Women, Caste and Reform

Question 1

Difficulties faced by women 200 years ago.

Answer 1

Child Marriage, Performing SATI, Rights to property and Education.

Question 2

Who were Vaishyas

Answer 2

Traders and Moneylenders

Question 3

Upper caste

Answer 3

Brahmans and Kshatriyas

Question 4

Who were Shudras

Answer 4

Potters and Weavers

Question 5

Who were Ati shudras or Untouchables

Answer 5

Cleaners

Question 6

What were Untouchables not allowed to do

Answer 6

They were not allowed to enter temples, draw water from the wells upper castes used, bathe in the pond upper caste used to bathe. They were seen as inferior human beings.

Question 7

Who was Raja Rammohun Roy

Answer 7

He was a reformer. He lived from 1772-1833.

Question 8

Association formed by Raja Rammohun Roy

Answer 8

Brahmo Sabha later Brahmo Samaj (in Calcutta)

Question 9

The meaning of reform

Answer 9

Change

Question 10

What are the reforms Raja Rammohun Roy made

Answer 10

He spread Western Education in the country and brought greater freedom and equality for women by campaigning against the practice of Sati.

Question 11

Languages known by Rammohun Roy

Answer 11

Sanskrit, Persian and several other Indian and European languages

Question 12

How did Raja Rammohun Roy convince people about not using the practice of SATI

Answer 12

Through his writing he showed there is no sanction in ancient texts.

Question 13

Who supported Raja Rammohun Roy

Answer 13

British officials

Question 14

When was sati banned

Answer 14

1829

Question 15

Who was Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and what did he do for a change

Answer 15

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a reformer who used ancient text to suggest that women could remarry.

Question 16

Did Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar get support from British officials

Answer 16

Yes

Question 17

When was the law passed permitting widow remarriage

Answer 17

1856

Question 18

What did people do who were against the law of widow remarriage

Answer 18

Opposed Vidyasagar and boycotted him

Question 19

Who was Veersalingam Pantulu

Answer 19

He was a reformer who lived in the Telegu speaking areas of Madras. He formed an association for widow remarriage.

Question 20

Who was Swami Dayananda Saraswathi

Answer 20

He was a reformer in the North. He founded an association called Arya Samaj which supported Widow Remarriage

Question 21

Vidyasagar opened schools in

Answer 21

Calcutta

Question 22

First school were opened in ______ century.

Answer 22

mid-nineteenth

Question 23

Why did people fear about female education

Answer 23

It would prevent them from doing domestic work.

Question 24

Who opened schools in Punjab

Answer 24

Arya Samaj

Question 25

Who opened schools in Maharashtra

Answer 25

Jyoti Rao Phule

Question 26

Muslim households in North India learnt _________

Answer 26

Quran in arabic

Question 27

Muslim households in North India were taught by

Answer 27

Women tutors

Question 28

Who was Mumtaz Ali

Answer 28

He was a reformer who argued on women education by interpreting verses from Quran

Question 29

Who were Begums of Bhopal

Answer 29

They were Muslim women who promoted Women Education and started a school in Aligarh

Question 30

Who was Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain

Answer 30

She was a fearless critic of conservative ides. She started school Muslims in Patna and Calcutta.

Question 31

Who was Tarbai Shinde

Answer 31

A woman who lived in Poona and was educated at home. She published a book called ''Stripurushtulna'' (A comparison between men and women), criticising social differences between men and women.

Question 32

Who was Pandita Ramabai

Answer 32

She was a great scholar at Sanskrit, She wrote a book on miserable lives of Hindu upper caste women. She founded a shelter for widows at Poona for training them so that they can support themselves economically.

Question 33

Hindu nationalist were worried about

Answer 33

That Hindu women were adapting wester ways and this would disrupt the culture

Question 34

What did women do for reform

Answer 34

They wrote books, edited magazines, founded schools and training centres and set up women's associations

Question 35

Which nationalist leaders promised greater equality and freedom for women after independents

Answer 35

Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose

Question 36

Who fought to make a law preventing child marriage

Answer 36

Indian legislators in central legislative assembly

Question 37

Which year was child marriage resistance act passed

Answer 37

1929

Question 38

According to the act no man below the age of ______ and woman below the age of ______ could marry

Answer 38

18 & 16

Question 39

Subsequently the age of marriage was raised to ________ for woman and ________ for men

Answer 39

18 & 21

Question 40

what association was Prathana Samaj

Answer 40

They believed in equality for all caste

Question 41

What was Paramhans Mandali ment for

Answer 41

It was an association founded in 1840 for the abolition of caste

Question 41

What was Paramhans Mandali ment for

Answer 41

It was an association founded in 1840 for the abolition of caste

Question 42

How did the Christian missionaries contribute in social reform in 19th century

Answer 42

The set up schools for tribal groups and lower caste children

Question 43

How did expansion of cities led to the changes in the lives of lower caste people

Answer 43

As the expansion began the demand for labour was generated to work as diggers, carriers, sewage cleaners sweepers, rikshaw puller and palanquin bearers. The poor began to leave villages and towns mostly from lower caste to work as labourers and this gave them opportunity to get away from the oppressive hold of upper caste and relieve them from humiliation.

Question 44

Who were Mahars

Answer 44

They were traditionally leatherworkers and Shoemakers. They were considered untouchable casts so these people were offered jobs in mahar regiment.

Question 45

Father of B.R Ambedkar

Answer 45

He was a Dalit leader who used to teach in army school

Question 46

In Bombay, how were lower caste people educated

Answer 46

They used to sit in the veranda of school and listen to classes without polluting the room where upper caste used were taught

Question 47

What did Non-Brahmans castes do about caste discrimination

Answer 47

They began organising movements against caste discrimination

Question 48

What was the Satnami Movement

Answer 48

Satnami Movement was founded by Ghasidas who was a lether worker and founded this movement to improve their social status.

Question 49

Who was Shri Narayan Guru

Answer 49

He was a guru from the Ezhava caste and he argued on the caste differences. He said that all humankind belonged to same caste. One of his famous statements was: Oru jati, Oru matam, Oru daivam manushyanu (one caste, one religion one god for humankind)