QUESTION BANK (TERM II) HELPDESK GRADE: VIII LESSON NO: 9 SUBJECT: HISTORY LESSON NAME: Challenges Of The Caste System NOTE: ANSWERS ARE MARKED IN RED Q I. Choose the correct alternative: (1 mark each) 1. _______ was the central figure in the awakening of modern India. (a) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (b) Swami Vivekananda (c) Raja Ram Mohan Roy (d) Mahatma Jyotiba Phule 2. Which of the following was detrimental to the progress of India? (a) sati (b) purdah (c) exploitative policies of the British (d) the caste system 3. M. G. Ranade and Ramakrishna Bhandarkar founded the ________. (a) Prarthana Samaj (b) Brahmo Samaj (c) Satyashodak Samaj (d) Hunter Commission 4. Kandukuri Veeresalingam started a Telugu Magazine devoted to _______. (a) victims of poverty (b) widows (c) peasants (d) social reform Q.II Fill in the blanks: (1 mark each) 1. Sridharalu Naidu stated an organization called _______ in Madras. (Veda Samaj) 2. E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker was also known as ________. (Periyar or ‘the lofty one’) 3. Dr. Ambedkar and Sri Narayana Guru worked for the upliftment of the ___. (untouchables) 4. _______ was the Chairperson of the Drafting Committee that drafted the Constitution of India. (Dr. B. R. Ambedkar) 1 Q.III Answer the following questions in one sentence: (1 Mark each) 1. In which year did the Constitution of India come into effect? Ans: 1950. 2. What did Gandhiji call the people of low castes? Ans: Harijans. Q.IV Answer the following questions: (2 Marks each) 1. What did Periyar’s teachings consist of? Ans: He wanted the people of lower castes to understand the need to develop self-respect and self-confidence. 2. What did Jyotiba Phule write to the Hunter Commission about? Ans: The plight of the shudras and how they had been duped by the Brahmins. To open the eyes of the government to the pernicious system of high-class education that was persistently followed. Q.V. Answer the following questions: (3 Marks each) 1. Reiterate Dr Ambedkar’s words for Jyotiba Phule. Ans: The greatest shudra of Modern India who made the lower classes of Hindus conscious of their slavery to the higher classes and who preached the gospel that for India, social democracy was more vital than independence from foreign rule. Q.VI Answer the following questions in brief: (4 Marks each) 1. If you were to see atrocities towards people of lower castes, what would be your reaction? Please explain with an example. Ans: Answers may vary from student to student. Please evaluate on the basis of proper example given. 2 .