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NCERT Class 9 Social Science Chapter 4 Forest Society and Colonialism
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Forest Society and Colonialism
Chapter: 4
INDIA AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD – I (HISTORY)
NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
Q. 1. Discuss the changes in forest management in the colonial period affected the following groups of people:
(i) Shifting cultivators.
Ans. Shifting Cultivators: Due to change in laws of forest management shifting cultivation was banned. It was argued the land which was used for shifting cultivation every few years could not grow trees for railway timber.
(ii) Nomadic and pastoralist communities.
Ans. Nomadic and Pastoralist Communities: The life of nomadic and pastoralist communities was affected because they were not allowed to enter the protected forest areas. Moreover, the trade in forest produce was banned and this resulted in a huge loss of income to these communities, as it was through trade transactions that they earned their livelihood.
(iii) Firms trading in timber/forest produce.
Ans. Firms trading in timber/forest produce: Most of the firms trading in timber and forest produce were highly benefited with the changes in forest management. The new laws favoured them and they generated huge revenue.
(iv) Plantation owners.
Ans. Plantation owners: Plantation owners was another section that earned great profits in their business. The deforestation led the development of plantations of coffee, tea and rubber. And these businessmen got cheap labour from forest communities, thus the plantation owners had to invest very less. As Plantation goods were in huge demand, the businessmen in plantations earned great profits. They also got favours from changed forest Management laws.
(v) Kings/British officials engaged in Shikar.
Ans. Kings/British officials engaged in Shikar: Although hunting was prohibited, but with discrimination. Kings/British officials indulged in excess hunting. They had the silent permission from the British government and did hunting in the name of civilizing India, as British saw large animals as signs of a wild, primitive and savage society.
Q. 2. What are the similarities between colonial management of the forests in Bastar and in Java?
Ans. The colonial management of forests in Bastar and Java had the following similarities:
(i) Hunting was prohibited.
(ii) Trees were cut for railways and ship-building.
(iii) Forest communities were suppressed when they rose in rebellion.
(iv) Nomads and pastoralists were banned to enter the forest area.
(v) Trade in forest produce was banned.
(vi) European firms were given permits for deforestation and plantation industry.
(vii) Forest communities had to work as free labourers for the forest management, or they had to pay rent to live there.
Q. 3. Between 1880 and 1920, forest cover in the Indian sub-continent declined by 9.7 million hectares, from 108.6 million hectares to 98.9 million hectares. Discuss the role of following factors in this decline:
(i) Railways.
Ans. Railways:
(a) To run locomotives, wood was needed as fuel. and
(b) to lay railway lines sleepers were essential to hold the tracks together. As the railway tracks spread throughout India, a larger and larger number of trees were felled. Forests around the railway tracks fast started disappearing.
(ii) Ship-buildings.
Ans. Ship-building:
(a) Shortage of oak forests created a great timber problem for the ship-building of England.
(b) For the Royal Navy, large wooden boats, ships, courtyards for the shipping etc.
(c) Trees from the Indian forests were being cut on a massive scale from 1820s or 1830s to export large quantities of timber from India.
(d) Naturally forest cover of the sub-continent declined rapidly.
(iii) Agricultural Expansion.
Ans. Agricultural Expansion:
(a) Increasing population, urbanization, increasing foreign trade, demand of commercial crops and decline of small scale and cottage industries inspired the peasants to expand their agricultural area.
(b) The colonial government’s wrong policies also promoted agricultural expansion.
(c) The foreign government did not take needed-useful steps for intensive agriculture. This also supported directly or indirectly the disappearance of forests in India.
(iv) Commercial Farming.
Ans. Commercial Farming:
(a) Large areas of natural forests were also cleared to make for plantations or commercial farming.
(b) Jute, rubber, indigo, tobacco etc. commercial crops were planted to meet Britain’s growing need for these commodities.
(c) The colonial government (the British government) took over the forests, and game of vast area and exported their product to Europe.
(v) Tea/Coffee plantations.
Ans. Tea/Coffee Plantations:
(a) For tea and coffee planters at cheap rates, the hilly areas were given.
(b) These areas were enclosed and cleared of forests, and planted with tea or coffee.
(vi) Adivasis and other peasant users.
Ans. Adivasis and other peasant-users:
(a) Adivasi and other peasant-users also participated in deforestation.
(b) They used to cut the trees whenever they get chances for their personal use or to obtain things for sale or for their own animals, etc.
Q. 4. Why are forests affected by wars?
Ans. (i) Second World War had a major impact on forests. In India, working plans were abandoned at this time, and the forest department cut forests freely to meet British war needs.
(ii) In Java, just before the Japanese occupied (during the days of the Second World War) the region, the Dutch (the people of Holland are called the Dutch) followed ‘a scorched earth’ policy destroying saw mills and burning huge piles of giant teak logs.
(iii) Many Adivasis, peasants and other users use wars and battles opportunities to expand cultivation in the forest.
(iv) After the war, it was difficult for the Indonesian (before the occupation of Japanese) forest service to get this land (forest land) back.
(v) In India, people’s need for agricultural land has brought them into conflict with the forest department’s desire to control the land and exclude people from there.
SOME OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR EXAMINATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Tendu leaves are used in making:
(a) bidis.
(b) plates.
(c) baskets.
(d) umbrellas.
Ans. (a) bidis.
Q. 2. The railway network expanded rapidly in India from the:
(a) 1820s.
(b) 1830s.
(c) 1850s.
(d) 1860s.
Ans. (d) 1860s.
Q. 3. The Imperial Forest Research Institute was set up at:
(a) Allahabad.
(b) Darjeeling.
(c) Dehradun.
(d) Kanpur.
Ans. (c) Dehradun.
Q. 4. Baigas are a forest community of:
(a) Central India.
(b) North India.
(c) South India.
(d) North-east India.
Ans. (a) Central India.
Q. 5. Who were the colonial power in Indonesia?
(a) British.
(b) Dutch.
(c) French.
(d) Portuguese.
Ans. (b) Dutch.
Q. 6. Where did the Dutch start forest management in Indonesia?
(a) Java.
(b) Sumatra.
(c) Bali.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (a) Java.
Q. 7. The Kalangs resisted the Dutch in:
(a) 1700
(b) 1750
(c) 1770
(d) 1800
Ans. (c) 1770
Q. 8. What was the system of ‘blandongdiensten’?
(a) A system of education.
(b) Industrialisation.
(c) First imposition of rent on land and then exemption.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (c) First imposition of rent on land and then exemption.
Q. 9. What was the policy followed by the British in India towards forests during the First and the Second World Wars?
(a) The forest department cut trees freely to meet British war needs.
(b) Cutting of trees was strictly prohibited for everyone, including the British.
(c) More and more trees were planted to give employment to Indians.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (b) Cutting of trees was strictly prohibited for everyone, including the British.
Q. 10. Who wrote the book ‘The Forests of India’ in the year 1923?
(a) David Spurr.
(b) E.P. Stebbing.
(c) Verrier Elvin.
(d) John Middleton.
Ans. (b) E.P. Stebbing.
Q. 11. The system of scientific forestry stands for:
(a) system whereby the local farmers were allowed to cultivate temporarily within a plantation.
(b) system of cutting old trees and plant new ones.
(c) division of forest into three categories.
(d) disappearance of forests.
Ans. (b) system of cutting old trees and plant new ones.
Q. 12. In South-East Asia shifting agriculture is known as:
(a) Chitemene.
(b) Tavy.
(c) Ladang.
(d) Milpa.
Ans. (c) Ladang.
Q. 13. Forests consisting of which type of trees was preferred by the Forest Department?
(a) Forests having trees which provided fuel, fodder and leaves.
(b) Forests having soft wood.
(c) Forests having trees suitable for building ships and railways.
(d) Forests having hardwood trees.
Ans. (c) Forests having trees suitable for building ships and railways.
Q. 14. Which of the following is a community of skilled forest cutters?
(a) Maasais of Africa.
(b) Mundas of Chota Nagpur.
(c) Guns of Orissa.
(d) Kalangs of Java.
Ans. (d) Kalangs of Java.
Q. 15. Wooden planks lay across railway tracks to hold these tracks in a position are called:
(a) Beams.
(b) Sleepers.
(c) Rail fasteners.
(d) None of these.
Ans. (b) Sleepers.
Q. 16. Which of the following is a commercial crop?
(a) Rice.
(b) Wheat.
(c) Cotton.
(d) Maize.
Ans. (e) Cotton.
Q. 17. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): The government has recognised that in order to meet this goal, the people who live near the forests must be involved.
Reason (R): Dense forests have survived only because the government protected them in sacred groves.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
Q. 18. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): The Mundurucu peoples of the Brazilian Amazon were so valuable that in 1755 when the Mataram kingdom of Java split, the 6,000 Mundurucu families were equally divided between the two kingdoms.
Reason (R): Without their expertise, it would have been difficult to harvest teak and for the kings to build their palaces.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Q.19. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option.
Assertion (A): The people of Bastar were very worried after the proposed forests laws.
Reason (R): People began to gather and discuss these issues in their village councils, in bazaars and at festivals or wherever the headmen and priests of several villages were assembled.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Q. 20. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): With the coming of the British, however, trade was completely regulated by the government.
Reason (R): The British government gave many large European trading firms the sole right to trade in the forest products of particular areas.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is correct explanation of (A).
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (c) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Q. 21. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): The Kalangs of Java descended to live in trading posts and became completely dependent on traders.
Reason (R): With the growing demand for foodgrains in the mid-nineteenth century, they began to cultivate foodgrains for supplying to traders.
Options:
(a) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(b) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (e) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
Q. 22. In the question given below, there are two statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and chose the correct option.
Assertion (A): Many communities left their traditional occupations and started trading in forest products.
Reason (R): People lost out in many ways after the forest department took control of the forests.
Options:
(a) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
(b) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(c) Both (A) and (R) are wrong.
(d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Ans. (d) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Fill in the Blanks:
(i) Shortage of oak forests created a great __________ problem for the ship-building of England.
Ans. timber.
(ii) __________ was the first Inspector General of Forests in India.
Ans. Dietrich Brandis.
(iii) Deforestation means __________ of forests.
Ans. disappearance.
(iv) The densest forests in India are found in _________.
Ans. Chhattisgarh.
(v) In the early nineteenth century, the colonial government in India thought that forests were __________.
Ans. unproductive.
True and False:
(i) One who is devoted to protecting the ecological balance of the earth is known as environmentalist.
Ans. True.
(ii) The Gaddis are the herders of goats.
Ans. False.
(iii) Wood is used to make baskets, umbrellas or to make fences.
Ans. False.
(iv) Adivasis and other peasant-users did not participate in deforestation.
Ans. False.
(v) Timber is used for furniture, doors, windows and many other products.
Ans. True.
VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Which new trade was created due to the introduction of new forest laws?
Ans. Collecting latex from wild rubber trees.
Q. 2. Name the communities living in Bastar.
Ans. Maria and Muria Gonds, Dhurwas, Batras and Halbas.
Q. 3. Who was Dietrich Brandis?
Ans. Dietrich Brandis was a German forest expert, whom the colonial government invited for advice and made him the first Inspector General of forests in India.
Q. 4. Who were ‘Kalangs’ of Java?
Ans. Skilled forest cutters and shifting cultivators.
Q. 5. What was scorched earth policy?
Ans. It was the policy followed by the Dutch in which they destroyed sawmills, burnt huge piles of teak logs so that they would not fall into enemy’s hands (Japanese).
Q. 6. Why did the government decide to ban shifting cultivation?
Ans. Because when a forest was burnt, there was the danger of destroying valuable timber.
Q. 7. Who were the Mundurucu peoples of the Brazilian Amazon?
Ans. Mundurucu peoples of the Brazilian Amazon lived in villages on high ground, cultivated manioc and collected latex from rubber trees for supplying to traders.
Q. 8. What was Samin’s challenge?
Ans. Randublatung village was a teak village. Surontiko Samin questioned state ownership of forests. People protested against the Dutch by lying down on their land, and by refusing to pay taxes or fines or perform labour.
Q. 9. Why were the villagers were punished for by the colonial forests officials?
Ans. Villagers were punished for grazing cattle in young stands and cutting wood without a permit or traveling on forest roads with horse carts or cattle.
Q. 10. What were the results of the Bastar rebellion?
Ans. The results of the Bastar rebellion were:
(a) Work on reservation was temporarily suspended.
(b) Area to be reserved was reduced to roughly half of that planned before 1910.
Q. 11. What is Swidden agriculture?
Ans. In Swidden agriculture, parts of the forest are cut and burnt in rotation. Seeds are sown in the ashes. The crop is harvested by October-November. Such plots are cultivated for a few years and then left follow for 12-18 years for the forest to grow back.
Q. 12. Which common feature is found in the Amazon forests and the Western Ghats?
Ans. It is possible to find as many as 500 different plant species in one forest patch in the Amazon forests and the Western Ghats.
Q. 13. Name the three categories of forests as mentioned in the Act of 1878.
Ans. Three categories were: Reserved, Protected and Village Forests.
Q. 14. What was blandongdiensten system?
Ans. Under this system, the Dutch exempted some villages from the rent on land if they worked collectively to provide free labour and buffaloes for cutting and transporting timber. Later, instead of rent exemption, forest villagers were given small wages, but their right to cultivate forest land was restricted.
Q. 15. What was the effect of Forest Act on the people living nearby?
Ans. People were forced to steal wood from the forests, and if they were caught, they were at the mercy of the forest guards who would take bribes from them.
Q. 16. What steps were taken under the new scheme of scientific forestry?
Ans. The steps taken under the new scheme of scientific forestry were:
(a) Natural forests which had different types of trees were cut down.
(b) In their place, one type of trees was planted.
Q. 17. What was the main cause of worry for the people of Bastar?
Ans. People of Bastar were most worried because the colonial government proposed to reserve 2/3rd of the forests in 1905 and stop shifting cultivation, hunting and collection of forest produce.
Q. 18. What do you mean by the reserved forests?
Ans. The best forests were called ‘reserved forests’.
Villagers could not take anything from these forests, even for their own use. For house building or fuel, they could take wood from protected or village forests.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. How was plantation one of the major reasons of depletion of forest during colonial period?
Ans. (i) Large areas of forests were cleared to make way for tea, coffee and rubber plantations. These things had high demand in the European market.
(ii) The colonial government took over the forests and gave vast areas to European planters at cheap rates.
(iii) Plantation areas were enclosed and cleared of forests and planted with tea or coffee.
Q. 2. How did the British bring changes in the trade of forest products in India? What were the effects of these changes?
Ans. (i) In India, the trade in forest products was not new. Adivasi communities were trading elephants and other goods like hides, horns, silk, cocoons, ivory, bamboo, spices, fibres, grasses, gums, resins, etc. After the coming of the British in our country, the trade was completely regulated by the government.
(ii) The government gave many large European trading firms the sole right to trade in the forest products of particular areas. In this process, many pastoralist and nomadic communities like the Korava, Karacha and Yerukula lost their livelihoods.
(iii) Some of them began to be called Criminal Tribes and were forced to work in factories, mines and plantations under government supervision. Their wages were low and conditions of work was very bad. Also, they could not return to their villages easily.
Q. 3. Which new demands were created on Indian forests due to the spread of railways from the 1850s? How were they met with? Explain.
Ans. (i) The spread of railways from the 850s created a new demand. Railways were essential for colonial trade and for the movement of imperial troops.
(ii) To run locomotives, wood was needed as fuel, and to lay railway lines sleepers were essential to hold the tracks together.
(iii) Each mile of railway track required between 1,760 and 2,000 sleepers. From the 1860s, the railway network expanded rapidly.
(iv) By 1890, about 25,500 km of track had been laid. In 1946, the length of the tracks had increased to over 765,000 km. As the railway tracks spread through India, a larger and larger number of trees were felled.
Q. 4. Explain in three points the ‘Scientific Forestry’ introduced by the British.
Ans. (i) Under this system, the forests having mixture of plant species were to be replaced by the straight rows of single species of plant.
(ii) Officials had to survey forests, estimate area under different plant species and make plans for forest management.
(iii) They had to make plans for calculation of area under plantation to be cut every year. The area cut was then to be replanted.
Q. 5. Explain the provisions of the forest acts passed by the Dutch.
Ans. (i) Forest acts were being enacted in the different provinces.
(ii) Through these acts some forests which produce commercially valuable timber like Deodar or Sal were declared reserved.
(iii) No pastoralists was allowed to access to these forests.
(iv) Other forests were classified as protected.
(v) Some customary grazing rights of pastoralists were granted but their movement were severely restricted.
Q. 6. “Development of Railways was one of the major reason of deforestation.” Give arguments to support the statement.
Ans. Wood was needed as fuel and run the locomotives. The sleepers were essential to lay the railway lines and hold the tracks together. As the railway tracks spread throughout India, a large number of trees were filled. The forests around the railway tracks fast started disappearing. Therefore, the development of Railways was one of the major reasons of deforestation in India.
Q. 7. What was a major victory for the Baster rebels?
Ans. The leaders of Baster rebels tried to negotiate of with the British. But the troops were sent to suppress the rebellion. They surrounded their camps and fired upon them. They also punished those who had taken part in rebellion. The British took three months to get control over the area. But Gunda Dhar was never caught. Moreover, the work on the reservation of forest was suspended and the reserved area was reduced to half of the area planned before 1910. Really, it was the a major victory for the Baster rebels.
Q. 8. Mention the main uses of forests.
Ans. (i) Fruits and tubers provide nutrition. Herbs are used for medicines. Wood is used for agricultural equipment like plough.
(ii) Bamboo is used to make baskets, umbrellas or in making fences. The dried scooped-out gourd can be used as a portable water bottle.
(iii) Leaves from trees can be stitched together to make disposable plates and cups. The siadi creeper is used to make ropes. The thorny bark of semur tree is used to grate vegetables.
(iv) Mahua seeds are used to extract oil which is used to light lamps and cook foods. Forests act as grazing fields for cattle.
Q. 9. Explain the changes that took place due to British forest laws.
Ans. (i) From now the government started regulating trade in forest products. Many trading firms rushed to India to exploit this opportunity.
(ii) Britishers gave these European firms, the sole right to trade in forest products in particular areas.
(iii) People’s daily activities for livelihood was greatly affected. Grazing and hunting by the local people were banned.
(iv) Many pastoral and nomadic tribes were called ‘criminal tribes’ by the British. They were forced to work in factories, mines, plantations under government supervision.
Q. 10. What was the causes of expansion of cultivation in the colonial period?
Ans. The main causes of expansion of cultivation were:
(i) Demand of commercial crops increase in Europe.
(ii) Wrong attitude of the colonial states about forests that they were unproductive.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Discuss the role of following three factors in rapidly disappearing of the Indian forests during the British colonial period. Keep in mind particularly forty years from 1880 to 1920.
(a) Commercial Farming.
Ans. Commercial Farming: Large areas of natural forests were cleared to make for plantations or commercial farming. Jute, rubber, indigo, tobacco etc. commercial crops were planted to meet Britain’s growing need for these commodities. The Colonial Government (the British Government) took over the forests of vast area and exported their product to Europe.
(b) Tea/Coffee Plantation.
Ans. Tea/Coffee Plantations: For tea and coffee planters at cheap rates, the hilly areas were given. These areas were enclosed and cleared of forests and planted with tea or coffee.
(c) Adivasis and other peasant users.
Ans. Adivasis and other peasant-user: Adivasis and other peasant-users also participated in deforestation. They used to cut the trees whenever they get chances for their
personal use or to obtain things for sale or for their own animals, etc. In shifting cultivation, parts of the forest are cut and burnt in rotation. Such plots are cultivated for a couple of years and then left fallow for 12 to 18 years for the forest to grow back.
Q. 2. Why did British Government want to change grazing land into farming land? Give five reasons.
Ans. (i) The British government wanted to enhance its revenue. As a result of their policies, the life of pastoralists changed dramatically. Under Colonial rule, their grazing ground shrank, their movements were regulated. The revenue the had to pay was increase.
(ii) The colonial government wanted to change all grazing lands into farming land. Land revenue was one of the major sources of its finance.
(iii) To colonial officials all grazing or uncultivated land appeared to be unproductive. The Colonial state wanted to increase its cultivations to collect more and more revenue.
(iv) Grazing land was seen as ‘waste land’ as it produced neither revenue nor agricultural produce. They wanted to expand cultivation to produce more cotton, jute, wheat and other agricultural produce that were needed in Britain.
(v) From the mid-19th century onwards, the colonial government enacted Wast Land Rules. On the basis of these rules uncultivated lands were taken over and given to select individuals. However, in most areas the lands taken over were really grazing land.
Q. 3. How forests are very useful for the villagers?
Ans. (i) In forest areas, people use forest products-roots, leaves, fruits and timbers- for many things. Fruits and roots are nutritious to eat, especially during the monsoons before the harvest has come in.
(ii) Herbs are used for medicine, wood for agricultural implements like yokes and ploughs, bamboo makes excellent fences and is also used to make baskets and umbrellas.
(iii) A dried scooped out gourd can be used as a portable water bottle. Almost everything is available in the forest-leaves can be stitched together to make disposable plates and cups, the siadia (Bauhinia vahlii) creeper can be used to make ropes and the thorny bark of the semur (silk-cotton) tree is used to grate vegetables.
(iv) Oil for cooking and lighting lamps can be got by pressing the fruit of the mahua tree.
Q. 4. Explain the reasons of cultivation expansion during the colonial period.
Ans. (i) The British directly encouraged the production of commercial crops like jute, sugarcane, wheat and cotton.
(ii) The demand for these crops increased in the nineteenth century Europe where foodgrains were required to feed the growing urban population and raw materials were required for industrial production.
(iii) In the early nineteenth century, the colonial government in India thought that forests were unproductive.
(iv) They were considered to be wilderness that had to be brought under cultivation so that the land could yield agricultural products, i.e., wheat, rice, cotton, jute, sugar, etc. and revenue and enhance the income of state.
HOTS QUESTION
Q. 1. Identify all things that you use in your home, school come from forests. Make a list of the some things or articles.
Ans. (i) Paper.
(ii) Furniture such as chairs, desks, tables, doors and windows.
(iii) The dyes that colour clothes.
(iv) Spices we use in food.
(v) The cellophane wrapper we use in our offices.
(vi) Tendu leaves used in making bidis.
(vii) Gum, honey, coffee, tea, and rubber etc. we get from different plants and trees.
(viii) Oil in chocolates, which comes from sal seeds.
(ix) The tannin used to convert skins and hides into leather.
(x) Herbs and roots used for medical purposes.
(xi) Forests also provide bamboo, wood for fuel, grass, charcoal, fruits and flowers.
Q. 2. Describe the life of the tribal people of Bastar.
Ans. Bastar is located in the southern most part of Chhattisgarh. A number of different communities live in Bastar such as Maria and Muria Gonds, Dhurwas, Batras and Halbas. They speak different languages also. Their customs and beliefs are as given below:
(i) They have common customs and beliefs.
(ii) They believe that each village was given its land by the earth and in return, they look after the earth by making some offerings at each agricultural festival.
(iii) They show respect to the spirits of the river, the forest and the mountain.
(iv) The local people look after all the natural resources of the village.
(v) If people from a village want to take some wood from the forests of another village, they pay a small fee called devsari, land or man exchange.
PASSAGE BASED QUESTIONS
1. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
Deforestation is not a recent problem. The process began many centuries ago; but under colonial rule it became more systematic and extensive. In 1600, approximately one-sixth of India’s landmass was under cultivation. Now that figure has gone up to about half. As population increased over the centuries and the demand for food went up, peasants extended the boundaries of cultivation, clearing forests and breaking new land. In the colonial period, cultivation expanded rapidly for a variety of reasons.
(i) Deforestation refers to:
(a) increase in area of cultivation.
(b) increase in the area of forests.
(c) increase in the area under irrigation.
(d) cutting of forests on a large scale.
Ans. (d) cutting of forests on a large scale.
(ii) What led to the rapid expansion of cultivation in the colonial period?
(a) To colonize India.
(b) To control agricultural trade.
(c) To enhance yield of agricultural products and revenue, and earn income.
(d) To feed the European population.
Ans. (c) To enhance yield of agricultural products and revenue, and earn income.
(iii) Which of the following commercial crops that were directly encouraged for production by the British?
(a) rice, jute and tea.
(b) jute, wheat and cotton.
(c) tea, coffee and cotton.
(d) rice, coffee and maize.
Ans. (b) jute, wheat and cotton.
(iv) What led to increase in demand for the food grains in nineteenth-century Europe?
(a) Growing fear of world war.
(b) To combat depression.
(c) To earn more income by trading in agricultural products.
(d) Growing urban population.
Ans. (d) Growing urban population.
2. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
Dietrich Brandis realized that a proper system had to be introduced to manage the forests and people had to be trained in the science of conservation. This system would need legal sanction. Rules about the use of forest resources had to be framed.
So Brandis set up the Indian Forest Service in 1864 and helped formulate the Indian Forest Act of 1865. The Imperial Forest Research Institute was set up at Dehradun in 1906. The system they taught here was called ‘scientific forestry. Many people now, including ecologists, feel that this system is not scientific at all.
(i) What was the concept of ‘scientific forestry’?
(a) Controlled cutting of trees.
(b) Cutting of trees in a scientific manner.
(c) A system of cutting trees controlled by the forest department, in which old trees are cut and new ones planted.
(d) Cutting of trees for industrial use.
Ans. (c) A system of cutting trees controlled by the forest department, in which old trees are cut and new ones planted.
(ii) What role would the forest officials play in scientific forestry?
(a) Control the villagers from entering the forests.
(b) Surveying the animal breeds.
(c) Counting the number of trees in the forests.
(d) Survey the forests, estimate the area under different types of trees, and make working plans for forest management.
Ans. (d) Survey the forests, estimate the area under different types of trees, and make working plans for forest management.
(iii) The best forests were termed as:
(a) reserved forests.
(b) protected forests.
(c) village forests.
(d) village commons.
Ans. (a) reserved forests.
(iv) Trees of which particular species were promoted by the forest laws?
(a) neem and banyan.
(b) teak and sal.
(c) sandalwood and teak.
(d) teak and birch.
Ans. (b) teak and sal.
3. Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
One of the major impacts of European colonialism was on the practice of shifting cultivation or swidden agriculture. This is a traditional agricultural practice in many parts of Asia, Africa and South America. It has many local names such as lading in Southeast Asia, milpa in Central America, chitemene or tavy in Africa, and chena in Sri Lanka. In India, dhya, penda, bewar, nevada, jhum, podu, khandad and humri are some of the local terms for swidden agriculture. European foresters regarded this practice as harmful for the forests.
(i) When were the seeds sown and crop harvested in the shifting cultivation?
(a) Seeds were sown in the ashes in winter, and the crop was harvested in summer.
(b) Seeds were sown in the ashes in summer, and the crop was harvested in winter.
(c) Seeds were sown in the ashes after the first monsoon rains, and the crop was harvested by October-November.
(d) Seeds were sown in the ashes during the monsoon rains, and the crop was harvested by January-February.
Ans. (c) Seeds were sown in the ashes after the first monsoon rains, and the crop was harvested by October-November.
(ii) Some patches were cultivated for a couple of years and then left fallow for 12 to 18 years. Why?
(a) To let the grass to grow.
(b) For the forest to grow and the patch of land to retain its fertility.
(c) To leave the land for the cattle to graze.
(d) To allow rain water to percolate into the soil.
Ans. (b) For the forest to grow and the patch of land to retain its fertility.
(iii) What types of crops were grown under the shifting cultivation?
(a) Cotton and rice.
(b) Wheat and maize.
(c) Tea and coffee.
(d) Millets, manioc, beans and maize.
Ans. (d) Millets, manioc, beans and maize.
(iv) When a forest was burnt, there was the added danger of:
(a) soil losing its fertility.
(b) air pollution.
(c) the flames spreading and burning valuable timber.
(d) burning of crops.
Ans. (c) the flames spreading and burning valuable timber.
