Important Questions For Class 11 History Chapter 4 The Three Orders
Important Questions for Class 11 History Chapter 4 The Three Orders
The Three Orders is Chapter 4 of the Class 11 History book Themes in World History, published by NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training). The chapter describes feudal society in medieval Europe, made up of three orders: the clergy, the nobility and the peasants. It explains the life of serfs, the role of the Church, the Black Death, the shortage of silver, and the rise of new monarchs and constitutional government in England.
These Class 11 History Chapter 4 important questions and answers cover 5-mark long answer questions and 1-mark multiple choice questions, with the pictures used in the chapter. They help students revise for exams, help parents check preparation at home, and give teachers ready material for class practice. A free printable PDF of the complete set is also available for download.
Important Questions For Class 11 History Chapter 4 The Three Orders
The Three Orders
Easy
The Three Orders
Easy
The Three Orders
Medium
The Three Orders
Medium
The Three Orders
Medium
The Three Orders
Difficult
Question 1. Today, England is ruled by a constitutional monarchy. Explain the transition of England from the rule of absolute monarchy to that of a constitutional monarchical form of government.
Answer: The English monarch, Charles I, ruled from 1629 to 1640 without calling for the formation of the parliament.
When he finally called the parliament to address financial problems, a section of the parliament fought against him and had him executed (1649).
After this, a republican government was established in England.
However, this short-lived government was soon replaced by a monarchy (1660) which promised to call the parliament on a regular basis. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the Bill of Rights of 1689 finally established parliamentary supremacy.
Question 2. The end of the feudal system and vassalage led to the rise of the monarchs. How did this happen?
Answer: European monarchs who rose to power were called New Monarchs.
They strengthened their military and financial power.
They organised a permanent bureaucracy, standing armies and national taxation.
Increased taxation led to the increased military power of kings.
The nobility became loyalists to the monarch to ensure their survival.
Question 3. During the mid-14th century, as trade expanded in Europe, the Black Death epidemic spread throughout the continent, killing millions of people. How was trade responsible for its spread?
Answer: The Black Death, or Bubonic Plague, reached Europe through merchant ships.
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, trade expansion led to ships coming from distant ports.
They brought rats which carried and spread the plague.
A large percentage of the European population perished.
The population declined from 73 million in the 1300s to 45 million in the 1400s.
Question 4. The severe shortage of silver around 1400 had wide-ranging effects on the European economy. Explain.
Answer: The output of silver from the silver mines of Austria and Serbia declined.
This led to a severe shortage in the availability of metal money.
Shortage of money meant less trade.
This forced the governments in Europe to reduce the silver content and mix cheaper metals in coins.
Question 5. Slow economic growth was witnessed in fourteenth-century Europe due to a number of factors. Discuss these factors.
Answer: Europe, during the fourteenth century, witnessed slow economic growth due to three important factors:
1. Unfavourable climatic conditions followed by famine and cattle deaths.
2. Shortage of silver, which led to a lack of metal money and less trade.
3. Ships carrying the bubonic plague, resulting in the deadly Black Death.
Question 6. William I was the Duke of the French province of Normandy. Explain his role in shaping the history of England.
Answer: William I crossed the English Channel from the French province of Normandy to reach England (1066).
He fought against the Saxons in England and defeated them to become the King of England.
After becoming king, he mapped the land and split it into one hundred and eighty parts.
Norman nobles, who had migrated with William to England, became lords and tenants to the king.
Question 7. Lords had total control over the serfs. Which one of the restrictions imposed by the lords on serfs would you call the most stringent?
Answer: Lords controlled the life of the serf.
Serfs received no wages and had no freedom of movement.
The lord also decided whom the serf would marry.
The serf's choice of marriage was agreed to only on a payment made to the lord.
The denial of freedom of movement was the most stringent and unjustified restriction, as it tied serfs to the lord's land and treated them as property rather than as human beings.
Question 8. Bards in medieval Europe loved to sing and travel from place to place. How did they become popular in France?
Answer: Minstrels and bards toured France singing tales of brave kings and knights.
This way they became very popular.
The illiterate masses used to hear tales from these bards.
At that time, very few people in France could read or write.
At times, the bards sang at the feasts of the nobility and entertained people.
Question 9. Identify this.
Answer: The symbol is the Faravahar, the main symbol of Zoroastrianism.
Zoroaster or Zarathushtra, also referred to as Zartosht, was the founder of this faith.
He was an ancient Iranian prophet and religious poet.
Information about his life can be found primarily in the Avesta.
Information is also found in Zoroastrian scripture, of which the Gathas are a part.
Question 10. The Ben Ezra synagogue is famous because it is the location of an important find of Islamic and Jewish history. What is that find?
Answer: In 1896, a huge collection of medieval Jewish documents was discovered in a sealed room (Geniza) of the Ben Ezra synagogue in Fustat.
The Geniza was found to contain over a quarter of a million manuscripts and fragments.
These documents were written in Judaeo-Arabic, a version of Arabic written in Hebrew characters.
They provide rich insights into the personal and economic experiences of Mediterranean and Islamic culture.
Question 11. Who among the following crossed the English Channel with an army and defeated the Saxon king of England?
(a) Henry
(b) Norman
(c) William
(d) Steffen
Answer: (c) William
In the eleventh century, William I, the Duke of Normandy, crossed the English Channel with an army and defeated the Saxon king of England.
Question 12. Which of the following was the relationship between serfs and lords?
(a) Serfs cultivated plots of land which were considered the property of the lord.
(b) Serfs worked on the land belonging exclusively to the lord for wages.
(c) Serfs could not be asked to leave the estate by the lord.
(d) Serfs could not use their lord's mill to grind their flour.
Answer: (a) Serfs cultivated plots of land which were considered the property of the lord.
Serfs cultivated plots of land which were considered the property of the lord. They received no wages for this. They could not leave the estate without the lord's permission. Serfs could use only their lord's mill to grind their flour, his oven to bake their bread, and his wine presses to distil wine and beer.
Question 13. Which of the following was done with half of the field in autumn in the early period of feudalism in Europe?
(a) It was left fallow.
(b) Wheat was cultivated on it.
(c) Ragi was cultivated on it.
(d) Rye was cultivated on it.
Answer: (b) Wheat was cultivated on it.
An ineffective method of crop rotation was in use during the initial period of feudalism. The land was divided in half; one field was planted in autumn with wheat, while the other field was left fallow. The next year, rye was planted on the fallow land, while the other half was left fallow.
Question 14. Identify which technology was NOT adopted in Europe after the 11th century.
(a) Heavy iron-tipped ploughs
(b) Mould-boards
(c) Iron horseshoes
(d) Neck-harness
Answer: (d) Neck-harness
Neck-harnesses to harness animals to the plough were used before the 11th century. By the 11th century, the neck-harness was replaced by the shoulder-harness, which enabled animals to exert greater power.
Question 15. They were designed so that the priest's voice could be heard clearly within the hall where large numbers of people gathered, so that the singing by monks could sound beautiful, and so that the chiming bells calling people to prayer could be heard over a great distance. The stained glass windows narrated the stories of the Bible through pictures, which illiterate people could understand. Which of the following is an example of the structure described above?
(a) Hever Castle
(b) Salisbury Cathedral
(c) St Michael's Benedictine Abbey
(d) Nemours Castle
Answer: (b) Salisbury Cathedral
The described structure is a cathedral. In cathedrals, stained glass was used for windows. During the day, the sunlight would make them radiant for people inside the cathedral, and after sunset, the light of candles would make them visible to people outside.
Related Study Material on Extramarks
- Important Questions for Class 11 History Chapter 1
- Important Questions for Class 11 History Chapter 2
- Important Questions for Class 11 History Chapter 3
- Important Questions for Class 11 History Chapter 5
- Important Questions for Class 11 History Chapter 6
- Important Questions for Class 11 History Chapter 7