Find Below Extra Questions for NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4 Timeline and Sources of History
A. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. What does history primarily study?
a. Future events
b. Present technologies
c. Human past
d. Space exploration
2. Where are historical artifacts such as statues and coins preserved??
a. Zoological Garden, Kolkata
b. National Museum, New Delhi
c. Aerospace Museum, Bengaluru
d. None of the above
3. What do archaeologists study?
a. Stars and planets
b. Remains of past human life
c. Weather patterns
d. Future civilizations
4. Which of the following is an example of a fossil?
a. A modern-day coin
b. An ancient handwritten book
c. A dinosaur footprint in rock
d. A recent newspaper article
5. What do geologists study?
a. Human societies
b. Physical features of the Earth
c. Space and planets
d. Ancient scripts
6. What is an “era” in historical terms?
a. A festival
b. A distinct period of time
c. A type of fossil
d. A unit of measurement
7. What does “BCE” stand for?
a. Before Christian Era
b. Before Common Era
c. Before Civil Evolution
d. Before Central Era
8. What calendar is commonly used worldwide today?
a. Lunar Calendar
b. Gregorian Calendar
c. Islamic Calendar
d. Chinese Calendar
9. How many years make a millennium?
a. 10
b. 100
c. 500
d. 1000
10. What is the significance of 1947 CE in Indian history?
a. Birth of Buddha
b. Independence of India
c. Discovery of the wheel
d. Invention of writing
11. What do palaeontologists study?
a. Ancient fossils
b. Human cultures
c. Modern economies
d. Weather changes
12. Which of the following statements about the Gregorian calendar is true?
a. It is based on lunar cycles
b. It has a leap year every two years
c. It includes 12 months and 365 days in a year
d. It started in the 5th century BCE
13. Why is there no “Year 0” in the Gregorian calendar?
a. It was skipped by mistake
b. The calendar was changed later
c. The system moves directly from 1 BCE to 1 CE
d. The Romans disliked the number zero
14. Which source provides the most direct evidence about ancient civilizations?
a. Folk tales
b. Old newspapers
c. Excavated artifacts
d. Paintings made in modern times
15. What kind of historical information can we learn from cave paintings?
a. The diet and clothing of ancient people
b. The languages spoken in ancient times
c. The names of kings and rulers
d. The population size of early civilizations
Answers:
1. c. Human past
2. b. National Museum, New Delhi
3. b. Remains of past human life
4. c. A dinosaur footprint in rock
5. b. Physical features of the Earth
6. b. A distinct period of time
7. b. Before Common Era
8. b. Gregorian Calendar
9. d. 1000
10. b. Independence of India
11. a. Ancient fossils
12. c. It includes 12 months and 365 days in a year
13. c. The system moves directly from 1 BCE to 1 CE
14. c. Excavated artifacts
15. a. The diet and clothing of ancient people
B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words given in the box:
| coins | hunting | manuscripts | folktales | monuments |
| pillars | inscriptions | songs | cave | kings |
1. ________ are written records of the past, while ________ provide visual evidence of ancient cultures.
2. The study of old ________ helps historians understand trade, while ________ reveal information about rulers and their achievements.
3. ________ paintings found in ancient caves depict scenes of daily life, including ________ and religious rituals.
4. Inscriptions carved on ________ and temple walls give us details about ________ and important events.
5. Oral sources, such as ________ and ________, have been passed down through generations to share historical knowledge.
Answers:
1. Manuscripts are written records of the past, while monuments provide visual evidence of ancient cultures.
2. The study of old coins helps historians understand trade, while inscriptions reveal information about rulers and their achievements.
3. Cave paintings found in ancient caves depict scenes of daily life, including hunting and religious rituals.
4. Inscriptions carved on pillars and temple walls give us details about kings and important events.
5. Oral sources, such as folktales and songs, have been passed down through generations to share historical knowledge.
C. Match the words in column A with those in Column B:
| A | B |
| Archaeologist | Studies fossils to understand prehistoric life |
| Numismatist | Studies and interprets past events using various sources |
| Geologist | Studies human societies, cultures, and their development |
| Paleontologist | Studies the Earth’s structure, rocks, and natural changes |
| Historian | Studies coins and currency from different periods |
| Epigraphist | Studies ancient human history through excavation of sites and artifacts |
| Anthropologist | Studies ancient inscriptions and writings on stone or metal |
Answer:
| A | B |
| Archaeologist | Studies ancient human history through excavation of sites and artifacts |
| Numismatist | Studies coins and currency from different periods |
| Geologist | Studies the Earth’s structure, rocks, and natural changes |
| Paleontologist | Studies fossils to understand prehistoric life |
| Historian | Studies and interprets past events using various sources |
| Epigraphist | Studies ancient inscriptions and writings on stone or metal |
| Anthropologist | Studies human societies, cultures, and their development |
D. State whether the given statements are TRUE or FALSE:
1. Coins found by archaeologists often provide information about the languages spoken in ancient civilizations.
2. Literary sources include only religious texts and do not provide any historical details.
3. Artifacts such as pottery, tools, and jewellery are considered archaeological sources of history.
4. Oral sources, such as folktales and legends, are not useful for understanding historical events.
5. Paintings and sculptures created in ancient times can reveal details about the clothing, culture, and traditions of people from that period.
Answers:
1. True – Coins often bear inscriptions, names of rulers, and symbols that indicate the language used by a civilization.
2. False – Literary sources include biographies, travelogues, and official records, in addition to religious texts.
3. True
4. False – Oral sources can provide good insights into historical events, traditions, and beliefs of different societies.
5. True
E. Short Answer Type Questions:
1. What is a timeline, and why is it important in history?
Answer:
A timeline is a chronological order of events. It helps historians determine the order of historical events and their impact.
2. Which year is taken as the starting point for the Gregorian calendar?
Answer:
The conventional year for Jesus Christ’s birthday is taken as the starting point for the Gregorian calendar.
3. What do you understand by BCE, and how is it different from CE?
Answer:
BCE stands for “Before Common Era,” and CE stands for “Common Era.” BCE years count backward, while CE years move forward.
4. Why do we count BCE years in reverse order?
Answer:
BCE years are counted in reverse because they represent the time before the starting point of the Common Era.
5. What is the difference between a decade, a century, and a millennium?
Answer:
A decade is 10 years, a century is 100 years, and a millennium is 1,000 years.
6. Why do different civilizations have different ways of marking years?
Answer:
Different civilizations follow their own religious or cultural calendars, such as the Hindu, Islamic, and Chinese calendars.
7. What do Indian calendars rely on to define the months of the year?
Answer:
Many Indian calendars rely upon the positions of the sun and the moon to define the months of the year.
8. What is a ‘panchanga’?
Answer:
A ‘panchanga’ is a book of tables where the days of each month are listed along with relevant astronomical data.
9. What information does a ‘panchanga’ convey?
Answer:
A ‘panchanga’ predicts events like solar and lunar eclipses, weather predictions for the year and dates and timings of Indian festivals.
10. What is the purpose of using timelines in textbooks?
Answer:
Timelines help students easily understand historical sequences and connections between events.
11. Name three main types of historical sources?
Answer:
Three main types of historical sources are:
archaeological sources, literary sources, and oral sources.
12. Explain what archaeological sources are with examples.
Answer:
Archaeological sources include physical remains of the past, such as pottery, tools, and monuments. The Harappan seals and the remnants of Harappan cities are examples of archaeological sources.
10. What are inscriptions, and how do they help historians?
Answer:
Inscriptions are writings carved on stone, metal, or clay. They help historians understand the laws, achievements, and beliefs of past societies.
11. How do coins provide information about the past?
Answer:
Coins reveal details about rulers, their economy, religion, and trade relations through inscriptions and symbols.
12. What can we learn from old paintings and sculptures?
Answer:
They depict the clothing, traditions, religious beliefs, and lifestyles of people from different historical periods.
13. What are literary sources? Give an example.
Answer:
Literary sources include written records like books, manuscripts, and travelogues. The “Arthashastra” by Kautilya is an example.
14. How do travelogues of foreign travellers help in understanding history?
Answer:
They provide an outsider’s perspective on the culture, economy, and society of ancient civilizations.
15. What role do newspapers and journals play in recording history?
Answer:
They serve as primary sources of information about historical events, political changes, and social movements.
16. How do oral sources like folk songs and legends contribute to history?
Answer:
They preserve oral traditions, historical events, and local stories passed down orally through generations.
17. How do historians verify the accuracy of historical sources?
Answer:
Historians compare multiple sources, analyse evidence, and use scientific methods to confirm accuracy.
18. Why are monuments considered valuable historical sources?
Answer:
Monuments provide insights into architecture, culture, and historical events of past civilizations.
19. How do pottery and tools help archaeologists understand past civilizations?
Answer:
They provide clues about the daily life, technology, and trade practices of ancient societies.
20. How can historians piece together the past using multiple sources of information?
Answer:
By cross-referencing archaeological, literary, and oral sources, historians can reconstruct historical events more accurately.
21. What is genetics?
Answer:
Genetics is a branch of biology which studies how in humans, animals and plants certain characteristics are passed down from one generation to the next
22. Why did early humans live in bands or groups?
Answer:
Early humans lived in bands or groups to help each other in the face of many harsh challenges from nature.
23. Why were early humans mainly ‘hunters and gatherers’?
Answer:
Early humans relied on hunting and gathering edible plants, fruits and roots for their survival.
24. Where did early humans live?
Answer:
Early humans lived in temporary camps, rock shelters or caves.
25. How did early humans communicate with each other?
Answer:
Early humans communicated with each other using languages that are now lost.
26. How did early humans make their lives easier?
Answer:
They began to use fire and started making objects like improved stone axes, blades, arrowheads and other tools to make their lives easier.
27. How do we know about the lives of early humans?
Answer:
Rock paintings found in hundreds of caves tell us about some aspects of their lives.
28. How long did the last ice age last? What happened on earth during the ‘ice age’?
Answer:
The last ice age lasted from 100000 years ago to 12000 years ago. The entire earth was covered in ice.
29. Why did early humans start to settle down?
Answer:
Human beings started settling down when they started cultivating grains and cereals. They had to stay in one place till their crops were ready to be harvested. They also learned to domesticate animals such as cattle and goats for food.
30. Where did they settle down?
Answer:
The early humans started settling down near rivers which would provide them with water as well as fertile soil to grow their crops.
31. What was the role of the ‘chieftains’ in the early communities that existed?
Answer:
The chieftains were responsible for the well-being of the people and all members of the communities worked towards the welfare of the community.
32. Mention one aspect in which these early communities differ from modern society.
Answer:
Unlike modern society, there was no sense of individual ownership in these early communities – all the lands were collectively sowed and harvested.
Hope you enjoyed our solutions to Extra Questions for NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4 Timeline and Sources of History! Good luck for exams!
