How, When and Where

This opening chapter of the Class 8 History book asks how historians study the past, why dates matter and how we divide history into periods. You will learn that history is not only about dates of battles and the reigns of rulers, but also about how people lived, worked and changed over time. You will study how the Scottish economist James Mill, in his History of British India published in 1817, divided Indian history into Hindu, Muslim and British periods, and why historians reject this division as it ignores the variety of the past and assumes that British rule brought civilisation. You will see why the period after the British conquest is called colonial, and how the British preserved official records in record rooms and later in archives such as the National Archives of India. You will learn about the surveys they carried out, including revenue, botanical, zoological, archaeological, forest and anthropological surveys and the census held every ten years. Finally, you will learn why diaries, autobiographies, newspapers and popular books are needed alongside official records.

Detailed Worksheet: How, When and Where Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What is meant by periodisation of history? (2 marks) 2. What did James Mill's History of British India try to show? In which year was it published? (2 marks) 3. What is meant by colonisation? Why is the period of British rule in India called colonial? (2 marks) 4. What is an archive? Name the national archive of India and the city where it is located. (2 marks) 5. What is a census? How often is it held in India? (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. James Mill's book was published in 1817. The first full census of British India was conducted in 1881. How many years after the book was this? If the census is held every ten years, list the next four census years after 1881. (3 marks) 7. Classify the following sources as official records or other sources: police reports, diaries of travellers, revenue survey reports, newspapers, autobiographies, census reports, popular bazaar booklets, minutes of the Governor-General. (3 marks) 8. James Rennel prepared maps of Hindustan in 1782. The National Archives of India came up in the 1920s. Arrange these in chronological order: National Archives built, Rennel's map, James Mill's History, first all-India census, Battle of Plassey. Write the year or period of each. (3 marks) 9. Match each survey with what it studied: revenue survey, botanical survey, zoological survey, archaeological survey, anthropological survey, forest survey. Objects of study: (i) plants (ii) animals (iii) land use and crops for tax (iv) historical sites and remains (v) people, their customs and ways of life (vi) trees and timber resources. (3 marks) 10. A district record room had 12,000 files in 1850. If 400 files were added every year, how many files would it have in 1880? Why did the British give so much importance to keeping records? (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. Draw a chart showing James Mill's periodisation of Indian history and the alternative division into ancient, medieval and modern periods. Write one criticism of Mill's division. (4 marks) 12. Draw a flowchart showing how a piece of official information moved from a district office to the archives in the 19th century. (3 marks) 13. Draw a labelled chart of the sources historians use to study modern Indian history, dividing them into official records and other sources. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Why do historians reject James Mill's division of Indian history? Explain how this division reflected British views about India. (5 marks) 15. Why did the British carry out detailed surveys in India? How did surveys help them govern the country? (5 marks) 16. What are the limitations of official records as a source of history? How do diaries, autobiographies, newspapers and popular literature help us understand what people thought and felt? (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Support your answers with examples from the chapter.