Match List-I (Group) with List-II (Effect of the Santhal settlement of the Damin-i-Koh).
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| (A) Paharia shifting cultivators | (I) Faced problems when the forests of the region were cleared |
| (B) Paharia hunters | (II) Received an increased volume of revenue |
| (C) Santhal settlers | (III) Lost the most fertile soils, which became part of the Damin |
| (D) The Company | (IV) Dealt with traders and moneylenders while growing commercial crops |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → A-III, B-I, C-IV, D-II
| List-I | List-II | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| (A) Paharia shifting cultivators | (III) Lost the most fertile soils, which became part of the Damin | Shifting agriculture needed new land and the natural fertility of the soil. With the best soils inside the Damin, the Paharias could not keep up their cultivation. |
| (B) Paharia hunters | (I) Faced problems when the forests of the region were cleared | Hunting depended on forests. When the forests were cleared for cultivation, the hunters among the Paharias faced problems. |
| (C) Santhal settlers | (IV) Dealt with traders and moneylenders while growing commercial crops | The Santhals gave up their life of mobility and settled down. They grew commercial crops for the market and so dealt with traders and moneylenders. |
| (D) The Company | (II) Received an increased volume of revenue | As Santhal cultivation spread, more revenue flowed to the Company. |
NCERT (2026-27): “2.2 The Santhals: Pioneer settlers … “… Shifting agriculture depended on the ability to move to newer and newer land and utilisation of the natural fertility of the soil. When the most fertile soils became inaccessible to them, being part of the Damin, the Paharias could not effectively sustain their mode of cultivation. When the forests of the region were cleared for cultivation the hunters amongst them also faced problems. The Santhals, by contrast, gave up their earlier life of mobility and settled down, cultivating a range of commercial crops for the market, and dealing with traders and moneylenders.” |