1.  State whether true or false
:

(a) James Mill divided Indian history into three periods-Hindu, Muslim and Christian.

(b) Official documents help us understand what the people of the country think.

(c) The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.

Ans: (a)True         (b) False       (c) True

2.  What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian history that James Mill offers?
Ans:
James Mill a Scottish economist in his volume”A history of British India”divided Indian history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim and British. He thought that all Asian societies were at a lower level of civilization than Europe.He in fact suggested that the Britishers should conquer all the territories in India to ensure enlightenment and India could not progress without British help.

3.  Why did the British preserve official documents?
Ans:
The documents were preserved by British  to have a permanent  record beautifully  written by calligraphists.They also had a habit of carefully preserving them.

4.  How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that found in police reports?
Ans:
Reports published in newspaper would be more reliable since they were actual facts and expression of leaders but police reports were merely based on the convenience of British government.

5.  Can you think of examples of surveys in your world today? Think about how toy companies get information about what young people enjoy playing with or how the government finds out about the number of young people in school.What can a historian derive from surveys?
Ans:
This information can be availed through market surveys or census record which is conducted after every 10 years.The government can get records of number of young people in school through school authorities,administrative staff,their admission form and brief history of their background.
Historians can avail information like eating habits of child,games played by them,their academic performance ,their participation in extra curricular activities, and so on.