ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS :
I. Answer the following questions in one sentence each :
1. What was Jawaharlal’s opinion with regard to forming Hindu state ?
Ans: The Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was of the opinion that India could not and must not become a “Hindu Pakistan”.
2. Who went on a strike demanding the formation of Andhra Pradesh ?
Ans: In October 1952,veteran Gandhian named Potti Sriramulu went on hunger strike demanding the formation of Andhra state to protect the interests of Telugu speakers.
3. What do you mean by mixed economy ?
Ans: Here both the state and the private sector would play important role in increasing production and generating jobs .
4. Name the three lists of subjects ?
Ans: The Union List, the state list and the Concurrent List .
5. Which subjects are included in the state list ?
Ans: Education and Health care are included in state list .
6. Who were against the creation of Linguistic states ?
Ans: Prime Minister Vallabhai Patel was against the creation of Linguistic states .
7. Who went on a hunger fast in Andhra ?
Ans: Potti Sriramulu demanding the formation of an Andhra state went on hunger fast and died in 1952 .
8. When was bilingual state of Bombay divided ?
Ans: The state of Bombay was divided in 1960, in two separate states .
9. When was Punjab divided ?
Ans: The state of Punjab was divided in 1966 .
II. Answer the following questions in about three sentences :
1. What were the problems faced by India after independence ?
Ans:
i) India had to face a series of very great challenges .
ii) As a result of partition, 8 million refugees had come into the country from what was (now Pakistan) . These people had to be given homes and jobs.
iii) There was the problem of the princely states, almost 500 of them, each ruled by a maharaja or a nawab .
iv) The problems of refugees and of the princely states had to be addressed immediately.
v) India’s population was large ; it was divided. There were divisions between high castes and low castes
2. What were the added problems to development ?
Ans:
i) At independence,the vast majority of Indians lived in the villages .
ii) Farmers and peasants depended on the monsoon for their survival, if the crops failed, barbers, carpenters, weavers and other service groups would not get paid for their services either .
iii) In the cities factory workers lived in crowded slums with little access to education or health care.
iv) The new nation had to lift its masses out of poverty by increasing the productivity of agriculture and by promoting new,job-creating industries .
3. Why should unity and development go hand in hand ?
Ans: If the divisions between different sections of India were not healed, they could result in violent and costly conflicts high castes fighting with low castes, Hindus with Muslims and so on. At the same time, if the fruits of economic development did not reach the broad masses of the population, it could create fresh divisions .
4. What were the features of the Indian Constitution ?
Ans: i) One of the features of the constitution was universal adult franchise .
ii) The second feature of the constitution was that it guaranteed equality before the law to all citizens,regardless of their caste or religious affiliation .
iii) The third feature of the constitution was that it was offered special privileges for the poorest and the most disadvantaged Indians. Along with the untouchables, the Adivasis or scheduled tribes were also granted reservation in seats and jobs .
5. What were the privileges been deprived and discriminated ?
Ans: Along with the untouchables, the Adivasis or scheduled tribes were also granted reservation in seats and jobs,according to constitution. These Indians were deprived and discriminated against. The tribals had been deprived of modern health care and education, while their lands and forests had been taken away by more powerful outsiders .
6. What did the Constitution seek to balance the competing claims of three lists of subject ?
Ans: The constitution sought to balance these competing claims by providing three lists of subjects,a union list, with subjects such as taxes,defence and foreign affairs which would be the exclusive responsibility of the centre,a state list of subject such as education and health,which would come subjects such as forests and agriculture,in which the centre and the states would have joint responsibility .
7. How was the state of Andhra Pradesh formed ?
Ans: In October 1952, veteran Gandhian named Potti Sriramulu went on hunger strike demanding the formation of Andhra state to protect the interests of Telugu speakers.On 15th December 1952, fifty eight days into his fast, Potti Sriramulu died. Also newspaper put it, “the news of the passing away of Sriramulu engulfed entire Andhra in chaos”. The protests were so widespread and thus on 1st October 1953,a new state of Andhra Pradesh was formed .
III. Answer the following questions in about four sentences :
1. What did H.J. Khandekar say ?
Ans: H.J. Khandekar, said that We were suppressed for thousands of years . You engaged us in your service to serve your own needs and suppressed us to such an extent that neither our minds nor our bodies and nor even our hearts work, nor are we able to march forward .
2. What were the privileges offered to poorest and most disadvantaged according to third feature of the constitution ?
Ans: i) A third feature of the constitution was that it offered special privileges for the poorest and most disadvantaged Indians .
ii) The practice of untouchability was abolished .
iii) Hindu temples,previously open to only the higher castes, were thrown open to all, including the former untouchables .
iv) The constitution Assembly also recommended that a certain percentage of seats in legislatures as well as jobs in government be reserved for members of the lower castes .
3. How was the problem of language solved in the constituent Assembly ?
Ans: i) Many members believed that the English language should leave India with the British rule .
ii) Its place should be taken by Hindi, but those who did not speak Hindi were were of a different opinion .
iii) The people of the south threatened to separate from India if Hindi was imposed on them .
iv) A compromise was finally arrived at and it was decided that Hindi would be the official language and English would be used in the courts, the services and communications between one state and another .
4. How were the states formed in India ?
Ans: In the 1920’s, the Indian national congress the main party of the freedom struggle had promised that once the country won independence, each major linguistic group would have its own province. However after independence the congress did not take any steps to honour this promise . India had been divided on the basis of religion despite of the wishes and efforts of Mahatma Gandhi, freedom had come to two nations. Hence in India linguistic states were formed according to language they speak .
5. For what did states Re-organisation Board work for ?
Ans: After the creation of Andhra, other linguistic communities also demanded their own separate states. A state’s re-organisation commission was set up, which submitted its report in 1956, recommending the redrawing of district and provincial boundaries to form compact provinces of Assamese, Bengali, Oriya, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu speakers respectively. The large Hindi speaking region of north India was broken up into several states. A little later in 1960, the bilingual state of Bombay was divided into separate states for Marathi and Guajarati speakers . In 1966, the state of Punjab was also divided into Punjab and Haryana the former for the Punjab speakers and latter for the rest .
6. Why was Planning Commission set up ?
Ans: i) In 1950, the planning commission was set up to help design and execute suitable policies for economic development .
ii) Its main objective was to lift India and the Indians out of poverty and build a modern technical and industrial base .
iii) The state and private sector would play an important role in increasing production and generating jobs .
7. What was the importance of the “Second five year plan” ?
Ans: i) The second five year plan was formulated in 1956 .
ii) It focused strongly on the development of heavy industries such as steel and on the building of large dams .
iii) These sectors would be under the control of the state .
8. What did Mira Behn speak out ?
Ans: As Mahatma Gandhi s follower Mira Behn wrote in 1949, by “science and machinery may get huge returns for a time, but ultimately will come desolation. We need to get to study natures balance and develop our lives within her laws, if we are to survive as a physically healthy and morally decent species” .
9. How are the conditions of the people in India today ?
Ans: i) Despite constitutional guarantees, the untouchables face violence and discrimination .
ii) In many places in rural areas they are not allowed access to water sources, temples, parks and other public places .
iii) There have been clashes between different religious groups in many states .
iv) The gulf between the rich and the poor has grown over the year .
v) Only some people have benefited from economic development. They lived in large houses, send their children to expensive private schools and take expensive foreign holidays, while others live below the poverty line .
vi) Many people live in slums .or live in remote villages or land that yields little produce.