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Important questions:
1. Highlight any three circumstances that led to the intermingling of the hearing culture and the reading culture.[3]ORHow did the historical novels in India try to create a sense of Pan-Indian belonging ?[3]
Answer : Circumstances that led to the intermingling of the hearing culture and the reading culture :
(i)With the printing press, a new reading public emerged. Printing reduced the cost of books. Access to books created a new culture of reading. Earlier reading was restricted to the elite.
(ii)Common people lived in a world of oral culture. They heard sacred texts read out, ballads recited and folk tales narrated. Knowledge was transferred orally.
(iii) Printers began publishing popular ballads and folk tales, illustrated with pictures. These were sung and recited at gatherings. Oral culture thus entered print and printed material was orally transmitted.
OR
Answer :
(i)In India, many novels were written for glorification of India’s past, to create a sense of national pride among people and a sense of collective belonging.
(ii)Many novels were written in all the main Indian languages in different parts of the country that helped the growth of national feelings among the readers of the entire nation and propagated the idea of uprooting the foreign rule.
(iii)Some of the greatest novelists of modern India were protagonists of the national movement like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. He infused the ideas of nationalism and freedom from colonial rule in novels like ‘ Anandamath’ and ‘Kapalkundala’. Several other novelists wrote for the same cause.
(iv)The novels also helped in the nation building process by taking up the cause of the poor and downtrodden people, women and such sections of society who were being exploited by rich aristocratic people
(v)Novels also attacked the racial superiority of the English people who considered the Indian culture as inferior. Novels took up the cause of nationalism and urged the people to be true to their culture and fight for the freedom of their country.
2.Highlight any three innovations which have improved the printing technology from nineteenth century onwards.
OR
Describe the growth of Hindi novels from their origin to the period of excellence.[3]
Answer : Three innovations which have improved the printing technology from nineteenth century onwards :
(i)The quality of printing plates became better and methods of feeding paper improved.
(ii)Automatic paper reels and photoelectric controls of the colour register were introduced.
(iii)The accumulation of several individual mechanical improvements transformed the appearance of printed texts.
OR
Answer : Growth of Hindi novels from origin to period of excellence :
(i)In the north, Bharatendu Harishchandra encouraged many poets and writers to recreate and translate novels from other languages. The first modern novel was written by Srinivas Das of Delhi, who published his novel ‘Pariksha Guru’ in 1872. The novel cautioned young men of well to do families against bad company. The young were urged to cultivate the ‘healthy habit’ of reading newspapers. The novel could not win many readers as it was too moralising.
(ii)The writings of Devaki Nandan Khatri createda novel-reading public in Hindi. His bestseller ’ ‘Chandrakanta’ a romantic fantasy contributed to popularising Hindi language and the Nagari script among the educated.
(iii)With the writing of Premchand, Hindi novels achieved excellence. He drew on the traditional art of Kisa-goi (storytelling). His novel ‘Sewasadan’ lifted the Hindi novel to a serious reflection on the lives of ordinary people and social issues.
3. Mention any three features of arid soils.[3]
Answer : Features of arid soils : (i)Arid soils range from red to brown in colour and have a sandy texture.
(ii)They are saline in nature. In areas where salt content is high, common salt is obtained by evaporation.
(iii)The lower horizons of this soil have kankars because of high calcium content which restrict infiltration of water.
4.Assess the need for the conservation of forests and wildlife in India.
Answer : There is a need to conserve the forests and wildlife in India because :
(i)To preserve ecological diversity : Conservation of biodiversity is necessary because it preserves the ecological diversity and preserves our life support systems i.e., water air and soil. For example, the plants, animals and micro-organisms recreate the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil that produces our food without which we cannot survive.
(ii)To preserve genetic diversity : It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth and breeding of species. For example, in agriculture we are still dependent on traditional crop varieties. Fisheries too are heavily dependent on the maintenance of aquatic biodiversity.
(iii)F orest are primary producers on which all other living beings depend not only for food but indirectly for many other forest produces which are used for different purposes.
Describe any three traditional method of rainwater harvesting adopted in different parts of India.[3]
Answer : Different rainwater harvesting systems practised in India are :
(i)In the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, all houses had underground tanks or tankas for storing drinking water. The tanks were connected to the sloping roofs of the houses through a pipe. Rain falling on the rooftops would travel down the pipe and was stored in these underground tankas.
(ii)In the western Himalaya’s diversion channels called ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’ are built to utilize rainwater for agriculture.
(iii)In arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthanagricultural fields were converted into rain fed storage structures. Rainwater was allowed to stand and moisten the soil. These structures are called ‘Khadins’ and Johads’
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