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Important Questions of The Age of Industrialisation Class 10
Objective Type Questions
Question. From which of the following trade did the early entrepreneurs make a fortune?
(a) Textile trade
(b) China trade
(c) Trade in tea
(d) Industries
Answer : (b) China trade
Question. Whom did the British government appoint to supervise weavers collect supplies and to examine the quality of cloth?
(a) Jobber
(b) Sepoy
(c) Policeman
(d) Gomastha
Answer : (d) Gomastha
Question. At which place did the first spinning and weaving mill set up in 1874?
(a) Kanpur
(b) Bombay
(c) Calcutta
(d) Madras
Answer : (d) Madras
Question. In early 20th century handloom cloth production increased because:
(a) Factories were set up
(b) New technology like looms with fly shuttle were introduced
(c) Merchants invested more capital in industry.
(d) Demand for handloom increased
Answer : (b) New technology like looms with fly shuttle were introduced
Question. Where was the first Indian jute mill set up?
(a) Bengal
(b) Bombay
(c) Madras
(d) Bihar
Answer : (a) Bengal
Question. In 1911, 67 per cent of the large industries were located in which one of the following places in India?
(a) Bengal and Bombay
(b) Surat and Ahmedabad
(c) Delhi and Bombay
(d) Patna and Lucknow
Answer : (a) Bengal and Bombay
Question. Which of the following was a European managing agency?
(a) Tata Iron and Steel Company
(b) Elgin Mill
(c) Andrew Yule
(d) Birla Industries
Answer : (c) Andrew Yule
Question. Indian industrial growth increased after the First World War because:
(a) Indian mills now had a vast home market to supply
(b) British opened new factories in India
(c) New technological change occurred
(d) India became independent
Answer : (a) Indian mills now had a vast home market to supply
Question. Why were workers in England hostile to machines and new technology?
(a) They did not know how to use these machines
(b) They feared that they would lose their jobs and livelihood.
(c) The workers were too poor to buy new machines
(d) They were scared of machines
Answer : (b) They feared that they would lose their jobs and livelihood.
Question. The person who got people from village, ensured them jobs, helped them settle in cities and provided them money is times of need was known as:
(a) Stapler
(b) Fuller
(c) Gomastha
(d) Jobber
Answer : (d) Jobber
Short Answer Type Questions
Question. Describe any three main reasons for the decline of textile exports from India in the 19th century.
Answer : (i) Britain imposed import duties on cotton textiles, thus export market got declined.
(ii) Exports of British goods to India increased. The Manchester goods flooded Indian markets.
(iii) The machine-made goods were cheaper and weavers could not compete with them.
(iv) Raw cotton exports from India to Britain shot up the prices of cotton.
(v) By 1850, exports from most weaving regions got declined and desolated.
Question. Why had the Surat and Hoogly ports declined by the end of 18th century? Explain any three reasons.
OR
Explain the following : The port of Surat declined by the end of the eighteenth century.
Answer : The Surat and Hoogly ports declined by the end of the 18th century :
(i) The port of Surat declined mainly because of the growing power of the European Companies in India.
(ii) These European Companies gradually gained power and started to control sea-trade in India.
(iii) They secured a variety of concessions which they obtained from the local courts and by gaining monopoly rights to trade.
(iv) These companies did not want to use the old ports of Surat, Masulipatnam and Hooghly etc.
(v) Instead they developed the port of Bombay and Calcutta.
Question. How did the expansion of the British industries in India affect the weavers? Explain.
Answer : (i) Initially, the Indian industries did not decline as the British cotton industries had not yet expanded and Indian fine textiles were in great demand. So the Company was keen on expanding the textile exports from India.
(ii) Before establishing political power in India the company in Bengal and Carnatic in the 1760s and 1770s, found it difficult to ensure a regular supply of goods for export.
(iii) The Dutch, the French and the Portuguese, as well as local traders, competed in the market to secure woven cloth. So, the weavers could bargain and the try selling the produce to the best buyer.
(iv) Once the Company established its power, it could assert a monopoly right to trade. It developed a system of management and control that would eliminate the competition, control cost and ensure regular supplies.
Question. “Although wages increased somewhat in the nineteenth century but they could not improve the welfare of the workers.” How do you agree with this statement? Explain any three points.
Answer : (i) The average figures hide the variations between trades and fluctuations from year to year.
(ii) The real value of workers’ income fell signific-antly, since the same wages could now buy fewer things.
(iii) The workers did not get employment every day, hence the number of days worked determined the average daily income of the workers.
Question. Describe any three conditions that were favourable for the continuing growth of industries in the 18th century India.
Answer : Three conditions that were favourable for the continuing growth of industries in 18th century India are :
(i) India abounds in coal and iron ore deposits: India had huge reserves of coal and iron ore deposits making it possible to set up the industries.
(ii) Number of perennial rivers: This made easy for foreign companies to reach India.
(iii) Abundant raw-materials: Abundance availability of raw material allowed large scale production.
(iv) Vast network of roads and railways: Transport facilities helped in reaching to different parts of the country.
(v) Big market.
(vi) Demand in several Arabian and Asian countries.
Question. “The typical worker in the mid 19th century was not a machine operator, but the traditional crafts person and labourer.” Support the statement with examples.
Answer : (i) Technological changes occurred slowly.
(ii) Machines broke down and repairs were costly.
(iii) Machines were not as effective as inventors and manufacturers claimed them to be.
(iv) There were no buyers for machines.
(v) Technology was slow to be accepted by the industrialists.
(vi) Demand in the market was often for goods with intricate designs and specific shapes.
(vii) Aristocrats and bourgeoisie preferred things produced by hands.
(viii) These were better finished and carefully designed.
Question. Name the sea routes that connected India with Asian countries.
Answer : (i) A vibrant sea trade operated through the main pre- colonial ports.
(ii) Surat on the Gujarat coast connected India to the Gulf and Red sea Ports.
(iii) Masulipatnam on the Coromandel coast and Hooghly in Bengal had trade links with the South heart Asian ports.
Question. “The upper classes, during Victorian period, preferred things produced by hands.” Explain.
Answer : The upper classes, during Victorian period preferred things produced by hands because :
(i) They symbolised refinement and classic.
(ii) They were better finished.
(iii) They were individually produced and carefully designed.
Question. Who were the Jobbers? Explain their main functions.
OR
Who was a Jobber? Mention any two functions of a Jobber.
OR
Describe the role of ‘Jobbers’ in the beginning of twentieth century in India.
Answer : Role of Jobbers:
Industrialists usually employed jobbers to get new recruits. They became person with some authority and power. They were old and trusted workers. They got people from their villages. They ensured them jobs. They helped them to settle in the city. They also provided them money in times of crisis.
Question. “In the eighteenth century Europe, the peasants and artisans in the countryside readily agreed to work for the merchants.” Explain any three reasons.
OR
In the 17th century merchants from towns in Europe began employing peasants and artisans within the villages. Explain.
Answer : (i) Cottagers and villagers were looking for new alternatives of income.
(ii) Tiny plots of land with the villagers could not provide work for all members of the family.
(iii) Advances offered by the merchants made the villagers readily agree to produce goods for them.
(iv) By working for the merchants, they could continue to remain in the villages and do cultivation also.
(v) It was possible to have full use of family labour force.
Question. Who were the gomasthas? Why did the weavers and gomasthas clash?
Answer : Gomasthas were paid servants who were appointed by the East India Company to supervise weavers, collect supplies and examine the quality of cloth.
(a) The gomasthas were outsiders and had no social link with villages.
(b) They were arrogant.
(c) They marched into the villages with sepoys and peons.
(d) They punished weavers for the delays in supply.
(e) The weavers could not sell their cloth to other buyers because they had to sell to the company due to the loans they took from them.
(f) They had to accept the price offered by the company to them, although it was very low.
Question. What is meant by proto-industrialisation? Why was it successful in the countryside in England in the 17th Century?
OR
What is proto-industrialisation?
Answer : Proto-industrialisation was the early phase of industrialization in Europe and England when there was large scale industrial production for an international market. This was not based on factories.
It was successful in the countryside in England due to the following reasons :
(i) The peasants had been shut out of village commons due to enclosure movement.
(ii) They now looked for the alternative source of income.
Question. Why did East India Company appoint gomasthas in India?
OR
Describe any three functions of gomasthas.
Answer : The East India Company appointed gomasthas in India due to the following reasons :
(i) Before 1760s, British cotton industries had not expanded and Indian fine textiles were in great demand in Europe.
(ii) The East India Company wanted to expand exports from India but French, Dutch, Portuguese and local traders competed in the market.
(iii) The weavers and supply merchants could bargain and try selling the products to the best buyer. Hence, they appointed gomasthas to supervise and collect supplies.
Question. Mention the name of three Indian entrepreneurs and their individual contribution during the 19th century.
Answer : Dinshaw Petit, J. N. Tata and Seth Hukumchand are the three entrepreneurs.
Dinshaw Petit and J. N. Tata built huge industrial empires. Seth Hukumchand established the first Indian jute mill.
Question. Describe the functions performed by supply merchants in export trade.
Answer : (i) Supply merchants linked the port towns to the inland regions.
(ii) They gave advances to weavers, procured the woven cloth from weaving villagers and carried the supply to the ports.
(iii) At ports, they had brokers who negotiated the price and bought goods from the supply merchants who were operating inland.
Question. How did the Industrial Revolution give rise to Imperialism? Explain.
OR
‘Industrialisation gave birth to Imperialism’. Justify the statement with three arguments.
Answer : (i) Imperialism was the ill-begotten child of industrialisation.
(ii) Industrialisation chiefly needed two things. One of them being the constant supply of raw materials and the other is that the finished goods be sold at the same speed.
(iii) The industrialised countries had introduced heavy import duties as protective tariffs to check the import from other countries.
(iv) Faced with the problem of finding new markets for their products, the producer nations chose such countries where industrialisation had not yet reached.
(v) Hence, a race for bringing those areas under their effective occupation or effective influence started among the various industrialised nations.
(vi) As a consequence, Britain, France, Germany and Japan, etc., set up their colonies in Asia, Africa and South America, etc.
Question. Explain any three problems faced by Indian weavers in 1850s.
OR
What problems were faced by the Indian cotton weavers in the 19th century? Describe.
OR
State any three problems faced by cotton weavers of India?
OR
Explain new problem faced by the weavers in 1850s.
OR
Describe any three major problems faced by Indian cotton weavers in nineteenth century.
Answer : Major problems faced by the Indian cotton weavers –
(i) Their export market collapsed.
(ii) The local market shrunk.
(iii) Increase in price of raw cotton.
(iv) Shortage of cotton.
(v) Difficulty of weavers to compete with the imported machine that made cheaper cotton products.
(vi) Factories in India also began producing on large scale cheaper machine made goods with which our weavers could not compete.
Question. Why did industrial production in India increase during the First World War? Give any three reasons.
OR
Why did industrial production in India increase during the First World War?
Answer : (i) Manchester imports into India declined as British mills were busy with war production.
(ii) Indian industries were also called upon to supply war needs such as jute bags, cloth for the army uniform, tents and leather boots, horse and mule saddles and a host of other items.
(iii) Even after the war, Manchester failed to recapture its old position in the Indian market.
Question. Explain the role played by advertisements in creating new consumers for the British products.
Answer : (i) The Manchester made cloth carried a label with ‘Made in Manchester’ written in bold. This assured the buyers of the quality of the cloth.
(ii) The British manufacturers used images of Indian gods and goddesses on the labels. It symbolized the divine approval for the commodity. It also created familiarity with the Indian buyers.
(iii) Manufacturers got calendars printed with the images of gods and the advertisements of their products make products appear desirable and necessary.
The calendars were seen on the walls of hotels, tea shops, households, etc. These are used even by people who could not read.
Question. Why did technological changes occur slowly in Britain in the early nineteenth century? Explain any three reasons.
OR
“Technological changes occurred slowly in Britain.” Give three reasons for this.
Answer : (i) New technology was expensive and merchants and industrialists were cautious about using it.
(ii) The machines often broke down and repairs were costly.
(iii) They were not much effective as compared to cheap labour.
Question. How was foreign trade from India conducted before the age of machine industries? Explain.
Answer : (i) Before the age of machine industries, silk and cotton goods from India dominated the international market in textiles. Coarser cotton was produced in many countries, but the finer varieties often came from India. Armenian and Persian merchants took the goods from Punjab to Afghanistan, Eastern Persia and Central Asia.
(ii) Bales of fine textiles were carried on camel back via the north west frontier, through mountain passes and across deserts.
(iii) A vibrant sea trade operated through the main pre- colonial ports. Surat on the Gujarat coast connected India to the Gulf and Red Sea Ports; Masulipatnam on the Coromandel coast and Hoogly in Bengal had trade links with Southeast Asian ports.
Question. Trace the development of the textile industry in India.
Answer : The development of the textile industry in India can be traced in the following stages :
(i) First cotton mill came up in Bombay in 1854.
(ii) Around the 1860s, jute mills came up in Bengal.
(iii) These were followed by mills in Kanpur, Ahmedabad and Madras.
Question. Explain any three causes which led to the decline of Indian cotton textiles in the early nineteenth century.
Answer : (i) The British cotton manufacture began to expand.
(ii) British manufacturers pressurised the government to restrict cotton imports.
(iii) Manufacturers began to search the overseas markets for selling their cloth.
(iv) Indian textiles faced stiff competition in other international market.
(v) There was a decline in the share of the textile.
(vi) Tariffs were imposed on cloth imports into Britain.
Question. “Despite stiff competition from machine-made thread, the Indian handloom production not only survived, but also saw a steady growth in the 20th century.” Explain reasons in favour of your answer.
Answer : Reasons for growth of handloom production are:
(i) Adopting technological changes by the weavers to increase production without raising the costs.
(ii) Those who catered to the rich always had a demand for their goods. For example, Banarasi or Baluchari sarees.
(iii) Mills could not imitate specialised weaves. For example, sarees with intricate borders, lungis and handkerchiefs of Madras.
Question. Describe the contributions of Dwarkanath Tagore as an entrepreneur of Bengal.
Answer : (i) Dwarkanath Tagore believed that India would develop through westernization and industrialisation.
(ii) He invested in shipping, mining, banking, plantations and insurance.
(iii) Dwarkanath Tagore made his fortune in China trade before he turned to industrial investment, setting up six joint stock companies in the 1830s and 1840s.
Question. Why did women workers in Britain attack the Spinning Jenny? Give any three reasons.
OR
Explain the following : Women workers in Britain attacked the Spinning Jenny.
Answer : (i) The Spinning Jenny speeded up the spinning process and reduced labour demands.
(ii) Many workers were left without any job and became unemployed.
(iii) By the use of this machine, a single worker could make a number of spindles and spin several threads. That is why the women workers attacked Spinning Jenny.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question. Describe the life of the workers in Victorian Britain.
Answer : (i) Labour was in abundance.
(ii) Job opportunities were few.
(iii) Job seekers, who came from villages, had to spend the night under bridges or in night shelters and they had no place to stay in the city.
(iv) Much of the work was seasonal in nature such as book binding.
(v) Wages were low and life was difficult when prices of goods in the city rose sharply.
(vi) Workers had to look for odd jobs when they could not find proper employment in factories. (Any five)
Question. Describe the techniques which were adopted by the Manchester industrialists to sell their goods in India.
OR
Explain with examples the importance of advertisement in the marketing of goods.
OR
How did the Indian and British merchants and manufacturers advertise their products in India to promote their sale?
OR
Describe any five methods adopted by the British manufacturers to take over the Indian market in the beginning of 20th century.
OR
Analyse the different modes of advertisement used by the producers to popularize their products and promote sale in the 19th century India.
OR
“From the very beginning of the industrial age, advertisements have played an important role in expanding the markets for products and in shaping a new consumer culture.” Explain the statement citing suitable examples.
OR
How did the British manufacturers attempt to take over Indian market with the help of advertisement?
OR
What measures were adopted by the producers in India to expand the market for their goods in the 19th century?
Answer : (i) The Manchester made cloth carried a label with ‘Made in Manchester’ written in bold. This assured the buyers of the quality of the cloth.
(ii) The British manufacturers used images of Indian gods and goddesses on the labels. It symbolized the divine approval for the commodity. It also created familiarity with the Indian buyers.
(iii) Manufacturers got calendars printed with the images of gods and the advertisements of their products make products appear desirable and necessary. The calendars were seen on the walls of hotels, tea shops, households, etc. These are used even by people who could not read.
(iv) Images of historical characters and heroes from the past were also displayed on calendars thus sending the message that the product was as worthy of respect as were these respectable characters.
(v) The Indian manufacturers printed the image of Bharat Mata and a nationalist message on the labels. They also printed ‘Made in India’ on the labels thus appealing to the nationalist sentiments. Most of the baby products carried the image of Lord Krishna to appeal to the religious sentiments.
Question. How did the handloom industry collapse in India under the British rule? Explain.
OR
Analyse the causes leading to the decline of the Indian weaving industry in the 19th century.
OR
Explain any five factors responsible for the decline of the cotton textile industry in India in the mid-nineteenth century.
OR
Why did the handloom industry collapse in India during the 19th century? Explain.
Answer : (i) Factories in Manchester started producing cotton textiles for the domestic market.
(ii) The British Government put more import duties on the textiles coming from India to encourage the local industries. As a result, the Indian weavers lost their overseas market.
(iii) Eventually, the Manchester goods started flooding the Indian markets also and it became difficult for the Indian weavers to compete with the low-cost Manchester cloth.
(iv) The British Government in India also levied more taxes on the handloom units which made the Indian textiles costlier in Indian markets when compared to the Manchester textiles.
(v) The Civil War in the USA forced the British to buy more raw cotton from India for their Manchester textile industries. This created an acute shortage of raw material for the weavers and the Indian handloom industry collapsed.
Question. Explain the process of industrialisation in Britain during the nineteenth century.
OR
What were the principal features of industrialisation process of England in the 19th century?
Answer : (i) Cotton industry grew rapidly followed by iron and steel industry.
(ii) Introduction of railways added to industrial growth.
(iii) New factories could not displace traditional industries.
(iv) Industries tried to improve their speed and quality of production.
Question. How did the Indian industries develop in the 19th and 20th centuries? Explain.
Answer : (i) The early industrialists avoided direct competition with the British factories.
(ii) The cotton mills started to produce coarse cotton yarn and this was exported to China.
(iii) As Swadeshi Movement gathered momentum, industrialists pressurised the government to increase tariff protection.
(iv) Exports to China declined and domestic markets were taken over by China.
(v) During the First World War, the British Government called upon the Indian mills to produce goods such as jute bags, boots, etc., for the British Army.
(vi) As the war prolonged, England could not recapture the Indian markets.
Question. Why did London city dwellers become rebellious during 19th century?
Answer : (i) The large number of one room houses occupied by the poor were seen as a serious threat to public health.
(ii) Cities were overcrowded, badly ventilated, and lacked sanitation.
(iii) There were worries about fire hazards created by poor housing.
(iv) There was widespread fear of social disorder, especially after the Russian Revolution in 1917.
(v) Worker’s mass housing schemes were planned to prevent the London’s poor from turning rebellious.
Question. How did the First World War proved to be a boon to the Indian Industries? Explain.
OR
Explain the peculiarities of Indian Industrial growth during the First World War.
OR
How did Industrial production in India increase during the First World War? Explain any five points.
OR
“The First World War created favourable conditions for the development of industries in India.” Explain.
OR
‘The First World War turned out to be a boon in disguise for the Indian industries.’ Justify the statement with suitable arguments.
OR
Describe the impact of the First World War on Indian industries.
Answer : The First World War created a dramatically new situation for the Indian industries.
(i) With the British mills being busy with war production to meet the needs of the army, Manchester imports into India declined.
(ii) Indian mills had a vast home market to supply.
(iii) As the war prolonged, Indian industries were called upon to supply war needs like, jute bags, cloth for army uniforms, etc.
(iv) New factories were set up and old ones ran multiple shifts.
(v) Many new workers were employed and everyone worked for longer hours.
(vi) Over the war years, industrial production boomed.
(vii) Manchester could never recapture its old position in the Indian market.
(viii) Cotton production collapsed and exports of cotton cloth from Britain fell dramatically. Local industries consolidated their position capturing the home market.
Question. “Getting a job in factories was always difficult in the 19th century.” Justify the statement comparing the case of England and India.
Answer : (i) England: The actual possibility of getting a job depended on the existing network of friendship and kin relationship. A person was more likely to get a job if he had a friend or a relative working in the factory. Many who did not have connections had to wait for weeks spending nights under bridges or in the night shelters.
(ii) India: In India, the number of job seekers was always more than the jobs available. Industrialists usually employed jobbers, who usually were old and trusted workers to get new recruits.
The jobber got people from his village, ensured them a job and helped them settle in the city.
Jobbers eventually began demanding money for the favours they showed and controlled the lives of workers.
Question. “The establishment of political power by the East India Company resulted in the ruination of the Indian weavers.” Support the statement with suitable examples.
Answer : On earning the power, the British East India Company asserted a monopoly right to trade. It developed a system that would eliminate competition, control cost and ensure regular supply of cotton and silk goods. These measures ultimately led to the ruining of Indian weavers.
The measures adopted were as follows :
(i) The company tried to eliminate the existing traders and brokers connected with cloth trade and establish a direct control over the weavers. It appointed a paid servant called gomastha to supervise the weavers, collect supplies and examine the quality of cloth.
(ii) The company weavers were prevented from selling to other buyers. The weavers were tied to the company by a system of advances. Loans were given to the weavers for production and they had to handover the finished products to the gomasthas.
(iii) The price that the weavers received was low, but they were left with no choice but to sell their goods to the British because the loans tied them to the British.
This was a situation of helplessness and desperation that made them to revolt against the British. They quit their profession and migrated to other places.
Question. Analyse any three positive effects of industrialisation on workers.
Answer : Positive results of industrialisation :
(i) Building activities intensified in the cities, opening up greater opportunities for employment.
(ii) Roads were widened.
(iii) New railway stations came up and railway lines were extended, tunnels dug up.
(iv) Drainage and sewers were laid, rivers embanked.
Question. Why were Victorian industrialists not interested to introduce mechanism in England? Give any four reasons.
OR
Why did some industrialists in the 19th century Europe prefer hand labour over machines? Explain.
OR
Why could mechanical technology not replace human labour in Victorian Britain? Explain.
Answer : (i) In Victorian Britain, there was no shortage of human labour, so industrialists had no problem of labour shortage or high wage costs. They did not want to introduce machines that got rid of human labour and required large capital investment.
(ii) In many industries the demand for labour was seasonal. Gas works and breweries were especially busy through the cold months. So they needed more workers to meet their peak demand. Book binders and printers, catering to X-mas demand, too needed extra hands before December.
(iii) A range of products could be produced only with hand labour. Machines were oriented to produce uniformly standardised goods for a mass market. But the demand in the market was often for goods with intricate designs and specific shapes.
(iv) The aristocrats and bourgeoisie preferred things produced by hand in Victorian Britain. Handmade products came to symbolise refinement and class.
(v) Handmade products were better finished, individually produced and carefully designed.
Question. Why were there frequent clashes between gomasthas and weavers in the villages? Explain five reasons.
Answer : There were frequent clashes between gomasthas and weavers in the villages because of the following reasons :
(i) Earlier supply merchants often belonged to the same villages and had a close relationship with the weavers.
(ii) The company’s appointed gomasthas were outsiders, with no long-term social link with the villages.
(iii) They acted arrogantly, marched into villages with sepoys and peons and punished weavers for delays.
(iv) The weavers could no longer bargain for prices or sell to other buyers in place of the British who paid them low wages.
(v) In many places, Carnatic (Karnataka) and Bengal weavers deserted villages, migrated or revolted along with the village traders.
Question. What was ‘proto-industrialisation’? Explain the importance of proto-industrialisation.
OR
What is meant by Proto-industrialisation? Explain any four economic effects of the Proto-industrial system.
OR
What is meant by Proto-industrialisation? How did it affect the rural peasants and artisans?
Answer : Proto-industrialisation refers to the system of industries that existed in Europe before the arrival of modern machine run factories.
Large scale industrial production took place for an international market. It was based in the countryside, not in factories.
Effects:
(i) Open fields were disappearing and commons were being enclosed so common people had no alternative sources of income.
(ii) Many had small plots of land which could not provide work for all family members.
(iii) Merchants offered them advances for which they agreed.
(iv) They got a source of income which supplemented their shrinking income from cultivation.
Question. Why was a jobber employed? How did a jobber misuse his position and power? Explain.
Answer : Jobber was employed to get new recruits for the factories or industrialists.
The jobber misused his position and power in the following ways :
(i) Initially, jobbers ensured people from his village ensuring them jobs. He also helped them settle in the city and lent them money in the times of crisis.
(ii) Gradually, jobbers got position and power.
(iii) They started demanding money and gifts for all the favours.
(iv) They also started to control the lives of the workers.
(v) Jobbers got people from his own village and restricted entries of others in the mills.
Question. Why were the British industrialists not keen to introduce modern machinery in the nineteenth century? Explain any five reasons.
Answer : (i) In many industries, the demand for labour was seasonal.
(ii) Range of products could be produced only with handlooms.
(iii) For certain products only human skill was required.
(iv) Upper class society preferred things produced by hands.
(v) Handmade products symbolised refinement of class.
Question. What steps were taken by the East India Company to control the market of cotton and silk goods? What was its impact?
OR
How did the East India Company procure regular supplies of cotton and silk textiles from Indian weavers?
Answer : (i) The East India Company tried to eliminate the existing traders and appointed ‘gomasthas’ as supervisors.
(ii) The system of advances was introduced to have a direct control over the weavers.
Impact :
(i) Weavers devoted entire time to weaving.
(ii) They were forced to accept the prices fixed by the Company.
(iii) There were reports of clashes of weavers with gomasthas.
Question. Explain with examples the importance of advertise-ment in the marketing of the goods.
Answer : (i) Advertisements play a very vital role in the marketing of any product. One way in which new consumers are created is through advertisements.
(ii) Advertisements make products appear desirable and necessary.
(iii) They try to shape the minds of the people and create new needs.
(iv) Today, we live in a world where advertisements surround us. They appear in the newspapers, magazines, hoardings, street wall, and television screens.
(v) From the very beginning of the industrial age; advertisements have played a part in expanding the markets for products and in shaping a new consumer culture.
Question. Describe any five major problems faced by new European merchants in setting up their industries in towns before the Industrial Revolution.
Answer : (i) Due to the expansion of world trade, the merchants wanted to expand their production. But trade and craft guilds were very powerful.
(ii) They could create money problems for the merchants in their town.
(iii) Rulers had granted different guilds and the monopoly rights to produce and trade in specific products. So merchants were handicapped in towns.
(iv) Guilds regulated competition and prices.
(v) In the countryside, peasants and artisans were available for work.
