Extra Questions for Class 10th: Ch 6 Peasants and Farmers Social Studies (S.St) Important Questions Answer Included
Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs):Answer
These crops had the capacity to increase the nitrogen content of the soil and nitrogen was important for crop growth and soil fertility.
(Para – 1, Page No. 122)
2. What was the use of the common land in England?
Answer
(Para – 1, Page No. 122)
2. What was the use of the common land in England?
Answer
The farmers pastured their cows and grazed their sheep, collected fuel wood for fire and berries and fruit for food.
(Para – 3, Page No. 118)
3. What did the enclosure imply?
Answer
(Para – 3, Page No. 118)
3. What did the enclosure imply?
Answer
Piece of land enclosed from all sides.
(Para – 3, Page No. 119)
4. The Great Agrarian Depression of the 1930s was caused by?
Answer
(Para – 3, Page No. 119)
4. The Great Agrarian Depression of the 1930s was caused by?
Answer
Overproduction of wheat
(Para – 4, Page No. 129)
5. Which natural event proved to be a nightmare for American peasants?
Answer
(Para – 4, Page No. 129)
5. Which natural event proved to be a nightmare for American peasants?
Answer
Blizzards
(Para – 5, Page No. 129)
6. What is the advantage of Enclosure Movement to landowners?
Answer
Enclosures allowed the rich farmers to expand the land under their control.
(Para – 3, Page No. 119)
7. What kind of new ploughs were designed for the prairies in USA?
Answer
(Para – 3, Page No. 119)
7. What kind of new ploughs were designed for the prairies in USA?
Answer
New ploughs were devised locally, some of them 12 feet long. Their front rested on small wheels and they were hitched on to six yokes of oxen or horses.
(Para – 4, Page No. 127)
8. What was the occupation of the Native Americans in the 18th century?
Answer
(Para – 4, Page No. 127)
8. What was the occupation of the Native Americans in the 18th century?
Answer
Several of them were nomadic, some were settled.
(Para – 1, Page No. 124)
9. What made America’s dream of land of plenty turn into a nightmare?
Answer
(Para – 1, Page No. 124)
9. What made America’s dream of land of plenty turn into a nightmare?
Answer
Terrifying dust storms.
(Para – 2, Page No. 130)
10. What do you mean by Manchus?
Answer
(Para – 2, Page No. 130)
10. What do you mean by Manchus?
Answer
Chinese rulers
(Para – 6, Page No. 131)
(Para – 6, Page No. 131)
Short Answer Questions (SAQs):
1. Why were the poor farmers of England against the threshing machines? What was the Captain Swing Movement?
Answer
The poor farmers felt the threshing machines would replace people, would deprive them of their livelihood and render them jobless.
Captain Swing was a mythical name used in threatening letters, written by workmen against the use of threshing machines by rich farmers.
(Topic - The Introduction of Threshing Machines, Page No. 123)
2. Explain three factors which led to the Enclosure Movement in England after the mid-eighteenth century.
Answer
• Rapid expansion of population from 7 million in 1750 to 21 million in 1850 and 30 million in 1900.
• Increased demand for foodgrains to feed the growing population.
• War with France disrupted trade and import of foodgrains from Europe. Prices in England skyrocketed, encouraging landowners to enclose lands and enlarge the area under grain cultivation.
(Para – 3, Page No. 119)
3. Why did the farmers of East Kent destroyed their own threshing machines?
Answer
• On the night of 28th August 1830, a threshing machine of a farmer was destroyed by labourers in East Kent in England.
• In the subsequent two years, riots spread over southern England and about 387 threshing machines were broken. During this period, farmers received threatening letters urging them to stop using machines that deprived workmen of their livelihood.
• Most of these letters were signed in the name of Captain Swing.
(Para – 1, Page No. 118)
4. Why did the landlords pressurise the British Parliament to pass the Enclosure Act? Explain.
Answer
• France was at war with England which disrupted trade and import of food grains from Europe.
• Prices of food grains in England shot up, thereby encouraging landlords to enclose lands.
• They had enlarged the area under grain cultivation. Profits flowed in and landowners pressurised the Parliament to pass the Enclosure Acts.
(Para – 2, Page No. 120)
5. Why did the farmers in England start growing turnip and clover?
Answer
• In early eighteenth century, farmers began cultivating turnip and clover regularly. These crops became part of the cropping system.
• Later findings showed that these crops had the capacity to increase the nitrogen content of the soil. Nitrogen was important for crop growth.
• Cultivation of the same soil over a few years depleted the nitrogen in the soil and reduced its fertility. By restoring nitrogen, turnip and clover made the soil fertile once again.
(Para – 1, Page No. 122)
6. Who was Captain Swing? What did the name symbolize or represent?
Answer
Captain Swing was a mythic name used in the threatening letters issued after the attack on threshing machines in England and the symbol of danger for landlords. Captain Swing represented the deprived workmen who were struggling for their livelihood because of the introduction of machines in agriculture.
(Topic - The Introduction of Threshing Machines, Page No. 123)
Long Answer Questions (LAQs):
1. Mention any five uses of commons for the villagers of England.
Answer
• All villagers had access to the commons. Here they pastured their cows and grazed their sheeps.
• They collected fuel, wood for fire and berries and fruits for food.
• They fished in the rivers and ponds and hunted rabbit in common forests.
• For the poor, the common land was essential for survival. They gathered fruits and other forest products.
• It supplemented their meagre income, sustained their cattle and help them to tide over bad times when crops failed.
(Topic - The Time of Open fields and Commons, Page No. 118 and 119)
2. How did peasants of England get land for cultivation in the early 18th century? Explain.
Answer
• In the beginning of the 18th century, in large parts of England, the countryside was open. It was not partitioned into enclosed lands privately owned by landlords.
• Peasants cultivated on strips of land around the village they lived in. At the beginning of each year, at a public meeting, each villager was allocated a number of strips to cultivate.
• Usually, these strips were of varying quality and often located in different places, not next to each other.
• The effort was to ensure that everyone had a mix of good and bad land.
(Para – 3, Page No. 118)
3. Who was Captain Swing? Who were the Swing rioters? Describe the result of these riots.
Answer
Captain Swing was a mythic name used in the threatening letters issued after attack on the threshing machines in England. Labourers of England were the Swing rioters. The result of these riots were:
• Due to these riots, many threshing machines were destroyed by the troop of labourers and many machines were destroyed by even farmers themselves.
• Regarding these riots, the government action was severe.
• Those suspected of rioting were rounded up. 1,976 prisoners were tried, nine men were hanged, 505 men were transported.
(Para – 1, Page No. 118)
5. How did the ‘Enclosure Movement’ start in England? Write any three advantages of enclosures.
Answer
The early enclosures were usually created by individual landlords. They were not supported by the State or the Church. After the mid-eighteenth century, the Enclosure Movement swept through the countryside and changed the English landscape forever. Advantages of enclosures were as follows:
• Enclosures had become necessary to move longterm investments on land and plan crop rotation to improve the soil.
• Enclosures also allowed the rich farmers to expand the land under their control.
• They would produce more for the market to earn more profit.
(Para – 3, Page No. 119)
6. Why did the demand of food grains increase after 1750 in England? How was production of food grains increased rapidly after 1780 in England? Explain.
Answer
The demand of food grains increased due to the following reasons: English population increased rapidly between 1750 to 1900. It mounted over four times from 7 million to 30 million. This led to an increased demand for food grains to feed population. The production of food grains increased rapidly in the following ways:
• At this time, Britain was industrialising. More people began to live and work in urban areas.
• By the end of the eighteenth century, France was at war with England. This disrupted trade and the import of food grains from Europe.
• Food grain production increased by agricultural technology.
• By bringing new lands under cultivation, landlords sliced up pasture lands curved up open fields, cut up forest, commons took over marshes, and turned larger areas into agricultural fields.
• By simple innovations in agriculture.
(Para – 1 and 2, Page No. 120)