NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science Chapter 4 Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age contain solutions to the exercises given in the History book Our Pasts -III. These answers have been explained in a manner that you will easily understand all the concepts and get your doubts cleared without even seeking anyone’s assistance. You can read and download all the questions and answers in PDF format.
Class 8 History Chapter 4 Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Ncert Textbook Questions Solved
Question 1: Fill in the blanks:
(a) The British described the tribal people as ______________.
Answer: The British described the tribal people as wild and savage.
(b) The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as __________.
Answer: The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as broadcasting or scattering.
(c) The tribal chiefs got ________ titles in central India under the British land settlements.
Answer: The tribal chiefs got land titles in central India under the British land settlements.
(d) Tribals went to work in the __________ of Assam, and the _________ in Bihar.
Answer: Tribals went to work in the tea plantations of Assam and the coal mines in Bihar.
Question 2: State whether true or false:
(a) Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds.
Answer: False
(b) Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at five times the purchase price.
Answer: True
(c) Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves give up drinking liquor and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery.
Answer: True
(d) The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.
Answer: False
Question 3: What problems did shifting cultivators face under British rule?
Answer: British always had problems with shifting cultivators, as they were always moving for pasture lands. The British wanted the shifting cultivators to become peasant cultivators. The British thought it was easier to control and administer peasant cultivators than shifting cultivators. Hence, shifting cultivators faced problems when the company planned the land revenue system.
Question 4: How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?
Answer: The tribal chiefs enjoyed a certain amount of economic power and had the right to administer and control their territories. But under the colonial rule, their functions and powers changed to a great extent:
- They were allowed to keep their land titles over a cluster of villages and rent out lands, but they lost much of their administrative power.
- They were forced to follow laws made by the British officials in India.
- They also had to pay tribute to the British.
- They were expected to discipline the tribal groups on behalf of the British government.
- They lost the authority that they had earlier enjoyed among their people and were unable to fulfill their traditional functions.
Question 5: What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?
Answer: There are a number of reasons for anger of the tribals against the dikus:
(i) The tribals practiced shifting cultivation but the British forced them to follow settled agriculture and also introduced land settlements.
(ii) Traders and moneylenders were coming into the forest, wanting to buy forest produce at a very cheap rate, luring them to take cash loans at high interests etc. So, the tribals considered the traders and moneylenders as evil outsiders.
(iii) Under British rule the tribal chiefs lost their authorities they had enjoyed earlier amongst their people. They were unable to fulfill their traditional functions.
(iv) The British evacuated them from their own lands, as a result they became homeless and went in search of work and livelihood.
Question 6: What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why doyou think such a vision appealed to the people of the region?
Answer: Birsa’s vision of golden age was to have their land free of dikus. He considered that age to be the ‘age of truth’. According to Birsa, in the golden age, the tribal sirdars will be able to rule among themselves and no one will be there to dictate terms to them. His golden age vision was to have an age with no vices like liquor, witchcraft, sorcery and uncleanliness. He did not want any role of outsider participants like missionaries, Hindu landlords, moneylenders, traders and Europeans.