What Where How and When - Solutions

 CBSE Class VI Social Science

NCERT Solutions
History Chapter 1
What, Where, How and When

Question 1. Match the following:

(a) Narmada Valley(1) The first big kingdom.
(b) Magadha(2) Hunting and gathering.
(c) Garo hills(3) Cities about 2500 years ago.
(d) Indus and its tributaries(4) Early agriculture.
(e) Ganga Valley(5) The first cities.

Answer.

(a) Narmada Valley(2) Hunting and gathering.
(b) Magadha(1) The first big kingdom.
(c) Garo hills(4) Early agriculture.
(d) Indus and its tributaries(5) The first cities.
(e) Ganga Valley(3) Cities about 2500 years ago.

Question 2. List one major difference between a manuscript and inscription.
Answer.

  1. Manuscript: The old books which were written by hands are called 'manuscript'. These are usually written on palm leaf or on specially prepared bark of a tree known as birch which grows in the Himalayas. The palm leaves were cut into pages and tied together to make books. But, they are delicate to be handled as may break down or at certain times the leaves may get infected by insects.
  2. Inscription: Inscriptions are the writings on hard surfaces such as stones, rocks, pillars, clay, metal and copper tablets. Inscriptions are reliable sources of history as they come to us in their original form and does not possess the danger of getting depreciated or damaged.

Question 3. Return to Rasheed's question. Can you think of some answers to it?
Answer. Rasheed's question was how could anyone know what had happened so many years ago. There are various ways by which people can know about the past.

  1. By excavating and studying the remains left by the early man in the form of tools. weapons, pottery, jewelry etc.
  2. After the man had learned the art of writing, he wrote on leaves, the bark of the trees and even on hard material.
  3. We have been able to read and understand the script. Some scripts have to be deciphered yet.

Question 4. Make a list of all the objects that archaeologists may find. Which of these could be made of stone?
Answer. The archaeologists study the remains of buildings made of stone and brick, painting and sculpture. Buildings were also made of stone. They also dig under the surface of the earth to find tools, weapons, pots, pans ornaments and coin. Tool and weapons could have been made of stone and try to study about them in detail using a variety of techniques like radio-carbon dating.

Question 5. Why do you think ordinary men and women did not generally keep records of what they did?
Answer. The ordinary people like hunter-gatherers, herders, farmers did not keep a record of what they did as they led a very simple lifestyle. They did not know how to read and write. There was a specialized class of the people called 'scribes' who recorded all the important events of the king and written them down and in return received gifts and appreciation from the kings.

Question 6. Describe at least two ways, in which you think the lives of the kings would have been different from those of farmers.
Answer. King:
(i) The king led a luxurious life.
(ii) He was the head and made all the decisions for the society and looked after their welfare.
(iii) He led the armies in war and kept records of their battles and victories.
Farmers:
(i) They worked very hard to grow crops for their families and for the people.
(ii) They led an ordinary life where they could barely fulfill their needs.
(iii) Archaeology helps us to find out about their lives.