Answer Key
History
1. History – When, Where and How
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
2. c
3. b
4. a
5. d
6. b
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. Ramayana, Mahabharata
2. Before Common Era
3. prehistory, history
4. historians, archaeologists
5. numismatics
6. Talapatras
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. T
3. F
4. T
5. F
6. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. The order of arranging events that happened first,
followed by those that happened later.
2. The clues that help in putting the past together are
referred to as the sources of history.
3. Historians have divided the past into two broad
periods— prehistory and history.
4. It is the study of the past.
5. Dates in history are not written as usual. They use
the notation of BC or AD. BC stands for Before Christ
or the number of years before the time of Jesus
Christ. AD stands for Anno Domini or ‘in the year of
the Lord’.
E. Short answer questions
1. The chief physical features of India include:
• Numerous rivers, fertile river valleys, high
mountains, desert and plains.
• The Himalayas in the north act as a natural barrier
and the rest of the country is surrounded by water
on three sides.
• The passes in the mountains act as routes, allowing
people to undertake journey for trade, battle and
travel.
• Many nations have used sea routes along the coast
of India for trade as well as for social and cultural
interaction.
• In the ancient times, people chose to live near
rivers such as the Indus, Ganga and the Narmada.
This was because the rivers provided water for
people’s needs, the land near them was fertile
for irrigation, and they also served as a means of
transport.
2. Digging and studying requires a host of experts—
historians, archaeologists, anthropologists,
zoologists, geologists and physicists. Historians
2
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and archaeologists are scholars who study our past
using various sources of history. The archaeologists
excavate sites of ancient and medieval civilisations
and examine the remains of the buildings, tools and
other objects and interpret the data for us.
3. Archaeological Sources These include the items of
archaeological significance like the material remains
of people who lived in the past like the buildings,
houses, pots and pans, monuments, coins, tools,
jewellery, writings on stone walls and pieces of
metal plates and food remains. Even burial sites are
archaeological sources.
4. R
eligious literature includes the writings that are
religious in context and are classified into the following:
• Vedic literature, which comprises the four Vedas—
Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.
• The two epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata,
and the Bhagavad Gita and the Puranas.
Books or texts other than those of a religious
nature are known as secular literature. Kautilya’s
Arthashastra is categorised under secular literature
as it contain guidelines on how to run government.
5. Many Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Tibetans and Arabs
who travelled far and wide and also to India, left
valuable accounts about the people, their lifestyles,
customs and traditions. Two Chinese travellers,
Faxian (Fa-hein) and Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) came
to India to study Buddhism and wrote about their
experiences in India.
F. Long answer questions
1. T
he clues that help in putting the past together are
referred to as the sources of history. We learn about our
ancient past from two groups of sources.
Sources
Archaeological
Literary
coins
biographies
artefacts monuments
inscriptions
religious literature
secular literature
traveller’s accounts
chronicles
2. T
hese include the items of archaeological significance
like the material remains of people who lived in the past
like the buildings, houses, pots and pans, monuments,
coins, tools, jewellery, writings on stone walls and pieces
of metal plates and food remains. Even burial sites are
archaeological sources.
Inscriptions and Edicts
Inscriptions refer to the writings engraved on rocks,
pillars, cave walls, walls of forts, palaces and temples,
and on clay and copper tablets. The study of
inscriptions is known as epigraphy.
• Inscriptions tell us names of kings why inscriptions
are important and the period of their reign. They
tell us the extent of their empires and important
events that took place during their reign.
• They provide information about the society. They
describe the religious and cultural practices of
people.
Monuments
These are the old buildings of historical importance
that give information about people their social life,
religious beliefs and culture. The Stupas and temples
built by Ashoka and the Gupta Dynasty are important
sources of history.
2. The Earliest Societies
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
3. c
5. c
7. b
9. a
2. c
4. b
6. c
8. b
10. c
B. Match the following.
1. d
2. a
3. c
4. b
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. F
3. F
4. F
5. T
6. T
D. Very short answer questions
1.
The Stone Age
Palaeolithic Age
Mesolithic Age
Neolithic Age
Lower Palaeolithic
Age
Middle
Palaeolithic Age
Upper
Palaeolithic Age
2. Mesolithic period—lasted from 10,000 BCE till 8000
BCE.
3. Archaeologists believe that fire was probably
produced by accidentally rubbing two stones
together.
4. The discovery of fire became the turning point for
humankind and was the most important discovery of
the Palaeolithic era.
5. People used small and efficient tools called
microliths. These tools were smaller, sharper and
more efficient than the Palaeolithic tools.
E. Short answer questions
1. T
he primary means of survival of the people was hunting
animals and gathering plants for food. They would
move from place to place in search of favourable living
conditions.
2. I n India, the most notable Upper Palaeolithic site has
been found in Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh. The site of
Nevasa, on banks of the river Pravara in Maharashtra is a
Mesolithic site.
3. The Stone Age is clearly divided into three periods:
• Palaeolithic period—began about two million years
ago and lasted till about 10,000 BCE.
• Mesolithic period—lasted from 10,000 BCE till 8000
BCE.
• Neolithic period—lasted from 8000 BCE till about
4000 BCE.
4. Need and Use for Tools
• Tools served a variety of purposes for the people of
this era.
• The primary means of survival of the people was
hunting animals and gathering plants for food.
Therefore, tools and weapons were needed for
hunting as well as processing food.
• They began to shape stones into crude knives,
axe heads, choppers and cleavers. Stone could be
sharpened and shaped into a variety of sizes and
did not break easily.
• Prehistoric people used stone tools for a variety of
purposes—cutting meat, hunting animals, cutting
down trees, clearing forests and smoothen barks
and animal skins.
F. Long answer questions
1. Lower Palaeolithic Age: Hand axes were used by
early humans in this period. It also corresponds to
the time when the first stone tools appeared.
Middle Palaeolithic Age: People largely used flake
tools. Implements like needles have been found,
indicating that furs and animal skins were sewn
crudely to cover the human body.
Upper Palaeolithic Age: People of those times
mostly used blade tools and projectile pointers for
hunting and skinning wild animals.
2. The discovery of fire became the turning point for
humankind and was the most important discovery
of the Palaeolithic era. Archaeologists believe that
fire as probably produced by accidentally rubbing
two stones together. Gradually, it became very
advantageous as:
• It could keep them warm.
• It was a source of light at night.
• It helped humans to cook food that tasted better.
• It was used to scare away wild animals.
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3.
Period
Palaeolithic
age
Mesolithic
age
Neolithic
age
People first
used hand
axes, later
flake tools
and blade
tools were
invented.
Use of
microliths
began.
People
began
to make
polished
tools.
Discovery
of fire
Invention of Building
microliths
houses
began
about two
million
years ago
and lasted
till about
10,000 BCE
Tools
Lifestyle
lasted from
10,000 BCE
till 8000
BCE.
People
People
mainly lived continued
as nomads. to live as
hunters and
gatherers.
Important
discoveries
lasted from
8000 BCE
till about
4000 BCE.
People
began to
settle down
with the
adoption of
agriculture.
3. The Earliest Civilisations
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
3. b
5. b
7. a
2. b
4. b
6. c
8. b
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. Mesolithic
4. north-western
2. nomadic
5. citadel
3. wheat, barley, millet
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. T
3. F
4. T
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. It spread over Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab, Haryana,
Gujarat, Rajasthan, and from Jam4eemu in the north
to the Narmada estuary in the west.
2. In 1921, RD Banerji came upon the remains of a
civilisation in Mohenjodaro on banks of the river
Indus in Larkana district of Sindh, now in Pakistan.
3. It was a part of the citadel.
4. The Indus people seem to have been worshippers
of nature. Seals depicting trees such as peepal and
animals such as the humped bull have been found.
This indicates that they may have been considered
sacred by the Indus people.
5. The climate changed leading to the decline of land
and agriculture. The inhabitants were forced to leave
the valley and move to smaller settlements.
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E. Short answer questions
1. The conditions on banks of river Indus and its
tributaries supported the settlement of people. The
climate was warm and moist, and the fertile soil
was used for growing different crops. At that time
even Sindh and Rajasthan were covered with forests,
which provided plenty of timber for construction of
houses and boats, and for fuel.
2. Town planning is an impressive and remarkable
feature of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Most of the
cities were divided into two parts— upper town
and lower town. Usually, the upper part to the west
was smaller and higher. This was the citadel where
some special buildings were located. The part to the
east was bigger and lower. This was the lower town,
which was laid out in a grid pattern with houses,
straight roads and a proper sanitation system.
3. Harappan people carried on extensive trade with
other countries. Some Harappan seals have been
found in the cities of ancient Mesopotamia while
Mesopotamian seals have been found in Harappan
cities. This confirms that trade existed between both
these civilisations. Archaeologists have also found
the remains of a dockyard excavated at Lothal that
show that Harappans were familiar with ships. The
Harappans made many things for which they needed
raw materials.
4. Another well-known structure at Mohenjodaro is the
Great Bath. It is a rectangular structure resembling a
swimming pool. People probably used it for religious
purposes.
5. The Indus people seem to have been worshippers
of nature. Seals depicting trees such as peepal
and animals such as the humped bull have been
found. This indicates that they may have been
considered sacred by the Indus people. Image
worship was prevalent in the Harappan period. The
most commonly found figurine is that of a female
deity, who has generally been identified as a Mother
Goddess. The discovery of pottery and ornaments at
the burial sites proves that the Harappans believed
in life after death.
F. Long answer questions
1. The Harappan civilisation can be called a highly
civilised one because:
• These civilisations developed along the banks of
rivers.
• They were urban and had many cities.
• Along with farming and domestication of animals,
they were also engaged in other activities such as
pottery-making and weaving.
• They invented some form of writing and were able
to smelt various metals.
• They engaged in trade, mining, etc.
• They had some form of government.
• There was also advancement in fields of science
and technology.
2. The city was originally called the Indus Valley
Civilisation as it was found on banks of the river
Indus. Later, when more cities were discovered in the
mainland of the same pattern as Harappa, it became
a site. Thus, the civilisation came to be called the
Harappan Civilisation. The Indus Valley Civilisation
flourished in the north-western part of the Indian
subcontinent. It spread over Sindh, Baluchistan,
Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and from
Jammu in the north to the Narmada estuary in the
west. A major portion of it is now in Pakistan.
3. It is believed that the Harappan Civilisation lasted for
about a thousand years and disappeared gradually
by about 1,500 bce. According to historians, there
are many reasons for the decline.
i. The climate changed leading to the decline
of land and agriculture. The inhabitants were
forced to leave the valley and move to smaller
settlements.
ii. Mohenjodaro excavations reveal that the city was
destroyed over and over again and was rebuilt at
the same site nine times. This had a weakening
effect on the civilisation.
iii. Deforestation leading to floods, natural calamities
or epidemics could have contributed to the
decline.
iv. Changes in the course of the river Indus, which
left the land dry and infertile played a role in the
decline of the civilisation.
v. Invasion by Aryans led to the weakening of the
civilisation.
4. Mohenjodaro and Harappa were planned cities.
They had almost identical planning, layout and
construction technique. The buildings of these
cities were made of stones and burnt bricks. The
civilisation had well-developed urban centres and
was known for its spectacular city planning and
efficiency.
Town planning is an impressive and remarkable
feature of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Most of the
cities were divided into two parts— upper town
and lower town. Usually, the upper part to the west
was smaller and higher. This was the citadel where
some special buildings were located. The part to the
east was bigger and lower. This was the lower town,
which was laid out in a grid pattern with houses,
straight roads and a proper sanitation system.
Residential buildings or houses have been found in
the lower town. The houses here suggest detailed
architectural planning. They were built on both sides
of the streets. They were either one or two storeys
high and were built of baked bricks and had one or
more rooms. Each house had a bathing area and a
place for cooking. Most of the houses had a well, a
kitchen, a circular oven, and a mortar and a pestle for
grinding spices. The houses had drain pipes which
were connected to the main drain.
The conditions on banks of river Indus and its
tributaries supported the settlement of people. The
climate was warm and moist, and the fertile soil
was used for growing different crops. At that time
even Sindh and Rajasthan were covered with forests,
which provided plenty of timber for construction of
houses and boats, and for fuel.
4. Vedic Age
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
3. b
5. a
7. c
9. a
2. c
4. a
6. c
8. a
10. b
B. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
3. T
5. F
2. T
4. F
6. F
C. Very short answer questions
1. Historians believe that the Aryans probably lived
somewhere in the Steppes, which stretches from
southern Russia to Central Asia. It was from here that
they migrated to northwest India and hence there
name, the Indo-Aryans.
2. Rig Veda: It is the oldest of the Vedas and is
supposed to have been composed about 3,500 years
ago during the Early Vedic Period. It contains about
1,028 hymns called suktas, meaning ‘well-said’.
These hymns praise various Vedic gods.
Sama Veda: It contains hymns sung by a special
class of priests during important religious
ceremonies and sacrifices.
Yajur Veda: It contains rules that are meant to be
followed in religious ceremonies, sacrifices and
rituals.
Atharva Veda: It is a collection of songs, spells and
magical charms to ward off evil spirits.
3. There were also dasas or dasyas, who were slaves,
servants or enemies captured. They were treated
as the personal property of the owners who could
make them do whatever work they wanted.
4. In the Later Vedic Period, many changes took place
in the religious practices. Prajapati, the Creator,
Vishnu, the Preserver, and Rudra or Shiva, the
Destroyer, emerged as all-powerful deities.
5. According to Vedic religion, there was a concept
of varnashrama. According to this, life was divided
into four stages or ashramas. Different duties were
assigned to each of these. The four ashramas were:
1. Brahmacharya or student life
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5
2. Grihastha or life of a householder
3. Vanaprastha or life as a hermit and finally
4. Sanyasa or renunciation of the worldly life.
D. Short answer questions
1. The term Veda is derived from the Sanskrit word vid,
meaning ‘wisdom’ or ‘knowledge’. The Vedas are
collections of poems, hymns and short compositions
that were initially composed orally. There are four
Vedas:
Vedas
Rig Veda
Sama Veda
Yajur Veda
Atharva Veda
Contains
hymns in
praise of
gods and
goddesses
Rearrangement of
Rig Veda
for musical
rendering
Sacrificial
prayers
Charms,
incantations
and magical
spells
Early Vedic
Age
Later Vedic
Age
Rig Veda: It is the oldest of the Vedas and is
supposed to have been composed about 3,500 years
ago during the Early Vedic Period. It contains about
1,028 hymns called suktas, meaning ‘well-said’.
These hymns praise various Vedic gods.
Sama Veda: It contains hymns sung by a special
class of priests during important religious
ceremonies and sacrifices.
Yajur Veda: It contains rules that are meant to be
followed in religious ceremonies, sacrifices and
rituals.
Atharva Veda: It is a collection of songs, spells and
magical charms to ward off evil spirits.
2. Society was divided into three main occupational
groups—warriors and chieftains, priests and the
common people. The first two were privileged
groups. In the beginning, members of the same
family could follow different occupations. The Vedas
introduced the varna or the caste system in the
society. There were four distinct castes or varnas,
based on the skill of the people:
i. Brahmins or priestly class
ii. Kshatriyas or kings and warrior class
iii. Vaishyas or merchants, traders and farmers
iv. Shudras or menial workers
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There were also dasas or dasyas, who were slaves,
servants or enemies captured. They were treated as
the personal property of the owners who could make
them do whatever work they wanted.
3. The Vedas attached great importance to family. A
kula or the family was the smallest basic unit and
was headed by the eldest male member called the
grihapati, who took all important decisions. Initially,
kinship was the basis of the social structure. A man’s
primary loyalty was to his tribe or jana. Society was
essentially tribal and there were no major differences
between the members of a tribe. Widow remarriage
was unknown. Child marriage was prohibited and
there were no restriction in marrying into different
social groups.
4. During the Vedic Age, the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and
Megalithic cultures had prospered in several parts
of the country. There has been enough evidence,
especially the discovery of grave burials in places like
Rajasthan, Deccan, Kashmir and the southernmost
parts of India to prove the existence of these
cultures. Distinctive pots, which are called Black and
Red Ware were discovered at the burial sites, which
were probably filled with food and water at the time
of the burial. Tools, weapon and ornaments have
also been found with the dead. These suggest that
people probably believed in life after death and they
buried their dead with certain objects that would be
required in the next life.
5. At the beginning of the Later Vedic Age, around
1000 bce, people began to use iron. This was
therefore, the beginning of Iron Age in India. During
this period, the Aryans moved towards the Gangetic
Plains and settled in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab
region. Many changes took place from the Early to
the Later Vedic Period. It was during this age that the
Upanishads, Aranyakas, Brahmanas were composed.
It is also believed that the various events mentioned
in the Ramayana and Mahabharata took place
during the end of the Later Vedic Age, hence it is
also called the Epic Age.
E. Long answer questions
1. The Early Vedic society consisted of many kinds of
people like the hunter-gatherers, forest dwellers,
pastoralists or cattle herders and town people. The
Aryans were the pastoralists and were divided into
tribes called janas or vish.
• Each tribe had its own ruler known as rajan. He was
usually elected because of his bravery and ability to
lead his tribe in wars and raids. So, the position of
the rajan was not hereditary.
• Most men took part in battles and after the battle,
the loot was divided between the men. Some of the
wealth was taken by the leaders, some given to the
priests and the rest divided among the people. Some
of the wealth was used for performing the yagnas.
• Priests or purohitas were regarded more important
than the rest of the tribe or jana. They helped
the rajan and the common people of the tribe
in all ritual matters.• The rajan took decisions in
consultation with the sabha and samiti, which were
tribal assemblies. Women could also attend the
sabha, which was the chief highlight of the Vedic
period that women were given equal opportunities
as men.
• The senani helped the rajan in his military
campaigns and wars.
2. The Aryans worshipped the various forces of nature
as they wanted protection from natural disasters and
considered them sacred. They worshipped Agni, the
fire god; Indra, the god of rain and thunder; Varuna,
the god of wind; Surya, the Sun god; Soma, the god
of plants; Prithvi, the Earth god; Yama, the god of
death; and Usha, the goddess of dawn.
In the Early Vedic Period, people worshipped their
gods through recitation of prayers and hymns, and
the performance of sacrifices or yajna. Yajnas were
performed by the people to please the gods. There
were no temples, nor were there any idols.
3. The Vedas attached great importance to family. A
kula or the family was the smallest basic unit and
was headed by the eldest male member called the
grihapati, who took all important decisions.
Initially, kinship was the basis of the social structure.
A man’s primary loyalty was to his tribe or jana.
Society was essentially tribal and there were no
major differences between the members of a tribe.
Widow remarriage was unknown. Child marriage was
prohibited and there were no restriction in marrying
into different social groups.
By the Later Vedic Period, the occupations
performed by different groups had become fixed.
The social groups became rigid. For instance, only a
brahmana’s son could be a brahmana and perform
the duties assigned to a brahmana.
Religious Life
The Later Vedic Period saw a further increase in
worship, recitation and sacrifices.
In the Later Vedic Period, many changes took place in
the religious practices. Prajapati, the Creator, Vishnu,
the Preserver, and Rudra or Shiva, the Destroyer,
emerged as all-powerful deities. Through Worship,
recitation and sacrifies, people asked for praja
(children), pashu (cattle), food, wealth and health.
4.Megaliths, or structures built with large stones, are
present all around the world in large numbers. The
Megaliths have existed since the middle Stone Age,
and also in the neolithic periods. However, the Indian
megaliths are mainly from the Iron Age, though some
sites predate the Iron Age, extending up to 2000
BC. Megaliths, originally meant large stones, are the
monuments that represent the megalithic period,
which lasted from 2500 BC to AD 200. Constructed
mainly as commemorative memorials or burial sites,
these monuments are known to be the earliest
surviving man-made structures that we currently know
about. Features of Megalithic PeriodThe use of large
stone boulders in and around graves was characteristic
of this cultural period. These boulders were used for
covering and surrounding the graveThese graves
have yielded enlightening evidence regarding these
cultural periods, such as animal bones, iron objects,
pottery, ornaments, beads, and so on. As a result,
the Megalithic period of human life is referred to as
the megalithic cultureVillages were common among
the Megalithic people. The thickness of the debris
discovered at the megalithic settlement indicates
that the megalithic people resided in one location
for about 50-100 years, before moving on to new
locationsMegalithic people cultivated a variety of
food grains, including rice and wheat. Donkeys and
buffalo were among the animals they domesticated.
Agriculture had not yet reached the point of
surplusThe iron object discovery in megalithic graves
suggests that this cultural period is associated with
Iron Age.
5. Early Empires
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
3. a
5. a
7. c
9. c
2. b
4. c
6. c
8. a
10. c
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. brahmanas and upanishads
2. amatya, senapati, purohita
3. punch-marked
4. Haryanka
5. gramini
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. F
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. The king was the head of the kingdom.
2. In this system of governance, the mahajanapada was
ruled by a group of people.
3. Bimbisara
4. Bimbisaraa
5. Varna system
E. Short answer questions
1. The 6th century BCE saw the emergence of
kingdoms— states and towns. These were known as
the janapadas. The kings performed big sacrifices
and gradually came to be recognised as kings of
janapadas rather than janas. Janapadas were literally
the ‘foothold of the janas’, i.e., the territory where
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the janas settled down and resided. As janas became
identified with particular territories, rajans of the
janas became kings of kingdoms or janapadas.
2. The use of iron tools such as iron ploughs and
hoes made agriculture more advanced. Agriculture
continued to remain the main occupation of
the people. Agricultural taxes also formed the
foundation of the monarchical and republican
states. During this time, there was an increase
in agricultural production because of two new
technologies— manufacturing of iron tools and
paddy transplantation. Iron now began to be used
extensively. The growing use of iron ploughshares
and other agricultural implements meant that the
heavy, clayey soil of the Gangetic Plains could
be turned over easily, leading to an increase in
agricultural production. Experimentation began
in the field of agriculture as well. The practice of
paddy transplantation became prevalent wherein
– saplings were grown and then planted in the
prepared fields, rather than seeds being scattered on
the ground. Since this back-breaking work required
the employment of more dasas and karmakaras
(labourers), it led to an increase in agricultural
production.
3. As agriculture and production of grains increased,
there was surplus. While a large part of it was
collected as taxes, some of it was also traded in
the form of commodities. The goods produced
by craftspeople were carried over long distances
by merchants. Merchants either travelled by carts
or sailed down the rivers, as some cities were
located on riverbanks. They may have used the
punch marked coins as the medium of exchange.
Merchants organised themselves into associations
or guilds, which were called shrenis. As population
increased, villages grew in size and number. Each
village had a headman (gramani/gramika) who was a
link between the village and the king. They were also
responsible for collecting taxes. Sometimes, villages
developed into towns, particularly if they were
famous for certain types of crafts. Towns and cities
also emerged because of their proximity to trade
routes.
4. The social set-up of the janapadas and the
mahajanapadas was similar to that of the Later
Vedic Period. The varna system that classified people
into brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras
continued and came to be firmly established in
society. However, it was no longer skill based; it
became hereditary and more rigid. Not everyone
accepted the varna system as developed by the
brahmana priests. Many people from different
sections of the society began to oppose the
allotment of varna based on the birth in a certain
community.
8
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
5. From 600 BCE, the Vedic religious system underwent
transformation and by this time religious turmoil
could be seen. The brahmanas began to dominate
the religious practices, encouraging complex
rituals, elaborate sacrifices, expensive ceremonies,
and emphasised the sanctity of the Vedas. People
gradually became dissatisfied and sought different
religious options. Two new religions, Jainism and
Buddhism, became popular.
6. The 6th century BCE saw the emergence of
kingdoms— states and towns. These were known as
the janapadas. The kings performed big sacrifices
and gradually came to be recognised as kings of
janapadas rather than janas. Janapadas were literally
the ‘foothold of the janas’, i.e., the territory where
the janas settled down and resided. As janas became
identified with particular territories, rajans of the
janas became kings of kingdoms or janapadas. There
were several janapadas, named after the tribes or
the janas who lived there. By 600 BCE, many of these
janapadas had become bigger and more powerful.
They evolved into larger political entities known as
the mahajanapadas or the great kingdoms. Ancient
Buddhist texts tell us about 16 great kingdoms
and republics or mahajanapadas that flourished
in the northern/north-western parts of the Indian
subcontinent around 500 BCE.
F. Long answer questions
1. Mahajanapadas had two kinds of governance:
Monarchial
Republican
Monarchies
The king was the head of the kingdom. The other
important features of the monarchical government
were:
• The king performed sacrificial ceremonies.
• He had a strong army.
• He had varied sources of income.
• Kingship was hereditary, inherited by the eldest son.
• The king came to symbolise the state.
• The king had absolute powers as the protector
of the society and dharma. He was assisted by
amatyas or official ministers in governing.
• The senapati conquered the lands.
• The purohita performed the religious and social
duties.
• kings used income from taxes for paying the
soldiers, maintaining the army, for building roads
and other welfare activities.
Republics (Ganasanghas)
• In this system of governance, the mahajanapada
was ruled by a group of people.
• These were elected by the people of the tribe.
• The heads of the family of the various clans
governed the collective territory. There was no
hereditary kingship.
• Decisions were taken on the base of a majority vote.
• It worked more like a democracy.
2. The use of iron tools such as iron ploughs and
hoes made agriculture more advanced. Agriculture
continued to remain the main occupation of the
people. Agricultural taxes also formed the foundation
of the monarchical and republican states. During this
time, there was an increase in agricultural production
because of two new technologies— manufacturing
of iron tools and paddy transplantation. Iron now
began to be used extensively. The growing use of
iron ploughshares and other agricultural implements
meant that the heavy, clayey soil of the Gangetic Plains
could be turned over easily, leading to an increase
in agricultural production. Experimentation began in
the field of agriculture as well. The practice of paddy
transplantation became prevalent wherein – saplings
were grown and then planted in the prepared fields,
rather than seeds being scattered on the ground. Since
this back-breaking work required the employment of
more dasas and karmakaras (labourers), it led to an
increase in agricultural production.
3. The social set-up of the janapadas and the
mahajanapadas was similar to that of the Later
Vedic Period. The varna system that classified people
into brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras
continued and came to be firmly established in
society. However, it was no longer skill based; it
became hereditary and more rigid. Not everyone
accepted the varna system as developed by the
brahmana priests. Many people from different
sections of the society began to oppose the
allotment of varna based on the birth in a certain
community.
Sources of taxes collected by the king:
• Taxes were collected on crops.
• King’s share in the agricultural produce was fixed
at one-sixth of the produce (shat bhaga). • This tax
was collected in kind and later on, in cash.
• Another tax called bali was also imposed, but
ancient Indian texts are not very clear about it.
• Sometimes, tax could be collected in the form of
labour and was called vishti that included offering
free services to the king.
4. Monarchies
The king was the head of the kingdom. The other
important features of the monarchical government
were:
• The king performed sacrificial ceremonies.
• He had a strong army.
• He had varied sources of income.
• Kingship was hereditary, inherited by the eldest son.
• The king came to symbolise the state.
• The king had absolute powers as the protector
of the society and dharma. He was assisted by
amatyas or official ministers in governing.
• The senapati conquered the lands.
• The purohita performed the religious and social
duties.
• The kings used income from taxes for paying the
soldiers, maintaining the army, for building roads
and other welfare activities.
Republics (Ganasanghas)
• In this system of governance, the mahajanapada was
ruled by a group of people.
• These were elected by the people of the tribe.
• The heads of the family of the various clans governed
the collective territory. There was no hereditary kingship.
• Decisions were taken on the base of a majority vote.
• It worked more like a democracy.
6. New Ideas and Religions
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
3. a
5. a
7. b
9. c
2. c
4. c
6. a
8. b
10. b
B. Match the following.
1. e
2. d
3. c
4. a
5. b
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. F
3. F
4. T
5. T
D. Very short answer questions
1. Monasteries
2. Nirvana
3. Sangha
4. Purvas
5. It is the sacred literature of the Buddhists which
means the three baskets.
E. Short answer questions
1. In Sanskrit, the word upanishad literally means ‘at
the feet of the guru or teacher’. Upanishads are a
part of the Later Vedic literature. In Sanskrit, the
word upanishad literally means ‘at the feet of the
guru or teacher’. Upanishads are a part of the Later
Vedic literature.
2. The main teachings of the Buddha arise from the
Four Noble Truths, which observe that:
i. There is suffering in this world.
ii. Each suffering has a cause.
iii. The cause is desire or thirst.
iv. It is possible to put an end to sufferings if desire
is removed by following the Eight-fold Path.
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
9
3. According to the Buddha, the Eight-fold Path or
Ashtangika Marga consisted of the following:
i. Right View
ii. Right Attitude
iii. Right Speech
iv. Right Action
v. Right Livelihood
vi. Right Effort
vii. Right Mindfulness
viii. Right Concentration.
He encouraged people to follow the same in order to
attain a peaceful state of mind.
4.Both Jainism and Buddhism encouraged people to
leave their homes so that they could concentrate on
attaining true knowledge. Groups of such people who
had left their homes, often stayed, prayed, meditated
and lived together in a kind of association or assembly
called the sangha. Both men and women were allowed
to join though there were separate branches for each.
They were expected to lead simple lives and beg for
their food. They were called bhikkus and bhikkunis
(from the Prakrit word for ‘one who begs’). In English,
they are referred to as monks and nuns. The rules
made for the Buddhist sangha or monastic order were
written down in a book called Vinaya Pitaka.
5.According to the Buddha, the Eight-fold Path or
Ashtangika Marga consisted of the following:
i. Right View
v. Right Livelihood
ii. Right Attitude
vi. Right Effort
iii. Right Speech
vii. Right Mindfulness
iv. Right Action
viii. Right Concentration.
F. Long answer questions
1. In Sanskrit, the word upanishad literally means ‘at
the feet of the guru or teacher’. Upanishads are a
part of the Later Vedic literature (1000- 600 BCE), but
they show a shift in emphasis from gods and rituals
to abstract concepts and mystical knowledge. They
came into existence as a result of the efforts made
by thinkers, trying to find answers to various difficult
questions about life after death, the universe and
the presence of an Eternal Being. The Upanishads
are said to be authored by learned Vedic seers and
saints, such as Yajnavalkya, Aruni, Shandilya and
Aitareya. Most of the thinkers were men. However,
there are references to two women–Gargi and
Maitreyi–who participated in debates held in royal
courts. Poor people rarely had the opportunity or
education to participate in these discussions. The
Upanishads talk about one exception, Satyakama
Jabala (son of a poor woman Jabali), who had a deep
desire to learn about ‘Reality’ and approached the
learned sage Gautama.
10 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
2. The major reasons for the decline of the Vedic
religion were:
• Almost all the religious texts of this period were
written in Sanskrit, whereas, Pali and Prakrit were
the languages of the common people.
• The Brahmins exploited people’s ignorance to their
personal gains.
• They misused power to amass wealth and become
more and more powerful.
• People steadily began to dislike the complex and
expensive rituals and sacrifices.
• The use of the new iron ploughshare required
the use of bullocks. As a result, the Vedic period
practice of animal sacrifice began to be viewed
as a stumbling block to the interests of the new
agricultural economy.
• Rapid urbanisation led to rise of new cities and
old barter system gave way to the new currency
system.
• Many people disliked the advent of materialism
and craved for a new faith to promote simple
living.
3.
Buddhism and Jainism
Buddhism
Jainism
Gautama Buddha
Vardhamana Mahavira
Sakya Clan
Jnatika Clan
Born in Lumbini near
Kapilavastu in present
day Nepal
Born in Kundagrama
near Vaishali in Bihar
Main teaching—Four
Noble Truths and the
eightfold path
Main teaching—
Triratnas (three jewels)
Died at the age of 80 in
Kushinagar in eastern
Uttar Pradesh
Died at the age of 72 in
Pavapuri in Bihar
Both Jainism and Buddhism encouraged people to leave
their homes so that they could concentrate on attaining
true knowledge. Groups of such people who had left their
homes, often stayed, prayed, meditated and lived together
in a kind of association or assembly called the sangha.
Both men and women were allowed to join though there
were separate branches for each. They were expected to
lead simple lives and beg for their food. They were called
bhikkus and bhikkunis (from the Prakrit word for ‘one who
begs’). In English, they are referred to as monks and nuns.
The rules made for the Buddhist sangha or monastic.
4.
Right view
(know the truth)
Right mindfulness
Right intention
(control your thoughts)
(free your mind of evil)
Right speech
Right meditation
(say nothing that
hurts others)
(practise concentration)
Right action
Right effort
(work for the good
of others)
(resist evil)
Right livelihood
(respect life)
5. Jainism
• Mahavira asked followers to lead an austere life.
• Jainism recognises the existence of gods, but gave
them lesser importance than jina.
• Liberation from worldly bonds could be attained by
following the three jewels (triratna), namely, right
knowledge, right faith and right action.
• The early Jainas preached in Prakrit. • Jainism
spread within the Indian subcontinent.
• The two sects of Jainism were digambaras and
shvetambaras.
Buddhism
• Buddha prescribed the Middle Path.
• Buddhism does not recognise the existence of god.
• Human misery can be eliminated by following the
Eight-fold Path.
• Pali language was used to spread the message of
Buddha in the early times.
• Buddhism spread to different parts of the world.
• Buddhism later took two major forms, namely,
Mahayana and Hinayana.
7. The First Empire
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
3. a
5. a
2. b
4. c
6. b
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. Nanda
2. kautilya
3. Bindusara
7. b
8. a
4. Kalinga
5. inscribed
9. b
10. b
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. T
3. T
4. F
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. EDICT
2. Dhamma
3. Arthashastra
4. The most famous Ashoka Pillar is of Sarnath.
5. Lion Capital
E. Short answer questions
1. The main sources of this period are Indika by
Megathenes, Arthashastra by Chanakya and the rock
and pillar edicts of Emperor Ashoka.
2. Bindusara succeeded his father, Chandragupta
Maurya to the throne, ruling over an empire
extending as far as modern day Karnataka. Only
Kalinga and the southernmost parts were outside
the Mauryan rule. He continued to maintain friendly
relations with Greek governors in Asia and Africa.
Bindusara died around 272 bce.
3. After Ashoka’s passing in 232 bce, the Mauryan
Empire slowly disintegrated mainly because:
• the successors of Ashoka were weak.
• there were not enough taxes collected to maintain
the expenditure.
4. Ashoka realised the importance of Kalinga and so
a historic battle for Kalinga was fought. However,
the mass destruction and the brutal results changed
Ashoka’s life. Ashoka was horrified when he saw the
violence and bloodshed and he decided not to fight
wars anymore.
5. Ashoka was the first ruler to communicate with
his subjects through edicts. To spread his ideas,
Ashoka inscribed his messages on stone pillars,
caves, boulders and rocks so that people could read
them. These edicts were widely spread throughout
his empire. They conveyed Ashoka’s ideas on
administration, religion and behaviour of people
towards one another and their elders.
F. Long answer questions
1. The main sources of this period are Indika by
Megathenes, Arthashastra by Chanakya and the rock
and pillar edicts of Emperor Ashoka. Indika written
by Megasthenes, a Greek envoy, tells us about the
social, political and economic conditions of the time.
Arthashastra discusses the administration of the
Mauryas and how an empire should be governed.
A play written by Vishakhadatta, Mudrarakshasa,
describes the rise of Chandragupta Maurya to
power. The pillar and rock edicts of Ashoka tell us a
lot about the great ruler.
2. The Mauryan administration was well-defined, based
on the guidelines for good government laid down by
Chanakya in Arthashastra.
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 11
Mauryan Administration
Mauryan Administration
Central
Emperor, ministers, officers,
royal family members
Central
Emperor, ministers, officers,
royal family members
Provincial
Prince, royal family members
Provincial
Prince, royal family
members
District
Senior officials
District
Senior officials
Group of Villages
Tax collector, accountant
Village
Village headman
Group of Villages
Tax collector, accountant
Village
Village headman
3. It was in 326 BCE that Alexander, the ruler of
Macedonia attacked north-western India and
defeated several republican states. When he wanted
to cross the Indus and move eastwards treading along
the north Indian heartland, he faced severe resistance
and fallback at the hands of the army of the powerful
Nanda Dynasty. The famous battle between Alexander
and Porus took place between the rivers Jhelum and
Chenab. Ultimately, Porus was defeated but Alexander
returned to his kingdom. However, his invasions
weakened the small tribes and states of North India.
This enabled the Mauryas to establish control over
these territories and build an empire.
4. Chandragupta had served the Nandas. When they
became infamous with the masses, followed by
their weakened army post the wars with Alexander,
Chandragupta left them and sought refuge with
Greeks in the northwest. He learnt the art of warfare
from the Greeks and met the wise Chanakya. Already
suffering the insult at the hands of the Nanda
king, Chanakya decided to train the young man
in statecraft. With Chanakya’s help, Chandragupta
Maurya overthrew the Nandas in 321 bce and
established the Mauryan Empire. After consolidating
his position in Magadha, Chandragupta conquered
Punjab and other parts of North India. He defeated
Seleucus Nicator, the Greek governor appointed
by Alexander, they signed a treaty and also carried
out a marriage alliance between his daughter and
Chandragupta Maurya. Seleucus sent Megasthenes
as an envoy to India. Chandragupta was gifted
modern Afghanistan, Baluchistan and Makran as a
part of the alliance. Chandragupta also conquered
many areas in the south. His empire stretched
beyond the Vindhyas up to the Deccan. Thus, we see
how his empire extended from the Hindu Kush in the
north-west to Bengal in the east and Himalayas in
the north to Narmada in the south. He established
the Mauryan capital at Pataliputra.
5. The Mauryan administration was well-defined, based
on the guidelines for good government laid down by
Chanakya in Arthashastra.
12 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
• The king held supreme power.
• He took important decisions only after consulting his
ministers.
• The empire was divided into provinces such as
Suvarnagiri and Takshila.
• These were further divided into districts, which
comprised of several towns or villages.
• The village headman gramika took care of the
immediate problems.
• The capital city was directly administered by the emperor.
• Officials were appointed by the king to help in the
administration—called the amatyas, mahamatras and
yuktas, collected taxes from the people.
• They were also responsible for the administration of
law and justice.
8. Life in Towns and Villages
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. c
3. a
5. b
7. a
9. c
2. a
4. c
6. a
8. a
10. b
B. Match the following.
1. f
2. e
3. d
4. c
5. b
6. a
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. F
3. F
4. F
5. T
D. Very short answer questions
1. Northern Black Polished Ware
2. Ordinary ploughmen or uzhavars
3. Rich landowners or vellalars
4. Archaeological excavations at Kumrahar, near Patna
in Bihar, have revealed the remains of a Mauryan
palace. Here, ceramic pots with rings placed one on
top of the other have been found. These are called
ring wells.
5. Merchants and craftsmen.
E. Short answer questions
1. Merchant guilds comprised of traders and
merchants, while craft guild included leather and
ivory workers. These guilds provided technical
training, collected the raw materials and distributed
the finished products.
2. Archaeological evidence shows punch-marked coins
with the designs punched on to the metal-silver or
copper-and tess frequently on tin, lead and potin.
3. Vellalars : rich landowners, uzhavaars : ordinary
ploughmen, adimai : landless labourers
4. Sangam literature is one of the main sources used
for documenting the early history of the ancient
Tamil country. The ancient Sangam poems mention
numerous kings, princes and poets, the existence
of some of whom have been confirmed through
archaeological evidence.
5. madurai was famous for cotton textiles. Varanasi was
popular for silk.
F. Long answer questions
1. The religion played an important role in the
urbanization in the Gangetic plain. In the 6th century
B.C. people had worship places in only a few places.
Gradually, these religious places saw the emergence
of towns. Vaishali was one of such town to grow out
of religious importance.
2. The village headman was considered as the grama
bhojaka in the Northern part of the country. Gram
bhojaka post was hereditary in nature. The grama
bhojaka had slaves and hired workers to cultivate
the land. He was often the largest land holder in the
village and used to collect taxes on the king’s behalf.
3. The “Second Urbanisation” occurred after 500 BCE, with
new urban centers popping up throughout the Ganges
plain, precisely the Central Ganges plain. During the
second urbanization, iron was widely utilized, and
agricultural productivity increased, leading to the
establishment of several towns and cities.
4. Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) is a type
of ancient Indian pottery associated with the later
stages of the Indus Valley Civilization and the
subsequent Mauryan period. It is characterized by its
distinctive black color and polished surface, which
gives it a shiny appearance.
5. Coinage and urbanization which are linked
also facilitated the growth of trade in the country
internally as well as with other countries. Maritime
trade prospered especially with Rome during the
Satavahana rule in the Deccan.
9. Contact with Distant Lands
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
3. a
5. a
2. b
4. c
6. c
7. b
8. a
9. a
10. b
B. Match the following.
1. c
2. e
3. a
4. b
5. d
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. T
D. Very short answer questions
1. Hinayana
2. Gautamiputra Satakarni
3. Mahayana
4. The compositions of ancient Tamil poets are
collectively called Sangam Literature.
5. The new deities in the Hindu religion that gained
importance were Vishnu and Shiva as well as
goddesses such as Durga. These deities were
worshipped through Bhakti and the movement was
called Bhakti movement.
E. Short answer questions
1. Chinese silk was very popular among the Romans
so, traders transported vast quantities of Chinese silk
and other items from China to the Roman Empire.
They used a land route cutting across Central
Asia. This land trade route used by traders to carry
Chinese products, especially silk to Western Asia
and thus came to be known as the Silk Route. This
route passed through mountains and deserts and
was very risky and dangerous. Some Indian kings,
who had their kingdoms adjacent to the Silk Route,
began to tax the traders as they passed through the
Indian kingdoms. In return, the Indian kings assured
them full protection from robbers and bandits. Many
rulers tried to control the route.
2. Mahayana Buddhism was different from the older
form of Buddhism in two distinct ways. Firstly, the
statues of Buddha began to be made in new form
and secondly the idea of Bodhisattvas emerged who
had attained enlightenment and helped others to
attain the same. Signs of Buddha in the sculptures of
peepal tree was prominent in old form of Buddhism
3. Kaniska was a great patron of Buddhism and helped
to spread the religion throughout his empire.
He built many Buddhist temples and monasteries
and encouraged the study of Buddhist scriptures.
He also sent missionaries to China to spread the
teachings of Buddhism there.
4. The Chinese pilgrims came to India to visit places
associated with the life and teachings of the Buddha
as well as famous monasteries. They procured
Buddhist religious books also. They carried some
books back with them.
5. This powerful dynasty, also called the Andhras, ruled
the Deccan (present-day Maharashtra, Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh) for nearly four hundred years.
This dynasty was founded by Simukha in 235 bce. He
ruled for 23 years and was succeeded by Kahna. One
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 13
of their most important rulers was Gautamiputra
Satakarni (106-130 ce). Trade routes saw further
development under the Satavahana rule. The capital
of the Satavahanas was Prathisthan or Paithan in
Maharashtra. Satavahana kings were interested in
encouraging trade. They called themselves ‘Lords
of Dakshinapatha’ and sought to control the coast
as well. Satavahana kings also encouraged the
construction of roads to improve communication
throughout the northern Deccan. These kings used a
matronymic system or the names of their mothers to
identify themselves in their inscriptions. For example,
Gautamiputra Satakarni was the son of Gautami,
while Vasisthiputra Satakarni was the son of Vasisthi.
F. Long answer questions
1. The most powerful Chola king was Karikala. The
Chola kingdom was called Cholamandalam. Earliest
capital of the Cholas was at Uraiyur. It covered the
present-day regions of Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur
in Tamil Nadu. It was famous for its cotton textiles,
and a secondary capital at Kaveripattinam, which was
a major trading port. The emblem of the Chola kings
was the tiger.
2. Xuan Zang is also known as the prince of pilgrims
because he visited significant pilgrims centres
associated with the life of Buddha.
3. The foreign travellers or the envoys came to India to
know the country in a much better way, to study the
Indian culture or to establish trading relations with
Indian traders. We can know about Ancient India
from the books written by foreign travellers. Name
of the book written by Megasthenes was “Indica”.
4. Chinese silk was very popular among the Romans
so, traders transported vast quantities of Chinese silk
and other items from China to the Roman Empire.
They used a land route cutting across Central
Asia. This land trade route used by traders to carry
Chinese products, especially silk to Western Asia
and thus came to be known as the Silk Route. This
route passed through mountains and deserts and
was very risky and dangerous. Some Indian kings,
who had their kingdoms adjacent to the Silk Route,
began to tax the traders as they passed through the
Indian kingdoms. In return, the Indian kings assured
them full protection from robbers and bandits. Many
rulers tried to control the route.
5. Kanishka was a great patron of Buddhism. He also
took an interest in the religious debates of his time;
it was during his reign that the Fourth Buddhist
Council was held. As in earlier councils, many
decisions were taken regarding the teachings of the
Buddha. It was attended by Ashvagosha, Nagarjuna,
Taranth and Charaka. As a result, Buddhism split
into two groups—Hinayana and Mahayana. The
new group came to be known as Mahayana (or
the Greater Vehicle), while the orthodox Buddhism
14 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
was called the Hinayana (or the Lesser Vehicle). The
split happened over the question of worship of the
Buddha as God and belief in Bodhisattvas. Buddhist
scholars now began writing in Sanskrit.
10. Political Developments
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
3. b
5. c
7. c
9. a
2. b
4. c
6. c
8. a
10. b
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. Harshacharita
4. Chandragupta II
2. Chandragupta I
5. Chandragupta II
3. Ravikirti, Pulakeshin II
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. Prashasti
2. Kannauj
3. Allahabad Pillar inscription
4. Chandragupta II
5. Because they made great advances in art,
architecture and science.
E. Short answer questions
1. Harshavardhan was a great patron of art and
learning and this is visible from the fact that he
himself wrote three books, i.e. Ratnavali, Nagnanda
and Priyadarshika. In his court, there were some
great patrons of art like Banabhatta, Dandin and
Subandhu present. He encouraged various forms of
art and architecture.
2. Chandragupta I is said to have issued coins with
the The first important ruler of the Gupta dynasty—
Chandragupta I ascended the throne in 320 ce. He
received Magadha as a part of his dowry when he
married Kumaradevi, a Lichchhavi princess.
• Chandragupta I ruled for 15 years and assumed the
title of Maharajadhiraja or ‘King of kings’.
• He ruled over Magadha, Saketa and Prayag from
Pataliputra. Image of his queen Kumaradevi on
them.
3. The most authentic source of information about
Samudragupta is the Allahabad Pillar inscription
(Prayaga prashasti), composed by his court poet,
Harisena.
4. The Guptas organized a system of provincial and
local administration. The empire was divided into
divisions called bhukth, and each bhukti was placed
under the charge of an uparika. The bhuktis were
divided into districts (vishayas), which were placed
under the charge of a vishayapati.
5. He became the ruler of Kannauj after the death of
his brother-in-law, Grihavarman.
• He became the king at the age of 16.
• After ascending to the throne, Harsha shifted his
capital from Thanesar to Kannauj.
• He entered into an alliance with Bhaskarvarman,
the king of Assam.
• His empire included the territories of distant feudal
kings.
• He governed the empire on the same lines as the
Guptas.
• Harsha ruled for more than 40 years. Although he
was not able to extend his power to the east and
Deccan, Harsha did bring parts of Punjab, Kashmir
Nepal and Gujarat under his control.
F. Long answer questions
1. Prayag Prashasti was an article composed
by Harisena, the court poet of Emperor
Samudragupta of the Gupta dynasty. This inscription
was engraved on the Ashoka pillar brought from
Kaushambi by Samudragupta in 200 AD. It describes
the kingdoms that fought with Samudragupta and
were defeated and subordinated to him.
2. The village remained the basic unit of administration.
Land revenue remained important. There were some
new developments as well:
• Theoretically, the king was the most powerful
person and the centre of administration.
• A council of ministers or mantri parishad, assisted
the king in administrative matters. There were
many other administrative officials at the provincial
level and at the district level.
• Sometimes the same person held many offices.
• Harisena was a mahadandanayaka or the chief
judicial officer like his father. He was also a sandhivigrahika or the minister of war and peace.
• A province was called a bhukti and was further
divided into districts called vishayas. Each bhukti
was placed under the charge of amoan uparika.
• Kumaramatyas were important officials appointed
by the king in provinces, and were usually paid in
cash. The revenue collected from the land became
their income. It is important to note that some
posts were made hereditary.
• Besides administrative officials, other categories of
people began to enjoy a greater say in local or city
administration. For example, the nagara shresthi
(the chief merchant or the chief banker or the
leader of the most powerful guild), the sarthavaha
(the Purusapura leader of the caravans), the
prathama kulika (the chief artisan or craftsman) and
the chief kayastha (the most important scribe) were
people who had a say in city administration.
3. We get to know about this period from the books
written by court poets on the exploits of their
kings are known as charita kavyas. Sometimes,
such biographies of kings or records of their
achievements would be first composed by court
poets and then engraved on stone in the form of
long inscriptions. These were called prashastis.
‘Prashasti’ is a Sanskrit word, meaning ‘praise’. The
prashasti describing the exploits of King Kharavela
of Kalinga in the Hathigumpha Cave in Odisha is an
important example. There are some prashastis of the
Satavahana rulers as well. However, they were more
common in the Gupta period. We also get a lot of
information from the accounts of foreign travellers
such as Fa-Hien. The main archaeological source is
the Prayagraj pillar inscription of Samudragupta, also
known as the Prayag Prashasti.
4. The Pallavas of Kanchi rose in 574 ce under
Simhavishnu. They ruled over northern Tamil Nadu
and parts of southern Andhra Pradesh. Their capital
was at Kanchipuram or Kanchi. Kanchipuram came
to be known as the Golden City and emerged
as an important centre for culture, religion and
education. The most important Pallava kings
were Mahendravarman I and Narasimhavarman
I. Narasimhavarman defeated Pulakesin II and
captured Vatapi. After this, he assumed the title of
Vatapikonda (the conqueror of Vatapi). The Pallavas
made significant and lasting contributions in the
field of art, architecture and literature.
5. As in North India, kings in South India were also
powerful. They adopted elaborate titles and
had large armies. However, much of the local
government was in the hands of assemblies of
different kinds. These assemblies continued to play a
major role in administration for centuries.
Local Governance:
Assemblies in South India
Sabha:
 an assembly
of brahmana
landowners
 worked through
a number of
committees, such
as, committees
in irrigation,
agriculture,
maintenance of
roads, etc.
Nagatam:
 an assembly
of rich
merchants
 primarily
functioned
in towns and
cities and
looked after
a wide variety
of urban and
administrative
matters.
Ur:
 another
assembly
at village
level
 consisted
of nonbrahmana
landowners
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 15
11. Emergence of Culture and Science
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
3. b
5. b
7. a
9. c
2. b
4. a
6. a
8. c
10. a
B. Match the following.
1. b
2. e
3. c
4. d
5. a
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. F
3. F
4. F
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. A stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure
containing relics that is used as a place of meditation.
2. There are four types of Vedas – Rigveda, Samaveda,
Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda.
3. Silappathikaram and Manimek.
4. The book describes over 120 surgical instruments,
300 surgical procedures and 8 human surgeries in 8
categories.
5. Ramayana and Mahabharata
E. Short answer questions
1. Manimekalai was composed by Sattanar. It is the
story of the daughters of Kovalan and Madhavi.
2. He was a famous astronomer and mathematician.
Aryabhatta believed that the earth moves round the
sun as well as on its own axis,
3. Varahmihira was a famous astronomer and
mathematician and wrote books on astronomy.
4. Science, especially medical science made great
progress. Charaka wrote the Charaka Samhita. It
is an ancient Indian ayurvedic text on medicine. It
is like the encyclopedia of Ayurvedic medicine. It
describes various types of fevers, leprosy, hysteria
and tuberculosis.
5. Ajanta and Ellora
The most famous examples of cave architecture can
be found near Mumbai, at Ajanta and Ellora. They
were hollowed out of the hills over centuries. The
Ajanta and Ellora caves have been declared as World
Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Elephanta Caves
Carved out of a hill on the Island of Elephanta, a
short boat ride away from Mumbai, this brahmanical
cave temple is really remarkable. It has three
entrances. The hall has six rows of pillars. It contains
many finely sculpted panels. The most striking of
them is the one that depicts the Trimurti or the
three-headed Shiva.
F. Long answer questions
1. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the two
greatest epics of Indian literature. The Ramayana is
said to have been composed by sage Valmiki and
16 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
centres around the lives of Lord Rama, his wife Sita,
and their many travails. It contains around 24,000
verses. The Mahabharata, supposedly composed by
Ved Vyas, has about 100,000 verses and recounts the
story of the struggle between the Kaurava and the
Pandava families. It also contains the Bhagavad Gita,
a sacred book of the Hindus. Both the epics describe
dharma or the path of truth.
2. The Vedic people discovered the concept of zero.
They developed Mathematics, Geometry and
Algebra. The Vedic people were astronomers.
They observed the heavenly bodies and prepared
calendars on the basis of their movement. They
predicted the time of the solar and lunar eclipses.
During the Gupta period, there were two wellknown mathematicians and astronomers. They
were Aryabhatta and Varahmihira. While Aryabhatta
believed that the earth moves round the sun as
well as on its own axis, Varahmihira wrote books in
astronomy.
3. The Vedic people discovered the concept of zero.
They developed Mathematics, Geometry and
Algebra. The Vedic people were astronomers.
They observed the heavenly bodies and prepared
calendars on the basis of their movement. They
predicted the time of the solar and lunar eclipses.
During the Gupta period, there were two wellknown mathematicians and astronomers. They
were Aryabhatta and Varahmihira. While Aryabhatta
believed that the earth moves round the sun as
well as on its own axis, Varahmihira wrote books in
astronomy.
4. The Arthashastra written by Chanakya and
Megasthenes’ Indika are examples of secular
literature. The Arthashastra is a book on the political
and military art of governance. Similarly, India gives
us a detailed picture of the political, economic and
social conditions prevailing during the Maurya
period. Banabhatta’s Harshacharita describes not
only the life that existed during the rule of King
Harshavardhana but also the life of the ordinary
people. The poet says that some of his childhood
companions were a snake charmer, a goldsmith, a
dancer, a potter and a wandering saint. The best
Sanskrit words were written during the Gupta period.
Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam was the first Sanskrit book to
be translated into English.
5. A stupa is a semi-spherical (dome like) burial
mound—a Buddhist monument for keeping sacred
relics, also known as a shrine. The pradakshina patha
was a pathway on which devotees walked around a
stupa. The torana was the outer gateway. Gradually,
stupa architecture became increasingly ornate. The
Amravati stupa was adorned with many carved
panels.
Geography
12. The Planet Earth
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
3. a
5. b
7. b
9. a
2. c
4. b
6. b
8. a
10. a
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. 28
4. Comet
2. artificial satellites
5. stars
3. blue
C. Match the following.
1. e
2. d
3. b
4. c
5. a
D. Very short answer questions
1. Mercury
4. Jupiter
2. Neptune
5. Mercury
3. Saturn
E. Short answer questions
1. All the objects that we see in the sky are called
heavenly or celestial bodies. They include the stars,
the planets, satellites, comets, meteors and asteroids.
2. The big bang is how astronomers explain the way
the universe began. It is the idea that the universe
began as just a single point, then expanded and
stretched to grow as large as it is right now—and it
is still stretching.
3. A star is a burning ball of fire that emits heat and
light of its own. A planet does not have any light of
its own. It only reflects the light that falls on it.
4. Stars are away from the earth millions of kilometres
away. It is not convenient to express such a large
distance in the units of km. So, the distance of stars
from the earth is expressed in light years. One light
year is the distance that light travels in one year in a
vacuum.
5. We use light-years to measure distances in space
because it helps us understand how far away objects
are in the universe. This is the distance light travels
in a year, which is a big number but makes sense for
the vast distances in space. It’s like using a standard
ruler to measure things on Earth, but for space, we
use light-years because the speed of light is constant
and it’s an easier way to describe larger distances.
F. Long answer questions
1. An asteroid is a rocky object that orbits the Sun.
Asteroids are smaller than a planet. Comets are small
icy dirtballs that orbit the Sun; comets are made of
ice and dust while asteroids are made of rock). A
small body of matter from outer space that enters
the earth’s atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a
result of friction and appearing as a streak of light.
2. The family of the sun, the eight planets and
approximately 173 satellites with many asteroids,
comets and meteors make up the solar system.
These heavenly bodies revolve around the sun. Sol in
Latin means the Sun, so the Sun and all the heavenly
bodies related to it make up the solar system. The
chief outlining factors of the solar system are:
• It formed about 4.6 billion years ago.
• The Sun, the planets and other celestial bodies
have their own gravity of different strengths. This
pull on each other is what holds them in place in
the solar system and keeps them where they are.
• The time taken to complete a revolution around
the Sun is different for different planets and is
calculated in years. The farther a planet is from
the Sun, the longer is its time for revolution (year).
Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, has a year
of 88 Earth days. Neptune, the planet farthest from
the Sun, has a year of 60,266 Earth days. The Earth
takes 365 and 1/4 days to complete one revolution
around the Sun.
3. The Earth is neither too far nor too close to the sun.
• The Earth receives the right amount of heat to
allow life to flourish here.
• The Earth is the only planet to have life on it. We
have already read why Earth is called a blue planet.
• The atmosphere around the Earth functions as
a protective blanket preventing the entry of the
harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. It moderates the
climate, causes rainfall and is rich in oxygen.
• The Earth has soil that allows the growth of plants
on it.
• Together, the air, water and land create a life
sustaining environment.
4. There are two different types of satellites – natural
and man-made. Examples of natural satellites are
the Earth and Moon. The Earth rotates around the
Sun and the Moon rotates around the Earth. A manmade satellite is a machine that is launched into
space and orbits around a body in space.
5. As the Moon moves around the Earth only some
parts of this lighted portion are visible. These are
called phases of the moon. It appears as though the
Moon is changing shape every night. On the Full
Moon night, also called Purnima, the Moon appears
as a whole because the bright hemisphere of the
Moon is visible to us. On the New Moon night or
Amavasya, we feel that we cannot see the Moon,
whereas it is the dark hemisphere of the Moon that
faces the Earth. In between the New Moon and the
Full Moon, the shape appears to be growing, it is
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 17
called the waxing period. Between the Full Moon
and the New Moon phase, when the shape appears
to be reducing, it is called the waning period.
Poles. Lines of Longitude are also called meridians.
Meridian comes from a Latin word that means
midday.
4. With respect to businesses at a global level, there
should be compatibility between the standard times
of various countries. To facilitate this, the world has
been divided into 24 time zones. These time zones
have been created with reference to the Prime
Meridian itself.
5. To help us locate places on the earth’s surface,
we use a coordinate system. This coordinate system
is like placing a giant grid over the earth. This grid
has lines extending from east to west called lines
of latitude and lines extending from north to south
called lines of longitude.
F. Long answer questions
13. Latitudes and Longitudes
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
3. a
5. b
7. a
9. c
2. a
4. b
6. b
8. b
10. c
B. Match the columns.
1. d
2. a
3. e
4. e
5. c
6. b
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. T
3. F
4. F
5. T
D. Very short answer questions
1. A globe is a miniature replica of the earth.
2. Southern.
3. By international agreement, the 180° meridian is
called the International Date Line and it is 180° both
east and west.
4. Frigid zone
5. Latitude is the angular distance of a place north
or south of the equator. Longitude is the angular
distance of a place east or west of Prime Meridian.
E. Short answer questions
1. The poles come in the frigid zone of the earth which
receive the slanting rays of the sun. Because the rays
are not direct, the poles are very cold.
2. On the basis of the distance from the equator, the
climatic zones are broadly divided as under: Torrid
zone, Temperate zone, Frigid zone.
3. Lines of Latitude are called parallels because the
lines parallel, or run in the same direction as the
equator. Lines of Longitude intersect the equator
at right angles but end at the North and the South
18 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
1. On the basis of the distance from the equator, the
climatic zones are broadly divided as under:
• The Torrid Zone—it lies between the Tropic of
Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the south. The Equator falls in this zone. Since this
region receives direct rays of the Sun throughout
the year, it is the hottest zone.
• The Temperate Zone— it is a zone of moderate
temperatures. The North Temperate Zone lies
between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle.
The South Temperate Zone lies between the Tropic
of Capricorn and Antarctic Circle. The rays of the
Sun reach the Earth’s surface at a slanted angle
throughout the year.
• The Frigid Zone—it is a very cold zone (‘frigid’
means cold). The North Frigid Zone lies between
the Arctic Circle and the North Pole while the South
Frigid Zone lies between the Antarctic Circle and
the South Pole. These regions are extremely cold
and permanently frozen because the Sun’s rays
reach the Earth’s surface at an extremely slanted
angle.
2. Latitudes are horizontal lines that measure distance
north or south of the equator. Longitudes are
vertical lines that measure east or west of the
meridian in Greenwich, England.
3. West to East
4. 365, days 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds
5. 21st June and 22nd December.
E. Short answer questions
1. The rotation of the Earth, along with the tilt of the
axis, has a major effect on the distribution of sunlight
that the Earth receives. This causes day and night.
2. The revolution of the Earth along with its inclined
axis determines the primary distribution of the sun’s
energy throughout the Earth. Its primary effect is
the occurrence of different seasons throughout
the Earth. The varying lengths of day and night
throughout the Earth are a result of this.
3. The annual movement of the Earth around the Sun
along a fixed path is called revolution. The fixed
elliptical path along which the Earth revolves is
called its orbit.
4. For convenience, a year is considered equal to 365
days and every fourth year; the remaining 6 hours
are added to give an extra day (6 hours × 4 years
24 hours day). The year with 366 days is called a
leap year.
5. The word Equinox is derived from the Latin word
that means equal nights. We witness two equinoxes
in a year—the Autumnal Equinox and the Spring
Equinox.
F. Long answer questions
1. The circular line that separates night from day is
called the circle of illumination. In between day and
night is a period of diffused light termed as dawn
and dusk or twilight. When the sun has not yet
appeared at daybreak, it is called dawn and when
there is a period of faint light before total darkness
of night, it is termed as dusk.
D. Very short answer questions
1. Rotation and Revolution
2. rotation
Axi
s
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. T
3. T
4. F
5. F
S
E
P
Y
Day
A
r
R
W
ato
S
S P
Equ
U N
Night
th’s
9. c
10. c
Ear
7. b
8. c
Circle of illumination
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
3. b
5. a
2. b
4. b
6. a
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. elliptical
2. spring equinox
3. rotation
4. revolution
5. orbit
6. tilt
P
S
N
14. Rotation and Revolution
S
3. Importance of Latitudes
• They help us to determine the location of places
and their relative distances.
• They help us to demarcate the Earth into Heat
Zones.
• We can determine the general temperature and
climate of a place with the help of latitudes.
Apart from helping in locating places, longitudes
are also important in measuring time. Since time
immemorial our concept of time is based on the
position and apparent movement of Sun across the
sky. This is due to rotation of the Earth on its axis
from west to east. The Earth completes one circle of
rotation through 360º in 24 hours. This means that
each of the 360 degrees of longitude face the Sun
at midday once in 24 hours.
4. The values of latitudes are marked with ‘N’ or
‘S’ because latitudes are the lines running from north
to south. The values of latitudes are marked with
‘E’ or ‘W’ because longitudes are thee lines running
from east to west.
5. By international agreement, the 180° meridian is
called the International Date Line and it is 180° both
east and west. In the adjacent, you can see that the
180° meridian is exactly 12 hours away from the
Prime Meridian, in either direction.
• If we move from the right (Western Hemisphere) to
the left (Eastern Hemisphere) of the 180° line, we
get ahead by a day, or we lose a day.
• If we move from the left (Eastern Hemisphere) to
the right (Western Hemisphere), we go back by a
day, or gain a day.
• Ships and airplanes, on crossing this line, therefore,
change the date on their calendar.
2.The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, and
the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. The
summer solstice occurs when the sun is at its highest
point in the sky, and the winter solstice occurs when
the sun is at its lowest point in the sky.
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 19
3. The earth’s spin axis is tilted with respect to its
orbital plane. This is what causes the seasons. When
the earth’s axis points towards the sun, it is summer
for that hemisphere. When the earth’s axis points
away, winter can be expected.
4. The two hemispheres have opposite seasons because:
• When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards
the Sun, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away
from it.
• When the Southern hemisphere is tilted towards
the Sun, the Northern hemisphere is tilted away
from it.
5. Rotation refers to the spinning motion of an object
around its own axis, influencing phenomena such
as day and night. Revolution refers to the orbital
motion of an object around another object,
determining the duration of a year and affecting
seasons.
15. Map and Map Reading
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
3. b
5. b
7. a
9. b
2. b
4. c
6. c
8. c
10. a
B. Match the columns.
1. e
2. d
3. a
4. b
5. c
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. T
3. T
4. F
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. A map is a representation of the Earth’s surface or a
part of it, drawn on a flat surface, to a scale.
2. Cartography is the science of preparing and studying
maps. A cartographer is a person who makes maps.
3. there are four directions on a compass-North (N),
South (S), East (E) and West (W). These are known as
cardinal directions or cardinal points.
4. These are also called relief maps. They show relief
features or landforms of the Earth’s surface, such
as mountains, plains, deserts, coastlines and water
bodies like rivers, lakes, and seas
5. The index or legend of a map gives the key to the
symbols used on the map. These symbols help to
avoid labelling the map with full names and too
many details.
E. Short answer questions
1. Maps provide a lot of information includes—
mountains, peaks, towns, roads, etc. It is not possible
to show these using their actual size and shape. It is
also not possible to label all of them within the map.
Therefore, cartographers use a set of standard signs
and symbols that are internationally accepted to
depict certain features and characteristics. These are
known as conventional symbols.
20 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
2. Gives a true and clear idea about the true shape
and relative size of continents and oceans. Threedimensional representation of Earth.
3. Political, physical and thematic.
4.
Globe
Map
True spherical model of
the Earth.
Cannot be made for a
part of the Earth.
Representation of a part
or the whole Earth on a
flat surface.
Can represent any part
of the Earth.
5. Maps provide a lot of information includes—
mountains, peaks, towns, roads, etc. It is not possible
to show these using their actual size and shape. It is
also not possible to label all of them within the map.
Therefore, cartographers use a set of standard signs
and symbols that are internationally accepted to
depict certain features and characteristics. These are
known as conventional symbols.
F. Long answer questions
1. A globe is a three-dimensional sphere while a map
is two-dimensional. The globe represents the whole
earth, whereas a map may represent the whole
earth or just a part of it. A globe can be used to
get a broad-level picture of the world while maps
provide more specific information about different
places. Maps provide a visual representation
of space, allowing us to understand the layout
and relationships between different geographic
features. Whether it’s a world map, a city plan, or
a topographic map, each type of map helps us
develop a better understanding of our surroundings.
2. Scale is the ratio between the distance on a map
and the actual distance on the ground or the Earth’s
surface. The distance between any two points on
the map, measured along a straight line, is the map
distance. A small distance on a map represents a
large distance on the ground, based on a certain
scale or value. Small-scale Maps: These show very
large areas on a single map. Hence, they cannot
show the details. The scale is usually 1: 100,000,000.
Large-scale Maps: They show small areas with
greater details. The scale is usually 1:100.
3. Small-scale Maps: These show very large areas on
a single map. Hence, they cannot show the details.
The scale is usually 1: 100,000,000. Large-scale Maps:
They show small areas with greater details. The scale
is usually 1:100.
4. Essential Features of a Map There are three
components of maps. Every map should have
these components that help us in interpreting
and understanding it properly. These essential
components are—direction, distance (scale) and
symbol. Each map also has a title—depending on
the kind of information the map conveys and the
part of the Earth being represented, we give a title to
the map. For example: Political Map of India, Rivers
Map of India, Wildlife Map of India, etc.
5. Sketches are not drawn to scale and therefore, they
can be drawn quickly to give a rough idea of the
layout of a certain area or to show the route and
locations of places.
16. Realms of the Earth
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. c
3. b
5. b
7. b
9. b
2. b
4. c
6. a
8. c
10. b
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. biosphere
2. evaporation, condensation, precipitation
3. ozone
4. condensation
5. rain
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. F
3. T
4. F
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. LITHOSPHERE, HYDROSPHERE, ATMOSPHERE,
BIOSPHERE
2. Australia
3. The realm of the earth with life on it.
4. A place where a living organism lives.
5. Pacific Ocean
E. Short answer questions
1. Biosphere, because it contains all forms of life.
2. 7 Continents. The 7 continents are given below:
Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America,
Australia, Antarctica.
• 5 Oceans. The 5 Oceans are given below:
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic
Ocean, Antarctic Ocean.
3. The hydrological cycle is the sum total of all
processes in which water moves from the land and
ocean surface to the atmosphere and back in form
of precipitation. It is also known as the water cycle.
4. Nitrogen and oxygen are the two main gases in our
atmosphere. 78% is nitrogen and 21% is oxygen. The
remaining 1% mostly contains argon, carbon dioxide,
and several other gases like hydrogen, helium, neon,
krypton, xenon, methane, ozone, and water vapour.
5. Global warming is an aspect of climate change,
referring to the long-term rise of the planet’s
temperatures. It is caused by increased
concentrations of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, mainly from human activities such as
burning fossil fuels, and farming.
F. Long answer questions
1. Lithosphere- the solid sphere of rocks and soil. It
comprises rocks and minerals of the crust and the
thin layers of soil over it. About 29% of the Earth’s
surface is covered with large landmasses termed as
continents. The rest 71% is covered with water. The
huge water bodies surrounding the landmasses are
termed as oceans. The outermost layer is known as
the crust. Below it is the mantle and below the mantle
is the core, which is the innermost layer of the Earth.
The entire crust and the uppermost solid part of the
mantle make up the lithosphere, meaning the sphere
of solid rock. ‘Lithos’ in Greek means ‘rock’.
Inner Core
Outer Core
Mantle
Crust
2. The major importance of the hydrosphere is
that water sustains various life forms. It plays an
important role in ecosystems and regulating the
atmosphere. The hydrosphere covers all water
present on the surface of the earth. It involves
saltwater, freshwater, and frozen water along with
groundwater. Also, water in the lower levels of the
atmosphere. Following are the reasons why the
hydrosphere is important:
• Water is the most important part of living cells
Every cell in a living organism is built up of
about 75% of water. It allows the cell to function
appropriately. Cells would not able to carry
out their normal functioning and the life of
a cell cannot exist without water.
• For human needs
Humans use water in many ways for different
purposes. Drinking water is the most obvious
use by humans. This water is also in use for
domestic purposes like washing and cleaning and
in industries. Water is also in use for generating
electricity through hydropower.
• Water provides habitat
Hydrosphere provides a place for many plants
and animals to survive. Many gases like CO2, O2,
nutrients like ammonium and nitrite NO−2 as
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 21
well as other ions that are dissolved in water. The
presence of these substances is important for life to
exist in water.
• Regulate Climate
The specific heat of water is its unique
characteristics. This shows that water takes a lot of
time to heat up and a lot of time to cool down. This
helps in regulating temperatures on earth. This is
because they stay in a range that is acceptable for
life on earth to exist.
3. Human beings are an important part of the
biosphere and also the biggest contributing
factor in managing the delicate balance of nature.
For example, indiscriminate development and
urbanisation has resulted in the loss of forest cover
and pollution. By deforestation, we have damaged
soil. Forest cover has been removed. Wildlife is in
danger. The air, land and water are polluted with
industrial wastes and smoke from vehicles. Increase
of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere has led to
global warming—the natural resources are being
used up rapidly and there is no concern for future
generations. Stringent measure needs to be taken
to preserve the Earth by adopting the three R’s –
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
4. Importance of Oceans
• They are the main source of moisture in the
atmosphere.
• They are a huge store house of minerals—
petroleum, natural gas and salts.
• They support various life forms and supply with sea
food.
• Since ancient times, ocean transport has been of
great importance in trade between countries.
5. The thin envelop of air surrounding the Earth is
called the atmosphere. It is a thin blanket of gases
that wraps the Earth and protects it.
Layers of the Atmosphere The atmosphere can be
divided into layers based on certain characteristics of
the air at different levels. The temperature changes
in these layers with height.
• Troposphere—
Lowest layer.
Supports life.
Extends upwards for about 8 km to 16 km.
Most weather phenomena are noticed here.
• Stratosphere—
Contains the most important ozone layer that
protects us from the ultraviolet rays of the Sun.
• Mesosphere—
The layer where many meteors get burnt as they
enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
22 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
Stretches to about 85 km.
• Thermosphere—
Includes the ionosphere which is important as
its electrified molecules or ions make radio and
television wave transmission possible.
All satellites are, therefore, stationed in this layer.
• Exosphere—
Made up of extremely rarefied air.
Extends to about 10,000 km.
Space stations are located at its lower margins.
It merges with outer space.
17. Relief Features of Continents
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
3. a
5. c
7. b
9. b
2. a
4. c
6. c
8. c
10. c
B. Match the columns.
1. d
2. b
3. a
4. e
5. c
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. F
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. The highest point on a mountain.
2. The three major relief features that characterise the
continents are—mountains, plateaus, and plains.
3. The raised chunks form the block mountains or
horst, and the sunken portion forms the rift valley or
graben.
4. Volcanic mountains are formed when hot molten
rock (magma) found deep inside the Earth, erupts
through openings or vents in the crust and piles up
on the surface.
5. Magma is called lava when it breaks through the
crust and comes to the surface of the Earth.
E. Short answer questions
1. Fold Mountains When a part of the Earth’s surface
gets pushed up because of pressure from both sides
of horizontal layers of rocks, it forms wrinkles or
folds. Such elevations are called Fold Mountains.
Block Mountains Block Mountains are formed due
to the horizontal forces which cause tension and
create cracks or faults in the Earth’s crust. The chunk
of land between those cracks may lift up or cave
in. The raised chunks form the block mountains or
horst, and the sunken portion forms the rift valley or
garben. These mountains have flat tops and steep
slopes.
Volcanic mountains are formed when hot molten
rock (magma) found deep inside the Earth, erupts
through openings or vents in the crust and piles up
on the surface.
2. Anticline refers to structures that dip downwards
from a median line, forming a “hill,” while syncline
refers to structures that dip upwards from a median
line, forming a “valley.”
3. Significance of Mountains
• They act as physical barriers against hot and cold
winds.
• They also form physical barriers against the enemy
countries.
• The glaciers on the mountains melt to form rivers,
which provide us with water and fertile alluvial soil
to form deltas and plains.
• They are important for economic activities such as
tourism and fruit cultivation (horticulture).
• The rivers which originate from the mountains
provide us with water.
• The dense forests in the mountains provide
abundant oxygen, wood and habitation for the
wildlife.
4. Plateaus are useful in many ways:
• They are the storehouses of minerals.
• The rivers form waterfalls in plateaus which are a
source of hydel power.
• The black soil in the plateaus is rich and fertile for
growing crops like cotton and sugarcane.
• These are also excellent tourist spots.
5. Most plains are formed when the rivers and their
tributaries carry and deposit materials from the
mountains and plateaus. The materials that the rivers
carry include silt, clay and sand. Together, they are
called alluvium, which is why such plains are also
called alluvial plains.
F. Long answer questions
1. Fold Mountains When a part of the Earth’s surface
gets pushed up because of pressure from both sides
of horizontal layers of rocks, it forms wrinkles or
folds. Such elevations are called Fold Mountains.
Block Mountains Block Mountains are formed due
to the horizontal forces which cause tension and
create cracks or faults in the Earth’s crust. The chunk
of land between those cracks may lift up or cave
in. The raised chunks form the block mountains or
horst, and the sunken portion forms the rift valley
or garben. These mountains have flat tops and
steep slopes.
Volcanic mountains are formed when hot molten
rock (magma) found deep inside the Earth, erupts
through openings or vents in the crust and piles up
on the surface.
2. Landforms are formed by both endogenic and
exogenic forces. Endogenic forces: Sudden forces
like earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides. Exogenic
forces: Erosional and depositional landforms formed
because of agents like water, wind, sea waves and
glaciers.
3. Old fold mountains are lower than young fold
Mountain, Young fold mountains are higher than
Old fold mountain. Old fold mountains have a gentle
slope; young fold mountain has a rugged slope. Rift
valleys are lengthy-long, narrow depressions on the
earth’s surface bordered by parallel faults.
4. A mountain is any natural elevation of the
earth surface. It is considerably higher than the
surrounding area. A plateau is an elevated flat
land. It is a flat-topped table land, standing above
the surrounding area.
5. People tend to live in plains more than in
mountainous regions. Plains are more comfortable
for agriculture, transport, Climate, development, City
growth. Mountains are rigid, difficult in laying rail
and roadways.
18. Physical Features: India
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. c
3. a
5. b
7. a
9. b
2. c
4. b
6. b
8. c
10. c
B. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. T
3. F
4. F
5. T
C. Match the following.
1. d
2. a
3. c
4. b
5. f
6. e
D. Very short answer questions
1. The Karakoram Range, the Ladakh range and the
Himalayas.
2. Alluvium
3. Mizo, Naga, Patkai
4. Lakshadweep
5. Jhelum, Chenab
E. Short answer questions
1. They are formed by the deposition of alluvium from
three river systems of:
• The Satluj (tributary of the Indus River, which
mostly f lows through Pakistan).
• The Ganga and its tributaries and
• The Brahmaputra.
2. Narmada and Tapi are west-flowing rivers that drain
into the Arabian Sea.
3. It is largely made up of both igneous and
metamorphic rocks. Volcanic activity in the past
caused molten rock from inside the Earth to flow
out through cracks in the lithosphere. This lava then
spreads out onto the Earth’s surface as lava sheets
(made up of igneous rocks) to form the plateau.
Heat and pressure then transformed many of these
igneous rocks into metamorphic rocks.
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 23
4. Rocky cliffs and an indented coastline.
• No large rivers.
• Beautiful backwaters and lagoons, e.g., the ones
that Kerala is famous for.
5. Polyps are tiny sea organisms. When they die, their
skeletal remains accumulate on the seabed to form
corals, which may eventually get built up into islands.
F. Long answer questions
1. India is the seventh largest country of the world
located in the northern and eastern hemispheres. It
is the southernmost part of the Asian sub-continent,
situated at the head of the Indian Ocean. The lofty
Himalayas form a geographical boundary in the
north. The long range almost cuts it off from the
rest of Asia. The southern part of the country is in
the form of a peninsula. It is surrounded by seas
on three sides—the Arabian Sea, the India Ocean
and the Bay of Bengal. India has a long coastline.
As this coastline is indented in many places, it has
given us many natural harbours, which are important
for trade and commerce. This locational setting
also gives India and its immediate neighbouring
countries a unique, geographical entity separated
from the rest of Asia. India has a common boundary
with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the west, China,
Nepal and Bhutan in the north, and Bangladesh and
Myanmar in the east. To the south, India is separated
from the island of Sri Lanka by the narrow stretch
of Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. The island of
Maldives also lies to the south of India. So, the land
comprising them is collectively termed as the Indian
subcontinent.
2. The Himalayas save our country from the cold and
dry winds of Central Asia. They also prevent the
monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean from crossing
over to Northern countries and cause heavy rainfall
in Northern India. Many rivers have their sources in
the Himalayan ranges. The Himalayan slopes have
dense forests.
3. To the south of the Northern Plains lies the
Peninsular Plateau. It is triangular in shape. It
comprises the oldest landmass of India. It is formed
mainly of igneous and metamorphic rocks. The
general height of the region is between 600m and
900 m. The surface of this tableland is highly uneven.
River Narmada and the Vindhya range roughly
divide the plateau into two sections—
• The Central Highlands
• The Deccan Plateau
4. The southernmost range of the Himalayas is the
Shivaliks with an average height of less than 1,250 m.
This is not a continuous range and merges with the
marshy foothills, called the Terai. This range is prone
to landslides because they are not fully formed. This
mountainous belt is an important region not just for
24 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
tourism and trade but also for its fruit production
and animal rearing. The Himadri is situated in the
northernmost part of the Himalayas, Himachal
lies in the central part that is in the central region
whereas Shiwalik is situated in the southernmost
region.
5. The Western Ghats are quite close to the Arabian
Sea, the Western Coastal Plain is narrow, except in
Gujarat. The northern half of this plain is called the
Konkan Coast, while the southern half is known as
the Malabar Coast. These plains have :
• Rocky cliffs and an indented coastline.
• No large rivers.
• Beautiful backwaters and lagoons, e.g., the ones
that Kerala is famous for.
Between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal is
a broad coastal plain known as the Eastern Coastal
Plain. The plain is called the Northern Circars in the
north and the Coromandel Coast in the south. The
plain is:
• Extremely fertile as it is drained by many large
peninsular rivers that have formed their deltas here.
• Most of the rice produced in the southern part of
India comes from these deltas.
• The rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri f
low through the Eastern Coastal Plains.
19. India: Climate, Vegetation and Wildlife
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
3. c
5. c
7. c
9. b
2. a
4. b
6. a
8. a
10. a
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. high, low
2. latitude, altitude, distance from the sea
3. winter
4. deforestation
5. camel, snakes
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. 89000
2. Rosewood
3. Winter
4. Hot winds that blow through the northern plains.
5. Altitude, distance from the sea
E. Short answer questions
1. There are five major types of natural vegetation
found in India- Tropical Evergreen, Deciduous, Dry
Deciduous, Desert, Tidal and Mountain Forests.
2. Mango Showers are Pre-monsoon showers which
are common in the states of Karnataka and Kerala.
These rains are usually seen at the end of the
summer season. These rains help in the ripening
of the mangoes. Therefore, these rains are usually
known as ‘Mango showers’.
3. Southwest monsoon winds are responsible for
bringing in rainfall in India.
4. They are irregular due to many reasons but the main
reason is change in the pressure and temperature
over oceans and land.
5. From October to December the coast of Tamil Nadu
state receives at least half of its annual precipitation
i.e. roughly 1,000 mm of rainfall.
F. Long answer questions
1. India has a Tropical Monsoon climate in most
parts. The factors that play an important role in
determining the climate of India are latitude, relied
features, continentality and altitude.
Latitude: The Tropic of Cancer divided India into
almost two equal halves. That makes it a part of the
Earth’s tropical and sub-tropical heat zones. Also,
places located on lower latitudes are warmer than
places located on higher latitudes, which are warm in
summers but cold in winters.
Altitude: The altitude of a place also affects
its temperature. As the altitude increases, the
temperature decreases and hence places located on
the hills are cooler than places located in the plains.
The higher mountain ranges and plateau areas have
lower temperatures and varying rainfall distribution,
compared to more low-lying plains.
The direction of mountain ranges: The presence
of the mighty Himalayas acts as a protective barrier
against the bitter cold winds from central Asia in
the north. The Himalayas also affect the direction
of winds and rainfall. The east-west direction of the
Himalayas acts as a barrier to cold winds from colder
regions of Asia and also prevents the monsoon
winds from leaving the country.
Distance from the sea: The distance from the sea
is also known as the continentality. The climate of
coastal places is defined by sea and land breezes,
which originate due to differential heating and
cooling of the sea and land. This is why coastal areas
have equable climate, while places far away from the
sea experience extreme climatic conditions.
Seasonal winds: These combine with the land to
create certain temperature and rainfall conditions
that make India typically the land of monsoons.
2. The winds which strike India originate in the
southern hemisphere. Since these winds blow from
the south west, they are called the south-west
monsoon winds. They blow over the sea and pick a
lot of moisture and bring heavy rainfall in the entire
country. The moisture-laden winds divide into two
branches on reaching the southernmost point of the
Indian peninsula:
• The Arabian Sea branch
• The Bay of Bengal branch
The Arabian Sea branch blows towards the west
coast of India bringing heavy rain to the coasts of
peninsular India and parts of Gujarat.
The Bay of Bengal branch divides further into two
branches:
One that moves towards eastern India, Myanmar and
Bangladesh
• The other that travels up the Northern Plains and
the Gangetic Valley towards the low pressure
centred in the north-western part of India.
• By the time the monsoon winds reach the interior
of India, they bring lesser rain, and by the time they
reach western Rajasthan, they are almost dry. So,
while the west coast and the Gangetic Delta receive
over 200 cm of rain, places beyond them receive
100-200 cm. Many parts of interior India, however,
get just about 50-100 cm of rain. The Great Indian
Desert in Rajasthan, receives barely 25 cm of rain.
3. Retreating Monsoon This season is also known as
autumn. It starts with the retreat of the monsoon
around the month of October and continues till
November. By the end of September, the Sun begins
to move to the Equator and then to the Southern
Hemisphere and a reversal of winds takes place.
India witnesses the following during this season:
• By October, the weather gets clearer and cooler.
• Dry winds begin to blow from the land to the sea.
• The temperature in the Northern Plains begins to
decrease as the Sun’s rays no longer fall directly on
the Tropic of Cancer.
• The south-west monsoon winds seem to withdraw
in stages during this season. That is why this
season is known as the retreating monsoon season.
These winds from their north-east direction turn
towards the Bay of Bengal, where they are referred
to as the north-east monsoon. They finally move
towards the south-west direction bringing heavy
rainfall in the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
region. This season is marked by cyclones in
the Bay of Bengal which can be very destructive
at times. Monsoons retreat from most of India
completely by November.
4. Mangrove or Tidal Forests These are found in
coastal regions where the seawater mixes with fresh
water, mangrove forests (from the Portuguese word
‘mangue’ and English word ‘grove’), which are salt
tolerant, grow. Mangrove or tidal forests are one of
the most productive and biodiverse wetlands on the
Earth.
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 25
• The vegetation here includes trees, shrubs, ferns
and palms.
• The largest mangrove forests in India and the
world are the Sunderbans (‘beautiful forests’ in
Bengali), situated along the coast in West Bengal.
• Mangrove or tidal forests are also found in the
deltas of the Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna and
Kaveri Rivers, and the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
• They are also found in some places on the slopes
of the Western Ghats.
• Freshwater swamp forests are found along the east
Himalayan foothills.
5. Due to hunting of animals and cutting down of
forest cover, various wildlife species in India are
26 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
becoming extinct. To prevent this and to preserve
our wildlife, a number of wildlife sanctuaries, bird
sanctuaries and national parks have been set up in
India. The major national parks and sanctuaries are
Corbett National Park, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary,
Kanha National Park, Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary,
Periyar National Park, Gir and Bandhavgarh National
Park. Project Tiger and Project Elephant are the
initiatives that have been launched to save and
protect our valuable animals. Our wildlife reserves
help in maintaining the ecological balance in the
environment. It is vital that all species are protected.
Intelligent policies, good sense, and growing
public awareness will help in the protection and
conservation of the wildlife species, many of which
are on the verge of extinction.
Civics
20. Understanding Diversity
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. c
3. c
5. c
7. c
9. b
2. c
4. b
6. c
8. c
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. Culture
4. 22
2. Diversity
5. unity
3. different
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. F
3. F
4. F
5. T
D. Very short answer questions
1. Diversity means the quality or state of being
different or varied.
2. Culture refers to the ideas, customs and social
behaviour of a particular group of people or society.
3. 22
4. Unity in diversity
5. Respect and tolerance towards all religions.
E. Short answer questions
1. It encourages us to appreciate all people, not only
those who are similar to ourselves. It motivates
people to live, adopt a wider perspective, and fit into
society.
2. India is a secular country. Freedom to practice any
religion is a constitutional right of every religion. From
olden times, India has been home to various religions.
The oldest religion of India is Hinduism. Other main
religions that thrive in India are Islam, Christianity,
Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Sikhism.
3. In terms of geographical, economic, religious and
cultural diversity, we know the six main physical
divisions in the country – the Northern Mountains,
the Northern Plains, the Great Indian Desert, the
Coastal Plains, the Peninsular Plateau and the
Islands.
4. Our country is rich in cultural diversity. There are
more than 1600 languages spoken in India. This
refers to linguistic diversity.
5. Freedom to practice any religion is a constitutional
right of every religion
F. Long answer questions
1. In terms of geographical, economic, religious
and cultural diversity, we know the six main
physical divisions in the country – the Northern
Mountains, the Northern Plains, the Great Indian
Desert, the Coastal Plains, the Peninsular Plateau
and the Islands. This brings us to the next main
reason for diversity. People adapt their lives to
the geographical areas in which they live. This
affects their dressing style, their food habits, their
occupation and even their religious beliefs and
customs. In cold places such as Kashmir, people eat
meat and milk products, especially in winters as few
crops are grown here. People living in coastal areas
eat rice, fish and coconut, which is locally found.
The food is also cooked with a lot of spices.
2. We know that the occupation of the people of
an area are based on the geographical location.
Agriculture is the primary occupation of people
residing in the fertile Northern Plains. While Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu mainly grow rice;
Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh mainly
grow wheat. For people living in coastal areas such
as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra,
fishing is an important economic activity.
Since agriculture is not possible in cold regions such
as Ladakh, people take to rearing sheep and yaks.
High quality wool is obtained from Cashmere goats,
they also produce the highly expensive pashmina
wool. The hilly regions are also known for fruits like
apricots, which also form the region’s main exports.
In eastern and south-eastern Rajasthan, the main
crops grown are jowar, bajra, maize, oilseeds and
wheat. The western part of the state is dry and arid.
Camel is the most important livestock reared here.
3. Two positive effects of diversity include: i. It helps
people to come in contact with different culture,
tradition, language and develop new ideas
and perception. ii. It helps people to gain new
experiences and interactions among people become
more stronger.
4. Diversity is an important characteristic of India. The
word diversity means that in India there is diversity in
the languages people speak, religions they practice,
the festivals they celebrate, the clothes they wear, and
the food that they eat. The unique geography of India
is also responsible for this diversity.
5. Communication and mutual learning between
people of different races, ethnic origins, religious
beliefs, and social groups are made easier by
diversity. It encourages us to appreciate all people,
not only those who are similar to ourselves. It
motivates people to live, adopt a wider perspective,
and fit into society.
21. Prejudice, Discrimination and Inequality
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
2. a
3. c
4. b
5. a
6. a
7. c
8. b
9. c
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 27
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. Prejudice
2. Gender
3. fundamental rights
4. Stereotypes
5. Satyagraha
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. F
3. F
4. T
5. T
D. Very short answer questions
1. Discrimination is the process of distinguishing one
person from another on the basis of caste, religion,
language, creed, colour, economic condition.
2. The process of fixing people into an image is called
stereotype.
3. Prejudice means forming an opinion about a person
or thing without knowing the actual facts about
them.
4. There are four classes: the Brahmins (priestly
people), the Kshatriyas (rulers, administrators and
warriors; also called Rajanyas), the Vaishyas (artisans,
merchants, tradesmen and farmers), and the Shudras
(labouring classes).
5. He fought against the racist apartheid system in
his homeland, and for equality and freedom for all
people.
E. Short answer questions
1. Ignorance is the main reason for prejudice. When
people form an opinion before having the evidence
for its truth and lack of sensitivity.
• Social bias becomes another reason for prejudice.
It is not something universal, something we have
inherited or are born with. Sometimes, even family
members can create prejudice and discriminate
between daughters and sons.
• The third reason that can give rise to prejudice is
religious diversity. There may also arise differences
within the same religion that can give rise to
prejudice.
2. Prejudice can be very harmful for our society.
• It leads to conflict among communities, which
constitutes a major threat to peace, both within a
nation and among nations.
• It can strengthen mistrust, suspicion and bitterness
already prevailing in the society.
• It can lead to racial arrogance. This widens the gap
among different groups and races in the world.
• It leads to disunity and disharmony in society
through strife and war.
3. A stereotype is a fixed idea or belief that people
have about something or someone. Often, these
ideas are not true. Stereotype is one of the most
28 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
serious problems caused by prejudice. Thoughtless
statements like ‘Girls are not good at mathematics
or fixing things’, or ‘Boys do not cry’, or ‘Boys are
naughty and girls are gentle’, are all stereotypes.
4. The policy of apartheid (discrimination on grounds
of colour), once practised by the government of
South Africa, is an example of discrimination based
on racial diversity. Under this policy, South Africans
who were not white were discriminated against. They
were not allowed to participate in the formation
of the government and were prescribed where to
live, whom to marry and what to study in their own
country.
5. To bring the lower castes at par in education and
government jobs, reservation has been provided at
all levels to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled
Tribes (ST) and the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Recently, the Economic Weaker Section (EWS)
have also been provided reservation in educational
institutions and in government jobs.
F. Long answer questions
1. Prejudice means to see or judge other people in
a negative or inferior manner without knowing
much about them. It happens when people have
false beliefs and ideas. Mostly, it is an unfavourable
opinion formed about something or someone
without examination of facts and is not based on
reason or actual experience. It leads to conflict
among communities, which constitutes a major
threat to peace, both within a nation and among
nations.
• It can strengthen mistrust, suspicion and bitterness
already prevailing in the society.
• It can lead to racial arrogance. This widens the gap
among different groups and races in the world.
• It leads to disunity and disharmony in society
through strife and war. As a stumbling block for
unity and integration, prejudice can retard the
progress of a nation.
2. A stereotype is a fixed idea or belief that people
have about something or someone. Often, these
ideas are not true. Stereotype is one of the most
serious problems caused by prejudice. Another
way of understanding stereotypes is when we fit
all persons of a particular group into one fixed and
oversimplified image, we create a stereotype. While
these mostly have a negative impact, sometimes,
it also creates a positive image. However, most
stereotypes make us feel superior to the stereotyped
person or group. Thoughtless statements like ‘Girls
are not good at mathematics or fixing things’, or
‘Boys do not cry’, or ‘Boys are naughty and girls are
gentle’, are all stereotypes. These are neither true
for all boys nor for all girls, but wrongly fit large
numbers of people in one image.
3. Discrimination is unjust treatment of a person
or groups of persons on the basis of prejudice,
without regard to individual merit. It breeds
inequality. Prejudice arising out of diversity and
lack of feeling of equality among people can also
lead to discrimination. Diversity, if not understood
and appreciated, can lead to misunderstanding and
become a source of discrimination.
i. Discrimination can be due to religious differences.
This occurs when people following a particular
religion are treated differently, usually unfairly, by
the followers of another religion. Some people
praise their own religion and preach hatred
for others. Such an attitude leads to religious
conflicts.
ii. Racial discrimination is any discrimination against
any individual on the basis of their skin, colour,
race or ethnic origin. The policy of apartheid
(discrimination on grounds of colour), once
practised by the government of South Africa,
is an example of discrimination based on racial
diversity. Under this policy, South Africans who
were not white were discriminated against. They
were not allowed to participate in the formation
of the government and were prescribed where
to live, whom to marry and what to study in their
own country.
iii. Gender discrimination gives rise to other social
evils like—
• Female foeticide/infanticide because girls are
considered a liability.
• A poor girl:boy ratio in many states.
• Paying less wages to women in India, on an
average, compared to men.
• Offering roles of importance to men than
women.
• Providing a better quality of education to the
boys in the family than the girls.
iv. Economic inequality arises out of disparity in the
distribution of wealth and income. This type of
inequality is a major source of discrimination in
many countries including India. Many people are
so poor that they have no money even to meet
their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter,
and they often face discrimination wherever they
go.
4. Our Constitution recognises that India is a land of
many languages, religions and cultures. In order to
protect this diversity and to ensure opportunities to
all citizens, the Constitution of India has granted the
following Fundamental Rights:
• Right to Equality: All Indians are equal before
the law. All citizens have equal rights and
opportunities. They can choose the work they wish
to do. No one can be denied justice or ill-treated in
the name of caste, community, gender or religion.
Untouchability is seen as a crime and has been
abolished by law.
• Right to Freedom: Every Indian is free to live or
travel anywhere within the country and take up any
job in any part of the country.
• Right against Exploitation: No Indian can be
exploited or forced to work without pay.
• Right to Freedom of Religion: Every Indian has
the right to follow the religion of his or her choice.
• Cultural and Educational Rights: Every
community has the right to preserve and promote
its own language, script and culture.
• Right to Constitutional Remedies: This right
empowers the citizens to approach a court of law
in case their Fundamental Rights have been denied
to them.
22. Government
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. c
3. b
5. c
7. c
2. a
4. a
6. c
8. b
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. Legislative
2. Central Government
3. Universal Adult Franchise
4. democratic
5. government
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. F
3. F
4. F
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. The government is the body that resolves issues and
disciplines the society, therefore exercises authority
over it.
2. Apartheid was a form of racial discrimination or
segregation through laws that was practised by the
whites in South Africa between 1948 and 1994.
3. The Suffragette Movement began in the West in
the 1800s. It was the name given to the organised
struggle of women to fight for the right to vote.
4. Central, state and local.
E. Short answer questions
1. The existence of the government is important
for people to live and work together. They make
decisions and put these into effect to ensure smooth
functioning of daily life is needed.
2. On the basis of the source of power (who or what
gives the government the power to make decisions
and formulate laws), governments around the world
can be broadly classified into three main types–
democracy, monarchy and dictatorship.
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 29
3. In a democracy, it is the people who give the power
to the government to make decisions. People elect
the government through elections. The elections are
periodic and are held every five years.
4. The right to vote to all adults of a country without
discrimination of any kind
F. Long answer questions
1. Democracy
In a democracy, it is the people who give the power
to the government to make decisions. The chief
features of a democratic government are:
• People elect the government through elections.
• The elections are periodic and are held every five
years.
• Each adult citizen of the country has the right to
vote.
• The elected representatives form the government.
Monarchy
In a monarchy, a single individual rules the country.
The chief features of a monarchy are:
• The king or the queen is the ruling head of the
country.
• They are also the head of the government and
have the power to take all important decisions.
• They may have a council of ministers to advise
them on daily matters.
• The seat of power is hereditary, so when the
monarch dies, the power automatically passes to
the heir.
• People do not have any say in running the
government.
Dictatorship
Unlike the other two forms of government, a single
individual runs all the operations in a dictatorship
set up. The chief features of dictatorship form of
government are:
• The person heads the government and governs on
the basis of their own wishes.
• They may or may not pay attention to the wishes
and needs of the people.
• It is called an authoritarian government or
dictatorship.
• The words of the dictator become the law.
2. Democracy
In a democracy, it is the people who give the power
to the government to make decisions. The chief
features of a democratic government are:
• People elect the government through elections.
• The elections are periodic and are held every five
years.
30 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
• Each adult citizen of the country has the right to vote.
• The elected representatives form the government.
Dictatorship
Unlike the other two forms of government, a single
individual runs all the operations in a dictatorship
set up. The chief features of dictatorship form of
government are:
• The person heads the government and governs on
the basis of their own wishes.
• They may or may not pay attention to the wishes
and needs of the people.
• It is called an authoritarian government or
dictatorship.
• The words of the dictator become the law.
3. We need a government for:
• Governments are necessary to maintain law and
order. Laws are essential for society to function.
• The government provides safety and security for its
people.
• Government is responsible for providing
infrastructure like build and maintain roads, run
hospitals and schools.
• Government is a unit responsible for working on
the behalf of people in a democracy as it is not
possible for all to take part in democratic process.
4. It is important to know that during the British rule,
only a limited number were allowed to vote. They
usually belonged to the higher strata of society.
Several leaders and freedom fighters were against
this unfair practice. Gandhiji, Jawaharlal Nehru and
Vallabhbhai Patel demanded that all adults have
the right to vote. When the constitution was being
drafted, they took special care to give the right to
vote to all adults of India. Throughout the world,
women were barred from the right to vote. It was
believed that women should stay at home, look
after the family and the household. The Suffragette
Movement began in the West in the 1800s. It
was the name given to the organised struggle of
women to fight for the right to vote. This struggle
strengthened during the First World War. Women
got the right to vote in 1920 in the United States of
America and in 1928 in the United Kingdom.
23. Democratic Government
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. c
3. b
5. b
2. c
4. a
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. democracy
2. reelect
3. newspaper, radio
6. b
7. a
8. c
4. rights, freedom
5. equally
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. T
2. T
3. F
4. T
5. T
D. Very short answer questions
1. A principle by which all people regardless of
differences in race, religion, caste, sex and wealth are
treated in the same way.
2. The fair and equitable treatment of all individuals,
regardless of caste, creed, religion and sex under the
law.
3. An aggregate of the individual views, attitudes,
and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed by a
significant proportion of a community.
4. Newspapers and social media
E. Short answer questions
1. These include people’s participation, the resolution
of conflict and equality and justice.
2. Media plays an important role in democracy,
as it provides news and discusses events taking
place around the country and all over the world.
It also acts as a watchdog to the conduct of the
government by: Criticising the unpopular policies
and programs that the government undertakes.
3. Another key element of democracy is accountability,
which means being responsible for one’s actions.
The representatives are accountable to the
people if they are found to be corrupt, dishonest
or irresponsible. The judiciary and the police
play a productive role in dealing with dishonest
representatives and bringing them to task.
4. Since democracy is the representative government,
it has to offer freedom to its citizens. The essence of
a true democracy is the rights and freedoms enjoyed
by the people, provided such freedom is enjoyed
within the limits of law and without harming the
interest of other members of society or communities.
5. The Basic Principles of Democracy are Citizen
Participation, Equality, Political Tolerance,
Accountability, and Transparency. People around the
world have defined the core values ​​required for a
democratic government.
F. Long answer questions
1. Conflicts arise when people belonging to the
different ethnicities, religions, cultures, economic
backgrounds and regions have a difference of
opinion. People may have a conflict among each
other and even with the government. On such
occasions, it is the duty of the government to step in
and resolve the conflict. Let us take some common
examples of conflicts, see how they arise and the
steps the government can take to prevent them
or reduce their occurrence. Processions are often
taken out by different communities and religious
groups. They follow certain routes and the members
of other groups can find a reason to disrupt
these processions due to some real or imagined
happenings in the past. This can create fear and
tension and disrupts the peace of the nation. It is the
responsibility of the government to resolve conflicts
through dialogues and negotiations.
2. The representatives elected by the people belong
to different political parties. They party which gets
the maximum number of seats wins the election and
forms the government and take decisions on behalf
of the people. They make policies and while making
policies, they keep the interests of the people in
mind. In a democracy, the government is elected
for a fixed period—five years. At the end of that
period, the elections are held again. If the people
are satisfied with the government, they may re-elect
it. If not, they may elect another party to form the
government. These elections held every five years
are called general elections.
3. In a democracy, ordinary people participate in the
process of government mainly through elections.
During elections, people exercise their right to
vote and elect their representatives. Thus, people
participate in the government indirectly through
their representatives.
4. Equality and justice are the two important principles
of a democratic government. The values of equal
rights, status and responsibilities for all members
of the society are an integral part of a society and
encapsulate the principle of equality, whereas
fair and just treatment of the people by the laws
of a country constitute justice. All the people
are considered equal and have been granted
equal rights by our Constitution. To prevent
discrimination, evil practices like untouchability
have been abolished. The government of India has
even provided special provisions for groups which
were discriminated against. In different spheres like
education, government jobs, etc. reservations have
been made for the backward sections of the society
that include—Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled
Tribes and other Backward Classes.
24. Local Self Government
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. c
3. b
5. c
2. a
4. a
6. c
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. rural, urban
4. five
2. town
3. rural
7. b
8. b
5. Sarpanch
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. T
3. T
4. F
5. F
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 31
D. Very short answer questions
1. Three
4. Up-pradhan
2. Panchas
5. Taxes, donation
3. 7 to 31
E. Short answer questions
1. The local people are aware of the local situations
and problems. They can solve them better by taking
part in the local governance themselves.
2. A Panchayat, literally is a committee of five elected
elders or panchas who are respected members of
a village. In ancient India, a village used to have
a council of five elected elders who looked after
the affairs of the village and the villagers. These
panchayats acted impartially while solving disputes.
3. A Gram Panchayat consists of a village or two to
three villages together, which are divided into
wards. One candidate stands for election from each
ward. The successful candidate from all the wards
form the panch. The head of the panchas is called
the sarpanch who is selected through voting among
the panchas.
4. Its functions are:
• To prepare the village budget.
• To audit the accounts of the Panchayat.
• To consider the annual report presented by the
Gram Panchayat.
• To prepare development plans for the next year.
• To supervise and regulate the working of the Gram
Panchayat.
5. The Nyaya Panchayat is like a local court. There is
one Nyaya Panchayat for every three to four villages.
Its purpose is to hear and solve minor disputes
and cases. The members are elected by the Gram
Panchayats. It can solve petty criminal and civil cases,
however, it can only fine people, it cannot send
people to jail. In case people are not satisfied by
their decision, they can appeal to a higher court.
F. Long answer questions
1. The local self-government functions at the local
or grassroots level. Its members are elected by the
people of the locality. This means, the people of a
locality elect their own representatives who form the
local self-government of that area.
• The local people are aware of the local situations
and problems. They can solve them better by
taking part in the local governance themselves.
• With the local people participating in the process
of governance, a spirit of cooperation is generated
and decisions are accepted more readily.
• Local self-government provides opportunities to
the elected representatives to acquire training and
experience in administration.
32 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
• This system functions to lighten the burden of the
central and state governments.
• This system becomes an important link between
the people and the central government.
2. The maintenance of land records is very important at
the village level. The land record keeper or patwari is
a government official in the rural area who maintains
records of ownership of land and tilling. She/He
is also known as the lekhpal, kanungo, karamchari
or village officer. Each patwari is responsible for
a group of villages. The document that shows the
name of the owner of the land according to the
records of the patwari is known as fard. The tehsildar
or revenue officer is another important officer in
a village. Her/His office is the place where land
disputes are heard. She/He supervises the work
of patwaris and makes sure that land records are
maintained properly and revenue is duly collected.
Tehsildars work under the District Collector. The
District Collector or Deputy Commissioner heads the
civil administration in a district. She/He is the one
who supervises the maintenance of land records and
collection of land revenue. For smooth running of
this process, districts are divided into subdivisions,
and further, into taluks or tehsils.
25. Urban Administration
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. b
2. a
3. c
4. b
5. c
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. Right to Information
2. cities
3. Panchayati Raj, Municipal corporation
4. Councillor
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. T
3. F
4. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. Municipal Council
2. Mayor
3. Property Tax
4. State government
5. Private Contractors
E. Short answer questions
1. Big cities with a population of more than 10 lakhs
have Municipal Corporations. For example, Mumbai,
Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and
Ahmedabad have such corporations.
2. There are some nominated members to the
Corporation, who are known as aldermen. They are
elected from among the respectable citizens of the
city and are well-known and distinguished people of
the city.
3. These days municipal corporations are hiring private
contractors to help them in various activities such
as collection and disposal of garbage and cleaning
streets. This is called sub-contracting.
4. The chief sources of income of a Municipal
Corporation are taxes and grants from the central
and state governments.
• Taxes are levied on property such as houses, hotels,
shops and land.
• There are water tax, electricity tax and toll tax on
bridges and roads.
• Taxes are also imposed on education, vehicles and
entertainment.
• The municipal corporations also collect fee for the
registration of births, marriages and deaths.
F. Long answer questions
1. Water is one of most essential requirements of
people in both rural and urban areas. Rivers, tube
wells, ponds and wells are the major sources of
water in rural areas. However, in urban areas,
building and maintaining a proper water supply
system, which ensures clean and potable water,
is one of the primary duties of municipal bodies.
Properly equipped water filtration plants, along with
extensively connected pipelines, are built throughout
the municipal area.
2. There are many other issues that plague the local
residents of every area. In order to address these
issues they can voice their grievances to their
municipal bodies in many ways.
• Residents can sign a petition letter and send it to
the Municipal Commissioner.
• They can contact their municipalities online.
• They can write letters to the newspapers citing
their problems.
• They can protest and organise rallies or strike. The
Right to Information Act or the RTI gives people
the right to demand information on any issue.
People can also demand a list of expenses from
the municipalities if they feel that the funds are not
being used for the benefit of the people.
3. Functions of Municipal Corporations Some
important functions of a Municipal Corporation are:
• To arrange for the collection and disposal of
garbage
• To maintain a proper drainage system
• To establish hospitals and dispensaries in their area
• Registration of births and deaths, and build and
maintain schools at all levels.
• Maintenance of public parks, parking lots, street
lighting, public conveniences, roads and bridges,
recreation centres and fire services.
• Engage in the plantation and maintenance of trees
• Issuing licences for markets, malls, restaurants, and
housing complexes.
26. Rural and Urban Livelihood
A. Tick () the correct option.
1. a
3. c
5. b
7. b
2. a
4. b
6. a
8. a
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. seasoning
4. big, landless
2. Poultry
5. Agriculture
3. unemployed
C. State True or False for the following statements.
1. F
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. F
D. Very short answer questions
1. Livelihood refers to the means of earning money in
order to live.
2. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary
3. Agriculture, Mining
4. Textiles, steel-plant
5. These are people who work in fields that require
special training and education—these are lawyers,
doctors, make-up artists and tutors.
E. Short answer questions
1. Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture where
animals are reared, bred and raised for meat, fiber,
eggs, milk and other food products.
2. Migration refers to the movement of a large number
of people from one place to another. Generally
people migrate from rural areas to urban areas.
3. Secondary occupations are manufacturing activities
that transform raw materials sourced from primary
occupations into finished goods. For example, a
biscuit factory needs wheat and other raw materials
from the primary sector to make biscuits. Textiles,
steel plants and the ready-made food industry are
other examples of secondary occupations
4. Farming, fishing, crafts, poultry farming, animal
husbandry, dairy farming. They face the biggest
challenge of indebtedness.
5.
a. There is also the problem of money lenders and
indebtedness in the villages. The landless farmers
or those who do not have a regular source of
income, such as fishermen, have to borrow money
from traders or moneylenders. They need money
to buy seeds, pesticides or cattle.
b. Lifetime events such as marriages also incur a
lot of expenditure and the situation is further
worsened by illness.
Get Ahead with Social Science - 6 33
F. Long answer questions
1. Self-Employment means that you are self-employed.
Working for yourself either as a consultant/
contractor or through a company. Regular or Wage
employment means you are employed by a third
party, by someone else. Usually this is through a
company though not necessarily.
2. Migration refers to the movement of a large number
of people from one place to another. Generally
people migrate from rural areas to urban areas.
There are a number of reasons for migration:
• Search for work
• Wish for a better lifestyle
• Sometimes, they migrate to save themselves from
the cruel money lenders.
• Better opportunities for the family as a whole.
The large-scale migration of people leads to many
problems- over congestion of cities, pollution,
34 Get Ahead with Social Science - 6
increased rate of crime when people get frustrated
because they do not meet their own expectations.
3. Primary occupations are those that involve getting
raw materials from the natural environment.
Agriculture and activities related to it are primary
occupations. Farmers growing a variety of crops
are said to be engaged in the primary occupation.
Mining and quarrying, forestry, woodcutting, fishing,
dairy farming, poultry farming, animal husbandry
are other primary occupations that deal directly with
nature and natural resources.
Secondary occupations are manufacturing activities
that transform raw materials sourced from primary
occupations into finished goods. For example, a
biscuit factory needs wheat and other raw materials
from the primary sector to make biscuits. Textiles,
steel plants and the ready-made food industry are
other examples of secondary occupations.