NCERT Solutions For Class 8 English Chapter 3 (Honeydew) - Prose -3. Glimpses of the Past

Picture 7 that reads ‘In1885 they rose in rebellion …’ reveals the first sparks of the fire of revolt.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy used the example of a cow. He said, 'Cows are of different colours, but the colour of their milk is the same. Different teachers have different opinions, but the essence of every religion is the same.'

According to Ram Mohan Roy the milk is always white no matter the cows are of different colours. Similarly, different religious preachers may have different opinions, but the essence of every religion is always the same.

One by one the Britishers subdued the Indian princes. They took advantage of the internal rivalry among various princes and set them against one another. They followed the policy of ‘divide and rule’. The white men killed and dethroned the Indian kings and gradually enslaved Indians.

The Indian princes were short sighted in their approach to the events of 1757. There were constant fights among them, and they fought against each other with the help of the British. Thus, the British became the virtual rulers of Indian territories. The rivalries helped the British to establish their power and subdue the Indian princess one by one.

An artisan is a skilled worker who crafts things with their hands. The artisans suffered under the British rule because the British were extracting high taxes from them. Moreover, the machine-made British artifacts flooded the Indian market. The products of the Indian artisans could not compete with the factory-made imported British commodity.

Superior weapons mean technologically advanced armaments. The East India company conquered India not only by the use of their superior weapons such as guns and canons but also their diplomacy, strength, rules and regulations.

The opening line of the song is “Ay Mere Vatan Ke Logon”. The singer is Lata Mangeshkar.
The first prime minister of India, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rani Laxmi Bai, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhagat Singh, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose are also seen in the picture.

The first soldier said that the white soldiers got huge pay, mansions and servants.

The second soldier remarked that they got a pittance and slow promotions.

The third soldier asked who the British were to abolish their customs.

The first man said that they must educate their brothers.

The second man added that they must try to improve their material conditions.

The third man suggested that they must convey their grievances to the British Parliament.

First Farmer: Our kings have become puppets and we have lost our old jobs

Second Farmer: We have also lost our lands.

Third farmer: They are converting our brothers.

Fourth Farmer: You only talk! Do something to drive them out!

(i) Tipu Sultan

(ii) Ram Mohan Roy

(iii) Lord Macaulay

(iv) Maulvi Ahmedulla of Faizabad and Peshwa Nana Saheb

The British imposed heavy taxes on Indian products. Thus, they forced the Indian farmers to abandon their fields. They decided to do away with import duty on the factory-made goods exported from England. By 1829 Britain was exporting goods worth seven crores to India. They crippled the fingers of expert artisans. They passed a bill to jail Indians without a trial in a court. The British officers drew big salaries while Indians were not paid properly.

This new method of teaching is a great idea. Usually History classes are boring as the students have to memorize dates and events in the past. Nobody likes to study and memorize chronological record of dates and events. This new method creates interest in the study of history as comic strips are very interesting. Further, debates and discussion on a topic ensure the maximum participation of those who attend them. Every argument has its importance. Teaching is not a one-way process. The active participation of students in the process of teaching makes the classes lively and interesting.

(i) The fox is in the well.

It fell into the well by accident.

The fox thinks how to get out of the well.

The visitor is a goat.

She wants to know if the water is sweet.

The fox replies that the water is very sweet.

The goat wants to taste the water.

The goat is in the well.

The fox comes out of the well.

The goat thinks of her mother's advice not to trust strangers.

(ii)

The Fox and the Goat

A cunning fox fell into a well accidently. He was struggling to get out of the well when a goat came that way. The goat saw the fox in the well and asked what he was doing inside the well. The fox replied that he jumped into the well to drink water which was very tasty. The goat became curious. She wanted to know if the water was sweet. The cunning fox replied that it was indeed very sweet. The goat wanted to taste the water. The fox encouraged her to jump into the water. As soon as the goat jumped into the well, the fox climbed on her back and escaped from it. After getting out of the well he thanked the foolish goat. The goat remembered her mother’s advice not to trust strangers.

(i) Two examples of social evils during the British rule were child marriage and untouchability.

(ii) Two oppressive policies of British are the following:

(a) High land revenue taxes

(b) Imprisonment of Indians without trial

(iii) Two ways in which common people suffered:

(a) People lost their livelihood because of cheaper imports from England.

(b) High land taxes led to poor condition of farmers.

(iv) Four reasons for the discontent that led to the 1857 War of Independence are the following:

(a) Indians had become slaves in their own land.

(b) The East India Company destroyed Indian industries.

(c) There was huge discrimination in the way the British men and the Indians were treated.

(d) The use of grease that was made of the fat of cows and pigs offended the religious sentiments of the Hindus and Muslims.