Class 8 History Chapter 6 Question Answers - Our Pasts III (Part - II)

Ques 1: Name the different languages that William Jones studied.
Ans: Greek, Latin, English, French, Arabic and Persian.

Ques 2: Why was Calcutta Madrasa set up?
Ans: Calcutta Madrasa was set up to promote the study of Arabic, Persian and Islamic law.

Ques 3: Why was the Hindu College established in Benaras?
Ans: The Hindu College was established in Benaras to encourage the study of ancient Sanskrit texts that would be useful for the. administration of the country.

Ques 4: Name two individuals who sharply attacked the Orientalists.
Ans: James Mill and Thomas Babington Macaulay.

Ques 5: What did Thomas Macaulay urge the British government in India?
Ans: Thomas Macaulay urged the British government in India to stop wasting public money in promoting Oriental learning for it was of no practical use.

Ques 6: How were Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and Benaras Sanskrit College viewed by the British?
Ans: These Oriental institutions were viewed as temples of darkness that were falling of themselves into decay.

Ques 7: Name the places where the British established universities.
Ans: Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.

Ques 8: Where were classes held under the system of pathshalas?
Ans: Classes were held under a banyan tree or in the comer of a village shop or temple or at the guru’s home.

Ques 9: What type of education was given to the children in pathshalas? 
Ans: Children were given oral education in pathshalas.

Ques 10: Why were classes not held during harvest time? 
Ans: It was because rural children had to work in the fields during harvest time.

Ques 11: What task was assigned to the pandit by the Company?
Ans: The Company assigned the pandit to visit the pathshalas and try to improve the standard of teaching.

Ques:12 .Name two Indians who reacted against Western education.
Ans: Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

Ques 13: What do you mean by Tagore’s abode of peace?
Ans: Tagore’s Shantiniketan was established in a rural setting, 100 kilometers away from Calcutta. As it was far from the din and bustle of the city it was an abode of peace.

Ques 14: How did Tagore view his school namely Shantiniketan?
Ans: He viewed his school as an abode of peace where living in harmony with nature, children would cultivate their natural creativity.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Ques 1: Why did many Company officials in India want to promote Indian rather than Western learning?
Ans: Many Company officials felt that institutions should be set up to encourage the study of ancient Indian texts and teach Sanskrit and Persian literature and poetry. These officials were of the opinion that Hindus and Muslims ought to be taught what they were already familiar with and what they valued and preserved, not subjects that were alien to them. They believed that only by doing this the British could win the hearts of the Indians, only then they could expect to be respected by their subjects.

Ques 2: What were the views of other Company officials?
Ans: Other Company officials did not approve the ideas of the Orientalists. They began to criticise the Orientalist- vision of learning. They saved that the knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific thought. They saw Eastern literature as non-serious and light-hearted. So, they argued that it was wrong on the part of the British to spend so much effort in encouraging the study of Arabic and Sanskrit language and literature.

Ques 3: Define the term ‘vernacular’. Why did the British use this term in colonial countries like India?
Ans: The term Vernacular’ refers to a local language or dialect as distinct from what is known as the standard language.
In colonial countries like India, the British used this term to mark the difference between the local languages of everyday use and English, the language of the imperial masters.

Ques 4: What measures were taken by the English Education Act of 1835?
Ans: The following measures were taken under the English Education Act 1835:
(a) English was made the medium of instruction for higher education.
(b) Promotion of Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and Benaras Sanskrit College was stopped. These institutions were seen as temples of darkness that were falling of themselves into decay.
(c) English textbooks began to be produced for schools.

Ques 5: What measures were taken by the British after issuing of Wood’s Despatch?
Ans: Following measures were taken:
(a) Education departments of the government were set up to extend
control over all matters regarding education.
(fa) A system of universities education was introduced. Universities were established in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
(c) Attempts were also made to bring about changes within the system of school education.

Ques 6: How were the views of Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi on the West different?
Ans: Both Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi thought about education in similar ways. But there were differences too. Gandhiji was highly critical of Western civilisation and its worship of machines and technology. Tagore wanted to combine elements of modem Western civilisation with what he saw as the best within Indian tradition. He emphasised the need to teach science and technology at Shantiniketan, alongwith art, music, and dance.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Ques 1: What was Wood’s Despatch? What were its provisions?
Ans: The Court of Directors of the East India Company in London sent an educational despatch to the Governor- General in India in the year 1854. As the despatch was issued by Charles Wood, the President of the Board of Control of the Company, it came to be known as Wood’s Despatch. ‘ Wood’s Despatch outlined the educational policy that was to be followed in India. It criticised the Oriental knowledge and emphasised the need of European learning.

The Despatch made it clear that European learning would enable Indians to recognise the benefits that would flow from the expansion of trade and commerce. It would also make them see the importance of developing country’s resources. Indians needed to adopt European ways of life because this would change their tastes and desires and create a demand for British goods.
Wood’s Despatch further argued that European learning would improve the moral character of the people of India. It would make them honest and reliable and thus supply trusted civil servants to the Company.
The Despatch strongly criticised the literature of the East because it was full of errors and unable to instill in people a sense of duty and a commitment to work.

Ques 2: What measures were undertaken by the Company to improve the system of vernacular education?
Or
How were the irregularities of pathshalas checked by the Company?
Ans: There were no rules and regulations in pathshalas. Hence, the Company decided to improve the entire system. It took several measures:
(a) It appointed a number of government pandits, each in charge of looking after four to five schools. The task of the pandit was to visit the pathshalas and try and improve the standard of teaching.
(b) Each guru was asked to submit periodic reports and take classes according to a regular time table.
(c) Teaching was now to be based on textbooks and learning was to be tested through a system of annual examination.
(d) Students were asked to pay a regular fee, attend regular classes, sit on fixed seats, and obey the new rules of discipline.

Ques 3: What type of education did Mahatma Gandhi want in India?
Ans: Mahatma Gandhi never approved English education because it had created a feeling of inferiority in the minds of millions of Indians. In fact he wanted an education that could help the people of India restore their sense of dignity and self-respect. During the time of the national movement he urged students to leave educational institutions to show the British that they could no longer enslave Indians.

Mahatma Gandhi never wanted English to be the medium of teaching. Instead he thought that students ought to be taught in the medium of Indian languages. Education in English crippled the people of India. It distanced them from their own surroundings. It made them alien in their own lands. Hence, he felt that English education ought not to flourish in India any more.
He urged that education ought to develop a person’s mind and soul. Simply learning to read and write did not matter at all. People had to learn a craft and know how different things operated. This would definitely develop their mind and their capacity to understand.

Ques 4: Write a note on Rabindranath Tagore and his school Shantiniketan.
Ans: Rabindranath Tagore, like Mahatma Gandhi, also did not approve Western education wholeheartedly. At the time when several Indians urged the British to open more and more schools, colleges and universities in order to spread English education in India, Rabindranath Tagore reacted strongly against such education.
He was a great educationist But he hated going to school because he saw it oppressive. In fact he wanted  to establish a school where the children were happy and were free to explore their thoughts and desires without feeling any suppression. He advocated for giving children natural surroundings where they would be able to cultivate their natural creativity.

Keeping the above ideals in mind, Rabindranath Tagore established Shantiniketan in the year 1901. He regarded it as an ‘abode of peace’. He set up his school 100 kilometers away from Calcutta, in a rural setting in order to provide children a very peaceful environment. Here, they could develop their imagination and creativity. Tagore was of the opinion that existing schools were killing the natural desires of the children to be creative. Hence, it was necessary to help them develop their curiosity by providing them good teachers who could understand them.
By establishing an institution like Shantiniketan he did a great job in the field of education.