Which of the following statements accurately describe the conditions of Bombay-Deccan from 1840 to 1850 ? I. There was significant agrarian expansion during this period. II. Prices of the agricultural products were rising steadily. III. There were frequent peasant uprisings due to economic distress. IV. The agrarian landscape largely remained progressive.
Which of the following statements accurately describe the conditions of Bombay-Deccan from 1840 to 1850 ? I. There was significant agrarian expansion during this period. II. Prices of the agricultural products were rising steadily. III. There were frequent peasant uprisings due to economic distress. IV. The agrarian landscape largely remained progressive.
Options
The correct option is (C) Only I and II are correct.
Why:
- After the hardship and famine of the 1830s, the decade 1840-1850 saw recovery in the Bombay Deccan: agrarian expansion (I) and a gradual, steady rise in agricultural prices (II).
- Statement III is wrong — the major peasant uprising (the Deccan Riots) came later, in 1875, not in this decade.
- Statement IV ('remained progressive') is not an accurate NCERT description of the period, so it is not selected.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for selecting option (C) — statements I and II (agrarian expansion and rising prices).
- 2Reject III (Deccan Riots were in 1875, not 1840-50) and the vague statement IV.
Hint
Remember the timeline: distress in the 1830s, recovery and expansion in the 1840s, and the big peasant revolt only in 1875.
Quick Oral Answer
Between 1840 and 1850 the Bombay Deccan recovered from the earlier famine years, seeing agrarian expansion and steadily rising agricultural prices, while the major peasant revolt only came in 1875.
Analysis & Explanation
This question demands careful chronology within Theme 10.
Concept:
- The 1830s were years of severe distress (famine of 1832-34). From the 1840s conditions improved, with expanding cultivation and slowly recovering prices leading up to the cotton boom of the 1860s.
Why (C) is correct:
- I — the 1840s brought agrarian expansion in the Deccan.
- II — prices of agricultural produce rose steadily through this recovery decade.
Why the other options are wrong:
- III — 'frequent peasant uprisings' is false for 1840-50; the Deccan Riots erupted in 1875, so options (A) and (D) are eliminated.
- IV — the claim that the landscape 'largely remained progressive' is vague and not the accurate NCERT characterisation, so (B) and (D) are rejected.
Common Mistakes
- 1Choosing an option with statement III — the frequent peasant uprising (Deccan Riots) belongs to 1875, not the 1840s.
- 2Misplacing the timeline and assuming distress continued through the 1840s, when in fact the decade was one of recovery and expansion.
Interesting Facts
The American Civil War (1861-65) later triggered a cotton boom in the Bombay Deccan as Britain sought new cotton sources.
The Deccan Riots of 1875 targeted moneylenders' account books (bonds and deeds), which peasants seized and burnt.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Deccan Riots take place?
The Deccan Riots broke out in 1875, when peasants attacked moneylenders and destroyed the bonds and deeds recording their debts — well after the 1840-50 recovery decade.
Why were the 1840s a period of recovery in the Deccan?
Following the famine of 1832-34, cultivation expanded and agricultural prices rose steadily through the 1840s, easing the earlier distress.