NCERT Solutions for Class 8 History Chapter 4 – Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age (Social Science), contains solutions to various questions in Exercise for Chapter 4. At the end of the Solutions, all the keywords and Notes which are important to understand From Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Class 8 History, have been explained in a simple and easy to understand manner. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science help to check the concept you have learnt from detailed classroom sessions and application of your knowledge.
| Category | NCERT Solutions for Class 8 |
| Subject | History (Social Science) |
| Chapter | Chapter 4 – Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age |
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 History Chapter 4 – Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age– NCERT Exercises
Question 1:-
Fill in the blanks:
(a) The British described the tribal people as ____________.
(b) The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as ____________.
(c) The tribal chiefs got ____________ titles in central India under the British land settlements.
(d) Tribals went to work in the ____________ of Assam and the ____________ in Bihar.
Answer 1: –
(a) The British described the tribal people as Wild and savage.
(b) The method of sowing seeds in jhum cultivation is known as broadcasting.
(c) The tribal chiefs got land titles in central India under the British land settlements.
(d) Tribals went to work in the tea plantations of Assam and the coal mines in Bihar.
Question 2:-
State whether true or false:
(a) Jhum cultivators plough the land and sow seeds.
(b) Cocoons were bought from the Santhals and sold by the traders at five times the purchase price.
(c) Birsa urged his followers to purify themselves, give up drinking liquor and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery.
(d) The British wanted to preserve the tribal way of life.
Answer 2:-
(a)False
(b)True
(c)True
(d)False
Question 3:-
What problems did shifting cultivators face under British rule?
Answer 3:-
The British were uncomfortable with the practice of shifting cultivation of the tribal people. Therefore, they tried to settle the Jhum Cultivators and fixed the revenue demand. Jhum cultivators thus had to take up plough cultivation . In this transformation, however they had to suffer a lot since their fields did not produce good yields as they used to do before. This was because settled plough cultivation was not easy in areas where water was scarce and the soil dry.
Question 4:-
How did the powers of tribal chiefs change under colonial rule?
Answer 4 :-
Before the arrival of the Britishers, the tribal chiefs enjoyed a certain amount of economic power and had the right to administer and control their territories. They had their own police and decided on the local rules of land and forest management. But under the Colonial rule, they were allowed to keep their land titles only over a cluster of villages and rent out lands. They lost much of their administrative power and were forced to follow laws made by British officials in India. They also had to pay tribute to the British, and discipline the tribal groups on behalf of the British. They lost the authority they had earlier enjoyed amongst their people, and were unable to fulfilltheir traditional functions.
Question 5:-
What accounts for the anger of the tribals against the dikus?
Answer 5 :-
The outsiders to the tribal land were called as dikus. Tribal groups found that these outsiders wanted to disrupt their lifestyle and practices. The British government imposed plough cultivation on them that caused them huge losses. The traders and moneylenders also started entering the forests to buy forest produce, offering cash loansand asking them to work for wages.
Question 6:-
What was Birsa’s vision of a golden age? Why do you think such a vision appealed to the people of the region?
Answer 6:-
Birsa envisioned the Golden Age as a time when the Mundas would be free of the oppression of dikus and the ancestral right of the community would be restored. He considered this age to be ‘the age of truth’. Birsa believed that this would be a period of total happiness and freedom from all bondages. People will be free from impurity, give up drinking liquor and stop believing in witchcraft and sorcery.
Such a vision appealed to the people because the tribals were living a such a happy and contented life before the British had entered their territory. The Mundas aspired to get back to their old ways of living.
Topics Covered in Chapter 4 – Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age Class 8 History (Social Science)
- How Did Tribal Groups Live?
- Some were jhum cultivators
- Some were hunters and gatherers
- Some herded animals
- Some took to settled cultivation
- How Did Colonial Rule Affect Tribal Lives?
- What happened to tribal chiefs?
- What happened to the shifting cultivators?
- Forest laws and their impact
- The problem with trade
- The search for work
- A Closer Look
- Birsa Munda
Important Terms Relevant for NCERT Solutions for Class 8 History Chapter 4 – Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age :
Fallow – A process of restoring nutrients and fertility of the soil by leaving it uncultivated for sometime specific time.
Sal – A type of tree abundantly found in Madhya Pradesh.
Mahua – A type of flower used for making alcohol.
Bewar – In Madhya Pradesh, the process of shifting cultivation is known as Bewar.
Sleeper – The horizontal wooden planks on which railway lines are laid.
Vaishnav – A hindu denomination that Worships Lord Vishnu as the Supreme Lord.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 History (Social Science)
- Chapter 1 – How When and Where
- Chapter 2 – From Trade to Territory
- Chapter 3 – Ruling the Countryside
- Chapter 4 – Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age
- Chapter 5 – When People Rebel 1857 and After
- Chapter 6 – Weavers, Iron Smelters and Factory Owners
- Chapter 7 – Civilising the “Native”, Educating the Nation
- Chapter 8 – Women, Caste and Reform
- Chapter 9 – The Making of the National Movement: 1870s – 1947
- Chapter 10 – India After Independence