Class 9 History Chapter 5 Case Based Questions - Pastoralists in the Modern World

Q1: Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows:
Drought affects the life of pastoralists everywhere. When rains fail and pastures are dry, cattle are likely to starve unless they can be moved to areas where forage is available. That is why, traditionally, pastoralists are nomadic; they move from place to place. This nomadism allows them to survive bad times and avoid crises.
But from the colonial period, the Maasai were bound down to a fixed area, confined within a reserve, and prohibited from moving in search of pastures. They were cut off from the best grazing lands and forced to live within a semi-arid tract prone to frequent droughts. Since they could not shift their cattle to places where pastures were available, large numbers of Maasai cattle died of starvation and disease in these years of drought. An enquiry in 1930 showed that the Maasai in Kenya possessed 720,000 cattle, 820,000 sheep and 171,000 donkeys. In just two years of severe drought, 1933 and 1934, over half the cattle in the Maasai Reserve died.
As the area of grazing lands shrank, the adverse effect of the droughts increased in intensity. The frequent bad years led to a steady decline of the animal stock of the pastoralists.
Answer the following MCQs by choosing the most appropriate options:
(i) Which natural Calamity affects the life of Pastoralists everywhere?
(a) Summer
(b) Rain
(c) Drought
(d) Flood
Ans: (c)
Drought affects the life of pastoralists everywhere. When there is a lack of rain and pastures become dry, pastoralists' cattle are likely to starve unless they can find areas with available forage.

(ii) The Maasais were cut off from the best grazing lands and forced to live within a _________tract prone to frequent droughts.
(a) Wasteland
(b) Arid
(c) Semi-arid
(d) Deserts
Ans: (c)
Maasai were forced to live within a semi-arid tract prone to frequent droughts. "Semi-arid" refers to an area that receives very little rainfall and is characterized by dry conditions but not as extreme as a desert.

(iii) An enquiry of 1930 showed that the Maasai in Kenya Possessed _________sheep.
(a) 820000
(b) 280000
(c) 380000
(d) 320000
Ans: (a)
An enquiry in 1930 showed that the Maasai in Kenya possessed 820,000 sheep. This is a specific detail mentioned in the passage.

(iv) Out of 720000 cattle ___________were donkeys.
(a) 910000
(b) 171000
(c) 710000
(d) 191000
Ans: (b)
An enquiry in 1930 showed that the Maasai in Kenya possessed 720,000 cattle and 171,000 donkeys. This is a specific detail provided in the passage.