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NCERT Solutions for class 7 History Chapter 1 – Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years

Back Exercise

IMAGINE
You are a historian. Choose one of the themes mentioned in this chapter, such as economic, social or political history, and discuss why you think it would be interesting to find out the history of that theme.
Answer.
I would choose social and political history. It would be interesting to find out the history of social and political changes because:

  1. This period saw emergence of new foods and beverages.
  2. New technologies appeared.
  3. It was period of mobility when people travelled long distances.
  4. Extension of agriculture brought social changes.
  5. Important changes occurred in religion.
  6. Politically different groups became important.

LET’S RECALL

Question 1.
Who was considered a ‘foreigner’ in the past?
Answer.
In the past, a person who was a stranger or who was not a part of the society or culture was considered to be a ‘foreigner’.

  1. In Hindi, a foreigner is termed as pardesi.
  2. In Persian, a foreigner is called ajnabi.

Question 2.
State whether true or false:

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

Answer.

  1. False
  2. True
  3. True
  4. False

Question 3.
Fill in the blanks:

  1. Archives are places where ……………. are kept.
  2. …………… was a fourteenth-century chronicler.
  3. ……….., ………., …………, and……….. were some of the new crops introduced into the subcontinent during this period.

Answer.

  1. manuscripts/documents/records
  2. Ziauddin Barani
  3. Potatoes, corn, chillies, tea, and coffee.

Question 4.
List some of the technological changes associated with this period.
Answer.
The new technologies that made their appearance during this period were-

  1. The Persian wheel in irrigation
  2. The spinning wheel in weaving
  3. The firearms in Combat

Question 5.
What were some of the major religious developments during this period?
Answer.
Some of the major religious developments during this period were as under :

  1. In Hinduism, new deities were worshipped and temples were constructed by royalty.
  2. The Brahmanas, the priests dominated the other social classes.
  3. The new dynamic relationship got developed among Brahmanas and their partons—new rulers searching for prestige.
  4. The idea of Bhakti emerged.
  5. Muslim religion and the teachings of the Quran were introduced in the subcontinent.

LET’S UNDERSTAND

Question 6.
In what ways has the meaning of the term ‘Hindustan’ changed over the centuries?
Answer.
Over time, the meaning of the term “Hindustan” has changed as under ;

  1. In the present time, the term “Hindustan” is understood by. “India”, the modern nation-state.
  2. But the 13th-century writer Minhaj-i- Siraj, used the term “Hindustan” to denote the areas of Punjab, Haryana, and the lands between Ganga and Yamuna. Therefore, the term was used in the political context.
  3. In the 16th century, Babur used the term “Hindustan” to describe the geography, the fauna (animals), and the culture of the inhabitants of the subcontinent.
  4. At some other place in history, great poet Amir Khusrau used the word “Hind” in a similar context as Babur did.

Question 7.
How were the affairs of jatis 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 jail could vary 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.

  1. During the medieval period, there was enormous diversity among the distinctive regions of the subcontinent.
  2. Each region had its own geographical dimensions, own language, and cultural characteristics.
  3. These regions were associated with specific ruling dynasties.
  4. There was a considerable conflict between these states.
  5. Therefore, the empires that ruled or controlled such diverse regions, were called the pan-regional empires.
  6. For example, dynasties like the Cholas, Khaljis, Tughluq, and Mughals were able to build the pan-regional empire.

LET’S DISCUSS

Question 9.
What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts?
Answer.
Manuscripts in the 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 historians divide the past into periods? Do they face any problem in doing so?
Answer.
(1) Historians divide the past into periods on the basis of economic and social factors to characterize the major elements of different moments of the past.

(2) Historians face many problems while dividing the past into periods as there was a good amount of technological development in the “medieval” period, which can be called as ‘modem’ in the contemporary context. But still, the period is called “medieval” and not “modern”. On the other hand, the modern past is followed by the “medieval” past.

LET’S DO

Question 11.
Compare either Map 1 or Map 2 (See NCERT pages 1 and 2) with the present-day map of the subcontinent, listing as many similarities and differences as you can find.
Answer.

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.
Students, do it themselves.
Hints:

  1. Most records are kept by government-owned libraries, archives, museums, etc.
  2. The scribes appointed by the state or the central government writes these records. For example, Gazetteer of India.
  3. The state or Central government manages it.
  4. The documents related to the everyday functioning of assemblies, parliament, important acts, visitors, wars elections’, etc. are stored there.
  5. Historians, political analysts, journalists, researchers, anthropologists, etc. use these records. important acts, visitors, wars elections’, etc. are stored there.
  6. Historians, political analysts, journalists, researchers, anthropologists, etc. use these records.]

In-text Questions

Question 1.
Look at the areas on Map 2 (of your textbook). Are they as detailed as those on the coast? Follow the course of the River Ganga and see how it is shown. Why do you think there is a difference in the level of detail and accuracy between the coastal and inland areas in this map? (NCERT Page 2)
Answer.

  1. Details shown in the inland are not so detailed as on the coast.
  2. Course of river Ganga is not correctly shown.
  3. Because there were voyages along the coasts and the travellers studied coastal areas themselves.
  4. On the other hand, they did not go inland. Hence the details of inland depend upon their estimations not on their studies.

Question 2.
Can you think of any other words whose meanings change in different contexts? (NCERT Page 3)
Answer.
Yes. Word—Ruler (King), Ruler (Lawmakers).

Question 3.
When was paper more expensive and easily available—in the thirteenth or the fourteenth century? (NCERT Page 4)
Answer.

  1. Paper was expensive during the thirteenth century.
  2. Paper was easily available during the fourteenth century.

Question 4.
Of the technological, economic, social, and cultural changes described in this section, which do you think were most significant in the town or village in which you live? (NCERT Page 8)
Answer.
In Towns
Technological and economic changes.
In Villages
Economic and social changes.

Question 5.
Why do you think rulers made such claims about conquests? (NCERT Page 10)
Answer.
Rulers made such claims because they wanted to show others that they had control over large areas.

Question 6.
Prepare a list of the names of languages spoken today in the regions he (Amir Khusrau) mentioned: names that are similar and those that are different. (NCERT Page 10)
Answer.
Region                                Language is spoken today                           Similar or Different
Sindh (now in Pakistan)                    Sindhi                                                 Same
Lahore/ Panjab                           Panjabi/Lahori                                          Same
Kashmir                                           Kashmiri                                               Same
Karnataka                                         Kannad                                       Different, Dvarsamudri
Andhra Pradesh                                Telugu                                          Different, Telangana
Gujarat                                              Gujarati                                           Different, Gujari
Tamil Nadu                                    Tamil Different,                                        Malabari
Bengal                                                 Gauri                                            Different, Bengala
Eastern Uttar Pradesh                         Awadhi                                                 Same
Delhi (and surrounding areas)             Hindi                                            Different, Hindawi

Question 7.
Did you notice that the names by which the languages are known to have changed over time? (NCERT Page 10)
Answer.
Yes, most of the languages have changed over time.

Question 8.
Find out whether and for how long your state (Delhi) was part of these pan-regional empires. (NCERT Page 11)
Answer.
Delhi for over a thousand years (700 to 1750).

Question 9.
Do you remember what Amir Khusrau had to say regarding Sanskrit, knowledge, and Brahmanas? (NCERT Page 11)
Answer.
Yes.

  1. About Sanskrit, Amir Khusrau said, that it did not belong to any region and it was an old language.
  2. No one except the Brahmanas knows it. It means Brahmanas were the scholars of Sanskrit.