Historical Method and Historiography Questions and Answers

Q: In Ranke's view, what is the primary role of the historian ?

For Ranke, the historian's role was To uncover and state the historical facts.Leopold von Ranke famously said the historian's task was to show the past 'wie es eigentlich gewesen' (as it actually was), through critical study of original documents, especially archival sources, rather than to pass judgement or draw lessons.Interpretation and critique were the concerns of later schools, and entertainment was the opposite of his scientific, document-based ideal.

Q: What is the primary critique of Subaltern school regarding the discipline of history ?

The Subaltern critique is that Traditional historical narratives marginalized certain groups of people.The Subaltern Studies group, launched by Ranajit Guha in 1982, argued that both colonialist and nationalist histories of India were elitist: they told the story through elites and left out the peasants, workers, tribals and other subordinate groups, whose own politics they sought to recover.Their quarrel was not that earlier histories lacked method or scientific rigour, or that they dealt only with politics, but that they silenced the subaltern.

Q: According to R.G. Collingwood, historical knowledge is :

For Collingwood, historical knowledge is Subjective and evolving.In The Idea of History, R.G. Collingwood held that 'all history is the history of thought': the historian re-enacts past thought in his own mind, and each generation must rewrite history from its own standpoint. So historical knowledge depends on the historian and keeps changing.He rejected the idea of history as fixed and absolute, as a natural science on the empirical model, or as a mere compilation of recorded facts, which he called 'scissors-and-paste' history.

Q: Who among the following is a Nationalist historian ?

The Nationalist historian is R. C. Majumdar.Ramesh Chandra Majumdar was the leading figure of the nationalist school, which wrote Indian history to counter colonial accounts and to recover India's past and its struggle for freedom. He was general editor of the multi-volume History and Culture of the Indian People.The other two belong to different schools. John Gallagher was a Cambridge historian associated with the Cambridge School, which explained Indian nationalism through elite rivalry and collaboration. Ranajit Guha founded Subaltern Studies, which wrote history from the standpoint of peasants and the poor. So 'None of these' is wrong.

61.

In Ranke's view, what is the primary role of the historian ?

A.To entertain and inform the audience
B.To interpret and analyse historical events
C.To uncover and state the historical facts
D.To critique and challenge the traditional narratives

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2025, SET Exam - 2025,

Answer: C

For Ranke, the historian's role was To uncover and state the historical facts.

Leopold von Ranke famously said the historian's task was to show the past 'wie es eigentlich gewesen' (as it actually was), through critical study of original documents, especially archival sources, rather than to pass judgement or draw lessons.

Interpretation and critique were the concerns of later schools, and entertainment was the opposite of his scientific, document-based ideal.

Discuss in Forum

62.

What is the primary critique of Subaltern school regarding the discipline of history ?

A.Traditional historical narratives are lacking in a proper methodology of history
B.Traditional historical narratives are focused on political history alone
C.Traditional historical narratives marginalized certain groups of people
D.Traditional historical narratives are not scientific enough

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2025, SET Exam - 2025,

Answer: C

The Subaltern critique is that Traditional historical narratives marginalized certain groups of people.

The Subaltern Studies group, launched by Ranajit Guha in 1982, argued that both colonialist and nationalist histories of India were elitist: they told the story through elites and left out the peasants, workers, tribals and other subordinate groups, whose own politics they sought to recover.

Their quarrel was not that earlier histories lacked method or scientific rigour, or that they dealt only with politics, but that they silenced the subaltern.

Discuss in Forum

63.

According to R.G. Collingwood, historical knowledge is :

A.Absolute and unchanging
B.Subjective and evolving
C.Scientific and empirical
D.Limited to recorded facts

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2025, SET Exam - 2025,

Answer: B

For Collingwood, historical knowledge is Subjective and evolving.

In The Idea of History, R.G. Collingwood held that 'all history is the history of thought': the historian re-enacts past thought in his own mind, and each generation must rewrite history from its own standpoint. So historical knowledge depends on the historian and keeps changing.

He rejected the idea of history as fixed and absolute, as a natural science on the empirical model, or as a mere compilation of recorded facts, which he called 'scissors-and-paste' history.

Discuss in Forum

64.

Who among the following is a Nationalist historian ?

A.John Gallagher
B.R. C. Majumdar
C.Ranajit Guha
D.None of these

Exam Year(s)

Tripura Public Service Commission - 2019,

Answer: B

The Nationalist historian is R. C. Majumdar.

Ramesh Chandra Majumdar was the leading figure of the nationalist school, which wrote Indian history to counter colonial accounts and to recover India's past and its struggle for freedom. He was general editor of the multi-volume History and Culture of the Indian People.

The other two belong to different schools. John Gallagher was a Cambridge historian associated with the Cambridge School, which explained Indian nationalism through elite rivalry and collaboration. Ranajit Guha founded Subaltern Studies, which wrote history from the standpoint of peasants and the poor. So 'None of these' is wrong.

Discuss in Forum

65.

Match List - I with List - II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :

List - I	List - II
a. Christian Historiography	i. The exposition of the Idea of Progress
b. Enlightenment Historiography	ii. Attractive and Colourful Reconstruction of the Past
c. Romantic Historiography	iii. Derivation of Historical Knowledge by applying Scientific Method of Inquiry
d. Positivist Historiography	iv. Theorization of the Idea of Providentialism

Codes : a b c d

A.ii iii iv i
B.i iii ii iv
C.ii iv iii i
D.iv i ii iii

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: D

Christian historiography was built on the idea of providentialism (iv); the Enlightenment historians set out the idea of progress (i); the Romantic historians gave an attractive and colourful reconstruction of the past (ii); and the Positivists derived historical knowledge by applying the scientific method of inquiry (iii). The code is a-iv, b-i, c-ii, d-iii.

The other codes mismatch. For example ii iii iv i gives Christian historiography the colourful reconstruction, which belongs to the Romantics, and i iii ii iv gives the Enlightenment the scientific method, which is Positivism.

Discuss in Forum

66.

Who among the following historians is well known for his contributions to subaltern studies ?

A.Sumit Sarkar
B.Bipin Chandra
C.Ranjit Guha
D.K.N. Panicker

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: C

Ranajit Guha is the historian best known for his contribution to subaltern studies, the founder of the Subaltern Studies collective in the early 1980s and editor of its first volumes, which looked at history from below.

Sumit Sarkar wrote on modern India and was associated with the early Subaltern group but is known more widely, Bipan Chandra wrote on nationalism and economic history, and K.N. Panikkar on culture and colonialism; the key names Guha.

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