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Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation Questions and Answers AP 8th Class Social History 7th Lesson
Question 1.
Match the following :
| 1) William Jones | A) promotion of English education |
| 2) Rabindranath Tagore | B) respect for ancient cultures |
| 3) Thomas Macaulay | C) gurus |
| 4) Mahatma Gandhi | D) learning in a natural environment |
| 5) Pathshalas | E) critical of English education. |
Answer:
1 – B, 2 – D, 3 – A, 4 – E, 5 – C
Question 2.
State whether true or false :
a) James Mill was a severe critic of the Orientalists (True)
b) The 1854 Despatch on education was in favour of English being introduced- as a medium of higher education in India. (True)
c) Mahatma Gandhi thought that promotion of literacy was the most important aim of education. (False)
True : Gandhi said that Literacy in itself is not education.
d) Rabindranath Tagore felt that children ought to be subjected to strict discipline (False)
True : T&gore felt that childhood ought to be a time of self-learning, outside the rigid and restricting discipline.
LET’S DISCUSS
Question 3.
Why did William Jones feel the need to study Indian history, philosophy and law?
Answer:
- =William Jones felt the need to study Indian History, Philosophy and law as this will help the British learn from Indian culture.
- It also help Indians to rediscover their own heritage and they can understand the lost glories of their past.
- This would help the British and they can establish themselves as the guardians of Indian culture and gain total control.
Question 4.
Wiry did James Mill and Thomas Macaulay think that European education was essential in India ?
Answer:
- According to Macaulay India was an uncivilised country and it needed to be civilised.
- No branch of Eastern knowledge according to Macaulay could be compared to What England produced.
- According to Mill Indians should become familiar with the scientific and technical advances rather than poetry and sacred literature. Social Science Our Pasts
- Learning European education would make them civilised, change their tastes, values and culture.
- They also felt that the aim of education should teach what was useful and practical.
Question 5.
Why did Mahatma Gandhi want to teach children handicrafts ?
Answer:
- According to Gandhi handicrafts would develop their minds and their capacity to understand.
- Handicrafts would also enable them to know how different things operated.
- Handicrafts help them to have live experience and practical knowledge. So Gandhi wanted to teach children handicrafts.
Question 6.
Why did Mahatma Gandhi think that English education had enslaved Indians ?
Answer:
- According to Gandhi English education created a sense of inferiority in the minds of Indians.
- English education made them see the western civilisation as superior. It destroyed their pride in their own culture.
- According to Gandhi there was poison in English education.
- English education cast an evil spell on them. It was sinful and enslaved Indians.
- Gandhi felt that Indians who were educated under the colonial system would end up being the admirers of British rule in India.
- They forget their enslavement willingly and enslaves themselves further.
LET’S DO
Question 7.
Find out from your grandparents about what they studied in school.
Answer:
- During my grandparents school days, there was only one school in their village.
- In school they were taught Telugu, English, Hindi, Mathematics, General Science and Social Studies.
- In their school they were taught in our mother tongue, Telugu.
- In their school they had crafts period.
- Everyday they had to participate in games.
Question 8.
Find out about the history of your school or any other school in the area you live.
Answer:
I live in Chirala. In Chirala there is a school which was established during the British rule. The school was founded in 1912. It is Nune Ranganayakulu and Panakalu municipal High school (NR & PM High school). My father and grandfather studied in this school.
NR & PM High school is one of the best schools in Chirala. It moulded lives of a number of students.’ The school ground is spacious and none of the present day schools have that kind of facility. Generally every year old students celebrate Annual Get Together functions.
LET’S IMAGINE
A Imagine you were witness to a debate between Mahatma Gandhi and Macaulay on English education. Write a page on the dialogue you heard.
Answer:
I have heard the following dialogue between Gandhi and Macaulay.
Gandhi : Dear Macaulay, English education has enslaved us. There was poison in this education. It casted an evil spell on Indians.
Macaulay : Mr. Gandhi. India is an uncivilised country. It needs to be civilised. English education can only civilise them.
Gandhi : How can you say that ?
Macaulay : You know, a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia.
Gandhi : Looking at your thinking, it seems that you are very backward. Go through our great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. If you go through the world literature, no book was equal to our great epics Ramayana, Mahabharata and Upanishads.
AP 8th Class Social History 7th Lesson InText Questions and Answers Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation
ACTIVITY
Page No. 85
Question 1.
Imagine you are living in the 1850s. You hear of Wood’s Despatch. Write about your reactions.
Answer:
I strongly object the Woods Despatch on the following issues :
- Woods Despatch mentioned that European learning would improve the moral character of Indians.
We have many sacred texts. We are blessed with two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and Upanishads. They improve the moral character than any other western literature. - I also oppose it’s view that the literature of us was full of grave errors and could not instill in people a sense of duty and a commitment to work.
Page No. 88
Question 2.
Imagine you were born in a poor family in the 1850s. How would you have responded to the coming of the new system of government regulated pathshalas ?
Answer:
- Being born in a poor family, I had to go to pathshalas according to our family income.
- My guru take the fee according to our family income.
- The time table of the school was flexible. In the harvest season I would be given holidays. I can go to the field with my parents and can help them.
- In the new system regular attendance needed.
- Inability to attend school came to be seen as indiscipline. So I would have felt difficult to attend the school.
Question 3.
Did you know that about 50 per cent of the children going to primary school dropout of school by the time they are 13 or 14 ? Can you think of the various possible reasons for this fact ?
Answer:
- About 1/3rd of our population are living under the poverty line. If all the members of the family work they can earn sufficient income needed for the family.
- Illiterate parents do not know the importance of education.
- In some of the rural areas, schools were not established. So the children from these. areas are unable to go to shcool.