Question

NCERT Solutions Class 10, Social Science, History, Chapter "Work, Life and Leisure".

To learn the fundamentals of this chapter, as well as to prepare for Board exams and competitive exams refer to these NCERT Solutions. These solutions have been created by subject matter experts to provide an in-depth analysis of all the concepts covered in this chapter.This chapter has been dropped from the updated syllabus of CBSE but topics given in chapter are very important. It will help you in analyzing the problems and answering it with precision and the right concepts.

In these NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Science, we have discussed all types of NCERT intext questions, exercise questions as well as multiple choice type questions.

Concepts covered in Class 10 Social Science - History  Chapter "Work, Life and Leisure" are :

1. Characteristics of the City

• Industrialisation and the Rise of the Modern City in England
• Marginal Groups
• Housing
• Cleaning London
• Transport in the City

2. Social Change in the City

• Men, Women and Family in the City
• Leisure and Consumption

3. Politics in the City

4. The City in Colonial India

• Bombay: The Prime City of India ?
• Work in the City
• Housing and Neighbourhoods
• Land Reclamation in Bombay
• Bombay as the City of Dreams: The World of Cinema and Culture

5. Cities and the Challenge of the Environment

Our NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Science provide detailed explanations to assist students with their homework and assignments. Proper command and ample practice of topic-related questions provided by our NCERT solutions is the most effective way to achieve full marks in your exams. Begin studying right away to ace your exams.

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Answer 1

NCERT Solutions Class 10, Social Science, History, Chapter "Work, Life and Leisure".

Write in Brief

1. Give two reasons why the population of London expanded from the middle of the eighteenth century.

Solution:

(i) The city of London was a magnet for the migrant populations due to the job opportunities provided by its dockyards and industries. By 1750, one out of every nine people of England and Wales lived in London. So, the population of London kept expanding through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

(ii) During the first world war, London began manufacturing motor cars and electrical goods. This increased the number of large factories, which in turn increased the number of people coming to the city in search of work.

2. What were the changes in the kind of work available to women in London between the nineteenth and the twentieth century? Explain the factors which led to this change.

Solution:

Changes in the kind of work available to women in London between the nineteenth and the twentieth century were primarily based on industrial and technological advancements. Consequently, women had to work in households for a living, and this led to an increase in the number of domestic servants. Some women also began to earn by lodging out rooms, tailoring, washing or making matchboxes. With the coming of the First World War though, women once again joined the industrial sector.

3. How does the existence of a large urban population affect each of the following? Illustrate with historical examples.
(a) A private landlord

Solution:

The existence of a large urban population enables a private landlord to earn more and more money. For example, after the Industrial Revolution, the increase in the migrant population in London led to housing problems. Factory owners did not house the migrant workers. Under such conditions, private landlords took advantage of the situation. They put up cheap and usually unsafe tenements for the new arrivals to earn money quickly. A tenement was run-down and often overcrowded apartment house, especially in a poor section of a large city.

(b) A Police Superintendent in charge of law and order

Solution:

The existence of a large urban population means that there are increased cases of crimes, social conflict and rebellion. Police are responsible for maintaining the law and order. Hence, a police superintendent would definitely have increased work on his/her hands. In nineteenth-century London, policemen had a tough time controlling crime during the migrant influx. In the 1870s, there were 20,000 criminals living in London. The job of a policeman was made more complex in hunting down pick-pockets, thieves, cheats and tricksters whose numbers kept multiplying.

(c) A leader of a political party

Solution:

A large population affects a leader of a political party., because he is representative of the people and is supposed to protect their interests. A large 5 population means more problems and more and more involvement of leader in those problems. It is both a threat and an opportunity. It may lead to strikes and riots as had happened in London i in 1886 and 1888. Political leaders in the government or outside the government support or oppose the mass agitations in their own interest or in the interest of the people. The leaders have to see and save the interests of the people cautiously in order to remain popular among the population/voters of the constituency.

4. Give explanations for the following:

(a) Why well-off Londoners supported the need to build housing for the poor in the nineteenth century.

Solution:

Well-off Londoners supported the need to build housing for the poor in the nineteenth century on account of three reasons: one-room houses of the poor came to be seen as the breeding ground of diseases, and hence, a threat to public health; fire hazards became a worry in these over-crowded, badly ventilated, unhygienic homes; lastly, there was a widespread fear of social disorder, especially after the 1917 Russian Revolution. Housing schemes were undertaken to avoid a rebellion by the poor.

(b) Why a number of Bombay films were about the lives of migrants.

Solution:

 Bombay became an attractive destination for people seeking jobs after the British administration replaced Surat with Bombay as its principal western port. The consequent increase in trade and industries led to a great influx of people. Thus, migrants were (and still are) an important facet of Bombay. Most of the people in the film industry were migrants themselves, and wanted to portray the plight of this class of people through films. Thus, a number of Bombay films were about the lives of migrants.

(c) What led to the major expansion of Bombay's population in the mid-nineteenth century.

Solution:

 In mid-seventeenth century, Bombay became East India Company's principal western port, replacing Surat. Later, by the end of the nineteenth century, it had become an important administrative as well as industrial centre. All through these years, the prospects for trade and commerce, and employment kept increasing, thereby making Bombay an attractive destination for migrants.

Discuss

1. What forms of entertainment came up in nineteenth century England to provide leisure activities for the people.

Solution:

Forms of entertainment that came up in nineteenth-century England to provide leisure activities for the people were aplenty. For the upper classes, an annual “London Season” was one of the sources of leisure. It comprised the opera, the theatre and classical music events. For the working classes, pubs, discussions and meetings for political action served the same purpose. Libraries, art galleries and museums were new types of entertainment brought about through the utilisation of state money. Music halls and cinema theatres too became immensely popular with the lower classes. Industrial workers were encouraged to undertake seaside vacations to rejuvenate from the banes of working in the polluting environment of factories.

2. Explain the social changes in London which led to the need for the Underground railway. Why was the development of the Underground criticised?

Solution:

The development of suburbs as a part of the drive to decongest London led to the extension of the city beyond the range where people could walk to work. Though these suburbs had been built, the people could not be persuaded to leave the city and stay far away from their places of work in the absence of some form of public transport. The Underground railway was constructed to solve this housing problem.

The development of the Underground was criticised because underground travelling was considered risky. Many felt that it added to the mess and unhygienic conditions of the city. Also, to clear the path for the construction of the Underground, a number of houses were destroyed. This led to the displacement of a great number of London poor.

3. Explain what is meant by the Haussmanisation of Paris. To what extent would you support or oppose this form of development? Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, to either support or oppose this, giving reasons for your view.

Solution:

Haussmanisation of Paris refers to the forcible reconstruction of cities to enhance their beauty and impose order. The poor were evicted from the centre of Paris to reduce the possibility of political rebellion and to beautify the city.

4. To what extent does government regulation and new laws solve problems of pollution? Discuss one example each of the success and failure of legislation to change the quality of

Solution:

Government laws play an important role in controlling the rates of pollution in a city. However, simply passing laws is not enough. They need to be properly enforced as well. It is also a fact that people tend to find ways of getting around laws. So, apart from legislations, government also needs to carry out intensive public awareness programmes aimed at educating the public about the need and ways of controlling pollution; and about how they too have a stake in environmental governance.

(a) public life

• Failure: The Underground railway enhanced transport, but caused the demolition of many houses, rendering their inhabitants homeless.
• Success: The British state used public funds to provide for entertainment forms such as museums, art galleries and libraries for the working classes.

(b) private life

• Failure: The availability of one-room tenements and no housing facilities for a major part of the industrial revolution time period caused the family to get divided into smaller units. There were even cases where rural people had to leave their families behind and live alone in the urban areas where they worked.
• Success: British administrative officials built houses in new suburbs for fulfilling the housing needs of the working classes.

Answer 2

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who developed the principles of a Garden City?
(a) Thomas Hardy
(b) Charles Dickens
(c) Charles Booth
(d) Ebenezer Howard

The correct option is : (d) Ebenezer Howard

2. In which of the following year Bombay became the capital of Bombay presidency?
(a) 1819
(b) 1850
(c) 1872
(d) 1880

The correct option is : (a) 1819

3. Name one factor that changed the form of urbanisation in the modern world.
(a) Capitalism
(b) Socialism
(c) Industrialisation
(d) Unemployment

The correct option is : (c) Industrialisation

4. Who wrote the book “The Bitter Cry of Out Cast London” in the 1880s?
(a) Andrew Mearns
(b) Rowlandson
(c) T.E Turner
(d) None of the above

The correct option is : (a) Andrew Mearns

5. What was not a reason for providing mass housing schemes for the workers ?
(a) Concern for the poor
(b) Fear of social disorder
(c) Threat to public health
(d) Overcrowding of elite localities

The correct option is : (a) Concern for the poor

6. Which movie did Dadasaheb Phalke make ?
(a) CID
(b) Guest House
(c) Raja Harishchandra
(d) Tezab

The correct option is : (c) Raja Harishchandra

7. Bombay at first was under control of
(a) Portuguese
(b) English
(c) French
(d) Dutch

The correct option is : (a) Portuguese

8. Which of the following cities has developed in a planned manner ?
(a) Delhi
(b) Madras
(c) Singapore
(d) Lucknow

The correct option is : (c) Singapore

9. Which of the following is not a factor responsible for urbanisation ?
(a) Increase of population
(b) Rise of prices
(c) Growth in factories
(d) Rise of industrial capitalism

The correct option is : (b) Rise of prices

10. What was the observation of Social Survey on London, conducted by Charles Booth in 1887 ?
(a) In London most of the people are living on criminal activities.
(b) The factory owners were exploiting the workers.
(c) London needed rebuilding of at least 4,00,000 rooms to house its poor citizens.
(d) London has become a polluted city.

The correct option is : (c) London needed rebuilding of at least 4,00,000 rooms to house its poor citizens.

11. What was introduced in 1863 in London to enable the suburban people to commute to their place of work ?
(a) Underground railway
(b) A network of macadamised roads
(c) Incentives in the form of higher wages for commuting
(d) Fast bus service

The correct option is : (a) Underground railway

12. Why was there heavier smog in Calcutta than in other cities in the northern India ?
(a) The city had a large population who depends on dung or wood as fuel.
(b) The city was built on a marshy land.
(c) The city had more industrial units.
(d) All the above

The correct option is : (d) All the above

13. Which of the following most significantly changed the pattern of urbanisation ?
(a) Housing projects
(b) Industrialisation
(c) Rural population
(d) Brisk trade

The correct option is : (b) Industrialisation

14. Why was Baron Haussmann well-known ?
(a) For beautifying the city of London
(b) For making the garden city of New Earswick
(c) For rebuilding the city of Paris
(d) For making a planned city in Singapore

The correct option is : (c) For rebuilding the city of Paris

15. Which of the following statements best explain death due to asphyxiation ?
(a) Death due to poisoning
(b) Death due to fear
(c) Death due to lack of oxygen
(d) Death due to lack of food

The correct option is : (c) Death due to lack of oxygen

16. What was the main demand of the chartist movement started in 19th century ?
(a) Right to vote to all adult women
(b) Voting right for all adult citizen
(c) Voting right for all adult male
(d) Voting right to rural people

The correct option is : (c) Voting right for all adult male

17. Who among the following designed the city of New Earswick ?
(a) Charles Booth
(b) Barry Parker
(c) Ebenezer Howard
(d) Gareth Stedman

The correct option is : (b) Barry Parker

18. Suffrage means
(a) the freedom of speech
(b) freedom from suffering
(c) the right to vote
(d) the right to education

The correct option is : (c) the right to vote

19. What was referred by ’10 hour movement’ ? A movement for
(a) Fixing wage for 10 hours of work
(b) Limiting work hours in factories
(c) Fixing 10 hours of work in a week
(d) Fixing 10 hours work for women in factories

The correct option is : (b) Limiting work hours in factories

20. Multi-functional city having major ports, museum, Harbour, library etc. was known as
(a) metropolis
(b) presidency city
(c) capital city
(d) premier city

The correct option is : (b) presidency city

21. The pollutant caused by the combination of smoke and fog is called
(a) cloudy fog
(b) smog
(c) dense fog
(d) smoking fog

The correct option is : (b) smog 

22. Which of the following was not an effect of the development of railways?
(a) Introduction of a well functioning transit system
(b) Connectivity to various schools
(c) Enabling the people to live in garden city outside London and travel to work everyday
(d) Weakend social distinction

The correct option is : (b) Connectivity to various schools

23. In 1886 riot, what was the main demand of the workers ?
(a) Raise in the wages
(b) Permanent job
(c) Relief from terrible condition of poverty
(d) Housing scheme for poor people

The correct option is : (c) Relief from terrible condition of poverty

24. After which event did Bombay become the capital of Bombay Presidency ?
(a) Defeat of the Marathas in the first Anglo Maratha war in 1782.
(b) Defeat of the Marathas in the 2nd Anglo Maratha war in 1803
(c) Defeat of the Marathas in the third Anglo Maratha war in 1819
(d) Defeat of the Marathas in Anglo-Mysore war

The correct option is : (c) Defeat of the Marathas in the third Anglo Maratha war in 1819

25. What was the function of Bengal smoke Nuisance commission ?
(a) Inspection of factories
(b) Controlling domestic and industrial smoke
(c) Penalising the factory owner if the chimneys were not cleaned on time
(d) Inspection of houses in urban areas

The correct option is : (b) Controlling domestic and industrial smoke

Answer 3

26. The first Indian city to get Smoke Nuisance Legislation was
(a) Bombay
(b) Madras
(c) Calcutta
(d) Delhi

The correct option is : (c) Calcutta

27. In 1864 what project was taken up by Back Bay Reclamation Co. ?
(a) A project to build a dockyard
(b) A project to build the Ballard estate
(c) A project to level the hills to make Malabar Hills
(d) A project to develop Marine Drive

The correct option is : (c) A project to level the hills to make Malabar Hills

28. Between 1914-1918 by which agency was the dry dock built in Bombay ?
(a) Improvement Trust
(b) Back Bay Reclamation Company
(c) Bombay Port Trust
(d) By a private company

The correct option is : (c) Bombay Port Trust

29. Which of the following is the God of creation ?
(a) Brahma
(b) Vishnu
(c) Shiva
(d) Varuna

The correct option is : (a) Brahma

30. Author of “Debganer Martye Aagaman” is
(a) Premchand
(b) Saratchandra
(c) Durgacharan Ray
(d) Rabindranath Tagore

The correct option is : (c) Durgacharan Ray

31. Which of the following city originally was a group of seven islands under Portuguese control ?
(a) Daman
(b) Goa
(c) Bombay
(d) Cochin

The correct option is : (c) Bombay

32. The Ruler who acquired Bombay as gift at the time of his marriage with a Portuguese princess was

(a) Charles I
(b) Charles II
(c) James Stuart
(d) George II

The correct option is : (b) Charles II 

33. In which of his books did Charles Dickens wrote about the massive destruction in the construction of railways?

(a) Hard times
(b) Oliver Twist
(c) Dombey and Son
(d) Geminal

The correct option is : (c) Dombey and Son