A Period of Transition
(Pearson)
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. Renaissance in French means rebirth.
2. The Renaissance movement began in Europe in 1300 CE.
3. Dante wrote the Tuscan language which later became the language of Italy.
4. Telescope was invented by Galileo.
5. In 1498 CE, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in India.
6. Steam engine was invented by James Watt.
7. Richard Arkwright invented Water Frame in 1769 CE.
8. In the Middle Ages, people could buy Indulgences from the church, which absolved them of their sins.
II. Answer these questions.
1. How do the primary and secondary sources help in restructuring the past?
= Primary sources of studying the modern period in Indian history include the following:
❐ Administrative records : The British officials maintained written records of their meetings, policies, events, incidents and plans.
❐ Archaeological Sources : Monuments such as the gateway of India, Victoria Terminus, Parliament House and the Rastrapati Bhawan give a detailed account of the art and architecture during the British rule.
❐ Surveys : The British government periodically carried out surveys for administrative purposes. These provide information about the people, landscape and topology of the different presidencies.
❐ Legal documents : Both the civil and criminal law courts during the British rule maintained their legal documents.
❐ Diaries and accounts of travellers : Accounts of the travellers, traders, missionaries centuries and other useful sources of information for the historians.
❐ Eyewitness accounts : The eyewitness accounts provided by the freedom fighters represent the Indian perspective of the British rule.
The Secondary Sources of studying the modern period in Indian history are :
❐ Books, newspaper, magazines, letters and pamphlets : With the advent of the printing press, newspaper, magazines, letters and pamphlets became the popular means to promote the spirit of nationalism among the Indian masses.
They made the people aware of the British Policies and existing conditions in India. The first newspaper in India, Bengal Gazette, was published in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1780. It was started by James Augustus Hickey.
❐ Reports and reviews : The British introduced various policies, reforms and laws and maintained their written reports. These records helped the British crown to review these policies and make changes with time.
❐ Films and photographs : The historians also use photographs and films to reconstruct Indian history.
2. What does Renaissance mean?
= The term Renaissance is a French term which means rebirth. The period of Renaissance marked a new interest in the learning of the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome.
3. Who were the humanists? What was the basic philosophical thought of the humanists?
= An important feature of the Renaissance was Humanism. Humanism focused on nature achievements and human potential rather than on the power and mystery of divinity.
4. How did the spirit inquiry became a cardinal feature of the Renaissance?
= The desire of the Renaissance scholars to find answers based on scientific approach gave rise to a spirit of inquiry. It led them to explore and discover knowledge. This spirit of inquiry led to explorations, experimentation and discoveries.
5. How did the Renaissance impact the field of art, architecture and science?
= Copernicus was an astronomer who proved that the Earth rotated on its axis and revolved around the Sun.
William Harvey discovered the system of circulation of blood from the heart to other parts of the body.
Kepler, a German, explained that the planets moved around the Sun. Isaac Newton carried forward the work started by Kepler. He proved that all the celestial bodies moved according to the law of gravitation.
6. How did the invention of printing press revolutionise the world?
= The invention of the printing press was one of the main causes in the Renaissance. The printing press promoted the spread of ideas to places that had not been possible before. The printing press was invented by the German Johannes Gutenberg around 1440s.
The printing press made books easier and cheaper to produce, which increased the number of books, and lowered the cost of books so that more people could learn to read and get more reading materials. It made it easier to spread materials through the time of The Renaissance and the Reformation. It spread religious beliefs and eventually even led to the first translation of the Bible.
7. Which feature of Renaissance do you think was the most important one and why?
= I think rationality was the most important feature of Renaissance. Rationality is having the thoughts and decisions that are based on reason rather than emotions or superstitions. This feature made the human civilization arise from the old orthodox ideas and they had reached the horizon of the modern age.
8. Define the term 'Reformation'.
= Reformation was a religious movement which roughly spanned from 1517 to 1648.
9. Name the theses written by Martin Luther.
= Nine - Five Theses.
10. What was the contribution of coal and iron in the growth of individual Revolution?
= The Industrial Revolution could not have developed without coal and iron. Coal was needed to make steam engines run and to produce iron.
At the beginning of the 18th century iron makers found a way to extract pure iron out of iron ore. Industries began to be built near the coal fields and iron mines. Coal and iron contributed a lot in the rapid growth of industrial Revolution.
11. Write a short note on Imperialism.
= Imperialism is a policy in which large or powerful countries want to extend their authority on others countries. The policy of imperialism aims at the creation of an empire.
Imperialist countries take control of other countries. They may use military force to do this. At the age of industrialisation, imperialism grew in a rapid way because the developed countries wanted to have markets to sell the products of their industries.
III. Match the columns.
=
|
1. Michelangelo |
a. circumnavigate the Earth. [4] |
|
2. Leonardo da Vinci |
b. printing press. [3] |
|
3. John Guttenberg |
c. St. Peter’s Basilica. [1] |
|
4. Magellan |
d. cotton jin. [5] |
|
5. Eli Whitney |
e. The Last Supper. [2] |
IV. State whether true or false.
1. The term 'Renaissance' means resurrection. [T]
2. James Watt succeeded in designing the first model of locomotive engine. [F]
3. The first systematic effort at geographical explorations was made by Christopher Columbus. [F]
4. In 1498 CE, Vasco do Gama reacted Calcutta. [F]
5. The Ninety-Five Theses was published in the year 1617. [F]
*Afterlife : life after death.
*Anatomist : a person who is an expert in the scientific study of the structure of human or animal bodies.
*Burgeoning : to grow rapidly.
*Circumnavigate : to sail, fly or travel completely around the Earth.
*East : a term used for some countries in Asia, such as China and India.
*Far East : the countries that lie in the eastern part of Asia, such as China, Japan and Korea.
*Feudalism : a system which existed in the Middle Ages, in which people received land and protection from a lord when they worked and fought for him.
*Humanism : the belief that solutions to human problems can be solved with the help of science rather than religion.
*Papacy : the office or position of the Pope.
*Penance : the act of doing something in order to show repentance.
*Rational : thoughts and decisions that are based on reason rather than emotions or superstitions.
*Unethical : something that is immoral.
The spirit of inquiry, rationalism and thirst for few learning were the primary features of the Renaissance.
There was development in the fields of art, architecture, sculpture as well as literature.
Renaissance also marked the beginning of the age of exploration and discovery.
The Industrial Revolution Revolution began in England but gradually spread to Western Europe and North America.