SRI NACHAMMAL VIDYAVANI SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025

REFERENCE MATERIAL
GRADE: VIII ROLL NO:
SUBJECT: HISTORY-Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation

1. Why did Mahatma Gandhi think that English education had enslaved Indians?
Mahatma Gandhi thought that English education had enslaved Indians because:
 It made them see Western civilization as superior, and destroyed the pride they had in their own
culture.
 Charmed by the West and after getting western education they began admiring British rule.
 It had poisoned their minds and soul.
2. Why did Mahatma Gandhi want to teach children handicrafts?
Mahatma Gandhi wanted to teach children handicrafts because he thought:
 Western education focused on reading and writing rather than oral knowledge.
 Education ought to develop a person’s mind and soul. Simple learning to read and write by itself
did not count as education.
 If people are allowed to work with hands, learn a craft and know how different things operated,
this would develop their mind and their capacity to understand.
3. Who founded Santiniketan and why?
Rabindranath Tagore founded Santiniketan to create a school where children could be happy, free,
and creative, away from the rigid discipline of traditional schooling.
4. What were the key features of the traditional Pathshala system of education?
Traditional Pathshalas were informal institutions with flexible schedules, no fixed fees, and oral
teaching methods. They were often located in natural settings and catered to students of varying
levels in one place.
6. How did Rabindranath Tagore’s childhood experiences influence his educational philosophy?
Tagore’s unhappy experiences in traditional schooling inspired him to create a school where children
could explore their thoughts and desires freely, without oppressive discipline.
7. What different languages did William Jones study?
Jones was a linguist. He had studied Greek and Latin at Oxford, knew French and English, had
picked up Arabic from a friend, and had also learnt Persian.
8. Why did James Mill and think that European education was essential in India?
James Mill and Thomas Macaulay criticized the Orientalists.
 According to James mill, the aim of education ought to be to teach what was useful and
practical.
 So Indians should be made familiar with the scientific and technical advances that the West
had made, rather than with the poetry and sacred literature of the Orient.

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  Thomas Macaulay felt that knowledge of English would allow Indians to read some of the
finest literature the world had produced; it would make them aware of the developments in
Western science and philosophy.
 Teaching of English could thus be a way of civilising people, changing their tastes, values
and culture.
9. Write a short note on the report of William Adam regarding education system prevalent in
India.
The report Adam produced was interesting.
 Adam found that there were over 1 lakh pathshalas in Bengal and Bihar. These were small
institutions with no more than 20 students each. These institutions were set up by wealthy
people, or the local community. At times they were started by a teacher (guru).
 The system of education was flexible. There were no fixed fee, no printed books, no separate
school building, no benches or chairs, no blackboards, no system of separate classes, no
rollcall registers, no annual examinations, and no regular time-table. In some places classes
were held under a banyan tree, in other places in the corner of a village shop or temple, or at
the guru’s home.
 Teaching was oral, and the guru decides what to teach, in accordance with the needs of the
students. Students were not separated out into different classes: all of them sat together in one
place. The guru interacted separately with groups of children with different levels of learning.
 Adam discovered that this flexible system was suited to local needs. For instance, classes
were not held during harvest time when rural children often worked in the fields.

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 SRI NACHAMMAL VIDYAVANI SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025
REFERENCE MATERIAL
GRADE: VIII ROLL NO:
SUBJECT: GEOGRAPHY- Industries

1. Name the classification of industries on the basis of raw material used by them.
The industries classified on the basis of raw materials used by them are:
 Agro-based industries
 Mineral-based industries
 Marine based industries
 Forest-based industries
2. Define the process ‘smelting’.
It is the process in which metals are extracted from their ores by heating beyond the melting point.
3. How is the steel used by other industries as raw materials?
Steel is used by other industries as raw material in many ways.
 Steel is tough and it can be easily shaped, cut, or made into wire.
 Special alloys of steel can be made by adding small amount of other metals such as
aluminium, nickel and copper.
 Alloys give steel unusual hardness, toughness or ability to resist rust.
 Steel is often called the backbone of modern industry.
4. Define the concept of industrial system briefly.
An industrial system consists of inputs, processes and outputs. The inputs are the raw materials,
labour and cost of land, transport, power and other infrastructure. The processes include a wide range
of activities that convert the raw material into finished products. The outputs are the end products
and the income earned from it.
In case of textile industry the inputs may be cotton, human labour, factory and transport cost. The
processes include ginning, spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing. The output is the shirt we wear.
5. How is the classification of industries done on the basis of raw materials size and
ownership?Explain.
Industries are classified on the basis of raw materials, size and ownership:
1. Raw materials: Industries may be agro-based, mineral-based, marine-based and forest-based
depending on the type of raw materials used by them.
 Agro-based industries: These industries use plant and animal-based products as their raw
materials.
 Mineral-based industries: These industries use mineral ores as their raw materials, and the
products of these industries feed other industries.
 Marine based industries: They use the products from the sea and oceans as raw materials.
 Forest-based industries: It utilises forest produce as raw materials.

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 2. Size: It refers to the amount of capital invested, number of people employed and the volume of
production.Based on size, industries can be classified into small scale and large scale industries.
 Small scale industry: Cottage or household industries are a type of small scale industry where
the products are manufactured by hand, by the artisans. These industries use lesser amount of
capital and technology as compared to large scale industry.
 Large scale industry: These are industries that produce large volumes of products. Investment
of capital is higher and the technology used is superior in large scale industries.
3. Ownership: Industries can be classified into private sector, state-owned or public sector, joint
sector and cooperative sector.
 Private-sector industries: These are owned and operated by individuals or a group of
individuals.
 Public sector industries: These are owned and operated by the government.
 Joint sector industries: These are owned and operated by the state and individuals or a group
of individuals.
 Cooperative sector industries: The are owned and operated by the producers or suppliers of
raw materials, workers or both.
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 SRI NACHAMMAL VIDYAVANI SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL
ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025
REFERENCE MATERIAL
GRADE: VIII ROLL NO:
SUBJECT: CIVICS-Understanding Marginalisation

1. List two reasons why Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalised.

Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalized because
 They follow a different culture, language and traditions from mainstream Indian society
which leads us to wrongfully classify them as exotic, primitive and backward.
 They are used to a way of life close to nature and with the cutting down of forests they are
being forced to migrate to urban areas where they feel out of place and not in sync with a
lifestyle so vastly different from their countryside background.
2. What were the hardships faced by the Adivasis?
Hardships faced by the Adivasis were:
 Forest lands have been cleared for timber and to get land for agriculture and industry.
 Adivasis have also lived in areas that are rich in minerals and other natural resources. These
are taken over for mining and other large industrial projects.
 Huge tracts of their lands have also gone under the waters of hundreds of dams that have
been built in independent India.
 In the North east, their lands remain highly militarised and war-torn.
 India has 54 national parks and 372 wildlife sanctuaries. These are areas where tribals
originally lived but were evicted from.
 Losing their lands and access to the forest means that tribals lose their main sources of
livelihood and food.
 Adivasis have migrated to cities in search of work where they are employed for very low
wages in local industries or at building or construction sites.
 They, thus, get caught in a cycle of poverty and deprivation.
3. Define the term 'minority'.
The term ‘minority’ is the most commonly used to refer to the communities that are numerically
smaller in relation to the rest of the population.
4. Why are Muslims considered to be a marginalised community in India?
 Muslims are considered to be a marginalised community in India because in comparison to
other communities, they have always been deprived of the benefits of socioeconomic
development.
 Most of the Muslims do not avail even basic amenities of life such as water and electricity.
 They live in kutcha houses.
 They have little access to education and public employment. Thus, they always lag behind in
terms of various development indicators.

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5. Define the term minority. Why do people belonging to this community need safeguards?
 The term ‘minority’ is most commonly used to refer to communities that are numerically
small in relation to the rest of the population.
 The Indian Constitution recognised that the culture of the majority influences the way in
which society and government might express themselves.
 In such cases, size can be a disadvantage and lead to the marginalisation of the relatively
smaller communities.
 Thus, safeguards are needed to protect minority communities against the possibility of being
culturally dominated by the majority.
 They also protect them against any discrimination and disadvantage that they may face.

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