NCERT Solutions Class 8 History Chapter 1 How When and Where (Free PDF)

History studies the past to analyse how things have changed and evolved over time. How, when, and where is a topic in class 8 SST-History syllabus and focuses on the importance of dates and the importance of dates while studying history. This chapter aims to give students an idea about the earlier history, and the practice of specifying dates according to each event. This blog provides summary notes of the chapter ‘How, when, and where?’.

Download Social Science Class 8 History Chapter 1 Important Questions and Answers PDF

Important Short Notes for NCERT Class 8 History Chapter 1

In the Chapter How, when, and Where class 8, the first section focuses on the importance of dates in history. It is said that from time unknown, scientists have been enamoured by dates. History provides an account of what changes occurred over time;  how things were in the past and how that has impacted the present. It recounts stories of the great battles, big events, the rulers, and their policies. The dates of every little detail such as the marriage of a king, the birth of a prince, the year he won a battle have been documented. Therefore for specific events, it is easy to determine the dates in order to keep track of the “when” aspect of historical events.

How to Periodicise?

James Mill, a Scottish economist and political philosopher published a 3 volume work in 1817, titled A History of British India. In his book, Mill divided India’s history into 3 phases – Hindu, Muslim and British. Mill in his book was of the opinion that Asian societies were at a lower level of civilization than Europe. According to him, before the British era, India was ruled by Hindu and Muslim despots. It was riddled with religious intolerance, caste taboos, and superstitious practices that dominated social life. According to him, it was British rule that led to the civilization of India and furthered progress and civilization. Indian history is also divided into ancient, medieval, and modern.

What is Colonial?

The next section in the Class 8 Chapter on ‘How, When and Where’ focuses on how the British came to conquer the country and establish their rule, subjugating local nawabs and rajas. Further, we understand how the British established control over the economy and society, collected revenue to meet all their expenses, bought the goods they wanted at low prices, produced crops they needed for export, and the consequent changes. Colonialism brought about changes in the values tastes, customs and practices of the people. When one country subjugates another, there are economic, political, social, and cultural changes, it is referred to as colonization.

How Do We Know?

To track historical records, there are different factors that historians explore. Some of the major facets of ‘How do we know’ are elaborated in this Class 8 chapter on How, When and Where.

Administration Produces Records

Britishers strictly practised writing memos, notings, and reports which was a part of the administrative culture. These documents have been carefully preserved in all administrative institutions. In the 19th century, there was a practice of copying and writing these texts and documents by calligraphists. With the spread of printing in the mid-19th century, the copy of these records was printed as a proceeding of the government department.

Importance of Surveys

Surveys became an important part of the colonial administration. By the 19th century, the British government routinely carried out surveys to map the entire country. For instance, revenue surveys were conducted to know the topography, the soil quality, the flora, the fauna, the local histories, and the cropping pattern. Later on by the end of the 19th century, Census operations were held every ten years which recorded the number of people in all of India, noting information on castes, religions and occupation. Likewise, there are many other surveys – botanical surveys, zoological surveys, archaeological surveys, anthropological surveys, and forest surveys.

What the Records Do Not Tell

These records though rigorous do not adequately explain how the country felt or what lay behind the actions. Many other sources of literature such as diaries of people, accounts of pilgrims and travellers, autobiographies of important personalities, and popular booklets are found other than official records. With the advent of printing in India, newspapers were published and issues were debated in public.  This led to the spread of opinions and ideas of the various leaders and reformers. Even then these sources of history have not conveyed how the tribals and the peasants, the workers in the mines or the poor on the streets, lived their lives.

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Chapter 1 How, When and Where

1. State whether true or false:

(a) James Mill divided Indian history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim, Christian.

(b) Official documents help us understand what the country’s people think.

(c) The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.

Ans:

(a) False

(b) False

(c) True

2. What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian history that James Mill offers?

Ans: The problem with the periodisation of Indian History that James Mill offers is the superiority of the British over Hindus and Muslims. James Mill has divided Indian History into three periods – Hindu, Muslim and British, claiming that it was necessary to introduce European manners, arts, institutions and laws in India.

James Mill’s views have several defects given below:

a. He thought that all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilisation when compared to Europe.

b. According to his telling of history, before the British came to India, Hindu and Muslim despots ruled the country.

c. Religious intolerance, caste taboos and superstitious practices dominated social life before the British came to India

3. Why did the British preserve official documents?

Ans: The British had preserved official documents as they felt that writing and recording everything would later make it easier to study them and debate. Official records of what they thought was right were maintained so that in the future, those records could serve as proof of all their decisions. 

4. How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that found in police reports?

Ans: The nature of the information that historians get from old newspapers and police reports can be entirely different. Typically, a historian collects information from a wide variety of sources that includes both official and unofficial documents. The police report comes from an administrative viewpoint, and the types of details that we can obtain from them are often restricted.

A police report is strictly confined to the procedures and is concerned with record-keeping, rather than building a narrative. Journalism and reporting tools follow a different approach that might bring out the finer details about an event or a happening. Often police reports might oversee or neglect information that does not directly serve the function of law enforcement.

Being a mass media, newspapers provide more backdrop, context and elaborate descriptions. However, the relative merits and accuracy of a piece of information from any source can only be determined after proper research and investigation. To get a balanced and clearer picture of a period in history, historians often go through as many sources as possible, while keeping in mind the biases and interests that could be behind them.

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Chapter 6: Devotional Paths to the Divine

Chapter 7: The Making of Regional Cultures

Chapter 5: Tribes, Nomads, and Settled Communities

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