Here are important multiple-choice questions from the How, When, and Where Class 8 chapter to help you revise the chapter easily. The article includes important questions from Class 8 History Chapter 1. Here are 35 important MCQs from How, When, and Where Class 8 with answers:
1. What is history mainly about?
(a) Study of the future
(b) Study of the present
(c) Study of the past
(d) Study of space
Answer: (c) Study of the past
2. Who wrote the book “A History of British India”?
(a) James Mill
(b) Mahatma Gandhi
(c) Jawaharlal Nehru
(d) Subhash Chandra Bose
Answer: (a) James Mill
3. Into how many periods did James Mill divide Indian history?
(a) Two
(b) Three
(c) Four
(d) Five
Answer: (b) Three
4. What were the three periods classified by James Mill?
(a) Ancient, Medieval, Modern
(b) Hindu, Muslim, British
(c) Past, Present, Future
(d) East, West, North
Answer: (b) Hindu, Muslim, British
5. Why is James Mill’s classification considered problematic?
(a) It is too simple
(b) It ignores economic changes
(c) It is biased and divides people based on religion
(d) It is too long
Answer: (c) It is biased and divides people based on religion
6. What does the term “colonial” refer to?
(a) Independent country
(b) Rule by another country
(c) Local government
(d) Democratic system
Answer: (b) Rule by another country
7. Which of the following indicates official records?
(a) Folk songs
(b) Diaries
(c) Government documents
(d) Stories
Answer: (c) Government documents
8. What are “archives”?
(a) Old buildings
(b) Places where historical records are kept
(c) Museums
(d) Libraries only for books
Answer: (b) Places where historical records are kept
9. What are “surveys” used for?
(a) Entertainment
(b) Collecting data about people and land
(c) Writing stories
(d) Teaching students
Answer: (b) Collecting data about people and land
10. Why do historians divide history into periods?
(a) To confuse students
(b) To make the study easier and to understand the changes
(c) To avoid studying
(d) To reduce the syllabus
Answer: (b) To make the study easier and to understand the changes
11. Which language did James Mill write his book in?
(a) Hindi
(b) English
(c) Urdu
(d) French
Answer: (b) English
12. What kind of records did the British preserve?
(a) Only personal letters
(b) Only stories
(c) Official documents and reports
(d) Only newspapers
Answer: (c) Official documents and reports
13. Which period is called the colonial period in India?
(a) Ancient period
(b) Medieval period
(c) British rule period
(d) Mughal period
Answer: (c) British rule period
14. What do historians study to understand the past?
(a) Only books
(b) Only stories
(c) Various sources like records, letters, and surveys
(d) Only movies
Answer: (c) Various sources like records, letters, and surveys
15. What is the main drawback of official records?
(a) They are too short
(b) They may reflect only the government’s view
(c) They are difficult to read
(d) They are always wrong
Answer: (b) They may reflect only the government’s view
16. What does the term “modern period” generally refer to in Indian history?
(a) Before 1000 AD
(b) After 1750
(c) Before 500 AD
(d) After 2000
Answer: (b) After 1750
17. Why did the British preserve official documents carefully?
(a) For decoration
(b) To show power and maintain control
(c) For entertainment
(d) To reduce workload
Answer: (b) To show power and maintain control
18. Which of the following is NOT a source of history?
(a) Diaries
(b) Official records
(c) Stories and newspapers
(d) Future predictions
Answer: (d) Future predictions
19. What is the meaning of “periodisation”?
(a) Writing stories
(b) Dividing history into periods
(c) Learning dates
(d) Ignoring history
Answer: (b) Dividing history into periods
20. Which period did the British consider as “civilised”?
(a) Hindu period
(b) Muslim period
(c) British period
(d) Ancient period
Answer: (c) British period
21. What kind of surveys did the British conduct?
(a) Only population surveys
(b) Only land surveys
(c) Botanical, zoological, and revenue surveys
(d) Only school surveys
Answer: (c) Botanical, zoological, and revenue surveys
22. What is a census?
(a) A type of story
(b) Counting of population
(c) A historical book
(d) A government law
Answer: (b) Counting of population
23. Why are old newspapers important for historians?
(a) They are colourful
(b) They provide information about past events
(c) They are easy to read
(d) They are cheap
Answer: (b) They provide information about past events
24. What is the limitation of dividing history into religious periods?
(a) It is easy
(b) It ignores other important developments
(c) It is accurate
(d) It is modern
Answer: (b) It ignores other important developments
25. Which of the following reflects people’s lives better?
(a) Only official records
(b) Personal diaries and accounts
(c) Only government files
(d) Only surveys
Answer: (b) Personal diaries and accounts
26. What was the main aim of British surveys in India?
(a) Entertainment
(b) Administration and control
(c) Education
(d) Trade only
Answer: (b) Administration and control
27. Which type of history focuses on people’s daily lives?
(a) Political history
(b) Social history
(c) Economic history
(d) Ancient history
Answer: (b) Social history
28. Why do historians need multiple sources?
(a) To confuse readers
(b) To get a complete and accurate picture
(c) To increase work
(d) To reduce time
Answer: (b) To get a complete and accurate picture
29. What is one problem with official British records?
(a) They are too colourful
(b) They are always incomplete
(c) They show only the British point of view
(d) They are not written
Answer: (c) They show only the British point of view
30. Which of the following is a primary source?
(a) Textbook
(b) Storybook
(c) Government record
(d) Guidebook
Answer: (c) Government record
31. What does “colonisation” mean?
(a) Freedom movement
(b) Settlement and rule over other lands
(c) Education system
(d) Industrial growth
Answer: (b) Settlement and rule over other lands
32. Which of the following is NOT an official record?
(a) Government reports
(b) Letters written by officials
(c) Personal stories
(d) Administrative documents
Answer: (c) Personal stories
33. Why is it difficult to write history?
(a) Lack of interest
(b) Lack of sources
(c) Different interpretations of sources
(d) Too many books
Answer: (c) Different interpretations of sources
34. Which survey studied plants and animals?
(a) Census survey
(b) Botanical survey
(c) Revenue survey
(d) Educational survey
Answer: (b) Botanical survey
35. What do historians try to understand from the past?
(a) Only kings and wars
(b) Only rulers
(c) Changes in society, economy, and culture
(d) Only dates
Answer: (c) Changes in society, economy, and culture
Practising these How, When, and Where Class 8 MCQs will strengthen your concepts quickly. These MCQs will help you revise the chapter quickly. Join the SkillSnap Learning platform, offering online courses for Classes 6 to 10, designed to make studying simple, interactive, and effective. Start your learning journey today and turn every chapter into your strength. Enrol now and learn smarter, not harder.
“How, when, and where” was the first chapter of the old NCERT History Book of Class 8 named Our Pasts-III. In this chapter, a number of techniques employed by historians have been introduced. The purpose behind writing this chapter was to make students familiar with how historians study the past through various time periods using different sources.
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