword was made of_________ steel.
(c) India’s textile exports declined in the _________ century.

Answer. DIY

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Q6 How do the names of different textiles tell us about their histories?

Answer. By tracing the origins of the names of different textiles, one can nd out a lot about
their histories. Take the case of muslin—a word that refers to any nely woven textile. This word
is a derivative of the city of Mosul (in present-day Iraq). It was here that the European traders
rst encountered ne cotton cloth from India, which was brought over from India by Arab
merchants. Another example is calico—the general name for all cotton textiles. This word is
derived from the word Calicut, a city on the coast of Kerala. When the Portuguese rst came to
India, they landed in Calicut, and the cotton textiles that they took along with them to Europe
came to be called calico. Chintz, a printed cotton cloth, is a term that is derived from the Hindi
word chhint—a cloth with small and colourful owery designs. Bandanna, which refers to any
brightly coloured and printed scarf for the neck or head, is a term that leads one to the Hindi
word for tying, that is, bandhna—a variety of brightly coloured cloth produced through a method
of tying and dying. The widespread use of such words shows how popular Indian textiles had
become in different parts of the world.

Q7 Why did the wool and silk producers in England protest against the import of Indian textiles
in the early eighteenth century?

Answer. Indian textiles had long been renowned, both for their ne quality and exquisite
craftsmanship. They were extensively traded in Southeast Asia and West and Central Asia. From
the sixteenth century, European trading companies began buying Indian textiles for sale in
Europe. There was quite a craze for Indian cotton textiles in England and Europe, mainly for
their exquisite oral designs, ne texture and relative cheapness.
By the early eighteenth century, worried by the popularity of Indian textiles, the wool and silk
makers in England began protesting against the import of Indian cotton textiles. At this time,
the textile industries had just begun to develop in England. Unable to compete with Indian
textiles, English producers wanted a secure market within the country by preventing the entry of
Indian textiles.

Q8 How did the development of cotton industries in Britain affect textile producers in India?

Answer. Effects of the development of cotton industries in Britain on the textile producers in

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Book - Our Pasts-III Ncert Solutions | Chapter-6 History

India:
(a) Competition − Indian textiles had to compete with British textiles in European and American
markets.
(b) High duties − Exporting textiles to England became increasingly dif cult due to the very high
duties imposed on Indian textiles imported into Britain.
(c) Capture of foreign markets − By the beginning of the nineteenth century, English-made
cotton textiles ousted Indian textiles from their traditional markets, thereby throwing thousands
of Indian weavers out of employment. The English and European companies stopped buying
Indian textiles and their agents no longer gave out advances to weavers to secure supplies.
(d) Capture of the Indian market − By the 1830s, British cotton cloth ooded Indian markets. By
the 1880s, two-third of all cotton clothes worn by Indians were made of cloth produced in
Britain. This greatly affected both the weavers and the spinners.

Thus, Indian textiles declined in the nineteenth century, and thousands of Indian weavers and
spinners lost their livelihood.

Q9 Why did the Indian iron smelting industry decline in the nineteenth century?

Answer. The Indian iron smelting industry declined in the nineteenth century for the following
reasons.
(a) The forest laws implemented by the colonial administration prevented the free movement of
people in reserved forests. Charcoal—an essential ingredient in the iron smelting process—could
therefore not be obtained easily.
(b) When in some areas the government did grant access to the forests, the iron smelters were in
return required to pay a very high amount in tax to the forest department for every furnace they
used. This reduced their income.
(c) By the late nineteenth century, iron and steel was being imported from Britain. Ironsmiths
began using the imported iron to manufacture utensils and implements. This reduced the
demand for iron produced by local smelters.
(d) In the late nineteenth century, a series of famines devastated the dry tracts of India. As a
result, many of the local smelters stopped work, deserted their villages, and migrated, looking
for some other work to survive the hard times.

Q10 What problems did the Indian textile industry face in the early years of its development?

Answer. In the rst few decades of its existence, the Indian textile industry faced certain
problems. One such problem was that of competition from imported goods. Being in its early
years of development, the Indian textile industry found it dif cult to compete with the cheap
textiles imported from Britain. Unlike other countries where governments allowed local
industries to grow by imposing heavy duties on imports, the colonial government in India did
not protect and support the local textile industries in any such way.

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Book - Our Pasts-III Ncert Solutions | Chapter-6 History

Q11 What helped TISCO expand steel production during the First World War?

Answer. TISCO was able to expand steel production during the First World War because the
British imports of iron and steel into India declined and the market for the steel manufactured
by it increased. During the war, the steel produced in Britain had to meet the demands of the
war. As a result, the imports of British steel into India declined dramatically. At this time, the
Indian Railways turned to TISCO for the supply of rails. As the war dragged on for several years,
TISCO had to produce shells and carriage wheels for the war. To meet the demands of the war,
TISCO had to expand its capacity and extend the size of its factory. By 1919, the colonial
government was buying 90 per cent of the steel manufactured by TISCO.

Q12 Find out about the history of any craft around the area you live. You may wish to know
about the community of craftsmen, the changes in the techniques they use and the markets they
supply. How have these changed in the past 50 years?

Answer. DIY

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Q13 On a map of India, locate the centres of different crafts today. Find out when these centres
came up.

Answer. DIY

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