Chapter – 9

(History)
Women Caste and Reforms
Glossary:-
1. Sati:- The Practice by which a
widow accepted death on her
husband’s pyre.
2. Shudras:- Peasants and artisans
such as weavers and potters are
referred to as this class.
3. Conservatives:- Those who want
to maintain old traditions & customs
and oppose new changes.
4. Discrimination:- Unjust treatment
of a different category, especially in
 terms of race, religion, caste or
gender.
5. Harijan:- A name given to
untouchables by Gandhiji.

Very Short Questions:-

Q.1. In which year did the Widow Remarriage Act
pass?
Ans.1. In 1856.
Q.2. By what name was E.V. Ramaswamy known?
Ans.2. Periyar.
Q.3. In which year the practice of sati was banned?
Ans.3. In 1829.
Q.4. Who established the Mohammed Anglo-
Oriental College?
Ans.4. Sayyid Ahmed Khan.
Q.5. Which movement was founded by Periyar?
Ans.5. Self – Respect Movement.
Q.6. Name the writer of the book,
“stripurushtulna”.
Ans.6. Tarabai Shinde.
Q.7. When did the Khalsa college of Amritsar
established ?
Ans.7. In 1892.
Q.8. When did Dr. B. R. Ambedkar start temple
entry movement?
Ans.8. 1927 – 1935.

1. Short Answer Type:-

Q.1. How did the Knowledge of ancient texts help the
reformers promote new ideas?
Ans.1. (i) Raja Ram Mohan sanction in Indian texts.
(ii)Ishwar Chandra Vidhyasagar used the ancient texts to
suggest that widows could remarriage.
 (iii) Swami Dayanand showed that many social evils of
today had no religious sanctions in the Vedas.
Q.2. What were the different reasons people had for not
sending girls to schools?
Ans.2. People feared to send their girls to school.
(i) They feared that schools would take girls away from
doing their domestic duties.
(ii) They felt that girls should stay away from public
places.
(iii) Girls had to travel for school and it did not feel
comfortable by the people.
Q.3. Why did Phule dedicate his book Gulamgiri to the
American movement to face slaves?
Ans.3. Phule dedicate his book ‘Gulamgiri’ to the
American movement to free slaves because by this he tried
to establish a link between the conditions of the lower
castes of India & the black slaves in America.

Q.4. What did Ambedkar want to achieve

through the temple empty movement?
Ans.4. (i) In 1927, B.R. Ambedkar started a
temple entry movement because Brahman
priests were outraged when the Dalits used
water from the temple tank.
(ii) Ambedkar led three movements for temple
entry between 1927 and 1935 through which,
he wanted to make everyone see the power of
caste prejudice within society.
Q.5. How did Jyotirao, the reformer, justify
his criticism of caste inequality in society?
Ans.5. (i) He claimed that the upper caste had
no right to their land & power, in reality the
land belonged to the natives of the country.
(ii) He proposed that Shudras and Ati Shudras
should unite to challenge caste discrimination.
(iii) By writing the book Gulamgiri which
means slavery in 1873, he justified his opinion
about the caste inequality in our society.
Long Answer Type:-
Q.1. Why were Christian missionaries attacked by
many people in the country? Would some people
have supported them too? If so, for what reasons?
Ans.1. (i) Christian missionaries were attacked by
many people in our country because people did not
support the activities of the Christian missionaries.
(ii) Further many Hindu nationalists felt that Hindu
women were adopting western ways and this would
corrupt Hindu Culture & destroy our family values.
Some people have supported the activities of
Christian missionaries because-
(i) They set up many schools for women, tribal
groups & lower caste children.
(ii) Christian missionaries also condemned the idea
of sati & child marriage

Q.2. In the British period, what new opportunities

opened up for people who came from castes that
were regarded as “low”?
Ans.2. There were job opportunities in the factories
and municipalities .
Coolies, Diggers, Carriers, brick layers ,Sewage,
Cleaners ,Sweepers, Rickshaw pullers etc were
required.
Some of the people also went to work on plantations in
Assam, Mauritius, Trinidad and Indonesia.
Through these activities the poor and the low castes got
an opportunity to get away from the oppressive hold of
the upper castes.

Q.3. Discuss the Contribution of Ishwarchandra

Vidyasagar for the upliftment of women.
Ans.3. (i) He did a lot for the education of women, as
he believed that women was the real teacher of her
child.
(ii) He opened and ran many schools for girls at his
own expense.
(iii) Vidyasagar strongly protested against polygamy
and child marriage.
(iv) It was due to his effort, the Hindu Widow
Remarriage Act 1856 was passed which allowed the
widows to remarriage.
(v) He opposed Sati System.