The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation Class 6 Question Answer Social Science Chapter 6
NCERT Class 6 Social Science SST Chapter 6 The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation Questions and Answers Solutions
The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation Class 6 Questions and Answers (InText)
Think About It (Page 86)
Question 1.
Which of the characteristics of civilisation do you think is the most fundamental, that is, a characteristic essential to the development of all others?
Answer:
The system of government and administration and urbanism are fundamental characteristics for development of all other characteristics.
Let’s Explore (Page 87)
Question 2.
For each characteristic of a civilisation, can you make a list of professions or occupations that might exist in such a society?
Answer:
A list of professions or occupations that might exist in such a society are as follows
A. Government and Administration King, chieftians and police man
B. Urbanism Sweeper, house-help, cook and gardner
C. Craft Goldensmith, blacksmith, artist and sculptor
D. Trade Vendors, exporter and importer
E. Writing Authors and sculptors
F. Agriculture Farmers
G. Culture Priest
Don’t Miss Out (Page 88)
Question 3.
Why are the inhabitants of this civilisation called ‘Harappans’ today?
Answer:
The inhabitants of this civilisation are called ‘Harappans’ today because the city of Harappa (today in Pakistan’s Punjab) was the first of this civilisation to be excavated, way back in 1920-21, over a century ago.
Let’s Explore (Page 89)
Question 4.
Some of the important cities of this civilisation are marked in the map. As a class activity, can you try to match these cities with the modern states or regions in the table?
Answer:
| Harappan City | Modern State/Region |
| Dholavira | Gujarat |
| Harappa | Punjab |
| Kalibangan | Rajasthan |
| Mohenjo-daro | Sindh |
| Rakhigarhi | Haryana |
Think About It (Page 91)
Question 5.
You may have come across the term ‘Indus Valley Civilisation’ and noticed that we have not used it. A look at the map (Fig. 6.3 on page 89) explains why the term ‘Valley’ is obsolete, as we now know that the civilisation extended much beyond the Indus region.
Answer:
The term valley is not suitable for civilisation as the civilisation was spread beyond the plains of the Indus river and its tributaries. The civilisation was spread between the plains of Indus, Sarswati and Ganga river. While the valley is a landform in the mountainous region. Hence, the term ‘Valley’ is obsolete.
Let’s Explore (Page 93)
Question 6.
Have a debate in class about the last two interpretations. Can you think of any others? Remember that in this case, we do not have any other source of history-no inscription, no text, no traveller’s account.
Answer:
The other use of the Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro might be
– It may be used as a water reservoir during summers.
– It may also be used as a source of irrigation.
Let’s Explore (Page 95)
Question 1.
As a class activity, measure the length of your classroom, a school corridor or a playground with the help of any measuring tape. Compare these lengths with the length of the largest reservoir in Dholavira.
Answer:
Do it yourself
Think About It (Page 96)
Question 1.
Imagine the large number of workers required to build such a network of reservoirs. Who do you think organised their work and gave them precise instructions? How do you think they were paid for their labour? (Hint: there was no money at that time in the way we have today.) Since the reservoirs needed to be cleaned from time to time, was there some local authority to manage their maintenance? What clues do we get from all this about this city’s ruler and municipal administration?
Use your imagination and discuss with your teacher. Archaeologists also discuss these questions and the answers are not always final!
Answer:
The construction of reservoirs might be organised by the government and administration. As there was no money, they might have been paid through cereals or some other goods. There mighit be a system of municipal administration that took care of cleanliness of reservoirs from time to time. As there is a system of government and administration, there will be authorities assigned to different sections in administration.
Let’s Explore (Page 97)
Question 9.
Imagine you cook a meal in a Harappan house. What dish or dishes would you prepare?
Answer:
Based on the information, following dishes could be prepared in a Harappa house
- Dal and rice
- Fish
- Meat
- Chapati and vegetables
- Curd
- Pudding
Let’s Explore (Page 99)
Question 10.
Looking at these three Harappan seals with some writing signs, what goes through your mind? Would you like to suggest any interpretations? Let your imagination run!
Answer:
On observing the above given seals followings thought comes to the mind
- The animals that are shown on these seals were known to the people in Harappa.
- These animals might be sacred to the people of Harappa.
- The name of the rulers might have been written.
Think About It (Page 102)
Question 11.
Looking at the objects given in the chapter. Can you make out what activities or aspects of life were important for the Harappans?
Answer:
Based on the objects given in the chapters, following activities might be important for the Harappans
- Jewellery making
- Pottery
- Sculpting
- Dancing
- Seal making
Let’s Explore (Page 102)
Question 12.
Complete the story found on the Lothal pot. How was such a story remembered for more than 4,000 years, in your opinion?
Answer:
Such stories might be remembered through oral transfer from one generation to the other.
Question 13.
Consider the ‘Dancing Girl’ figurine. What do you make of the attitude the figurine expresses? Observe her bangles covering an entire arm, a practice still visible in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Where else in this chapter can you spot bangles worn in this manner. What conclusion should we draw from this?
Answer:
The figurine expresses the posture of waiting or dancing. In the Kalibangan site of Harappan civilisation such bangles could be spotted.
The conclusions from these facts are as follows
- The Dancing Girl figure might have been brought to Mohenjo-daro from Kalibangan.
- The bangles were traded between Mohenjo-daro and Kalibangan.
Class 6 SST The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation Question Answer (Exercise)
Question 1.
Why does the civilisation studied in this chapter have several names? Discuss their significance.
Answer:
The civilisation in this chapter has several names based on the areas where it was discovered and settled.
Each name has its own significance. Some of them are as follows
- Indus The civilisation was settled mostly near the fertile plains of the river Indus and its tributaries.
- Harappan The civilisation was named Harappan because the very first site of this civilisation was discovered in Harappa city.
- Indus-Sarswati or Sindhu- Saraswati The name was given based on the widespread expanse of the civilisation over the vast fertile plains of Indus and Saraswati rivers.
Question 2.
Write a brief report (150 to 200 words) summing up some of the achievements of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilisation.
Answer:
Some achievements of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilisation are as follows
- The large cities were built according to precise plans.
- Their streets were wide and aligned to the cardinal directions.
- They gave importance to water management and cleanliness.
- Most of the cities were fortified and divided into two parts, upper town and lower town. Upper town was for elite people and lower town was for common people.
- There were some large buildings like warehouses to store goods.
- They used to have separate areas for bathing in their homes that were connected to a larger network of drains.
- In Mohenjo-daro people have wells in their houses and others used to fetch water from ponds, nearby streams or human-made reservoirs.
- They were engaged in active trade between the civilisations and other civilisations in the world.
Question 3.
Imagine you have to travel from the city of Harappa to Kalibangan. What are your different options? Can you make a rough estimation of the amount of time each option might take?
Answer:
If one has to go to the Kalibangan from Harappa, they can travel through river Ravi and reach the confluence of Ravi and Sutlej, from there take a land route to reach Kalibangan. The trip from Harappa to Kalibangan might take $10-15$ days.
Question 4.
Let us imagine a Harappan man or woman being transported to an average kitchen in today’s India. What are the four or five biggest surprises awaiting them?
Answer:
The biggest surprises for a man or woman being transported to an average kitchen in today’s India will be
- A refrigerator
- A microwave and oven
- Steel utensils
- Packed milk packets
Question 5.
Looking at all the pictures in this chapter, make a list of the ornaments/gestures/objects that still feel familiar in our 21st century.
Answer:
Following ornaments/ gestures/ objects can still found in 21st century
- Mirror
- Comb
- Pots
- Drainage system
- Plough
- Whistle
- Chess board
Question 6.
What mindset does the system of reservoirs at Dholavira reflect?
Answer:
The system of reservoirs at Dholavira reflects the idea that
- People in Harappan civilisation were aware about water conservation.
- They used to store rainwater.
- Harappans gave much importance to water management and cleanliness.
Question 7.
In Mohenjo-daro, about 700 wells built with bricks have been counted. They seem to have been regularly maintained and used for several centuries. Discuss the implications.
Answer:
The use of about 700 wells built with brick have several implications. Some of them are as follows
- The regular use of wells for several centuries will lead to decline in groundwater.
- It will reduce the water for irrigation.
- There may be wastage of water due to easy accessibility.
Question 8.
It is often said that the Harappans had a high civic sense. Discuss the significance of this statement. Do you agree with it? Compared with citizens in a large city of India today.
Answer:
Yes, Harappans had a high civic sense. Some of the facts that support the statement are as follows
- They had a separate bathing area that was well connected with the network of drains.
- The waste used to flow through the drains.
- The houses were made of bricks only.
- People in Harappan cities were engaged in trading activities.
In today’s large cities of India, the drainage system is not working very well due to over population and pollution. There are slum areas around the large cities these days which were not the feature of Harappan cities. Hence, in these ways Harappan cities were more civic than modern cities in India.