Read the following source and answer the questions that follow:
'… in spite of my best efforts, I could not properly do the works that were allotted to me ... In a few days I got my hands bruised all over and I could not go to work for a week for which I was prosecuted and sent to jail for 14 days. ... new emigrants find the tasks allotted to them extremely heavy and cannot complete them in a day. ... Deductions are also made from wages if the work is considered to have been done unsatisfactorily. Many people cannot therefore earn their full wages and are punished in various ways. In fact, the labourers have to spend their period of indenture in great trouble…'
— Testimony of Ram Narain Tewary, an indentured labourer in Demerara, early twentieth century.
(i) What system of labour does this testimony describe, and from which regions of India were most such workers recruited? (1 mark)
(ii) Name any two main destinations to which Indian indentured workers were sent in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (1 mark)
(iii) Based on the testimony and your knowledge, explain why the system of indentured labour was described as a 'new system of slavery'. (2 marks)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 14:59 · grounding rag
Model Answer
(i) This testimony describes the indentured labour system. Most indentured workers were recruited from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, central India, and the dry districts of Tamil Nadu.
(ii) Two main destinations: Trinidad (Caribbean islands) and Mauritius. (Also: Fiji, Surinam, Guyana.)
(iii) The system was called a "new system of slavery" because conditions on arrival were completely different from what migrants were promised — agents gave false information about work and living conditions. On plantations, workers faced harsh living and working conditions with very few legal rights. As seen in Ram Narain's testimony, workers were prosecuted and jailed even for inability to complete heavy tasks, wages were deducted for unsatisfactory work, and labourers "spent their period of indenture in great trouble" with no means of escape.
Source: Chapter 3, Section 2.4 — Indentured Labour Migration from India
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Explanation
- (i) One mark — name the system + recruitment regions. Both are needed.
- (ii) One mark — any two correct destinations from the list in the text. Don't overthink; just name two.
- (iii) Two marks — examiners expect: (a) deceptive recruitment / false promises AND (b) harsh conditions + lack of legal rights on plantations. Quoting/paraphrasing the testimony directly earns credit. Avoid vague statements like "they were treated badly" — be specific.