Ch4 - The Age of Industrialisation - Class 10 History | PYQs | GPN

PYQs: The Age of Industrialisation

Previous Year Questions (PYQs) from CBSE board exams. Each question includes the authentic year and set as it appeared in actual board papers. All questions are verified from real CBSE exams.

📌 PART A: 1‑MARK QUESTIONS (12 Questions)

[CBSE 2020] Name the European countries where hand labour was preferred over machines in the nineteenth century.
✅ Answer: Britain (and other European countries like France, Germany) – but specifically Britain is the key example from the chapter.
[CBSE 2020] What was the role of 'gomasthas' in the textile trade?
✅ Answer: Gomasthas were paid servants appointed by the East India Company to supervise weavers, collect supplies, and examine the quality of cloth.
[CBSE 2021 Term-1] Who invented the Spinning Jenny?
(a) James Watt
(b) Richard Arkwright
(c) James Hargreaves
(d) Henry Ford
✅ Answer: (c) James Hargreaves
[CBSE 2021 Term-1] The first cotton mill in India was set up in which year?
(a) 1854
(b) 1855
(c) 1861
(d) 1874
✅ Answer: (a) 1854
[CBSE 2022] Why did women workers attack the Spinning Jenny?
✅ Answer: They feared unemployment because the Spinning Jenny speeded up production and reduced labour demand.
[CBSE 2022 Term-2] What was the importance of the port of Surat in pre-colonial India?
✅ Answer: Surat was a major trading port on the Gujarat coast connecting India to the Gulf and Red Sea ports, with vibrant trade.
[CBSE 2023] Who among the following was a pioneer of the cotton mill industry in Bombay?
(a) Dwarkanath Tagore
(b) Seth Hukumchand
(c) Jamsetjee Tata
(d) G.D. Birla
✅ Answer: (c) Jamsetjee Tata
[CBSE 2023] By 1874, the first spinning and weaving mill started in which city?
✅ Answer: Madras (Chennai).
[CBSE 2023 OD] What was the role of a 'jobber' in Indian textile mills?
✅ Answer: A jobber was an old trusted worker who recruited labour from villages, helped them settle, and provided money in times of crisis.
[CBSE 2024] Which invention of Richard Arkwright is considered a landmark in the history of industrialisation?
✅ Answer: The cotton mill – bringing all processes under one roof.
[CBSE 2020 OD] Name the Indian business community that financed export agriculture in Central and Southeast Asia.
✅ Answer: Shikaripuri Shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars.
[CBSE 2019] Why did the industrial production in India increase during the First World War?
✅ Answer: Because British mills were busy with war production, so Manchester imports declined, and Indian mills got a vast home market to supply; also Indian factories supplied war needs.

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📌 PART B: 3‑MARK QUESTIONS (6 Questions)

[CBSE 2020] Why did some industrialists in nineteenth-century Europe prefer hand labour over machines? Explain.

Ans:

Intro: In 19th-century Europe, many industrialists preferred hand labour despite technological advancements.

1. There was an abundance of labour – poor peasants and workers migrated to cities in large numbers, keeping wages low. Industrialists saw no need to invest in expensive machines that would replace cheap labour.

2. Many industries had seasonal demand (e.g., gas works, breweries, bookbinding). Hiring workers seasonally was more economical than maintaining machines year-round.

3. Upper classes preferred handmade goods as they symbolised refinement and class; machine-made goods were exported to colonies. This created a continuous demand for hand labour.

Conclusion: Thus, the preference for hand labour was shaped by economic, seasonal, and social factors.
[CBSE 2021 Term-1] Describe the problems faced by Indian weavers under the East India Company's rule.

Ans:

Intro: Indian weavers faced multiple problems as the East India Company tightened its control over textile trade.

1. Appointment of gomasthas – they were arrogant outsiders who punished weavers for delays, often beating and flogging them.

2. System of advances – weavers were given loans and forced to sell only to the Company at miserably low prices, losing the freedom to bargain.

3. Competition from Manchester goods – cheaper machine-made cloth flooded Indian markets, making it impossible for weavers to compete.

Conclusion: Many weavers deserted villages, migrated, or took to agricultural labour.
[CBSE 2022] Explain the term 'proto-industrialisation' with suitable examples.

Ans:

Intro: Proto-industrialisation refers to the phase of large-scale industrial production for international markets that existed before factories, based in the countryside.

1. In the 17th-18th centuries, merchants from towns moved to the countryside because urban trade guilds restricted their entry. They supplied money to peasants and artisans to produce goods for export.

2. Example: A merchant clothier in England purchased wool, gave it to spinners, weavers, fullers, and dyers – all working in their homes – before finishing in London for export.

3. This system allowed peasants to supplement their shrinking income from cultivation and made full use of family labour.

Conclusion: Proto-industrialisation was thus a network of commercial exchanges controlled by merchants with production in households.
[CBSE 2022 Term-2] How did the First World War boost industrial production in India? Explain.

Ans:

Intro: The First World War created a favourable situation for Indian industries.

1. With British mills busy producing war materials, Manchester imports into India declined sharply, leaving a vast home market to be supplied by Indian mills.

2. Indian factories were called upon to supply war needs – jute bags, cloth for army uniforms, tents, leather boots, saddles, etc.

3. New factories were set up, old ones ran multiple shifts, and many new workers were employed. Production boomed during the war years.

Conclusion: After the war, Manchester could never recapture its old position, and Indian industrialists consolidated their hold on the home market.
[CBSE 2023] Describe the life of workers in the early factories of India.

Ans:

Intro: Workers in early Indian factories came mostly from neighbouring villages and faced a tough life.

1. They were recruited by jobbers who got people from their own villages, ensuring jobs and helping them settle. In return, jobbers demanded money and gifts.

2. Workers moved between village and city, returning home during harvests and festivals – mills granted leave for this.

3. Working conditions were harsh – long hours (e.g., 10-hour shifts), low wages, and deductions for unsatisfactory work. Many workers fell sick and had to return to villages.

Conclusion: Despite difficulties, workers maintained strong ties with their villages and formed the backbone of industrial growth.
[CBSE 2024] What was the impact of the American Civil War on Indian weavers?

Ans:

Intro: The American Civil War (1861-65) had a significant impact on Indian weavers due to disruption in cotton supply.

1. When the war broke out, cotton supplies from the US to Britain were cut off. Britain turned to India for raw cotton.

2. As raw cotton exports from India increased, the price of raw cotton shot up. Indian weavers could not afford to buy it at such exorbitant rates.

3. They were starved of supplies, and weaving became unprofitable. Many weavers faced ruin.

Conclusion: The war thus added to the woes of weavers already suffering from Manchester competition.

📌 PART C: 5‑MARK QUESTIONS (5 Questions)

[CBSE 2022] Trace the decline of Indian textiles in the nineteenth century. What role did British policies play in it?

Opening: India had dominated the world textile market for centuries, but by the late nineteenth century its textile industry had collapsed under British policies.

1. Pre-industrial dominance: Before the machine age, fine Indian cotton and silk goods were exported worldwide, with vibrant trade through Surat, Masulipatam, and Hoogly.

2. Company control: After gaining political power in the 1760s, the East India Company appointed gomasthas to supervise weavers, gave them advances at low prices, and prevented them from selling to others. Weavers lost bargaining power and were often flogged for delays.

3. Manchester competition: As British cotton mills grew, they flooded Indian markets with cheap machine-made cloth. By 1850, cotton piece-goods formed over 31% of Indian imports; by the 1870s, over 50%. Indian textiles could not compete.

4. Tariff policies: Britain imposed high import duties on Indian textiles to protect its own industry, while Indian markets remained open to British goods. This unequal trade destroyed Indian weavers.

5. American Civil War effect: When US cotton supply was cut off, Britain turned to India, driving up raw cotton prices. Indian weavers were starved of raw materials, and many were forced to give up weaving.

Conclusion: By the 1870s, Indian textile exports fell below 3%, and weavers either migrated, took to agricultural labour, or continued under great hardship.
[CBSE 2023] Describe the system of proto-industrialisation in Europe. How did it differ from factory production?

Opening: Proto-industrialisation was the phase of large-scale industrial production before the factory system, based in the countryside.

1. Location and workers: Merchants from towns moved to villages and supplied money to peasants and artisans, who produced goods at home while also cultivating their small plots. This supplemented their income.

2. Reason: Urban guilds restricted new entrants, controlled production, and regulated prices. Merchants found it difficult to expand in towns, so they turned to the countryside where poor peasants were eager for work.

3. Organisation: A merchant clothier would buy wool, get it spun by spinners, then woven by weavers, then fulled and dyed – all in different cottages. Finishing was done in London. Each stage employed 20-25 workers per merchant.

4. Difference from factory system: In proto-industry, there was no central workplace, no machinery, no supervision under one roof. Workers owned their tools, set their own pace, and combined work with agriculture. Factories brought all processes together, used machines, and enforced strict discipline.

5. Continuity and change: Proto-industrialisation created a network of commercial exchanges and trained workers for the later factory system. However, it did not disappear entirely; even after factories came up, many goods continued to be produced in households.

Conclusion: Proto-industrialisation was thus a crucial precursor to the Industrial Revolution, but it was fundamentally different in organisation.
[CBSE 2023 OD] Explain the role of Indian merchants and industrialists in the development of industries in India during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Opening: Indian merchants and industrialists played a significant role in the development of industries despite colonial restrictions.

1. China trade connection: Many early industrialists like Dwarkanath Tagore, the Parsis (Dinshaw Petit, Jamsetjee Tata), and Seth Hukumchand accumulated wealth through trade with China (opium, tea, silk) and raw cotton exports to Britain.

2. Early enterprises: Dwarkanath Tagore set up six joint-stock companies in the 1830s-40s in Bengal, investing in shipping, shipbuilding, mining, banking, plantations, and insurance. His enterprises sank in the 1840s crisis.

3. Pioneers of Indian industry: Jamsetjee Tata set up the first iron and steel works in India at Jamshedpur (1912). Seth Hukumchand established the first Indian jute mill in Calcutta (1917).

4. Business networks: Merchants from Madras traded with Burma, the Middle East, and East Africa. Shikaripuri Shroffs and Nattukottai Chettiars financed export agriculture in Central and Southeast Asia. Hyderabadi Sindhi traders set up emporia worldwide from the 1860s.

5. Role in national movement: Business classes supported the Civil Disobedience Movement financially, boycotted foreign goods, and formed organisations like FICCI (1927) to protect their interests. They saw swaraj as freedom from colonial restrictions.

Conclusion: Despite colonial control, Indian merchants and industrialists built a strong industrial base and contributed to nationalist aspirations.
[CBSE 2024] How did advertisements help in creating a market for goods during the industrial age? Give examples from India and Britain.

Opening: Advertisements played a crucial role in expanding markets and shaping consumer culture from the very beginning of the industrial age.

1. Manchester labels: British manufacturers put labels on cloth bundles with "MADE IN MANCHESTER" to make the place of manufacture familiar and as a mark of quality. Labels were beautifully illustrated to attract buyers.

2. Use of Indian gods: To make foreign goods appear familiar, labels carried images of Indian gods like Krishna and Saraswati. This gave divine approval and appealed to Indian sentiments.

3. Calendars: By the late 19th century, manufacturers printed calendars with product advertisements. Calendars were used even by the illiterate and hung in homes and shops, ensuring year-long visibility.

4. Figures of authority: Labels also featured emperors, nawabs, and historic figures to create respect for the product – implying that if royalty used it, it must be good.

5. Swadeshi messages: Indian manufacturers used advertisements to promote nationalism – e.g., images of Bharat Mata or slogans urging people to buy Indian products. Advertisements became a vehicle of the nationalist message.

Conclusion: Thus, advertisements were not just about selling goods; they shaped perceptions, created desires, and even spread political messages.
[CBSE 2020] Explain the major features of industrialisation in Britain during the nineteenth century.

Opening: Industrialisation in nineteenth-century Britain was not a simple story of factories replacing hand labour; it was a complex process with many features.

1. Leading sectors: Cotton was the most dynamic industry up to the 1840s; after that, iron and steel led with railway expansion. By 1873, iron and steel exports were worth £77 million – double that of cotton.

2. Slow technological change: New technology like the steam engine spread slowly. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were only 321 steam engines in all of England, mostly in mining, cotton, and iron works. Industrialists were cautious because machines were expensive and often broke down.

3. Survival of hand labour: Even at the end of the century, less than 20% of the workforce was in technologically advanced sectors. Many industries (food processing, building, pottery, furniture) continued using hand labour because of abundance of cheap workers, seasonal demand, and preference for handmade goods by the upper classes.

4. Workers' lives: Workers faced uncertainty – seasonality of work, low wages, unemployment during slumps. Many moved between city and countryside. Fear of unemployment led to resistance against machines (e.g., attacks on Spinning Jenny).

5. Small innovations: Growth also came from seemingly ordinary innovations in non-mechanised sectors. The typical worker was still a traditional craftsman or labourer, not a machine operator.

Conclusion: British industrialisation was thus a blend of factory production and hand labour, with technological change occurring gradually.

📖 Continue Your Journey: Next, explore Chapter 5: Print Culture and the Modern World

📌 PART D: MAP‑BASED QUESTIONS (4 Questions)

[CBSE 2020] On the given outline map of India, locate and label the following with appropriate symbols:
(a) Bombay – where the first cotton mill was established in 1854
(b) Calcutta – where the first jute mill was set up in 1855
(c) Kanpur – where Elgin Mill was started in the 1860s
(d) Ahmedabad – where the first cotton mill was set up in 1861
(e) Madras – where the first spinning and weaving mill began in 1874
✅ Significance: All these cities were early centres of modern industry in India.
[CBSE 2021 Term-1] Identify the place where Jamsetjee Tata set up the first iron and steel works in India.
✅ Answer: Jamshedpur (in present-day Jharkhand).
[CBSE 2022 Term-2] Two places A and B are marked on the outline map of India. Identify them and write their significance:
A – Pre-colonial port that declined by the end of the eighteenth century
B – City where over 50% of cotton mill workers came from Ratnagiri district in 1911
✅ Answer: A – Surat (Gujarat) – major pre-colonial port that declined as Bombay rose. B – Bombay – workers migrated from Ratnagiri for jobs in cotton mills.
[CBSE 2023] On the map of India, locate and label the following centres of textile trade and industry:
(a) Surat – important pre-colonial trading port
(b) Bombay – first cotton mill (1854)
(c) Ahmedabad – first cotton mill (1861)
(d) Calcutta – first jute mill (1855)
✅ Significance: These centres show the shift from pre-colonial to colonial industrial geography.

📌 PART E: ASSERTION-REASON QUESTIONS (4 Questions)

Options: (a) Both A and R are true and R explains A. (b) Both true but R does not explain A. (c) A true, R false. (d) A false, R true.

[CBSE 2022] Assertion (A): Women workers attacked the Spinning Jenny in Britain.
Reason (R): The Spinning Jenny increased the demand for female labour.
✅ Answer: (c) A true, R false.
Explanation: A is true, but R is false because the Spinning Jenny reduced labour demand, leading to fear of unemployment.
[CBSE 2022] Assertion (A): The port of Surat declined by the end of the 18th century.
Reason (R): European companies gained power and shifted trade to new ports like Bombay and Calcutta.
✅ Answer: (a) Both true and R explains A.
Explanation: The shift of trade under European control directly caused Surat's decline.
[CBSE 2023] Assertion (A): Industrial production in India increased during the First World War.
Reason (R): Indian mills had to supply war materials like jute bags and cloth for uniforms.
✅ Answer: (a) Both true and R explains A.
Explanation: War demands and reduced Manchester imports boosted Indian production.
[CBSE 2020] Assertion (A): Many industrialists in 19th-century Europe preferred hand labour over machines.
Reason (R): Handmade goods were preferred by the upper classes as they symbolised refinement.
✅ Answer: (b) Both true but R does not explain A.
Explanation: While both are true, the main reason for preferring hand labour was abundance of cheap labour, not just upper-class taste.

📌 PART F: CASE-BASED QUESTIONS (1 Set)

[CBSE 2023] Source: "The first cotton mill in Bombay came up in 1854 and it went into production two years later. By 1862 four mills were at work with 94,000 spindles and 2,150 looms. Around the same time jute mills came up in Bengal, the first being set up in 1855 and another one seven years later, in 1862. In north India, the Elgin Mill was started in Kanpur in the 1860s, and a year later the first cotton mill of Ahmedabad was set up. By 1874, the first spinning and weaving mill of Madras began production."

In which year did the first cotton mill in India begin production?
✅ Answer: 1856 (set up in 1854, production started two years later).
Which city had the first spinning and weaving mill by 1874?
✅ Answer: Madras.
Name the mill started in Kanpur in the 1860s.
✅ Answer: Elgin Mill.

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