Increasing food crop cultivation directly affected what?
Correct answer: C
Forests were converted into fields for food crops. Exam tip: remember the link between food crops and forest land.
View question detailsHistory
Why Deforestation?
वनों की कटाई क्यों?
In this Class 9 History topic from “Forest Society and Colonialism,” students examine why forests were cleared and how colonial policies transformed forest use. They learn how railways, shipbuilding, commercial timber, plantations and expanding agriculture increased demand for wood and land. The topic also explores the effects on forest communities, shifting cultivators and pastoralists, including restrictions on customary rights, loss of livelihoods and resistance to state control. It helps students connect deforestation with colonial economic interests and social change.
TOPIC PRACTICE
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Easy · Level 51 · food-crops
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- Sea salt
- Sky
- Forest land
- Snow
Easy · Level 51 · deforestation,commercial crops,colonialism,forest society,land use change
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- Forest protection
- Snowfall
- Sea fish
- Deforestation
Easy · Level 51 · land-revenue
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- Land revenue
- Sea pearls
- Colour of rain
- Sports medals
Easy · Level 51 · agricultural-expansion
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- Sea trade
- Agricultural expansion
- Music education
- Making snow
Easy · Level 51 · timber-resource
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- Sand
- Pearls
- Timber
- Ice
Easy · Level 51 · settlements-towns
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- Forests were protected
- Forests grew automatically
- Forest laws ended
- Forest land was cleared
Easy · Level 51 · roads-construction
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- Land and timber
- Only milk
- Only flowers
- Sea water
Easy · Level 51 · soil-erosion
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- Soil always turns into gold
- Soil erosion can increase
- Soil becomes sea
- Soil is never affected
Easy · Level 51 · deforestation, wildlife habitat, forest conservation, colonial forestry, environmental impact
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- They get food and water more easily
- Their natural habitat can decrease
- They automatically become domestic animals
- All their species start living in the sea
Easy · Level 51 · forest-dwelling-communities
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- They got more forest rights
- All their problems ended
- They got sea jobs
- Access to forest resources decreased
Easy · Level 51 · deforestation, forest resources, rural livelihoods, fuelwood, fodder, colonial forestry
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- Fuel and fodder
- Sea salt
- Railway engines
- Paper boats
Easy · Level 51 · forest-department
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- Control over seas
- Control over forests and timber
- Sports competition
- Song collection
Easy · Level 51 · forest-laws
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- To increase folk dance
- To protect the sea
- Government control over forest resources
- Worship of cotton
Easy · Level 51 · settled cultivation, colonialism, land revenue, deforestation, forest society
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- Because it made the assessment and collection of land revenue easier
- Because it increased the number of wild animals
- Because it could control rainfall
- Because it lowered the sea level
Easy · Level 51 · shifting-cultivation
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- Because the government wanted settled cultivation and control
- Because shifting cultivation happened in the sea
- Because there were no trees in shifting cultivation
- Because it made railways
Easy · Level 51 · plantation-economy
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- Self sufficient home sports
- Market and export
- Sea worship
- Folk song contest
Easy · Level 51 · waste-land-view
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- Their worship increased
- They became seas
- They were cleared for cultivation and revenue
- Ice grew in them
Easy · Level 51 · railway-construction
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- Fishing
- Dyeing cloth
- Decorating flowers
- Railway construction
Easy · Level 51 · sea-power-timber
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- Timber for ships
- Paper flowers
- Salt bricks
- Clay toys
Easy · Level 51 · colonial-economy
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- It happened only due to natural rain
- Forest land and timber were made sources of profit
- It was linked only with folk songs
- It had no link with trade
What increased due to expansion of commercial crops?
Correct answer: D
Commercial crops were grown on a large scale for sale in markets. Forests were cleared to obtain more land for cultivation, so deforestation increased. Forest protection is the opposite outcome. Exam tip: link the expansion of cash crops in the colonial period with the conversion of forest land into farmland.
View question detailsWhat did colonial rule want to gain by expanding cultivation?
Correct answer: A
More cultivation could give land tax to the government. Exam tip: remember cultivation and revenue together.
View question detailsConverting forests into fields was part of which process?
Correct answer: B
Agricultural expansion was a major cause of deforestation. Exam tip: connect field making with forest clearing.
View question detailsWhich was a very important commercial resource from forests in the colonial period?
Correct answer: C
Timber was useful for railways ships and construction. Exam tip: treat timber as a main forest resource.
View question detailsWhat effect did expansion of settlements and towns have on forests?
Correct answer: D
Forests were cut for settlement and construction. Exam tip: write settlement as a cause of deforestation.
View question detailsWhat was needed for roads and construction works?
Correct answer: A
Construction work required both land and timber. Exam tip: connect construction with forest resources.
View question detailsWhat effect can deforestation have on soil?
Correct answer: B
Trees hold soil so cutting them can increase erosion. Exam tip: remember the link between trees and soil.
View question detailsWhat effect can deforestation have on wild animals?
Correct answer: B
Forests provide wild animals with food, shelter, and safe places to breed. When forests are cleared, their natural habitat shrinks and becomes fragmented, making survival more difficult. Option A is the opposite: deforestation usually reduces food and water sources. Exam tip: remember “loss of habitat” as a key effect of deforestation.
View question detailsWhat was the effect of deforestation on forest dwelling communities?
Correct answer: D
With fewer forests sources of fuel fodder and food declined. Exam tip: write the link between forests and livelihood.
View question detailsWhat shortage could rural people face due to deforestation?
Correct answer: A
Rural communities depended on forests for everyday needs such as firewood for fuel and fodder for their animals. Therefore, deforestation could create a shortage of fuel and fodder. Sea salt comes from coastal areas, while railway engines and paper boats are not basic forest-dependent rural needs. Exam tip: remember forest uses such as fuel, fodder, timber, and food items.
View question detailsWhat was the purpose of creating colonial forest departments?
Correct answer: B
Forest departments increased government control over forest resources. Exam tip: write control and management together.
View question detailsWhat was the main purpose of British forest laws?
Correct answer: C
Forest laws restricted local use and increased government control. Exam tip: remember law and control.
View question detailsWhy did colonial rule promote settled cultivation?
Correct answer: A
Colonial governments promoted settled cultivation because fixed fields and identifiable cultivators made it easier to assess and collect land revenue regularly. In shifting cultivation, fields changed location, making revenue assessment more difficult. Exam tip: link settled cultivation with the colonial need for regular land revenue.
View question detailsWhy did colonial rule often put pressure on shifting cultivation?
Correct answer: A
Colonial rule preferred controlled and taxable farming. Exam tip: write the link between shifting cultivation and control.
View question detailsPlantation farming was linked with what type of economy?
Correct answer: B
Plantation crops were grown for market and export. Exam tip: connect plantations with commercial farming.
View question detailsWhat happened when forests were seen as empty or waste land?
Correct answer: C
In colonial thinking forests were useful when they produced income. Exam tip: remember the waste land idea.
View question detailsWhich activity put heavy pressure on forest timber in the colonial period?
Correct answer: D
Railway construction used large amounts of timber. Exam tip: write railway construction as a major cause.
View question detailsWhat did Britain need from Indian forests to strengthen sea power?
Correct answer: A
The British wanted strong timber for shipbuilding. Exam tip: connect sea power and timber.
View question detailsHow can deforestation be linked with the colonial economy?
Correct answer: B
In the colonial economy forests were used as resources. Exam tip: remember profit and resource.
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