Question

How did the use of technology transform food availability in Europe ?
OR
Why could mechanical technology not replace human labour in Victorian Britain ? Explain.
OR
Why was the land reclamation in Bombay necessary ? Mention any two land reclamation projects taken up in Bombay.

CBSE Class X Social Science LA (5 Marks)

Answer 1

(i) Faster railways, lighter wagons and larger ships helped food to reach more quickly from paraway farms to markets.
(ii)
Earlier live animals were shipped from America to Europe, many died on the way or became unfit to eat. Thus meat became expensive.
(iii)
With the introduction of Refrigerated ships : The animals could be slaughtered at the starting point of America, Australia or New Zealand and were brought fresh.
(iv)
This reduced the shipping cost and lowered prices in Europe.
(v)
The poor could add variety to their food and it improved their living condition.
(CBSE Marking Seheme, 2012) 1×5=5
Solutions | 23
OR
(i) In Victorian Britain, there was no shortage of human labour, so industrialists had no problem of labour shortage or high wage costs. They did not want to introduce machines that got rid of human labour and required large capital investment.
(ii) In many industries the demand for labour was seasonal. Gas works and breweries were especially busy through the cold months. So they needed more workers to meet their peak demand. Book binders and printers, catering to X-mas demand, too needed extra hands before December.
(iii) A range of products could be produced only with hand labour. Machines were oriented to produce uniform standardized goods for a mass market. But the demand in the market was often for goods with intricate designs and specific shapes.
(iv) The aristocrats and bourgeoisie preferred things produced by hand in Victorian Britain. Hand-made products came to symbolize refinement and class.
(v) Hand-made products were better finished, individually produced and carefully designed.
OR
The Reclamation in Bombay was necessary because :
(i) When the islands of Bombay passed into British hands, the East India Company shifted its base from Surat to Bombay.
Thus, Bombay became a major outlet for exports and it also became an important administration centre in Western India and by the end of the 19th century a major industrial centre.
(ii) With the growth of trade in cotton and opium large communities of trades and banks as well as artisans and shopkeepers came to settle in Bombay.
(iii) Bombay dominated the maritime trade of India till well into the twentieth century.
(iv) The railways encouraged an even higher scale of migration into the city. For instance, famine in dry region of Kutch drove large numbers of people into Bombay in 1888-89.
Land Reclamation Projects :
(i) Back Bay Reclamation : In 1864, the Back Bay Reclamation Company won the right to reclaim the western foreshore from the tip of Malabar hill to the end of Colaba.
(ii) Bombay Port Trust : A successful Reclamation project was undertaken by the Bombay Port Trust, which built a dry between 1914 and 1918 used the excavated earth to create the 22 acre Ballard Estate. Subsequently the famous Marine Drive of Bombay was developed.