Class 6 - Our Pasts-I- Ch1: WHAT, WHERE, HOW AND WHEN? (#cbseNotes)

Our Pasts-I
Ch1: WHAT, WHERE, HOW AND WHEN?

Cave Painting (Prehistoric)

NCERT Solutions and Q & A

Q1. Match the following.

Answer:
Narmada Valley             -   Hunting and gathering.
Magadha                        -   The first big kingdom.
Garo hills                       -   Early agriculture.
Indus and its tributaries -   The first cities.
Ganga Valley                 -   Cities about 2500 years ago.





Q2. List one major difference between manuscripts and inscriptions.

Answer:

Manuscripts	Inscriptions
1. These are handwritten records of the past and are in the form of books.	1. These are written records engraved on hard surfaces like rocks, stones, walls of caves, pillars etc.
2. These were written on surfaces of palm leaves, the bark of birch trees.	2. They provide information about kings, important events etc. Consists of letters and signs.
3.  Examples: Works of Kalidasa, Sangam Literature, Arthshastra of Kautilya	3. Examples: Ashoka Inscriptions

Q3. Return to Rasheeda’s question. How could anyone Know what had happened so many years ago Can you think of some answers to it?

Answer: Historians explore and try to understand what happened in past through various methods. These include:

1. Excavate archaeological sites and study of fossil remains, bones, tools, coins, monuments, inscriptions of the past (Archaeological Sources).
2. Study various written records, religious texts, manuscripts, accounts of foreign travellers, biographies of kings, epics, poems etc. (Literary Sources).

Q4. Make a list of all the objects that archaeologists may find. Which of these could be made of stone?

Answer: These are:

• Monumental Sites, buildings
• Paintings
• Inscriptions
• Pottery
• Coins made of clay
• Tools, implements, weapons made up of stone.

Q5. Why do you think ordinary men and women did not generally keep records of what they did?
Answer: Ordinary men and women did not keep records of what they did because:

1. Ordinary people were hunters, fishing folk, gatherers, farmers or herders.
2. They were not educated. E.g. Most of the literary sources found were in Sanskrit which was not spoken by common people.