NCERT Questions & Answers
Q1. Discuss how the changes in forest management in the colonial period affected the following groups of people:
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Shifting cultivators: Banned from practicing jhum, many lost livelihood and were displaced. Some resisted or joined rebellions.
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Nomadic and pastoralist communities: Lost access to grazing lands, were forced to change occupations.
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Firms trading in timber/forest produce: Some European firms gained monopoly rights, but local traders lost access.
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Plantation owners: Benefited hugely, as forests were cleared for tea, coffee, and rubber plantations.
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Kings/British officials engaged in hunting: Encouraged big game hunting, leading to destruction of wildlife.
Q2. What are the similarities between colonial management of forests in Bastar and Java?
→ Both regions saw large-scale reservation of forests, restriction on local use, and introduction of scientific forestry. Communities lost customary rights and were forced into labour. Rebellions occurred—Bastar in 1910, Kalang and Samin movements in Java. In both cases, colonial states prioritised timber needs over people’s livelihoods.
Q3. Discuss factors leading to decline in India’s forest cover (1880–1920).
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Railways: Huge demand for sleepers and fuel.
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Shipbuilding: Timber for navy and trade ships.
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Agricultural expansion: Peasants encouraged to clear forests.
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Commercial farming: Jute, cotton, wheat grown for Europe.
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Plantations: Tea, coffee, rubber cleared natural forests.
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Peasant use: Collection of firewood, fruits, grazing also added.
Q4. Why are forests affected by wars?
→ During wars, timber was urgently needed for barracks, railways, weapons, and fuel. In WWI and WWII, British cut Indian forests recklessly. In Java, Dutch burnt logs to prevent Japanese capture; Japanese later exploited forests. Wars thus caused massive deforestation.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Explain how colonial forest policies affected the lives of forest dwellers.
Colonial forest policies drastically changed the lives of forest dwellers. The Forest Acts of 1865, 1878, and 1927 brought forests under strict state control. Villagers were banned from hunting, grazing cattle, and collecting wood or forest produce. Shifting cultivation was prohibited, forcing many tribes to abandon their traditional livelihood. Customary rights were replaced by permits, which were hard to obtain. Many communities were displaced, some forced into bonded labour in forest villages. Women collecting firewood faced harassment by guards. Hunting became a sport for British officials, while ordinary people were punished as poachers. Thus, forest dwellers lost autonomy, livelihoods, and dignity under colonial forest laws.
Q2. Describe the Bastar rebellion of 1910.
The Bastar rebellion was a major tribal uprising against British forest policies. Located in present-day Chhattisgarh, Bastar’s communities like Gonds, Dhurwas, and Bhatras depended on forests for food, fuel, and shifting cultivation. In 1905, the government proposed reserving two-thirds of the forest, displacing villages and forcing others to work for free. Famines and exploitation worsened discontent. Under leaders like Gunda Dhur, villagers circulated mango boughs, chillies, and arrows as rebellion signals. In 1910, bazaars, schools, and police stations were attacked, officials’ houses burnt, and grain redistributed. The British retaliated with brutal suppression, but the planned reservation was reduced. The rebellion showed how forest communities resisted colonial oppression.
Q3. What was ‘scientific forestry’? How did it differ from villagers’ ideas of a good forest?
Scientific forestry, introduced by Dietrich Brandis, meant systematic cutting of natural forests and replacing them with single-species plantations like teak or sal. The Indian Forest Service (1864) and Imperial Forest Research Institute (1906) promoted it. Officials managed forests with working plans, restricting local use. For villagers, a good forest meant diversity—fuel, fodder, fruits, leaves, and medicinal plants. For the state, forests meant revenue and timber. Thus, scientific forestry prioritised commercial exploitation, while villagers’ needs were ignored. Over time, this system caused ecological imbalance and discontent among communities.
Q4. Explain the similarities and differences between Indian and Indonesian forest policies under colonial rule.
Both India (under the British) and Java (under the Dutch) saw strict forest laws. Villagers were banned from shifting cultivation, grazing, or hunting. Forest services were set up, and labour was extracted for timber extraction. In Bastar, resistance led to the 1910 rebellion, while in Java, the Kalangs and Saminists opposed Dutch control. A difference was that in Java, systems like blandongdiensten forced villagers to provide free labour and buffaloes in return for rent exemptions. In India, labour was extracted through ‘forest villages’. Thus, while contexts differed, both colonial powers prioritised timber for ships, railways, and wars over local rights.
Q5. Analyse the impact of colonial forest management on ecology and economy.
Colonial policies led to large-scale deforestation. Between 1880–1920, 9.7 million hectares of forests were lost. Monoculture plantations reduced biodiversity and soil fertility. Wildlife was hunted to near extinction—over 80,000 tigers and 200,000 wolves were killed. Ecologically, rivers dried, soil eroded, and climate patterns changed. Economically, local people were impoverished while European firms gained monopoly over trade. Plantations enriched planters but displaced tribals. Forest laws criminalised traditional practices, turning communities into labourers for the state. Thus, colonial forestry damaged both the environment and indigenous economies.
MCQs
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Deforestation means:
(a) Growing more trees
(b) Disappearance of forests
(c) Cutting grasslands
(d) Making plantations
Answer: (b) -
Who was the first Inspector General of Forests in India?
(a) Lord Curzon
(b) Dietrich Brandis
(c) William Ward
(d) Gunda Dhur
Answer: (b) -
The Indian Forest Act was first passed in:
(a) 1864
(b) 1865
(c) 1878
(d) 1927
Answer: (b) -
Forests were divided into:
(a) Two categories
(b) Three categories
(c) Four categories
(d) Five categories
Answer: (b) -
Reserved forests meant:
(a) Villagers could freely use them
(b) Only for shifting cultivation
(c) No access for villagers
(d) For hunting only
Answer: (c) -
Shifting cultivation in India is locally called:
(a) Podu
(b) Chena
(c) Kumri
(d) All of these
Answer: (d) -
Bastar rebellion occurred in:
(a) 1905
(b) 1910
(c) 1920
(d) 1930
Answer: (b) -
Leader associated with Bastar rebellion:
(a) Gunda Dhur
(b) Birsa Munda
(c) Alluri Sitarama Raju
(d) Kanu
Answer: (a) -
Dutch introduced the blandongdiensten system in:
(a) India
(b) Java
(c) Burma
(d) Malaya
Answer: (b) -
Kalangs of Java were:
(a) Traders
(b) Woodcutters
(c) Soldiers
(d) Farmers
Answer: (b) -
Which tree was mainly promoted in plantations?
(a) Neem
(b) Teak
(c) Mango
(d) Bamboo
Answer: (b) -
Hunting became:
(a) A livelihood
(b) A sport
(c) Illegal for British
(d) Religious practice
Answer: (b) -
The Imperial Forest Research Institute was set up in:
(a) Delhi
(b) Dehradun
(c) Bombay
(d) Calcutta
Answer: (b) -
The Bastar rebellion was triggered by:
(a) High taxes
(b) Forest reservation
(c) Famine
(d) British hunting laws
Answer: (b) -
Samin’s movement in Java opposed:
(a) Rent collection
(b) Forest ownership by state
(c) Trade restrictions
(d) Plantation expansion
Answer: (b) -
The British killed over _____ tigers between 1875–1925.
(a) 40,000
(b) 60,000
(c) 80,000
(d) 1,00,000
Answer: (c) -
Forests were heavily exploited during:
(a) World Wars
(b) Revolts
(c) Famines
(d) Festivals
Answer: (a) -
The mahua tree provides:
(a) Fruits
(b) Alcohol and oil
(c) Medicines
(d) All of these
Answer: (d) -
Which community in Central India petitioned against loss of shifting cultivation?
(a) Baigas
(b) Bhils
(c) Mundas
(d) Santhals
Answer: (a) -
Java’s forests were mainly rich in:
(a) Mango
(b) Teak
(c) Bamboo
(d) Coffee
Answer: (b)
Fill in the Blanks
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The disappearance of forests is called deforestation.
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The first Inspector General of Forests in India was Dietrich Brandis.
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The Indian Forest Act was passed in 1865.
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Forests were divided into reserved, protected, and village forests.
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Shifting cultivation in Andhra Pradesh is known as podu.
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The Bastar rebellion took place in 1910.
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The Dutch used the blandongdiensten system in Java.
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Gunda Dhur was a leader in Bastar.
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The Imperial Forest Research Institute was established at Dehradun.
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The mahua tree is valued for its flowers, oil, and alcohol.