1. Name three important centres of trade.
Three important centres of trade were - Surat, Hampi and Masulipatnam.
2. Why was Surat to famous?
Surat was the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz. It has also been called the gateway to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here. The textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders.
3. Who were Devadasis?
Devadasis were the temple dancers who performed in front of the deity, royalty and messes in the pillared hall of Virupaksha temple.
4. Mention some articles of trades on which temple authorities collected taxes.
The temple authorities collected taxes on sugar and jaggery, dyes, thread and cotton, coconut, salt, areca nuts, butter, sesame oil and cloth.
5. Why did the English and the Dutch decide to establish settlements in Masulipatnam?
The English and the Dutch decided to establish settlements in Masulipatnam because it was the most important port on the Andhra Coast.
6. Who lived in the ‘Black towns’ in cities such as Madras?
Merchants, artisans such as, weavers, native traders and crafts persons lived in the ‘Black town’.
7. In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities like Thanjavur?
The craft production in Thanjavur was in form of inlay work in copper and silver while, in Calcutta (Kolkata) it was in the form of cotton textiles and jute textiles.