Worksheet – 13 exploring society India and Beyond class 6 PP Publication

🅐 Tick the correct option:

1. “Uttaram yat samudrasya himadrescaiva” can be read in an ancient text called:
   • (a) The Ramayana
   • (b) The Mahabharata
   • (c) The Vishnu Purana ✅
   • (d) The Vedas
2. The first foreigners to mention India were the:
   • (a) Russians
   • (b) Americans
   • (c) Chinese
   • (d) Persians ✅
3. In the 6th century BCE, a Persian emperor launched a military campaign and gained control of the region of the:
   • (a) Indus River ✅
   • (b) Ganga River
   • (c) Narmada River
   • (d) Godavari River
4. The traveller who came to India in the 7th century CE from China was:
   • (a) Baotang Wuzhu
   • (b) Xuanzang ✅
   • (c) Faxian
   • (d) Yijing
5. The term which was first used in a Persian inscription and was used by most invaders:
   • (a) Bharata
   • (b) Bharat
   • (c) Bharatam
   • (d) Hindustan ✅

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🅑 State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F):

1. Different parts of our country adopted different definitions for India. – False
2. Persians in their earliest records and inscriptions referred to India as ‘Hidu’, ‘Hind’ or ‘Hindu’. – True
3. The ancient Chinese had respect for India as a land of higher mountains. – False
4. The first foreigners to mention India were the ancient inhabitants of Iran. – True
5. The Hindi version of the Indian Constitution uses the phrase ‘Bharat arthath India’. – True

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🅒 Fill in the blanks using appropriate words:

1. In north India, the Indian Subcontinent is written as Bharat, while in south India, it is referred to as Bharatam.
2. The snowy mountains in the extreme north of India are the Himalayas.
3. A poem of ancient Tamil literature praises a king whose name is identified as known from Cape Kumari to the Himalayas.
4. An Indian emperor has left us many inscriptions. Ashoka.
5. ‘Bharatavarsha’ means ‘the country of the Bharatas’.

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🅓 Match the following:

Column A	Column B	Correct Match
1. A document that tells out the basic principles and laws of a nation	(d) Constitution	1 – d
2. Pragjyotisha	(c) Today’s Assam	2 – c
3. Tianzhu	(e) Sindhu	3 – e
4. Jambudvipa	(a) Jamun Island	4 – a
5. Indoi	(b) The ancient Greeks	5 – b

E. Short Answer Questions:

1. Written in about 250 BCE, Ashoka in his inscriptions used the name ‘Jambudvipa’ to describe the whole of India. Which other countries did he include in it which are not part of India today?
   Answer: Ashoka’s Jambudvipa included present-day Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan.
2. Name the regions which are listed in the Mahabharata. Which two terms are used in the Mahabharata for India?
   Answer: The Mahabharata lists regions like Kāshmīra, Kurukshetra, Vanga, Prāgjyotiṣha, Kaccha, and Kerala. The terms used are Bhāratavarṣha and Jambudvīpa.
3. The Greeks named the Sindhu region as Indoi and dropped the letter ‘H’. Why?
   Answer: Because the Greek language did not have the letter ‘H’.
4. The Persians in their stone inscriptions referred to India as ‘Hind’ or ‘Hindu’.
   Answer: True
5. Did they mean by ‘Hindu’ the Hindu religion? Describe in short.
   Answer: No, in ancient Persian, ‘Hindu’ was a geographical term derived from ‘Sindhu’; it did not refer to the Hindu religion.

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F. Long Answer Questions:

1. Who was Xuanzang? Why did he come to India?
   Answer: Xuanzang was a Chinese traveler who came to India in the 7th century CE. He visited many parts of India, met scholars, collected Buddhist texts, and translated them into Chinese upon returning to China after 17 years.
2. The Mahabharata uses the terms ‘Bharatdweepa’ and ‘Jambudvipa’ for the Indian Subcontinent. Describe both the terms.
   Answer: ‘Bharatdweepa’ or ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ means “the country of the Bharatas.” ‘Jambudvipa’ means “the island of the jamun tree,” and referred to the Indian Subcontinent as a whole.
3. A poem of ancient Tamil literature from about 2,000 years ago praises a king as “from [Cape] Kumari in the south………”. Why is it said that it looks like ancient Indians knew their geography well?
   Answer: Because the poem mentions geographical boundaries such as Cape Kumari, the great mountains (Himalayas), and the eastern and western oceans, indicating ancient Indians’ detailed knowledge of the subcontinent’s geography.

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G. Questions on the Constitution (Fig. 5.5):

1. Define the term ‘Constitution’.
   Answer: A Constitution is a document that spells out the basic principles and laws of a nation.
2. Who wrote the Indian Constitution? (HOTS)
   Answer: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is considered the chief architect of the Indian Constitution.
3. What is the First part of the Indian Constitution called?
   Answer: The Preamble.
4. When did the Constitution of India come into force? (HOTS)
   Answer: On 26th January 1950.

WorkSheet – 12 PP Publication

A. Tick the correct option

1. India’s most ancient text is
   (a) Rig Veda
   (b) Sam Veda
   (c) Atharva Veda
   (d) Yajur Veda
   ✅ Answer: (a) Rig Veda
2. ‘Sindhu’ refers to the river
   (a) Sutlej
   (b) Indus
   (c) Ravi
   (d) Beas
   ✅ Answer: (b) Indus
3. India’s most famous text:
   (a) Ramayana
   (b) Mahabharata
   (c) Puranas
   (d) Ram Charita Manas
   ✅ Answer: (b) Mahabharata
4. ‘Bharata’ is a name that first appears in the
   (a) Mahabharata
   (b) Ramayana
   (c) Puranas
   (d) Rig Veda
   ✅ Answer: (d) Rig Veda
5. In one of his inscriptions, Ashoka used this name to describe whole India:
   (a) Bharata
   (b) Indus
   (c) Jambudvipa
   (d) Hindustan
   ✅ Answer: (c) Jambudvipa

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B. Fill in the blanks using appropriate words

1. In the course of history, India was called by many names, both by its inhabitants and by visitors from outside.
2. India’s most ancient text gives the northwest region of the Subcontinent the name Sapta Sindhava.
3. The ancient Indian texts are difficult to date.
4. ‘Bharata’ is a name that first appeared in the Rig Veda.
5. ‘Bharatavarsha’ means the country of the Bharatas.

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C. State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F)

1. About 5,000 years ago, the ‘Indian Subcontinent’ has had many different names and shifting boundaries. – ✅ True
2. Mahabharata is a very long poem written from a few centuries BCE onwards. – ✅ True
3. ‘Bharata’ is a name that first appears in the Mahabharata. – ❌ False
4. ‘Jambudvipa’ means ‘the island of the fruit of the jamun tree’. – ✅ True
5. Chandragupta Maurya left us many inscriptions. – ❌ False (It was Emperor Ashoka)

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D. Match the items in Column A with Column B

Column A	Column B	Answer
1. People who live in a particular place	(h) Inhabitants	1 → h
2. The northwest region of the Subcontinent	(e) Sapta Sindhava	2 → e
3. Malabar plum tree	(f) Jambul tree	3 → f
4. Kaccha	(a) Kutch	4 → a
5. Pragjyotisha	(g) Assam	5 → g
6. Vanga	(c) Parts of Bengal	6 → c
7. Kurukshetra	(d) Parts of Haryana	7 → d
8. Kashmira	(b) Kashmir	8 → b

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E. Very Short Answer Questions

1. Name all the four Vedas. (HOTS)
   → Rig Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Veda, Atharva Veda
2. Which one is the most ancient Veda?
   → Rig Veda
3. Who created the Vedas? (HOTS)
   → The sages or rishis of ancient India (exact authors unknown)
4. Which region of the Indian Subcontinent is covered by the Rig Veda in its text?
   → The northwest region, referred to as Sapta Sindhava
5. Name the terms used in the Mahabharata to describe ancient India.
   → Bharatavarsha and Jambudvipa

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F. Long Answer Questions

1. What are the different sources to learn about India’s past and evolution?
   → Ancient texts, inscriptions, foreign travelers’ accounts, archaeological findings, coins, literature, and oral traditions.
2. Name any two ancient texts of the Indian Subcontinent. Describe them briefly.
   → Rig Veda – The earliest known sacred text composed in Sanskrit, describing hymns and rituals.
   → Mahabharata – An epic poem that narrates the story of the Kauravas and Pandavas and includes references to ancient geography and culture.
3. Describe the meaning of the given terms:
   (a) Bharatavarsha – The land of the Bharatas, referring to the Indian Subcontinent.
   (b) Jambudvipa – The land (or continent) associated with the jamun tree; another ancient name for India.

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G. Assertion and Reason Questions

1.

• Assertion: It is difficult to say when we came across a name for the entire Indian Subcontinent.
• Reason: Ancient Indian texts are difficult to date.
  ✅ Answer: (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion.

2.

• Assertion: We can learn about India’s past and evolution from many different sources.
• Reason: India was very different 5,000 years ago.
  ✅ Answer: (b) Both Assertion and Reason are true, but Reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion.