Category: class6

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science Civics Chapter 8 Rural Livelihoods

1. You have probably noticed that people in Kalpattu are engaged in a variety of non­farm work. List five of these.
Ans:

1. Making baskets, utensils, pots, bricks bullock-carts, etc.
2. Teaching
3. Washing clothes
4. Weaving
5. Repairing cycle.

2. List the different types of people you read about in Kalpattu who depend on farming. Who is the poorest among them and why?
Ans: These people are Thulasi, Sekar and Ramalingam.
Thulasi is the poorest among them. It is because she has no land of her own. She works on Ramalingam’s field and earns Rs. 40 per day. Although she is not satisfied with her wages, yet she continues her work in Ramalingam’s field because of the fact that she can depend on him.

3. Imagine you are a member of a fishing family and you are discussing whether to take a loan from the bank for an engine. What would you say?
Ans: I would say that it is better to take a loan from bank for this purpose than to go to a moneylender. Money lenders usually charge high rate of interest which pushes the borrowers in great hardships.

4. Poor rural labourers like Thulasi often do not have access to good medical facilities, good schools, and other resources. You have read about inequality in the first unit of this text. The difference between her and Ramalingam is one of inequality. Do you think this is a fair situation? What do you think can be done? Discuss in class.
Ans: No, this is not a fair situation. There should be a ceiling of land. It will help everyone to have some land where one can earn one’s livelihood. Opportunity should be equal for all. Primary education should be made compulsory. Efforts should be made to promote education among the poor. It will help them know their rights and other awareness.

5. What do you think the government can do to help fanners like Sekar when they get into debt? Discuss.
Ans: Government can provide assistance to farmers like Sekar. Interest-free loan or loan at the lowest rate can help him. Seeds, fertilizers and pesticides can also be provided to him on subsidised rate.

6. Compare the situation of Sekar and Ramalingam by filling out the following table:

	Sekar	Ramalingam
Land cultivated
Labour required
Loans required
Selling of harvest
Other work done by them

Ans.

	Sekar	Ramalingam ,
Land cultivated	Two acres.	Twenty acres.
Labour required	No labour required.	He hires labour.
Loans required	He requires loan for seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc. He takes loan from the trader.	He takes loans from govt, bank for establishing a rice mill.
Selling of harvest	He sells a few bags of paddy to pay back the loan.
Other work done by them	He has a hybrid cow, whose milk he sells in the local milk cooperatives.	He owns a rice mill and a shop selling seeds, pesti­cides etc.

I.MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:

(i) Ramalingam has …………
(a) Thirty acres of land
(b) Twenty  acres of land
(c) Ten acres of land
(c) Five  acres of land

(ii) Thulasi earns ………..
(a) Rs. 40 per day
(b) Rs. 60 per day
(c) Rs. 70 per day
(d) Rs. 100 per day

(iii) Thulasi sold her cow to ………
(a) Purchase jewellery
(b) Pay the instalment of the loan that she took from bank
(c) Pay the fees of her daughter
(d) Pay back the money she borrowed from Ramalingam.

(iv) The percentage of large farmers in India is …………..
(a) 80
(b) 20
(c) 10
(d) 5

(v) Which one is not a farming activity?
(a) Ploughing                                   (b)    Harvesting
(c) Basket making                            (d)   Weeding.

Answer:
(i) – (b), (ii) – (a), (iii) – (c), (iv) – (b), (v) – (c).

II.FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence:

1. The people of Chizami village do …………………………………………..  farming.
2. Nearly …….  of all rural families are agricultural labourers in India.
3. Sekar has a hybrid cow, whose milk he sells in the local ………………
4. In some villages in central India, both farming and ………………..  from forest are important sources of livelihood.
5. The people of Pudupet village earn their living by………………

Answer:

1. terrace
2. two fifth
3. milk cooperative
4. collection
5. fishing

III.TRUE/FALSE

State whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F).

1. Ramalingam is a big farmer having twenty acres of land.
2. Sekar takes loan from Thulasi and buys seeds and fertilizers.
3. In coastal areas we find fishing villages.
4. In India 60 percent farmers are small Farmers.
5. Sekar takes help of other small farmers at the time of harvesting.

Answer:

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. True

IV.MATCHING SKILL

Match the items in column A correctly with those given in column B.

Ans: (i)—(c), (ii)—(f), (iii)—(e), (iv)—(b), (v)-(a),(vi)-d

V.VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What is the main crop of Kalpattu village?
Ans: The main crop of Kalpattu village is paddy.

2. How is Ramalingam different from others according to Thulasi?
Ans: Unlike others, Ramalingam does not go looking for cheaper labour from other villages. Whenever there is work, he calls Thulasi.

3. What does Thulasi’s husband do when he finds no work on the farm?
Ans: In such situation he finds work outside either loading sand from the river or stone from the quarry nearby.

4. Why did Thulasi borrow from Ramalingam?
Ans: She did so for her daughter’s treatment.

5. How did she pay back the loan to Ramalingam.
Ans: She paid back her loan to Ramalingam by selling her cow.

6 Name some other activities which poor families in rural areas often do for the household apart from farming.  [V. Imp.]
Ans: Collecting firewood, getting water and grazing cattle.

7. Why do people migrate? [V. Imp.]
Ans: People migrate from rural to urban areas to find job.                           .

8. How much land does Sekar own?
Ans: Sekar owns two acres of land.

9. How does he pay back the loan to trader?
Ans: He pays back the loan to trader by selling his paddy to him at a lower price.

10. Why does Sekar need to earn some extra money?
Ans: Whatever he produces last only eight months. So, he needs to earn some extra money.

11. What work does Sekar do at Ramalingam’s rice mill?
Ans: He helps Ramalingam collect paddy from other farmers in the neighbouring villager.

12. Why do farmers like Sekar need to borrow money?
Ans: They need to borrow money to purchase basic things like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

13. Why do fishermen go far into the sea?
Ans: They go far into the sea to get a better catch.

14. During which period do fish breed?
Ans: They breed during the monsoon.

15. How do fishermen manage during the monsoon period?
Ans: During the monsoon period fishermen survive by borrowing from the trader.

VI.SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Describe different types of work that Sekar do for a living.                                 [Imp.]
Ans: Sekar is a small farmer having only two acres of land. He grows paddy in his field with the help of his family members. He also works in Ramalingam’s rice milk. He helps him collect paddy from other farmers is the neighbouring villages. He also has a hybrid cow, whose milk he sells in the local milk cooperative.

2. List the three situations in which crops can be ruined.                                    [V. Imp.]
Ans: The three situations in which crops can be ruined are :

• If the seeds are not of good quality.
• If pests attack the crop.
• If the monsoon does not bring enough rain.

3. Write a brief note on the lifestyle of the people of Chizami.
Ans: Chizami is a village in Phek district in Nagaland. The people of this village do terrace farming. They have their own individual fields. But, they also work collectively in each other’s fields. They form groups of six or eight and take an entire mountain side to clean the needs on it. Each group eats together once their work for the day is over.

VII.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Write a short note on the lives of fishing families. [V. Imp.]
Ans: Fishing families usually live close to the sea. Their lives revolve around the sea and fish. One can find rows of catamarans and nets lying around their houses. Their day usually starts from 7 O’clock in the morning. This is the time when there is a lot of activity on the beach. After catching fish the fishermen return with their catamarans. Women then gather to buy and sell fish. They do not go to the sea for at least four months during the monsoon because this is when the fish breed.

During these months they survive by borrowing from the trader. And thus, they are forced to sell the fish to that trader later on.The lives of fisherfolk are full of risks. Whenever there is a storm, they have to suffer a lot. In 2004, the tsunami hit them badly. They were the worst sufferers.

2. What different activities are done by the people of Kalpattu village?
Ans: Kalpattu is coastal village in Tamil Nadu. As the village is surrounded by low hills, paddy is the main crop here. Most of the families earn a living through agriculture. Besides agriculture, people do many non-farm activities such as making baskets, utensils, pots, bricks, bullock carts, etc. The village has no dearth of service providers like blacksmiths, nurses, teachers, washermen, weavers, barbers, cycle repair mechanics and so on.

One can find here shopkeepers and traders too. There is a bazaar where a variety of small shops such as tea shops, grocery shops, a tailor, seed shop etc. can be found. There are some coconut groves around the village. A group of people earn their living by working in mango orchards. In the village, there are small farmers as well as big farmers. There are landless labourers too who work in other’s field.

3. Under which circumstances poor farmers find themselves unable to pay back their loans? What happens after that?
Ans: Poor farmers are bound to take loans for agriculture purpose. Sometimes they successfully pay back the loans but there are also moments when they fail to do that in time because of crop failure. This is a very tough time for them. For the family to survive, they have to borrow more money. Soon the loan becomes so large that no matter what they earn, they are unable to repay. This is when we can say they are caught in debt. Whenever this situation occurs, farmers become helpless. Their helplessness to repay the loan sometimes compel them to commit suicide.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science History Chapter 2 On The Trial of the Earliest People

1. Complete the sentences:

1. Hunter-gatherers chose to live in caves and rock shelters because
2. Grasslands developed around……….. years ago.
3. Early people painted on the……… of caves.
4. In Hunsgi, tools were made of……….

Answer:

1. they wanted to protect themselves from wild animals and bad weather.
2. 12,000
3. walls
4. limestone

2. Look at the present-day political map of the subcontinent on page 136 of the textbook. Find out the states where Bhimbetka, Hunsgi, and Kumool are located. Would Tushar’s train have passed near any of these sites?
Answer: Bhimbetka — Madhya Pradesh
Hunsgi — Karnataka
Kumool — Andhra Pradesh
Tushar’s train would have passed near Bhimbetka, Hunsgi and Kumool, since they all lie on the possible train route from Delhi to Chennai.

3. Why did the hunter-gatherers travel from place to place? In what ways are these similar to/different from the reasons for which we travel today?
Answer:  Hunter-gatherers travelled from place to place for four basic reasons which are as follows: (also see flow-learning).

• If they stayed at one place for a long time, they would have eaten up all the available plant and animal resources. Therefore, they went to another place for more food.
• Animals move from place to place. Humans followed them as they hunted them.
• Plants and trees bear fruit in different seasons. So when season changed, people moved to another place.
• In search of water, people travelled from place to place. Water is necessary for survival.

However, nowadays we travel for different purposes, like:

1. Education. We travel to schools.
2. Work. We travel to work.
3. Business. People travel from place to place for business purposes.
4. Entertainment. We travel from one place to another to amuse and entertain ourselves, like going to a circus, a zoo or sightseeing.

4. What tools would you use today for cutting fruit? What would they be made of?
Answer:  Today, for cutting fruit, we would use modem tools like knives, which are made of iron or steel.

5. List three ways in which hunter-gatherers used fire. Would you use fire for any of these purposes today?                                                                              ,
Answer: 

(a)

1. Hunter-gatherers used fire as a source of light.
2. They used fire to cook meat or food.
3. They used fire to scare away animals also.
4. Fire keeps him or her warm.

(b) Yes, fire is used as a source to cook food including meat. We also use it to keep us warm. Some people use it for religious purposes and bum their dead bodies.

6. Make two columns in your notebook. In the left hand column, list the foods hunter-gatherers ate. In the right hand column, list some of the foods you eat. Do you notice any similarities/differences.
Answer: 

Differences between the two eating habits: Today, we largely eat processed and cooked food, whereas the early people did not cook their food. They ate everything raw.

7. If you had a natural pebble-like the ones shown on page 13 in the textbook, what would you use it for?
Answer:

1. I would have used some of these stone tools to cut meat and bone, scrape bark (from trees) and hides (animal skins), chop fruit, and roots.
2. Some may have been attached to handles of bone or wood, to make spears and arrows for hunting.
3. Other stone tools were used to chop wood, which was used as firewood,

8. List two tasks that are performed by both men and women at present. List another two that are performed only by women, and two that are performed only by men. Compare your list with that of any two of your classmates. Do you notice any similarities/differences in your lists?
Answer:  Two tasks that are performed by both men and women:
(a) Teaching                                        (b) office jobs
Two tasks that are performed by only men:
(a) Mining                                            (b) Working in a shipyard
Two tasks that are performed by only women:
(a) Nursing                                          (b) Looking after home and hearth
Compare your lists yourself.

I. Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:

(i) Traces of ash in the Kumool caves indicate
(a) rearing of animals
(b) use of fire
(c) use of stone tools
(d) use of water.

(ii) Grasslands developed in many areas around
(a) 800 years ago
(b) 2 million years ago
(c) 1,00,000 years ago
(d) 12,000 years ago.

(iii) Tools in Hunsgi were made of
(a) stone
(b) limestone
(c) wood
(d) metal.

(iv) Bhimbetka is located in the present-day
(a) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Kerala.

(v) Grasslands led to an increase in
(a) animals that lived in water
(b) birds
(c) human beings
(d) animals that survive on grass.

Answer:
(i) – (b)
(ii) – (d)
(iii) – (b)
(iv) – (c)
(v) – (d).

II. Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence:

1. Hunter-gatherers lived around ………….  years ago.
2. The hunter-gatherers moved from place to place on ………….
3. Techniques used for making stone tools were ……… and …………
4. The fire was used as a source of…………..
5. The climate of the world changed to…….. conditions around 12,000 years ago.
6. The Palaeolithic Age was followed by the ……… Age.
7. Tools in Hunsgi were made from ………….  which was available ……….

Answer:

1. two million
2. foot
3. stone on stone, pressure flaking
4. light
5. relatively warm
6. mesolithic
7. limestone, locally.

III. True/False
State whether these sentences are true (T) or false (P’).

1. (i) Some rivers are perennial while others are seasonal.
2. (ii) Tools of wood have survived better than tools of stone.
3. (iii) The sites where hunter-gatherers lived were close to water.
4. (iv) Hunsgi was located in the present-day Madhya Pradesh
5. (v) Man led a well-settled life by Palaeolithic Age.

Answer:

1. (i) – T
2. (ii) – F
3. (iii) – T
4. (iv) – T
5. (v) – F.

IV. Matching Skill

Match the items given in column A correctly with those given in column B.

V. Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. What did hunter-gatherers do to sustain themselves?
Answer: They hunted wild animals, caught fish and birds, gathered fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, leaves, stalks and eggs, in order to sustain themselves.

2. Why was hunting animals difficult for the people?
Answer: Hunting animals was difficult because there were several animals that ran faster than human beings, many were stronger.

3. What do people need while hunting animals or catching fish and birds?
Answer: People need to be alert, quick and have lots of presence of mind.

4. Collecting plant produce needs a lot of precaution. How?
Answer: One needs to find out which plants or parts of plants are edible, that is, can be eaten, as many can be poisonous. It is also necessary to find out about the seasons when the fruits ripen.

5. What is the difference between perennial and seasonal lakes and rivers?
Answer: Perennial rivers and lakes are those which bear water throughout the year while seasonal rivers and lakes have water only during a particular period, le. rainy season.

6. How was the wood used in the past?
Answer: Wood was used as firewood. It was also used to make huts and tools.

7. What were factory sites?
Answer: Factory sites were places where a stone was found and where people made tools.

8.Where are natural caves and rock shelters found?
Answer: Natural caves and rock shelters are found in the Vindhyas and the Deccan plateau.

9. What suggests that people in the past used fire?
Answer: Traces of ash have been found in the Kumool caves. This suggests that people in the past used fire.

10.Why did earlier people use fire?
Answer: They used fire to make light, to cook meat and to frighten animals.

11. Name any two grain bearing grasses.
Answer: Wheat and barley.

12. What is the special feature of the paintings found in Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh? .
Answer: These paintings show wild animals which have been drawn with great accuracy and skill.

VI. Short Answer Type Questions 

1. How were stone tools used in the past? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Some stone tools were used to cut meat and bone, scrape bark from trees, and hides le. animal skins, chop fruit, and roots. Some were used as handles of bone or wood. Some were used to make spears and arrows for hunting. Other tools were used to cut wood.

2. What do you know about habitation-cum-factory sites?
Answer: Usually, we find blocks of stone, tools that were made and perhaps discarded because they were not perfect, and chips of waste stone left behind at factory sites. Sometimes, people lived here for longer period of time. These sites are called habitation-cum-factory sites.

3. Mention the two techniques that were used to make stone tools.
Answer: The two techniques of making stone tools were:
(i) Stone on stone technique. In this technique, the pebble from which the tool was to be made was held in one hand. Another stone, which was used as a hammer was held in the other hand. The second stone was used to strike off flakes from the first, till the required shape was obtained.

(ii) Pressure flaking. In this technique, the pebble or core was placed on a firm surface. The hammer stone was used on a piece of bone or stone that was placed on the core, to remove flakes that could be shaped into tools.

4. What do you know about the work division among men and women in the ancient past? [V. Imp.]
Answer: It is totally difficult to know about it. However, we can mention atleast two possibilities which are:

• It is likely that both men and women may have done many of the work like hunting, gathering plant produce, etc. together.
• It is also possible that some tasks were done only by women and others only by men. And again, there could have been different practices in different parts of the sub-continent.

VII.Long Answer Type Questions

1. What were the various reasons for hunter-gatherers to move from place to place? Mention in detail
Answer: Hunter-gatherers kept on moving from one place to another for the following reasons:
(i) Staying at one place for a long time would have ended up the availability of plant and animal resources.

(ii)Animals move from place to place—either in search of smaller prey, or, in the case of deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. That is why those who hunted them had to follow their movements.

(iii) Plants and trees bear fruit in different seasons. Hence, people may have moved from season to season in the hope of getting different kinds of fruits, Plants, animals and plants need water for their survival. While many rivers and lakes are perennial others are seasonal. People living on their banks would have had to go in search of water during the dry seasons, le. winter and summer.

(iv) People may have traveled to meet their kith and kin.

2.What was the impact of the change in the environment around 12,000 years ago?[V. Imp.]
Answer: Major changes in the climate of the world with a shift to relatively warm conditions were noticed around 12,000 years ago. As a result, grasslands developed in many regions. This resulted in an increase in herbivorous animals like deer, antelope, goat, sheep, and cattle. This encouraged people to herd and rear these animals. They also engaged themselves in fishing.

Several grain bearing kinds of grass such as wheat, barley, and rice also grew around this time in different parts of the sub-continent. Men, women, and children began to collect these grains to use them as their food. By the time, they also learned where these grains grew and when they ripened.

NCERT Solutions

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science Civics Chapter 3 What is Government

1. What do you understand by the word ‘government’? List five ways in which you think the government effects your daily life.

Ans:  By the word, ‘government’ we understand that the organisation which takes decisions and makes laws for the citizens of a country is the government.
The five ways in which the government affects our daily life are:

1. Building roads and schools.
2. Reduction and fixing of prices of essential commodities.
3. Supply of electricity.
4. Preparation and implementation of several programmes to help the poor.
5. Running of postal and railway services.

2. Why do you think the government needs to make rules for everyone in the form of laws?
Ans:
The government needs to make rules for everyone in the form of laws because of the following reasons:

• The government wants to give advantages to the people of the welfare measures to all without discrimination.
• To provide equality and justice to all.
• To maintain peace.
• To administer the country efficiently.

3. Name two essential features of a democratic government.
Ans: Two essential features of a democratic government are :

• Democracy is a rule by the people. It is people who rule themselves by participating in the making of these rules.
• In a democracy people have the power to elect their leaders. These leaders or representatives meet and make decisions for the entire population.

4. What was the suffrage movement? What did it accomplish?
Ans: The movement for voting rights to women came to be known as the suffrage movement. All over Europe and USA, women and the poor have had to fight for participation in the government. Women’s struggle to vote got strengthened during the first world war. During the War, many men were away fighting and because of this women were called upon to do work that was earlier considered men’s work. Thus, women got the opportunity to show their capability. People as a whole got disillusioned. They began demanding the right to vote for all women. The result was positive. American women got the right to vote in 1920 while women in the UK got the right to vote on the same terms as men some years later, in 1928.

5. Gandhiji strongly believed that every adult in India should be given the right to vote. However, a few people don’t share his views. They feel that illiterate people, who are mainly poor, should not be given the right to vote. What do you think? Do you think this would be a form of discrimination? Give five points to support your view and share these with the class.
Ans. We think that all the people whether illiterate or literate, poor or rich should have the right to vote.
Yes, we think that if the right to vote is denied to illiterate and poor people it would be a form of discrimination.
Five points to support our views:

1. Wealth is not the criterion of good judgment.
2. Illiterate or poor might have a strong character.
3. Government policies affect all.
4. Democracy talks of equality and justice for all.
5. One needs understanding to vote.

I.MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:

(i) The government also works at the local level. Here local level means
(a) Village
(b) Town
(c) Locality
(d) All the above.

(ii)  The court can intervene if……………..
(a) Any law passed by the government is not followed.
(b) Anyone does not study well.
(c) A child tells a lie
(d) Both (a) and (b).

(iii) American women got the right to vote in the year…………………..
(a) 1928
(b) 1925
(c) 1920
(d) 1919

(iv) The term suffrage means ……………….
(a) Right to vote
(b) Right to go anywhere in the country
(c) Right to livelihood
(d) None of the above.

(v) The two types of government mentioned the chapter are:
(a) Democracy
(b) Monarchy
(c) Dictatorship
(d) (a) and (b).
Answer:
(i) – (d), (ii) – (a), (iii) – (c), (iv) – (a), (v) – (d).

II. FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

1. The government works at different levels at the local level, at the level of the state and at the ………… level.
2. In a………. the government has to explain its actions and defend its decisions
   to the people.
3. Women in the UK got the right to vote in the year…………………..
4. In India, before Independence, only a small minority was allowed to ………………………
5. …….. are also part of the government.

Answer:

1. national
2. democracy
3. 1928
4. vote
5. Courts.

III. TRUE/FALSE

State whether the following statements are true CD or false (F).

1. Kings and queens get their power from the people they rule.
2. There was a time when the government did not allow women and the poor to participate in elections.
3. It was Gandhiji who demanded that all adults have the right to vote.
4. Men without property have no right to vote in a country like the USA.
5. In India, everyone who is eighteen or above eighteen enjoys the right to vote.

Answer:

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. True

IV.MATCHING SKILL

Match the items given in column A correctly with those given in column B.


Ans.(i)—(c), (ii)—(c), (iii)—(e), (iv)—(b), (v)—(a).

V.VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Name some institutions that are part of the government.
Ans: The Supreme Court, the Indian Railways, Bharat Petroleum.

2.List any two functions of the government.
Ans: (i)The government protects the boundaries of the country.

(ii)It maintains peaceful relations with other countries.
3. What happens when someone commits a crime?                                   [Imp.]
Ans: He/She finds himself/herself in court in such a situation.

4. Why is there a need to control resources and protect the territory of a country?
Ans: It is important so that people can feel secure.

5. At which three levels does the government work?
Ans:  The government works at the local level, at the state level and at the national level.

6. Under which circumstances a person may approach the court? [V. Imp.]
Ans:  If a person feels that a particular law is not being followed he/she may approach the court.

 7. What does the court do in such a situation?
Ans:  The court gives orders to the government about what should be done.

8. What do you mean by monarchy?
Ans:  Monarchy is a form of government in which the monarch (king or queen) has the power to make decisions and run the government.

9. What do you mean by representative democracies?                                                  [V. Imp.]
Ans:  In representative democracies, people do not participate directly but, instead, choose their representatives through an election process. These representatives meet and make decisions for the entire population.

 10. What do you mean by universal adult franchise?
Ans:  Universal adult franchise means that all adults in the country are allowed to vote.

 11. What was the unfair practice in Gandhi’s eyes?
Ans:  In pre-independent India, only a small minority was allowed to vote. It is they who determined the fate of the majority. This very practice was seen as an unfair practice by Gandhiji.

12. What did Gandhiji demand?
Ans:  Gandhiji demanded that all adults whether rich or poor, educated or literate have the right to vote.

VI.SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. How does the government manage so many different things?                                       [V. Imp.]
Ans: The government has a variety of works to do. To discharge each and every responsibility smoothly, it works at three different levels, at the local level, at the level of the state, and at the national level. The local level means in your village, town or locality. The state-level would mean the entire state and the national level relates to the entire country.

2. How is democracy different from the monarchy?
Ans: Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. In this type of government, people are supreme because it is they who give the government power. The government has to explain its actions and defend its decisions to the people.

In a monarchy, it is the King or queen who has the power to make decisions and run the government. The monarch may have a small group of people to discuss matters with, but the final decision-making power remains with the monarch. Unlike in a democracy, kings and queens do not have to explain their actions or defend the decisions they make.

3. Can you say the earliest forms of government democratic? If not, why?[V. Imp.]
Ans: We can not say the earliest forms of government democratic because these governments did not allow women and the poor to participate in elections. In their earliest forms governments allowed only men who owned property and were educated, to vote. This meant that women, the poor, the property-less, and the uneducated were not allowed to vote. The country was governed by the rules and regulations that these few men made.

VII.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 1. What does the government do for the welfare of its citizens? [V. Imp.]
Ans: The government does a variety of works for the welfare of its citizens:

• It makes decisions and gets things done.
• It builds roads and schools.
• It takes decisions about how to reduce the price of essential goods when they get too expensive or ways to increase the supply of electricity.
• It supervises postal and railway services.
• At the time of natural calamities, it organizes aid and assistance for the affected people.
• It makes laws for the safety of its citizens. For example, there is a law that says that all persons driving a two-wheeler must wear a helmet.

2. What was the voting system in India before Independence? What ideas did Gandhiji express in the journal Young India about the voting system?                                                      [Imp.]
Ans: In India, before Independence, only a small minority enjoyed the voting right. This was shocking for Gandhiji. He firmly disapproved this system and advocated for the universal adult franchise which gives all adults the right to vote.

Expressing his ideas in the journal Young India in 1931 Gandhiji said that it is discriminating to deprive poor and illiterate people of voting rights. Snatching the right to vote from a person simply because he is poor or illiterate is in no way justified. A poor or illiterate is also a citizen of the country and he has every right to enjoy all privileges existing in the country. Thus, Gandhiji was very much fair and favoured the system that would provide the equal voting rights to all.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science History Chapter 1 What, Where, How and When?

1. Match the following:

2. List one major difference between manuscripts and inscriptions.
Answer:

3. Return to Rasheeda’s question. Can you think of some answers to it?
Answer: One can know what had happened so many years ago through these ways:

4. Make a list of as. the objects that archaeologists may find. Which of these could be made of stone?
Answer: The answer can be summarized through this flow diagram:

The ones that could be made of stone are

• Surface used for writing inscriptions
• Remains of buildings
• Objects like tools, weapons, etc.

5. Why do you think ordinary men and women did not generally keep records of what they did?
Answer:
We think ordinary men and women did not generally keep records of what they did due to the following reasons:

1. They did not know the art of writing in the beginning.
2. Even some of them were not literate even after the knowledge of the script.
3. They were not having an interest in such works.
4. They did not know the importance of keeping records of the events. The lack of historical sense was mainly responsible for it.

6. Describe at least two ways in which you think the lives of kings would have been different from those of farmers.
Answer:

1. The kings used to live in palaces or big houses. The farmers used to live in huts or in very small houses.
2. The kings were dependent for their food on farmers. Farmers used to produce food for themselves and other people also.
3. The kings wore showy and costly clothes and ornaments. Farmers wore simple and very cheap clothes. (Any two)

7. Find the word ‘crafts persons’ on-page of the textbook. In the list at least five different crafts that you know about today. Are the craftspersons—(a) men (b) women (c) both men and women
Answer: The various crafts that dominate the present life are listed here:

These craftspersons are both men and women.

8. What were the subjects on which books were written in the past? Which of these would you like to read?
Answers:
Before paper was discovered scholars wrote on:

1. dried leaves,
2. on the bark of birch trees and
3. sometimes on copper (or metal) plates and stones.

We would like to read Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Panchtantra.

I. Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:
(i) People who gathered their food are called……………….
(a) hunters
(b) skilled gatherers
(c) farmers
(d) merchants.

(ii) The places where rice was first grown are located in ………………
(a) north of the Vindhyas
(b) Sulaiman hills
(c) on the banks of the Ganga
(d) the Gaxo hills.

(iii) …… was not used in the old books.
(a) Prakrit
(b) Hindi
(c) Sanskrit
(d) Tamil

(iv) The kingdom of Magadha was located ……………
(a) on the banks of the Indus
(b) in the south of the Vindhyas
(c) in the area along Ganga’s tributaries in the south of Ganga.
(d) in the Garo hills region.

Answers:
(i)—(b), (ii)—(a), (iii)—(b), (iv)—(c).

II. Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence:

1. Men and women moved in search of……………… and to escape from …………..
2. The name India was given by the Iranians and the ………………
3. The bark of the birch tree was used to prepare………………
4. Inscriptions were written on hard surfaces like………………
5. Travelling from one place to another led to ……………..

Answers:

1. livelihood, natural disasters
2. Greeks
3. manuscripts
4. (stone/metal
5. sharing of ideas.

III. True/False

State whether these sentences are true (Tj or false (F).

1. The first crops were grown almost 8000 years ago.
2. The Garo hills are located in the south of India.
3. The Magadha Kingdom was set up near the Ganga river.
4. The Rigveda is the earliest composition in the Sanskrit language.
5. The Iranians and the Greeks called India Bharat.
6. Inscriptions were written on the palm leaf.
7. The years are counted with reference to the birth of Christ.
8. Ordinary people used Prakrit to talk to each other.

Answers:

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False
6. False
7. True
8. True

IV. Matching Skill
Match the items in column A correctly with those given in column B.

NCERT Solutions For Class 6 History Chapter 1 Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. What do you know about the location of the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills?
Or
Where are the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills located?
Answer: The Sulaiman and Kirthar hills are located In the modem day Pakistan.

2. Name any two animals which the people of the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills reared.
Answer: Sheep and goat.

3. Where are the Garo hills located?
Answer: The Garo hills are in the north-east of India.

4. What are tributaries? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Tributaries are smaller rivers that flow into a bigger river.

5. Name the tributary of the river Ganga.
Answer: Son.

6. Where was Magadha located?
Answer: Magadha was located in the south of the Ganga.

7. Why was Magadha famous? [V. Imp.]
Answer:  Magadha was famous because its mlers were very powerful who established a big kingdom.

8. What was the job of religious teachers?     [V. Imp.]
Answer: Religious teachers moved from one place to another to offer instruction and advice to the people who met on the way.

9. From where does the word India come?
Answer: The word India comes from the Indus, known as Sindhu in Sanskrit.

10. What is meant by the manuscript?
Answer: Manuscript is a hand-written matter.

11. What was used in ancient times to write manuscripts?
Answer: Palm leaf or the bark of the birch tree was used in ancient times to write manuscripts.

12. What are inscriptions?
Answer: Inscriptions are writings on relatively hard surfaces like stone or metal.

13. Why do archaeologists look for bones of animals, birds, and fish?
Answer: They do so in order to find out what people ate in the past.

14. What are the occupations of the people of the Andaman Islands?
Answer: The people of the Andaman Islands are engaged in fishing, hunting, and collecting forest produce.

What Where How and When Class 6 History Chapter 1 Short Answer Type Questions

1. What do you know about the earliest people who lived along the banks of river Narmada for several hundred thousand years?
Answer: Those people were skilled gatherers. They gathered their food. They also collected roots, fruits and other forest produce for their food. They also hunted animals for this purpose.

2. People in the earliest times used to travel from one place to another. But their journeys were full of dangers. What type of dangers did they face?
Answer: It is true that people in the earliest times used to travel from this place to that. But their journeys were dangerous. The hills, and high mountains including the Himalayas, deserts, rivers and seas created dangers for them. But they never got afraid of them. Instead they overcame them and continued to travel.

3. Who are archaeologist? What do they do? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Archaeologists are persons who study the objects of the past. They study the remains of the buildings made of stone and brick, paintings and sculpture. They also explore and dig the earth in order to find out tools, weapons, pots, pans, ornaments and coins.

4. How are city people different from the people living in the Andaman Islands?
Answer: People living in the Andaman Islands manage their own food by fishing, hunting and collecting forest produce. On the other hand city, people depend on others for supplies of food.

5. How can you say that historians and archaeologists are like detectives? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Historians often use the word source to refer to the information found from manuscripts, inscriptions and archaeology. Once sources are found, learning about the past becomes an adventure, as we reconstruct it bit by bit. So, historians and archaeologists are like detectives who use all these sources like clues to discover the past.

NCERT History Class 6 Chapter 1 Long Answer Type Questions

1. How was traveling an important part of the life of the people in the past? [V. Imp.]
Answer:
People in the past were very fond of travelling from one place to another. Although the hills and high mountains like the Himalayas, deserts, rivers, and seas posed great problems, people kept on travelling. They moved in search of livelihood. They had also in their mind to escape from natural disasters such as floods and droughts. Sometimes, men marched in armies and conquered others’ lands.

Merchants travelled with caravans or ships. They carried valuable goods from place to place. There were religious teachers who used to walk from village to village, town to town. They offered instruction and advice to the people who met them on the way. There were also people who travelled because they were adventurous by nature. They enjoyed discovering new and exciting places.

2. What are the different ways to find out about the past? Describe briefly. [Imp.]
Answer:
The different ways to find out about the past are the following:
(i) Manuscripts. These were the hand-written matters. They were usually written on palm leaf or the bark of the birch tree. While many of these manuscripts got destroyed, many have survived in temples and monasteries. These books dealt with all kinds of subjects such as religious beliefs and practices, the lives of kings, medicines, and science. These manuscripts also included epics, poems, plays.

(ii) Inscriptions are writings on relatively hard surfaces such as stone or metal. Sometimes, kings got their orders inscribed in order to make common people aware of them. Some inscriptions kept records of victories in battle.

(iii) Archaeological excavations or evidence. Archaeology means the study of cultures of the past and of periods of history by examining the remains of buildings and objects found in the earth. Archaeologists explore and dig earth to find tools, weapons, pots, pans, ornaments, and coins. These things provide us valuable information about the past.

NCERT Solutions

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science Civics Chapter 1 Understanding Diversity

1. Draw up a list of the different festivals celebrated in your locality. Which of these celebrations are shared by members of different regional and religious communities?
Ans: Festivals shared by different regional and religious communities are:

• Independence Day
• Republic Day
• Gandhi Jayanti

These are our national festivals, so every Indian celebrates them irrespective of region and religion.

2.What do you think living in India with its rich heritage of diversity adds to your life?
Ans: Yes, living in India with its rich heritage of diversity adds to our life in the following ways:

• We know different people, their culture, customs, traditions, backgrounds. These diverse things add to our life.
• Geographical diversities decide our way of life, our food, our occupations and many other things.
• We relish our customs and traditions.

3. Do you think the term “unity in diversity” is an appropriate term to describe India? What do you think Nehru is trying to say about Indian unity in the sentence quoted above from his book “The Discovery of India”?
Ans:
Yes, we think that the term ‘unity in diversity’ is an appropriate term to describe India.
Diversities:

1. Geographical diversities like different physical features, climates, vegetations, rivers and lakes.
2. Cultural diversities like different languages, religions, communities, customs, traditions, festivals, rituals, etc.
   Despite all these diversities there is unity among the people.
   • They are one.
   • They stood against the British and threw the mighty empire by adopting Ahimsa and peaceful means.
   • All the people belonging to various regions are one when the country’s interests are involved.
   • In natural disasters they whole-heartedly contribute for mitigating the sufferings of the people.

4. Underline the line in the poem sung after the Jallianwalla massacre, which according to you, reflects India’s essential unity.
Ans: Don’t forget the days of blood, O friend
In the midst of your happiness remember to shed a tear for us
The hunter has tom away every single flower
Do plant a flower in the desert garden dear friend
Having fallen to bullets we slept in Jallianwalla Bagh
Do light a lamp on this lonely grave O friend
The blood of Hindus and Muslims flows together today
Do soak your robe in this river of blood dear friend
Some rot in jails while others lie in their graves
Do shed a few tears for them O friend.
The underlined line reflects India’s unity.
When it came to struggling for freedom of the country, the Hindus and Muslims came together to fight and ‘their blood flows together’.

5. Choose another region in India and do a similar study of the historical and geographical factors that influences the diversity found there. Are these historical and geographical factors connected to each other? How?
Ans: Do yourself.

I. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:

(i) Samir Do thought Samir Ek did not know……………
(a) English
(b) Hindi
(c) Punjabi
(d) Urdu

(ii) Samir Do’s family lived in…………
(a) Delhi
(b) Meerut
(c) Bihar
(d)  Jaipur.

(iii) Which of these not an example of inequality?
(a) casting the vote for electing a government
(b) belonging to a different religion
(c) speaking one language and not another
(d) earning money.

(iv) Which of these is not a reason for diversify?
(a) history of a region
(b) habitat of a person

(v) Ladakh is a desert in the state of…………….
(a) Kerala
(b) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Jammu and Kashmir
(d) Rajasthan.

Answer:
(i) – (b), (ii) – (b), (iii) – (a), (iv) – (d), (v) – (c).

II.FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

1. A caste system is a form of……………
2. Inequality comes when a person does not have access to…………. and…………..
3. A country’s customs, religions, arts, and history constitute its ……………..
4. People travelled in search of…………..
5. When people travel to other places, ……….. of cultures takes place.
6. Habitat is associated with the ………. one lives in.
7. Both Kerala and Ladakh were influenced by……… and………..
8. A British general opened fire on a public meeting in………… on April 13, 1919.
9. The Discovery of India’ is a book by………..

Answer:

1. inequality
2. resources, opportunities
3. culture
4. new lands and people
5. intermixing
6. geographical area
7. Chinese, Arab
8. Jallianwalla Bagh
9. Jawahar Lai Nehru.

III.TRUE/FALSE

State whether each of these sentences is true (T) or false (F).

1. All Indians share the national anthem.
2. All Indians have the same national language.
3. All Indians speak the same language.
4. Pt. Nehru was the first President of India.
5. The caste system is an example of diversity.
6. Kerala and Ladakh are in different parts of India.
7. The geography of Ladakh allows the cultivation of spices.

Answer:

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. False
6. True
7. False

IV.MATCHING SKILL

Ans. (i)(d)     (ii)(e)   (iii)(c)   (iv)(b)     (v)(a)

I.VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1.Give an example of diversity in India.
Ans: The people of India, living in different parts, speak different languages.

2. Give an example of unity in diversity among Indians.
Ans: All Indians share the same national pride of having India as their motherland.

3. Why did Samir Do, the paper boy, think the author did not know Hindi?
Ans: Samir Do, the paper boy, thought the author looked like a foreigner, so he could not know Hindi.

4. Why was Samir Do tense?
Ans: Samir Do was tense because riots had broken out in Meerut, where his family lived.

 5. Give one example to show why diversity is important in our lives.
Ans: If all had similar lives in aspects of region, religion, opportunities, etc., then writers would lack innovation.

 6. Give one way in which Kerala and Ladakh are different.
Ans: Kerala is famous for the cultivation of spices. Ladakh is famous for growing wool.

 7. What is Ladakh known as?
Ans: Ladakh is known as Little Tibet.

 8. Mention the different religions that are practised in Kerala.
Ans: The people of Kerala practice many different religions, such as Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

9. How can you say that the history of Kerala and Ladakh has been similar cultural influences?
Ans: Both regions were influenced by Chinese and Arab traders.

10. How was the Indian flag used during the freedom struggle?
Ans: During the freedom struggle the Indian flag was used as a symbol of protest against the British by people everywhere.

II. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. ‘India is a country of many diversities’. Explain giving examples. [V. Imp.]
Ans: Ope of the special features of India is that it is a country of many diversities. For example.

• We speak different languages, such as Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, etc.
• We eat different kinds of food, such as chawal, dal, Razma, idli, dosa, Roti, etc.
• We celebrate different festivals, such as Holi, Diwali, Id, Guru Parv, Christmas, Baishakhi, etc.
• We practise different religions, such as Hinduism, Islam, Shikhism, Christianity, etc.
• We wear different types of clothes, such as saree-blouse, Kurta-pyjama, shirt- pant, etc.

2. India’s diversity has always been recognised as a source of its strength Explain.
Ans: It is a fact that India’s diversity has always been recognised as a source of its strength. It became clear when the country was struggling against British rule. People from different cultural, religious, and regional backgrounds came forward together to oppose the British government in India. They worked together to decide joint actions, they went to jail together and they found different ways to oppose the British.

The British thought that they could divide Indians because they were so different and then continue to rule them. But it was their illusion. Although Indians were so different, they were united from within at the question of the British government in India. They were ‘one’ in their battle against the British. They cherished the same goal to banish the British from India as soon as possible.

3. How are history and geography tied in the cultural life of a region? Explain giving examples of Kerala and Ladakh. [V. Imp.]
Ans: Kerala and Ladakh are quite different in terms of their geographical features. It was the geography of Kerala which made the possibility of spice cultivation there. So far Ladakh in concerned, its special geographical location flourished the business of wool collection among the Ladakhi people. The people of Ladakh carefully collect the wool of the sheep and sell it to the traders from Kashmir. The history of both regions has been affected by similar cultural influences. Both regions were influenced by Chinese and Arab traders. Thus, we can say the history and geography are often tied in the cultural life of a region.

4. What does diversity add to our lives? [Imp.]
Ans: Diversity is dissimilarity in the way of our life. It is observed in religious functions, in festivals, in language, etc. One thing that is unique about diversity is that it teaches us to live and adjust ourselves in broad society. Our Constitution believes in respect to all human beings in a similar way. Diversity makes us tolerant and just. We know how to behave with other people belonging to different caste, creed, or culture.

III.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. How do we explain diversity?                       [V. Imp.]
Ans:  Diversity is the term that applies to dissimilarities. It may be in language, food, culture, living, religion, etc. India is a unique country where one can observe it extensively. There are a number of festivals, languages, dresses, religions, etc. in India. Still, the people of India are Indians and they salute the one flag and sing one national anthem. It is unity in diversity. Diversity occurs when we travel to different parts of the world.

Since time immemorial people have been visiting different lands in order to learn something and for trade. They adopted different styles, languages, and cultures from all those places. Diversity also occurs due to geographical variations and natural calamities. For example, Kashmir is a cold place and the temperature goes even below 0°C. Naturally, Kashmiri people wear woolen clothes, eat and drink hot food. On the other hand, people in desert areas use different clothes because it is veiy hot there.

 2. List three ways in which the different geographical location of Kerala and Ladakh
would influence the following:

• The food people eat
• The clothes they wear
• The work they do.

Ans:

The food people eat. Ladakh is a desert in the mountains in the eastern part of the Jammu & Kashmir. Veiy little agriculture is possible here. It is therefore people here keep sheep, goats, cows and dzos for their living. They eat meat and milk products like cheese and butter. Kerala is a coastal region. The fertile land and climate are suited to growing rice and a majority of people here eat rice, fish and vegetables.

The clothes they wear. Ladakhi people wear woollen clothes including pashmina shawls because it is very cold there. The people of Kerala wear cotton clothes.

The work they do. The people of Ladakh rear sheep for its wool. They carefully collect the wool of the sheep and sell this to traders from Kashmir. The main occupations of the people of Kerala are fishing and farming. People grow rice in huge quantities. They also grow a number of spices like pepper, cloves and cardamoms. It is spices that made this region an attractive place for traders.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science History Chapter 11 New Empires and Kingdoms

Question 1.
State whether true or false:

1. Harishena composed a prashasti, in praise of Gautamiputra Shri Satakarni.
2. The rulers of Aryavarta brought tribute for Samudragupta.
3. There were twelve rulers in Dakshinapatha.
4. Taxila and Madurai were important centres under the control of the Gupta rulers.
5. Aihole was the capital of the Pallavas.
6. Local assemblies functioned for several centuries in south India.

Answer:

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False
5. False
6. True.

Question 2.
Mention three authors who wrote about Harshavardhana.
Answer:
The following three authors wrote about Harshavardhana:

1. Banabhatta
2. Xuan Zang (Hien T-Sanga)
3. Ravikirti ‘
4. It is claimed by some historians that Harshavardhana, himself also wrote some books about himself and the people of his kingdom. (Any three)

Question 3.
What changes do you find in the army at this time?
Answer:
We find the following changes in the army at this time:

1. A permanent army was kept by the king or the ruler. This was well organized.
2. Soldiers used different kinds of weapons such as battle-axes, arrows, spikes, spears, barbed dats, swords, iron clubs, javelins, barbed arrows, long arrows, etc.
3. Elephants, Chariots, Cavalry were used along with foot soldiers in the royal ground.
4. Besides, there were military leaders who provided the king with troops whenever he (the king) needed them. They were not paid regular salaries. Instead, some of them received grants of land. They collected revenue from the land and used this to maintain soldiers and horses, and provide equipment for warfare. These men were known as Samantas. Whenever the ruler was weak Samantas tried to become independent.

Question 4.
What were the new7 administrative arrangements during this period?
Answer:
The following new administrative arrangements were noticed during this period:

1. Kings adopted a number of steps to win the support of men who were powerful, either economically, or socially, or because of political and military strength.
2. Some important administrative posts were now hereditary. This means that sons succeeded fathers to these posts. For example, the poet Harishena was a maha- danda-nayaka, or chief judicial officer, like his father.
3. Sometimes, one person held many offices. For example, besides being a Maha- danda-nayak Harishena was a Kumar-amatya, meaning an important minister, and a Sandhi-Vigrahika meaning a minister of war and peace.
4. Besides, important men probably had a say in local administration. These included the nagara-shreshthi or chief banker or merchant of the city, the Sarthavaha or leader of the merchant caravans, the Prathama-Kulika or the chief craftsman, and the head of the Kayasthas or scribes.

Question 5.
What do you think Arvind would have to do if he was (were) acting as Samudragupta?
Answer:
Arvind would have to do the following things if he was (were) acting as Samudragupta:

1. He had to march solemnly in splendid robes, to twirl his moustaches and wield the silver-paper wrapped sword with gusto.
2. He had to sit on the throne and play the veena and recite poetry.
3. He had to fight several battles.
4. He had to keep and help Harishena, a poet of Sanskrit in his court.

Question 6.
Do you think ordinary people would have read and understood the prashastis? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
I think ordinary people would have not read and understood the prashastis because they were illiterate and did not know Sanskrit in which the prashastis were written.

Question 7.
If you had to make a genealogy for yourself, who are the people you would include in it? How many generations would you like to show? Make a chart and fill it.
Answer:
If I had to make a genealogy for myself, I would like to include the following persons in it:

1. Name of my great grandfather.
2. Name of my grandfather.
3. Name of my father and mother.
4. The name/names of son or sons.
5. The name/names of my grandchildren.

I would like to show the following five generations:

1. Great Grandfather
2. Grandfather
3. Parents
4. My own name
5. Names of my son and grandson.

Question 8.
How do you think wars affect the lives of ordinary people today?
Answer:
Today wars affect the lives of ordinary people today in the following ways:

1. They are killed in a large number.
2. Their property-houses, shops, etc. are destroyed.
3. Wars create violence and disturbances in society.
4. Development projects and welfare works undertaken by the government for the welfare and benefit of the people are disturbed and postponed.
5. Wars waste economic and other resources. The government generally imposed more taxes on the people.

I. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:

(i) The first ruler of the Gupta dynasty who adopted the grand title of maharaj- adhiraja was
(a) Samudragupta
(b) Chandragupta
(c) Skandhagupta
(d) Both (a) and (c).

(ii) We learn about Gupta rulers from the
(a) Inscriptions
(b) Prashastis
(c) Coins
(d) Both (a) and (c).

(iii) Harsha’s brother-in-law was the ruler of
(a) Kanauj
(b) Patliputra
(c) Ujjain
(d) Prayaga.

(iv) Pulakeshin II was a ruler of
(a) Chalukya dynasty
(b) Pallava dynasty
(c) Gupta dynasty
(d) Chola dynasty,

(v) We come to know about Harshavardhana from
(a) The biography was written by Banabhatta
(b) The account of Xuan Zang
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) Neither (a) nor (d).

Ans.
(i) – (b), (ii) – (d), (iii) – (a), (iv) – (a), (v) – (c).

II.FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

1. Kumara Devi, the mother of Samudragupta belonged to the ……………………  gana.
2. ……………., a Chinese pilgrim, spent a lot of time at Harsha’s court and left a detailed account of what he saw.
3. Harshavardhana’s success was checked by ………………., a chalukya ruler.
4. The two important ruling dynasties in south India during this period were the ……….  and the ………..
5. The Raichur Doab was situated between the rivers ………………….  and ………….
6. The ………  and ……….. were the new dynasties which took place of the Pallavas and the Chalukyas.
7. Whenever the Samantas found the ruler weak and inefficient, they tried to become
8. The untouchables during this period were treated badly and were expected to live on the of the city.

Answer:

1. Lichchhavi
2. Xuan Zang
3. Pulakeshin II
4. Pallavas, Chalukyas
5. Krishna, Tungabhadra
6. Rashtrakuta, Chola
7. independent
8. outskirts

III.TRUE/FALSE

State whether these sentences are true (C) or false (F).

1. The military leaders collected revenue from the land granted to them and spent this on their families.
2. The rulers of dakshinapatha surrendered to Samudragupta after being defeated and were never allowed to rule again.
3. The descendants of the Kushanas and Shakas ruled the outlying areas during this period.
4. Harshavaradhana became the king of Thanesar after both his father and elder brother died.
5. Harshavardhana never got success in the east.
6. Aihole was an important centre of trade.
7. The capital cities of the Pallavas and Chalukyas were not very prosperous.
8. The prathama-kulika meant the chief craftsman.

Answer:

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. False.

IV.MATCHING SKILL

Match the items in column A correctly with those given in column B.

Column A                                                         Column B

(i) Kalidasa                                           (a) The court poet of Pulakeshin II

(ii) Aryabhatta                                        (b) The court poet of Samudragupta

(iii) Ravikirti                                          (c) A renowned poet during this period

(iv) Harishena                                        (d) The court poet of Harshavardhana

(v) Banabhatta                                        (e) An astronomer

Ans. (i)—(c), (ii)—(e), (iii)—(a), (iv)—(b), (v)—(d).

V.VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Who was Samudragupta? [Imp.]

Ans: He was a famous ruler of the Gupta dynasty.

2. How do we know about him?

Ans: We know about him from a long inscription, which is a poem in Sanskrit composed by his court poet, Harishena.

3. Where is this poem inscribed?

Ans: This poem is inscribed on the Ashokan pillar at Allahabad.

4. What was prashastis?                                                                 [V. Imp.]

Ans: Prashastis were poems composed by the court poets in praise of their rulers.

5. During which dynasty did prashastis gain importance?

Ans: Prashastis gained importance during the Gupta dynasty.

6. What does Samudragupta’s prashasti tell us?

Ans: Samudragupta’s prashasti tells us that he was a great warrior who woned several battles.

7. Name the four different kinds of rulers described by Samudragupta’s court poet, Harishena.       [V. Imp.]

Ans:

• The rulers of Aryavarta
• The ruler of Dakshinapatha
• The inner circle of neighbouring states
• The rulers of the outlying areas.

8. Banabhatta wrote Harshavardhana’s biography. What is the name of this book? [V. Imp.]

Ans: The biography written by Banabatta is called the Harshacharita.

9. In which language is Harshacharita written?

Ans: Harshacharita is written in Sanskrit.

10. When did Harshavardhana become the ruler of Kanauj?

Ans: Harshavardhana became the ruler of Kanauj after his brother-in-law was killed by the ruler of Bengal.

11. What happened when Harshavardhana tried to cross the Narmada?

Ans: He was stopped by Pulakeshin II, the best known Chalukya ruler

12. Name the capital of the Pallavas.

Ans: Kanchipuram.

13. Name the capital of the Chalukyas.

Ans: Aihole.

14. From whom did Pulakeshin get the kingdom?

Ans: He got the kingdom from his uncle.

15. Harishena held more than one office? Name them.

Ans: Harishena held more than one office. Besides being a maha-danda-nayaka, he was a Kumar-amatya and a sandhi-vigrahika.

16. What was the nagaram?

Ans: It was an organisation of merchants.

17. Who controlled the local assemblies?

Ans: Wealthy and powerful landowners and merchants controlled the local assemblies

18.How do we know about the lives of ordinary people during this period?

Ans: We come to know about the lives of ordinary people from plays like Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shakuntalam and accounts left by Chinese pilgrims like Fa Xian.

VI. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. How does Samudragupta’s prashasti describe him? [V. Imp.]

Ans: In Samudragupta’s prashasti the poet-praised him in glowing terms. According to this prashasti, Samudragupta was a great warrior who won victories in battles. He was a learned king and the best of poets. He was equal to the gods. He was a brave ruler of the Gupta dynasty whose area of influence spread far and wide.

2. Describe Samudragupta as a warrior as mentioned in the prashasti?

Ans: Samudragupta was a great ruler of the Gupta dynasty. He was a brave warrior too who won victories in battles. His body was most charming and covered with the plenteous beauty of the marks of hundreds of scars caused by battle-axes, arrows, spikes, spears, barbed darts, swords, iron clubs, javelins, barbed arrows, long arrows and many other weapons.

3. What was the difference between the way in which Samudragupta treated the rulers of Aryavarta and Dakshinapatha?

Ans: Samudragupta’s policies towards the rulers of Aryavarta were very strict. All the nine rulers were brutally defeated and their kingdoms were made a part of Samudragupta’s empire. But so far the rulers of Dakshinapatha were concerned, Samudragupta maintained a submissive altitude towards them. There were twelve rulers who surrendered to Samudragupta after being defeated and he then allowed all of them to rule again.

4. What do you know about Harshavardhana? Describe the main events of his career.[V. Imp.]

Ans: 

• Harshavardhana ruled nearly 1400 years ago.
• We come to know about him from his biography, written by his court poet Banabhatta. This biography is known as Harshacharita which is in Sanskrit.
• Another source to know about him is Xuan Zang’s account which he left behind him.
• Harshavardhana became the ruler of Thanesar after both his father arid elder brother died.
• He took over the kingdom of Kanauj after his brother-in-law was killed by the ruler of Bengal.
• Harsha led an army against the ruler of Bengal.
• He got success in the east and conquered both Magadha and Bengal. But he had to face defeat when he tried to cross the Narmada.

5. What do you know about the genealogies of the Guptas? Mention in brief.

Ans: We come to know about the genealogy of the Guptas from the prashastis, which mention Samudragupta’s great grandfather, grandfather, father and mother. His mother, Kumara Devi belonged to the Lichchhavi gana, while his father, Chandragupta was the first Gupta ruler who adopted the grand title of maharqj- adhiraja. Samudragupta too used that title. His great grandfather and grandfather are mentioned simply as maharajas. Samudragupta also added the name of his son Chandragupta II in the genealogy. Chandragupta II led an expedition to western India where he defeated the last of the Shakas.

6. Pulakeshin II was the best-known ChaLukya ruler. Explain in brief. [V. Imp.]

Ans: We come to know about Pulakeshin II from a prashasti, composed by his court poet Ravikirti. According to this prashasti Pulakeshin got the kingdom from his uncle. He led expeditions along both the west and the east coasts. Besides, he checked the advance of Harshvardhana when he tried to cross the Narmada to march into the Deccan. The prashasti also tells us that Pulakeshin also attacked the Pallava king, who took shelter behind the walls of Kanchipuram.

7. What was the condition of ordinary people in the kingdoms? Describe in brief.

Ans:  The condition of ordinary people has been highlighted in the plays and accounts left by foreign travellers especially the Chinese pilgrims such as Fa Xian.

• Kalidasa’s plays throw light on life in the king’s court. In his plays, the king and most brahmins are shown speaking Sanskrit while women and men others, then the king and brahmins use Prakrit.

• The accounts of Fa Xian throw light on the plight of the untouchables. These untouchables were treated badly by the powerful and influential people of the kingdom. They were strictly instructed to live on the outskirts of the city.

 8. The king’s army on the move has been vividly described by Banabhatta. Write the whole description in your own words. [V. Imp.]

Ans:  The king used to travel with a lot of things which included weapons and things of daily use such as pots, pans, furniture, golden footstools, food, etc.

• He was also accompanied by animals such as goat, deer, rabbits, etc. These were carts also carrying vegetables and spices.
• The king’s huge army was accompanied by a band of musicians.
• Villagers brought gifts of curds, gur, and flowers as for the king. They also provided a folder for the animals.

• After the army passed, the whole environment was seen filled with dust. Elephants often trampled down the huts of villagers.

VII.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 1.Describe Samudragupta’s policies towards the

• rulers of Aryavarta
• rulers of Dakshinapatha
• inner circle of neighbouring states, and
• rulers of the outlying areas. [V. Imp.]

Ans: Samudragupta was a great warrior of the Gupta dynasty. He won several battles.

In a prashasti Harishena describes four different kinds of rulers and tells us about Samudragupta’s policies towards them.

• The rulers of Aryavarta. There were altogether nine rulers of Aryavarta. All of them were uprooted and their kingdoms were made a part of Samudragupta’s empire.
• The ruler of Dakshinapatha. There were twelve rulers of Dakshinapatha. All of them were defeated by Samudragupta. These defeated rulers surrendered to Samudragupta. But Samudragupta showed leniency. He allowed them to rule again.
• The inner circle of neighbouring states. The rulers of these states including Assam, Coastal Bengal, Nepal and a number of gana Sanghain the north­west brought tribute to Samudragupta. They also followed his orders and attended his court.
• The rulers of outlying areas. They were perhaps the descendants of the Kushanas and Shakas and the ruler of Sri Lanka. They submitted to Samudragupta and offered daughters in marriage.

2. Who were the Pallavas and Chalukyas? Describe them in detail. [V. Imp.]

Ans: In South India, during this period there were two famous ruling dynasties knows as the Pallavas and Chalukyas.

• The Pallavas. The kingdom of the Pallavas spread from the region around their capital, Kanchipuram to the Kaveri delta.
• The Chalukyas. The kingdom of the Chalukyas was centred around the Raichur Doab, between the rivers. Krishna and Tungabhadra. Their capital was at Aihole. It was an important trading centre. Besides, it was a religious centre too. There were a number of temples there.

The Chalukyas and Pallavas were very much competitive. They were great rivals. They frequently said one another lands. Their main target was the capital cities because they were rich towns.

The name and fame of the Chalukyas and Pallavas did not last long. They lost their influence and finally, they were replaced by the Rashtrakuta and Chola dynasties.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science History Chapter 10 Traders, Kings and Pilgrims

Question 1.
Match the following:

Muvendar	Mahayana Buddhism
Lords of the Dakshinapatha	Buddhacharita
Ashvaghosha	Satavahana rulers
Bodhisattvas	Chinese pilgrim
Xuan Zang	Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas

Answer:

Muvendar	Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas
Lords of the Dakshinapatha	Satavahana rulers
Ashvaghosha	Buddhacharita
Bodhisattvas	Mahayana Buddhism
Xuan Zang	Chinese pilgrim

 Question 2.
Why did kings want to control the Silk Route?
Answer:
Kings wanted to control the Silk Route because they could benefit from taxes, tributes and gifts that were brought by traders and the pdople along the route.

Question 3.
What kinds of evidence do historians use to find out about trade and trade routes?
Answer:
The historians use the following evidences to find out about trade and trade routes:
1. Archaeologists have collected information about the Northern Black Polished Ware. They have provided information about bowls and plates which were found from several sites throughout the subcontinent. They guess that traders might have been carried from the place where they were made, to other places.

2. Historians find evidence of trade in Sangam poems (or literary works). Here is one example which describes the goods brought into Puhar an important port on the east coast:

• Swift prancing horses by sea in ships
• bales of black pepper in carts
• gems and gold born in the Himalayas
• sandalwood born in the western hills
• the pearls of the southern seas
• corals from the eastern occeans
• the yield of the Ganga and the crops from the Kaveri
• foodstuffs from Sri Lanka
• pottery from Myanmar and other rare and rich imports.

3. Using different historical sources the historians tell us that south India was famous for gold, spices, especially pepper, and precious stones. Pepper was particularly valued in the Roman empire, so much so that it was known as black gold. So, Indian traders carried many of these goods in ships, across the sea, and in caravans, to Rome. Many Roman gold coins have been found in south India. These coins are considered great proofs of trade relations between ancient India and Roman empire.

4. Traders explored several sea routes along the coasts. Other routes passed across the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, where sailors took advantage of the monsoon winds to cross the seas more quickly. So, if they desired to reach the western coast of the subcontinent from East Africa or Arabia, they chose to sail with the south west monsoon.

Question 4.
What were the main features of Bhakti?
Answer:

1. Bhakti is generally understood as a person’s devotion to his or her chosen deity.
2. The idea of Bhakti is present in the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred book of the Hindus.
3. In the Bhagavad Gita (which is included in the Mahabharata), Krishna the God, asks Arjuna, his devotee and friend, to abandon all dharmas and take refuge in him, as only he can set Arjuna free from every evil.
4. Those who followed the system of Bhakti emphasized devotion and individual worship of a single god or goddess, rather than the performance of elaborate sacrifices.
5. Deities who were worshipped through Bhakti included Shiva, Vishnu and goddesses such as Durga. This form of worship became an important feature of Hinduism.

Question 5.
Discuss the reasons why the Chinese pilgrims came to India?
Answer:
The Chinese pilgrims (Fa-Xian, Xuan Zang and I-Qing) came to India to visit places associated with the life and teachings of the Buddha as well as famous monasteries. They had in Buddhist religious books also. They carried some books back with them.

Question 6.
Why do you think ordinary people were attracted to Bhakti?
Answer:

1. I think that ordinary people were attracted to Bhakti because Bhakt-saint used the language of people, which they could understand easily.
2. The saints emphasized the worship of certain deities, which became a central feature of later Hinduism, gained in importance.
3. These deities included Shiva, Vishnu and goddesses such as Durga. Bhakti is generally understood as a person’s devotion to his or her chosen deity.
4. Anybody, whether rich or poor, belonging to the so called ‘high’ or ‘low’ castes, man or woman, could follow the path of Bhakti.
5. They stressed on simple ways for Moksha or salvation, the last aim of life.

Question 7.
List five things that you buy from the market. Which of these are made in the city/village in which you live and which are brought by traders from other areas?
Answer:
List of things that we buy from the market:
(a) Things made in our city

1. The pots and pans of shiny steel.
2. Bright plastic baskets.
3. Cloth printed with brilliant floral designs.
4. Clockwork or electronic toys.
5. Radio and Television sets.

(b) Things made in our village

1. Clay pots made by our village potter.
2. Leather shoes and Chappals manufactured by our village shoemaker.
3. Wooden toys and articles manufactured by our village carpenter.
4. Iron and metal tools and articles made by our village blacksmith.
5. Ring and other ornaments made by our village goldsmith.

(c) Things brought by our traders

1. Swift prancing horses by sea in ships.
2. Bales of black pepper in carts.
3. Gems and gold from the southern India.
4. Sandalwood collected from the forests of Karnataka.
5. The pears of the southern seas.

Question 8.
There are several major pilgrimages performed by people in India today. Find out about anyone of them and write a short description.
[Hint: Who can go on the pilgrimage—men, women or children? How long does it take? How do people travel? What do they take with them? What do they do when they reach the holy place? Do they bring anything back with them?]
Answer:
Self Study or Self Exercise.
However some useful hints for students’ help are given below:,
India is a secular country. We find here the followers of almost all major religions of the world including Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Parsi etc.
Major Pilgrims performed by the people in India are:

1. Visit to shrine or Temple or Dargah on foot or by bus, or by train or by aeroplane and even using ponies or horses or walking on foot, for example visit to Kailash Mansarover, to Shiv Ling ahead from Pahalgaon (J.K.), to Vaishnodevi shrine, to Ajmer-Pushkar or Dargah of Chisti, etc.
2. To participate in Rathyatra (Puri in Orissa).
3. Visit to Tirupati or Minakshi temple or Char Dham.
4. Hajj (performed by Muslims only).
5. Visit to Golden Temple, Hazur Sahib or other historical Gurudawara Sahibs by Sikhs, Hindus and others.

I. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:

(i) Puhar was an important port on the
(a) West coast
(b) East coast
(c) Malabar coast
(d) None of the above.

(ii) The most fertile river valley was
(a) Kaveri
(b) the Yamuna
(c) Ganga
(d) None of the above.

(iii) The capital of the Pandyas was
(a) Madurai
(b) Mudumalai
(c) Patliputra
(d) Ujjain.

(iv) The Satavahanas became an Important dynasty In
(a) Northern India
(b) Eastern India
(c) Southern India
(d) Western India

(v) The rulers who ruled over central Asia and north-west India around 2000 years ago were
(a) Pandyas
(b) Cholas
(c) Kushanas
(d) Cheras.

Answer:
(a) – (b), (iii) – (a), (iii) – (a), (iv) – (d), (v) – (c).

II. FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

1. Gold, ………  and ……….. were in abundance in South India.
2. Gautamiputra Shri Satakami and other Satavahana rulers were known as lords of the …………
3. The famous Kushana ruler ………….. organized a Buddhist council.
4. The older form of Buddhism was known as ……………..
5. Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment was shown by sculptures of the ………………………tree.
6. Anyone could follow the path of………………
7. Xuan Zang, a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim took the………………… route to return to China.
8. …….. was the most famous Buddhist monastery.
9. The two major centres of power of the Kushanas were ………………..  and ………….
10. The images of deities were placed within special homes or places known as

Answer: 

1. spices, precious stones
2. dakshinapatha
3. Kanishka
4. Kanishka
5. peepal
6. Bhakti
7. land
8. Nalanda
9. Peshawar, Mathura
10. temples.

III. TRUE/FALSE

State whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F).

1. FaXran started his journey back home from Nalanda.
2. Pepper, a very important spice grown in South India was known as black gold in the Roman Empire.
3. Muvendar is a Bengali word meaning three chiefs.
4. Puhar or Kaveripaltinam was the port of the Pandyas.
5. The statues of Buddha were made in Mathura and Taxila.
6. Bodhisattvas were persons who had attained enlightenment.

Answer:

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
6. True.

IV.MATCHING SKILL

Match the items in column A correctly with those given in column B.Column B


Ans. (i)—(b), (ii)—(d), (iii)—(a), (iv)—(e), (v)—(c).

V.VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Where can evidence of trade be found?
Ans: Evidence of trade can be found in the Sangam poems.

2. What was South India famous for? [Imp.]
Ans: It was famous for items like gold and precious stones and spices like pepper. Q. 3. How can you say that Rome had a flourishing trade with south India?Ans. Many Roman gold coins have been found in south India.

4. Name the three ruling families of south India
Ans: The Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas.

5. How did the chiefs use the tribute that they collected from neighbouring areas?
Ans: They kept some of the wealth for their use and distributed the rest amongst their supporters.

6. Who were the supporters of the chiefs?
Ans: Their family members, soldiers and poets.

7. Name the items that the chiefs gave to the poets as a reward.
Ans: Precious stones, gold, horses, elephants, chariots and fine cloth.

8. Why do you think Gautamiputra Shri Satakami wanted to control the coasts?
Ans: He wanted to do this to become more efficient and powerful

9. What qualities of silk make it a highly valued fabric?
Ans: Silk has rich, glossy colour and smooth texture.

10. How is making silk a complicated process? [V. Imp.]
Ans: Raw silk is extracted from the cocoons of silkworms, spun into thread, and then woven into cloth.

11. Who were the earliest rulers of the subcontinent to issue gold coins?
Ans: The Kushanas were the earliest rulers to issue gold coins

12. Who was Kanishka? Mention one of his achievements.     [V. Imp.]
Ans: Kanishka was the famous ruler of the Kushana dynasty. He organized a Buddhist council where scholars used to discuss important issues,

13. Who were Bodhisattvas?
Ans: They were holy persons who had attained enlightenment.

14. Name the countries where the worship of Bodhisattvas became popular.
Ans: Central Asia, China, Korea and Japan

15. Name some Chinese Buddhist pilgrims.
Ans: Fa Xran, Xuan Zang and I-Qing.

16. Mention the important feature of later Hinduism. [V. Imp.]
Ans: The worship of deities like Shiva, Vishnu, and Goddess Durga became popular

17. What was given much importance under the system of Bhakti?                     [V. Imp.]
Ans: The devotion and individual worship of a god or goddess were given much importance under the system of Bhakti.

VI. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Who was Gautamiputra Shri Satakami? How do we come to know about him?[Imp.]
Ans: Gautamiputra Shri Satakami was the famous ruler of the Satavahana dynasty. We come to know about him from an inscription composed by his mother. According to this inscription he and other Satavahana rulers were known as lords of the dakshinapatha, which was used as a name for the entire southern region. He sent his army to the eastern, western, and southern coasts

2. How did the knowledge of silk spread far and wide?                                      [V. Imp.]
Ans: China was the first country where silk took its birth. Although the country kept the-methods of making silk a closely guarded secret for a long time, people of other regions ultimately came to know about them.

• Some people from China went to distant lands on foot, horseback, and camels and with them they carried silk.
• Sometimes, Chinese rulers sent gifts or silk to rulers in Iran and West Asia. From there the knowledge of silk spread further west.

3. Why was silk so expensive? [Imp.]
Ans: Silk had to be brought from China. It was a long journey and the traders had to cross dangerous roads through mountains and deserts. People living along the route often demanded payments from the traders for giving them permission to pass through.

4. Write a brief note on the Chinese Buddhist pilgrims.
Ans: Fa Xran, Xuan Zang and I-Qing were the famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who came to India to visit places associated with the life of the Buddha. They also visited famous monasteries. These pilgrims left an account of their journey. They mentioned the dangers that they had to face on their way to monasteries that they visited. They also mentioned the books that they carried with them. These pilgrims also carried with them the statues of the Buddha.

5. What was the Bhakti system of belief? [V. Imp.]
Ans:  According to the Bhakti system of belief, if a devotee worships the chosen deity with a pure heart, the deity will appear in the form in which he/she may desire. Therefore, the deity could be thought of as a human being, lion, tree or any other form. Once this idea gained acceptance, artists made beautiful images of these deities.

VII.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 1. What do you mean by Silk Route? What was its significance?                                [V. Imp.]
Ans: The route through which the traders carried silk with them is known as silk Route. Silk was first invented in China and the methods of its making were kept a high secret for several years. But the traders ultimately spread the knowledge of silk far and wide. Everyone got attracted to it because of its fine texture. Wearing silk became a fashion amongst rulers and rich people in Rome.

In India too, the rulers tried is control the Silk Route. This was because they could benefit from taxes, tributes and gifts that were brought by traders travelling along the route. The Kushanas were the best-known rulers who controlled the Silk Route. During their rule, a branch of the Silk Route extended from Central Asia down to the seaports at the mouth of the river Indus, from where silk was shipped westwards to the Roman Empire.

2. How did Buddhism grow during Kushana dynasty? [Imp.]
Ans: Kanishka was the most reputed Kushana ruler. During his region, Buddhism spread to a great extent. He organised a Buddhist council where scholars used to gather to discuss major issues. Ashvaghosha was a renowned poet in his court. He wrote the biography of the Buddha. Mahayana Buddhism emerged as a new form. This had two special features. Earlier, Buddha’s presence was shown in sculpture by using certain signs.

Now statues of Buddha were made. Mathura and Taxila became prominent places where several statues of Buddha were made. The second distinct feature was a belief in Bodhisattvas, who were sacred people and had attained enlightenment. The worship of Bodhisattvas gained popularity in Central, Asia, China, and later to Korea and Japan. Buddhism also spread to western and southern India. It also spread south-eastwards to Sri Lanka, Myanmar. Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia including Indonesia.

3. What was the Bhakti movement? Why did it become more popular? [V. Imp.]
Ans: Bhakti movement was a new way of worship. Bhakti means devotion to a particular deity. During the post-Vedic era some deities like Shiva, Vishnu, and Durga became popular among the devotees. This inclination towards deities came to be known as the Bhakti movement. It became popular because in this, there was no discrimination among the worshippers or devotees. There was no difference whether one was rich or poor, high or low, man or woman. Everyone was allowed to worship the deities of his/ her own choice. Bhakti movement discarded the performance of elaborated sacrifices.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science History Chapter 7 New Questions and Ideas

1. Describe the ways in which the Buddha tried to spread his message to the people.
Ans:

1. Buddha taught the people in Prakrit, which was the language of the ordinary people so that everybody could understand his message without any difficulty.
2. He also encouraged people to think for themselves rather to simply accept what he said.
3. Buddha, himself set an example to lead a simple life.
4. Gautam Buddha moved from place to place to give his message to all people- ordinary as well as people from other classes of society.

2. Write whether true or false:

1. The Buddha encouraged animal sacrifices.
2. Samath is important because it was the place where the Buddha taught for the first time.
3. The Buddha taught that ‘Karma’ has no effect on our lives.
4. The Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya.
5. Upanishadic thinkers believed that the ‘atman’ and ‘brahman’ were ultimately one.

Ans:

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True.

3. What were the questions that Upanishadic thinkers wanted to answer?
Ans: Upanishadic thinkers wanted to know about life after death. Some wanted to know why sacrifices should be performed. They felt there had to be something permanent in the universe that lasted even after death. Their ideas are recorded in the Upanishads.

4. What were the main teachings of the Mahavira?
Ans:
The main teachings of the Mahavira are:

1. He taught a simple doctrine, men and women who wished to know the truth must leave their homes.
2. They must follow rules of ahimsa, which means not hurting or killing living beings, very strictly. For example, they had to cover their mouth and nose with cloth. This was to ensure that they do not (kill by mistake) kill small insects by hot steam of breathing. “All beings” said Mahavira, “long to live. To all things life is dear”.
3. Lead a simple and pure life.
4. Do not steal and lead a simple life.
5. Mahavira was against caste system. He questioned the superiority of brahmins.
6. He laid stress on Triratna or three jewels of life-
   • Right Conduct
   • Right Belief and
   • Right Knowledge.

5. Why do you think Armgha’s mother wanted her to know the story of the Buddha?
Ans: Buddha was the founder of Buddhism and he was the Wise One. His stories could be inspirational and motivational to students. So Anagha‘s mother wanted her to know his story.

6. Do you think it would have been easy for slaves to join the ‘sangha’? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Yes, I think it would have been easy for slaves to join the sangha. Because Buddha favoured and stressed equality of human beings. Moreover, some slaves were very good at their work and performed many useful services for the people of sanghas.

7. Make a List of at least five ideas and questions mentioned in this lesson. Choose three from the List and discuss why you think they are important even today.
Ans: Ideas and questions mentioned in the lesson and their relevance today

• Life is full of suffering and unhappiness. It is due to our unfulfilled desires. This is true today since most people are not satisfied with what they have. They resort to unfair means out of greed and end up in suffering and trouble.
• Our actions (‘Karma’) affect us in our current life as well as next life.
• We should not hurt or kill any living being, according to Mahavira. This is important because every living being has a desire to live.
• Thinkers wanted to know about life after death and they wanted to know why sacrifices should be performed. Sacrifices are not justified since living being should be killed.
• Upanishadic thinkers also felt that something was permanent in the universe and it lasted even after death.

8. Find out more about men and women who renounce the world today. Where do they live, what kinds of clothes do they wear, what do they eat? Why do they renounce the world?
Ans: Religious saints, monks, nuns, philosophers, jain-munnies (rien as well as women), men and women who have joined the Buddha- Sangha renounce the world even today.

They live in ashrams, vihars, sanghas, dargahas or lonely places of meditation or worship. Some of them even live in remote forests or near some permanent rivers or on the peak of mountains. They meditate for the most of the time.
They wear very simple clothes or clothes of particular colour and design.

Generally they eat vegetarian food, simple rice or chapatis along with milk, fruit, vegetables and pulses.
They renounce the world because they feel that only those who leave their homes can gain true knowledge.

I. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:

(i) Buddhism was found by ………….
(a) Mahavira
(b) Zoroaster
(c) Ramkrishna Paramhansa
(d) None of these.

(ii) Jainism was founded by ……….
(a) Mahavira
(b) Buddha
(c) Zoroaster
(d) Tao.

(iii) The Vinaya Pitaka is a sacred text of…………..
(a) the Buddhists
(b) the Jainas
(c) the Hindus
(d) the Sikhs.

(iv) Buddha used ……….  to communicate with people.
(a) Prakrit
(b) Sanskrit
(c) Urdu
(d) Hindi.

(v) The universal soul has been referred to as
(a) ‘atman’
(b)‘brahman’
(c) ‘Karma’
(d) ‘tanha’.

(vi) A woman Upanishadic thinker was
(a) Jabali
(b) Satyakama Jabala
(c) Urmila
(d) Gargi.

(vii) Mahavira was the prince of the
(a) Lichchhavis
(b) Lumbini
(c) Kusinara
(d) Magadha.
Ans:
(i)—(d), (ii)—(a), (iii)—(a), (iv)—(a), (v)—(b), (vi)—(d), (vii)—(a).

II.FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

1. The Buddha belonged to a small ‘Gana’ called …………….
2. The Buddha got enlightenment at …………..
3. The Buddha used the word ………  for the desire for worldly things.
4. Satyakama Jabala was the son of a ………… woman called Jabali.
5. The Prakrit spoken in Magadha was known as ……………
6. Jainism was initially supported by only the …………..
7. The teachings of Mahavira were written down for the first time about years ago.
8. The earliest ‘Viharas’ were made of………… and of……..

Ans:

1. Sakya
2. Bodh Gaya
3. ‘tanha’
4. slave
5. Magadhi
6. traders
7. 1500
8. wood, brick.

III. TRUE/FALSE

State whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F).

1. The original name of the Buddha was Siddhartha.
2. The Buddha passed away at Kusinara.
3. The Buddha believed ‘tanha’ could be removed by the following moderation in everything.
4. The Upanishads are part of the Rigveda.
5. Mahavira was a prince in the Sakya ‘gana’.
6. The Jaina was supposed to lead luxurious lives.
7. Both Jaina and Buddhist monks went from place to place throughout the year and taught people.

Ans:

1. T
2. T
3. T
4. F
5. F
6. F
7. T.

IV. MATCHING SKILL
Match the items in column A correctly with those given in column B.

V.VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What was the atm of the thinkers in society?  [V. Imp.]
Ans: The thinkers wanted to understand the ongoing changes in society and to try to find out the true meaning of life.

2. What did the Buddha do after his enlightenment?
Ans: The Buddha went to Samath and taught for the first time. He spent the rest of his life travelling and teaching people.

3. What was the ‘Karma’ according to the Buddha? [V. Imp.]
Ans: ‘Karma’ refers to our actions—good or bad.

4. How did the Buddha connect to everyone in society?
Ans: The Buddha used Prakrit so that everyone could understand his teachings.

5. What sort of people became Upanishadic thinkers?
Ans: The Upanishadic thinkers consisted of men, especially ‘brahmins’ and ‘rajas’. There were exceptions, however.

6. What did Mahavira do to attain enlightenment?   [Imp.]
Ans: Mahavira left home at the age of thirty. Then he spent twelve years in the forest and led a hard and lonely life. Then he got enlightenment.

7. State two basic rules of Jainism
Ans: (a) The Jains had to beg for food.
(b) They were to be absolutely honest.

8. Name the book which gives the rules of the Buddhist ‘Sangha’.
Ans: The Vinaya Pitaka gives the rules made for the Buddhist ‘Sangha’.

9. Who all joined the ‘Sangha’?
Ans: Those who joined the ‘sangha’ included ‘Brahmins’, Kshatriyas’, merchants, labourers, slaves, etc.

10. How did monks take shelter in the rainy season?
Ans: The monks got temporary shelters built during the rainy season, or they lived in caves.

VI. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Write a short note on the Buddha’s teachings.    [V. Imp.]
Ans: The Buddha said that life is full of suffering and unhappiness. He said that its cause lies in our unfulfilled desires and dissatisfaction (‘tanhaj. He suggested a moderation in everything as a solution. He told people to be kind and to respect each and every life. Our actions (‘Karma’) affect us in this life and the further ones. The Buddha encouraged people to think for themselves rather than simply accept his teachings.

2. Write a short note on Mahavira’s teachings.
Ans: Mahavira said that those who wish to know the truth must leave their homes. People must follow ‘ahimsa’. The Jaines had to leave very simple lives and be very honest throughout. The men had to give up clothes.

3. Describe how Jainism spread in other parts of India.
Ans: Jainism was initially supported mainly by traders. Farmers found it difficult to follow the rules since they required to kill the insects affecting crops. Over centuries, Jainism spread to different parts of north India, and to Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

4. What does the Vinaya Pitaka teU. about ‘sangha’? [V. Imp.)
Ans: From the Vinaya Pitaka, we know that there were separate branches for men and women in the Buddhist ‘sangha’. Children were supposed to take the permission of their parents and slaves had to ask for permission from their masters to join it. Women had to ask their husbands. Those who lived in the ‘sangha’ had to lead very simple lives—meditating, travelling and begging. They taught others and helped each other.

VI.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Describe Buddha’s life in brief.  [V. Imp.]
Ans: The Buddha (original name—Siddhartha Gautama) belonged to a small ‘gana’ and was a Kshatriya. At an early age, he left the comforts of home and went in search of knowledge. He wandered for several years, and met and discussed with other contemporary thinkers. He meditated for several days under a ‘peepaT tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar. Here, after meditation, he attained enlightenment. This gave him the name ‘the Buddha’ (the Wise One). He went to Samath and taught people. He travelled and preached for the rest of his life. He spoke of ‘tanha’, ‘Karma’, etc. He died at Kusinara.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma

NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science Civics Chapter 9 Urban Livelihoods

1. Read and discuss the following description of the living conditions of workers who come to the labour chowk.
Most workers that we find at the labour chowk cannot afford permanent accomodation and sleep on pavements near the chowk, or they pay Rs. 6 a night for a bed at a nearby night shelter run by the Municipal Corporation. To compensate for the lack of security, local tea and cigarette shops function as banks, moneylenders and safety lockers, all rolled into one. Most workers leave their tools at these shops for the night for safe keeping and pass on any extra money to them. The shopkeepers keep the money safety and also offer loans to labourers in need.
Source : Aman Sethi, Hindu on-line
Ans: Students are suggested to discuss on the above theme in the class in the presence of their teacher.

2. Complete the following table and discuss how their work is different:

Name	Place of work	Earnings	Security of work	Benefits received	Work on their own or employed
Bachchu Manjhi		Rs 100 a day
Harpreet Vandana					Work on their own
Nirmala			No security
Sudha	Company	Rs. 30,000 p.m.

Ans:

Name	Place of work	Earnings	Security of work	Benefits received	Work on their own or employed
Bachchu Manjhi	Road	Rs 100 a day	No security	No benefits	Work on his own
Harpreet Vandana	Showroom	Flexible	Their job is secured	They are planning to buy a flat and car.	Work on their own
Nirmala	Garment factory	Rs. 80 a day	No security	She can earn extra money by working late.	Employed
Sudha	Company office	She gets regular salary.	Her job is secured	Holidays, medical facilities	Employed

 

3.In what ways is a permanent and regular job different from a casual job? Discuss.
Ans: In a permanent and regular job an employee gets a regular salary every month. Besides, a regular salary he gets other benefits such as savings for old age, holidays, medical facilities for his family, etc. Thus, his job is secured. But casual workers avail no job security. If workers complain about their pay or working conditions, they are asked to leave. They are also expected to work very long hours. They don’t get other benefits like permanent employees.

Q.4.What benejits does Sudha get along with her salary?
Ans: Sudha is a permanent worker with a company. She gets several benefits along with her salary:

• Savings for old age. A part of her salary is kept in a fund with the government. She will earn interests on these savings. When she retires from this job she will get this money in the form of pension.
• Sudha gets off on Sundays and national holidays. She also gets some days as annual leave.
• Medical facilities for her family. The company pays Sudha medical expenses up to a certain amount for her and her family members. She gets medical leave if she falls ill and her salary is not cut if she takes this leave.

5.Fill in the following table to show the services provided by people in markets which you msit frequently.

Name of the shop or office	Nature of the service provided

 

Name of the shop or office	Nature of the service provided
Garment showroom	It provides clothes as per the requirement of the customer.
Shop selling utensils, footwear, electronic goods, etc.	They provide household things.
Banks	They provide security and growth to our money.
Note: Students are suggestec	to add more.

I.MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:

(i) Vandana is a ……………
(a)Doctor (b) Sales manager
(c) Dress designer                (d) Dentist.

(ii) The authority that issues a licence to the permanent shops is the
(a) Municipal corporation                    (b) Electricity department
(c) Home Ministry                              (d) None of the above.

(iii) Nirmala works in a ……………
(a) Showroom                                      (b) Garment factory
(c) Company                                       (d) Call centre.

(iv)Workers who are employed on casual basis usually get ……………………
(a) Handsome salary                           (b) Poor salary
(c) Medical leave                               (d) Both (a) and (b).

(v) Foreign companies usually set up call centres in India because
(a)They can get people who will work for lower wages
(b)They can get people who can speak English
(c)They can get cheap land to establish the centre
(d)Both (a) and (b).

Ans:(i)—(c), (ii)—(a), (iii)—(b), (iv)—(b), (v)—(d).

II.FILL IN THE BLANKS

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence:

(i) There are almost ……… street vendors in the country working in …………………
(ii) Those who work in government departments get a ……………….. salary every month.
(iii) It is the……… that decides on which day of the week the market has to remain closed.
(iv) Call Centres in ………. cities provide a new form of employment to the people.
(v )Street vending is now recognised as a general benefit and as a………………… of people to earn their ……………  •

Ans. (i) one crore, urban (ii) regular                                   (iii) Municipal Corporation
(iv) big                               (y) right, livelihood.

III.TRUE/FALSE

State whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F).

(i)A large number of people in the city work on the streets.
(ii)Shops on streets are usually temporary structures.
(iii)Call Centres are usually seen in small towns.
(iv)Casual workers can complain about their pay or working conditions.
(v) Permanent workers get only medical facilities.

Ans. (i)—T, (ii)—T, (iii)—F, (ziv)—F, (v)—F.

IV.MATCHING SKILL

Match the items in column A correctly with those given in column B.

Column A                                                                   Column B

(i) Harpreet and Vandana                     (a) Works as a Marketing Manager
(ii) Bachchu Manjhi                                 (b) Works as a tailor
(iii) Sudha                                                    (c) Business persons
(iv) Nirmala                                                 (d) Work as helpers to masons
(v) Daily wage workers                             (e) Rickshaw puller
.
Ans. (i)—(c), (ii)—(e), (iii)—(a), (iv)—(b), (v)—(d).

V.VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Name some activities which are carried out on the streets.
Ans: Vending, hair-cutting, shoe-repairing, flower-selling etc.

2. What was found in a Survey of Ahmedabad city?                                               [V. Imp.]
Ans: In a survey of Ahmedabad city it was found that 12 percent of all the workers in the city were people working on the street.

3. What types of things do vendors usually sell?
Ans: Vendors usually sell things that are often prepared at home by their families who purchase, clean, sort and make them ready to sell.

4. How was street vending looked upon till recently?
Ans.Street vending was till recently looked upon only as an obstruction to traffic and to people walking.

5.How is it looked upon now?
Ans: It is now looked upon as a general benefit and as a right of people to earn their livelihood.

6. Mention two features of business persons.                                                               [Imp.]
Ans: (i)They own their own shops or business.
(ii)They employ a number of workers as supervisors and helpers.

7. What is essential for the permanent shops?                                                        [V. Imp.]
Ans: They must have a licence to do business.

8. Define ‘labour chowk’.
Ans: Labour chowk is a place where daily wage labourers wait with their tools for people to come and hire them for work.

9.What is the normal working day in a garment factory?
Ans: In a garment factory a normal working day begins at 9 a.m. and finishes only by 10 p.m.

10. What is a Call Centre? [V. Imp.]
Ans: A Qall Centre is a centralised office that deals with problems and questions that consumers / customers have regarding goods purchased and services like banking, ticket booking, etc.

11. Mention two features of permanent jobs.
Ans: • Men having permanent jobs get a regular salary with perks and other benefits eveiy month.

• They can expect their job to continue for a long period of time.

 

VI.SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. How do hawkers manage their work? [V. Imp.]
Ans. Hawkers work on their own. They organise their own work. They know how much to purchase, as well as where and how to set up their shops. Their shops are usually temporary structures. Sometimes just some boards or papers spread over discarded boxes or may be canvas sheet hung up on a few poles. They may also use their own carts or simply a plastic sheet spread on the pavement. They can be asked to dismantle their shops at any time by the police.

2. Mention some drawbacks of casual jobs. [V. Imp.]
Ans. • In casual jobs, workers are not expected to complain about their pay or working
conditions. If they dare to do this, they are instantly asked to leave.

• Casual jobs do not provide security protection if there is ill-treatment.
• Casual workers are expected to do work for long hours.
• Even if they don’t complain, they can be asked to leave when workload is less.

3. What works does Sudha do?
Ans. Sudha works as a Marketing Manager in a company which manufactures biscuits. The factoiy where the biscuits are made is outside the city. Sudha supervises the work of 50 salespersons who travel to different parts of the city. They get orders from shopkeepers and collect payments from them. She has divided the city into six regions and once a week she meets the salespersons of each region. She checks their progress report and discusses problems they face. She has to plan the sales in the entire city and often has to work late and travel to different places.

VII.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What are various ways of earning livelihood in the urban areas? Discuss. [V. Imp.]
Ans. People in urban areas are engaged in a variety of activities in order to earn their living. Some are doing the work of a cobbler while some are barbers busy with their work. A number of people earn their livelihood by pulling rickshaw. Vendors are also seen here and there selling household articles. In urban areas showrooms of different items can be seen. These showrooms are run by businesspersons. These people employ a number of workers as supervisors and helpers for their showrooms. Several urban people are engaged in Factories where they work for long hours. They don’t have job security still they continue their work because they don’t have other option. But there are also people who do office work with full job security. They get regular salary and enjoy other benefits of job like savings for old age, holidays, medical facilities etc.

Working in Call Centres is a new form of employment in big cities. It has attracted a large number of young men and women. Thus, we see that with a growing population, job opportunities have also increased and people are availing these opportunities according to their talent and aptitude.

2. Write in brief on ‘Call Centres’.
Ans. Call Centres in big cities are providing new job opportunities to young and enthusiastic men and women. A Call Centre is a centralised office that deals with problems and questions that consumers/customers have regarding goods purchased and services like banking, ticket booking, etc. Call Centres are generally set up as large rooms with work stations that include a computer, a telephone set and supervisor’s stations.
India has become a major centre not only for Indian companies but also foreign companies. They set up Call Centres here as they can get people who can speak english and will work for lower wages.

NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma