Important Questions Class 6 Social Science Our Past Chapter 4

Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4 Timeline and Sources of History from the new NCERT textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond explains how we know about the past. Students learn about the different sources historians use (artefacts, written records and oral traditions), the work of archaeologists, how calendars measure time, and how timelines help us arrange events in order.

These CBSE important questions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4 cover the reliability of historical sources, how tools reveal the lives of early humans, excavations and the Indus Valley discovery, the Gregorian and traditional calendars, and how to build a timeline. Assertion-reason questions on oral traditions, fossils and timelines are also included, each with a clear answer in simple English.

CBSE Important Questions Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4 – Timeline and Sources of History

Q1. Consider the sources of history such as artefacts, written documents, and oral traditions. Evaluate their reliability and discuss how historians decide which sources to trust when reconstructing the past.

Answer: The reliability of historical sources depends on their nature and origin:
• Artefacts: physical objects such as tools and pottery are generally reliable because they are direct evidence of human activity. However, their meaning can depend on where they were found and the condition they are in.
• Written documents: they tell us about events, laws and cultural practices, but they often reflect the view of the writer or the ruling class and may contain bias or mistakes.
• Oral traditions: stories and songs passed down by word of mouth give insight into beliefs and practices, especially where few written records exist. But details can change over time through memory loss or deliberate changes.
How historians decide: they cross-check several sources to confirm facts and reduce bias. They look at the context, purpose and origin of each source and ask whether it is credible and consistent with other evidence. For example, archaeological evidence combined with written records of the same time gives a fuller and more accurate picture than one source alone.

Q2. Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow.
Early humans relied on tools made of stone, bones, and later metals to survive. These tools show how they hunted, cooked, and protected themselves. Over time, tools became more advanced, helping humans adapt to their environment.
1. How do tools tell us about the lives of early humans?
2. Why was the discovery of metal tools important for human progress?
3. Explain how tools helped early humans adapt to their surroundings.

Answer: 1. Tools show what activities early humans did to survive. Sharp stone tools were used for hunting, and grinding stones for preparing food. Studying them tells us about their skills, diet and how they protected themselves.
2. Metal tools were stronger and lasted longer than stone or bone tools. They helped humans clear forests, build shelters and improve farming, which allowed people to settle in one place and develop civilisations.
3. Tools made survival possible in different environments: spears for hunting in forests, fire for warmth in cold places, and farming tools for growing crops in fertile areas.

Q3. Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow.
Archaeologists study the remains of the past, such as buildings, tools, and pottery, to learn about ancient societies. Excavations often reveal new information about how people lived, worked, and interacted with their environment.
1. What role do archaeologists play in uncovering history?
2. How do excavations help us understand ancient civilisations?
3. Describe any one famous archaeological discovery and its importance.

Answer: 1. Archaeologists dig up and study remains such as buildings, tools and pottery to understand how ancient people lived, worked and interacted with their surroundings.
2. Excavations uncover objects and structures buried over time, such as tools, jewellery and the ruins of cities. These show how ancient civilisations lived, what they believed and how they built their societies. For example, a well-preserved pot can tell us what food people ate or how they stored water.
3. The discovery of the Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilisation in India and Pakistan is a famous example. Cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro had advanced drainage, well-built houses and markets, showing that their people lived in well-organised cities and were skilled builders and traders.

Q4. Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow.
Historians rely on different sources to understand the past. These include written records like books and inscriptions, physical objects like tools and coins, and oral traditions like songs and stories passed down through generations. Each source provides valuable information about life in earlier times.
1. Why is it important to use multiple sources to study history?
2. How do written records help historians understand the past?
3. What can oral traditions teach us about ancient cultures?

Answer: 1. Each source gives a different kind of information. Written records give detailed accounts, while objects show how people lived. Using several sources gives a complete picture and lets historians cross-check facts for accuracy.
2. Books, inscriptions and letters give details about events, people and places, and show what people thought and believed. For example, an old diary can describe daily life at a particular time.
3. Songs, stories and folktales teach us about the values, beliefs and customs of ancient cultures. For example, myths about the creation of the Earth show what a culture believed about its origins.

Q5. Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow.
Different societies use various calendars to measure time. The Gregorian calendar is used worldwide, while others, like the Hindu or Chinese calendars, are used for cultural and religious purposes. These calendars mark years, months, and days differently.
1. What is the purpose of a calendar in history?
2. How is the Gregorian calendar different from traditional calendars like the Hindu or Chinese calendars?
3. Explain one advantage of using a common calendar worldwide.

Answer: 1. A calendar helps people measure and organise time into years, months and days. It helps us keep track of festivals, farming seasons and historical dates, and record when events happened.
2. The Gregorian calendar is based on the Sun and has 12 months with 365 or 366 days. The Hindu and Chinese calendars are often based on both the Sun and the Moon, so their months may start and end on different days. They are mainly used for cultural and religious purposes such as festivals.
3. A common calendar makes it easy for people in different countries to communicate and plan, for example international meetings, school schedules and global holidays, without confusion.

Q6. Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow.
Timelines are tools used to organise historical events in order. They show when events happened and help us understand the connections between them. For example, timelines can help us compare when ancient civilisations began or when major historical events occurred.
1. Why are timelines important for studying history?
2. How do timelines help compare events across different periods?
3. Create a simple timeline of five important events in your life.

Answer: 1. Timelines arrange events in the order in which they happened, so we can see how one event led to another, remember important dates and understand how events are connected.
2. Timelines let us compare events in different times and places. For example, we can see whether the Indus Valley Civilisation or Mesopotamia began first and how events in one region may have influenced another.
3. Sample timeline:
• 2012: I was born.
• 2015: I started preschool.
• 2017: I learnt to ride a bicycle.
• 2020: I started online classes during the pandemic.
• 2023: I joined a new hobby class.

Sample personal timeline from 2012 to 2023 showing five life events in order

Q7. How do oral traditions contribute to history?
Assertion (A): Oral traditions are an important source of history.
Reason (R): They include stories, songs and folklore passed down generations.
(a) Both A and R are correct, and R explains A.
(b) Both A and R are correct, but R does not explain A.
(c) A is correct, but R is wrong.
(d) A is wrong, but R is correct.

Answer: (a) Both A and R are correct, and R explains A.
Oral traditions preserve historical information through stories and songs handed down over generations.

Q8. How are fossils useful in history?
Assertion (A): Fossils provide evidence about life forms from millions of years ago.
Reason (R): Fossils are remains of living things preserved in rocks.
(a) Both A and R are correct, and R explains A.
(b) Both A and R are correct, but R does not explain A.
(c) A is correct, but R is wrong.
(d) A is wrong, but R is correct.

Answer: (a) Both A and R are correct, and R explains A.
Fossils are preserved remains, so they give us direct clues about ancient life forms.

Q9. Why is the Gregorian calendar widely used?
Assertion (A): The Gregorian calendar is commonly used worldwide.
Reason (R): It aligns perfectly with all cultural and religious events.
(a) Both A and R are correct, and R explains A.
(b) Both A and R are correct, but R does not explain A.
(c) A is correct, but R is wrong.
(d) A is wrong, but R is correct.

Answer: (c) A is correct, but R is wrong.
The Gregorian calendar is popular because of its clear structure, but it does not match all cultural and religious events.

Q10. How do archaeologists contribute to understanding history?
Assertion (A): Archaeologists study remains left behind by past societies.
Reason (R): They only focus on monuments and structures.
(a) Both A and R are correct, and R explains A.
(b) Both A and R are correct, but R does not explain A.
(c) A is correct, but R is wrong.
(d) A is wrong, but R is correct.

Answer: (c) A is correct, but R is wrong.
Archaeologists study many things, including tools, pottery and bones, not just monuments.

Q11. Why are timelines useful in history?
Assertion (A): Timelines help us understand the order of historical events.
Reason (R): They show the exact duration of every historical event.
(a) Both A and R are correct, and R explains A.
(b) Both A and R are correct, but R does not explain A.
(c) A is correct, but R is wrong.
(d) A is wrong, but R is correct.

Answer: (c) A is correct, but R is wrong.
Timelines show the sequence of events, but they do not always show how long each event lasted.

Q12. What is the role of archaeologists in uncovering historical information?

Answer: • Excavation and analysis: archaeologists dig up sites to uncover artefacts, tools, pottery, inscriptions and structures that give insights into past civilisations.
• Reconstructing history: by studying these finds, they help us understand cultural practices, human evolution and societies that existed before written records.
• Scientific methods: they use techniques like carbon dating to find the age of objects, which makes archaeology essential for learning about the past beyond written sources.

Related Study Material on Extramarks

Q.1 Read the information given below and identify who is being talked about:
1. These people were considered as the opponents of those who composed hymns.
2. They did not perform sacrifices and spoke different languages.

Aryas

Dasyus

Janpati

Vishva

Marks:1

Ans

The above-mentioned information talks about Dasas/Dasyus who were also referred to different from the Aryas. It was because they were considered as people who do works that the Aryas do not do. They spoke languages other than Vedic Sanskrit and didn?t perform sacrifices.

Q.2 Arrange the process of making megaliths in the correct order
I. Transporting stones to the burial site.
II. Breaking boulders and shaping them.
III. Digging pits in the earth and placing stones in position.
IV. Find suitable stones.

I-III-IV-II

IV-III-II-I

IV-II-I-III

I-II-IV-III

Marks:1

Ans

After a person’s death, the process of making megaliths involved several steps. It started with finding suitable stones before giving them desired shape, then they were finally transported to the burial site. Finally, pits were dug into the earth and placing stones in position.

Q.3 In Rigveda, there are numerous prayers for livestock, children (particularly sons), and horses.
Q.1 Who gained the money for the conflicts on land, animals, and water and how did they use this money? (3 marks)
Q.2 Upon which things were battles fought? (2 marks)

Marks:5

Ans

1. Some of the money was held by the leaders, while some went to the priests, and the rest was dispersed among the people. Some of the riches were used to perform yajnas, or fire sacrifices, in which offerings were made to the gods. These were created particularly for gods and goddesses. Ghee, grain, and, in some situations, animals might be offered.
2. Horses were tethered to chariots and employed in fights to capture cattle. The land was also crucial for pasture and cultivating hardy crops that ripened fast, such as barley. Therefore, battles were fought for it. Some conflicts were fought for the purpose of capturing people and obtaining water.

Q.4 There are several ways of describing people in terms of the work they do, the language they speak, the place they belong to, their family, their communities, and cultural practices.
Q.1 Which two classes are mentioned in the Rigveda in terms of their work? (2 marks)
Q.2 How were the kings or rajas described in the Rigveda? (3 marks)

Marks:5

Ans

1. The priests, also known as brahmins, performed numerous rites, and the rajas are the two classes mentioned in terms of their work.
2. These rajas were not the same as the ones after this period. They lacked capital cities, palaces, and armies, as well as the ability to collect taxes. In general, sons did not succeed their fathers as rajas.

Q.5 What does the Rigveda include?

Marks:3

Ans

The Rigveda has over a thousand hymns and is known as sukta, or ‘well-said.’ These hymns are devoted to several gods and goddesses. Agni, the god of fire, Indra, the god of war, and Soma, a plant from which a distinctive drink was made, are all major gods. These hymns were written by sages (rishis).

Q.6 Who composed the Rigveda and how is its language different?

Marks:1

Ans

Rishis or sages composed the hymns of Rigveda. Priests instructed students to carefully pronounce and memorize each syllable, phrase, and sentence. Men composed, taught, and learned the majority of the hymns. Women composed a couple of the pieces. The Rigveda is written in Vedic Sanskrit, which is not the same as the Sanskrit taught in schools today.

Q.7 Read the passage given below and answer the following question:
Vishvamitra: O rivers, come down from the mountains like two swift horses, like two shining cows that lick their calves. You move like chariots to the sea, through the power of Indra. You are full of water and wish to unite with one another.
The rivers: We, who are full of water, move along the path the gods have made for us. Once we start flowing, we cannot be stopped. Why do you pray to us, o sage?
Vishvamitra: O sisters, please listen to me, the singer who has come from a distance with his chariots and carts. Let your waters not rise above our axles, so that we can cross safely.
The rivers: We will listen to your prayers so that you can cross safely.
Historians point out that this hymn was composed in the area were these rivers flow. They also suggest that the sage lived in a society where horses and cows were valued animals. That is why the rivers are compared to horses and cows. Other rivers, especially the Indus and its other tributaries, and the Sarasvati are also named in the hymns. The Ganga and Yamuna are named only once.
Q.1 What do the historians talk about this song mentioned above? (3 marks)
Q.2 Which other rivers are mentioned in the hymns of the Rigveda? (2 marks)

Marks:5

Ans

1. According to historians, this song was written in the region where these rivers flow. They also indicate that the sage lived in a community that considered horses and cows as valuable animals. As a result, rivers are often compared to horses and cows.
2. The other rivers that are mentioned in the hymns of the Rigveda, include the Indus and its tributaries, as well as the Sarasvati. Only the Ganga and Yamuna.

Q.8 Read the passage given below and answer the following question:
Historians, like archaeologists, find out about the past, but in addition to material remains, they examine written sources as well. Let us see how they study Rigveda. Some of the hymns in the Rigveda are in the form of dialogues. This is part of one such hymn, a dialogue between a sage named Vishvamitra, and two rivers, (Beas and Sutlej) that were worshipped as goddesses.
Q.1 In what form were the hymns written in the oldest Veda? (2 marks)
Q.2 Who are archaeologists? (1 mark)

Marks:3

Ans

1. Some of Rigveda’s hymns take the form of dialogues. This is part of a discussion between a sage named Vishvamitra and two rivers (the Beas and the Sutlej), both of which were regarded as goddesses.
2. Archaeologists investigate the past in the same way that historians do, but they also look at written sources in addition to physical remnants.

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

The chapter’s title is What Books and Burials Tell Us. The chapter discusses how texts written tens of thousands of years ago could help us comprehend the time’s society, culture, and politics. Burials are another factor that sheds light on potential societal injustices that may have occurred at the time.  Books and graveyards are two of our resources for learning about the past, what it was like, and how our society evolved over time.To get a more profound knowledge of the chapter, students can refer to Extramarks Important Questions Class 6 Social Science Our Pasts Chapter 4.

The chapter is included in the history textbook for Class 6 students. The chapter helps our understanding of ancient culture by presenting a variety of books, accessible artefacts, or burial customs that have been dug up and investigated. The chapter helps in our knowledge of the functions rituals and sacrifices served throughout the time period, as well as how society was divided and how some groups of people were subjected to unfair treatment. The chapter is significant not only because it will help students get through their exam questions but also because it will help them identify the causes of many societal problems we encounter every day. Students can go through Extramarks Important Questions Class 6 Social Science Our Pasts Chapter 4 to learn more about the chapter. 

Skeletal studies study the bone structure that helps distinguish between the skeletons of men and women. Additionally, items discovered with the bones might help us determine whether they belonged to a male or a female. The gender of the bones may be determined by using artefacts like gold and copper jewellery, which also provide archaeologists with information about the social standing of those who lived during the prehistoric era.