Category: Class 7 Social Science Questions

NCERT Solutions For Class 7 History Social Science Chapter 2 New Kings And Kingdoms

1. Match the following:
Gwjara-Pratiharas    –      Western Deccan
Rashtrakutas             –       Bengal
Palos                           –     Gujarat and Rajasthan
Cholas                         –        Tamil Nadu
Answer: 
Gurj ara-Pratiharas        –   Gujarat and Rajasthan
Rashtrakutas                   –   Western Deccan
Palas                                 –    Bengal
Cholas                               –   Tamil Nadu

2. Who were the parties involved in the ‘tripartite struggle’?
Answer: The parties involved in the tripartite struggle were Gurjar-Pratihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala dynasties.

3. What were the qualifications necessary to become a member of a committee of the sabha in the Chola Empire?
Answer:  The members of the sabha were the prominent landlords. However there were separate committees to supervise different fields like gardens, temples etc. Names of the eligible persons to be members of the different committees were written on small tickets of palm leaf. The tickets were put into an earthen pot and a young boy was asked to take out the tickets one by one for each committee. The person selected through this process was declared to be the member of that committee.

4. What were the two major cities under the control of the Chahamanas?
Answer:  Delhi and Ajmer were the two cities under control of the Chahamanas.

5. How did the Rashtrakutas become powerful?
Answer:  It was during the seventh century that the kings acknowledged the big landlords as their subordinates or samantas. The samantas were expected to bring gifts and provide military support to their kings. In due course they gained power and wealth. They declared themselves to be maha-samantas, maha- mandaleshvar (the great lord of a circle or region) and so on. Rashtrakutas were one of them who were initially the subordinates of the Chalukyas in Deccan. In the mid-eighth century, Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, performed a ritual hiranya-garbha and overthrew the Chalukya overlord. After the ritual was over he was reborn as Kshatriya, even if he was not by birth.

6. What did the new dynasties do to gain acceptance?
Answer:  The new dynasties gained power and wealth. Thereafter they declared themselves to be maha-samantas or mahamandaleshwara. Many of such kings adopted high sounding titles like maharaja-adhiraja or tribhuvana-chakravartin. They also deputed learned brahmanas to depict them as valiant, victorious warriors. Their activities were recorded in Prashastis. They tried to demonstrate their power and resources by building large temples.

7. What kind of irrigation works were developed in the Tamil Nadu?
Answer:  During fifth or sixth century the area of Tamil Nadu was opened up for large scale cultivation. For irrigation a variety of new methods were discovered. In ,      many areas wells were dug. Hugh tanks were constructed for rainwater storage.

8. What were the activities associated with Chola temples?
Answer:  The Chola temples were the nuclei of settlements growing around them which included centres of craft production. Temples were also endowed with land by rulers as well as by others. The produce of the land was used for the maintenance of the priests, garland makers, cooks, sweepers, musicians, dancers etc who were associated with the temples and used to work for them. Hence temples were not simply the place of worship. They were also the hub of economic, social and cultural life as well.

9. Look at Map 1 once more and find out whether there were any kingdoms in the state in which you live.
Answer:  The answer may vary as per the students’ state where they live. So the students should answer this Question on the basis of their individual study of the Map.

10. Contrast the ‘elections’ in Uttaramerur with present day panchayat election?
Answer:  The system of election in Uttaramerur was quite different from that of the present day panchayat elections. In Uttaramerur election the names of the persons eligible to be members of the committees were written on small tickets of palm leaves. The tickets were put into an earthenware pot. Thereafter a young boy was asked to take out the tickets, one by one for each committee. But the present day panchayat members are elected through a general election. The names of the total members are printed with a symbol allotted to them on a paper called ballot paper. The voter put a stamp over their choice and drops it in a ballot box. Votes are counted and the winners’ name is declared by the Returning Officer. Every procedure is organized by a statutory body.

11. Compare the temple shown in this chapter with any present-day temple in your neighbourhood, highlighting any similarities and differences that you notice.
Answer:  Attempt yourself.

12. Find out more about taxes that are collected at present. Are these in cash, kind, or labour services?
Answer: Today we pay a number of taxes like property tax, road tax, service tax, entertainment tax, water tax, etc. These taxes are in cash not in kind, nor in labour services.

 Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. Who was Dantidurga?
Answer: Dantidurga was a Rashtrakuta chief who turned to be a kshatriya after performing a ritual known as hiranya-garbha.

2. What was called ‘rent’?
Answer:  Resources obtained from the producers were called ‘rent’.

3. Who paid revenue?
Answer:  The traders paid revenue

4. What were ‘prashastis’?
Answer:  Prashastis were the details depicting the rule and personality of the rulers

5. Who were the writers of Prashastis?
Answer:  The learned brahmanas were the writers of the Prashastis.

6. Who was Kalhana?
Answer: Kalhana was a great Sanskrit poet from Kashmir.

7. What was ‘tripartite struggle’?             [V. Imp.]
Answer:  The tripartite sruggle was a long drawn conflict among the rulers of Gurjara- Pratihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala dynasties for control over Kanauj.

8. Who wrote Kitab al-Hind?
Answer:  A great Arab poet al-Baruni wrote Kitab al-Hind

9. Who was Prithviraja in ?
Answer: Prithviraja III was afamous Chauhan ruler of Delhi and surrounding regions during 1168-1192.

10. Who destroyed the temple of Somnath?
Answer: Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, a ruler of Afghanistan, destroyed the temple of Somnath.

11 Why are the temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikonda-cholapuram famous for?[V. Imp.]
Answer:  These temples are famous for their architectural and sculptural marvels.

12. What were called as ‘ur’?
Answer:  The settlements of peaseants were called as ‘ur’.

13. What were called ‘nadu’?
Answer: The larger units of the groups of ‘ur’ were called ‘nadu’.

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4. What was known as ‘brahmadeya’?
Answer: The land gifted to Brahmanas was called as ‘brahmadeya’.

15. Define ‘nagarams’.
Answer:  ‘Nagarams’ were the associationa of traders

16. What was ‘sabha’?
Answer:  An assembly of prominent Brahmanas that looked after brahmadeya was called ‘sabha’.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Trace out the emergence of the new class of rulers.  [V. Imp.]
Answer: During seventh century a new class of rulers emerged. They were the subordinates or samantas under the influence of big landlords or warriors. Later they themselves gained power and wealth and declared themselves to be maha- samantas, maha-mandaleshvara (the great lord of a circle or region)

2. Who was Dantidurga? How did he became a kshatriya?
Answer: Dantidurga was a Rashtrakuta chief in Deccan. Initially Rashtrakutas were the subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka. Dantidurga, in the mid-eighth century overthrew his Chalukya overlord and performed a ritual known as ‘hiranya-garbha’. It was thought to lead to the rebirth of the sacrificer as a kshatriya, even if he was not one by birth.

3. How was the financial position controlled in these states?    [V. Imp.]
Answer:  These states were closely associated with peasants, traders and Brahmanas. The resources were obtained from peasants, cattle-keepers, and artisans who were the producers. They were compelled to surrender part of what they produced. The traders had to pay revenue. The functionaries for collecting revenue were generally from influential families or from the close relatives of the kings.

4. Write a note on ‘Prashastis’.
Answer:  Prashastis, often written by learned Brahmanas, were details of the functioning of a king. They may not be literally true. They tell us how rulers wanted to depict themselves—as valiant, victorious warriors etc. Brahmanas were rewarded by grants of land which were recorded on copper plates.

5. Who was Kalhana? Why was he famous for?
Answer:  Kalhana was a great Sanskrit poet who wrote a long Sanskrit poem depicting the ruler of Kashmir. He used a variety of sources, including inscription, documents, eyewitness account. He was different from the writers of Prashastis for he was often critical about rulers and their policies.

6. Why were the temples first targets of the conquerors?      [V. Imp.]
Answer:  It was the trend to demonstrate power and resources by building large temples. The rulers often invested a lot in the decoration and maintenance of the temples. So the foreign conquerors made them target first. The most prominent example of it was the temple 6f Somnath in Gujarat looted several times by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazani who came from Afghanistan. Much of the wealth he carried away was used to create a splendid capital city at Ghazani.

7. Who was Prithvirqja III? Who defeated him?
Answer:  Prithviraja III (1168-1192) was a Chahamanas, later known as Chauhan ruler. He ruled over the regions around Delhi and Ajmer. He defeated Sultan Muhammad Ghori, an Afghan conqueror in 1191. But only one year after it in 1192 he was defeated by Ghori. It was the end of his rule and life both.

8. What was the role of temples during Chola kingdom? [V. Imp.]
Answer:  The Chola rulers like Rajaraja and Rajendra built two great temples of Thanjavur and Ganaikonda-cholapuram respectively. Temples were the nuclei of settlements during this period. They were the centres of craft production and also controlled the financial aspects related to them. Hence they were not only the religious centres but also the hub of economic, social and cultural life as well.

9 Describe the irrigation system of Chola kingdom.    [Imp.]
Answer:  Irrigation system during Chola ruler was much improved. A variety of methods were applied for it. Many wells were dug; huge tanks were also constructed to collect water. The kings themselves took interest in organizing labour and resources and extensive planning.

10. What was the system of election of committee members for Sabha?
Answer:  The Sabha had separate committees to manage the works of irrigation and other works of gardens, temples, etc. The members for each committee were elected through a strict process. Names of eligible candidates were written on small tickets of palm leaf. The tickets were put into an earthenware pot. A young boy was asked to take out the tickets one by one for each committee.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Write a note on Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni  [Imp.]
Answer:  Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni was a ruler of Afghanistan from 997 to 1030. He was an ambitious king and so made all efforts to extend his control over far off regions. He extended his control over parts of Central Asia, Iran and north­western part of the subcontinent. Almost every year he raided the subcontinent targeting wealthy temples. The temple of Somnath in Gujarat was the worst victim of his raids. Much of the wealth he carried away was used to create a splendid capital city at Ghazni. Ghazni was fond of knowing more about the people he conquered. He entrusted a scholar named al-Biruni to write an account of the subcontinent. The al- Biruni’s account, an Arabic work titled as Kitab al-Hind, is still an important source for historians.

2. How did the Cholas rise to power? Trace out the role of Rajaraja I in this rise.[V. Imp.]
Answer:  Cholas belonged to a minor chiefly family known as Muttaraiyar that held power in the Kaveri delta. They worked as subordinate to the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram. Vijayalaya, a member of the ancient chiefly family of the Cholas from Uraiyur, captured the delta from the Muttaraiyar in the middle of the ninth century. ‘Hie town of Thanjavur and the temple for goddess Nishmbhasudini are some of his great creations. Vijayalaya’s successors conquered neighboring regions and the kingdom grew in size and power. The Pandyan and the Pallava territories to the south and north were made part of this kingdom.Rajaraja I was the most powerful Chola ruler. He became king in 985 and expanded control over most of these areas. He was well known for the reorganization of the administration of his empire. His son Rajendra I continued his policies an even raided the Ganga valley, Sri Lanka and contries of Southeast Asia, developing a navy for these expeditions. The big temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikonda-cholapuram built by them are architectural marvels.

NCERT Solutions For Class 7 History Social Science Chapter 1 Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years

Question 1. Who was considered a ‘foreigner’ in the past?
Answer:  The term ‘foreigner’ is used in the sense of a person who is not an Indian. In the medieval period it was applied to any stranger who appeared, say in a given village, someone who was not a part of that society or culture. In this sense a forest-dweller was a foreigner for a city-dweller. But two peasants living in the same village were not foreigners to each other, even though they may have had different religious or caste backgrounds.

Question  2. State whether true or false:

• We do not find inscriptions for the period after 700.
• The Maraihas asserted their political importance during this period.
• Forest-dwellers were sometimes pushed out of their lands with the spread of agricultural settlements.
• Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban controlled Assam, Manipur and Kashmir.

Answer:  (a) False; (b) False; (c) True; (d) False

Question 3. Fill in the blanks:
(a) Archives are places where………….. are kept.
(b) …………….was a fourteenth-century chronicler.
(c) ……., ……., ………, ……… and ………… were some of the crops introduced into the subcontinent during this period.
Answer:  (a) Manuscripts
(b) Ziyauddin Barani
(c) Potatoes, com, chillies, tea, coffee.

Question 4. List some of the technological changes associated with this period.
Answer:  Some notable technological changes associated with this period were:
(i) The use of Persian wheel in irrigation;
(ii) The use of spinning wheel in weaving;
(iii) The use of firearms in combat.

Question 5. What were some of the major religious developments during this period?
Answer:  Some of the major significant religious developments occurred in Hinduism. The worship of new deities, the construction of temples by royalty and growing importance of Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society were the new changes. Brahmanas’ importance grew due to their knowledge of Sanskrit language. They were patronized by the Emperors. The idea of bhakti emerged among people. The merchants and migrants brought with them the teachings of Quran, the holy book of Muslims.

Question 6. In what ways has the meaning of the term ‘Hindustan’ charged over the centuries?
Answer:  It has been observed that language and its interpretation change with the change of time. The term ‘Hindustan’ was used for the first time by Minhaj-i Siraj, a thirteenth century Persian chronicler. He, with this term, meant the areas of Punjab, Haryana and the lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. It was used in a political sense for lands constituting a part of the dominions of the Delhi Sultan. Though the term shifted with the extent of the Sultanate but it never included south India. Later in the sixteenth century, Babur, while using this term, meant the geography, the fauna and the culture of the inhabitants of the subcontinent. A fourteenth-century poet Amir Khusrau also used the term ‘Hind’ almost in the same sense. The remarkable point is that while the idea of geographical and cultural entity like ‘India’ did exist, the term ‘Hindustan’ did not carry the political and national meanings that we associate with it today.

Question  7. How were the affairs ofjaiis regulated?
Answer:  Jatis were the sub-castes which were grouped on the basis of economic and social status. They were ranked as per their backgrounds and their occupations. Ranks were not fixed permanently. They varied as per the power, influence and resources controlled by members of the jatis. Hence the status of the same jaii could vaiy from area to area Jatis had their own system of ruling. They framed their own rules and regulations for managing the conduct of their members. An assembly of elders was responsible for enforcing these regulations. This assembly of elders was called jati panchayat. But jatis were also required to abide by the rules of their villages.

Question 8. What does the term pan-regional empire mean?
Answer:  The term ‘pan-regional’ was used in the sense of the areas of empires spanning diverge regions. The dynasties like Cholas, Khaljis, Tughluqs and Mughals extended their empires pan-regional. Though, not all these empires were equally stable or successful. But pan-regional rule altered the character of the regions. Most of the regions across the subcontinent were left with the legacies of the big and small states that had ruled over them. The emergence of many distinct and shared traditions in governance the economy elite cultures and languages were some of the prominent factors that took place as a result of pan-regional rules.

Question 9. What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts?
Answer:  Manuscripts in early days were handwritten. Writers used palm leaves as paper for writing manuscripts. The historians used to copy down those manuscripts. Different historians presented their version in their own way as many of the words or sentences were beyond their understanding. So they copied what they understood. Later it was difficult to recognize which one was the original manuscript. Historians interpreted the facts as per the manuscripts which they got. Hence we find a number of facts with different illustrations in history.

Question 10. How do the historians divide the past into periods? Do they face any problems in doing so?
Answer:  Time is not just passing of hours, days or years for historians. Instead it is the reflection of social, economic, cultural and religious changes that occur through the ages. Division of past into large segments—periods—make it easy to study time for historians. British historians, in the middle of the nineteenth century, divided time into three periods—Hindu, Muslim and British. This division was made on the basis of the fact that no significant change other than the religion of the rulers could occur during these periods. But as a matter of fact this division ignored the rich diversity of the subcontinent. Few historians take this periodisation even today while most of them take the economic and social factors into account in order to characterize the major elements of different moments of the past. The history of the past thousand years has seen considerable changes. As a result the sixteenth century was not the same as the eighteenth century or the eighth or eleventh centuries. Hence it is very difficult for the historians to describe the entire period as one historical unit.

Question 11. Compare either Map 1 or Map 2 with the present-day map of the subcontinent listing as many similarities and differences as you can find.
A
nswer:  Map 1 and Map 2 given in the NCERT Textbook represent two different times. Map 1 was made in 1154 CE by al-Idrisi, an Arab geographer. This section is a detail of the Indian subcontinent from his larger map of the world. Map 2 was made by a French cartographer in 1720. Both maps are quite different from each other, even though they represent the same area. In Map 1 we find south India at the place where we would expect to find north India and Sri Lanka is the island at the top. The place names are in Arabic. Some familiar places like Kanauj in Uttar Pradesh have been spelt as Qanauj. In comparison to this Map 2 was made nearly 600 later after Map 1. By that time information about the subcontinent had changed a lot. This map appears to be more familiar to us. The coastal areas, particularly, are more detailed.

Question 12. Find out where records are kept in your village or city. Who writes these records? Is there an archive? Who manages it? What kinds of documents are stored there? Who are the people who use it?
Answer:  In our village, records are kept in the Panchayat office. Gram Sevak who is a government employee writes these records. There is no archive in our village. Sarpanch manages it. The documents stored there include the record of the land of the village, data of births and deaths, the number of public properties, data of health centres, etc. Villagers use these records. The certificates are issued to the villagers on the basis of these records.

V. Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. Who was al-Idrisi?
Answer:  al-Idrisi was an Arab cartographer.

Question 2. Who is a ‘cartographer’?
Answer:  Cartographer is one who draws a map.

Question 3. What difference do you notice in the map drawn by al-Idrisi?
Answer: In the map drawn by al-Idrisi we find a completely different view. Here south India is shown at the present north India and Sri Lanka is the island at the top

Question 4. Who used the term Hindustan for the first time and when?
Answer:  Minhaj-i Siraj used the term ‘Hindustan’ for the first time in the thirteenth century.

Question 5. What sources do the historians use for the study of a particular period of history?[V. Imp.]
Ans. The historians use the sources like coins, inscriptions, architectures and textual records for the study of specific period.

Question 6. What do you mean by archives?
Answer:  Archives were the places where manuscripts were collected.

Question 7. Who were scribes?
Answer: Scribes were those professionals who used to copy down the manuscripts.

Question 8. How did the scribes copy down the manuscripts?
Answer: Scribes copied down the manuscripts by hands.

Question 9. What changes took place during 700 and 1750? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Many technologies like Persian wheel in irrigation, the spinning wheel in weaving, and firearms in combat made their appearance. Some new foods and beverages like potatoes, corn, chillies, tea and coffee also arrived in the subcontinent.

Question 10. What factors contributed to the variety of developments?
Answer: The new technologies and innovations came to the subcontinent with the people who came from other areas and settled here.

Question 11. What were the new groups of people to be prominent in this age? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Rajputs, Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Ahoms and Kayasthas were the groups which came to be prominent in this age. They availed most of the opportunities of the society.

Question 12. What do you mean by Jati Panchayat?
Answer: Jati Panchayat was the assembly of elders which controlled the conduct of the members of their jati They had their own rules and regulations.

Question 13. Who was the Chief of the village?
Answer: Villages were controlled by a Chieftain. Even the smaller Jati Panchayats were bound to follow the village administration.

Question 14. What was the stretch of Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban’s Empire?
Answer: According to a Sanskrit Prashasti Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban’s empire was stretched from Bengal (Gauda) in the east to Ghazni (Gajjana) in Afghanistan in the west. It also included all of south India (Dravida)

Question 15. Why did Brahmanas dominate in the society during this period? [Imp.]
Answer: Brahmanas were the only class of people who were proficient in Sanskrit language. This was the reason that made them prominent.

Question 16. Who were the patrons?
Answer:  Patrons were a group of the rulers and rich class of people who provided protection and livelihood to the brahmanas, artists and poets.

Question 17. What was the major development of this age?
Answer: The emergence of the idea of bhakti was the major development of this age.

Question 18. How history was divided by historians during the middle of the nineteenth century?
Answer: The British historians divided the history of India into three periods—:P

Question 19. What was the basis of such division?
Answer: Such division was made on the basis of the religion as the historians did not consider any aspect more prominent other than the developments in religions.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.  What difference do you trace out in the region of Hindustan of thirteenth century and the modem India?
Answer: The term ‘Hindustan’ in the thirteenth century implied the areas of Punjab, Haryana and the lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. Minhaj-i Siraj used the term in a political sense for lands consisting of a part of the dominions of the Delhi Sultanate. The areas included in this term shifted with the extent of the Sultanate. However, it never included south India.

Question 2. What does time mean for historians? How does it help them? [V. Imp.]
Answer:  Time, for historians, doesn’t mean just a passing of hours, days or years. Instead it reflects changes in social and economic organization, in the persistence and transformation of ideas and beliefs. In order to study historical developments historians divide the past into large segments. It makes the study convenient. The historians study different aspects of the specific period and then assess the comparative developments their impact on society and their contribution to
future generation.

Question 3. What do you mean by pan-regional rule? What was its impact? [V. Imp.]

Answer:  Pan-regional rule applies to the trend of extending the empire to the region beyond one’s own state. With the decline of the Mughal Empire in the eighteenth century many regional states emerged. Consequently a chance of sharing different traditions in the realms of governance, economy, elite cultures and languages was brightened. People knew a lot of new thing, manners, etc, without losing their own culture and identity.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. What was the process of copying manuscript? What were its drawbacks? [Imp.]
Answer: As there was no printing press during the period between 700 and 1750, Scribes used to copy down the manuscripts which were hand-written. Sometimes it was difficult to recognize the original script. So the Scribes used their own way of interpreting the facts. Consequently, there were differences were found in the copies written by different Scribes. As all the copies were handwritten, it was difficult to recognize which was the original one. It was the drawback of such copying.

Question 2. Trace out the major changes in the society during 700 and 1750? What was its main reason? [V. Imp.]
Answer: A number of changes took place in society during 700 and 1750. This period traced the technological appearance of Persian wheel in irrigation, the spinning wheel in weaving and firearms in combat. Potatoes, com, chillies, tea and coffee were some of the new foods and beverages. These developments came with the arrival of the people who migrated to this land. As a result this period saw various changes in the economic, political, social and cultural life,

Question 3. What was the change in the religion of the time? Trace out major developments? [V. Imp.]
Answer: The period between 700 and 1750 witnessed major changes in religion. It was seen prominently in Hinduism. The worship of new deities, the construction of temples by royalty and the growing importance of Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society were some of the major developments. The idea of bhakti emerged. Merchants and migrants brought the new teachings of ‘Quran’, the holy book of the Muslims. A class of patrons emerged. They were the rulers who provided shelter and protection to the ulemas—the learned theologians and jurists. Muslims were divided into two groups—Shia and Sunni. Shia Muslims believed in Prophet Muhammad’s authority while the Sunnis accepted the authority of the early leaders—Khalifas.