India's Economic Revival
The idea that India is a poor country is a relatively recent one. Historically, South Asia was always famous as the richest region of the globe. Ever since the great Greek conqueror Alexander penetrated the Hindu Kush in 329 B.C., Europeans fantasized about the wealth of these lands where precious jewels were said to lie scattered on the ground like dust.
During the 17th century, the Indian Mughal emperors were rivalled only by their Ming counterparts in China. For their contemporaries in distant Europe, they were potent symbols of power and wealth. By the 17th century, Lahore had grown even larger and richer than Constantinople and, with its two million inhabitants, was much bigger than either London or Paris.
What changed was the advent of European colonialism. Following Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to the East in 1498, European colonial traders to India — first the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the British — slowly destroyed the old trading network and imposed a Western imperial system of economics. It was only at the very end of the 18th century that Europe had for the first time in history a favourable balance of trade with Asia. The era of Indian economic decline had begun. By 1870, at the peak of the British dominion, India had been reduced for the first time to a Third World nation, a symbol across the globe of famine, poverty and deprivation.
Then, what is happening today with the rise of India and China is not some miraculous novelty — as it is usually depicted in the Western press — so much as a return to the traditional pattern of global trade in the medieval and ancient world.
QUESTIONS
1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
a) In the past, people in the Western world dreamed about the treasures in South Asia.
b) While India was ruled by the British it became a typical example of underdevelopment.
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.
a) Why are the Chinese emperors of the Ming dynasty mentioned in the text?
b) What kind of influence did the Portuguese, Dutch and British have on India?
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
3.- Find the words in the text that mean:
a) riches (paragraph 1)
b) powder (paragraph 1)
c) highest point (paragraph 3)
d) hunger (paragraph 3)
(Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)
4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given.
a) India is a country in South Asia _____ comprises most of the Indian subcontinent. The Ganges is the _____ (long) river in India.
b) The term “colony” comes _____ the Latin colonia, which originally _____ (mean) a place for agricultural activities.
c) “How _____ does it take to fly from London to India?”
“It_____ (take) around nine hours.”
d) The Ming dynasty began in 1368, and lasted until 1644 AD. _____ founder was a peasant who became Emperor after _____ (defeat) the Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty.
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
5.- Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic.
What distant or exotic country would you like to visit? Give reasons for your choice.
(Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)
During the 17th century, the Indian Mughal emperors were rivalled only by their Ming counterparts in China. For their contemporaries in distant Europe, they were potent symbols of power and wealth. By the 17th century, Lahore had grown even larger and richer than Constantinople and, with its two million inhabitants, was much bigger than either London or Paris.
What changed was the advent of European colonialism. Following Vasco da Gama's discovery of the sea route to the East in 1498, European colonial traders to India — first the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the British — slowly destroyed the old trading network and imposed a Western imperial system of economics. It was only at the very end of the 18th century that Europe had for the first time in history a favourable balance of trade with Asia. The era of Indian economic decline had begun. By 1870, at the peak of the British dominion, India had been reduced for the first time to a Third World nation, a symbol across the globe of famine, poverty and deprivation.
Then, what is happening today with the rise of India and China is not some miraculous novelty — as it is usually depicted in the Western press — so much as a return to the traditional pattern of global trade in the medieval and ancient world.
QUESTIONS
1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.
a) In the past, people in the Western world dreamed about the treasures in South Asia.
b) While India was ruled by the British it became a typical example of underdevelopment.
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.
a) Why are the Chinese emperors of the Ming dynasty mentioned in the text?
b) What kind of influence did the Portuguese, Dutch and British have on India?
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
3.- Find the words in the text that mean:
a) riches (paragraph 1)
b) powder (paragraph 1)
c) highest point (paragraph 3)
d) hunger (paragraph 3)
(Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)
4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given.
a) India is a country in South Asia _____ comprises most of the Indian subcontinent. The Ganges is the _____ (long) river in India.
b) The term “colony” comes _____ the Latin colonia, which originally _____ (mean) a place for agricultural activities.
c) “How _____ does it take to fly from London to India?”
“It_____ (take) around nine hours.”
d) The Ming dynasty began in 1368, and lasted until 1644 AD. _____ founder was a peasant who became Emperor after _____ (defeat) the Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty.
(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)
5.- Write about 100 to 150 words on the following topic.
What distant or exotic country would you like to visit? Give reasons for your choice.
(Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)
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