Important Questions and Answers for Class 11 History Chapter 6 Displacing Indigenous Peoples 2025-26

1. Multiple choice questions.

1. Which of the following was NOT a major reason for the displacement of indigenous peoples in North America?

• (a) Expansion of European settlements
• (b) Spread of new diseases
• (c) Preservation of native lands
• (d) Development of railways

Answer: (c) Preservation of native lands.

2. In which century did the United States government pass the Indian Removal Act, forcing indigenous tribes to move west of the Mississippi River?

• (a) 16th century
• (b) 18th century
• (c) 19th century
• (d) 20th century

Answer: (c) 19th century.

3. Which term is associated with the forced marches of indigenous peoples from their homeland, causing widespread suffering and death?

• (a) Trail of Tears
• (b) March to the Sea
• (c) Gold Rush Migration
• (d) Manifest Destiny

Answer: (a) Trail of Tears.

2. Very Short Answer (VSA).

1. What is meant by ‘displacement’ of indigenous peoples?

Answer: Displacement refers to the forced removal of indigenous people from their ancestral lands, often due to colonization or state policies, resulting in loss of habitat and livelihood.

2. Name any one indigenous tribe affected by European expansion in North America.

Answer: The Cherokee tribe was one of the indigenous groups significantly affected by European expansion in North America.

3. Short Answer Questions.

1. State two effects of the colonisation of North America on indigenous communities.

Answer: Colonisation led to large-scale displacement, causing indigenous people to lose their land and resources. It also introduced new diseases, which decreased the population of native communities due to lack of immunity.

2. How did the idea of ‘Manifest Destiny’ influence the lives of indigenous peoples?

Answer: Manifest Destiny was the belief that Americans had the right to expand westward. This idea justified the takeover of native lands, encouraged violence, and forced indigenous communities to relocate, disrupting their traditional way of life.

4. Long Answer Questions.

1. Discuss the impact of the ‘Trail of Tears’ on the Cherokee people and their cultural identity.

Answer: The Trail of Tears refers to the forced removal of the Cherokee from their homeland in the southeastern United States to designated Indian Territory. This event led to immense suffering, with thousands dying from disease, starvation, and exposure. The journey not only decimated the population but also deeply disrupted Cherokee culture, traditions, and social structures. Many families were separated, cultural practices were lost, and the trauma of the forced migration continued to affect future generations. This event stands as a painful example of the consequences of state policy toward indigenous peoples.

1. Cherokees were uprooted from their land and forced to march west.
2. Thousands died due to harsh conditions during transit.
3. Cultural and social structures of the community were severely affected.

2. Explain how the policies of land allotment and reservation affected indigenous peoples of North America in the 19th century.

Answer: Land allotment policies divided communal tribal lands into individual plots, undermining indigenous systems of communal ownership. Reservations were often located on less fertile land, causing poverty and dependence. The loss of traditional territory weakened community bonds, disrupted cultural practices, and marginalized indigenous peoples within the emerging nation-states.

1. Loss of communal lands due to allotment policies.
2. Reservations isolated indigenous people from their ancestral lands and resources.
3. Cultural identity and traditional practices suffered due to dislocation.

6. Case-based questions.

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:
"In the early nineteenth century, as European settlers moved westward, they increasingly came into conflict with indigenous peoples living on those lands. Treaties were often made and broken. Indigenous families had to leave behind their farms, graves, and sacred sites, moving to reservations far from their ancestral homes."

(i) According to the passage, what forced indigenous families to move?

Answer: The movement of European settlers westward and breaking of treaties forced indigenous families to move.

(ii) What did indigenous families have to leave behind?

Answer: They left behind their farms, graves, and sacred sites.

(iii) Where were indigenous families relocated?

Answer: They were relocated to reservations far from their ancestral homes.

(iv) Give one consequence of broken treaties, as mentioned in the passage.

Answer: One consequence was that indigenous families were forced to abandon their homelands.

Learning from Displacing Indigenous Peoples: Key Gains

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