Kerala Plus One Economics Chapter Wise Previous Questions Chapter 1 Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence
Question 1.
“India became an exporter of primary products and an importer of finished goods produced in the factories of Britain.” Critically examine the foreign policy adopted by the British in the light of the above statement. (March 2009)
Answer:
Some of the policy features of the British in India are the following:
- Control over India’s imports and exports.
- Export surplus did not result flow of gold and silver to India.
- Export surplus used for war expenses.
- The British period saw drain of Indian wealth.
Question 2.
During the colonial period, industrial progress of Indian economy was very slow. Give reasons for supporting this statement. (Say 2009)
Answer:
The reasons for slow industrial growth during colonial period are:
- Declining handcrafts
- Absence of modem industries
- No diversification of Industries
- No capital good industries
- Limited operation of public sector
- Export of raw material from India
- Import of finished goods to India
Question 3.
The stagnation in the agricultural sector was caused mainly because of the various systems of land settlement that were introduced by the colonial government. Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer. (March 2010)
Answer:
Yes, India’s agriculture sector was stagnant during the colonial rule. The stagnation in the agriculture sector was caused mainly because of the following.
- The various systems of land settlement in India.
- The British government did nothing to improve the condition of agriculture
- There were immense misery and social tension among the cultivators because of the exploitation by the Zamindars
- Low level of technology, lack of irrigational facilities, and use of negligible amount so fertilizers were also responsible for low production in agriculture.
Question 4.
India could not develop a sound industrial base under colonial rule. Substantiate. (March 2011)
Answer:
As in the case of agriculture, so also in manufacturing, India could not develop a sound industrial base under the 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 in a place so long enjoyed by the former. The main reasons were that Britain did not want India to be industrialised. Their policy towards India was
- They wanted India a centre for raw materials for their industry.
- They also wanted to see India as a market for their furnished products.
Question 5.
Compare the major demographic indicators of colonial India with the present condition and comment on it. (March 2012)
Answer:
- India’s total population was 2713060 in 1900 but now it is 121 crores.
- The literacy rate in India during 1911 was only 6% but now it is 75%.
Question 6.
Under colonial rule, basic infrastructure developed considerably in India. What was the real motive behind this development? (Say 2012)
Answer:
Basic infrastructure like railways, roads, telegraph, etc. was developed during the British period. The purpose behind this was to satisfy various colonial interests.
- Roads were built for the purpose of mobilising the army.
- The introduction of the telegraph in India was basically to maintain law and order.
- Railways introduced to mobilise the army and raw materials.
Question 7.
The stagnation in agriculture during the colonial rule permanently broken by the Green Revolution. Discuss. (Say 2012)
Answer:
A significant and continuous rise in agricultural production with the use of fertilizers, HYV seeds, and irrigation facilities is known as the Green Revolution. The spread of green revolution technology-enabled India to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains. It helped in improving the living standards of farmers. It also helped in creating a marketable surplus of food grains.
Question 8.
Pick out the feature of the Indian economy with respect to the occupational structure during the British rule. (High mortality rate, growing regional variation in the workforce, generation of large export surplus, take the root of modern industries.) (March 2013)
Answer:
Generation of large export surplus.
Question 9.
While participating in a debate, your friend says, “The introduction of the railway in India by the British is one of their important contributions.” Express your view with jurisdiction. (March 2013)
Answer:
- The development of railways enabled the country to develop infrastructure facilities.
- The movement of goods and people is made possible throughout the country.
Question 10.
’’During the colonial rule, there was neither growth nor equity in the agricultural sector.” (March 2013)
a) Name the two measures adopted by the policy makers of independent India to resolve this.
b) State the features of anyone.
Answer:
a) 1) Land reforms
2) Green revolution
b) Land reform involves the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural land. Land reform can, therefore, refer to transfer of ownership from the more powerful to the less powerful; such as from a relatively small number of wealthy (or noble) owners with extensive land holdings (eg. plantations, large ranches, or agribusiness plots) to individual ownership by those who work the land. Such trans¬fers of ownership may be with or without compensation; compensation may vary from token amounts to the full value of the land.
Question 11.
During the colonial period, the Indian foreign trade did not generate an export surplus. (Say 2013)
Answer:
False
Question 12.
The development of infrastructure during the colonial period can be considered as a positive contribution of the British. Analyze this statement. (March 2014)
Answer:
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. Roads constructed in India prior to the advent of British rule were not fit for modern transport.
The British introduced the railways in India in 1850 and it is considered as one of their most important contributions. The railways affected the structure of the Indian economy in two important ways. On the one hand, it enabled people to undertake long-distance travel and thereby break geographical and cultural barriers while, on the other hand, it fostered commercialization of Indian agriculture which adversely affected the self-sufficiency of the village economies in India.
Though the aim of such infrastructure developments was different, the developmental activity of the British government positively contributed to the development of the Indian economy.
Question 13.
In a debate, one of your friends remarked, “the creation of large export surplus during the British rule did not benefit India”. Do you agree? Substantiate your answer. (Say 2014)
Answer:
I agree with this statement.
Basic infrastructure like railways, roads, telegraph etc. were developed during British period. The purpose behind this was to satisfy various colonial interests.
- Roads were built for the purpose of mobilising the army.
- The introduction of the telegraph in India was basically to maintain law and order.
- Railways introduced to mobilise the army and raw materials.
Question 14.
The stagnation in the Indian agricultural sector during the British period was mainly due to (Say 2014)
a) Low level of technology
b) Little use of fertilizers
c) Various systems of land settlements
d) All of the above
Answer:
d) All of the above
Question 15.
‘The economic policies pursued by the colonial government in India were concerned more with the protection and promotion of the economic interests of their home country than with the development of Indian economy’. Critically evaluate the short-comings of the agricultural and industrial policies pursued by the colonial administrators. (March 2015)
Answer:
Agricultural Sector: India’s economy under colonial rule remained fundamentally agrarian about 85 percent of the country’s population lived mostly in villages and derived livelihood directly or indirectly from agriculture. However, despite being the occupation of such a large population, the agricultural sector continued to experience stagnation. This stagnation in the agricultural sector was caused mainly because of the various systems of land settlement that were introduced by the colonial government.
Industrial Sector: As in the case of agriculture, so also in manufacturing, India could not develop a sound industrial base under the 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 a place so long enjoyed by the former.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, the modern industry began to take root in India but its progress remained very slow. Initially, this development was confined to the setting up of cotton and jute textile mills. The growth rate of the new industrial sector and its contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remained very small.
Question 16.
List the reasons for agricultural stagnation under British rule. (Say 2015)
Answer:
India’s agriculture sector was stagnant during the colonial rule. The stagnation in the agriculture sector was caused mainly because of the following.
- The various systems of land settlement in India.
- The British government did nothing to improve the condition of agriculture.
- There were immense misery and social tension among the cultivators because of the exploitation by the zamindars.
- Low level of technology, lack of irrigational facilities, and use of negligible amount so fertilizers were also responsible for low production in agriculture.
Question 17.
‘India’s agriculture sector was stagnant during the colonial rule. Do you agree with this statement? Substantiate. (March 2016)
Answer:
Yes I agree
The reasons for the stagnation of the agriculture sector were:
- Various systems of land settlement
- Zamindari system
- Low level of technology
- Lack of irrigation facilities
- Poor fertilizer usage
Question 18.
Explain how the colonial trade policies affected India’s foreign trade. (Say 2016)
Answer:
The restrictive trade policies of the colonial government adversely affected the structure, composition and volume of India’s foreign trade. As a result, India became an exporter of primary goods and an importer of finished consumer goods and capital goods produced in Britain. The characteristics of India’s foreign trade during the British period were the following.
Foreign trade created a scarcity of several commodities like food grains, clothes, kerosene, etc.
There was a drain of India’s wealth into Britain.
The trade surplus was used to make payments for the expenses incurred by the office set up by the colonial government in Britain.
- The surplus was used to pay expenses on the war fought by the British government.
- The surplus was used to pay for the import of invisible items.