How, When and Where quiz

James Mill's History of British India was published in:

James Mill divided Indian history into:

James Rennel was asked by Robert Clive to:

The National Archives of India is located in:

In India, the census is held once every:

People who specialised in the art of beautiful writing were called:

Which of these is not an official record?

When one country rules over another and brings political, economic and cultural changes, it is called:

James Mill believed that:

The British conducted surveys to study plants under the:

Why are dates important in history? (2 marks)

Why is it wrong to call a period of history Hindu or Muslim? (2 marks)

Why did the British preserve official documents? (2 marks)

What information does a census provide? (2 marks)

Why did historians in the past focus on the lives of Governor-Generals? (2 marks)

What is a revenue survey? (2 marks)

Name two types of sources other than official records. (2 marks)

Why do official records not tell us everything about the past? (2 marks)

How did the printing press help in preserving sources? (2 marks)

Why did the British set up record rooms in every administrative office? (2 marks)

The census was held in 1881, 1891, 1901 and so on every ten years. Find the 10th census year counting 1881 as the first. How many censuses were held in the 20th century (1901 to 2000)? (3 marks)

Arrange these in chronological order: James Mill's book, Rennel's map, Battle of Plassey, the year India became independent, first all-India census. Write the year of each. (3 marks)

In a census, a district had 5,00,000 people, of whom 4,00,000 lived in villages. Find the percentage of rural and urban population. (3 marks)

A historian studies 200 documents about a revolt. 140 are official British reports, 30 are newspapers, 20 are letters and 10 are diaries. Find the percentage of each type. What does this tell us about whose views dominate the record? (3 marks)

The British period in India is usually taken from 1757 to 1947. For how many years did British power last? If Company rule lasted till 1858, for how many years was India ruled directly by the British Crown? (3 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. A painting shows Britannia, a female figure representing Britain, sitting on a raised platform while Indians offer her riches. The painting was made to celebrate British power. (i) What does Britannia represent? (ii) What message does the painting give about the relationship between Britain and India? (iii) Why should historians study such paintings carefully? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. In the 19th century, officials in districts wrote letters and reports to their seniors. These documents were copied by calligraphists, carefully stored and later moved to archives. (i) Who were calligraphists? (ii) Why were records copied by hand? (iii) How do these records help historians today? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. A historian wanted to know how peasants felt about new taxes in the 1850s. The official records gave figures of revenue collected but said little about the feelings of the peasants. (i) Why did official records not show the feelings of peasants? (ii) Suggest two other sources she could use. (iii) Why is it important to use many sources? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. A textbook divides Indian history into ancient, medieval and modern periods. Another book follows the division of James Mill. (i) What were the periods according to James Mill? (ii) Why do historians prefer other ways of dividing history? (iii) What is one problem even with the ancient-medieval-modern division? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. By the early 19th century, the British were surveying the land, studying rocks, plants and animals, recording local histories and the cropping pattern of villages. (i) Name three kinds of surveys carried out by the British. (ii) Why did they want to know so much about India? (iii) How did the census help them? (5 marks)

Draw a chart comparing James Mill's periodisation with the ancient, medieval and modern division of Indian history. Explain why historians criticise Mill's approach. (6 marks)

Draw a flowchart showing the types of sources used to study the colonial period. Explain the strengths and limitations of each type. (6 marks)

Draw a chart of the surveys carried out by the British in India. Explain how each helped the colonial government. (6 marks)

Draw a timeline from 1750 to 1950 marking at least six important events related to British rule and record keeping in India. Explain why dates help in understanding change over time. (6 marks)

Draw a flowchart showing how official records were produced and preserved in the 19th century. Explain why the British believed writing and record keeping were important for administration. (6 marks)