RBSE Class 8 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 8 Social Science Important Questions History  Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform Important Questions and Answers.

RBSE Class 8 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 8 Women, Caste and Reform

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. 
Brahmo Sabha was founded by
(a) Dayanand Saraswati
(b) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
(c) Raja Rammohan Roy
(d) Pandita Ramabai
Answer:
(c) Raja Rammohan Roy

Question 2.
The practice of Sati was banned in
(a) 1829 
(b) 1832
(c) 1929 
(d) 1932 
Answer:
(a) 1829 

Question 3. 
The author of the book ‘Stripurushtulna’ was
(a) Begum Rokeya Sakhawat
(b) Tarabai Shjnde
(c) Pandita Ramabai
(d) Rashsundari Devi 
Answer:
(b) Tarabai Shjnde

Question 4.
The Satnami movement was started by
(a) Jyotirao Phule 
(b) Shri Narayana Guru 
(c) Haridas Thakur 
(d) Ghasidas 
Answer:
(d) Ghasidas 

Question 5. 
The founder of Satyashodhak Samaj was
(a) Vivekanand
(b) Dayanand Saraswati
(c) Jyotirao Phule
(d) Mahatma Gandhi 
Answer:
(c) Jyotirao Phule

Question 6. 
Author of book ‘Gulamgiri’ was
(a) Jyotirao Phule 
(b) Jawaharlal Nehru 
(c) B.R. Ambedkar 
(d) Periyar 
Answer:
(a) Jyotirao Phule 

Question 7. 
Who started the temple entry movement?
(a) Jyotirao Phule
(b) B.R. Ambedkar
(c) Dayanand Saraswati
(d) Swami Vivekanand 
Answer:
(b) B.R. Ambedkar

Question 8. 
Where was Paramhans Mandali founded?
(a) Madras 
(b) Lucknow
(c) Bombay 
(d) Delhi 
Answer:
(c) Bombay

Question 9. 
Where did Pandita Ramabai find the home for widows?
(a) Delhi  
(b) Nagpur
(c) Patna 
(d) Poona 
Answer:
(d) Poona 

Question 10.
When .was the Prathana Samaj founded?
(a) 1867 
(b) 1875
(c) 1885 
(d) 1905 
Answer:
(a) 1867 

Fill in the blanks

Question 1 
..................was well versed in Sanskrit, Persian, and several other Indian and European languages.
Answer: 
Rammohun Roy

Question 2.
 British officials passed a law in ..................permitting widow remarriage.
Answer:
 1856 

Question 3. 
Begums of Bhopal founded a primary school for girls at..................  
Answer:
 Aligarh

Question 4 
..................was an outspoken critic of Hindu scriptures.
Answer:
Periyar

Question 5. 
In Kerala, a guru from Ezhawa caste.................., proclaimed the ideals of unity for his people.
Answer:
Shri Narayana Guru

Question 6. 
Brahmo Samaj was founded in ..................
Answer:
1830.

State True or False

Question 1. 
Two hundred years ago, both Hindu and Muslim men could marry more than one wife.
Answer:
True

Question 2. 
With the efforts of Jyotirao Phule, the practice of Sati was banned.
Answer:
False

Question 3. 
Swami Dayanand Saraswati, who founded the reform association called Aiya Samaj, also supported widow remarriage.
Answer:
True

Question 4. 
Begum Rokeya Sakhawat opposed Muslim girls going to school.
Answer:
False

Question 5. 
According to Phule, there was a golden age before the rule of the Aryans.
Answer:
True

Match Correctly

(a)	(b)
Raja Rammohan Roy	Support widow remarriage
Veerasalingam Pantulu	Matua sect
Tarabai Shinde	Self Respect Movement
Haridas Thakur	Stripurushtulna
E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar)	Brahmo Samaj

Answer:

(a)	(b)
Raja Rammohan Roy	Brahmo Samaj
Veerasalingam Pantulu	Support widow remarriage
Tarabai Shinde	Stripurushtulna
Haridas Thakur	Matua sect
E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (Periyar)	Self Respect Movement

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
What was Rammohan Roy in favor of? 
Answer:
Rammohan Roy was keen to spread the knowledge of western education in the country and bring about greater freedom and equality for women.

Question 2. 
What was Rammohan Roy sad about? 
Answer:
Rammohan Roy was particularly moved by the problems widows faced in their lives.

Question 3. 
Who opened schools in Punjab in the late nineteenth century?
Answer:
Arya Samaj.

Question 4.
Explain the contribution of Jyotirao Phule in the field of education?
Answer:
Jyotirao Phule opened several schools for girls in Maharashtra.

Question 5. 
When and why was the Paramhans Mandali formed?
Answer:
In Bombay, the Paramhans Mandali was founded in 1840 to work for the abolition of caste.

Question 6. 
When was Jyotirao Phule born?
Answer:
Jyotirao Phule was born in 1827.

Question 7. 
When was the Brahmo Samaj established? 
Answer:
Brahmo Samaj was established in 1830. 

Question 8. 
What does the word ‘Sati’ means?
Answer:
‘Sati’ word means-virtuous women.

Question 9. 
200 years ago, what superstition did people have about women’s education in many parts of the country?
Answer:
200 years ago, in many parts of the country people believed that if a woman was educated, she would become a widow.

Question 10. 
What-Veerasalingam Pantulu did to reform the so^ety?
Answer:
In the Telugu-speaking area of Madras Presidency, Veerasalingam Pantulu formed an association for widow remarriage.

Question 11. 
Who founded Arya Samaj?
Answer:
Arya Samaj was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

Question 12. 
What were women encouraged about in Urdu novels?
Answer:
Urdu novels encourage women to read about religion and domestic management in a language they could understand.

Question 13. 
What was the theme of the book ‘Stripurushtulna’?
Answer:
The book ‘Stripurushtulna’ criticized the social differences between men and women. 

Question 14. 
What did the Prarthana Samaj emphasize?
Answer:
The Prarthana Samaj adhered to the tradition of Bhakti that believed in the spiritual equality of all castes.

Question 15. 
Which movement was started by Ghasidas?
Answer:
Ghasidas started the Satnami movement in Central India.

Question 16. 
What did die Haridas question?
Answer:
Haridas questioned Brahmanical texts that supported the caste system.

Question 17. 
Who was the author of the book named Gulamgiri?
Answer:
The author of the book named Gulamgiri was Jyotirao Phule.

Question 18. 
When and where was the Veda Samaj established?
Answer:
Veda Samaj was established in 1864 in Madras (Chennai).

Question 19. 
Who founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College?
Answer:
The Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College was founded by Sayyid Ahmed Khan.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Explain the contribution of Ishwar- Chandra Vidyasagar in favor of widow marriage?
Answer:
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar used the ancient texts to suggest that widows could remarry. His suggestions were adopted by British officials, and a law was passed in 1856 permitting widow remarriage.

Question 2. 
Why were people in the conservative camp angry at the changes in women?
Answer:
People in the conservative camp were very angry at the changes in women:

1. Many Hindu nationalists began to feel that Hindu women were adopting western methods which would corrupt Hindu culture and family values will come to an end.
2. Even Orthodox Muslims were concerned about the consequences of these changes.

Question 3. 
How did the Orthodox Hindu society oppose the anti-caste movement? 
Answer:

1. The Orthodox Hindu society reacted by founding Sanatan Dharma Sabhas and the Bharat Dharma Mahamandal in the north and associates like the Brahman Sabha in Bengal. 
2. The objective of these associations was to uphold caste distinctions as a concern stone of Hinduism, and show how this was sanctified by scriptures.

Question 4. 
Write a short note on Brahmo Samaj. 
Answer:
The Brahmo Samaj, formed by Raja Rammohun Roy in 1830, prohibited all forms of idolatry and sacrifice, believed in the Upanishads, and forbade its members from criticizing other religious practices. It critically drew upon the ideals of religions: especially Hinduism and Christianity: looking at their negative and positive dimensions.

Question 5. 
Write a short note on Henry Derozio. 
Answer:
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, a teacher at Hindu College, Calcutta, in the 1820s, promoted radical ideas and encouraged his pupils to question all authority. Referred to as the Young Bengal Movement, his students attacked tradition and custom, demanded education for women, and campaigned for the freedom of thought and expression.

Question 6. 
Who founded the Ramakrishna Mission? On what did he emphasize?
Answer:
Ramakrishna Mission was founded by Swami Vivekananda. Ramakrishna Mission was named after Ramakrishna Paramhansa, who was Swami Vivekananda’s guru. This mission stressed the ideal of salvation through social service and selfless action. 

Question 7. 
What do you know about the Prarthana Samaj?
Answer:
Prarthana Samaj was established in 1867 in Bombay, they adhered to the tradition of Bhakti. The Prarthana Samaj sought to remove caste restrictions, abolish child marriage, encourage the education of women, and end the ban on widow remarriage. Its religious meetings drew upon Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian texts. 

Question 8.
Write a brief note on Veda Samaj. 
Answer:
Veda Samaj was established in Madras (Chennai) in 1864. It was inspired by the Brahmo Samaj. It worked to abolish caste distinctions and promote widow remarriage and women’s education. Its members believed in one God. They condemned the superstitions and rituals of orthodox Hinduism.

Question 9. 
Who founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College? What was its contribution to educational reforms?
Answer:
The Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, founded by Sayyid Ahmed Khan in 1875 at Aligarh, later became the Aligarh Muslim University. The institution offered modern education, including Western science, to Muslims. The Aligarh Movement, as it was known, had an enormous impact in the area of educational reform. 

Question 10. 
Write a short note on Singh Sabha Movement.
Answer: Reform organizations of the Sikhs, the first Singh Sabhas were formed at Amritsar in 1873 and at Lahore in 1879. The Sabhas sought to rid Sikhism of superstitions, caste distinctions, and practices seen by them as non-Sikh. They promoted education among the Sikhs, often combining modem instruction with Sikh teachings.

Question11. 
Name any five women social reformers who work for the upliftment of women in India.
Answer:

1. Rashsundari
2. Mumtaz Ali
3. Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
4. Tarabai Shinde
5. Pandita Ramabai

Question 12.
What do you know about Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain?
Answer:
Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was a woman social reformer. She started schools for Muslim girls in Patna and Calcutta. She was a fearless critic of conservative ideas, arguing that religious leaders of every faith accorded an inferior place to women.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Describe the situation of women in India 200 years ago.
Answer:

1. 200 years ago the situation of women in India was not good. There was a lot of discrimination between men and women in die society. 
2. Most children were married off at an early age.
3. Both Hindu and Muslim men could marry more than one wife.
4. In some parts of the country, widows were praised if they chose death by burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands. Women who died in this manner, whether willingly or otherwise, were called “sati”.
5. Women’s rights to property were also restricted.
6. Most women had virtually no access to education. In many parts of the country people believed that if a woman was educated, she would become a widow. 

Question 2. 
"From the early nineteenth century, the nature of the discussion of social change appeared to change”. Explain.
Answer:
From the early nineteenth century, we find debates and discussions about social, customs and practices taking on a new character. One important reason for this was the development of new forms of communication. For the first time, bodes, newspapers, magazines, leaflets, and pamphlets were printed. These were far cheaper and far more accessible than the manuscripts that you have read about in Class VII. Therefore ordinary people could read these, and many of them could also write and express their ideas in their own languages. All kinds of issues: social, political, economic, and religious: could now be debated and discussed by men (and sometimes by women as well) in the new cities. The discussions could reach out to a wider public and could become linked to movements for social change. 

Question 3. 
Explain the efforts made by women for reforms.
Answer:
By the end of the nineteenth century, women themselves were actively working for reform. They wrote books, edited magazines, founded schools and training centers, and set up women’s associations. Begums of Bhopal played a notable role in promoting education among women. They founded a primary school for girls at Aligarh. Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain started schools for Muslim girls in Patna and Calcutta. Pandita Ramabai wrote a book about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women. She founded a widow’s home at Poona to provide shelters to widows.

From the early twentieth century, they formed political pressure groups to push through laws for female suffrage (the right to vote) and better health care and education for women. Some of them joined various kinds of nationalist and socialist movements in the 1920s.

Question 4. 
Describe the efforts made by the social reformers for caste and social reforms.
Answer:
Some of the efforts made by social reformers for caste, and social reform are as follows:
1. Rammohun Roy translated an old Buddhist text that was critical of caste.

2. The Prarthana Samaj adhered to the tradition of Bhakti that believed in the spiritual equality of all castes.

3. In Bombay, the Paramhans Mandali was founded in 1840 to work for the abolition of caste.

4. Many of these reformers and members of reform associations were people of upper castes. Often, in secret meetings, these reformers would violate caste taboos on food and touch, in an effort to get rid of the hold of caste prejudice in their lives.

5. There were also others who questioned the injustices of the caste social order. 

Question 5. 
Discuss the example of equality and justice arising from within the non-brahmins?
Answer:
By the second half of the nineteenth century, people from within the non-brahmins had started raising their voices against caste discrimination. They started a movement demanding social equality and justice.
(1) Satnami movement in central India is an example of this. This movement was started by Ghasidas. He worked among the leather workers and organized a movement to improve their social status.

(2) In eastern Bengal, Haridas Thakur of the Matua sect worked among Chandala cultivators. Haridas questioned the Brahmanical texts that supported the caste system.

(3) In Kerala, a guru from the Ezhava caste, Shri Narayana Guru, proclaimed the ideals of unity for his people. He argued against treating people unequally on the basis of caste differences and everyone should have faith in one Guru.

(4) The Satyashodhak Samaj, founded by Jyotirao Phule in Maharashtra, propagated caste equality.
All these cults and organization was founded by people who belonged to non-brahmins castes and worked among them. They tried to change the habits and practices which provoked the contempt of dominant castes. They tried to instill a sense of self-respect among the subordinate castes.