COMMERCE

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF COMMERCE IN THE SUBCONTINENT

BOOK BACK ANSWERS



II. Very Short answer Questions: 

Question 1. What is meant by Barter system? 

Answer. Goods were exchanged for goods prior to invention of money. 


Question 2. What is meant by Nalangadi? 

Answer. The place where the goods were sold was called Angadi in the Pandiya period. Day market was called as Nalangadi. 


Question 3. What is meant by AIlangedi? 

Answer. The night market was called as Allangadi according to Saint Poet Ilango in Silapathigaram. Madurai-Kanchi. 


III. Short Answer Questions:

Question 1. Explain the meaning of the term 'Vanigam? 


Answer. The word Varigam' has been widely used in Sangam literature like Purananuru and Thirukkural. The earliest trading population of India was Indus valley people. Who used the word ‘trade? The word vanipam or vanipam would have had a Dravidian origin. 


Question 2. State the meaning of Marururapakkam and Pattinapakkam. 

Answer. Big cities like Poompuhar had the -Maruvurappalcani tinland town) and 'Pattinapakkam' (coastal town), had market and bazaars where many merchants met one another for the purpose of selling or Duping different kinds of commodities and food stuff.


Question 3. What is the role of Sangam in the trade development of ancient Tamil Nadu? 

Answer. Sangam's work refers to great traders. The caravans. Security force, Markets, Marts and guilds of such great traders. 


Question 4. What are the ports developed by the Pandiya kingdom? 

Answer. Port towns like Tondi, Korkai, Puhar and Muziri were always seen as busy with marts and markets with activities related to imports and exports. In such a brisk trade, people of the coastal region, engaged themselves in coastal trade and developed their intercontinental trade contacts. 


Question 5. What was focused on Arthasasthra about the creation of wealth? 

Answer. Arthasasthra focused on the creation of wealth as the means to promote the wellbeing of the state. Kautilya advocated the maintenance of the perfect balance between State management and people's welfare through trading activities.


IV. Long Answer Questions

Question 1. What are the hindrances of business? 

Answer: Hindrances of business: 1. Hindrance of Person: Manufacturers do not know the place and face of the consumers. It is the retailer who knows the taste, preference and location of the consumers. The chain of middlemen consisting of wholesalers, agents and retailers establish the link between the producers and consumers. 

2. Hindrance of Place: Production takes place in one centre and consumers are spread throughout the country and world. Rail, air, sea and land transports bring the products to the place of consumer. 

3. Hindrance of Time: Consumers want products whenever they have money, time and willingness to buy. Goods are produced in anticipation of such demands. 

4. Hindrance of risk of deterioration in quality: Proper packaging and modern air conditioned storage houses ensure that there is no deterioration in quality of products. 

5. Hindrance of risk of loss: Fire, theft, floods and accidents may bring huge loss to the business.

6. Hindrance of knowledge: Advertising and communication help in announcing the arrival of new products and their uses to the people. 

7. Hindrance of exchange: Money functions as a medium of exchange and enables the buying and selling of any product or service by payment of the right price. 

8. Hindrance of finance: Producers and traders may not have the required funds at the time of their need. 

9. Hindrance of developing the exact product: Research and development helps in developing the exact product or service which can satisfy the specific wants of consumers and thus improve the standard of living of the people. 

10. Hindrance of both selection and delivery at doorsteps: E -Commerce enables the consumer to select the product in the website, place online orders and make payment after receiving the product at the doorstep.

Question 2. State the constraints in barter system.

Answer 1. Lack of double coincidence of Wants: Unless two persons who have surplus have the demand for the goods possessed by each other, baiter could not materialize. If this "coincidence of wants" does not exist. Barter cannot take place. 

2. Non -existence of common measure of value: Barter system could not determine the value of commodities to be exchanged as they lacked commonly acceptable measures to evaluate each and every commodity. 

3. Lack of direct contact between producer and consumers: It was not possible for buyers and sellers to meet face to face in many contexts for exchanging the commodities for commodities. 

4. Lack of surplus stock: Absence of surplus stock was one of the impediments in barter system. If the buyers and sellers do not have surplus then no barter was possible.

Question 3. Explain the development of Commerce and Trade in North India. 

Answer: India was prosperous even during the medieval period from 12th to 16th centuries despite political upheavals. Balban was the first sultan who paved the way in the dense forest and helped traders and their commercial caravans to move from one market place to others. Allauddin Khilji brought the price to a very low ebb. He encouraged import of foreign goods from Persia and subsidised the goods. 

Arabs were dominant players in India's foreign trade. They never discouraged Indian traders like Tamils, Gujaratis, etc. The trade between the coastal ports were in the hands and Marwaris and Gujiratis. The overland trade with central and west Asia was in the hands of Multanis who were Hindus and Khurasanis who were Afghans. Iranians and so on.

Question 4. Briefly explain the coastal trade in ancient Tamil Nadu. 

Answer: Big cities like Poompuhar had the 'Maruvurappakam' (inland town) and ‘Pattinapakkam (coastal town), had market and bazaars where many merchants met one another for the purpose of selling or buying different kinds of commodities and food stuff. Port towns like Tondi, Korkai, Puhar and Muziri were always seen as busy with marts and markets with activities related to imports and exports. In such a brisk trade, people of the coastal region, engaged themselves in coastal trade and developed their intercontinental trade contacts. 

They were engaged in different kinds of fishing pearls, and conches and produced salts and built ships. Boats like 'Padagu', 'Thoni', "Ambu'. 'Odampunar, etc., were used to cross rivers for domestic trade while 'Kalam', 'Marakalam', 'Vangam'. 'Naval', etc., were used for crossing oceans for foreign trade.


Question 5. What do you know about the overseas trading partners of ancient Tamil Nadu? 

Answer: Foreigners who transacted business were known as Yavanars. Arabs who traded with Tamil were called 'ionagari, Pattinappalai praised Kaveripumpattinam as a city where various foreigners of high civilization speaking different languages assembled to transact business with the support of the then Kingdom. 

Many ports were developed during the Sangam period. Kaveripumpattinam was the chief port of the Kingdom of Cholas while Nagapattinam, Marakannam, Arikamedu, etc., were other small ports on east coast. Similarly, Pandya’s developed Korkai, Saliyur, Kayal, Marungaurpattinam and Kumari for foreign trade. The State Governments installed check posts to collect customs along the highways and the ports.