Important Questions for Class 8

Social Science

Chapter 8 – Women, Caste and Reforms

Very Short Answer Questions 1 Mark

1. Fill in the blanks-

(i) ______ supported the remarriage of widows.

(ii) ______supported equality for untouchables.

(iii) ______ supported caste equality.

(iv) _______ was instrumental in banning the practice of Sati.

Ans:
(i) Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar
(ii) Periyar

(iii) Jyotirao Phule

(iv) Rammohun Roy

2. State true and false.

(i) Pandita Ramabai supported education for women.

(ii) Dayanand Saraswati supported the remarriage of widows.

(iii) Mumtaz Ali supported education for women.

(iv) Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar supported equality for untouchables.

Ans:

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(i) True

(ii) True

(iii) True

(iv) False

3. Match the following-

(i) Brahmo Samaj Shudras

(ii) Banning of sati Pandita Ramabai

(iii) Widow home at Puna 1829

(iv) Peasants and artisans Raja Ram Mohan Rai

Ans:
(i) Raja Ram Mohan Rai
(ii) 1829

(iii) Pandita Ramabai

(iv) Shudras

4. Choose the correct option.

(i) The Self respect movement was founded by _____.

(a) Periyar

(b) Raja Ram Mohan Rai

(c) Swami Vivekanand

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(d) None of the above

(ii) The ______ college was opened by Sayyid Ahmad Khan.

(a) Hindu

(b) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

(c) Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental

(d) None of the above

Ans:
(i) (a) Periyar
(ii) (c) Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental

5. Define the Following

(i) Dravidian

(ii) Sati

Ans:

(i) The original inhabitants of India were referred to as Dravidians.

(ii) Sati were ladies who chose death after her husband's dismay on her husband's
funeral pyre.

Short Answer Questions 2 Marks

6. Why were the people belonging to the lower class happy for migration?

Ans: They were glad to migrate because it meant an end to the humiliation they had
endured as a result of their lower caste status.

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7. Why did Jyotirao Phule and others start protesting?

Ans: Jyotirao Phule and the reformers spoke out against the Brahmans, claiming that
they were from outside the subcontinent and therefore superior to the native people.

8. How do you define the act of book distribution by Phule to the activists
against slavery?

Ans: This act reflects Phule's great belief in the independence of India's lower castes.

9. How is Ramaswamy Naicker important for the untouchables?

Ans: Ramaswamy Naicker's inception of the Self Respect Movement was

significant in empowering untouchable people to fight for their dignity.

10. What was the major objective of Baba Saheb by letting the low caste enter
in the temples?

Ans: He intended to demonstrate the majority that the individuals who are left
behind in Hinduism because of caste can have a significant impact on colonisation
if they work together.

Short Answer Questions 3 Marks

11. Give a short brief of Raja Rammohun Roy.

Ans: Raja Rammohun Roy was a learned guy with a sharp mind. During British
administration, he was a social reformer. He was quite well-versed in Sanskrit. He
was also fluent in Persian and a few other European languages. He started a revolt
against Sati and eventually destroyed it.

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12. Describe the Hook swinging festival.

Ans: Swinging festival was a Hindu event observed in India. During this occasion,
believers would pierce their skin with a hook and then hang themselves in the air
using a tall pole and a wheel. The British have criticized this celebration and labeled
it cruel.

13. How did Rammohun Roy end the practice of Sati?

Ans: Raja Rammohun Roy began a crusade to end the practice of sati. He was fluent
in multiple languages. He began writing and attempted to demonstrate in his work
that widow burning was not sanctioned in ancient texts. The British used to listen to
Rammohun Roy since he was a well-educated and well-respected man. Sati practice
was outlawed in 1829.

14. Discuss about the campaign that was spread against widow remarriage?

Ans: The second half of the nineteenth century saw an increase in widow remarriage.
This movement extended throughout the country. Ishwarchandra Vidysagar used
ancient writings to explain why he was opposed to widow remarriage, which was
legal in our culture. Swami Dayanand Saraswati was also in favor of widow
marriage.

15. Which school was first opened for the education of women?

Ans: The first girl's school was established in 1875. When the girls' school was
established, it was agreed that the curriculum would be less than that of the males.
The Hindu Mahila Vidyalaya was one of the first institutes to offer female education.
The Vidyalaya gave the girls the same education that the boys were receiving at the
time.

Long Answer Questions 5 Marks

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16. During the British period what opportunities came for the people who were
considered to be low class?

Ans: During the British period, cities grew and expanded. This produced a demand
for employment among the "poor" castes, as they were required to dig drains, lay
roads, construct buildings, labor in factories, and clean towns. To work for the
British, labor was also obliged to travel from villages to towns and cities. Some of
the lower castes traveled to work in plantations in Assam, Mauritius, and other
places. Despite the difficulties they could experience in their new surroundings, they
were eager to move because it would eliminate the humiliation they had suffered as
a result of their lower caste status.

17. What did the Jyotirao Phule think of the Aryans and Brahmins?

Ans: Jyotirao Phule and the reformers spoke out against the Brahmans, claiming
they were from beyond the subcontinent. They were convinced that the Brahmans
were Aryans who belonged nowhere and had no claim to the nation's land and power.
Because they believed they belonged to the "upper" caste, the Brahmans considered
themselves superior to the other castes. Jyotirao Phule and the other reformers
believed that these Aryans came to regard the defeated as low-caste people. Phule
believed that the land held by the upper caste truly belonged to the locals, who were
regarded as low-caste people.

18. What did Jyotirao Phule do for the slaves of America?

Ans: Jyotirao Phule's novel Gulamgiri, which he published in 1873, was dedicated
to slavery. The American Civil War, which took place ten years before this period,
resulted in the abolition of slavery in America. To highlight his desire that slavery
of lower castes in India would end as it had in America, Phule dedicated his book to
the entire American slave-freedom struggle. This act of dedication reflects Phule's
deep belief in the independence of India's lower castes.

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19. Why did Ambedkar initiate the temple entry movement?

Ans: In the year 1927, Ambedkar launched the temple entry movement, which
sparked indignation among Brahman priests who were extremely troubled by the
entry of lower castes into the temple and their use of water. Between 1927 and 1935,
Ambedkar led two more such temple admission initiatives. He performed this deed
to demonstrate the power of caste stereotypes inside society. He intended to
demonstrate to the majority that the individuals who are left behind in Hinduism
because of caste can have a significant impact on colonisation if they work together.

20. Discuss the role of Jyotirao Phule and Ramaswamy Naicker in the national
struggle for equality and self respect.

Ans: Jyotirao Phule and Ramaswamy Naicker were both skeptical of the national
movement because they saw no distinction between the colonial masters and the
preachers of anticolonialism, both of whom were deemed foreigners. They thought
that the oppression would continue even after independence from British power.
Their criticism aided the national movement to a large measure by unifying leaders
to fight against colonial control without regard for caste, creed, or religion.
Ramaswamy Naicker's inception of the Self Respect Movement was significant in
empowering untouchable people to fight for their dignity.

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