focus on history and civics class 6 solutions

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – Rise of Kingdoms and Republics

August 11, 2022December 5, 2019 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – Rise of Kingdoms and Republics

ICSE Solutions Selina ICSE Solutions ML Aggarwal Solutions

APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 7 Rise of Kingdoms and Republics. You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks:

More powerful territories in the 6th century were referred to as Mahajanapadas.
In monarchy kingship was hereditary.
Magadha emerged as the most powerful kingdom in North India in the sixth century BC.
Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 BC.
Porus impressed Alexander by his bravery and wisdom.
A new school of art called Gandhara developed, as a result of Alexander’s invasion of India.

II. Match Column A with Column B:

Answer:

III. Long Answer type Questions:

Question 1.
What were the main advantages that helped Magadha to emerge as the most powerful kingdom?
Answer:
With the help of following advantages Magadha emerged as the most powerful kingdom

The presence of natural resources helped Magadha’s rise to power in the 6th century BC.
Rich deposits of iron ore contributed to the making of effective iron weapons and agricultural tools.
Due to strategic locations of both the capitals, Rajgriha (Rajgir) and Pataliputra, it was difficult for any rival to capture these cities.
The Magadhan rulers had well-organised, efficient and powerful almies, which consisted of elephants, horses and chariots.
The Magadhan territory being fertile, produced surplus food.
The Magadhan rulers gained immensely from trade and commerce.
The rivers like Ganga, Son, etc. provided waterways.

Question 2.
What policy did Bimbisara follow to extend his territories?
Answer:
Bimbisara extended his territories through conquests and marriages. He married the daughter of the king of Kosala and received the province of Kashi as dowry. The ruler of Kosala
thus became his friend. He also married the Lichchavi princess of Vaishali and thereby extended his friendship ties in this region. His third wife was the daughter of a chieftain of Punjab. Infact, Bimbisara was the first Indian king who brought a large part of Northern India under a unified political control.

IV. Short Answer type Questions:

What is meant by the term Janapada ?
Ans. The meaning of word ‘Janapada’ is the place where people put their pad or feet. The Janapada consisted of many villages and towns.
Name the three most important Mahajanapadas.
Ans. Kosala, Magadha, Avanti.
Name the king who conquered Anga ?
Ans. Bimbisara conquered Anga.
Name the Magadhan king who killed his father ?
Ans. Ajatashatru killed his father Bimbisara.
Name a few towns that grew up in early days.
Ans. Kasbi, Rajgriha, Vaishali, etc.
Name the territories conquered by Bimbisara and Ajatashatru.
Ans. Anga, Kosala, Vaishali, etc.

V. Give reasons why

Bimbisara married princesses of his neighboring kingdoms.
Ans. Bimbisara married princesses of his neighboring kingdoms to extend his territory.
Deposits of iron in Magadha helped it become a powerful kingdom.
Ans. Rich deposits of iron ore in Magadha contributed to the making of effective iron weapons and agricultural tools.

Textbook Keywords

Janapadas: They were large states that grew in India as a result of wars and conquests. The word means the place where people place their feet.
Mahajanapadas: They were the powerful Janapadas. There were sixteen Mahajanapadas.
Shakyas and Lichchhavis: They were the name of democratic republics ruled by representatives elected by the people.
Gandhara School of Art: An Indo-Greek school of art that grew in India as a result of cultural contact with the Greeks.

Additional Questions

A. Fill in blanks.

The pastoral Aryan tribes of the Early Vedic Period roamed about in search of new pastures. In the Later Vedic Period they began to cultivate the land.
Large kingdoms were known as Janapadas and the more powerful among these were known as mahajanapadas.
The four powerful kingdom in the Later Vedic Period were Vatsa, Avanti, Kosala and Magadha.
The first important king of Magadha was Bimbisara.
Alexander invaded India during the reign of the Magadha
Dhana Nanda was overthrown by Chandragupta Maurya.
Ambhi the ruler of Taxila, offered to help Alexander to defeat Porus.
Alexander’s invasion led to the establishments of four different trade routes by land and sea.
India’s cultural contact with the Greeks led to the development of a style of art known as the Gandhara School of Art.
The power of the small states in north-western India was shattered by Alexander’s invasion.

B. Match the following.

Answer:

C. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
State the reasons for the emergence of the mahajanapadas.
Answer:
Surplus production, increased prosperity and the desire to expand further are the reasons for emergence of the mahajanapadas.

Question 2.
How many mahajanapadas are mentioned in the religious texts of the 6th century BCE?
Answer:
There are sixteen manhajanpadas are mentioned in the religious texts of the 6th century BCE.

Question 3.
How did the conquest of Anga benefit Magadha?
Answer:
The conquest of Anga brought the river port of Champa under his control of Magadha. The rich deposits of iron or found in this region contributed to the development of a strong and stable economy for Magadha.

Question 4.
Why was Alexander unable to conquer Magadha?
Answer:
Alexander was unable to Conquer Magadha because his army refused to advance any further. The army was war-weary and homesick and was not willing to face the powerful army of Magadha.

Question 5.
Mention briefly the effects of Alexander’s invasion.
Answer:
The effects of Alexander’s invasion were following.

His invasion led to the establishment of four different trade routes by land and sea.
Alexander’s historians have left dated records of his campaigns.
The cultural contact with the Greeks led to the growth of the Indo-Greek School of Art known as Grandhara school of Art.

D. State whether the following are true of false.

Magadha belonged to the Iron Age.
False
Alexander was the king of Rome.
False
The capital city of Magadha was Pataliputra.
True
Mahapadma Nanda was the last king of the Nanda dynasty.
False
Ambhi and Porus were allies.
False

F. Picture study.
This is a painting of two important kings who became friends after war.
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - Rise of Kingdoms and Republics 7

Question 1.
Can you identify the two rulers in this painting ?
Answer:
Alexander and Porus are the two rulers in the painting.

Question 2.
Give an account of the earlier developments that led to this event.
Answer:
Porus was the ruler of the area lying between the rivers Jhelum and Chenab. Ambhi offered to help Alexander to defeat Porus. Porus fought heroically but was defeated. Fie was captured and brought before Alexandar who asked him how he would like to be treated. Porus replied ‘As one king should treat another king’ Alexandar was so impressed with reply that he set Pours free and they became friends.

Question 3.
Name the most powerful kingdom in India during this time. Which dynasty ruled this kingdom?
Answer:
Magadha was the most powerful kingdom in India during this time. Nanda dynasty ruled this kingdom.

Question 4.
Who overthrew the last ruler of this dynasty ? Name the empire established by him.
Answer:
Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the last ruler of Nanda dynasty. He established Maurya Empire.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – The River Valley Civilisations: Indus Valley Civilisation

August 11, 2022December 5, 2019 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – The River Valley Civilisations: Indus Valley Civilisation

ICSE Solutions Selina ICSE Solutions ML Aggarwal Solutions

APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 3 The River Valley Civilisations: Indus Valley Civilisation. You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks:

The Indus Valley Civilisation was the Earliest civilisation of India.
Harappa is situated in Sahiwal district in Pakistan.
The Indus Valley Civilisation stood on the bank of river Indus
The largest building discovered at Mohenjodaro is Great Granary.
Bronze metal was used by the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Indus people used Burnt bricks for constructing buildings.
The Harappan culture came to an end by 1500 BC.

II. Match Column A with Column B
Column A Column B

Answer:

III. Answer the following questions?
Question 1.
Who discovered the Indus Valley Civilisation and when?
Answer:
Mr. Daya Ram Sahni discovered the ruins of Harappa in 1921. Next year, in 1922 Dr. Rakhal Das Bannerjee discovered the ruins of Mohenjodaro.

Question 2.
What does civilisation mean? Give four characteristics of a civilisation.
Answer:
The stage of development when man looks for more than just fulfillment of his basic needs, is called civilisation.
Characteristics of a civilisation:

Surplus food production
Flourishing of many arts and crafts
Law and order exists
Presence of a government.

Question 3.
Why did the earliest civilisations grow up near rivers?
Answer:
The earliest civilisations grew up on the banks of rivers because of the following reasons.

The rivers provided abundant supply of water for various purposes all through the year.
The lands near the rivers were very fertile, hence good for growing crops.
Rivers provided means of transport and communication.

Question 4.
Name the different sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Answer:
Various sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation were —The river valleys had warm and pleasant climate which favoured permanent settlement of population. Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Lothal, Kalibangan, Ropar, Alamgirpur, Banwali, Sutkagendor and others.

Question 5.
Describe the town planning and the drainage system of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Answer:
The cities were divided into two parts. The upper part called ‘citadel’ was built on a raised ground. It was inhabited by the upper class and had public buildings such as granaries. The lower part was inhabited by the common people. Each house had a courtyard, several rooms around it, a toilet and a well. All the buildings were built of burnt bricks. Large blocks of houses were built along both the sides of streets.The roads were wide and straight and cut each other at right angles. Smaller streets led to bigger streets. The streets had lamp posts. The drainage system was of the highest order ; even many of our present towns do not have such excellent drainage system. House drains were connected to the street drains which joined the main drains which emptied outside the city limits. The drains were covered with stone slabs and had manholes at regular intervals. They were cleaned regularly.The Indus people were veiy conscious of hygiene and sanitation.

Question 6.
Describe the Great Bath. Where has it been found? What was it used for?
Answer:

The Great Bath was a sort of modem swimming pool, discovered at Mohenjodaro. It is an example of excellent engineering’work. It was built of burnt brick. It measures 11 .-88 x 7.01 metres
The lands near the rivers were very fertile, hence good for growing crops.
Rivers provided means of transport and communication.
The river valleys had warm and pleasant climate which favoured permanent settlement of population.

Question 7.
Describe the Great Granary. Where has it been found?
Answer:
The Great Granary was found at Mohenjodaro and it was the largest building discovered there. It was used for storing grains in huge quantities for lean periods. Brick platforms have been found near the granaries which were used for threshing grain. Many two-room shelters have also been found nearby which were perhaps used by labourers. Granaries were built close to river banks to facilitate easier transportation of grains during emergencies.

Question 8.
Describe the religion of Indus Valley Civilisation
Answer:
The Harappans worshiped the pipal tree and humped bull which have been found on hundreds of seals. They also worshiped Mother Goddess which were beautifully depicted as terracotta figurines. The Harappans also worshiped ‘Shiva’ or ‘Pashupati’. A three-faced figure with horns has been found sitting in the posture of a yogi. He is surrounded by a tiger, a rhinoceros, a buffalo, and an elephant. But no temple or any other religious building has been found so far. The Harappans believed in life after death and buried the dead with his belongings.

Question 9.
Name the three social classes of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Answer:
The three social classes were:

Rich merchants and priests e. the ruling class.
Small merchants, artisans and craftsmen.
Peasants and labourers.

Question 10.
What were the probable causes which could have brought about an abrupt end to the Indus Valley Civilisation?
Answer:
There are many reasons attributed to the fall of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

The Harappan cities were destroyed by invaders who were probably the Aryans.
Natural calamities such as floods, earthquakes and epidemics might have destroyed the civilisation.
River Indus might have changed its course and turned the region into a desert.

IV. Give reasons why we say that the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation —

Had a good sense of cleanliness
Carried on trade with Mesopotamia
Produced surplus grains
Had an idea of metallurgy

Answer:

The arrangement of drains, wide roads and houses with toilets and drains attest to their sense of cleanliness.
Mesopotamian seals have been found in Harappan cities and Harappan seals have been discovered in cities of ancient Mesopotamia.
Big granaries and existence of towns prove the fact that they produced surplus food grains.
A bronze figure of a dancing girl has been found. Several other images, weapons, utensils and tools of copper and bronze have also been found. Jewellery made of gold and silver has been found at various sites.

Textbook Keywords

Dwelling houses are buildings, that people live in and but do not use as offices, trading places, etc.
Public building These buildings are used by all the people and are not privately owned.
Granaries were the store houses where the people of Indus valley civilization stored their extra grain. The Great Granary was discovered at Harappa.
Great Bath was a big tank at Mohanjodaro that was probably used by the general public during religious ceremonies. Drainage system It is a process by which water or liquid waste is drained out from an area.
Terracotta It is a reddish-brown clay that has been baked. Seals are the clay tablets used by Harappan merchants to stamp their goods.
Mother Goddess was the female deity worshiped by the people of the Indus Valley civilization. Many smoke- stained clay figures of the Mother Goddess have been found

Additional Questions

A. Fill in the blanks.

The main river of the Harappan civilization was Ravi.
The Great Bath is located in Mohenjodaro.
The main occupation of the Harappan were farming.
The rich wore ornaments made of gold, silver and ivoiy.
The Harappan seals are made of clay, soapstone and copper.

B. Match the following:

Answer:

C. Choose the correct answer:

1. The Harappan civilization belongs to the Mesolithic/ Neolithic/Bronze
Ans. The Harappan civilization belongs to the Bronze Age.

2.Lothal/Ropar/Harappa was the first city to be discovered in the Indus Valley region.
Ans. Harappa was the first city to be discovered in the Indus Valley region.

3. The Assembly Hall is in Mohanjodaro/Lothal/Harappa.
Ans. The Assembly Hall is in Mohanjodaro.

4. Wheat/Fish/Barley was the staple food of the Harappans.
Ans. Wheat was the staple food of the Harappans.

5. The neem/banyan/pipal tree was probably regarded as sacred by the Harappans.
Ans. The pipal tree was probably regarded as sacred by the Harappans.

D. State whether the following are true or false.

1. The Harappan cities had an elaborate drainage system.
False.
Correct: The Harappan cities had well planned system.
2. Domestication of animals was the main occupation of the Harappans.
False.
Correct: Farming was the main occupation of the Flarappans.
3.The Harappans decorated their pottery with various designs.
True.
4.The Harappans built strong boats.
True.
5. The Indus Valley civilization was governed by kings and queens.
False.
Correct: The Indus Valley civilization was not governed by kings and queens

E. Answer the following questions in one or two words/ sentences:

Question 1.
What discoveries proved that India had a 4,500-year old urban civilization?
Answer:
The excavations carried out at various sites prove that around 4,500 years ago highly civilized people lived in this region and gave to the world its earliest cities, its first town planning, its first architecture in stone and clay and its first example of sanitary engineering and drainage system.

Question 2.
Why is the Indus Valley Civilization also called the Harappan civilization?
Answer:
The Indus Valley civilization is also called the Flarappan civilizations because the things found in all the sites were very much like the articles found at Harappa.

Question 3.
Why did the Indus Valley people build granaries close to the river bank?
Answer:
All the granaries were built close to the river bank so that the grains could be easily transported with the help of boats.

Question 4.
Give one example to prove that the Indus Valley bronzesmiths were skilled craftspeople.
Answer:
The bronzesmiths made tools, weapons and metal sculptures such as the famous figure of the ‘dancing girl’. They were also engaged in other crafts like brick laying, boat making, stone cutting, masonry and carpentry.

Question 5.
How do we know that the Harappans had trade relations with the Mesopotamians?
Answer:
Trade relations with Mesopotamia have been proved with the discovery of Mesopotamian seals in the cities of the Indus Valley Civilization and Harappan seals in the ancient cities of Mesopotamia.

F. Answer the following questions briefly:

Question 1.
How were the Harappan cities planned? Explain briefly the main features of their dwelling houses.
Answer:
The Harappan cities were well-planned. The main streets ran parallel to each other, cut at right angles by smaller, streets, dividing the cities into rectangular blocks. The main roads were straight and very wide. The streets were often paved with baked bricks.Dwelling houses were building that people live in. They were in different sizes. They were made of baked bricks of very good quality. But they not used as office, trading place etc.

Question 2.
With reference to the engineering skills of the Indus Valley people, explain briefly the features of
(1)The Great Bath and
(2) the drainage system
Answer:

The Great Bath: It was important building at Mohenjodero. This building resembled a large swimming pool, It had six entrances,central bathing pool, galleries and dressing rooms. It was probably used by the general public during religious ceremonies.
The drainage system: The people of the Indus valley had an excellent, well-planned drainage system. The Kitchens and the bathrooms had drains connected to the street drains. The street drains ran along the side of the streets and were usually covered. They had manholes at regular intervals. The drainage system proves that the Indus Valley people paid great attention to sanitation and cleanliness.

Question 3.
Give a brief account of

Great Granary
Assembly Hall

Answer:

Great Granary: The Great Granary at Harappa was a large building. Historians believe that it was used to store surplus food grains. There were two rows of granaries. Each row had six granaries.
Assembly Hall: The Assembly Hall was another striking building found in Mohenjodaro. It was a pillared hall with thick walls and 20 pillars made of burnt or baked bricks. This may have been and assembly hall, a prayer hall or a palace.

Question 4.
Describe

The dress and
Ornaments of the Indus Valley people.

Answer:

Dress: People wore cotton and woolen garments. Two- piece dresses were worn by both men and women. The men wore a garment similar to the dhoti while the women wore skirts. The upper garments was a shawl worn around the shoulder.
Ornaments: Both men and women wore ornaments. They wore necklaces, amulets and finger rings. The women also wore a headdress, earrings, bangles, girdles, bracelets and anklets. The rich wore ornaments made of gold, silver and ivory. The poor wore shell, bone and copper jewellery.

Question 5.
Describe the occupation and crafts of the Harappan people.
Answer:
The main occupation of the people of the Indus Valley was farming. Farmers gr«w wheat, barley, fruits and vegetables. They also cultivated cotton. The land was fertile. The second occupation of the people of the Indus Valley was domestication of animals like goat, sheep, buffaloes, elephants, bulls, dogs and cats.The Indus Valley people were excellent potters and skilled crafts people. They made pottery of various shapes and sizes. They also made terracotta. The goldsmiths made gold and silver jewellery, copper smiths made utensils and the bronze smith made tools, weapons and metal sculptures. The people were also engaged in other crafts like brick laying, boat making, stone cutting, masonry and carpentry. Spinning and weaving were important occupations.

Question 6.
Write short notes on the following:

Trade
Seals of the Indus Valley

Answer:

Trade: The Indus Valley people carried on flourishing trade both within and outside India. They traded with countries like Mesopotamia, (Iraq), Persia (Iran) and Afghanistan. Trade was carried on both by land and sea routes. Bullock carts, boats and ships were probably used for transport. A dockyard has been discovered at Lothal.
Seals of the Indus Valley: More than 2,000 seals have been unearthed from various sites. They are generally small, flat, rectangular or square in shape and made of clay, soapstone and copper. They are skillfully carved with figures of humans and animals such as the unicorn, humped bull, goat, tiger, elephant, etc. These seals were probably used by merchants and traders to stamp goods.

Question 7.
The study of objects and artifacts found in the ruins of the Indus Valley cities help us us to form an idea of Harrapan religion. Explain.
Answer:
Some of the objects found in the ruins help us to form an idea of the religion of the Harappans. No temples have been found. Numerous smoke-stained clay figures of a female deity have been found. This was probably the Mother Goddess. A three faced figure, seated in a yogic posture and surrounded by various animals is engraved on some seals. The pipal tree was probably regarded as sacred and worshiped. The discovery of a large number of amulets suggests that people probably wore them as lucky charms to ward off evil spirits.

Question 8.
How did the Harappan civilization end?
Answer:
These are some causes of the decay of the Harappan civilization.

The Harappan might have been destroyed by natural calamities like earthquakes, floods.
The climate also began to change and the region became more and more dry like a desert.
Perhaps the Aryans attacked their cities and destroyed them.
An epidemic or some terrible disease might have killed the people.

G Picture study.

This picture on the right-hand side shows a well-planned ancient city located on the banks of a river.
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - The River Valley Civilisations Indus Valley Civilisation 6

1. Identify the civilization from the ruins in the picture.
Ans. This picture is about Harappa Civilization.

2. When and by whom were these ruins discovered?
Ans. These ruins were discovered by Dayaram Sahni in 1921.

3.These ruins are an important source of information about the
(a) town planning and
(b) drainage system of this period. Explain.
Ans.
(a) Town planning— The Indus Valley cities were very well- planned. The streets were quite broad varying from a feet to 30 feet in breadth. The streets and roads were straight and they cut one another at right angles. The streets had rounded comers to enable the heavy carts to take a turn easily. Every street had a lighting system. Such a system of town-planning was not to be found at that time anywhere in the world.

(b) Drainage system— The people of the Indus valley had an excellent, well-planned drainage system. The kitchens and the bathrooms had drains connected to the street drains. The street drains ran along the side of the streets and were usually covered. They had manholes at regular intervals. The drainage system proves that the Indus Valley people paid great attention to sanitation and cleanliness.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – The Golden Age: Gupta Empire

August 11, 2022December 5, 2019 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – The Golden Age: Gupta Empire

ICSE Solutions Selina ICSE Solutions ML Aggarwal Solutions

APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 9 The Golden Age: Gupta Empire. You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks:

The Gupta Age is known as the Golden Age of Indian History.
Chandragupta II assumed the title of Shakari.
Samudragupta did not conquer the southern kingdoms; he took only tribute from them.
The two great grammarians of this period were Panini and Patanjali.
The greatest poet of Vikramaditya’s court was Kalidasa.
The masterpiece of art during the Gupta period is the image of seated Buddha in a yogic pose.
The centres of high learning during the Gupta age were Nalanda, Takshshila and Ujjain.
Varahamihira wrote Brihat Samhita, an encyclopaedia on astronomy.
The finest example of metallurgy of this period is Iron Pillar at Mehrauli in Delhi.
Samudragupta was called the Indian Napoleon.

II. Match Column A with Column B:

Answer:

III. State whether the following statements are True or False:

1. Chandragupta Vikramaditya was the founder of the Gupta dynasty.
False
Chandragupta I ruled from AD 375 to AD 415.
False
Samudragupta is called the Indian Napoleon.
True
Fa-Hien, a Chinese traveller, visited India during Samudragupta’s reign
False
Skandagupta was the last great Gupta ruler.
True

IV. Answer the following questions:

Question 1.
Why is Chandragupta I called the real founder of the Gupta Empire?
Answer:
Chandragupta I is called the real founder of the Gupta Empire because he was first independent and important ruler of this dynasty. He raised the power and prestige of his empire through conquests and marriages. He assumed the title Maharajadhiraja,ie, the king of kings’. He started the Gupta Era in 320 AD which marked the date of his accession.

Question 2.
Describe the military achievements of Samudra gupta. Which source tells us about him?
Answer:
The most important historical source of information about Samudra gupta is the Allahabad Pillar Inscription which was composed by Harisena. According to the inscription Samudra gupta was a great conqueror and he won a- series of wars in north and south India. He defeated as many as 9 rulers in northern India and 12 rulers in eastern Deccan and southern India. But Samudra gupta did not want to gain permanent possession of his conquests in the south because he knew he could not control south India from his capital. He was happy with the tributes collected from the defeated princes of the south, bringing home large stores of treasure.

Question 3.
Why is Chandragupta II considered the greatest ruler of the Gupta dynasty?
Answer:
Fa-Hien’s account forms the historical source of information about Chandragupta II. Chandragupta II was a great conqueror. His greatest achievement was to destroy the power of the Shaka from Malwa, Gujarat and Saurashtra permanently. He gained control over three important parts of Bharuch, Cambay and Sopara. He also assumed the title Shakari or the conqueror of the Shakas. He was a great patron of art and literature. He had at his court, the famous Navaratnas, the most learned men of his time. Poet Kalidasa was one of them.

Question 4.
What were the religious beliefs of the people during the Gupta period?
Answer:
The Gupta kings were Vaishnavas, but they were tolerant towards all religions. Brahmanism had come to the forefront. The two gods who commanded the worship of the majority were Vishnu and Shiva. Religious sacrifices were performed. Hinduism became the most powerful religion and the Gupta kings gave donations for building of temples. Buddhism no longer received the royal patronage, though it continued to be the second most important religion.

Question 5.
Describe the great progress made in art and architecture during the Gupta period.
Answer:
Art and architecture gained great heights during the Gupta Period. Many temples were built. The temples at Deogarh, Sanchi and Bhittargaon are very famous.The 29 cave temples at Ajanta near Aurangabad in Maharashtra and Bagh in Madhya Pradesh were also built during this period. The walls of these caves were covered with paintings (called murals or frescoes). Two main centers of art were Mathura and Samath. The image of the seated Buddha in a yogic pose is one of the masterpieces of art of this period.

Question 6.
With examples prove that Sanskrit literature reached its peak during this period.
Answer:
The Gupta period is called the Golden Age of Sanskrit literature. Chandragupta II is credited with maintaining Nav-Ratna (Nine luminaries) at his court. Kalidasa and Amarasimha adorned his court. Kalidasa was the greatest and most famous poet of this period. He wrote Abhijnana Shakuntalam, Raghuvansham, Meghaduta and Kumar Sambhava. Amarsimha wrote Amarakosa, a Sanskrit dictionaiy. Panini was a great grammarian. Ashtadhyayi, the greatest work on Sanskrit grammar was written by Panini during this period.

Question 7.
Describe the progress made in the field of science during the Gupta period.
Answer:
Scientists, mathematicians, astronomers and physicians flourished in the court of the Gupta rulers. Two well- known mathematicians and astronomers of this period were Aryabhatta and Varahmihira. Aryabhatta said that the earth moves round the sun and at the same time it moves on its axis. The books authored by Aryabhatta are Aryabhatiya and Suryasidhanta. Varahamihira wrote Brihat Samhita, an Encyclopedia on Astronomy. Indian mathematicians knew the use of zero. The Indians also used the decimal system.

Question 8.
Write a short note on Gupta administration.
Answer:
The Gupta empire was divided into provinces. These provinces were further divided into various districts. There were district councils which helped the provincial governors. The provinces were known as Bhuktis and the districts were known as Vishayas. Each district was divided into villages called gramas. Each Bhukti was placed under the charge of an Uparika and each Vishaya under a Vishayapati. There were many officers who assisted the king in his work. The provinces were under the charge of princes. They were assisted by officials called Kumarmatyas. The villages were looked after by Gramapati.

Question 9.
With appropriate examples prove that the Gupta period has been rightly called a ‘Golden Age’.
Answer:
The Gupta period is known as “Golden Age of Indian History”. The rule of the Gupta kings lasted for more than two hundred years. India made progress in almost every field under the Gupta kings. This period saw considerable achievements in the field of Indian culture especially in the areas of art, architecture and literature. Remarkable advancement also took place in the field of science, medicine and metallurgy. Peace and prosperity prevailed in the empire.

V. Picture study: This is a picture of Iron Pillar.

Who built it?
Ans. Chandragupta II
Where is it situated ?
Ans. Mehrauli. Delhi
Why is it called ‘rustless wonder’ ?
Ans. It is called rustless wonder because it has not rusted yet. rather still shines.
Its specially
Ans. It shows the progress of the Gupta ruler in the field of metallurgy.
Name of which ruler is inscribed on it ?
Ans. Chandra.

Textbook Keywords

Navaratnas: It means nine gems. This term was used to refer to talented writers, musicians, dramatist, etc. who were present in the king’s count.
Huns: They were barbarians who invaded India. Kumar amatyas They were officials who assisted the princes in governing the provinces.
Vishyapatis: They were the officers who looked after the administration of the districts or vishyas.
Vaishnavas: They are the worshipers of Lord Vishnu. Bhakti cult It was a religious cult that believed that God could be reached through intense and true devotion and not through rituals.
Aryabhatta: He was a famous mathematician and astronomer who discovered that the earth moves around the sun, and the reasons for lunar and solar eclipses.
Vagabhatta: He wrote a book on ayurvedic medicine. Kalidas He was the most famous Sanskrit poet and dramatist of this period.

Additional Questions

A. Fill in the blanks.

The foundation of the Gupta empire was laid by Chandragupta I.
The Allahabad Pillar inscription by the court poet Harisena is a valuable source of information for the Gupta period.
Samudragupta defeated nine king in northern India and twelve kings in southern India.
The Pallava ruler of Kanchi formed a confederacy of the rulers of southern India.
The rulers of southern India accepted Samudragupta as their overload and paid tribute to him.
Samudragupta celebrated his conquests by performing the Ashvamedha Yagna.
Samudragupta was not only a military genius but a talented musician and poet as well.
Chandragupta Vikramaitya strengthened his position by matrimonial alliance
The great Sanskrit writer Kalidas was one of Vikramaditya’s nine gems.
The account of the Chinese traveller Fa Hien is a valuable source of information for the Gupta period.
The last important ruler of the Gupta dynasty was Skanda- gupta.
The Gupta period is known as the Golden Age of ancient India history.

B. Match the following

Answer:

C. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
What was the political condition of India after the decline of the Kushanas and the Satavahaans?
Answer:
After the decline of the Kushanas and Satvahanas. India was divided into a number of small kingdoms and republics. The political condition was instable.

Question 2.
Why did the Pallava ruler of Kanchi form a confederacy against Samudragupta?
Answer:
The Pallava ruler of Kanchi form a confederacy because he realized that he could not face Samudragupta alone. So he formed a confederacy of the kings of South India under his leadership.

Question 3.
Why did Samudragupta not annex the South Indian kingdoms after defeating them?
Answer:
Samudragupta. did not annex the south Indian kingdoms because he realized it would not be easy to control such a vast empire without proper transport and communication facilities.

Question 4.
Why did the frontier states of the east and the west surrender to Samudragupta?
Answer:
The frontier states of east and the west surrender to Samundragupta because the ruler of these states accepted him as their overlord and paid large sum of money as a tribute.

Question 5.
What was the extent of Samudragupta’s empire?
Answer:
Samudragupta’s empire extended from Bengal in the east to Delhi in the west from the Himalayas in the north to Narmda in the south. His indirect control over the vassal states also.

Question 6.
How did Chandragupta Vikramaditya strengthen his position through matrimonial alliances?
Answer:
Chandragupta Vikramaditya strengthen his position by matrimonial alliance. He married the daughter of a powerful Naga ruler. He gave his daughter in marriage to the Vakataka ruler in the Deccan from whom he got valuable help during his campaigns against the Sakas.

Question 7.
Mention two important reasons for the downfall of the Gupta empire.
Answer:
The important reasons for the downfall of the Gupta empire are following.

Skandagupta successors were week.
They could not protect the empire from the repeated onslaughts of the Huns.

Question 8.
What according to Fa Hien, was the condition of the people during the Gupta period?
Ans.
According to Fa Hien’s account the people were honest, secure, prosperous and happy during Gupta Period. There was no capital punishment, for very serious crimes like treason and rebellion the right hand was cut off. Criminals were usually fined. Taxes were light. ‘

Question 9.
What did the Gupta rulers do to encourage education?
Answer:
Liberal grants were given to encourage education and Gupta established Nalanda University.

Question 10.
What progress did the Guptas make in the following fields:

Astronomy
Medicine
Mathematics
Metallurgy

Answer:

Astronomy— A tremendous progress was made in the field of astronomy. Aryabhatta who was a known a astronomer discovered the movements of earth i.e. it moves around the sun on it axis. He also found out the causes of lunar and solar eclipses.
Mathematics— The discovery of the zero and decimal system was made in use during Gupta period.
Medicine— Vegabhatta and Dhanvantri were famous physicians and surgeons who served the people during this period.
Metallurgy— Mehrauli pillars throw light on the iron metallurgy of this period. The pillar was built in the 4th century CE has not rusted in the last few centuries. The 25 meter high copper statue of Buddha and the numerous gold coins testily the skill in metal casting.

D. State whether the following are true or false.

Criminals were punished severely during the reign of the Guptas.
False.
There was an elaborate spy system under the Guptas.
False.
Taxes were light during the Gupta period.
True.
The Gupta encouraged the revival of Hinduism.
True.
The Guptas followed a policy of religious tolerance
True.

E. Picture study.
This is a picture of the ruins of an ancient university.
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - The Golden Age Gupta Empire 7

1. Identify the name of the university.
Ans.This is a picture of Nalanda University.

2. Mention the subjects taught in this university.
Ans.Medicine, astronomy grammar philosophy, and vedic literature were taught in Nalanda University, Subjects.

3. Which dynasty established this university?
Ans.Gupta dynasty established this University.

4. What contributions did this dynasty make in the fields of
(a) astronomy (b) metallurgy (c) literature ?
Ans.
(a) refer Ans. (10) (1)
(b) refer Ans. (10)(4)
(c) During this period Kalidasa wrote famous play Shakuntala and the epic poem Meghaduta. The Panchatantra was compiled, the Puranas were rewritten, and the Mahabharata was revised and rewritten during this period. Shudraka’s Mrichchhakatika was also written during this time.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – Mahavira and Buddha – Great Preachers

August 11, 2022December 5, 2019 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – Mahavira and Buddha – Great Preachers

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APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 6 Mahavira and Buddha – Great Preachers . You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks:

The sixth century BC saw the rise of two new religions in India.
The founders of both the new religions in India were Kshatriyas.
Jainism was founded by Mahavira.
The Jains believe Mahavira was the 24th and the last Tirthankara.
At the age of 42, Mahavira conquered both misery and happiness and became Jina or the conqueror.
Buddhism was founded by Gautam Buddha.
His real name was Siddhartha.
The tree under which Buddha attained Enlightenment is called Bodhi Tree.

II. Match Column A with Column B

Answer:

III. State whether the following statements are True or False.

By the 6th century BC the Vedic religion had become too complicated and common people could not understand it.
True
Mahavira was born at Pavapuri near Rajgir in Bihar.
False
The attainment of ‘Moksha’ should be the main goal of life according to Mahavira.
True
Jainism’s strict insistence on non-violence and penance made it popular in India.
False
Buddha’s teachings are included in the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path.
True
Jatakas are stories about Buddha’s previous births.
True.
‘Mahayana’ form of Buddhism started worshiping Buddha as a god.
True

Answer the following questions:
Question 1.
Why did new religions rise in India in the 6th century BC?
Answer:
By the 6th century BC the Vedic religion had become very complicated. There was a great deal of emphasis on rituals, yajnas and sacrifice. The Brahmanas had become very powerful and all the rituals had become too costly for the common man. Animal sacrifices affected the economy because it was based upon agriculture and animal husbandry. The language used for all rituals was Sanskrit and the common man could not understand it. The use of coins facilitated trade and commerce which added to the importance of the Vaishyas. They were ranked third in the society, the first two being Brahmanas and Kshatriyas. Naturally, they looked for a religion which would improve their position. Hence, new religions — Buddhism and Jainism — rose in India in the 6th century BC.

Question 2.
What are the five vows a Jain householder had to take?
Answer:
Five vows of Jainism are as follow:

Ahimsa—non-violence
Satya—Truth
Achaurya orAsteya—Non-stealing
Brahmacharya—Celibacy
Aparigraha—Non-possession

Question 3.
Why did Buddha renounce the world?
Answer:
One day Prince Siddhartha, while on a chariot ride through the city, saw three sights — of an old man, a sick man and a dead body being carried by mourners. This disturbed and distressed him. Then he saw an ascetic who was serene and calm. No sorrow or worldly miseries affected him. These are the Four Great Sights that changed his life and he renounced the world.

Question 4.
Explain the main difference between Jainism and Buddhism.
Answer:
Compared to Jainism, Buddhism was moderate in its stress on the doctrine of non-violence. Buddhism emphasised on following the middle path whereas Jainism laid stress on extreme austerity. While the Buddha was silent about the existence of God, Mahavira denied his existence.

Question 5.
Why did Buddhism spread so rapidly?
Answer:
Buddhism spread rapidly because its teachings were very simple and it was taught in the language of the people. The patronage of two great emperors — Ashoka and Kanishka — made it a world religion. Its opposition to the caste system made it popular among the castes that were considered low.

Question 6.
What were the reasons behind the decline of Buddhism and Jainism?
Answer:
Buddhism became a victim to the evils of Brahmanism against which it had fought initially. The Buddhist monks were gradually cut off from the mainstream of the people’s life. They gave up Pali, the language of people and took to Sanskrit, the language of intellectuals. They also started practicing idol worship on a large scale and received material offerings from devotees. The rich offerings and generous royal grants made the life of monks luxurious. By the 7th century AD the Buddhist monasteries became centers of corrupt practices which Buddha had strictly prohibited. Undue emphasis on non-violence in Jainism checked its spread among the farming community as their profession necessarily involved killing insects and pests. Moreover, Mahavira’s ideas were not acceptable to those artisans and craftsmen whose occupation endangered the life of other creatures. Strict Jaina limitation of private property was interpreted as a ban on possession of landed property. All these factors led to the gradual decline of Jainism.

Question 7.
Name the religious texts of Buddhism and Jainism.
Answer:
Religious texts of Buddhism — Vinay Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka Religious texts of Jainism — Angas and Purvas

Question 8.
Why is Buddhism called the Middle Path?
Answer:
Buddhism is called Middle Path because Buddha did not believe in extremes. Buddhism emphasised on following the middle

V. Picture study This is a picture of a temple.

Identify and name it.
Ans. Dilwara Jain Temple
Where is it situated?
Ans. Mount Abu (Rajasthan)
Who built it?
Ans. Vastupala
Write a paragraph about it.
Ans. The five legendary marble temples of Dilwara are a sacred pilgrimage place of the Jains. Many scholars consider them to be one of the most beautiful Jain pilgrimage sites in the world.

Textbook Keywords

Tirthankaras: They were the religious teachers of Jainism who preached before Mahavira.
Jina: It means conquerer of the self.
Karma: It means that people’s actions decide their destiny. Moksha It means freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
Digambara Sect of Jainism: The word means sky clad. They did not wear any clothes and followed the original teachings of Mahavira.
Svetambaras: They were Jain monks who wore white clothes and did not believe in hard penance.
Purvas and Angas: They are the religious literature of the Jains.
Ashtangika marga: It means the eight fold path.
Ahimsa: means non-violence. Both Jainism and Buddhism preached this principle.
Nirvana: It means freedom from the cycle of birth and death.
Sangha was the order of the Buddhist monks.
Tripitakas and Jatakas Are Buddhist religious texts.

Additional Questions

A. Fill in the blanks.

1. Many evil customs crept into Hindu society.
The shudras were denied the right to study religious texts.
In the 6th century BCE two great religious reformers, Vardhamana Mahavira and Gautam a Buddha were bom.
Two famous followers of Jainism were Bimbisara and Mahayana.
The religious literature of the Buddhists is contained in the Tripitakas and Jatakas.
Buddhism was divided into two sects, Hinayana and Mahayana
Jainism was divided into two sects, Digambaras and Svetambaras.

B. Match the following.

Answer:

C. Answer the following questions.
Question 1.
How did the new customs destroy the simplicity of the original Vedic religion?
Answer:
Costly sacrifices, superstitions and elaborate, meaningless rituals destroyed the simplicity and appeal of the original vedic religion.

Question 2.
How did the rigid caste system affect the shudras?
Answer:
Shudras were increasingly isolated and persecuted. They were denied the right to study the religious scriptures and were not even allowed to recite the Sanskrit hymns,

Question 3.
Mention the main teachings of Mahavira.
Answer:

Ahimsa or Non-violence is the first great teaching of Mahavira.
Mahavira did not accept the Veda and opposed all forms of religious rites and rituals.
Mahavira believed that all people are equal.
Mahavira denied that God was the creator of the universe,
According to Mahavira the highest goal of a person’s life was to attain moksha.

Question 4.
Name the two Jain sects. What was the difference between the two?
Answer:
Digambaras and Svetambaras are two sects of Jainism.
The main difference between Digambaras and Svetambaras was that the followers of Digambaras did not wear any clothes and followed the original teaching of Mahavira. But the followers of Svetambaras wore white clothes and did not believe in hard penance.

Question 5.
In which parts of India is Jainism still popular?
Answer:
Jainism is still popular in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Question 6.
What were the ‘four great sights’ that proved to be a turning point in Gautama Buddha’s life?
Answer:
Once while Gautama Buddha was on an outing in his chariot,he saw an old man, a sick man, a dead man and an ascetic who was unaffected by the sorrow and misery around him. These four great sights proved to be a turning point in Gautama Buddha’s life.

Question 7.
Briefly explain the following events in Buddha’s life:

Renunciation
Enlightenment

Answer:

Renunciation— At the ‘four great sights’ Gautam decided to renounce worldly life and go out in search for answers to the mysteries of life and death. He became an ascetic.
Enlightenments— One day Gautam Buddha sat down under a pipal tree in Bodh Gaya and began to meditate. On the 49th day, true light dawned on him. He became the enlightened one. He had at last found the cause of human suffering and knew how to overcome it.

Question 8.
Explain the four noble truths of Buddhism.
Answer:
The four noble truths of Buddhism are following.

The world is full of suffering.
The cause of suffering is human desire.
Suffering can be ended by overcoming desires.
Desires can be overcome and freedom from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth can be achieved by nirvana. The eight fold path leads to nirvana.

Question 9.
What do you understand by the term eight fold path of Buddhism?
Answer:
The eight fold path of Buddhism are following:

Right belief
Right speech
Right thought
Right action
Right efforts
Right memory
Right meditation
Right means of livelihood

Question 10.
why did Buddhism spread so rapidly?
Answer:
Buddhism spread so rapidly because of following causes.

The Simplicity of Gautam Buddha’s teachings and principle of equality greatly appealed to the common people.
Buddhism was spread far and wide by monks and nuns.
Buddhist universities established by king Ashoka (like Nalanda) were also other important reasons for rapid spread of Buddhism.

Question 11.
Explain the following terms:

Ahimsa
Karma
Moksha

Answer:

Ahimsa—Ahimsa means non-violence. Both Jainism and Buddhism preached this principle.
Karma— People’s actions will decide their destiny. Good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished.
Moksha— The hightest goal of a person’s life was to attain Moksha freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

Question 12.
What were the reasons for the decline of Buddhism in India?
Answer:
Buddhism gradually declined in India for the following reasons.

Hinduism was reformed and purified.
The Gupta kings patronized Hinduism.
India was invaded by the Huns who destroyed Buddhist viharas.

D. State whether the following are true or false.

The brahmanas were very popular among the common people.
False.
Mahavira was the last tirthankara of the Jains.
True.
Mahavira believed in the existence of a supreme God.
False.
Buddhism was taught in Prakrit.
False.
Buddhism is the main religions of people in south-east Asia, Tibet. China and Japan.
True.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – History – Early Man

August 11, 2022December 5, 2019 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – History – Early Man

ICSE Solutions Selina ICSE Solutions ML Aggarwal Solutions

APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 2 Early Man . You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks:

The system of exchanging things is known as Barter.
Early man was a Nomad, but later he led a settled life.
Instead of killing Animals man domesticated them and used them as means of transport.
Man started worshiping Natural forces/gods out of fear.

II. Write True or False against the following statements:

The Old Stone Age lasted from 100,000 BC to 8,000
False.
Early Man always lived close to rivers.
True.
The discovery of fire was a pure coincidence.
True.
Fire helped man in making better tools.
False.
Man started making shorter and tinier tools called ‘Microliths’ in the Neolithic Age.
False.
The New Stone Age is known for discovery of agriculture and invention of wheel.
True.
The invention of the wheel made transportation easier and faster.
True.
Primitive men believed in life after death.
True.

III. Answer the following questions briefly:

Question 1.
When did modern man appear on the earth?
Answer:
The modem man appeared on the earth around 40,000 years ago.

Question 2.
Name the three periods of the prehistoric time.
Answer:
Three periods of prehistory — palaeolithic age, mesolithic age and neolithic age.

Question 3.
How did early man dress himself in the Stone Age?
Answer:
During the Stone Age early man wore animal skins, bark of trees and leaves.

Question 4.
Which discoveries changed the life of Early Man ?
Ans.
The discovery of fire and agriculture changed the life of early man. Later on he started making pottery. Invention of wheel also transformed the life of early man.

Question 5.
How were the tools of the New Stone Age different from those of the Old Stone Age ?
Answer:
During the Old Stone Age stone tools were crude, big and blunt. They were used for different purposes such as cutting trees, killing and skinning animals, chopping meat, etc. During the New Stone Age, tools became smaller, sharper, pointed and fine-shaped. They were used as spears, arrow heads, etc.

Question 6.
Describe the main features of the Neolithic Age ?
Answer:
During the Neolithic Age man least to make better tools grow food crops and domesticate animals. This age remarkable for discovery of agriculture, fine pottery and invention of wheel. Man became a food-producer and began leading a settled life.

Question 7.
How did the invention of wheel change the life of early man?
Answer:
The invention of wheel brought many changes in the life of man. Early man made wheeled-cart which made transportation easier and faster. Potters made fine pottery of various shapes and sizes quickly on wheels. Later the wheel was also used for spinning and weaving cloth of cotton.

Question 8.
Trace the development of early man from being a food gatherer to a food producer.
Answer:
During the Palaeolithic Age, early man was a food gatherer. He wandered from place to place in search of food. He hunted wild animals for their meat which they ate raw. With discovery of fire, he learnt to roast meat. During the Neolithic Age early man began to grow food crops. He became a food-producer. Hence, he settled at one place, began domestication of useful animals and stored grains for future use in pots.

Textbook Keywords

Palaeolithic Age:It is the Old Stone Age in which humans made crude stone tools. It extended roughly from 500, 000 BCE to 10, 000 BCE.
Mesolithic Age: It is the Middle Stone Age which was a transition period. It extended roughly from 10, 000 BCE to 8,000 BCE.
Neolithic Age: It is the New stone Age in which human made well shaped and polished stone tools. It extended roughly from 8,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE.
Barter System: It is the system of exchanging services and goods.
Chalcolithic Age: It is the Copper-stone Age in which humans made tools of both copper and stone. It extended roughly from 4, 000 BCE to 2, 000 BCE.
Bronze: It is the alloy of copper and tin. It is harder and stronger than copper.

Additional Questions

A. Fill in the blanks.

1. In the earliest stages of physical development, humans walked on all four.
In earliest times humans lived in caves and other natural shelters.
The Old Stone Age humans made stone tools such as hammers, scrapers and axe-heads
Early humans did not know how to grow crops. They were hunters and food gatherers
To protect themselves from wild animals early humans began to form small groups.
Primitive humans painted pictures of animals and hunting scenes on cave walls.
The greatest achievement of early humans was the discovery of fire
The stone tools of the Neolithic Age were well-shaped and polished.
Neolithic humans domesticated dogs, goats, sheep and cattle.
The invention of the wheel was a major milestone in the evolution of the civilized human.
The system of exchanging services and goods is known as the Barter system.
Copper and stone tools were used during the Chalcolithic Age.

B. Match the following
A B

Answer:

C. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
Describe the life of prehistoric humans in the earliest times.
Answer:
In earliest times, prehistoric humans lived alone in caves or other natural shelters. They ate wild berries, roots, fruits, insects, worms and flesh of small animals. They used their bare hands to kill small animals. They did not wear any clothes and their bodies were covered with thick hair.

Question 2.
Name the periods into which the Stone Ages can be broadly divided.
Answer:
The Stone Age can be broadly divided into four periods. They are following.

Palaeolithic Age or Old Stone Age
Mesolithic Age or Middle Stone Age
Neolithic Age or New Stone Age
Chalcolithic Age or Copper Stone Age

Question 3.
Describe the tools made by humans in the Palaeolithic Age. What purposes did these tools serve?
Answer:
During the Palaeolithic Age mao made crude unpolished tools. They shaped the large stone pieces into, hammers, scrapers and axe-heads. The purposes of these tools were for cutting tree, killing and skinning animals, chopping meat and digging up roots.

Question 4.
What did the people of the Old Stone Age eat?
Answer:
The people of Old Stone Age did not know how to grow crops. Their food consisted of fruits, roots, nuts, eggs of birds and raw flesh of animals and birds.

Question 5.
Where did early humans live? What did they wear?
Answer:
Early humans lived in caves and hide himself among the branches of trees. Early human did not wear clothes, But later they make clothes by stitching animal skins with bone needles.

Question 6.
How do we know that early humans were skillful artists?
Answer:
There is no doubt that early humans were skillful artist because the painted pictures of animals and drawn hunting scenes with great accuracy and skill on cave walls. They also engraved pictures on ivory horns and flat bones.

Question 7.
How did early humans discover fire? How did this discovery help them?
Answer:
Early humans found that when two dry stones rubbed together produce sparks of fire. This discovery bought a great change in their life. They used it for roasting food, lighting his cave, keeping warm in cold season and frightening animals.

Question 8.
What important changes took place in the life style of humans in the New Stone Age?
Answer:
In the New Stone Age human became a food produces from food gatherer. He gave up his cave and made huts of straw and mud and he also made better well grooved and more useful tools.

Question 9.
Discuss two important occupations of humans in the New Stone Age.
Answer:
Agriculture and domestication of animals were two important occupations of humans in the New Stone Age.

Question 10.
How did the invention of the wheel transform the life of the people in the Neolithic Age?
Answer:
The discovery of the wheel was an important achievement of the man in the Neolithic Period.It brought a rapid progress in making beautiful pots. The wheel was used in horse-carts and bullock-carts. Which made transport quite easy and quick. The wheel was used for carrying loads and also used for spinning and weaving. In this way the invention of the wheel was a major achievement of man in his march towards civilization.

Question 11.
Why did early humans make pots? How did the invention of the potter’s wheel affect the art of pottery making?
Answer:
Early humans make pots because they needed pots to store grains, water and food. The invention of the potter’s wheel was boon for potters. They made pots of various shapes and sizes, pots were often decorated with floral designs and geometrical patterns.

Question 12.
‘Agriculture and domestication of animals brought dramatic changes in the of humans’. Explain.
Answer:
Agriculture— The discovery of Agriculture has a great importance in the life of humans. The man now become a food producer instead of a food-gatherer and thus, he began to lead a settled life. He now grow com, vegetables and fruits near his hut.

Domestication— The Domestication of animals help the humans in many ways Dogs, goats, sheep and cattle were domesticated. These animals supplied milk, meat and skins. Bullocks, donkeys and horses were later used to plough the fields. In these ways agriculture and domestication brought dramatic changes in the life of humans.

Question 13.
Write short notes on the following:
1. The barter system
2.Social life during the Neolithic Age
Answer:

The barter system It is the system of exchanging services and goods. For example, the potters got food grains in exchange for pots and vice versa.
Social life during the Neolithic Age From the earliest times, people had been living in groups. It became necessary to have a code of conduct to regulate and control the activities of the people. These rules became established customs. The oldest, wiser or the strongest man in the village was chosen as the village head man. He maintained law and order in the village and protected the people from enemies.

Question 14.
Mention the chief features of the Chalcolithic Age.
Answer:
Chalcolithic Age is known as the Copper-Stone Age. It was a brief but significant period in the life of man. The main features of the Chalcolithic Age were following.

In Chalcolithic Age discovery of metals and improved implements led to the development of agricultural skills to a high degree.
Chalcolithic Settlements were rural in nature Society became more complex and was classified into different groups.

D. State whether the following are true or false.

The humans of the Old Stone Age were hunters and food gatherers.
True.
Fire was discovered in the Neolithic Age.
False.
The Neolithic humans used digging sticks and stone sickles.
True.
Humans did not know spinning and weaving in the New Stone Age.
False
Copper is harder and stronger than bronze.
False.

E. Picture study.

The picture below shows some stone implements.
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - History - Early Man 3

To which prehistoric age do these implements belong?
Ans. These implements belongs to Neolithic Age.
How are these implements different from those belonging to the previous age?
Ans. These implements were beautiful, well grooved and more useful than belonging to the previous age.
What purpose did these tools serve?
Ans. Humans used these tools to till the soil and to reap the crops.
Mention five important changes that took place in the lifestyle of humans of this period.
Ans.
1. In Neolithic age man became a food producer from food gatherer.
2.Man gave up his cave and made huts of straw and mud near his fields.
3.Man made better, beautiful well grooved, and more useful tools.
4. The invention of wheel made the life easier and more comfortable.
5. Man began to live in groups and human life became more organized.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – History – An Introduction

August 11, 2022December 5, 2019 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – History – An Introduction

ICSE Solutions Selina ICSE Solutions ML Aggarwal Solutions

APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 1 History – An Introduction. You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks:

People who write history are known as Historians.
By Archaeology we mean the study of the remains of the ancient past.
The two Great epics tells us about the life and society in ancient past, besides being religious books.
Old buildings which are important historically are known as Monuments.
Meghadoot was written by Kalidasa.

II. Match Column A with Column B:

Answer:

III. Answer the following questions briefly :

Question 1.
What is history? What is the origin of the word‘history’?
Answer:
History is the study of our past, a record of the events that happened long ago. It tells us about the life of people during a particular period. The word ‘History’ comes from the Greek word ‘Histo’ which means ‘know this’.

Question 2.
Why do we study history? Give two reasons.
Answer:

History helps us to understand our society and culture.
History helps us to leam from our past mistakes so that we don’t repeat them.

Question 3.
Which period in history is called prehistoric?
Answer:
‘Pre-history’ means ‘before history’. This period refers to the era when man had not developed the art of writing. Hence, there are no written records of this period. The life of people during this period is constructed through tools, weapons, bones, etc.

Question 4.
Name two sources of history. What do literary sources include?
Answer:
Two sources of history are literary sources and archaeological sources. Literary sources include secular literature and religious literature. Writings related to a religion are called religious literature, for example, the Jatakas, the Ramayana. Secular literature is not related to a religion. It includes poems, plays, accounts by travelers, for example, the Indika of Megasthenes.

Question 5.
Give one example each of religious and secular literature.
Answer:
Example of religious literature — the Mahabharata. Example of secular literature —Abhigyan Shakuntalam.

Question 6.
What do we mean by culture?
Answer:
Culture is the sum total of knowledge, beliefs, morals, art, customs and laws and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

Question 7.
Explain the term archaeology.
Answer:
Archaeology means the study of the remains of the past such as inscriptions, monuments, tools, coins, potteiy, etc.

IV. Distinguish between

Archaeological sources and literary sources.
Monuments and inscriptions.
Religious and secular literature.

Answer:

Archaeological sources include inscriptions, coins, tools, weapons, pottery, bones, etc. Literary sources include books related to a religion and poems, plays, travelogues, etc.
Monuments are old buildings such as caves, stupas, temples, forts and palaces. Inscriptions are writings engraved on rocks, pillars, buildings, metal plates, etc.
Religious literature is related to a religion, for example, the Puranas (Hindus), the Jatakas (Buddhists), the Angas (Jains). Secular literature has nothing to do with a religion, for example, the Arthashastra of Kautilya, the Indika of Megasthenes.

V. Given below are some drawings. Circle those which you think below to prehistory.
VI. Picture study — This picture shows a valuable source of history.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - History - An Introduction 4
1.Identify the source
Ans. The source is coin.

2.How do you think these are useful ?
Ans. Coins give us information about use of a metal during a particular period and the economic conditions of the people.

3.What do you understand by the term ‘numismatics’ ?
Ans. Numismatics is the study of coins.

Textbook Keywords

History is a record of people, places and events of the past arranged in chronological order.
Prehistory is the history of the period before writing was invented.
Archaeology is the study of material remains of the distant past.
Parchment is the dried skin of goats and sheep used for writing.
Sources Sources are clues from archaeology’ or literature which help historians to put together a period of history.
Monuments Monuments are ancient buildings such as temples, palaces and forts, which are valuable sources of information of the life and times of people in the distant past. Numismatics It is a study of coins.
Inscriptions are the engraving on solid objects such as metal surfaces, stone tablets, rocks, pillars, cave walls, etc. Epigraphy Epigraphy is the study of old inscriptions. Edicts Edicts are royal commands issued by the rulers. Manuscripts Manuscripts are the handwritten records of the past in the form of books.
Religious literature It refers to literacy writing dealing with religion.
Secular literature is non-religious literature such as plays, poems, accounts of foreign travelers and other works on politics, science, etc.

Additional Questions

A. Fill in the blanks.

History is record of people, places and events of the past, arranged in chronological order.
Prehistory is the history of the period before writings was invented.
The sources of history can be broadly classified into archaeological sources and literary
The study of coins is known as numismatics
Edicts are royal commands issued by kings.
Inscriptions are engravings on solid objects.
Handwritten records of the past are known as Manuscripts
Literary source material can be divided into religious literature and secular literature
The Greek ambassador in Chandragupta Maurya’s court was Magasthenes
The Chinese travelers who came to India were Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang

B. Match the following.

Answer:

C. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
What is history? Why do we study history?
Answer:
History is a record of people, places and events of the past, arranged in chronological order.We study history because it tells us about the problems of our ancestors, their aspirations as well as their achievements.

Question 2.
What is the difference between prehistory and history?
Answer:
The main difference between prehistory and history is that we have written records in history and have no written records in prehistory.

Question 3.
How many groups can the sources of history be broadly divided into? Name them.
Answer:
The sources of history can be broadly divided into two groups.

Archaeological Sources.
Literary Sources

Question 4.
What is archaeology? Why is it so important for the study of prehistory?
Answer:
Archaeology is the study of material remains of distant past. Archaeology is so important for the study of prehistory because we have no written records, only the materials like stones, metal tools, pottery, images, coins, monuments, jewelry and figures are very helpful in the study of past.

Question 5.
What are monuments?
Answer:
Monuments are ancient buildings such as temples, palaces and forts, which are valuable sources of information of the life and time of people in the distant past.

Question 6.
Name five archaeological objects that provide important clues to the history of humans in the Ancient Period.
Answer:
Stones, metal tools, pottery, monuments, coins and figures are archaeological objects, that provide important clues to the history of humans in the Ancient Period.

Question 7.
Why is the study of coins considered an important source of ancient history?
Answer:
The coins are an important source of information about the reign of kings the extent of their empires, economic conditions, trade, art and religion of that era. So the coins are considered an important source of ancient history.

Question 8.
What information do we get from inscriptions?
Answer:
The Inscriptions provide us the information about rulers, the extent of their empires, important events and also about the religious and cultural life of people in a particular period.

Question 9.
Why are inscriptions a reliable source of information?
Answer:
Inscriptions are reliable source of information because they were written during the reign of great king., and are still intact in their original form.

Question 10.
What are manuscripts? On what surfaces were they ; written?
Answer:
Manuscripts are the handwritten records of the past in the form of books. These records were written on a variety of surfaces such as dried sheep or goat skin, dried palm leaf, the bark of birch trees and much later, on paper.

Question 11.
How many categories can you divide literary sources into? Name them.
Answer:
Literary source can be divided into two categories

religious literature
secular literature

Question 12.
What do you understand by secular literature? Give two examples.
Answer:
Non-religious literature is known as secular literature, it includes biographies of important historical characters. For example Harshacharita by Banabhatta, dramas and poems by famous writers Kalidasa, folk tales such as Panchatantra.

D. State whether the following are true or false.

History is only a record of great kings and queens.
False
The study of old inscriptions is known as epigraphy.
True
Banabhatta wrote Harshacharita.
True
Panchatantra is a part of religious literature.
False
The Angas are the religious literature of the Buddhists.
False

E. Picture study.

The picture below is a painting from a manuscript of the Rig Veda showing the various gods and goddesses worshiped.
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - History - An Introduction 8

1. What kind of source of history is this?
Ans. It is a Literary source of history.

2.Is this religious or secular in nature?
Ans. This is religious in nature.

3. What kind of information does this source of history reveal?
Ans. This sources of history have helped historians to reconstruct the distant past and give a fairly accurate picture of ancient India.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – The River Valley Civilisations: Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese Civilisations

August 11, 2022December 5, 2019 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – The River Valley Civilisations: Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese Civilisations

ICSE Solutions Selina ICSE Solutions ML Aggarwal Solutions

APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 4 The River Valley Civilisations: Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese Civilisations. You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks:

The Egyptian kings were calledPharaohs.
Mummification is the process of preserving dead bodies.
Mesopotamia is situated in Western Asia now Iraq.
The first code of laws were made by Hammurabi.
The Chinese script is Pictographic.
The Chinese worshiped a God called Shang Ti.

II. Match Column A with Column B

Answer:

III. Write True or False against the following statements

The Egyptians perfected the art of embalming.
True
The Egyptians developed a lunar calendar.
False
Two famous pyramids have been found at Cairo.
False
The star Sirius appeared in Egypt whenever there were floods.
True
The Sumerians developed a system of writing known as Cuneiform.
True
Hammurabi built the Hanging Gardens.
False
The Chinese invented the seismograph which recorded earth quake.
True

IV. Answer the following questions in a few sentences.

1. With what name is the old kingdom of Egypt also known?
Ans. This is known as the period of the construction of pyramids.

2. Mention the contribution of ancient Egyptians.
Ans. Ancient Egyptians developed a photographic script called hieroglyphics. They built pyramids, sphinxes, and knew how to preserve mummies. They knew about basic mathematical calculations and circulation of blood. They developed the solar calendar.

3. Name two gods of the Egyptians.
Ans. Ra, Isis, Osiris, Homs, etc.

4.What is Egyptian writing known as?
Ans. Hieroglyphics

5.Name the four dynasties that ruled China.
Ans. The four dynasties that ruled China were: Shang, Chou, Chin and Han.

6.Name two Mesopotamian city states.
Ans. Ur and Babylon.

V. Answer the following questions briefly:
Question 1.
Name the four River Valley Civilisations. Mention their common features.
Answer:
The four River Valley Civilisations were:

Harappan civilisation
Chinese civilisation
Mesopotamian civilisation
Egyptian civilisation

Common features

They were located on the banks of rivers.
Their main occupation was agriculture.
They developed their own art of writing.
All of them had strong political organisations.
They had many cities.

Question 2.
Why is the Egyptian Civilisation called the Gift of the Nile?
Answer:
The Egyptian civilisation flourished on the banks of the river Nile. Without the River Nile Egypt would have been a desert and an uninhabited region. There is hardly any rainfall in Egypt. The alluvial soil deposited by Nile makes the region fertile. Therefore, the Egyptian civilisation is called the gift of the Nile.

Question 3.
What was the position of the king in the Egyptian society?
Answer:
The king occupied the top position in the Egyptian society. He had absolute powers over his people. People worshiped him as God and his statues were placed in temples. King’s achievements were described on their wails. The king was called the ‘ Pharaoh’.

Question 4.
What do you know about the Sphinx?
Answer:
It is a fine example of Egyptian sculpture. It is a mythological animal with the body of a lion and the head of a man. It is carved out of a single large stone. It was meant to guard the pyramids.

Question 5.
Describe the contribution of Egyptians in astronomy.
Answer:
Egyptians developed the first solar calendar. They made the first known calendar of 365 days in a year of 12 months, each month of 30 days.

Question 6.
What is a Ziggurat? Describe it and give an example.
Answer:
Mesopotamian city was divided into three main areas — the sacred area, the walled city on a mound and an outer town. The sacred area had the main temple called Ziggurat dedicated to the patron God of the city. The temple had multi-storeys each smaller than the one below it. The temple area was also the administrative centre.

Question 7.
Why is Hammurabi famous in history?
Answer:
The greatest king of Babylon was Hammurabi who became famous for first ever codification of laws, called Hammurabi’s Code of Laws. The laws were 282 in number and were carved on both sides of an eight feet stop pillar. The pillar was placed in the temple of Marduk – the Sun God. The punishments depended on the nature and circumstances of crimes and the position of the offender in society. Other ancient nations took lead from these laws.

Question 8.
Describe the contribution of the Chinese civilisation in various fields.
Answer:
The Chinese were the first to grow tea and produce silk from silkworms. They were also the first to make porcelain or Chinaware and to produce paper. They made the seismograph and recorded earthquakes. They used both solar and lunar calendars. They also invented the mariner’s compass, gun powder, the umbrella and kites. They also invented an astronomical clock. The Great Wall of China, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, extending over 2400 km, was built by the Chinese. The pagodas made of wood are another example of fine Chinese architecture.

Question 9.
Describe the religion of the people of the Chinese civilisation.
Answer:
Like in other contemporary civilisations, the Chinese also worshiped various forces of nature. They worshiped a god called Shang Ti or the ‘ruler above’. They believed in ancestor worship, Taoism and Confucianism’ were the two most popular religions and philosophical systems founded by Lao-tze and Confucius respectively.

VI .Write short notes on

Contribution of Mesopotamian in the field of science
Mummification
The Great Pyramid &
Great Wall of China

Answer:

Contribution of Mesopotamians in the field of science:
The Mesopotamians made great progress in the field of science. They were expert in mathematics, medicines and astronomy, and were the first to develop algebra and geometry. They also used the figure of 60 for measuring time in hours, minutes and seconds. They were the first to divide a circle into 360° and the day and night into 12 hours each. They invented a calendar of 12 months with 30 days each.
Mummification: The Egyptians believed in life after death. They believed that the body should be preserved so that the soul might live within it. They developed the art of preserving the body to great perfection — a process called mummification. The embalmed body (mummy) was placed in a coffin and put inside a pyramid.
The Great Pyramid: The Great Pyramid at Giza near Cairo was the largest pyramid. It was built by Pharaoh Cheopa (Khufu) in 2650 BC. It is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and it took over 20 years to be built.
Great Wall of China: The Great Wall of China is a fine example of engineering skills of ancient Chinese. It is the highest and longest wall in the world. It extends over 2400 km and is eight meters high and seven meters wide. There are 16,000 towers across the length of the wall. Each tower is built at an interval of 150 meters and is 14 feet high. The Great Wall of China is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

VII. Tell Us Why/How:

Question 1.
The floods of the river Nile benefited the Egyptians.
Answer:
The Nile was the only source of water without which Egypt would have been a desert. Egypt hardly receives rainfall and the region would have been barren but for the fertile alluvium, deposited by river Nile. The floods deposited rich and fertile alluvial soil in the floodplains so essential for agriculture.

Question 2.
Hwang Ho is called the ‘Sorrow of China.’
Answer:
The large river Hwang-Ho often changed its course after the floods. Floods led to destruction of crops, humans and cattle. People living near it faced many difficulties due to floods. That is why it is called the ‘ Sorrow of China’.

VIII. Picture study: This is a world famous garden.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - The River Valley Civilisations Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese Civilisations 4
1. Where and when was it built?
Ans. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was built in Mesopotamia.

2.Name the king who got it built.
Ans. It was built by king Nebuchadnezzar II.

3.Why did he build it?
Ans. He got it built for his wife who was the native of a green and mountainous land and she often missed the scenic beauty of her homeland. The king recreated her beautiful homeland by building the Hanging Gardens.

Text Book Keyword

Mesopotamia: Mesopotamia means ‘the land between two rivers’ in Greek language . The Mesopotamian civilisations developed between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris.
Ziggurats: Ziggurats were sacred temple-towers. They were dedicated to the patron god and were also used as schools, granaries and trade centres.
Cuneiform: It was the wedge-shaped script of the Mesopotamians, written on clay tablets.
Stylus: Stylus was a sharp pen made of reed, bone or metal. Hummurabi’s code of low It was the earliest complete record of laws written by King Hummurabi of Babylon.
Herodotus: He was the ancient Greek historian who said that Egypt was ‘The gift of Nile’.
Hyksos tribes: They invaded and ruled Egypt for about a husband years (1, 700 BCE – 1, 600 BCE).
Ptolemy: He was one of the generals of Alexander the Great. He was also the founder of the last dynasty of Egypt.
Pharaoh: He was an Egypt King.
Cleopatra: She was the famous queen of Egypt whose death in 30 BCE also marked the end of the Egyption civilization. Great Pyramid Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest pyramid in Egypt, built by King Khufu or Cheops. It is also among the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Sphinx: It is an architectural marvel of ancient Egypt. It is a mythological figure with the body of a lion and the face of a man.
Mummification: This is a the preservation of dead bodies by embalming them. The preserved dead bodies are called mummies.
Ra: He was the sun God of the Egyption civilization. He was the most important god of the Egyptians. Osiris He was the god of the blessed dead.
Nomes: These were the provinces of the Egyptian civilization. Nomarch He was the official who governed each province. Hieroglyphic Script It was writing developed by the Egyptians. Hieroglyphic means ‘sacred writing’.
Papyrus: Papyrus Plant is a water reed from which the ancient Egyptians made paper. The word papei is derived from papyrus
Shang dynasty:It was the first known dynasty in China. Ancestor worship is to pray the dead people of the family. The Chinese believed that human beings become powerful souls after death.
Oracles:They were priests or holy people who were in close touch with the gods.
Confucianism: It was the religious movement named after its founder, Confucius. It taught a practical code of moral conduct and became the state religion of China.
Sericulture: It is the breeding of silkworms for the production of silk.
Mulberry tree: It is a tree with broad, dark, green leaves and edible berries. Silkworms eat the leaves of the white mulberry and the trees are used for rearing silkworms to produce wool.
Porcelain: It is a hard, white, shiny substance made by baking clay and used for making delicate pottery.
Great Wall of China: It was built by Emperor Shi Huangdi to protect the country from the frequent attacks of the barbarians.
Pagodas: They are Stupa-type temples that were an important feature of the Chinese architecture.

Questions Based On Mesopotamian Civilation
A.Fill in the blanks.

The two rivers associated with the Mesopotamian civilization were the Tigris and the Euphrates.
Mesopotamia is called the cradle and grave of many civilization.
To ensure steady supply of water throughout the year, the Mesopotamias built an elaborate and highly developed irrigation system. They also built dykes to control floods.
The Mesopotamians kept a record of the business accounts on clay tablets
The Mesopotamians invented a system of writing called the Cuneiform.
The Babylonian king Hummurabi compiled a code of law.

B. Match the Following

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - The River Valley Civilisations Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese Civilisations 6

Answer:

C. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
Name the three major civilizations that rose and fell in the Mesopotamian Valley.
Answer:
The major civilizations that rose and fell in the Mesopotamian valley are following:

Sumerian Civilization = on the lower valley of Euphrates
Babylonian civilization = on the north-eastern side of Sumer
Assyrian civilization = on the highlands in the north

Question 2.
Which crop was first cultivated by the Mesopotamians? Name three other crops cultivated by them.
Answer:
Wheat was the first crop that cultivated by the Mesopotamians. Barley, pulses and fruits were also cultivated by them.

Question 3.
Name three important specialized skills of the Mesopotamians.
Answer:
Pottery, weaving and metal work were important specialized skills of the Mesopotamians.

Question 4.
Explain briefly the three-tiered social structure of Mesopotamia.
Answer:
The Mesoptamian Society was divided into three classes:-

The upper class— The members of the royal family, priests and high officials were under the upper class.
The middle class— This class consisted of farmers, artisans and traders.
The lower class— This class consisted of slaves.

Question 5.
How do we know that the Mesopotamians had trade links with the people of the Indus Valley?
Answer:
Seals found in the Indus valley, show that the Mesopotamians had trade links with the people of Indus valley.

Question 6.
Name the greatest contributions of the Mesopotamians in the field of architecture.
Answer:

The Mesopotamians introduced architectural forms such as arches, columns, domes and vaults in the construction of buildings.
Their temple-towers and The Hanging Garden of Babylon is a brilliant specimen of Mesopotamian architecture. This is believed to be one of the greatest contributions of Mesopotmia in the field of architecture.

Question 7.
How do we know that Mesopotamians believed in life after death?
Answer:
Drinking vessels ornaments, weapons etc. have been found in some graves. By these things we know that Mesopotermians believed in life after death.

Question 8.
What was Hammurabi’s contribution to the legal systems of Mesopotamia and the world?
Answer:
Hummurabi’s code of law undoubtedly, One of the greatest achievements of Hummurabi the king of Babylon. This code of law, written on a stone slab. Hummurbi is the earliest complete record of laws that has been found in the world. This code is based on justice, old customs and traditions. The code deals with every part of the human life such as property, wages, debts, banking, theft, murder, marriage etc.
There are punishments for crimes injuries and other evils and rules about family life also include.

Question 9.
Write short notes on the following:
1. Family life
2. Religion
3. Mathematical skills
4. Script
5. Ziggurat
Answer:

Family life— The father was the head of the family. The rights of women were protected. Children were brought up very strictly and boys were sent to schools to study arithmetic, reading and writing. Girls were trained in dance and music.
Religion— The Mesopotamians believed in many gods. Every city had its own special God. They worshiped the sun, rain, moon and stars. Mesopotamians believed that the king was the chief priest and the representative of God on earth. The priests occupied a very important position in society. The Mesopotamians also believed in life after death
Mathematical skills— The Mesopotamians were skilled mathematicians. They had a special sign for number ‘One’. They also used the figure 60 as the unit for measuring times, A years was divided into 12 months, Days and nights were divided into two equal halves consisting of 12 hours each. These are all mathematical skills of Mesopotamians.
Script— ‘Cuneiform’ was the wedge-shaped script of the Mesopotamians. It was written with a tool known as ‘Stylus’ on the clay tablets, which were dried in the sun. This script was written from right to left. We can get every important information about the Mesopotamians by this script. Thus this script was the greatest contribution of the Mesopotamians to the world civilization is the art of writing.
Ziggurat— Ziggurats were temple-tower, found in the sacred area of the city of Ur. They were monumental structures made from sun-baked bricks. They were dedicated to the patron god of the city. They were many storeys high and decorated with tiles, precious stones and marble. Ziggurats were also used as schools, granaries and trade centers.

Question 10.
What led to the decline of the Mesopotamian Civilization?
Answer:
The following causes led to the decline of the Mesopotamian civilization.

The Euphrates River is lifeline of this great civilization, unexpectedly changed its course. The region became more and more dry like a desert.
Winds and sandstorms might have been responsible for the destruction of Mesopotamian civilization

D. State whether the following are true or false.

Natural barriers surrounded Mesopotamia.
False
The girls in Mesopotamia were sent to school to learn to read and write.
False
The king was regarded as the representative of God on earth.
True
The Mesopotamians used the figure of 50 for measuring time.
False
The cuneiform script was written from left to right.
False

Questions Based On Egyptian Civilation

A. Fill in the blanks.

1. The Nile provided water for Irrigation and also served as a national highway.
The king of Egypt was known as the Pharaoh.
The father was the head of the family.
Egyptian women were treated with respect.
The staple diet of the ancient Egyptians consisted of wheat and beer
Men and women wore dresses made of White linen.
Egyptian houses had small windows high up on the walls to keep out the sun and let in the day light.
The chief occupation of the ancient Egyptians was agriculture
Two important gods of the Egyptians were Ra and Osiris.
Two examples that prove that the Egyptians were great builders are Pyramids and Sphinx.

B. Match the following.

Answer:
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - The River Valley Civilisations Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese Civilisations 9

Question 1.
Why is Egypt called the ‘Gift of the Nile’?
Answer:
Nile has proved a great boon for Egypt. The river Nile makes the land quite fertile. The Egyptian farmers can grow crops on the same fields year after year. Nile also served as a highway and made navigation possible. This thing promoted trade and commerce within the country as well as with other countries of the world. Rightly Egypt has been called ‘The Gift of Nile.’

Question 2.
How did the Egyptian desert help in the development of Egyptian culture and civilization?
Answer:
These deserts served as natural barriers to foreign invasions. So the early Egyptian settlers enjoyed many years of peace and security. This atmosphere help in the development of Egyptian culture and civilization

Question 3.
How many periods is the history of ancient Egypt divided into ? Name them.
Answer:
The history of ancient Egypt is divided into three periods.

The Old Kingdom approximately 3,000 BCE – 2,000 BCE
The Middle Kingdom approximately 2,000 BCE – 1,700 BCE
The New Kingdom approximately 1,600 BCE – 1,100 BCE

Question 4.
Name the three social classes of ancient Egypt. Mention the people who constituted each of these classes.
Answer:
The Egyptians were divided into three distinct classes. These are following

The upper class— The upper class consisted of the royal family, rich landowners, high ranking priests, government officials and doctors
The middle class— The middle class consisted of merchants, manufactures, crafts persons and the lower clergy.
The lower class— This class consisted of the peasants, At the bottom of the social hierarchy were the slaves who were mainly prisoners of war.

Question 5.
Briefly describe the family life of the early Egyptians.
Answer:
The families were close -knit groups. The relationship between the husband, wife and children was usually close. The father was the head of the family. Women were treated with respect and their property rights were protected. Children enjoyed carefree and happy lives. Wealthy families lived lives of luxury and pleasure.

Question 6.
State the main occupations of the ancient Egyptians. Discuss any two.
Answer:
Agriculture, Domestication of Animals, Art and craft, Architecture and Engineering, Trade and commerce, mummification are the main occupation of the ancient Egyptians. Agriculture— The chief occupation of the Egyptians was agriculture. The Nile provided water for irrigation. The Egyptians farmers can grow crops on the fertile land year after year. Their chief crops were wheat barley and millet. Vegetable and fruits were also grown. Domestication of Animals— The second occupation of Egyptian was domestication of Animals. Pigs, Cows, Sheep, goats, camels, doves and geese were domesticated.

Question 7.
What is a mummy? How was a body mummified?
Answer:
The preserved dead body is called Mummy. A dead body was embalmed with spices and wrapped in a fine linen.

Question 8.
Who were the pharaohs? Why were they treated like gods?
Answer:
The Pharaohs were kings of Egypt. Pharaohs treated like gods because Egyptian believed that Pharaoh was to be representative of God on earth.

Question 9.
Why did the ancient Egyptians preserve their dead?
Answer:
The Egyptians believed in life after death, So they preserve the body of the dead.

Question 10.
Write short notes on the following:
Answer:

Egyptian Script— The script of the ancient Egyptians is known as the hieroglyphic script. Hieroglphic means sacred writing. They started with picture writing but later on they developed 24 consonants. There were no vowels.
Egyptian Solar Calendar— The Egyptian introduced the world’s first solar calendar. They found that average time between two annual floods was 365 days. The year was divided into 12 months, each consisting of 30 days. The remaining five days were used for celebrating religious festivals.

Question 11.
Discuss briefly the contributions of the ancient Egyptian in the following fields:

Medicine
Astronomy

Answer:
Medicine— The Egyptian mummies, prepared thousands of years ago are still well preserved. This is proof of their advanced knowledge of medicine. Egyptian doctors and surgeons were renowned for their skills. They are also credited with having made the world’s first medical diagnosis.
Astronomy— The Egyptians were the first to make an instrument to observe the movements of stars and planets. They also invented the water clock to read the time at night.

D. State whether the following are true or false.

The Greek historian Ptolemy called Egypt the ‘Gift of the Nile’.
False.
Women were more or less equal to men in the eyes of law.
True
Only the woman in ancient Egypt wore jewellery.
False.
The Egyptians followed the barter system.
True.
The Egyptians developed a simplified alphabet which had 21 consonants and 5 vowels.
False
The Egyptian invented the water clock to read the time at night.
True.

A. Fill in the blanks.

China is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the east.
The great rivers of China are Hwang Ho and Yangzte Kiang
The first known dynasty of China was the Shang dynasty.
Emperor Shi Huangdi Built the Great Wall of China to protect China from the frequent attacks of barbarians.
The chief exports of China were silk, chinaware, tea and paper.
The Chinese wrote on silk or bamboo slips and later on paper.
Chinese stupa-style temples were known as pagodas.
In the 1st century CE the Chinese made paper from bark of old trees, old rags and fishing nets.

B. Match the following:

Answer:

C. Answer the following questions.

Question 1.
How was China isolated and protected from the rest of the world?
Answer:
China, this vast country is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Himalayas in the south, broad deserts and mountains in the west and Great Wall in the north. Within these boundaries lie the valley of two rivers. In this way China was isolated and protected from the rest of the world.

Question 2.
Name the rivers that gave rise to the ancient Chinese civilization. Why was one of them known as the ‘sorrow of China’?
Answer:
Hwang Ho and Yangzte Kiang are two rivers that gave rise to ancient Chinese civilization. The river Hwang Ho was also known as the ‘Sorrow of China’ because it often changed its course after the floods and caused destruction of crops and canals dug for irrigation. People living on the banks of this river were especially affected

Question 3.
What were the important occupations of the ancient Chinese? Mention two important points for each of the these occupations.
Answer:
Agriculture, sericulture, domestication of animals, pottery and woodwork are main occupations of the ancient Chinese. Agriculture— Agriculture was the main occupation of Chinese. They grew rice, wheat, millet, barley and soya bean. At first Chinese cultivated tea for medicinal purposes and later as a popular drink.

Sericulture:The second occupation of Chinese was to make silk cloth. Chinese silk was world-famous and was the chief items of export.
Domestication of animals: The Chinese domesticated horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs and poultry. They used horses and Horse-drawn carts as a mean of transport.
Pottery: The Chinese developed the art of making exquisite porcelain types of pots and they decorated pots with colourful designs. They were first to make vases, jars, cups, saucers and bowls
Woodwork: Chinese used wood on a large scale for the construction of buildings. They made cabinets. The walls of palaces were made of polished wood.

Question 4.
Give a brief account of the following:

Chinese society
Tea cultivation
Sericulture

Answer:

Chinese society— Chinese lived in groups or clans. They respected their ancestors and elders. The family was a close-knit unit. The emperor occupied the highest rung of the social ladder followed by the nobles, the merchants the crafts- people, the farmers and the slaves. The soldiers occupied a special place and respected by the people.
Tea cultivation— The Chinese were the first to cultivate tea. At first tea was cultivated for medicinal purposes and later as a popular drink.
Sericulture— Sericulture is the breading of silk warms for the production of silk. The Chinese were the first to make silk cloth and Chinese silk was world-famous and was the chief item of export during the Ancient and Medieval Ages.

Question 5.
What are the main features of the Chinese script?
Answer:
The main features of Chinese script were following

The Chinese script is a form of picture writing. Each picture represents an idea.
The Chinese language does not have any alphabet.
There were about 40,000 word-pictures making the script complex and difficult.

Question 6.
Describe the Great Wall of China. Why was it built?
Answer:
The Great Wall of China was built by Emperor Shi Huangdi. It is one of the most impressive of Chinese architectural accomplishments. It is about 2,400 km. long and varies in height from 4.5m to 9m. This wall forms the northern boundary of China. It was built across mountains, deserts and plains. There are 10,000 watch-towers at regular intervals along the wall. It was built to protect the China from the frequent attacks of barbarians.

Question 7.
Why were the vast majority of people in ancient China illiterate?
Answer:
The Chinese script is a from of picture writing. There were about 40,000 word-pictures. Thus making the script complex and difficult. The Chinese could not understand them. So the vast majority of people in ancient China was illiterate.

Question 8.
Mention four important Chinese inventions that transformed the history of the world.
Answer:
Following Chinese inventions have changed the history of the world.

Chinese first made paper from bark of old trees, old rags and fishing nets.
The Chinese developed the art of block printing.
Seismograph was made in china to record earthquakes.
Other notable inventions were manufacture of gunpowder, the mariner’s compass, the water mill, the wheelbarrow, umbrellas and kites.

D. State whether the following are true or false.

The emperor occupied the highest position in Chinese society.
True.
People in China made terracotta pottery.
False.
The Chinese worshiped the forces of nature.
True.
In China temples were known as Stupas.
True.
Taoism became the state religion of China.
False.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – Urban Local Self-Government

August 11, 2022June 14, 2018 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – Urban Local Self-Government

ICSE Solutions Selina ICSE Solutions ML Aggarwal Solutions

APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 2 Urban Local Self-Government. You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks

Big cities have Municipal Corporation as local self-government.
The head of a corporation is called Mayor.
The municipality arranges for checking food adulteration.
Towns having ten to twenty thousand people have small 1 bodies known as Municipalities.
Tax on goods and animals brought into or taken out of the town is known as Octroi Duty.

II. Tick mark (✓) the right statements and cross (x) the wrong ones:

Municipal corporations have more powers than the municipalities.
True –
A person who has attained the age of 25 can vote in a municipal election.
True
The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor are elected for one year.
True
Record of births and deaths in a city are kept by the state government.
False
The municipalities receive grants from the state government.
True

III. Answer the following questions:
Question 1.
Differentiate between a municipal corporation and a municipality.
Answer:
Municipal Corporation

Meant for big cities having large populations.
Have more power
Have more resources in hand
Deal with the state Government directly

Municipalities

Meant for small cities and towns.
Have less power
Have less resources
Work through the district administration

Question 2.
How are the two types of urban local bodies constituted ?
Answer:
The cities with a population of upto 3 lakhs are managed by municipalities. The people of the city elect the members of a municipality. The number of members depends upon the size of the city. Seats are reserved for the SC, ST, OBC and women. The larger cities have Municipal Corporation. The members of a municipal corporation are elected in the same way as the members of a municipality. These members are called ‘councillors’. These councillors elect some other members, the aldermen who are respected citizens. The members elect a head called Mayor and also a Deputy Mayor. ‘

Question 3.
List five main compulsory functions performed by a municipality or a municipal corporation.
Answer:

Keeping the city clean is the primary duty of a municipality. The municipality has to make arrangements for the removal of the garbage and waste. Drains are needed to flush out dirty water from the cities and towns.
The municiplities not only keep the cities clean but they also ! make arrangements for vaccination against smallpox and inoculation against diseases like cholera, plague and tuberculosis.
The municipalities also make arrangements for checking food adulteration.
A municipality opens hospitals, dispensaries and other medical centres in different localities where qualified doctors are employed.
One of the important functions of a municipality is to keep a record of all the births and deaths in the city. It helps in the planning of welfare services for the people.

Question 4.
How do the municipalities get funds ?
Answer:
Municipalities get funds by imposing various taxes such as:

Octroi Duty—Tax on goods and animals brought into or taken out of the town.
House Tax — Tax on houses in the town. This tax is fixed by the municipality according to the annual rental value of the houses.
Water Tax — Tax as charges for providing clean water for drinking. People who have municipality taps in their houses have to pay it.
Profession Tax — Lawyers, doctors and other professionals pay profession tax on their annual income.
Income from Municipal Property — Tax paid as rent by the shopkeepers and traders selling goods in the markets.
Entertainment Tax — Tax collected from those who provide different kinds of entertainment, e.g., cinema halls. They also receive annual financial aids and grants from the state government.

Question 5.
Describe the relationship between the state/central government and the urban local bodies.
Answer:
The urban local bodies are the training grounds for democracy. They help inculcate civic virtues among the people.The state government has the power to dissolve a corporation or a municipality if it does not perform its duties. The state government gives financial aid to the local bodies. It strictly keeps an eye on the use and misuse of funds. The local bodies cannot levy or raise a new tax or raise any public or private loan without the permission of the state government.

Textbook Keywords

Metropolitan: Is related with a big and important city of a country.
Municipal corporation: Is the local self-governing body in a large city.
Aldermen: They are members of the municipal corporations and municipalities who are elected from among the popular and respected citizens of that city.
Sanitation: It means keeping an area clean and free from germs and dirt.
Crematoria: They are those area where dead bodies are burnt.
Property Tax: It is the tax on houses and land.
Entertainment Tax: It is the tax on entertainment activities such as Cinema halls, circuses, etc.
Education tax: It is collected for educational activities. Toll taxes They are collected for the use of roads and bridges.

Additional Questions

A. Fill in blanks:

The local self-governing bodies which look after the needs of big cities and towns are
Municipalities and Municipal corporation.
A mayor holds office for a term varying between 1 year and 5 years.
The state government supervises the working of municipal corporations.
Some seats in the municipal corporation are reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The municipal corporation establishes and maintain public parks and education centers.

B. Match the following:

Answer:

C. Choose the correct answer:

Big cities like Delhi and Mumbai have town area committees/municipalities/municipal corporations.
Ans. Big cities like Delhi and Mumbai have municipal corporations.
The mayor/municipal commissioner/alderman presides over the meetings of the municipal corporation.
Ans. The mayor presides over the meetings of the municipal corporation.
The chief executive officer of a municipal corporation is known as the mayor/municipal commissioner/sarpanch.
Ans. The chief executive officer of a municipal corporation is known as the municipal commissioner.
The total number of members of a municipal corporation of a city depends on the population of the city/state/country.
Ans. The total number of members of a municipal corporation of a city depends on the population of the city.
A municipal corporation is elected for a period of 2/10/5
Ans. A municipal corporation is elected for a period of 5 year

D. State whether the following are true or false.

Port trust is an urban local self-governing body.
True.
The members of the corporation are directly elected by the adult citizens of the city.
True.
Some seats are reserved for women in municipal corporations.
True.
The municipal corporation is not responsible for the supply of safe drinking water.
False.
Correct: The municipal corporation is responsible for the supply of safe drinking water.
Municipality is the local self-governing body for smaller cities and towns.
True.

E. Answer the following questions in one or two words/ sentences:
Question 1.
Name the local self-governing bodies that look after the urban areas.
Answer:
The local self-governing bodies which look after the urban area are as follows:

Municipal Corporations
Municipalities
Town area committees
Cantonment boards
Improvement trusts
Port trusts

Question 2.
Who is mayor?
Answer:
Mayor is the head of the municipal corporation.

Question 3.
What is the functions of the mayor?
Answer:
He presides over the meeting and looks after the work of the corporation with the help of the executives officers like Municipal commissioner, chief medical officer etc.

Question 4.
Who are aldermen?
Answer:
They are members of the municipal corporation and municipalities who are elected from among the popular and respected citizens of that city. They are generally experienced.

Question 5.
What are municipalities?
Answer:
Smaller cities and towns with population ranging between 20,0005,00,000 have municipalities as the local self-governing body.

F. Answer the following questions briefly:
Question 1.
How is a municipal corporation composed? Who are its members?
Answer:
A municipal corporation is composed in following manner.

The Mayor is the head of the municipal corporation. The mayor and deputy mayor are elected by the members of the municipal corporation from among themselves.
The corporation sets up a number of committee to look after the day to day work.
There is a chief executive officer or municipal commissioner, who is appointed by the state government.
There are also number of members called aldermen. They are elected from among the popular and respected citizens of that city.
MPs and MLA also form part of the corporation.
Some seats are reserved for the scheduled caste, scheduled Tribes and women. A municipal corporation is elected for a period of 5 years.

Question 2.
Mention five functions of the municipal corporation related to public health and sanitation.
Answer:
The main five functions performed by municipal corporation are following.

Caring for health of citizens, provide treatment facilities, opening hospital, appointment of doctors etc.
Repair and construction of roads, street, providing electric facilities etc.
Provision for education by opening and looking after primary school.
To save people from disaster of fire and fire brigades are maintained.
Organizing cultural events like sports, exhibitions, fairs etc.

Question 3.
The municipal corporation is responsible for the maintenance of public works and services in the city. Give any five examples to explain this.
Answer:
The municipal corporation is responsible for these public works and services:

Construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, public buildings, markets, crematoria and graveyards.
Construction and maintenance of water supply system.
Arrangements for street lighting.
Maintenance of fire’brigade.
Demolition of dangerous or illegal buildings.
Maintaining records of births and deaths.

Question 4.
List the optional functions of the municipal corporation.
Answer:
Optional functions of the municipal corporation are following:

Establishment and maintenance of public parks, gardens, zoos, theatres, picnic resorts, libraries, museums.
Construction and maintenance of old-age homes, orphanages, night shelters, rest houses.
Supply of cooking gas and milk.
Organizing cultural events like sports, exhibitions, fairs, etc.
Maintenance of a cheap public transport system.

G Picture study:

This is the picture of Mumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters. With reference to the picture of the municipal corporation, answer the following questions:
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - Urban Local Self-Government 3

Question 1.
Who is the head of the municipal corporation? How is he or she elected?
Answer:
The Mayor is the head of the municipal corporation. He/she is elected by members of the municipal corporation from among themselves.

Question 2.
For which categories of community are seats of the corporation reserved?
Answer:
Seats are reserved for following categories.

Scheduled castes
Scheduled Tribes
A few seats are reserved for women.

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – Rural Local Self-Government

August 11, 2022June 14, 2018 by Kalyan

ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics – Rural Local Self-Government

ICSE Solutions Selina ICSE Solutions ML Aggarwal Solutions

APlusTopper.com provides step by step solutions for ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics Chapter 1 Rural Local Self-Government . You can download the History and Civics ICSE Solutions for Class 6 with Free PDF download option. History and Civics for Class 6 ICSE Solutions all questions are solved and explained by expert teachers as per ICSE board guidelines.

ICSE Solutions Class 6 History & Civics Geography Biology Chemistry Physics Maths

Exercise

I. Fill in the blanks:

The Panchayati Raj is a three-tier system
Panchayat means a team of five members.
All the adults of a village constitute Gram Sabha.
Nyaya Panchayat can fine the guilty.
Village Panchayats teach the first lesson of democracy.
The term of the Block Samiti is five years.
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members chosen from district are also the members of Block Samiti.
The Zila Parishad is the highest institution of the Panchayati Raj in India.
The Zila Parishad coordinates the working of the Block Samiti.
The state government appoints a secretary to maintain the accounts and keep records of the work done by the institutions of Panchayati Raj.

II. Match Column A with Column B:

Answer:

III. State whether the following statements are True or False.

All people of any age are members of the Gram Sabha.
False.
Women have been given representation in the Panchayat.
True
The members of Gram Panchayat vary from state to state.
True
The first level of local self-government in rural areas is the Panchayat Samiti.
False.
The Nyaya Panchayat can impose fines.
True
The members of the Block Samiti are elected for a period of four years.
False
Zila Parishad works at the village level.
False
The chairpersons of the Block Samitis become the members of Zila Parishad.
True
The Zila Parishad has the responsibility of implementing the development programmes in the district.
True
The state government gives financial grants to the Panchayats.
True

IV. Answer the following questions:
Question 1.
What do you mean by ‘Panchayat’ ?
Answer:
The word Panchayat literally means a team of five members.

Question 2.
How do Panchayats help villagers ?
Answer:
A Panchyat solves local problems. It gives training to people in functioning of democracy. The villagers sit together and cooperate in Village welfare works. They also develop administrative and management skills. The people also learn to use their own resources for collective welfare.

Question 3.
What are the advantages of Village Panchayats ?
Answer:
There are many advantages of Village Panchayat as there are some basic requirements for a healthy living, such as clean drinking water, cleaning and lighting of roads, medical facilities, primary education for children, roads for transport, etc. Village Panchayats provide for these requirements. Since villagers are more aware of their local problems, the Village Panchayats are a good solution to these problems.

Question 4.
Explain the importance of local self-government ?
Answer:
For development of a community, participation of the local people is very important. Local people know their problems and they understand the needs of their community or locality. When the people of a locality get together to solve their day-to-day problems and fulfill their needs, the government established for the same is called local self-government. Local self-governing bodies develop local leadership that later helps the state and central governments in sharing the burden of work which thus gets done quicker, better and cheaper.

Question 5.
Name the three institutions of the Panchayati Raj. At what levels do they work ?
Answer:

At the lowest level are the Village Panchayats.
At the block level it has Panchayat Samiti.
At the district level is the Zila Parishad.

Question 6.
Explain briefly the composition and functions of a Block Samiti ?
Answer:
Composition of a Block Samiti — The Pradhans and Panchas of the Village Panchayats in a block choose their representatives to the Block Samiti. Besides such representatives, there are other members as well. The members elect a chairperson and vicechairperson. The chairperson looks after everyday’s work of the Block Samiti.
The term of a Block Samiti is five years. Functions of a Block Samiti

A Block Samiti supervises the working of the Village Panchayats.
It engages many experts to help the villagers. The experts in the field of agriculture also help the villagers in obtaining better quality seeds, fertilisers, insecticides and in improving the breed of cattle.
The other experts bring about a change in the outlook of the people through education and literacy.
It arranges funds from the government for the block development programmes.
It arranges for expert advice, service to the panchayats for their development in agriculture, construction of roads and buildings, health and education, etc.

Question 7.
How is the Zila Parishad formed ? What are its main functions ?
Answer:
The Zila Parishad is formed by the Chairmen of all Block Samitis in a district, members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha from the district, members of Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad from the district and representatives of SC, ST and women.
Functions of Zila Parishad

The main function of the Zila Parishad is to work for the Village Panchayats and Block Samitis.
The Zila Parishad has also the responsibility of implementing the programmes coming under the Five Year Plan.
The Zila Parishad also prepares plans for the district.

Question 8.
What has the Panchayati Raj done so far for the rural areas?
Answer:

The Panchayati Raj has brought political awareness among rural people. They elect and select the Panchayat members and also take part in decision making.
The Panchayati Raj has improved the conditions of the villages through welfare activities.
Panchayats have been able to draw the attention of the government officials to their problems.

Question 9.
Discuss the relationship between the state government and the Panchayati Raj ?
Answer:
The state government gives financial grants to the Panchayats. The state government keeps a strict watch on the working of the Panchayati Raj institutions and appoints a secretary to maintain accounts and keep records. The Collector (District Magistrate) or the Deputy Commissioner represents the state government at the district level. He coordinates the work of the government officers of the district and the Panchayati Raj. The Block Development Officer (BDO) does the same work at the block level

Textbook Keywords

Panchayati raj system: It is the system under which the local self-government at the village level functions.
Gram sabha: It consist of all the adult members of the village.
Gram panchayat: It consist of a number of senior members of the village elected by the gram sabha.
Nyaya panchayat: It consist of elected members who settle disputes among village people.
Pradhan: He is the heat of the gram panchayat.
Up-Pradhan: He is the vice-sarpanch of the panchayat who takes over the responsibilities of the sarpanch in his/her absence.

Additional Questions

A. Fill in the blanks:

The Indian government function at the central, state government and local self government levels.
The union government deals with matters of national importance.
All Adult members of the village are members of the gram sabha.
The nyaya panchayat cannot sent people to Jail.
The gram panchayat makes the villagers more responsible and self-sufficient

B. Match the following:
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - Rural Local Self-Government 3

Answer:

C. Choose the correct answer:
1. The union government of India is based in New Delhi/ Mumbai/Kolkata.
Ans: The union government of India is based in New Delhi.

2. Rural refers to town/villages/cities.
Ans: Rural refers to villages.

3. The panchayati raj is a two/three/five tier system.
Ans: The panchayati raj is a three tier system.

4. One third/One sixth/One fourth of the seats of the gram panchayat are reserved for women.
Ans: One third of the seats of the gram panchayat are reserved for women.

5. The panchayat/block samiti/zila parishads is the local self government body at the block level.
Ans: The block samiti is the local self-government body at the block level.

D. State whether the following are true or false:

1. The Local self-government deals with matters of national importance.
False.
Correct: The Local self-government deals with matters of locality.

2. Panchayats are elected for 2 years.
False.
Correct : Panchayats are elected for 3 to 5 years.

3. The village panchayat is the basic unit of the panchayati raj system.
True.

4.The Panchayat provides primary education.
True.

E. Answer the following questions in one or two words/ sentences:
Question 1.
What are the three tiers of the panchayati raj system?
Answer:
The three-tiers of panchayati raj system as:

Panchayats at the village legel
Block samitis at the block level
Zila parishads at the district level.

Question 2.
Who is the head of the village panchayat?
Answer:
The village panchayat is headed by the pradhan or sarpanch

Question 3.
Mention any one optional function of the gram panchayat.
Answer:

It builds playgrounds and rest houses, installs television and radio sets in the community centres, and organizes educational programmes, etc.
It organizes cattle fairs and village markets.

Question 4.
What does the nyaya panchayat do?
Answer:
Its function is to settle disputes among the people. It also provides a cheap and speedy way to resolve disputes.

F. Answer the following questions briefly:

Question 1.
What are the functions of the union, state and local selfgovernments?
Answer:

Union (Central government) deals with matters of national importance like defence, national finance, foreign, exchange, railways, postal services etc.
State government maintain law and order, local transport, health services and it also carries out the community development programme.
Local self-government deals with local problems and looks after the basic needs of the local people.

Question 2.
What is local self-government? Name the two kinds of local self-governing bodies in India?
Answer:
It is a government run by the elected representatives of the local people. In India there are two kinds of local self government.
They are following.

Urban: It refers to towns and cities. Municipalities, corporations and cantonment boards are urban local bodies.
Rural: It refers to villages. Zila parishads, block samitis and panchayats are rural local bodies.

Question 3.
Mention any five compulsory functions of the Gram Panchayat.
Answer:
They are following:

It provides drinking water, school, health and sanitation facilities.
It constructs buildings, roads, drains and tanks.
It helps farmers to develop and improve their farms and cattle.
- It looks after the welfare of the weaker sections.
- It organizer educational programmes, cattle fair and village markets.

Question 4.
What is the importance of Gram Panchayats?
Answer:
The Gram Panchayat assists the villagers in dealing with day-to-day problems. It performs administrative, social, economic and judicial function. It ensures the participation of the villages in developing their community. Hence, people leam to cooperate and participate in the government of the country at the grass roots level.

G Picture study.
This is village scene representing an important function of the gram panchayat.
ICSE Solutions for Class 6 History and Civics - Rural Local Self-Government 5

Question 1.
Name the function.
Answer:
Providing primary education to the children living in the villages.

Question 2.
Is it a compulsory or an optional function?
Answer:
It is compulsory function.

Question 3.
Mention four compulsory functions of the village panchayat.
Answer:
The functions of the village Panchayat are following:

It provides drinking water, Primary schools, health and sanitation facilities.
It constructs buildings, road and drains.
It records births and deaths in the village.
It helps farmers to develop and improve their farms and cattle.

Question 4.
Mention two optional functions of the panchayat.
Answer:
It builds playgrounds and rest houses.
It organizes cattle fairs and village markets