Tribals, Dikus, and the Vision of a Golden Age – MCQs with Answers and Explanations
Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age — 30 MCQs with Answers & Explanations
CBSE Exam Tips
- Read the question carefully and eliminate incorrect options first.
- Use NCERT terms like 'diku', 'commons', 'shifting cultivation' in answers.
- Click "Show Answer & Explanation" after answering to strengthen concept clarity.
Answer: B. Outsiders like moneylenders and officials.
Explanation: Tribals used 'diku' for outsiders — those who disrupted customary life, including traders, missionaries and colonial officials.
Answer: B. Clearing forest for a few years then moving on.
Explanation: Shifting cultivation (slash-and-burn) allowed soil recovery via fallow periods and matched tribal mobility and ecology.
Answer: B. Community lands used for grazing and gathering.
Explanation: Commons provided fodder, fuel and food, regulated by customary norms and vital for tribal livelihoods.
Answer: B. Birsa Munda.
Explanation: Birsa Munda led the Munda movement around 1899–1900, mobilising tribals against land alienation and cultural intrusion.
Answer: B. 1855–56.
Explanation: The Santhal rebellion was a major tribal uprising led by Sidhu and Kanhu against exploitation by moneylenders and outsiders.
Answer: B. Loss of land and forest rights.
Explanation: Colonial policies and outsider encroachment often deprived tribals of crucial resources, sparking rebellions.
Answer: B. Restricted access to forest resources.
Explanation: Forest laws often criminalised traditional uses and favoured commercial exploitation, harming tribal livelihoods.
Answer: B. Indebtedness and land loss.
Explanation: High-interest loans forced many to mortgage or sell land, leading to dispossession and dependence.
Answer: A. Petitions to authorities.
Explanation: Tribals sometimes used petitions and legal appeals to draw attention to grievances, seeking inquiries or relief.
Answer: B. Connecting them to larger markets.
Explanation: Railways brought market demand for cash crops and forest produce, integrating tribal areas into wider economic systems.
Answer: B. Shifting cultivation.
Explanation: Shifting cultivation included fallow periods allowing soil and forest regeneration, suited to low-density populations.
Answer: B. Military or police suppression.
Explanation: Many uprisings were met with force; only occasional inquiries or limited relief followed.
Answer: B. Preserve community memory and perspectives.
Explanation: Oral songs and stories carry tribal experiences, leadership memories and resistance narratives often absent in official records.
Answer: B. Cooperative credit institutions.
Explanation: Regulated cooperatives provide affordable loans and reduce exploitation by informal lenders.
Answer: B. Religious revival.
Explanation: Birsa Munda combined calls for social justice with spiritual renewal to mobilise support and legitimise the movement.
Answer: B. Reduced access to fuel and fodder.
Explanation: Privatization or enclosure deprived communities of common resources they depended on.
Answer: B. Exposure to price volatility.
Explanation: Reliance on market prices for cash crops made tribal incomes unstable and contingent on external demand.
Answer: B. Shared management and legal recognition of rights.
Explanation: Co-management or participatory arrangements can secure sustainable use and recognition of customary claims.
Answer: B. They organised and mobilised people.
Explanation: Charismatic and local leaders provided direction, coordination and legitimacy to resistance movements.
Answer: A. Oral songs and stories.
Explanation: Oral traditions provide contemporaneous community perspectives; government reports and missionary accounts are also key primary sources.
Answer: A. Religious revival.
Explanation: Religious motifs often legitimised and unified movements, as seen in Birsa Munda’s use of spiritual revival.
Answer: B. Marginalisation and poverty.
Explanation: Loss of land and resources pushed many into low-paid labour and social marginality.
Answer: B. Legal recognition and community management.
Explanation: Recognising customary rights and co-management supports sustainable use and livelihoods.
Answer: B. Land loss and outsider intrusion.
Explanation: Kol uprisings protested encroachment and loss of customary rights to outsiders and landlords.
Answer: B. Recommend minor reliefs or inquiry.
Explanation: Commissions often led to limited changes like temporary relief rather than systemic reform.
Answer: B. Diversified income sources and reduced risk.
Explanation: Seasonal migration provided additional wages during lean periods but could weaken community ties if prolonged.
Answer: B. Making dispossession legally easier for outsiders.
Explanation: Written records privileged documented titles, often undermining customary claims and enabling legal dispossession.
Answer: B. Due to lack of market information and alternative buyers.
Explanation: Isolated producers often had limited choices, allowing traders to set low prices and capture margins.
Answer: B. Reaffirm cultural claims and mobilise support.
Explanation: Symbolic reclaiming stresses cultural significance and builds collective identity that underpins political claims.
Answer: C. Colonial changes disrupted tribal life and sparked resistance.
Explanation: The chapter demonstrates how loss of land, forest restrictions and outsider pressures led to various forms of tribal resistance.
All MCQs and explanations are strictly NCERT-aligned for CBSE Class 8. Use them for classroom tests, revision and self-assessment.
