Read the passage and answer the question:
Who were these hill folk? Why were they so apprehensive of Buchanan's visit? Buchanan's journal gives us tantalising glimpses of these hill folk in the early nineteenth century. His journal was written as a diary of places he visited, people he encountered, and practices he saw. It raises questions in our minds but does not always help us answer them. It tells us about a moment in time, but not about the longer history of people and places. For that historians have to turn to other records.
Which of the following is false?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Francis Buchanan was a Governor-General of India from 1794-1815.
Option (1) Hill folks were not sure about Francis Buchanan’s visit. — Correct statement. The hill folk were apprehensive of Buchanan’s visit. Wherever he went, people were hostile and unwilling to talk to officials; in many places they deserted their villages.
Option (2) Francis Buchanan was a Governor-General of India from 1794-1815. — Incorrect statement. Buchanan was a physician who served in the Bengal Medical Service from 1794 to 1815. For a few years he was surgeon to the Governor-General, Lord Wellesley; he was never Governor-General himself.
Option (3) Francis Buchanan was a British surveyor who travelled through Rajmahal hills. — Correct statement. On the request of the Government of Bengal he undertook detailed surveys of the areas under the East India Company, and in the early nineteenth century he travelled through the Rajmahal hills.
Option (4) Francis Buchanan wrote a journal. — Correct statement. The passage speaks of Buchanan’s journal, written as a diary of the places he visited.
NCERT (2026-27): “Who was Buchanan? … Francis Buchanan was a physician who came to India and served in the Bengal Medical Service (from 1794 to 1815). For a few years he was surgeon to the Governor-General of India, Lord Wellesley. During his stay in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), he organised a zoo that became the Calcutta Alipore Zoo; he was also in charge of the Botanical Gardens for a short period. On the request of the Government of Bengal, he undertook detailed surveys of the areas under the jurisdiction of the British East India Company. In 1815 he fell ill and returned to England. Upon his mother’s death, he inherited her property and assumed her family name Hamilton. So he is often called Buchanan-Hamilton. 2.1 In the hills of Rajmahal … In the early nineteenth century, Buchanan travelled through the Rajmahal hills. From his description, the hills appeared impenetrable, a zone where few travellers ventured, an area that signified danger. Wherever he went, people were hostile, apprehensive of officials and unwilling to talk to them. In many instances they deserted their villages and absconded. Who were these hill folk? Why were they so apprehensive of Buchanan’s visit? Buchanan’s journal gives us tantalising glimpses of these hill folk in the early nineteenth century. His journal was written as a diary of places he visited, people he encountered, and practices he saw. It raises questions in our mind, but does not always help us answer them. It tells us about a moment in time, but not about the longer history of people and places. For that historians have to turn to other records.…” |