Question

The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.
A. True
B. False

Answer 1

Hint: Before the arrival of the British, tribal chiefs were important people in many areas. Under the colonial rule, they were imposed to stick to the laws made by British officials in India.

Complete answer:
The tribal people were described as wild and savage by the Britishers. Before the arrival of the British, tribal chiefs were important people in many areas. They had some amount of economic power as well as the right to manage and control their territories. They even had their own police in some places and used to decide on the local rules of land and forest management.

Under the rule of the Britishers, the functions and powers of the tribal chiefs changed greatly. They had the permission to keep their land titles over a cluster of villages and rent out lands, but they lost majority of their administrative power. They were imposed to stick to the laws made by British officials in India. They had to offer tribute to the Britishers, and discipline the tribal groups on their behalf. The authority they had earlier enjoyed amongst their people was lost, and they were unable to fulfil their traditional functions.

Thus, the correct answer is option B. False.

Note: The British also wanted to have a source of constant revenue source for the state. Therefore they introduced land settlements – that is, they used to estimated the land to determine the rights of each individual to that land, so that the revenue demand for the state could be fixed.