Women Caste and Reform

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Solutions History Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform

JAC Class 8th Women, Caste and Reform InText Questions and Answers

Page 95

Question 1.
Can you think of the ways in which social customs and practices were discussed in the pre-printing age when books, newspapers and pamphlets were not readily available?

1. Organising social meetings.
2. Delivering effective speeches.
3. Handwritten statements on palm leaves.
4. Discussion with scholars and intellectuals of different regions.

Page 97

Question 2.
This argument was taking place more than 175 years ago. Write down the different arguments you may have heard around you on the worth of women. In what ways have the views changed?
Answer:
Views against women are as follows:

1. Economically not strong.
2. Decision making is always with their husbands.
3. No right to have education.

Now the views have changed:

1. They are recognised same as men.
2. They are occupying prominent places in the work areas and society.
3. They are not the subject of exploitation.
4. Education institutes have been opened

Page 102

Question 3.
Imagine that you are one of the students sitting in the school veranda and listening to the lessons. What kind of questions would be rising in your mind?
Answer:
Students need to do it on their own.
(Hint: Why in the name of caste people are dividing the society? Do the students have any moral values who sitting in the veranda?)

Question 4.
Some people thought this situation was better than the total lack of education for untouchable people. Would you agree with this view?
Answer:
No, I don’t agree with this view.

Page 103

Question 5.
Carefully read Source 3. What do you think Jyotirao Phule meant by “me here and you over there again”?

Source 3:
“Me here and you over there” Phule was also critical of the anti-colonial nationalism that was preached by upper-caste leaders. He wrote: The Brahmans have hidden away the sword of their religion which has cut the throat of the peoples ’prosperity and now go about posing as great patriots of their country. They … give this advice to … our Shudra, Muslim and Parsi youth that unless we put away all quarrelling amongst ourselves about the divisions between high and low in our country and come together, our … country will never make any progress … It will be unity to serve their purposes, and then it will be me here and you over there again. ‘ Jyotiba Phule, The Cultivator’s Whipcord
Answer:
According to Jyotirao Phule the society would go towards equality and justice.

Page 105

Question 6.
Why does caste remain such a controversial issue today? What do you think was the most important movement against caste in colonial times?
Answer:
Caste remain such a controversial issue today because people’s own interest and political issues. Temple entry movement was the most important movement against caste in colonial times.

Page 108

Question 7.
Imagine you are a teacher in the school set up by Rokeya Hossain. There are 20 girls in your charge. Write an account of the discussions that might have taken place on any one day in the school.
Answer:
Students need to do it on their own.

JAC Class 8th History  Women, Caste and Reform Textbook Questions and Answers

( Let’s Recall)

Question 1.
What social ideas did the following people support.

• Rammohun Roy
• Dayanand Saraswati
• Veerasalingam Pantulu
• Jyotirao Phule
• Pandita Ramabai
• Periyar
• MumtazAli
• Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar

Answer:

Rammohun Roy	Ban on Sati
Dayanand Saraswati	Widow remarriage
Veerasalingam	Widow remarriage
Pantulu	Caste inequality
Jyotirao Phule	III treatment of widows
Pandita Ramabai	Caste inequality
Periyar	Women’s education
Mumtaz Ali	Women’s education

Question 2:
State whether true or false:
(a) When the British captured Bengal they framed many new laws to regulate the rules regarding marriage, adoption, inheritance of property, etc
(b) Social reformers had to discard the ancient texts in order to argue for reform in social practices. Reformers got full support from all sections of the people of the country.
(d) The Child Marriage Restraint Act was passed inl829.
Answer:
(a) True
(b) False
(c) False
(d) True

(Let’s Discuss)

Question 3.
How did the knowledge of ancient texts help the reformers promote new laws?
Answer:
The knowledge of ancient texts helped the reformers to promote new laws as whenever reformers wanted to challenge a practice that seemed harmful and would not benefit many people, they tried to find a verse or texts in the ancient sacred texts that supported their point of view. They then suggested that the practice as it existed at present was against early tradition.

Question 4.
What were the different reasons people had for not sending girls to school?
Answer:
The different reasons people had for not sending girls to school were as following:

1. They feared that schools would take girls away from home, prevent them from doing their domestic duties.
2. Moreover, girls had to travel through public places in order to reach school.
3. Many people felt that this would have a corrupting influence on them.
4. They felt that girls should stay away from public spaces.

Question 5.
Why were Christian missionaries attacked by many people in the country? Would some people have supported them too? If so, for what reasons?
Answer:
Christian missionaries were attacked by many people in the country because missionaries began to set up schools for tribal groups and lower caste children. They were also involved in many reform activities as they denounced caste system, sati and advocated education of girls. They were opposed by the orthodox section of the society as they believed that they were trying to interfere in their religious matters.

Many people also believed that the ultimate motive of the Christian missionaries was to convert the people into Christianity. Christian missionaries were supported by many progressive Indians like the reformers and the intellectuals who wanted the Indian society to reform. Various tribes and lower castes also supported them as most people had benefitted from the reform activities of the missionaries.

Question 6.
In the British period, what new opportunities opened up for people who came from castes that were regarded as “low”?
Answer:
Many new opportunities opened up for people who came from castes that were regarded as “low” during British period are as follows:

(i) There were work in plantations in Assam, Mauritius, Trinidad and Indonesia.

(ii) There was work in the factories that were coming up and jobs in municipalities.

(iii) Expansion of cities created new demands of labour. Drains had to be dug, roads laid, buildings constructed and cities cleaned This required coolies, diggers, carriers, bricklayers, sewage cleaners, sweepers, palanquin bearers, rickshaw pullers.

(iv) The army also offered opportunities. A number of Mahar people who were regarded as untouchable found jobs in the Mahar Regiment.

Question 7.
How did Jyotirao the reformer justify his criticism of caste inequality in society?
Answer:
Jyotirao the reformer justify his criticism of caste inequality in society as he did not accept the Brahman’s claim that they were superior to others since they were Aryans. As the Aryans established their dominance, they began looking at the defeated population as inferior as low caste people. According to Phule, the upper castes had no right to their land and power and in reality, the land belonged to indigenous people, the so- called low castes.

Question 8.
Why did Phule dedicate his book Gulamgiri to the American movement to free slaves?
Answer:
In 1873, Phule wrote a book named Gulamgiri which means slavery. He dedicated his book to all those Americans who had fought to free slaves thus establishing a link between the conditions of the lower castes in India and the black slaves in America. With the hope that there would be an end to all sorts of caste discriminations in Indian Society as well as it happened in America.

Question 9.
What did Ambedkar want to achieve through the temple entry movement?
Answer:
In 1927, Ambedkar started a temple entry movement, in which his Mahar caste followers participate(d) He led three such movements for temple entry between 1927 and 1935. His objective was to make the people see the power of caste prejudices within society.

Question 10.
Why were Jyotirao Phule and Ramaswamy Naicker critical of the national movement? Did their criticism help the national struggle in any way?
Answer:
Jyotirao Phule and Ramaswamy Naicker were critical of the national movement because within a party when a feast was organised by the nationalists, different seating arrangements were made for the people of upper and lower castes. Their criticisms did help in the nationalist movement. The forceful speeches, writings and movements of lower caste leaders did lead to rethinking and some self criticism among upper caste nationalist leaders.

JAC Class 8th History  Women, Caste and Reform Important Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Question 

Question 1.
Widows were praised if they chose to die by burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands. The practice known as .
(a) Savitri pratha
(b) Gayatri pratha
(c) Sati pratha
(d) Ganga pratha
Answer:
(c) Sati pratha

Question 2.
The social order of caste lines on which people were divided:
(a) Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras
(b) Vaishyas, Brahmans, Shudras, and Kshatriyas
(c) Brahmans, Vaishyas, Shudras, and Kshatriyas
(d) Kshatriyas, Brahmans, Vaishyas, and Shudras
Answer:
(a) Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras

Question 3.
Sati pratha was officially banned in India on………
(a) 1857
(b) 1839
(c) 1867
(d) 1829
Answer:
(d) 1829

Question 4.
The reformer who formed an association for widow remarriage in the Telugu speaking areas of the Madras Presidency was
(a) Veerasalingam Pantulu
(b) Aademma Pantulu
(c) Baalaaditya Pantulu
(d) Phlalgunaraav Pantulu
Answer:
(a) Veerasalingam Pantulu

Question 5.
………. founded the reform association known as Arya Samaj to support widow remarriage.
(a) Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar
(b) Jyotirao Phule
(c) Swami Dayanand Saraswati
(d) Bipin Chandra Pal
Answer:
(c) Swami Dayanand Saraswati

Question 6.
Schools for Muslim girls in Patna and Calcutta during the same time was started by….. .
(a) Begum Ayesha Sultana
(b) Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
(c) Begum Nawazish Ali
(d) None of the above
Answer:
(b) Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

Question 7.
In 1873,……….. wrote a book named Gulamgiri.
(a) Jyotirao Phule
(b) Rammohun Roy
(c) Shri Narayan Guru
(d) Ghasidas
Answer:
(a) Jyotirao Phule

Question 8.
Dr. B.Ambedkar started a temple entry movement which was resented by the Brahman priests in the year
(a) 1919
(b) 1927
(c) 1920
(d) 1929
Answer:
(b) 1927

Question 9.
…….. said that the texts had been used to establish the authority of Brahmans over lower castes and the domination of men over women.
(a) Jyotirao Phule
(b) Ghasidas
(c) E. V. Ramasami Naicker
(d) Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar
Answer:
(c) E. V. Ramasami Naicker

Question 10.
The first Urdu novel began to be written from……..
(a) 16th century
(b) 17th century
(c) Late 18th century
(d)Late 19th century
Answer:
(d) Late 19th century

Very Short Answer Type Question

Question 1.
Who was popularly known as Periyar?
Answer:
The social reformer E.V. Ramasamy Naicker was popularly known as Periyar.

Question 2.
Who were Shudras?
Answer:
Shudras were the labouring castes.

Question 3.
Who founded the Satyashodhak Samaj? What was it?
Answer:
The Satyashodhak Samaj, an association which Phule founded, propagated caste equality.

Question 4.
People view leather workers with contempt. Why?
Answer:
Leather workers have been traditionally held in contempt since they work with dead animals which are seen as dirty and polluting.

Question 5.
In which way did reformers bring changes in society?
Answer:
Reformers bring changes in society by persuading people to give up old practices and adopt a new way of life.

Question 6.
Why were untouchable students not allowed to enter the classrooms where upper caste boys were taught?
Answer:
Untouchable students were not allowed to enter the classrooms where upper caste boys were taught because there was a false notion among the upper- caste that untouchable would pollute the classroom where their children are taught.

Question 7.
Who were known as Madigas?
Answer:
Madigas were an important untouchable caste of present-day Andhra Pradesh. They were experts at cleaning hides, tanning them for use and sewing sandals.

Question 8.
Which Hindu scriptures were criticized by Periyar?
Answer:
Hindu scriptures which were criticized by Periyar was the Codes of Manu, the ’ ancient lawgiver, and the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana.

Question 9.
Peasants and artisans were referred to which class?
Answer:
Peasants and artisans were referred to Shudra class.
Question 10:
Who was Swami Ramakrishna?
Answer:
Swami Ramakrishna was a saint and a priest. He was one of the major socio-religious reformer of the 19th century.

Short Answer Type Question

Question 1.
What did Raja Rammohun Roy do to eradicate sati?
Ans:
Raja Rammohun Roy was moved by the problems widows faced in their lives. He began a campaign against the practice of sati. He tried to show through his writings that the practice of widow burning had no place in ancient texts. They were therefore more than willing to listen to Rammohun who was reputed to be a learned man. Hence, in 1829, sati was banned

Question 2.
Who has written the book named Stripurushtulna? What is it about?
Answer:
Tarabai Shinde, a woman educated at home at Poona published the book, Stripurushtulna, (A Comparison between Women and Men). It was about criticizing the social differences between men and women.

Question 3.
E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker leave the congress. Why?
Answer:
E.V. Ramaswamy Naicke left the congress in disgust when he noticed that at a feast organised by nationalists, seating arrangements were followed by caste distinctions means the lower castes were made to sit at a distance from the upper castes.

Question 4.
How was widow’s home at Poona helpful?
Answer:
Pandita Ramabai founded a widow’s home at Poona to provide shelter to widows who had been treated badly by their husband’s relatives. Here women were trained so that they could support themselves economically.

Question 5.
What was the role of the Christian missionaries in spreading education among the tribal group and the lower caste?
Answer:
The role of the Christian missionaries was to set up schools for tribal groups and lower caste children. These children were thus equipped with some resources to make their way into a changing worl(d)

Question 6.
What do you understand by the term ‘sati’?
Answer:
‘Sati’ means virtuous women. Women who died by burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, whether willingly or otherwise were called sati.

Question 7.
Brief about Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai.
Answer:
Tarabai Shinde was a woman educated at home at Poona and published a book named Stripurushtulna (A Comparison between Women and Men) were she criticizes the social differences between men and women. Pandita Ramabai was a great scholar of Sanskrit and felt that Hinduism was oppressive towards women, and wrote a book about the miserable lives of upper caste Hindu women. She founded a widows’ home at Poona to provide shelter to widows who had been treated badly by their husbands’ relatives. Here women were trained so that they could support themselves economically.

Question 8.
Who established Ramakrishna Mission and which year it was established?
Answer:
Swami Vivekananda who was a disciple of Ramakrishna established the Ramkrishna Mission on 1st May 1897at Belur Math, Calcutta.

Question 9.
What is the purpose of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Answer:
The Ramakrishna Mission focused on the idea of salvation through selfless action and social service. The purpose is:

1. All religion are equal, to reach God they are just the different ways.
2. The true service of God is the service for human being.
3. Caste system, superstitions and untouchability should be removed

Long Answer Type Question

Question 1.
Write short notes on the following:
The Brahmo Samaj, Derozio and Young Bengal, The Prarthana Samaj, The Veda Samaj, The Aligarh Movement, The Singh Sabha Movement.

The Brahmo Samaj:
It was formed in 1830 prohibited all forms of idolatry and sacrifice believed in the Upanishads and forbade its members from criticising other religious practices. It critically drew upon the ideals of religions especially of Hinduism and Christianity looking at their negative and positive dimensions.

DerozioandYoungBengal:
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio was a teacher at Hindu College, Calcutta in the 1820s promoted radical ideas and encouraged his pupils to question all authority. Referred to as the Young Bengal Movement, his students attacked tradition and custom, demanded education for women and campaigned for the freedom of thought and expression.

The Prarthana Samaj:
It was established in 1867 at Bombay, the Prarthana Samaj sought to remove caste restrictions, abolish child marriage, encourage the education of women and end the ban on widow remarriage. Its religious meetings drew upon Hindu, Buddhist and Christian texts.

The Veda Samaj:
The Veda Samaj was established in Madras (Chennai) in 1864, it was inspired by the Brahmo Samaj. It worked to abolish caste distinctions and promote widow remarriage and women’s education and their members believed in one God They condemned the superstitions and rituals of orthodox Hinduism.

The Aligarh Movement:
In 1875, the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College was founded by Sayyid Ahmed Khan at Aligarh which later became the Aligarh Muslim University. The institution offered modem education, including Western science to Muslims. The Aligarh Movement as it was known had an enormous impact in the area of educational reform.

The Singh Sabha Movement:
In 1873 at Amritsar, the first Singh Sabhas were formed and at Lahore in 1879. The Sabhas sought to rid Sikhism of superstitions, caste distinctions and practices seen by them as non-Sikh. They promoted education among the Sikhs, often combining modem instruction with Sikh teachings.

Question 2.
Changes were necessary in Indian society. Why?
Answer:
Indian society had been a devour to many evil and ill practices for long time. Some of them were as follows:
(i) Most children were married off at an early age.

(ii) Both Hindu and Muslim men could marry more than one wife.

(iii) In some parts of the country, widows were praised if they chose death by burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands.

(iv) Women’s rights to property were also restricted

(v) Besides, most women had virtually no access to education.

(vi) In most places, people were divided by their caste. Brahmans and
Kshatriyas considered themselves as upper castes. Due to this people didn’t enjoyed equal status.

(vii) Other than these people, others were exploited

(viii) The untouchables were doing the menial works and were considered as polluting. These people were banned from entering the temples. The above mention social customs and practices made the changes necessary in Indian society. Hence, discussions and debates began to take place from the early nineteenth century. Many social reformers came forward such as Raja Rammohun Roy, Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar took initiative to bring changes in society by abolishing most of the above practices.

Question 3.
Explain in brief the movements that were organised by people from within the lower castes against caste discrimination.
Answer:
By the second half of the nineteenth century, the movements that were organised by people from within the lower castes against caste discrimination people, they were non-Brahman people. They demanded social equality and justice. Ghasidas founded the Satnami movement in Central India who worked among the leather workers and organised a movement to improve their social status. In eastern Bengal, Haridas Thakur’s Matua sect worked among Chandala cultivators. He questioned Brahmanical texts that supported the caste system. In what is present day Kerala, a guru from Ezhava caste, Shri Narayana Guru proclaimed the ideals of unity for his people. He argued against treating people unequally on the basis of caste differences.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions