Indian Economy History Past Paper PDF

Okay, here is the converted text from the images, formatted in Markdown. # Self Assessment Test ## 01 **Time allowed:** 45 min. **Maximum Marks:** 20 **Q.1** The sole purpose of the British colonial rule in India was (1) (i) To reduce the country to being a raw material supplier for Great Brita...

Okay, here is the converted text from the images, formatted in Markdown. # Self Assessment Test ## 01 **Time allowed:** 45 min. **Maximum Marks:** 20 **Q.1** The sole purpose of the British colonial rule in India was (1) (i) To reduce the country to being a raw material supplier for Great Britain's own rapidly expanding modern industrial base. (ii) To transform the country into a consumer of finished industrial products from Britain. (iii) To turn India into a sprawling market for the finished products of those industries so that their continued expansion could be ensured to the maximum advantage of their home country - Britain. **Options:** (a) Only (i) and (ii) (b) Only (i) and (iii) (c) Only (ii) and (iii) (d) All of these **Q.2** Read the following statements and select the correct alternative: (1) **Statement 1:** Commercialisation of agriculture was coercively introduced by the Britishers. **Statement 2:** The aim of commercialisation of agriculture was to support the British industries. **Options:** (a) Both the statements are true. (b) Both the statements are false. (c) Only statement 1 is true. (d) Only statement 2 is true. **Q.3** Read the following statements relating to industrial sector during British rule and choose the correct sequence of these statements. (1) (i) Cheap imports of British manufactured goods increased in the country. (ii) The growth rate of Industrial sector was very small. (iii) India was reduced to be a mere exporter of raw material. (iv) India faced shortage of locally made goods. **Options:** (a) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) (b) (iv), (iii), (ii), (i) (c) (iii), (iv), (ii), (i) (d) (iii), (iv), (i), (ii) **Q.4** Identify the correct statement/answer from the following: (1) (a) Restrictive policies of commodity production, trade and tariff pursued by the colonial government adversely affected the structure, composition and volume of India's foreign trade. (b) Effective trade policies of commodity production, trade and tariff pursued by the colonial government favorably affected the structure, composition and volume of India's foreign trade. (c) Liberal policies of commodity production, trade and tariff pursued by the colonial government adversely affected the structure, composition and volume of India's foreign trade. (d) Restrictive policies of commodity production, trade and tariff pursued by the colonial government favorably affected the structure, composition and volume of India's foreign trade. **Q.5** State and discuss any two indicators that help in measuring the health status of a country. (3) **Q.6** Comment upon any two salient features of occupational structure of India on the eve of Independence. (3) **Q.7** "Under the colonial regime, basic infrastructure such as railways, ports, water transport, posts and telegraph develop. However, the real motive behind infrastructure development was not to provide basic amenities to the people but to sub-serve various colonial interests." (4) What objectives did the British intend to achieve through their policies of infrastructure development in India? **Q.8** Identify and briefly explain three key features of the Indian economy on the eve of independence that contributed to its predominantly stagnant structure. (6) ## 02 **Time allowed:** 45 min. **Maximum Marks:** 20 **Q.1** Read the following statements - Assertion (A) and Reason (R) and choose the correct alternative: (1) * **Assertion (A):** During colonial rule, both mortality rates and infant mortality rates were very high. * **Reason (R):** British never paid any heed towards improvement of public health facilities in India. **Options:** (a) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true. (b) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are false. (c) Assertion (A) is true and Reason (R) is false. (d) Assertion (A) is false and Reason (R) is true. **Q.2** Read the following statements and select the correct alternative: (1) * **Statement 1:** During the colonial period, overall mortality rate was very high and in that, particularly, the infant mortality was quite alarming - about 218 per thousand in contrast to the present infant mortality rate of 33 per thousand. * **Statement 2:** Life expectancy was also very low - 44 years in contrast to the present 69 years. **Options:** (a) Both the statements are true. (b) Both the statements are false. (c) Only Statement 1 is true. (d) Only Statement 2 is true. **Q.3** During the colonial period, the occupational structure of India showed little sign of change. The agricultural sector accounted for the largest share of workforce, which usually remained at a high of (i) ____ per cent while the manufacturing and service sectors accounted for only (ii) ____ and (iii) _____ per cent respectively. (1) (a) (i) 55-60 (ii) 8 (iii) 5-10 (b) (i) 60-65 (ii) 9 (iii) 10-15 (c) (i) 65-70 (ii) 10 (iii) 15-20 (d) (i) 70-75 (ii) 10 (iii) 15-20 **Q.4** From the set of the events given in Column-I and the corresponding year in Column-II, choose the incorrect pair: (1) | Column-I | Column-II | | --------------------------------- | --------- | | A. Introduction of railways in India | (i) 1850 | | B. Incorporation of TISCO | (ii) 1807 | | C. First Official Census of India | (iii) 1881 | | D. Opening of Suez Canal | (iv) 1869 | **Options:** (a) A- (i) (b) B- (ii) (c) C - (iii) (d) D - (iv) **Q.5** How was zamindari system of revenue settlement responsible for the poor economic condition of the cultivators? (3) **Q.6** What do you understand by the drain of Indian wealth during the colonial period? (3) **Q.7** (a) Name any one prominent economist who estimated India's National Income during the Colonial period. (1) (b) What was the focus of the economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India? What were the impacts of these policies? **Q.8** "India could not develop a sound industrial base under the British colonial rule. Even as the country's world famous handicraft industries declined, no corresponding modern industrial base was allowed to come up to take pride of place so long enjoyed by the former." (6) In the light of the above statement, critically appraise some of the shortfalls of the industrial policy pursued by the British colonial administration. ## 03 **Time allowed:** 45 min. **Maximum Marks:** 20 **Q.1** Choose the statements which truly state about infrastructure condition on the eve of India's independence. (1) (i) Roads were constructed by Britishers primarily for movement of army. (ii) Railways were introduced in 1820. (iii) Indian exports expanded during this period. (iv) Britishers took measures to develop inland trade and sea routes. **Options:** (a) Only (i) and (ii) (b) Only (i) and (iii) (c) Only (i), (ii) and (iii) (d) Only (i), (iii) and (iv) **Q.2** Various details about the population of British India were first collected through a census in ______. (1) (a) 1881 (b) 1911 (c) 1921 (d) 1931 **Q.3** Read the following statements and select the correct alternative: (1) * **Statement 1:** Zamindari system was introduced by the British, to ensure proper control over the revenue system in India. * **Statement 2:** Zamindars were given full freedom to collect and keep the rent collected by them. **Options:** (a) Statement 1 is true and statement 2 is false. (b) Statement 2 is true and statement 1 is false. (a) Both statements are true. (b) Both statements are false. **Q.4** Read the following statements - Assertion (A) and Reason (R) and choose the correct alternative: (1) * **Assertion (A):** An understanding of the Indian economy before independence is necessary. * **Reason (R):** It will help to know and appreciate the level of economic development achieved during the post-independence period. **Options:** (a) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A). (b) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A). (c) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false. (d) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true. **Q.5** (a) Define occupational structure. (1) (b) Comment upon any two salient features of demographic conditions of India as on the eve of Independence.(2) **Q.6** Critically appraise some of the shortfalls of the industrial policy pursued by the British colonial administration. (3) **Q.7** Underscore some of India's most crucial economic challenges at the time of independence.(4) **Q.8** Analyze the complex challenges posed by India's foreign trade situation on the eve of independence. Investigate the factors that led to the trade imbalances and dependence on imports during this period. (6) ## 04 **Time allowed:** 45 min. **Maximum Marks:** 2 **Q.1** The country's growth rate of aggregate real output during the first half of the twentieth century was only (i) _______ and per capita real output was (ii) _________ (1) (a) (i) less than 1% p.a. (ii) about 1% p.a. (b) (i) less than 2% p.a. (ii) about 0.5% p.a. (c) (i) less than 3% p.a. (ii) about 0.25% p.a. (d) (i) less than 4% p.a. (ii) about 5% p.a. **Q.2** Read the following statements - Assertion (A) and Reason (R) and choose the correct alternative: (1) * **Assertion (A):** India's economy under the British colonial rule remained fundamentally agrarian. * **Reason (R):** About 85% of the country's population derived livelihood directly or indirectly from agriculture. (a) A is true but R is false. (b) A is false but R is true. (c) Both A and R are true and R explains A. (d) Both A and R are true but R does not explain A. **Q.3** Read the following statements and select the correct alternative: (1) * **Statement 1:** During the second half of the nineteenth century, modern industry began to take root in India. There were many capital goods industry to help promote industrialisation in India. * **Statement 2:** One of the significant drawbacks of the new industrial sector was the very limited area of operation of the public sector. This sector remained confined only to the railways, power generation, communications, ports and some other departmental undertakings. (a) Both the statements are true. (b) Both the statements are false. (c) Statement 1 is true, but statement 2 is false. (d) Statement 2 is true, but statement 1 is false. **Q.4** Opening of _______ Canal significantly reduced the cost of transportation of goods between Britain and India. (1) (a) Agra (b) Munak (c) Suez (d) Conolly **Q.5** What objectives did the British intend to achieve through their policies of infrastructure development in India? Explain any three points. (3) **Q.6** (a) Define Life Expectancy. (1) (b) Why did the export surplus not result in any flow of gold or silver into India? (2) **Q.7** (a) Which sector of the Indian economy accounted for the least share of workforce during the colonial period? (1) (b) Define the following terms: (3) (i) Commercialisation of agriculture (ii) Capital goods industry (iii) Morbidity **Q.8** Answer the following questions on the basis of the text and picture given below and your general knowledge: **Description:** The image shows an engraving or illustration depicting agricultural life, possibly in India. People are working in fields, tending to crops. There are animals present, suggesting a mixed agricultural system. In the background, there's a body of water, possibly a river or canal. The overall scene conveys a traditional, rural setting. The caption underneath reads "India's agricultural stagnation under the British colonial rule." **Agriculture During Pre-British India** The French traveller, Bernier, described seventeenth century Bengal in the following way: "The knowledge I have acquired of Bengal in two visits inclines me to believe that it is richer than Egypt. It exports, in abundance, cottons and silks, rice, sugar and butter. It produces amply - for its own consumption wheat, vegetables, grains, fowls, ducks and geese. It has immense herds of pigs and flocks of sheep and goats. Fish of every kind it has in profusion. From rajmahal to the sea is an endless number of canals, cut in bygone ages from the Ganges by immense labour for navigation and irrigation." (i) Draw a contrast between the condition of agriculture in our country in the seventeenth century and the time when the British left India, around 200 years later. (3) (ii) State any two causes of India's agricultural stagnation during the colonial period. (3) ## 05 **Time allowed:** 45 min. **Maximum Marks:** 20 **Q.1** Write the correct sequence of alternatives given in Column II by matching them with respective terms in Column I: (1) | **Column I** | **Column II** | | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | A. Focus of the economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India | (i) To use a large export surplus to make payments for the expenses incurred by an office set-up in British, expenses on war, and import of invisible items. | | B. Motive of the British behind the systematic de-industrialisation in India | (ii) To reduce India to the status of a mere exporter of important raw materials for the upcoming modern industries in Britain. | | C. Motive of the British behind infrastructural development in India | (iii) Protection and promotion of the economic interests of their home country rather than the development of the Indian economy. | | D. Motive of the British behind monopoly control over India's exports imports | (iv) To subserve various colonial interests, e.g. mobilising the army within India and drawing out raw materials from the countryside to the nearest railway station or the port to send these to England. | **Options:** (a) (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) (b) (iii), (ii), (iv), (i) (c) (ii), (i), (iv), (iii) (d) (iv), (i), (ii), (iii) **Q.2** Read the following statements and select the correct alternative: (1) * **Statement 1:** The introduction of railways in India in 1850 fostered the commericialisation of India agriculture and the volume of India's exports expanded. * **Statement 2:** Along with the development of roads and railways, the colonial dispensation also took measures for developing the inland trade and sea lanes. And, these measures were highly satisfactory. **Options:** (a) Both the statements are true. (b) Both the statements are false. (c) Statement 1 is true, but statement 2 is false. (d) Statement 2 is true, but statement 1 is false. **Q.3** In the Swadeshi Movement against the British, started in 1905, Indians started ditching British goods for Indian products. Which of the following would have been the likely impact of the movement? (1) P: Rise in import of raw materials Q: Fall in imports from Britain R: Rise in production of goods in India S: Rise in export tariffs **Options:** (a) only P and R (b) only P and S (c) only Q and R (d) only R and S ## 06 **Q.4** Read the following statements - Assertion (A) and Reason (R) and choose the correct alternative: (1) * **Assertion (A):** The construction of railways led to huge economic losses to the Indian economy. * **Reason (R):** It enhanced commercialization of Indian agriculture, which adversely affected the comparative self-sufficiency of the village economies in India. **Options:** (a) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A). (b) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A). (c) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false. (d) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true. **Q.5** What were the main causes of India's agricultural stagnation during the colonial period? State any three points. (3) **Q.6** State the two-fold motive for the systematic destabilisation of indigenous Indian industries in the British era. (3) **Q.7** Answer the following questions on the basis of the picture given below and your general knowledge: **Description**: The image shows an old black and white photograph of the TATA Airlines aircraft. *Tata Airlines, a division of Tata and Sons, inaugurating the aviation sector in India* (i) When was the Tata Airlines, a division of Tata and Sons, established? (1) (ii) "Under the colonial regime, basic infrastructure such as railways, ports, water transport, posts and telegraphs did develop. However, the real motive behind this development was not to provide basic amenities to the people but to subserve various colonial interests." Justify the statement by giving two valid reasons. (3) **Q.8** Provide a case study of infrastructure development during British colonial rule in a specific region of India. Highlight three key infrastructural projects initiated by the British administration and analyze their impact on the region's economy, transportation, and communication systems. (6)