Clothing a Social History class 9 history MCQ & SAQ

Clothing a Social History class NCERT SOLUTION

Explain the reasons for the changes in clothing patterns and materials in the eighteenth century.

Answer:

Changes in clothing patterns and materials in the eighteenth century came about due to the development of capitalism and globalization. Industry grew and colonization brought together people from different cultures and walks of life. Styles and materials drawn from other societies and locations were now becoming popular and especially for men, western clothes were taken on all over the world.

Question 2:

What were the sumptuary laws in France?

Answer:

The sumptuary laws in France were aimed at controlling the behavior of those considered social inferiors. These laws prevented individuals from the lower stratas from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverages, and hunting game in certain areas. These laws were in existence in France from about 1294 to the time of the French Revolution in 1789.

Among other things, these rules tried to regulate the lifestyles of the lower classes by regulating the amount and type of clothes they bought. The materials for clothes were also likewise controlled. The lower classes were disallowed from wearing expensive materials that the aristocracy espoused, like ermine, silk, fur, velvet and brocade.

Question 3:

Give any two examples of the ways in which European dress codes were different from Indian dress codes.

Answer:

Two examples of the ways in which European dress codes were different from Indian dress codes:

(i) In Europe, dress codes were enacted on a socio-economic bias, while in India, these norms were along the lines of caste.

(ii) While the lower classes in Europe were barred from wearing specific materials, the lower castes in India were barred from wearing particular clothes; for example, the Shanar women, who were disallowed from covering their upper bodies like the higher caste women.

Question 4:

In 1805, a British official, Benjamin Heyne, listed the manufactures of Bangalore which included the following:

Women’s cloth of different musters and names
Coarse chintz
Muslins
Silk cloths

Of this list, which kind of cloth would have definitely fallen out of use in the early 1900s and why?

Answer:

Of the given list, silk cloths would have definitely fallen out of use because of the patriotic zeal that was aroused in the people due to the Swadeshi movement. In 1905, Lord Curzon decided to partition Bengal, and this gave birth to a nationalist sentiment that urged people to boycott British goods. Women were then encouraged to use homespun cloth, and throw away silks and glass bangles.

Question 5:

Suggest reasons why women in nineteenth century India were obliged to continue wearing traditional Indian dress even when men switched over to the more convenient Western clothing. What does this show about the position of women in society?

Answer:

Women in nineteenth century India were obliged to continue wearing traditional Indian dress even when men switched over to the more convenient Western clothing because of India’s inherent social and traditional customs. Our society is predominantly patriarchal, and women were expected to maintain the honor of the family. Women in the Victorian age were expected to be docile, gentle and good housewives; the same rules governed the lives of women in India too. They could not dress like men and hence, they continued to wear traditional clothes. This directly points towards the secondary position that women hold in society. It was not a decision they had the independence to take since women were considered inferior to men.

Question 6:

Winston Churchill described Mahatma Gandhi as a ‘seditious Middle Temple Lawyer’ now ‘posing as a half naked fakir’. What provoked such a comment and what does it tell you about the symbolic strength of Mahatma Gandhi’s dress?

Answer:

Winston Churchill described Mahatma Gandhi as a “seditious Middle Temple Lawyer” now “posing as a fakir” because of the latter’s decision to dress like a poor man to show his solidarity with the socially and economically deprived. In 1931, at the Round Table Conference in England, Gandhi wore a short dhoti and chadar, eliciting the aforementioned comment from Churchill. The symbolic strength of Gandhi’s dress lay in its simplicity—he used it to show his support for the poor, to encourage boycott of British goods, and to erase religious differences and class distinctions.

Question 7:

Why did Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of clothing the nation in khadi appeal only to some sections of Indians?

Answer:

Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of clothing the nation in khadi appealed only to some sections of Indians for different reasons. For the socially deprived, emancipation opened new doors—they wanted to experiment with Western dress styles now that dress restrictions did not hamper with their wishes anymore. This adoption of Western clothing was symbolic of new-found self and public respect for them. Others found khadi expensive to buy, and women in south India complained that they could not afford nine yards of khadi (standard length of the sari in the south).

Clothing a Social History class MCQ

Question: Who was Manockfee Cowasjee Entee?

a) An assessor
b) A taxpayer
c) A revenue collector
d) A technocrat

Answer: An assessor

Question: Which Governor General asked the Indians to remove their shoes as a mark of respect before him?

a) Amherst
b) Ripon
c) Hastings
d) Wellesley

Answer: Amherst

Question: Which of these two things created misunderstanding between the British and the Indians?

a) Both Turbans and Hat
b) Turbans
c) Hat
d) Shirt

Answer: Both Turbans and Hat

Question: Which of these two things created misunderstanding and conflict between the British and the Indians?

a) Wearing a turban and shoes
b) The umbrella and gold ornaments
c) The wearing of saris and dhotis
d) The wearing of gowns and long skirts

Answer: The wearing of turban and shoes

Question: When was slavery abolished in Travancore? What did it result in?

a) 1855, frustration among upper castes
b) 1865, shortage of labor force
c) 1867, end of caste system
d) 1895, permission to Shanar women to cover the upper part of their body

Answer: 1855, frustration among upper castes

Question: Why were Shanar women attacked by Nairs in May 1922?

a) For using umbrellas
b) For wearing a tailored blouse
c) For wearing a cloth across their upper bodies
d) For wearing gold ornaments

Answer: For using umbrellas

Question: Dresses in India were defined by

a) Both Sumptuary laws and Caste system
b) Sumptuary laws
c) Caste system
d) None of the options

Answer: Both Sumptuary laws and Caste system

Question: To some Indians western clothes were a sign of

a) Both Progress and Modernity
b) Progress
c) Modernity
d) Freedom from poverty

Answer: Both Progress and Modernity

Question: Who was the first among the Indians to adopt the western-style clothing?

a) Parsis
b) Christians
c) Gujaratis
d) Maharashtrians

Answer: Parsis

Question: Which of the following were among other important changes that came about for women?

a) All the options
b) Trousers became a vital part of western womens clothing
c) Women took to cutting their hair short for convenience
d) As women took to gymnastics and games, they had to wear clothes that did not hamper movement

Answer: All the options

Question: Why did the clothes get shorter during the First World War?

a) Out of practical necessity at workplace
b) Shortage of cloth
c) New dressing laws were passed
d) None of the options

Answer: Out of practical necessity at workplace

Question: Which of the following events had an impact on the dressing style of women?

a) Both Women working in industries during the First and Second World Wars and Gymnastics and games entered school curriculum for women
b) Women working in industries during the First and Second World Wars.
c) Gymnastics and games entered the school curriculum for women.
d) The Battle of Waterloo

Answer: Both Women working in industries during the First and Second World Wars and Gymnastics and games entered school curriculum for women

Question: Which of the statements given below is correct?

a) All the options
b) After 1600, trade with India brought cheap and beautiful chintz within the reach of many Europeans
c) During the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, cotton clothes became more accessible to people in Europe
d) By the late 1870s, heavy, restrictive underclothes were gradually discarded

Answer: All the options

Question: Radical changes in women's clothing came about due to the`

a) Both World War I and World War II
b) Russian Revolution
c) World War I
d) World War II

Answer: Both World War I and World War II

Question: When and where was the Rational Dress Society started?

a) 1881, England
b) 1880, USA
c) 1882, France
d) 1883, Russia

Answer: 1881, England

Question: Who was the first American dress reformer to launch loose tunics?

a) Mrs Amelia Bloomer
b) Martha Somerville
c) Queen Victoria
d) None of the options

Answer: Mrs Amelia Bloomer

Question: Which of the following associations in the USA campaigned for dress reform in the 1870s?

a) BothNational Woman Suffrage Association and American Woman Suffrage Association
b) National Woman Suffrage Association
c) American Woman Suffrage Association
d) Global Woman Suffrage Association

Answer: BothNational Woman Suffrage Association and American Woman Suffrage Association

Question: On what grounds were the traditional feminine clothes criticized in the USA?

a) All the options
b) Long skirts swept the grounds collecting filth and causing illness
c) The skirts were voluminous and difficult to handle
d) They hampered movement and prevented women from working and earning

Answer: All the options

Question: Who said the following, It is evident physiologically that air is the pabulum of life, and that the effect of a tight cord around the neck and of tight lacing differs only in degrees ... for the strangulations are both fatal. To wear tight stays in many cases is to wither, to waste, to die.

a) The Registrar General in the Ninth Annual Report of 1857
b) Martha Somerville
c) John Keats
d) Thackeray

Answer: The Registrar General in the Ninth Annual Report of 1857

Question: When did women in England start agitating for democratic rights?

a) 1830s
b) 1820s
c) 1840s
d) 1850s

Answer: 1830s

Question: How did clothing play a part in creating the image of frail, submissive women?

a) All the options
b) From childhood, girls were tightly laced up
c) When slightly older, girls had to wear tight fitting corsets
d) Tightly laced, small waisted women were admired as attractive, elegant and graceful

Answer: All the options

Question: In Victorian England why were women from childhood tightly laced up and dressed in stays, because:

a) Women looked graceful in these dresses
b) They were dutiful and docile
c) These clothes helped in creating the expected image of girls
d) Women were trained to bear and suffer

Answer: Women looked graceful in these dresses

Question: England passed a law which compelled all persons over 6 years of age, except those of high position, to wear woolen caps made in England on Sundays and all holy days. What does this mean?

a) Some sumptuary laws were passed to protect home production against imports
b) All sumptuary laws were meant to emphasis social hierarchy
c) Some sumptuary laws were made to promote the religion
d) None of the options

Answer: Some sumptuary laws were passed to protect home production against imports

Question: Which of the following were among the things that became a symbol of equality and liberty among the French people?

a) All the options
b) The colors of France -blue, white and red
c) The red cap
d) Revolutionary cockade pinned on to a hat

Answer: All the options

Question: The simplicity of clothing of Sans-Culottes was meant to express

a) The idea of equality
b) The poverty among the common people
c) The prosperity of textile industries
d) None of the options

Answer: The idea of equality

Question: Simplicity of clothing was the symbol of which of the following in France?

a) Equality
b) Liberty
c) Fraternity
d) None of the options

Answer: Equality

Question: Which of these sentences is not correct about medieval France?

a) Everybody could wear expensive materials
b) The items of clothing a person could purchase was regulated not only by income but by social rank
c) The material to be used for clothing was legally prescribed
d) None of the options

Answer: Everybody could wear expensive materials

Question: Which one of the following is the most appropriate definition of Sumptuary Laws?

a) Laws meant to emphasize the social hierarchy
b) Laws on taxes framed by the government
c) Laws giving privileges to higher sections of society
d) All the options

Answer: Laws meant to emphasize the social hierarchy

Question: State the period when people of France were expected to strictly follow the Sumptuary Laws?

a) 1294 to 1798
b) 1300 to 1799
c) 1308 to 1800
d) 1350 to 1809

Answer: 1294 to 1798

Question: The existing dress codes in Europe were swept away by

a) French Revolution
b) American Revolution
c) Russian Revolution
d) The First World War

Answer: French Revolution

. State the period when people of France were expected to strictly follow the ‘Sumptuary Laws’?

(a) 1294 to 1798

(b) 1300 to 1799

(d) 1350 to 1809

► (a) 1294 to 1798

2. Which of these sentences is not correct about medieval France?

(a) The items of clothing a person could purchase was regulated not only by income but by social rank

(b) The material to be used for clothing was legally prescribed

(d) None of the above

► (c) Everybody could wear expensive materials

3. Which of these changes came about in dressing styles after the 18th century?

(a) People dressed according to their regional codes

(b) Dressing was limited by the types of clothes and the cost of material available in their region

(d) People could use styles and materials that were drawn from other cultures and locations

► (d) People could use styles and materials that were drawn from other cultures and locations

4. Simplicity of clothing was the symbol of which of the following in France?

(a) Liberty

(b) Fraternity

(d) None of these

► (c) Equality

5. The existing dress codes in Europe were swept away by

(a) American Revolution

(b) French Revolution

(d) The First World War

► (b) French Revolution

6. In Victorian England why were women from childhood tightly laced up and dressed in stays, because:

(a) they were dutiful and docile

(b) these clothes helped in creating the expected image of girls

(d) women looked graceful in these dresses

► (d) women looked graceful in these dresses

7. Who said the following, ‘It is evident physiologically that air is the pabulum of life, and that the effect of a tight cord around the neck and of tight lacing differ only in degrees ... for the strangulations are both fatal. To wear tight stays in many cases is to wither, to waste, to die.’

(a) The Registrar General in the Ninth Annual Report of 1857

(b) Martha Somerville

(d) Thackeray

► (a) The Registrar General in the Ninth Annual Report of 1857

8. England passed a law which compelled all persons over 6 years of age, except those of high position, to wear woolen caps made in England on Sundays and all holy days. What does this mean?

(a) All sumptuary laws were meant to emphasize social hierarchy

(b) Some sumptuary laws were passed to protect home production against imports

(d) None of the above

► (b) Some sumptuary laws were passed to protect home production against imports

9. When did women in England start agitating for democratic rights?

(a) 1820s

(b) 1830s

(d) 1850s

► (b) 1830s

10. Who was the first American dress reformer to launch loose tunics?

(a) Mrs Amelia Bloomer

(b) Martha Somerville

(d) None of the above

► (a) Mrs Amelia Bloomer

11. On what grounds were the traditional feminine clothes criticized in the USA?

(a) Long skirts swept the grounds collecting filth and causing illness

(b) The skirts were voluminous and difficult to handle

(d) All the above

► (d) All the above

12. Which of the following events had an impact on the dressing style of women?

(a) Women working in industries during the First and Second World Wars.

(b) Gymnastics and games entered the school curriculum for women.

► (c) The Battle of Waterloo (d) Both (a) and (b)

13. When and where was ‘Rational Dress Society’ started?

(a) 1880, USA

(b) 1881, England

(d) 1883, Russia

► (b) 1881, England

14. Which of the statements given below is correct?

(a) After 1600, trade with India brought cheap and beautiful ‘chintz’ within the reach of many Europeans

(b) During the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, cotton clothes became more accessible to people in Europe

(d) All the above

► (d) All the above

15. Who were the first among the Indians to adopt the western-style clothing?

(a) Christians

(b) Parsis

(d) Maharashtrians

► (b) Parsis

16. Why did the clothes get shorter during the First World War?

(a) Shortage of cloth

(b) Out of practical necessity at workplace

(d) None of the above

► (b) Out of practical necessity at workplace

17. Why were Shanar women attacked by Nairs in May 1922?

(a) For wearing a tailored blouse

(b) For wearing a cloth across their upper bodies

(d) For using umbrellas

► (b) For wearing a cloth across their upper bodies

18. Which of these two things created misunderstanding and conflict between the British and the Indians?

(a) the wearing of turban and shoes

(b) the umbrella and gold ornaments

(d) The wearing of gowns and long skirts

► (a) the wearing of turban and shoes

19. To some Indians western clothes were a sign of

(a) progress

(b) modernity

(d) both (a) and (b)

► (d) both (a) and (b)

20. When was slavery abolished in Travancore? What did it result in?

(a) 1855, frustration among upper castes

(b) 1865, shortage of labor force

(d) 1895, permission to Shanar women to cover the upper part of their body

► (a) 1855, frustration among upper castes

21. Dresses in India were defined by

(a) sumptuary laws

(b) caste system

(d) none of the above

► (c) both (a) and (b)

22. Who was Manockfee Cowasjee Entee?

(a) A taxpayer

(b) A revenue collector

(d) A technocrat

► (c) An assessor

23. Which of these two things created misunderstanding and conflict between the British and the Indians?

(a) the wearing of turban and shoes

(b) the umbrella and gold ornaments

(d) The wearing of gowns and long skirts

► (a) the wearing of turban and shoes

24. Which of these statements are correct about the cultural symbols which Indians began to devise to express the unity of the nation?

(a) A debate began over the design of national flag

(b) Poets wrote national songs

(d) All the above

► (d) All the above

25. Which Governor General asked the Indians to remove their shoes as a mark of respect before him?

(a) Ripon

(b) Hastings

(d) Wellesley

► (c) Amherst

26. Jnanadanandini Devi’s style of wearing sari was adopted by Brahmo Samaj women and came to be called

(a) Brahmika sari

(b) Brahmo sari

(d) Bhoomika sari

► (a) Brahmika sari

27. What was the idea of national dress as suggested by Rabindranath Tagore?

(a) Combination of Hindu and Muslim dress

(b) Combination of Indian and European dress

(d) Combination Hindu and Parsi dress

► (a) Combination of Hindu and Muslim dress

28. In reaction to which measure of the British did the Swadeshi Movement begin?

(a) Partition of Bengal in 1905

(b) Surat split in 1907

(d) Montague-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919

► (a) Partition of Bengal in 1905

29. In the late 1870s, Jnanadanandini Devi, wife of Satyendranath Tagore, adopted ______

(a) British style of skirt and blouse

(b) Rajasthani style of Ghagra-Choli

(d) None of the above

► (c) Parsi style of wearing sari

30. In the first decade of the 20th century, which movement in Bengal was linked to the politics of clothing?

(a) Khilafat movement

(b) Swadeshi movement

(d) Champaran satyagraha

► (b) Swadeshi movement

31. According to Gandhiji, which kind of dress would have a more powerful political effect?

(a) Western style

(b) Indian style

(d) Dressing suitably for the occasion

► (c) Dressing unsuitably

32. For Mahatma Gandhi, khadi, white and coarse, was a sign of

(a) purity

(b) simplicity

(d) all the above

► (d) all the above

33. Where and why did Gandhi first appear in a lungi and kurta with his head shaved, in 1913?

(a) London, to attend the Round Table Conference

(b) Durban, to protest against the shooting of Indian coal miners

(d) None of the above

► (b) Durban, to protest against the shooting of Indian coal miners

34. In which year did Gandhiji adopt dhoti?

(a) 1913

(b) 1915

(d) 1928

35. Which of the following Indians was associated with the case of defiance of the shoe- respect rule?

(a) Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar

(b) Manockjee Cowasjee Entee

(d) Sir M. Visveswaraya

► (b) Manockjee Cowasjee Entee

36. Many women reformers in India changed back into traditional clothes as:

(a) faced by persistent attacks, they decided to conform to conventions

(b) they found the new style of clothing too stylish

(d) there were no good tailors to stitch the new style of clothing

► (a) faced by persistent attacks, they decided to conform to conventions

37. Which of the following Indians was associated with the case of defiance of the shoe- respect rule?

(a) Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar

(b) Manockjee Cowasjee Entee

(d) Sir M. Visveswaraya

► (b) Manockjee Cowasjee Entee

38. Which one of the following statements about women's fashion in the twentieth century is not true?

(a) women started wearing trousers and blouses

(b) women started wearing jewelry

(d) women started wearing sober colors

► (b) women started wearing jewelry

39. Which among the following is associated with sumptuary laws in France?

(a) only the members of royalty and aristocracy could wear expensive clothes made of ermine, silk or brocade

(b) promoted for hunting game in certain areas

(d) socially inferior were allowed to wear ermine, silk or brocade

► (a) only the members of royalty and aristocracy could wear expensive clothes made of ermine, silk or brocade

40. A long, buttoned coat is called

(a) coat

(b) suit

(d) achkan

► (d) achkan

41. Which of the following sections of society lamented that those women, who had given up traditional norms of dressing up, no longer looked beautiful?

(a) radicals

(b) revolutionaries

(d) conservatives

► (d) conservatives

42. What was a cockade?

(a) a fashionable dress of France

(b) a cap that usually wore on one side

(d) a type of fur

► (b) a cap that usually wore on one side

Clothing a Social History class SAQ

Q.1. Why is most of the knowledge about clothes inferential?

Ans.1 Most of the knowledge about clothes is inferential because clothes do not reveal anything directly.2 Clothes indirectly reveal the attitude, personality and socio-economic status of the wearer.3 Moreover, we can only draw inference about attitudes, styles, personality andSocio-economic conditions of the people who wore various kinds of clothes in the past.

Q.2. In what way do clothes give a message? Ans.

1. Clothes do give a message, as the clothes of Sans Culottes did. They were men without knee breeches, different from the aristocrats who wore knee length breeches.

2. Their clothing, loose and comfortable along with the colour of France — blue, white and red – was a sign of patriotic citizens.

3. Gandhi made homespun khadi a symbol of national sentiment and his dress code of short dhoti was his way of identifying with the poorest Indian. Khadi became a symbol of purity, simplicity and poverty.

Q.3. What did a patriotic French citizen wear in France after the French Revolution?

Ans1. French patriotic citizens in France started wearing clothing that was loose and comfortable. The colors of France blue, white and red became popular as they were a sign of the patriotic citizen

2. Other political symbols too became a part of the dress : the red cap of liberty, long trousers and the revolutionary cockade pinned onto a hat.

3. 3 The simplicity of clothing was meant to express the idea of equality.

Q.4. Explain how European dress codes were different from Indian dress codes. Ans.

1. In different cultures, specific items of clothing often convey contrary meanings.

2. 2 This creates misunderstanding and conflicts. Consider the case of the : turban and the hat. These two headgears not only look different but also signify different things.

3. The turban in India is not just for protection from heat but is a sign of respectability and cannot be removed at will. In the western tradition, this has to be removed before social superiors as a sign of respect.

Q.5. Discuss the witty answer of Mahatma Gandhi about his dress. What did it signify? Ans.

1. Gandhi wore a short dhoti without a shirt when he went to England for the Round Table Conference in 1931.

2. He refused to compromise and wore it even before King George V at Buckingham Palace.

3. 3 When he was asked by journalists whether he was wearing enough clothes to go before the King, he joked that ‘‘the King has enough on for both of us.’’ This was the reason for Gandhi’s witty remark about his dress.

Q.6. How did styles of clothing during the Victorian Age in England emphasize differences between men and women?

Ans

1. Women during this time were groomed from childhood to be docile, dutiful, submissive and obedient. Men were supposed to be strong, serious, aggressive and independent.2.

2. These ideals were visible in the way they dressed. Girls were dressed in stays and were tightly laced up.

3. They also wore tight fitting corsets.

4. These clothes restricted their growth and kept their mold small and frail. Slim and small waisted women were admired. This was not so in the case of boys and men.

Q.7. How did the French Revolution end all distinctions imposed by the Sumptuary laws? Ans

1. After the French Revolution, it was income and not class which decided a person’s clothing. Men and women began to wear loose and comfortable clothing.

2. The colors of France became popular as they were considered a sign of the patriotic citizen.

3. 3 The red cap of liberty, long trousers and the revolutionary cockade pinned on a hat became fashionable as political symbols. Simplicity of clothing was meant to express the idea of equality.

Q.8. With the help of an example show how cultural difference in dress can create misunderstanding. Ans

1. Let us take the example of headgears — a turban and a hat. Both although headgears signify different things. Turbans are not only for protection from the sun but also worn as a mark of respectability.

2. It cannot be removed at will. The hat is for protection and is removed in front of seniors and superiors. This difference created misunderstanding between the turban wearers, i.e. the Indians and the hat wearers, i.e. the British.

3. When the Indians walked into English company they did not remove their turbans as they wanted to assert their national and regional identity. This at times offended the British.

Q.9. What changes came in women's clothing as a result of the two world wars? Ans.

1. Many European women stopped wearing jewelry and luxurious clothes. As upper-class women mixed with other classes, social barriers were encoded and dresses of women became similar.

2. Clothes got shorter during the First World War out of practical necessity. About 7 lakh women who were employed in ammunition factories wore a working uniform of blouse and trousers with scarves, which was gradually replaced by khaki overalls and caps. Bright colors faded from sight. Clothes became plainer and simpler. Skirts became shorter and trousers became a vital part of women's dress. Women also took to cutting their hair short.

3. A plain and austere style came to reflect seriousness and professionalism. WhenGymnastics and games entered the school curriculum, women had to wear clothes which did not hamper movement.

Q.10. Describe Mahatma Gandhi's experiment with clothing during his lifetime. Ans

1. As a boy he usually wore a shirt with a dhoti or pajama, and sometimes a coat. When he went to London to study law as a boy of 19 in 1888, he cut off the tuft on his head and dressed in a western suit.

2. On his return, he continued to wear western suits with a turban. As a lawyer in South Africa in the 1890s, he still wore western clothes.

3. In Durban in 1913, Gandhi first appeared in a lungi and kurta with a shaved head as a sign of mourning to protest against the shooting of Indian coal miners.

4. On his return to India in 1915, he decided to dress like a kathiyawadi peasant. In 1921, during the non-cooperation movement, he adopted the short dhoti or loin cloth with a chaddar. This dress he continued to wear until his death.

Clothing a Social History class long question

Q1. What were sumptuary laws? How did these laws affect society in France? Ans.

1. Sumptuary laws were those laws which imposed upon members of different layers of society through specified details the codes of behavior.

2. These laws tried to control behavior of those considered social inferiors, preventing them from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverages (usually alcohol) and hunting game in certain areas.

3. In France, during the medieval period the item of clothing a person could purchase per year was regulated not only by income but also by social rank.

4. The material to be purchased for clothing was also legally prescribed.

5. Only royalty could wear expensive materials like ermine, fur, silk, velvet and brocade. Other classes were debarred from clothing themselves with materials that were associated with the aristocracy.

Q.2. What was the Suffrage Movement? How did it bring about a reform in dress?

Ans.

1. The Women's Suffrage Movement was a women's movement agitating for the right to vote in political elections and democratic rights.

2. 2As suffrage movement developed, people beganCampaigning for dress reform.

3. Women’s magazines described how light dress and corsets caused deformities and illness among young girls. Such clothing restricted body growth and Hampered blood circulation.

4. Muscles remained underdeveloped and the spines got bent.Doctors reported that many women were regularly complaining of acute weakness, felt languid and fainted regularly.

5. By the end of the nineteenth century, change was clearly in the air – the argument was to simplify dress, shorten skirts, abandon corsets.

Q.3. With an example, discuss how clothing can convey different meanings in different cultures and how these interpretations can lead to misunderstanding.

Ans.

1. In different cultures, specific items of clothing often convey central meaning. This frequently leads to misunderstandings and conflicts.

2. The case of the Turban and Hat is one. Turban and hat are two headgears that not only lookDifferent

3. They also signify different things. The turban in India was not just for protection from the heat but was also a sign of respectability and could not be removed at will

4. In the western tradition, the hat had to be removed before social superiors as a sign of respect

5. This cultural difference created misunderstanding. The British were often offended if Indians did not take off their turban when they met colonial officials.

Q.4. How did Mahatma Gandhi's dream of clothing the nation in Khadi appeal only to some sections of the Indian?

Ans.

1. Mahatma Gandhi’s dream was to clothe the whole nation in khadi. He felt khadi would be a means of erasing differences between religions and classes; etc. But it wasn’t easy for others to follow in his footsteps. Just as the people could not take to the single peasant line of clothing as Gandhi had done. The people, in fact, did not want to do so.

2. Nationalists such as Motilal Nehru, a successful barrister from Allahabad, gave up his expensive western style suits and adopted the Indian dhoti and kurta. But these were not made of coarse cloth – khadi. Those who had been deprived by caste norms for centuries were attracted to western dress styles.

3. Therefore, unlike Mahatma Gandhi, other nationalists such as Baba Saheb Ambedkar never gave up the western style suit.

4. Many Dalits began in the early 1910s to wear three-piece suits, shoes and socks on all public occasions, as a political statement of self-respect. A woman wrote to Gandhiji, ‘‘I heard you speaking on the extreme necessity of wearing khadi, but khadi is very costly and we are poor people.’’

5. Other women, like Sarojini Naidu and Kamala Nehru, wore coloured saris with designs, instead of coarse, white homespun khadi.

Q.5. In India the caste system played a role similar to the Sumptuary Laws of Europe? Justify it. Ans

1. India has no formal sumptuary laws but it has a very strict social code of food and dress. It is the caste system which defines what each caste should wear, eat, give, take, etc

2. These codes are very rigid and are almost as forceful as laws. If there were any changes in these specified codes then reactions were often violent and disturbing.

3. The case of the Shanar caste is an example. The Shanars are a community from Travancore.They migrated to this area to work under the landlords who were the Nairs. The Shanars tapped toddy. They belonged to a ‘subordinate caste’ and as per the traditions had to follow certain specified norms

4. They were not allowed to wear slippers, use umbrellas and cover the upper portion of their body with clothing.

5. When the Christian missionaries came, they converted the Shanars to Christians. Under their

How were clothes of the 18th century all over the world different from clothes of the 19th century?

Ans.

1. In France, in the 18th century sumptuary laws controlled the clothing style. After the French Revolution, it was the income, the difference between the rich and poor which decided what people were to wear

2. In England and America and other European countries, women from childhood, as young girls were tightly laced and dressed in stays. As women they had to wear tight fitting corsets and flowing gowns sweeping the ground.

3. The nineteenth century simplified dresses, shortened them and banned the corsets. Clothes got lighter, shorter and simpler. The two world wars brought in trousers and blouses for women giving them greater freedom of movement

4. Skirts became shorter, frills disappeared. Women now went for short hair as it was convenient and easy to maintain.

5. In India, the western style clothing came in the 19th century. The wealthy Parsis were the first to adopt it. It was also attractive to Dalit. The dress code in India was much under the influence of strict codes of caste system. The Swadeshi movement and national feelings also set the dress code of Indians.

Discuss how society and clothes are linked.

Ans.3. The history of clothing is linked to the larger history of society. Clothing is defined by a dominant cultural attitude and ideal of beauty.

These notions change with time. Change in clothing has come due to changes within technology and economy and pressures of changing times.Changes in women’s clothing came as a result of the two world wars.

3. Women stopped wearing jewelry and luxurious clothes. Now women of all sections of society began to look similar. Because of practical necessity clothes became shorter and without frills.

4. Women began to be employed in ammunition factories. This forced them to wear a uniform of blouse and trousers with scarves. Thus, the uniform of blouse and trousers was replaced by Khaki overalls and caps. Sober colors were preferred as the war was on.

5. Clothes became simpler and more practical. Trousers became a common garment worn by women.

Garments became austere and professional.

How was the Swadeshi Movement linked to the politics of clothing? Explain.

Ans1. The Swadeshi movement was centrally linked to the politics of clothing. In 1905, LordCurzon decided to partition Bengal to control the growing opposition to British rule.

2. The Swadeshi movement developed in reaction to this measure.

3. People were urged to boycott British goods of all kinds and start their own industries for the manufacture of goods such as match boxes and cigarettes.

4. Mass protests followed with people trying to cleanse themselves of colonial rule.

5. The use of khadi was made a patriotic duty. Women were urged to throw away their silk and glass bangles and wear simple shell bangles. Rough homespun was glorified in songs andPoems to popularize it.

Explain the reasons for the changes in clothing patterns and materials in the eighteenth century.

Solution:Before the age of democratic revolutions and the development of capitalist markets in eighteenth-century Europe, most people dressed according to their regional codes, and were limited by the types of clothes and the cost of materials that were available in their region. Class, gender or status in the social hierarchy also strictly regulate clothing styles. After the eighteenth century, the colonization of most of the world by Europe, the spread of democratic ideals and the growth of an industrial society completely changed the ways in which people thought about dress and its meanings. People could use styles and materials that were drawn from other cultures and locations, and western dress styles for men were adopted worldwide.

What were the sumptuary laws in France?

Solution:

In medieval Europe, dress codes were sometimes imposed upon members of different layers of society through actual laws, which were spelt out in some detail. From about 1294 to the time of the French Revolution in 1789, the people of France were expected to strictly follow what were known as ‘sumptuary laws.’ The laws tried to control the behavior of those considered social inferiors, preventing them from wearing certain clothes, consuming certain foods and beverages (usually this referred to alcohol) and hunting game in certain areas. In medieval France, the items of clothing a person could purchase per year was regulated, not only by income but also by social rank. The material to be used for clothing was also legally prescribed. Only royalty could wear expensive materials like ermine and fur, or silk, velvet and brocade. Other classes were debarred from clothing themselves with materials that were associated with the aristocracy.

Suggest reasons why women in nineteenth century India were obliged to continue wearing traditional Indian dress even when men switched over to the more convenient Western clothing. What does this show about the position of women in society?

Solution:

The reformers lamented that women who gave up traditional norms of dressing no longer looked beautiful, and lost their femininity and grace. Faced with persistent attacks, many women reformers changed back into traditional clothes to conform to conventions. The Shanars (also called Nadars) were a community of toddy tappers who migrated to southern Travancore to work under Nair landlords. As they were considered a ‘subordinate caste’, they were prohibited from using umbrellas and wearing shoes or golden ornaments. Men and women were also expected to follow the local custom of never covering their upper bodies before the upper castes. Under the influence of Christian missions, Shanar women converts began in the 1820s to wear tailored blouses and clothes to cover themselves like the upper castes. Soon Nairs, one of the upper castes of the region, attacked these women in public places and tore off their upper cloths. Complaints were also filed in court against this dress change, especially since Shanars were also refusing to render free labor for the upper castes.

The position of the women of that society was bad.

Winston Churchill described Mahatma Gandhi as a ‘seditious Middle Temple Lawyer’ now ‘posing as a half naked fakir’.

What provoked such a comment and what does it tell you about the symbolic strength of Mahatma Gandhi’s dress?

Solution:

Mahatma Gandhi’s life and his experiments with clothing sum up the changing attitude to dress in the Indian subcontinent. As a boy from a Gujarati Bania family, he usually wore a shirt with a dhoti or pajama, and sometimes a coat. When he went to London to study law as a boy of 19 in 1888, he cut off the tuft on his head and dressed in a Western suit so that he would not be laughed at. On his return, he continued to wear Western suits, topped with a turban. As a lawyer in Johannesburg, South Africa in the 1890s, he still wore Western clothes. Soon he decided that dressing ‘unsuitably’ was a more powerful political statement. In Durban in 1913, Gandhi first appeared in a lungi and kurta with his head shaved as a sign of mourning to protest against the shooting of Indian coal miners. On his return to India in 1915, he decided to dress like a Kathiyawadi peasant. Only in 1921 did he adopt the short dhoti, the form of dress he wore until his death.

Why did Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of clothing the nation in khadi appeal only to some sections of Indians?

Solution:

1. Nationalists such as Motilal Nehru, a successful barrister from Allahabad, gave up his expensive Western-style suits and adopted the Indian dhoti and kurta. But these were not made of coarse cloth.

2. Those who had been deprived by caste norms for centuries were attracted to Western dress styles. Therefore, unlike Mahatma Gandhi, other nationalists such as Babasaheb Ambedkar never gave up the Western-style suit. Many Dalits began in the early 1910s to wear three piece suits, and shoes and socks on all public occasions, as a political statement of self-respect.

3. A woman who wrote to Mahatma Gandhi from Maharashtra in 1928 said, ‘A year ago, I heard you speaking on the extreme necessity of every one of us wearing khadi and thereupon decided to adopt it. But we are poor people, My husband says khadi is costly. Belonging as I do to Maharashtra, I wear a sari nine yards long … (and) the elders will not hear of a reduction (to six yards).’

4. Other women, like Sarojini Naidu and Kamala Nehru, wore coloured saris with designs, instead of coarse, white homespun.

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