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

Q1:How does Mahatma Gandhi view literacy?
Ans:According to Mahatma Gandhi literacy is not the end of education nor even the beginning. It is only one of the means whereby man and woman can be educated. Literacy in itself is not education.

Q2: Why did William Jones feel the need to study Indian history, philosophy and law?
Ans:William Jones saw the necessity to study Indian history, philosophy, and law because he believed that these books may help the British learn from Indian culture while also revealing Hindu and Muslim ideologies. This would give the British an advantage over them, allowing them complete control over the Indian scriptures. 

Q3: What did Mahatma Gandhi say about western education?
Ans: Mahatma Gandhi said that western education focused on reading and writing rather than oral knowledge. It valued textbooks rather than practical knowledge. He argued that education ought to develop a person’s mind and soul. Literacy or simple learning to read and write by itself did not count as education.

Q4: What was James Mill's opinion about Orientalist education?
Ans: James Mill criticized Orientalist education, stating that the British should not aim to teach what natives respected or admired to "win a place in their heart." Instead, education should focus on useful and practical knowledge, familiarizing Indians with Western scientific and technical advancements rather than the poetry and sacred literature of the Orient.

Q5: How does Mahatma Gandhi view literacy?
Ans:According to Mahatma Gandhi literacy is not the end of education nor even the beginning. It is only one of the means whereby man and woman can be educated. Literacy in itself is not education.

Q6: Who was William Jones, and what did he do in Calcutta?
Ans:William Jones, a linguist and judge in Calcutta in 1783, studied languages like Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit. He spent time with pandits to learn Sanskrit's subtleties, significantly contributing to the tradition of Orientalism.

Q7: What do you mean by wood’s despatch?
Ans:In 1854, the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London sent an educational despatch to the Governor-General in India. Issued by Charles Wood, the President of the Board of Control of the Company, it has come to be known as Wood’s Despatch.

Q8: Why did Mahatma Gandhi want to teach children handicrafts?
Ans:He argued that education ought to develop a person’s mind and soul. Literacy – or simply learning to read and write – by itself did not count as education. People had to work with their hands, learn a craft, and know how different things operated. This would develop their mind and their capacity to understand.

Q9: What do you mean by Tagore’s abode of peace?
Ans:Tagore was of the view that creative learning could be encouraged only within a natural environment. So he chose to set up his school 100 kilometres away from Calcutta, in a rural setting. He saw it as an abode of peace (santiniketan), where living in harmony with nature, children could cultivate their natural creativity.

Q10 :What measures did the British take After Wood’s despatch?

Ans: The British took the following steps:

1. A school administration department was established by the government to handle school-related issues.

2. The university system was established. Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay were the first cities to build universities.

3. There were other additional changes occurring in India's educational system. 

Q11:Why did Mahatma Gandhi believe that Indian languages should be the medium of teaching?

Ans:Mahatma Gandhi believed that Indian languages should be the medium of teaching because education in English distanced Indians from their social surroundings and culture, making them feel like "strangers in their own land." He argued that English education made people despise local culture and fail to connect with the masses. Gandhi emphasized that education should develop a person’s mind and soul, focusing on lived experience and practical knowledge rather than just reading and writing.

Q12: What consequences were there of the new rules and routine over the earlier pathshala students who accepted the British rules?
Ans:In the earlier system of Pathshala, students from poor peasant families had been able to go to pathshalas as the timetable was flexible before adoption of rules of the British government.

The discipline of the new system demanded regular attendance, even during harvest time when children of poor families had to work in the fields. Inability to attend school came to be seen as indiscipline, as evidence of the lack of desire to learn.

Q13: In what sense does Gandhiji and Tagore’s thoughts were different about western education?
Ans:  In many senses Tagore’s and Gandhiji’s thoughts about western education were similar. There were several differences too. Gandhiji was highly critical of western education, civilisation and its worship of machines and technology.

But Tagore wanted to combine elements of modern western civilisation with the best within Indian tradition. Tagore emphasized on the needs to teach science and technology along with art, music and dance.

Q14: Why was the East India Company opposed to missionary activities in India?
Ans:Until 1813, the East India Company was opposed to missionary activities in India. It feared that missionary activities would provoke reaction amongst the local population and make them suspicious of British presence in India.

Q15: What does vernacular mean? Why did the British use this term in colonial countries like India?
Ans: Vernacular is a term generally used to refer to a local language or dialect as distinct from what is seen as the standard language. In colonial countries like India, the British used the term to mark the difference between the local languages of everyday use and English – the language of the imperial masters.