3Aug, 2025
Chapter – 4 Timeline and Source of History

Worksheet 11 P.P. Publication

✅ A. Tick the correct option (MCQs):

  1. Historians who study the physical features of the Earth:
    (a) Anthropologists
    (b) Geologists ✅
    (c) Archaeologists
    (d) Palaeontologists
  2. It helps in understanding the order in which historical events took place:
    (a) A calendar
    (b) An era
    (c) A timeline ✅
    (d) Panchanga
  3. Those who study ancient inscriptions are called:
    (a) Epigraphists ✅
    (b) Archaeologists
    (c) Anthropologists
    (d) Geologists
  4. In the last 50 years or so, these have been contributing more and more to the reconstruction of the past:
    (a) Literature
    (b) Languages
    (c) Newspapers
    (d) Scientific studies ✅
  5. The third century BCE would include the years….
    (a) 200 to 300 BCE
    (b) 200 to 301 BCE
    (c) 300 to 302 BCE
    (d) 300 to 201 BCE ✅

✅ B. State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F):

  1. Century is any period of 1000 years. – False ❌
  2. The plural of ‘millennium’ is ‘millennia’. – True ✅
  3. Panchanga precisely predicts solar and lunar eclipses. – True ✅
  4. The birth of Jesus occurred before that of Buddha. – False ❌
  5. Historians take great care to gather information. – True ✅

✅ C. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

  1. Many Indian calendars rely on the positions of the sun and the moon.
  2. A panchanga precisely predicts solar and lunar eclipses.
  3. We are currently in the 3rd millennium CE, which began in 2001 CE and will go up to 3000 CE.
  4. A person who studies and writes about the past is called a historian.
  5. National Museum in New Delhi preserves objects from the past.

✅ D. Match the following:

Column AColumn B
1. It helps in understanding the order of historical events…(d) Timeline ✅
2. Still widely used in India for weather predictions(e) Panchangas ✅
3. Any period of 1000 years(b) Millennium ✅
4. Branch of biology to study heredity(a) Genetics ✅
5. People who study ancient inscriptions(c) Epigraphists ✅

✅ E. Short Answer Questions:

  1. What are the sources of history? Name any three.
    → Sources are objects or texts that help us learn about the past.
    Examples: Coins, Inscriptions, Manuscripts.
  2. What type of information do the following provide?
    (a) Old coins – About the economy, rulers, and art.
    (b) Pottery – About daily life and trade.
    (c) Inscriptions – Details of rulers, events, and laws.
  3. Who contributes to the various sources of history? Name any four categories of people.
    → Historians, Archaeologists, Epigraphists, Anthropologists.
  4. History is re-created by historians. Why?
    → Because they gather and interpret information from different sources to understand the past.

✅ F. Long Answer Questions:

  1. How can you prove that scientific studies have been contributing to the reconstruction of the past?
    → Scientific studies like genetics, climate analysis, and chemical testing of materials have provided deep insights.
    Example: DNA analysis of ancient human remains gives us information about migrations and health.
  2. What is jigsaw piece match? Explain.
    → Like a puzzle, different historical sources fit together to give a clearer picture of the past. When multiple sources confirm the same fact, it’s called a jigsaw match. If they contradict, historians must verify which is reliable.

✅ G. Case Study:

Paragraph Summary:

(About Gregorian Calendar, CE/BCE, no ‘year zero’, how to calculate years between BCE and CE)

  1. How will you calculate the number of years between a BCE date and a CE date?
    → Add both years and subtract 1.
    (Example: 560 BCE to 2026 CE → 560 + 2026 – 1 = 2585 years)
  2. Give the full forms of:
    (a) AD – Anno Domini
    (b) BC – Before Christ
    (c) BCE – Before Common Era
  3. Suppose you are in the year 2026 CE. How many years ago was the Buddha born?
    → 560 + 2026 – 1 = 2585 years ago
  4. Find a word from the above paragraph which means the same as ‘agreed upon’.
    → Conventional
  5. What other abbreviation is used for AD?
    → CE (Common Era)

✅ H. Draw a timeline:

Instruction:
Draw a straight line with labels at the following points:

  • 560 BCE – Birth of Buddha
  • 1 BCE
  • 1 CE
  • 1947 CE – India’s Independence
  • 2025 CE – Present
  • Future (leave space or add label like “3000 CE?”)