Ruling The Countryside Class 8th Questions With Answers

Ruling The Countryside Class 8th Questions With Answers

Short Q/A

Q. no. 1 What did the British do to increase their financial resources ?

Ans. The British increased their financial resources through taxation, trade monopolies, industrialization, colonial exploitation, and drains wealth to their homeland .

Q. no. 2 Discuss the merits and demerits of Permanent settlement of Bengal .

Ans. Merits: Increased revenue stability, improved land productivity, and boosted British control.  

Demerits: Exploited peasants, created absentee landlords, and hindered agricultural innovation.

Q. no. 3 Give a brief accounts of the settlement introduced by Thomas Munro in south India .

Ans. Thomas Munro introduced the Ryotwari system in South India, where peasants (ryots) directly paid land revenue to the government, eliminating intermediaries, and aiming for fairer tax assessments and increased agricultural productivity.

Q. no. 4 Why did The British encouraged growth of commercial crops ? Name some of these crops .

Ans. The British encouraged the growth of commercial crops to boost revenue, support British industries, and facilitate exports. Key crops included cotton, indigo, tea, jute, opium, and sugarcane.

Q. no. 5 Distinguish between the Nij and Ryoti system of Indigo Plantation.

Ans. The Nij system involved planters growing indigo on their own estates, while the Ryoti system coerced peasants into cultivating indigo on their land under oppressive contracts.

Long Q/A

Q. no. 1 How were the peasants affected by the agrarian policies of the British?

Ans. British agrarian policies burdened peasants with high taxes, leading to debt and poverty. Systems like Zamindari and Ryotwari exploited them, causing land dispossession and forced cultivation of cash crops. Famines and food shortages were frequent as subsistence farming declined, disrupting traditional agricultural practices and village economies.

Q. no. 2 Analyse the demerits of the agrarian policies of the British .

Ans. British agrarian policies led to excessive taxation, exploitation by landlords, and forced cash crop cultivation, impoverishing peasants. These policies caused frequent famines due to reduced food crop production, indebtedness, and loss of land ownership. Traditional agricultural practices were disrupted, worsening rural economic instability and social distress.

Q. no. 3 What factors led to the Indigo Rebellion ? Discuss.

Ans. The Indigo Rebellion was fueled by oppressive indigo cultivation contracts under the Ryoti system, harsh treatment by planters, high taxes, and exploitation. Peasants faced severe financial strain and loss of land. Widespread resentment and economic hardship led to violent uprisings against the British and planters in 1859-1860.