Please refer to The Age of Industrialisation Class 10 Social Science Important Questions with solutions provided below. These questions and answers have been provided for Class 10 Social Science based on the latest syllabus and examination guidelines issued by CBSE, NCERT, and KVS. Students should learn these problem solutions as it will help them to gain more marks in examinations. We have provided Important Questions for Class 10 Social Science for all chapters in your book. These Board exam questions have been designed by expert teachers of Standard 10.
Class 10 Social Science Important Questions The Age of Industrialisation
Objective Type Questions
Question. Which of the following is not a reason why industrialists in the 19th century Europe preferred hand labour over machines?
(a) There was abundance of labour so there were low wages.
(b) Hand labour produced uniform and standardised goods for a mass market.
(c) Machines required huge capital investment.
(d) Industries where demand was seasonal, industrialists preferred hand labour.
Answer : (b) Hand labour produced uniform and standardised goods for a mass market.
Question. Choose the correctly matched pair about the events and their year:
(a) James Hargreaves invents the Spinning Jenny – 1764
(b) James Watt patents the Steam Engine – 1771
(c) Richard Arkwright creates the first cotton mill – 1781
(d) Earliest factories started in England – 1790’s
Answer : (a) James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny – 1764.
Question. In Victorian Britain, the upper classes- aristocratic class and bourgeoisie preferred hand made goods. Identify the reason from the given options.
(a) They were made from imported material.
(b) As they were better finished.
(c) Only upper class could afford the expensive handmade items.
(d) The Handmade goods came to symbolise refinement and class.
Answer : (d) The Handmade goods came to symbolise refinement and class.
Question. Following image shows the homeless in London applying for tickets to stay overnight in a workhouse. These shelters were maintained under the supervision of the Poor Law Commissioners for the ‘destitute, wayfarers, wanderers and foundling’. Identify the year in which this image was painted by Samuel Luke Fildes.
(a) 1871
(b) 1872
(c) 1874
(d) 1877
Answer : (c) 1874
Question. What made workers become hostile to the Spinning Jenny? Identify the correct reason from the given options.
(a) Common people had not yet accepted the machine-made products.
(b) Handmade goods were still popular.
(c) It had reduced the demand for labour.
(d) As low wages were offered to the labour.
Answer : (c) It had reduced the demand for labour.
Question. Following image marked the decline of the old trading order and growth of the colonial economy.
Identify the trading ports that grew during the 1780s.
(a) Bombay and Calcutta
(b) Madras and Calcutta
(c) Gujarat and Madras
(d) Gujarat and Bombay
Answer : (a) Bombay and Calcutta
Question. Match the following items given in List I with those in List II.
Codes
(a) A – 1, B – 2, C – 3, D – 4
(b) A – 3, B – 1, C – 4, D – 2
(c) A – 2, B – 3, C – 4, D – 1
(d) A – 4, B – 3, C – 2, D – 1
Answer : (d) A – 4, B – 3, C – 2, D – 1
Question. Why did the weavers suffer from a problem of raw cotton? Identify the correct option.
(a) Raw Cotton exports increased
(b) Cotton crop Perished
(c) Local Markets shrank
(d) Export Market collapsed
Answer : (a) Raw Cotton exports increased
Question. Which of the following industries became the most dynamic industries in Britain?
(a) Cotton and Jute
(b) Cotton and Metal
(c) Metal and Pottery
(d) Metal and Glasswork
Answer : (b) Cotton and Metal
Question. Why it was difficult to get a job in a factory despite expansion of factories? Choose the correct option.
(a) Employers were looking for only skilled workers and they rejected inexperienced workers.
(b) The number of jobs were less than the number of job seekers.
(c) Employers wanted educated workers.
(d) Employers didn’t prefer migrants.
Answer : (b) The number of jobs were less than the number of job seekers.
Question. Match the following items given in List I with those in List II.
Codes
(a) A – 2, B – 3, C – 4, D – 1
(b) A – 4, B – 1, C – 2, D – 3
(c) A – 3, B – 4, C – 1, D – 2
(d) A – 2, B – 1, C – 3, D – 4
Answer : (b) A – 4, B – 1, C – 2, D – 3
Question. Identify the person with the help of clues.
◆ He got people from the village
◆ He ensured people with jobs.
◆ He helped people to settle in cities.
(a) Stapler
(b) Fuller
(c) Jobber
(d) Gomasthas
Answer : (c) Jobber
Assertion-Reason Questions
Direction : Each of these questions contains two statements, Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Each of these questions also has four alternative choices, any one of which is the correct answer. You have to select one of the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) given below.
Question. Assertion (A) The period of industrialisation before the first factories came up in Europe is termed as proto-industrialisation.
Reason (R) This period was marked by merchants from towns getting products made in villages.
Codes
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but, R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer : (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Question. Assertion (A) In 1760s and 1770s, the East India Company faced problems in getting a regular supply of goods for export.
Reason (R) Emergence of new ports was an indication of the growth of new colonial powers.
Codes
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but, R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer : (b) Both A and R are true but, R is not the correct explanation of A
Question. Assertion (A) By the 1750s, with the arrival of the European companies the Indians started losing their control over the trade.
Reason (R) There was a decline of the old ports like Surat and Hooghly and the emergence of new ports like Bombay and Calcutta.
Codes
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but, R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer : (b) Both A and R are true but, R is not the correct explanation of A
Question. Assertion (A) With the expansion of factories, the demand for workers increased.
Reason (R) Many worker travelled distant places in the hope of work in the mills.
Codes
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but, R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer : (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Question. Assertion (A) When the Spinning Jenny was introduced in the woolen industry, women who survived on hand spinning began opposing new machines.
Reason (R) The fear of unemployment made workers unfriendly to the introduction of new technology.
Codes
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true but, R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer : (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Short Answer Type Questions
Question. Examine the causes of clashes between weavers and gomasthas in many weaving villages.
Answer : The causes of clashes between the weavers and the gomasthas were
◆ The gomasthas gave loans to the weavers to purchase the raw material for their production. Those who took loans had to hand over the product timely to the gomasthas. They had no option to sell their products to other traders.
◆ Often the price given by the gomasthas (dictated by the company) was miserably low and the loans the weavers had accepted tied them to company. Weavers along with village traders revolted and opposed the company official and sometimes migrated to other villages.
◆ The gomasthas had no feelings to the weavers. They marched into villages with sepoys and peons and punished the weavers.
Thus, clashes between the weavers and gomasthas became very common.
Question. Describe the role of ‘Jobbers’ in the beginning of twentieth century in India.
Answer : Jobbers were people employed by industrialists to recruit the right people from among the job seekers. Very often
the jobber was an old and trusted worker. They played an important role in the mills of India in the beginning of the twentieth century in the following ways
◆ He got people from his village and ensured them jobs.
◆ He helped people to settle them in the city. He provided money in times of crisis.
◆ Jobbers became persons with some authority and power. He began demanding money and gifts for his favour and started to control the lives of workers.
Question. Describe the conditions of workers in Europe after the industrial revolution.
Answer : The conditions of workers in Europe after the industrial revolution were
◆ In most of the industries, the demand for labour was seasonal. The actual possibility of getting a job depended on existing networks of friendship and relations.
◆ The workers were getting very low wages.
◆ Factories employed large number of women. With technological development women gradually lost their industrial jobs.
◆ Most of the workers were living in slums. Factory or workshop owners did not provide housing facilities to the migrant workers.
Question. Mention any three restrictions imposed by the British Government upon the Indian merchants in the 19th century.
Answer : The restrictions imposed by the British Government upon the Indian merchants in the 19th century were
(i) The British Government developed a system of management and control that would eliminate competition and restrict the space within which Indian merchants could function.
(ii) Indian merchants were not allowed to trade with Europe in manufactured goods.
(iii) Indian merchants had to export mostly raw materials like raw cotton, opium, wheat and indigo required by the British. They were also gradually thrown out of the shipping business.
Question. Explain the meaning of the term ‘Industrial Revolution’.
Answer : The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ stands for those developments and inventions which revolutionised the technique and organisation of production in the later half of the 18th century. This Industrial Revolution replaced the previous domestic system of production by the new factory system. In place of manual and animal power, new machines and steam power were used for producing things. This revolution replaced cottage industries by factories, hand labour by machine work and craftsmen and artists by capitalists and factory owners.
Question. Explain how were Indian merchants and bankers involved in the export trade in the early 18th century.
Answer : Indian merchants and bankers were involved in the export trade in early 18th century in the following ways
◆ They were financing production, carrying goods and supplying exporters.
◆ The supply merchants linked the port towns to the inland regions.
◆ They gave advances to the weavers, procured the woven cloth from weaving villages and carried the supply to the ports.
◆ At the port, the big shippers and export merchants had brokers who negotiated the price and bought goods from the supply merchants operating inland.
Question. Highlight any three benefits of industrialisation on the society.
Answer : The benefits of industrialisation on the society can be are
◆ Industrialisation leads to improved standards of the entire society as a whole and improves of the economic conditions.
◆ It leads to prosperity in the form of the availability of better and more foods, clothing and gave longer life expectancy, freedom from hard physical work, more and better facilities for development of intellectual capabilities of individual.
◆ It produce employment, wealth and technical skill. It provided modern conveniences, medical advances, changes in lifestyle, education, transportation development, etc.
Question. Give reasons why British industries failed to recapture their old hold on the Indian market after the First World War.
Answer : British industries failed to recapture their old hold on the Indian market after the First World War because
◆ During the war years, Indian industries gradually consolidated their position by substituting foreign manufacturers and capturing the home market.
◆ The nationalist movement had gained ground under Mahatma Gandhi and his call for use of Swadeshi products was largely supported.
◆ Countries like Japan, US and Germany had modernised and Britain could not compete with them.
Thus, British economy fell down after the world war and cotton production and exports of cotton cloth fell dramatically.
Question. Critically examine how the British companies gradually asserted monopoly rights in India.
Answer : British companies gradually asserted monopoly rights in India in the following ways
◆ The company appointed paid gomasthas to supervise weavers, collect supplies and examine the quality of cloth.
◆ The company introduced the system of advances to the weavers to prevent company weavers from dealing with other buyers.
◆ The company introduced a system of management and control that would eliminate competition, control costs and ensure regular supplies of cotton and silk goods.
Question. How did many Indian entrepreneurs survive despite of tight economic controls imposed by the British Government?
Answer : Many Indian entrepreneurs survived despite of tight economic controls imposed by the British Government by adopting the following ways
◆ Some merchants traded with Burma, Middle East and East Africa accumulated capital through other trade networks.
◆ Some merchants operated within India, carrying goods from one place to another, banking money, transferring funds between cities and financing traders.
◆ When opportunities of investment in industries opened up, many Indian entrepreneurs set up their own factories.
Question. ‘Despite stiff competition from machine- made thread, the Indian handloom production not only survived, but also saw a steady growth in the 20th century’. Explain reasons in favour of your answer.
OR
How did handloom cloth production expand steadily in the 20th century? Explain.
Answer : Despite stiff competition from machine-made thread, the Indian weavers survived and expanded steadily in the 20th century due to following reasons
◆ Indian weavers began to use fly shuttle which increased productivity per worker, speeded up production and reduced labour demand.
◆ Among the weavers, some produced coarser cloth while others wove finer varieties. The finer varieties were bought by the rich and the sale of Banarasi and Baluchari saris was not affected by famines or droughts.
◆ Mills could not imitate specialised weaves like saris with woven borders, famous lungis and handkerchiefs of Madras, etc.
Question. Explain the role of European Managing Agencies in India.
Answer : Role of European Managing Agencies in India was
◆ European Managing Agencies (e.g. Bird Heiglers and Co., Andrew Yule, Jardine Skinner and Co.) dominated industrial production in India. They were interested in certain kinds of products which could be exported.
◆ By acquiring land at cheap rates from the colonial government, they established tea and coffee plantations.
◆ They invested money in mining, indigo and jute. These products were not for sale in India. Most of these products were used for export trade.
◆ Till the First World War, these agencies controlled a large sector of Indian industries.
◆ These agencies mobilised capital, set up joint stock companies and managed them.
Question. How did factory production began in England?
Answer : The factory production began in England with the establishment of early factories by the 1730s. The number of factories increased dramatically in the late 18th century. During this period, cotton was the first good whose production was flourished. It was followed by the rapid establishment and expansion of the iron and steel industry.
The driving force of industrialisation was the inventions and technological changes of the 18th century. This innovation increased the efficiency at each stage of production and enhanced the output produced per worker, especially in the case of cotton and other textile industry.
Richard Arkwright laid the foundation of the factory system by creating the cotton mill. The spinning Jenny and other devices were invented to speed up textile production. This allowed more careful supervision over the production process, proper check over quality and regulation of labour force employed. Thus, in the late 19th century, factories increasingly became an intimate part of the Britain.
Question. Why did industrial production in India increase during the First World War?
OR
Explain the impact of the First World War on industrial production in India.
Answer : Industrial production in India was impacted or increased during the First World War due to the following reasons
◆ British industries were busy with war production to meet the needs of the army and they stopped British goods in other countries like-India. It was a good opportunity for Indian industries to fill in empty markets with their own products. Suddenly, Indian industries had a vast home market to supply.
◆ As the war continued, Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs like-jute bags, cloth or army uniform, tents and leather boots, etc.
◆ The increased demand for a variety of products led to the setting up of new factories. Production was also increased by the old industries. Many new workers were employed and forced to work more hours.
Question. Describe any three major problems faced by Indian cotton weavers in the nineteenth century.
Answer : The major problems that the Indian weavers faced in the nineteenth century were
(i) Their export market collapsed and the local market shrank.
(ii) The local market was flooded with Manchester goods (goods imported from Britain). These imported cotton goods were so cheap that Indian weavers could not easily compete with them.
(iii) Due to the Civil War in USA, weavers in India did not get sufficient supply of raw cotton and they were forced to buy raw cotton at high prices. In this situation, weaving was not profitable.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question. Describe the role of early entrepreneurs of India in the development of industries.
Answer : The role of early entrepreneurs of India in the development of Industries was
◆ From the late 18th century, the British in India began exporting opium to China and took tea from China to England. Many Indian businessmen were involved in this trade.
◆ In the nineteenth century many cotton mills, jute mills, spinning and weaving mills were set up and most of these were set up by Indian entrepreneurs.
◆ In Bengal Dwarkanath Tagore, in Bombay Dihshaw Petit and Jamsetjee Nusservanjee Tata built huge industrial empire by accumulating their initial wealth partly from exports of China and partly from raw cotton exports to England. Other businessmen like Seth Hukumchand, J.N. Tata set up Jute mill, Iron and Steel factories in India.
◆ Some merchants from Madras traded with Burma and some others traded with the Middle East and East Africa.
◆ Some entrepreneurs operated within India, carry goods from one place to another, banking money, transferring funds between cities and financing other traders. When opportunities of investment were opened up, many factories were set up.
Question. Describe the life of workers during the nineteenth century in England.
Answer : The life of workers during the nineteenth century in England was
◆ Low Wages The workers were getting very low wages. Till the mid-nineteenth century, about 10% of the population was extremely poor. The abundance of labour in the market affected the lives of the workers.
◆ Women Workers Factories employed large number of women. With technological development women gradually lost their industrial jobs.
◆ Overcrowded Cities Most of the workers were living in slums. As the new possible job opportunities were in the cities, number of people from countryside travelled towards the cities in search of work.
◆ Seasonal Work In most of the industries, the demand for labour was seasonal. The actual possibility of getting a job depended on existing networks of friendship and kin relations. Many of the workers had to wait for weeks spending nights under bridges or night shelters.
Question. ‘We find that from the very beginning of the industrial age, advertisements played a vital role in expanding the markets for products.’ Explain the statement in the context of pre-independence period of our country.
Answer : From the very beginning of the industrial age, advertisements played a vital role in expanding the markets for products in the following ways
◆ The Manchester industrialists began selling their cloth in India by putting labels on the cloth bundles. When buyers saw such labels on the cloth like ‘Made In Manchester’, they felt confident about buying the cloth.
◆ The manufacturers also used images of Indian Gods, Goddesses and important personalities on these labels. These images helped to make the foreign products somehow familiar to Indian people.
◆ In the late 19th century, the British manufacturers used calendars to popularise their products. Unlike newspapers and magazines, calendars were being used even by illiterate people.
◆ Indian manufacturers even advertised the nationalist message which was clear and specific. For example, ‘if you care for the nation then buy products that Indians produce’. Advertisement became a medium of the message of Swadeshi.
Question. What was proto industrialisation? In what ways the proto-industrial production helped the poor farmers in countryside?
Answer : The proto industrial system was a part of a network of commerical exchanges. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with the expansion of world trade and acquisition of colonies, the demand for goods expanded. But the merchants could not set up business in towns due to the strict restriction imposed by guilds. So the merchants turned to the countryside.
Proto-industrialisation helped the poor farmers in the countryside in the following ways
◆ The peasants and cottagers looked for alternative ways for their survival.
◆ Many had small land holdings, which couldn’t provide work for all the members.
◆ When merchants came around and offered money to produce goods for them, peasants eagerly accepted.
◆ By working for the merchants, they could remain in the countryside and also could cultivate their own small plots of land.
In this way, proto-industrial production supplemented the shrinking income of the poor peasants and raised their standard of living.
Question. Why did the export of Indian textile decline at the beginning of the nineteenth century? Explain any three reasons.
Answer : By the end of the 19th century, export of Indian textile industry started to decline due to the following reasons
◆ East India Company Gained Power Once the East India Company established political power, it asserted a monopoly right to trade. It proceeded to develop a system of management and control that would eliminate competition, control costs and ensure regular supplies of cotton and silk goods.
◆ Growth of Cotton Industries in England As cotton industries developed in England, industrial group became worried about the imports from other countries. They pressurised the government to impose import duties on cotton textile, so that Manchester goods could easily sell in Britain without facing any competition from outside.
Further the industrialists persuaded the East India Company to sell British products forcefully in Indian market.
◆ The Result of Two Edge Policy To sell British products in India the East India Company followed a two edged policy, i.e. no taxes on imports but high taxes on exports. Due to this policy, local Indian market shrank and flooded with cheap Manchester machine made products.
◆ Shortage of Raw Material Due to the American Civil War, cotton supplies from the US cut off and Britain turned to India for cotton supplies. As raw cotton exports from India increased, Indian weavers faced the problem due to the shortage of raw materials for textile industry.
Question. Describe the role of ‘technology’ in transformation of the world in the nineteenth century.
Answer : The role of technology in transformation of the world in the nineteenth century was
◆ Technological advancement through the invention of railways, steamships, telegraph etc transformed the nineteenth century world. Faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships helped move food more cheaply and quickly from far away farms to final markets.
◆ Development of new technology like refrigerated ships enabled the transport of perishable foods like meat, egg more quickly than before. As a result poor of European countries got better food. This brought social peace and also support for imperialism.
◆ Industrialisation forced people to migrate from rural areas to urban areas in search of jobs in the factories. It encouraged the spirit of individualism among both men and women. Collective values of rural life began to fade out in urban areas.
◆ It further widened the gap between rich and poor. The factory workers were forced to live in unhealthy slum areas of cities instead of pollution free rural landscape.
◆ Industrialisation forced the entire household i.e. woman and children to work, child labour became a major problem of the society.
Question. By the first decade of the 20th century, a series of changes affected the pattern of industrialisation in India. Explain.
Answer : By the first decade of the 20th century, a series of changes affected the pattern of industrialisation in India in the following ways
◆ Effect of Swadeshi and Boycott Movement After the partition of Bengal, Swadeshi Movement was developed. It has two sides i.e. positive and negative. In the positive side, nationalists urged people to use only swadeshi goods and in the negative side they mobilised people to boycott foreign goods.
This movement had an immense effect on economy. There was an increase in the demand of Indian goods, specially clothes.
◆ Aim of Industrial Groups Industrial groups organised themselves to protect their collective interests. They pressurised the government to increase tariff protection and grant other concessions.
◆ Decline of Exports to China From 1906, the export of Indian yarn to China declined as produce from Chinese and Japanese mills flooded the Chinese markets. Thus, industrialist in India began shifting from yarn to cloth production. Cotton goods production in India doubled between 1900 and 1912.
◆ Result of First World War Till the First World War, industrial growth was slow. British mills became busy with war production, thus Manchester imports to India declined. Suddenly, Indian mills got a vast home market to supply. As the war prolonged, Indian factories had to supply different war needs. This led to set up new factories and multiple shifts for the old factories.
Indian industry developed immensely at that period. After the war, Manchester could not recapture its old position in Indian market.
Case Based Questions
Question. Read the given case/source and answer the following questions.
In the countryside poor peasants and artisans began working for merchants. This was a time when open fields were disappearing and commons were being enclosed. Cottagers and poor peasants who had earlier depended on common lands for their survival, gathering their firewood, berries, vegetables, hay and straw, had to now look for alternative sources of income. Many had tiny plots of land which could not provide work for all members of the household.
So, when merchants came around and offered advances to produce goods for them, peasant households eagerly agreed, by working for the merchants, they could remain in the countryside and continue to cultivate their small plots. Income from proto-industrial production supplemented their shrinking income from cultivation. It also allowed them a fuller use of their family labour resources.
This proto-industrial system was thus part of a network of commercial exchanges. It was controlled by merchants and the goods were produced by a vast number of producers working within their family farms, not in factories. At each stage of production 20 to 25 workers were employed by each merchant. This meant that each clothier was controlling hundreds of workers.
(i) What is proto-industrial system? Discuss its importance.
Answer : The proto-industrial system was a network of early form of commercial exchange before industrialisation. It was controlled by the merchants.
It was important as the peasant could cultivate their own small patches of land and yet could earn some
supplementary income by producing for the merchants.
This allowed them to make better use of the available family resources.
(ii) Which phase of industrialisation is called Proto-industrialisation and why?
Answer : The early phase of industrialisation in which large-scale production was carried out for international market not at factories but in decentralised units is called
proto-industrialisation. It is called proto-
industrialisation because products are made by hand only.
(iii) Explain the main features of proto-industrialisation.
Answer : The main features of proto-industrialisation were
◆ It was controlled by merchants or guilds who had monopoly rights to produce and trade goods.
◆ Generally family members were involved in the production process and the production was carried out in countryside.
Question. Read the case/source given and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct option.
Will Thorne is one of those who went in search of seasonal work, loading bricks and doing odd jobs. He describes how job-seekers walked to London in search of work: ‘I had always wanted to go to London, and my desire … as stimulated by letters from an old workmate … who was now working at the Old Kent Road Gas Works … I finally decided to go … in November, 1881. With two friends I started out to walk the journey, filled with the hope that we would be able to obtain employment, when we get there, with the kind assistance of my friend … we had little money when we started, not enough to pay for our food and lodgings each night until we arrived in London. Some days we walked as much as twenty miles and other days less. Our money was gone at the end of the third day … For two nights we slept out – once under a haystack and once in an old farm shed … On arrival in London we tried to find … my friend … but … were unsuccessful. Our money was gone, so there was nothing for us to do but to walk around until late at night, and the try to find some place to sleep. We found an old building and slept in it that night. The next day, Sunday, late in the afternoon, we got to the Old Kent Gas Works and applied for work. To my great surprise, the man we had been looking for was working at the time. He spoke to the foreman and I was given a job.’
(i) What was the status of human labour in Britain? Select the best suitable option from the following with reference to the context.
(a) There was limited number of workers.
(b) There was no shortage of labour.
(c) Labour had to be imported .
(d) There was uneven distribution of labour.
Answer : (b) There was no shortage of labour.
(ii) What kinds of production demanded seasonal labour? Identify the best suitable option from the following.
(a) Steel and iron
(b) Cotton and textiles
(c) Handmade goods
(d) Bookbinders and printers
Answer : (d) Bookbinders and printers
(iii) What was the possibility of getting a job with abundance of labour in cities such as London? With reference to the above context, infer the appropriate option.
(a) Jobs were given on the basis of merit system.
(b) Jobs were given who were registered with a particular factory.
(c) A job depended on existing networks of friendship and kin relations in a factory.
(d) All of the above
Answer : (c) A job depended on existing networks of friendship and kin relations in a factory.
(iv) What were the problems workers faced during the Industrialisation? Identify the best suitable option from the following.
(a) Migration from one place to another in search of suitable job.
(b) Spending nights under bridges or in night shelters.
(c) Preferences given to the unskilled labour in the industries.
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer : (d) Both (a) and (b)
(v) Two statements are given in the question below as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the appropriate option.
Assertion (A) Seasonality of work in any industries meant prolonged periods without work.
Reason (R) The lives of the workers was adversely affected and they returned towards rural areas.
Codes
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer : (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(vi) Which of the following aspect is correct regarding the given source? Identify the correct option
(a) It is extracted from ‘Comers and Goers’.
(b) It is quoted by Raphael Samuel.
(c) It shows the realities of the Victorian City.
(d) All of the above
Answer : (d) All of the above
Question. Read the given cases/sources and answer the following questions.
Source A Hand Labour and Steam Power
In Victorian Britain, the upper classes-the Aristocrats and the Bourgeoisie preferred things produced by hand. Handmade products came to symbolise refinement and class. They were better finished, individually produced and carefully designed. Machine-made goods were for export to the colonies.
(i) Evaluate the preference of handmade products by the Aristocrats and Bourgeoisie in England.
Answer : The upper class-the aristocrats and the bourgeoisie preferred things produced by hand because it symbolised refinement and class. They were better finished, designed and individually produced.
Source B Life of the Workers
The abundance of labour in the market affected the lives of workers. As news of possible jobs travelled to the countryside, hundreds tramped to the cities. The actual possibility of getting a job depended on existing networks of friendship and kin relations. If you had a relative or a friend in a factory, you were more likely to get a job quickly. But not everyone
had social connections. Many job-seekers had to wait weeks, spending nights under bridges or in night shelters.
(ii) ‘The abundance of labour in the market affect the lives of the workers’. Explain in the context of 19th century Britain?
Answer : The abundance of labour in the market affected the lives of the workers during the 19th century as news of possible jobs travelled to the countryside, poor peasants and vagrants moved to the cities in large numbers. But the actual possibility of getting a job depended on existing networks of friendship and kin relations. But not everyone had social connections. Many job seekers had to wait for weeks, spending sleepless nights under bridges or in night shelters.
Source C Manchester comes to India
Cotton weavers in India thus faced two problems at the same time: their export market collapsed and the local market shrank, being glutted with Manchester imports. Produced by machines at lower costs, the imported cotton goods were so cheap that weavers could not easily compets with them. By the 1850s, reports from most weaving regions of India narrated stories of decline and desolation.
(iii) What kind of problems were faced by Indian cotton weavers? Describe.
Answer : The problems faced by the Indian weavers were
◆ Their export market collapsed.
◆ The local market shrank due to the low cost machine made British products.
