Class 6 History Chapter 1 Extra Questions

What Where How and When Class 6 History Chapter 1 Extra Questions are available here. These extra questions have been created by the subject experts of our website CBSE Wale.

Class 6 History Chapter 1 Extra Questions

Question 1: What aspects of the past can we uncover through archaeological and historical research?
Answer: Through archaeological and historical research, we can uncover various aspects of the past, including what people ate, the types of clothing they wore, and the structures of their dwellings.

Question 2: What aspects of human life and society can we learn about from the past?
Answer: From the past, we can learn about the lives and activities of various societal groups such as hunters, herders, farmers, rulers, merchants, priests, craftspersons, artists, musicians, and scientists.

Question 3: What aspects of daily life can we explore from the past?
Answer: From the past, we can explore aspects of daily life such as the games children played, the stories they heard, the plays they watched, and the songs they sang.

Question 4: How long have people inhabited the banks of the river mentioned?
Answer: People have inhabited the banks of this river for several hundred thousand years.

Question 5: What characterized the early inhabitants of this region in terms of their lifestyle and food procurement methods?
Answer: The early inhabitants of this region were skilled gatherers who relied on gathering food from the surrounding forests. They were knowledgeable about the abundant plant resources and collected roots, fruits, and other forest produce for their sustenance. Additionally, they hunted animals.

Question 6: Where can the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills be found, and what significant agricultural activities took place there approximately 8000 years ago?
Answer: The Sulaiman and Kirthar hills are located in the northwest. Around 8000 years ago, some of the areas in these hills were where women and men first began growing crops such as wheat and barley.

Question 7: What agricultural activities and settlement patterns emerged in the regions of the Garo hills, Vindhyas, and areas north of the Vindhyas?
Answer: In the Garo hills to the northeast and the Vindhyas in central India, agriculture also developed. People began rearing animals such as sheep, goat, and cattle and lived in villages. The regions north of the Vindhyas were where rice was first grown.

Question 8: What significant development occurred approximately 4700 years ago along the banks of the river Indus and its tributaries?
Answer: Approximately 4700 years ago, some of the earliest cities flourished on the banks of the river Indus and its tributaries.

Question 9: When did cities begin to develop along the banks of the Ganga and its tributaries, as well as along the sea coasts?
Answer: Cities began to develop along the banks of the Ganga and its tributaries, as well as along the sea coasts, around 2500 years ago.

Question 10: What area was known as Magadha in ancient times, and where is it located now?
Answer: Magadha, known in ancient times, was situated along the Ganga and its tributary, the Son, to the south of the Ganga. It is now located in the state of Bihar.

Question 11: What characterized the rulers of Magadha, and what did they establish?
Answer: The rulers of Magadha were very powerful, and they established a large kingdom in the area.

Question 12: What facilitated the movement of people throughout the subcontinent despite geographical challenges?
Answer: Despite geographical challenges such as hills, high mountains like the Himalayas, deserts, rivers, and seas, people were able to travel from one part of the subcontinent to another. Although journeys were occasionally dangerous, they were not impossible.

Question 13: What were some reasons for people to travel within the subcontinent?
Answer: People traveled within the subcontinent for various reasons, including searching for livelihood, escaping natural disasters like floods or droughts, military conquests, trade, religious purposes, and the pursuit of adventure.

Question 14: What outcomes arose from the movement of people within the subcontinent?
Answer: The movement of people within the subcontinent led to the sharing of ideas between individuals from different regions.

Question 15: What natural features serve as the boundaries of the subcontinent?
Answer: The hills, mountains, and seas serve as the natural frontiers of the subcontinent.

Question 16: Despite the challenges, what was possible regarding crossing these natural frontiers?
Answer: Despite the difficulties, it was possible for individuals to scale the mountains and cross the seas if they desired to do so.

Question 17: How did the movement of people across these natural frontiers contribute to cultural enrichment?
Answer: The movement of people across these natural frontiers, both into and out of the subcontinent, enriched cultural traditions. Over several hundred years, people shared new techniques such as stone carving, music composition, and culinary practices.

Question 18: What are two commonly used names for the country, and what are their origins?
Answer: Two commonly used names for the country are India and Bharat. The word “India” originates from the Indus River, known as Sindhu in Sanskrit. “Bharat” was initially used to refer to a group of people living in the northwest, mentioned in the Rigveda, which is dated to about 3500 years ago, and later used for the country as a whole.

Question 19: How did the names “Hindos” or “Indos” come about for the region, and what area did they refer to?
Answer: The names “Hindos” or “Indos” were used by Iranians and Greeks who came through the northwest approximately 2500 years ago. They were familiar with the Indus River and referred to it by these names. The land to the east of the river was then called India.

Question 20: What historical document mentions the name “Bharata,” and when was it originally used?
Answer: The name “Bharata” is mentioned in the Rigveda, which is the earliest composition in Sanskrit dated to about 3500 years ago. Initially, it was used to refer to a group of people living in the northwest, and later it was adopted as the name for the country.

Question 21: What are manuscripts, and how were they produced?
Answer: Manuscripts are books written long ago, typically by hand. The term “manuscripts” originates from the Latin word ‘manu’, meaning hand. They were usually written on materials such as palm leaf or specially prepared birch bark, which is sourced from trees found in the Himalayas.

Question 22: Where were manuscripts typically preserved, and what subjects did they cover?
Answer: Manuscripts were often preserved in temples and monasteries. They covered a wide range of subjects, including religious beliefs and practices, the lives of kings, medicine, science, epics, poems, and plays. Many manuscripts were written in Sanskrit, while others were in Prakrit (languages used by ordinary people) and Tamil.

Question 23: What are inscriptions, and what were their purposes?
Answer: Inscriptions are writings found on relatively hard surfaces such as stone or metal. Kings often had their orders inscribed for public visibility and compliance. Additionally, men and women, including kings and queens, used inscriptions to record their actions and deeds. For instance, kings frequently documented their victories in battle.

Question 24: What are some advantages of writing on a hard surface, and what difficulties could arise from this practice?
Answer: Writing on a hard surface offers durability and longevity, ensuring that the written text remains preserved for an extended period. However, difficulties may arise due to the labor-intensive nature of carving or engraving on hard surfaces, as well as the permanence of mistakes once inscribed.

Question 25: Who are archaeologists, and what types of objects do they study?
Answer: Archaeologists are individuals who study objects and structures from the past. They analyze remains of buildings made of stone and brick, paintings, sculpture, tools, weapons, pottery, pans, ornaments, and coins. They also excavate sites to uncover these artifacts.

Question 26: What types of materials are objects from the past typically made of, and why do some objects survive longer than others?
Answer: Objects from the past are often made of various materials such as stone, bone, baked clay, or metal. Objects made of hard, imperishable substances tend to survive for a longer time compared to those made of organic materials that are prone to decay.

Question 27: What types of remains do archaeologists search for to understand past diets, and why are some types of remains more prevalent than others?
Answer: Archaeologists search for bones of animals, birds, and fish to understand past diets. Plant remains, such as seeds of grain or pieces of wood, are less common because they typically survive in a charred form if they have been burnt.

Question 28: How frequently do archaeologists find cloth in their excavations?
Answer: Cloth is rarely found by archaeologists due to its organic nature, which makes it susceptible to decay over time.

Question 29: What term do historians use to refer to the information found from manuscripts, inscriptions, and archaeology?
Answer: Historians often use the term “source” to refer to the information obtained from manuscripts, inscriptions, and archaeology.

Question 30: How do historians and archaeologists approach learning about the past?
Answer: Historians and archaeologists approach learning about the past as an adventure, reconstructing it bit by bit using the sources available to them.

Question 31: What analogy is drawn between historians, archaeologists, and detectives?
Answer: Historians and archaeologists are likened to detectives who utilize sources like clues to uncover information about the past.

Question 32: Why is the title of this book “Our Pasts” used in the plural form?
Answer: The title “Our Pasts” is used in the plural form to emphasize that the past was diverse and varied for different groups of people.

Question 33: How did the lives of different groups of people in the past differ from each other?
Answer: In the past, the lives of various groups of people differed significantly. For instance, the lives of herders or farmers were distinct from those of kings and queens, while the lives of merchants differed from those of craftspersons.

Question 34: What examples are provided to illustrate the differences in practices and customs among people in different parts of the country, both in the past and present?
Answer: Examples such as the different methods of obtaining food—fishing, hunting, and collecting forest produce in the Andaman Islands compared to dependency on others for food supplies in cities—are provided to illustrate the variations in practices and customs among people in different regions, both in the past and present.

Question 35: Why do we have more information about kings and their battles compared to ordinary people’s lives in the past?
Answer: We have more information about kings and their battles because they maintained records of their victories. In contrast, ordinary people such as hunters, fishing folk, gatherers, farmers, or herders generally did not keep records of their activities.

Question 36: How are years typically counted, and what does the year 2000 signify?
Answer: Years are commonly counted by mentioning the day, month, and year, such as “2000 and something.” The year 2000 signifies 2000 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity.

Question 37: How are dates before the birth of Christ usually represented, and what do they indicate?
Answer: Dates before the birth of Christ are usually represented by counting backwards from the birth of Jesus Christ and are followed by the letters “BC” for “Before Christ.” These dates indicate years prior to the birth of Christ.

Question 38: In this book, how are dates referred to, and what is used as the starting point?
Answer: In this book, dates are referenced going back from the present, using 2000 as the starting point.

Question 39: What does “BC” stand for in terms of dates?
Answer: “BC” stands for “Before Christ” and is used to denote years prior to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Question 40: What does “AD” signify when used before dates, and what are its origins?
Answer: “AD” stands for “Anno Domini,” which is derived from Latin and means “in the year of the Lord” (i.e., Christ). It is used to indicate years after the birth of Jesus Christ.

Question 41: What alternatives are used for “AD” and “BC,” and what do they represent?
Answer: Alternatives for “AD” include “CE,” which stands for “Common Era,” and for “BC,” “BCE,” which stands for “Before Common Era.” These terms are used to refer to the same time periods as “AD” and “BC” but without explicit reference to Christianity.

Question 42: Why are “CE” and “BCE” used, and when did India begin using this dating system?
Answer: “CE” and “BCE” are used because the Christian Era dating system is widely used across most countries. India began using this dating system approximately two hundred years ago.

Question 43: What do the letters “BP” signify in terms of dates?
Answer: The letters “BP” stand for “Before Present” and are used to denote years before the current date, typically used in archaeological and geological contexts.