Short Answer Questions Chapter 6 - Work, Life and Leisure, Class 10

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. Why did the city of Calcutta in the 19th century India amazed and confused writers and others?

Ans. Calcutta in the 19th century offered a series of contrasting images and experiences like wealth and poverty, splendor and dirt, opportunities and disappointments which confused many.

2. Name two early industrial cities of Britain which attracted large number of migrants.

Ans. Two early industrial cities of Britain which attracted large number of migrants were leeds and Manchester.

3. Who said the following words '19th century London was a city of clerks and shopkeepers''?

Ans. 19th century historian, Gareth Stedman Jones said that London was a city of clerks and shopkeepers.

4. Which industries did not exist in London before the First World War?

Ans. Motor cars and electrical goods.

5. Who were the philanthropists?

Ans. Philanthropists were people who worked for social upliftment and charity, donating time and money for the purpose.

6. Who wrote several volumes on the London labour and compiled long lists of those who made a living from crime?

Ans. Henry Mayhew.

7. How did the British get control of the seven islands which later formed Bombay?

Ans. In 1661, control of the seven islands passed into the hands of the British after the marriage of Britain's king Charles II to the Portuguese princess.

8. Name any two presidency cities of India in the early 19th century.

Ans. Bombay, Calcutta and Madras were the Presidency cities of India in the early 19th century.

9. What were Presidency cities?

Ans. The capitals of the Bombay, Bengal and Madras Presidency in British India were called Presidency cities. These were multifunctional cities which had major ports, warehouses, army camps, offices and libraries.

10. Who was Baron Haussmann?

Ans. Baron Haussmann was the cheif architect of new city of Paris.

11. Why did the London poor start the riot in the winter of 1886?

Ans. The London poor start the riot in the winter of 1886 because with the coming of severe winter all outdoor work came to a standstill. They wanted relief from poverty.

12. What was the 'London Season'?

Ans. Several cultural events like opera theater and classical music performances were held for the elite group once in a year. It was called London season.

13. What was the 10-hour movement?

Ans. The 10-hour movement aimed at limiting the working hours in factories.

14. What was the main demand of the Chartist movement ?

Ans. Chartist movement demanded the right to vote for all adult males.

15. What is meant by individualism?

Ans. Individualism is an idea which promotes the liberty and rights of an individual rather than of the community.

16. Name two calamities that affected Bombay in the late 19th century.

Ans. The Famine of Kutch (1888-89) and the plague of 1898 affected Bombay in the late 19th century.

17. What was 'Giragaon'?

Ans. Giragaon was a mill village where most of th workers lived and they walked to their place of work.

18. What were 'Chawls'?

Ans. Chawls were multi-storeyed structures which were divided into a number of smaller one room tenements.

19. Define the term 'Akharas'.

Ans. Akharas were traditional; wrestling schools where young people were trained to ensure physical and moral fitness.

20. Why did town planning start in Bombay?

Ans. Town planning started in Bombay because of the fear of plague epidemic.

21. Which Indian city was the first to get smoke Nuisance Legislation?
Ans. Calcutta was the first to get Smoke Nuisance Legislation in 1863.

22. Why was there heavier smog in Calcutta than in other cities in Northern India?
Ans. There was heavier smog in Calcutta because the city was built on a marshy land.

23. Name the movie made by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1913.
Ans. Dadasaheb Phalke made Raja Harishchandra in 1913.

24. Name India's first movie.
Ans. India's first movie was shot in 1896, where Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatwadekar shot a scene of a wrestling match in Bombay's Hanging Garden.

25. Define 'Reclamation.
Ans. To reclaim marshy or submerged areas or wasteland for settlement and cultivation or for any other use.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Describe how cities developed in ancient and medieval period in the world, giving example.

Ans. Cities in the ancient period like Mohenjodaro and Mesopotamiaemerged on the banks of big river systems, namely the Sindh, Tigris and Euphrates. These cities supported large populations with trade and commerce. They served as administrative centers. 

In medieval times, cities grew out in the periphery of important buildings and trading centers. For example, most of the medieval towns and cities in Europe had Church in the center as an imposing structure.

2. Name three historical processes which have shaped modern cities in a decisive way.

Ans. The following are the three historical processes which have shaped modern cities in a decisive way.

(a) The rise of industrial capitalism.

(b) The establishment of colonial rule over large parts of the world. 

(c) Establishment of democratic ideals.

3. List some steps taken to clean up London.
Ans. Following steps were taken to clean up London:
(a) Decongestion of localities by introducing of rent control.
(b) Increasing green open spaces by building suburbs or countryside homes by the rich.
(c) Pollution reduction by building green belt around London.
(d) Landscaping and building cottages for single family etc.

4. Who were philanthropists? Explain any two steps taken to control crime in London in the 1870s.
Ans. (a) Philanthropists were the people who worked for the welfare, charity and social upliftment.                  They donated money for this purpose.
        (b) In order to control crime in London in 1870s, the population of criminals was counted,                        police kept a watch on their activities and their way of life was investigated.
        (c) The authorities imposed high penalties for crime and offered work to deserving people.

5. How does the historian Gareth Stedman Jones describe the 19th century London?
Ans. According to Jones "London was a city of clerks and shopkeepers, of small masters and skilled artisans, of a growing number of semi-skilled and sweated out workers, of soldiers and servants, of casual labourers, street sellers and beggars." It was a powerful magnet for migrant populations even though it did not have large factories. Five major types of industries employed a large number of workers, beside the London Dockyards.

6. What was the Temperance Movement? What was its main aim?
Ans. It was largely a middle-class-led social reform movement which emerged in Britain and America from the 19th century onwards. This movement identified alcoholism as the cause of the ruin of families and society, and aimed at reducing the consumption of alcoholic drinks, particularly amongst the working classes.

7. When and why was the Rent Act passed in Bombay during the British days? What was its outcome?
Ans. (a) Rent Act was passed in 1918 in Bombay.
        (b) It was passed to keep the rent reasonable.
        (c) Rent Act had the opposite effect of producing housing crises because the landlords refused to given houses at such low rents.

8. Explain the concept of the 'Garden City'? Who developed this system in London?
Ans. (a) The main feature of the proposed garden city was to be a place full of plants and trees,                          where people could both live and work.
        (b) The concept of garden city was developed by architect and planner Ebenezer Howard.
        (c) Following his ideas, Raymond Unwin and Barry Parker designed the garden city of New                     Earswick, with common garden and beautiful landscape.
 
9. Explain the social changes in London which led to the need for the underground railway.
Ans. The development of suburbs as a part of the drive to decongest London led to the extension of the city beyond the range where people could walk to work. Though these suburbs had been built, people could not be persuaded to leave the city and stay far away from their workplace in the absence of some form of public transport. The Underground railway was constructed to solve this transport problem by carrying people to their workplace and back home.

10. Why was the development of underground railway in London criticized? Explain any three reasons.
Ans. The development of underground railways was criticized and was referred to as iron monster because of the following:
(a) The railways were a menace to health. The compartments were filled with smoke, coal dust, foul fumes and heat.
(b) There was massive destruction for the construction of tracks. Houses were knocked down, streets broken and stopped.
(c) There were deep pits and trenches, heaps of earth and clay, thousands shapes and structures of incompleteness and everything turned upside down.
(d) There was massive displacement of London poor.