NCERT Solutions for Class 8 History Chapter 7 Women Caste and Reform

Question 1:

What social ideas did the following people support?

Rammohun Roy

Dayanand Saraswati 

Veerasalingam Pantulu

Jyotirao Phule

Pandita Ramabai Periyar

Mumtaz Ali

Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar

Solution:

Rammohun Roy: Supported the banning of the practice of 'Sati' Dayanand Saraswati: Supported Widow remarriage

Veerasalingam Pantulu: Supported Widow remarriage Jyotirao Phule: Supported equality among castes

Pandita Ramabai: Supported Women's Education, Economic Independence for women and set up widow homes

Periyar: Supported equality for untouchables. Mumtaz Ali: Supported Women's Education

Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar: Supported Widow remarriage

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.

Solution: True

(b) Social reformers had to discard the ancient texts in order to argue for reform in social practices.

Solution: False

(c) Reformers got full support from all sections of the people of the country.

Solution: False

(d) The Child Marriage Restraint Act was passed in 1829.

Solution: False

Question 3:

How did the knowledge of ancient texts help the reformers promote new laws?

Solution:

Whenever the reformers wished to challenge a practice that seemed harmful, they tried to find a verse or sentence 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. Thus, the knowledge of ancient texts helped the reformers promote new laws.

Question 4:

What were the different reasons people had for not sending girls to school?

Solution:

When Vidyasagar in Calcutta and other reformers in Bombay set up schools for girls, many people had different reasons for not sending girls to school.

(i) They feared that schools would take girls away from home, thereby preventing them from doing their domestic duties.

(ii) They felt that travelling through public places to reach school would have a corrupting influence on girls.

(iii) 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?

Solution:

• In the nineteenth century, Christian missionaries were attacked by many people in the country because they suspected that they were involved in the forced conversion of poor and tribal people from Hinduism to Christianity.

• They also started setting up schools for tribal groups and lower-caste children. These children were trained to find a footing in the changing world. 

• Soon the poor left the villages and started looking for jobs in the cities.

•  People who looked down on the lower caste did not like the progress of this section of people. 

• Social reformers would have supported the missionaries for their work against social evils

Question 6:

In the British period, what new opportunities opened up for people who came from castes that were regarded as “low”?

Solution:

• The British period saw the rise of the cities. Many of the poor began leaving their villages and towns to look for jobs that were opening up in the cities. 

• As the cities grew, there was a great demand for labour for digging drains, laying roads, constructing buildings, working in factories and municipalities, etc.

• This required coolies, diggers, carriers, bricklayers, and sewage cleaners. This demand for labour was met 09.

•  Women's Caste and Reform by the population migrating from the villages and towns.

• There was also the demand for labour in the various plantations, both within the country and abroad. The army too offered employment opportunities.

• Many of these migrating people belonged to the low castes. For them, the cities and the plantations represented the opportunity to get away from the oppressive hold that upper-caste landowners exercised over their lives and the daily humiliation they suffered.

Question 7:

How did Jyotirao the reformer justify his criticism of caste inequality in society?

Solution:

• Jyotirao Phule developed his ideas about the injustices of caste society. He did not accept the Brahmins’ claim that they were superior to others, since they were Aryans.

• Phule argued that the Aryans were foreigners, who came from outside the subcontinent and defeated and subjugated the native Indians.

• As the Aryans established their supremacy, they began looking at the Indians as inferior and low-caste people.

• According to Phule, the "upper" castes had no right to their land and power. In reality, the land belonged to indigenous people, the so-called low castes. 

• Phule opined that there existed a golden age when warrior-peasants tilled the land and ruled the Maratha countryside in just and fair ways

Question 8:

Why did Phule dedicate his book Gulamgiri to the American movement to free slaves?

Solution:

• Jyotirao Phule wrote Gulamgiri in 1873. It means slavery. While writing this book, he was concerned with all forms of inequalities and injustices existing in society - whether it was the plight of the upper-caste women, the miseries of the labourers, or the humiliation of the low castes. 

• By dedicating his book Gulamgiri to the American movement to free slaves, he linked the conditions of the black slaves in America with those of the "lower" castes in India. 

• This comparison also contains an expression of hope that one day, like the end of slavery in America, there will be an end to all sorts of caste discrimination in Indian society.

Question 9:

What did Ambedkar want to achieve through the temple entry movement?

Solution:

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar started a temple entry movement in 1927 which was participated by his Mahar caste followers. Brahmin priests were outraged when the lower castes used water from the temple tank. Dr. Ambedkar led three such movements for temple entry between 1927 and 1935. He aimed to make everyone 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?

Solution:

• Both Jyotirao Phule and Ramaswamy Naicker were critical of the national movement as they could barely see any difference between the preachers of anti-colonialism and the colonial masters. 

• Both, according to them, were outsiders and had used power to subjugate and oppress the indigenous people. 

• Phule believed that though the upper-caste leaders were then asking people all over the country to unite to fight the British, once the Britishers had left, they would continue with their oppressive caste policies, thereby causing divisions amongst the very people they were trying to unite. 

• He believed that they only wished for unity to serve their purposes, and once the purposes had been served, the divisions would creep in again.

• Naicker's experience in the Congress showed him that the national movement was not free from the taint of casteism.

•  At a feast organised by nationalists, the seating arrangements followed caste distinctions, i.e., the lower castes were made to sit at a distance from the upper castes. 

• This convinced him that the lower castes had to fight their battle themselves. Their criticism did lead to rethinking and some self-criticism among the upper-caste nationalist leaders. 

• This in turn helped to strengthen the national struggle, as free from prejudices of caste, religion, and gender, the leaders could unite and concentrate their attention on the single aim of overthrowing the colonial administration.

Topics Covered In Chapter 7 History Class 8 Women Caste and Reform

Benefits of NCERT Solutions for Class 8 History Chapter 7 Women Caste and Reform

• The solutions provide detailed explanations of key social reforms related to women and caste, making it easier for students to understand the historical context and significance of these changes.

• The contributions of important reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Jyotirao Phule, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar are explained in a way that highlights their impact on society. This helps students appreciate the efforts and legacy of these reformers.

• The solutions are presented in a simple, step-by-step format, making it easy for students to follow along and grasp complex historical concepts. 

• This format is especially beneficial for retaining information and preparing for exams.

• By exploring the causes and effects of social reforms, students develop critical thinking skills. 

• They learn to analyse the reasons behind social movements and their outcomes, fostering a deeper understanding of history.

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Conclusion

The NCERT Solutions Class 8 History Chapter Women Caste and Reform provides a thorough understanding of the important social changes in India during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Through clear and detailed explanations, these solutions help students grasp the significance of these reform movements and their impact on Indian society. By studying History Class 8 Chapter 7 Question Answer, students can appreciate the historical struggle for a more equitable and just society, and be better prepared for their exams with a solid understanding of these crucial social reforms.

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