T. RAMA REDDY, SA(ss) 1.

OUR EARTH IN SOLAR SYSTEM ZPP High School, VENDRA

Question 1. How does a planet differ from a star?

Answer: Stars have their own heat and light and planets have to depend on stars for light and heat.

Question 2. What is meant by the ‘Solar system’?

Answer: The eight planets which revolve around the sun, satellites and other celestial bodies are together
known as ‘Solar System’.

Question 3. Why is life not possible on all planets?

Answer: The Earth has all the three components such as lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere which
makes life possible. The remaining planets do not consist of these components. So, life is not possible on all
planets.

Question 4. Why do we always see only one side of the moon?

Answer: The moon moves around the earth and spin on its own also. So we can see only one side of the
moon always.

Question 5. What is the Universe?

Answer: Millions of Milky way galaxies including the solar system together is called the Universe.

Question 6. Air and water are essential to life on the earth. But now they are being polluted by humans.
What happens to the life of humans on this earth if pollution increases further?
Answer: Pollution contains toxins that adversely impact living creatures within them. Rising pollution will
lead to premature aging. Human exposure to toxins will increase to a great extent if pollution is not
controlled. This pollution is directly linked to cancer and heart diseases.

Question 7. Scientists are now trying to explore more about the moon and other planets. Do you think
their efforts benefit us?
Answer: The efforts of scientists in exploring the moon and other planets definitely useful to us. Space
exploration alone provides us a significant amount of knowledge which is important for the education of
people also about our planet and universe. It increases the knowledge about space and the discovery of
distant planets and galaxies and gives us an insight into the beginnings of our universe.

Question 8. Observe figure 1.4 (text book Page No. 5) and fill in the table.
Answer:
SI. No Name of the Planet Distance from the Sun in Kilometres No. of Moons

1. Mercury 58,000,000 —
2. Venus 108,000,000 —
3. Earth 150,000,000 1
4. Mars 228,000,000 2
5. Jupiter 778,000,000 79
6. Saturn 1,427,000,000 82
7. Uranus 2,869,000,000 27
8. Neptune 4,496,000,000 14

Project Work Prepare a model of the solar system.

Answer: Student Activity.
Choose the correct answer.
1. Though tremendous heat is emitted by the Sun, why do we receive only limited heat?
A) Sun is very far from the Earth B) Sun is very small when compared with the Earth
C) Sun is very close to the Earth D) None of these
Answer: A) Sun is very far from the Earth

2. The planet is known as the “Earth’s Twin” is

A) Jupiter B) Saturn C) Venus D) Aries
Answer: C) Venus

3. Which is the third nearest planet to the sun?

A) Venus B) Earth C) Mercury D) Jupiter
Answer: B) Earth

4. All the planets move around the Sun in a

A) Circular path B) Rectangular path C) Elongated path D) Square path
Answer: C) Elongated path

5. Asteroids are found in between the orbits of

A) Saturn and Jupiter B) Mars and Jupiter C) The Earth and Mars D) Uranus & Neptune
Answer: B) Mars and Jupiter

Match the following: Answer:

1. Blue Planet [D] a) Mars
2. Farthest Planet to Sun [B] b) Neptune
3. Fourth Planet from Sun [A] c) Mercury
4. Nearest Planet to Sun [C] d) Earth

Let’s do Solve the puzzle with the terms defined in the following statements.
CROSS:
1. The cluster of millions of Stars. – Galaxy
2. The natural satellite of the Earth. – Moon
3. The ringed planet (See figure 1.4). – Saturn
4. The sphere of water. – Hydrosphere
5. The celestial object is made up of a head and a tail. – Comet
DOWN:
1. The shape of the Earth. – Geoid
2. The closest star to the earth. – Sun
3. The path of the planets that move around the Sun. – Orbit
4. The sphere of gases that surrounds the Earth. – Atmosphere

5. The small pieces of celestial bodies, move around

the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.

You might have heard that people make human chains and run for world peace etc. You can also make a
Solar system and run for fun by using the following steps.
Step – 1: All children of your class can play this game. Assemble in a big hall or on a playground.
Step – 2: Now draw eight circles on the ground. Draw all circles in the same manner.
Step – 3: Prepare 10 placards. Name them as Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune.
Step – 4: Select 10 children in the following order and give each one of them a placard.
Order of placard distribution
  The Sun – tallest, The Moon – smallest; Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Earth (almost equal heights);
Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter taller than the earlier four Planets but smaller than the Sun.
 Now ask the children holding placards to take their places with the Sun in the cent rein their orbits.
Ask the child holding the Moon placard to keep the hand of the child holding the Earth placard
always.
 Now your Solar system is almost ready to go into action.
 Now make everybody move slowly in the anti-clockwise direction. Your class has turned into a small
human replica of the Solar system.
 While moving in your orbit you can also turn around. For every celestial body, the spin should be
anti-clockwise except for Venus and Uranus who will make the spin in the clockwise direction.
Answer: Student Activity.
Field Visit Question 1.
Observe the video of Planetarium in the QR Code. Describe your experiences.
Answer: Student Activity.

Question 2. Visit SHAR which is located in SPSR Nellore District.

Answer: Student Activity.

Let’s Do (Textbook Page No. 3)

Question 1. How to know how days and nights occur?
Answer: Let us observe celestial bodies:
Required material: Torch, a sheet of plain paper, pencil and a needle.
Process:
1. Place the torch in the centre of the paper with its glass front touching the paper.
2. Now draw a circle around the torch.
3. Perforate the paper with the needle within the circled area.
4. Now place the perforated circle part of the paper on the glass front and wrap the paper around the
torch with a rubber band.
5. In a dark room, stand at some distance facing a plain wall. Switch off all other lights. Now flash the
torchlight on the wall. You will see numerous dots of light on the wall, which look like stars at night.
6. Switch on all the lights in the room. All dots of light will be almost invisible.
7. You may now compare the situation with what happens to the bright objects of the night sky after
the Sun rises in the morning.
Answer: Student Activity.
Question 2. Observe the following picture and name the planets in the boxes given below. (Textbook Page No. 6

Think and Respond

Question 1. From ancient times people worship the Sim as God. Give reasons. (Textbook Page No. 4)
Answer: Sun is glorified in the Vedas of ancient India as an all-seeing god who observes both good and evil
victims. The Sun is the source of all life on our planet. Without the Sun we couldn’t be here. Sun is the only
natural source of energy. So people in ancient times treated the Sun as a god and we worship him.
Question 2. What do animals and plants require in order to grow and survive? (Textbook Page No. 6)
Answer: To grow and survive animals need air, water, food and shelter. To grow and survive plants require
air, water, nutrients and light.
Question 3.How can you say that our earth is a unique planet in the solar system? (Textbook Page No. 7)
Answer: Earth is a unique planet for many reasons. They are:

1. Earth is the only planet that supports animal or plants life.

2. Earth’s location maintains the right temperature which is important for life forms.
3. Human beings in-universe is found only on the Earth,

Question 4. How is man-made satellites useful to mankind? Discuss. (Textbook Page No. 9)
Answer: A satellite is an object that orbits another object. They are natural and man-made. Moon is a
natural satellite of the Earth. Satellites are used for many purposes. They are weather satellites,
communication satellites, navigation satellites, astronomy satellites and many other kinds.
1. They are used for communication purposes.
2. Carry instruments or passengers to perform experiments in space.
3. For weather forecasting system.
4. For global positioning system. (GPS).
Question 5.
Can you relate yourself to the Universe now? You are on the Earth and the Earth is a part of the Solar
system. Our Solar system is a part of the Milky Way or Galaxy which is part of the Universe. Think of the fact
that the Universe contains millions of such galaxies. How do you fit in the picture? How tiny you are? Think

a while. (Textbook Page No. 11)

Answer: Student Activity.

Explore Question 1.
Browse the following website and know more about the solar system. (Textbook Page No. 5)
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/menu/solarsystem/.
Answer: Student Activity.

Question 2. Up to 2006, there were 9 planets in our Solar system. But now we have only 8 planets. What
was the 9th planet? What happened to it? Find out the reasons with the help of your teacher? (Textbook
Page No. 6)
Answer: Up to 2006, we considered there are 9 planets in our solar system.
They are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
In 2006 the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto is not having the technical qualities of a
planet and reduced the number of planets from 9 to 8.

Question 3. Who is the first Indian astronaut to go into space? (Textbook Page No. 8)
Answer: Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian Astronaut to travel into space. He was part of the Soviet
Union’s Soyuz T-11 expedition, which was launched on April 2, 1984.

Question 4. Have you heard of Chandrayan-1 and Chandrayan-2? Try to know about them and discuss in
class. (Textbook Page No. 8)
Answer: Chandrayaan is India’s moon mission. Chandra means the moon and yarn is a vehicle.
Chandrayaan means Lunar Space Craft.
Chandrayaan -1 was India’s first moon mission. Chandrayaan -1 was launched in 2008 from Satish Dhawan
Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Chandrayaan – 2 is the second moon mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation. It was
launched in September 2019 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
 2. GLOBE – MODEL OF EARTH

Question 1. What is a globe?

Answer: Globe is a true model of the Earth.

Question 2. What are the movements of the Earth?

Answer: Rotation and Revolution are the movements of the Earth.

Question 3. Which movement of the Earth causes Day and Night?

Answer: Rotation of the Earth causes Day and Night.

Question 4. What happens when the Earth rotates?

Answer: During rotation, half portion of the Earth receives Sun’s rays and the remaining half portion
remains in darkness.

Question 5. Define the Earth’s Rotation and Revolution.

Answer: Rotation: Planet Earth rotates around itself on its own axis. This movement is called Rotation.
Revolution: Planet Earth rotates around the Sun. This movement is called Revolution.

Question 6. What is the true shape of the Earth?

Answer: The Earth is round in shape. The Earth is slightly flattened at the poles and bulges in the
middle or at the equator.

Question 7. Which Latitude is known as the Tropic of Cancer?

Answer: The latitude which is located at 2312° north of the equator is known as the Tropic of Cancer.

Question 8. Read the Paragraph under the title ‘Equinox’ and comment on it.
On 21st March and September 23rd direct rays of the Sun fall on the equator. At this position, neither of the
poles is tilted towards the Sun. So, the whole earth experiences equal days and nights. This is called an
equinox.
On 23rd September, it is autumn season in the Northern Hemisphere and spring season in the Southern
Hemisphere. The opposite is the case on 21st March when it is spring in the Northern Hemisphere and
autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Thus, you find days and nights and changes in the seasons because of
the rotation and revolution of the earth.
Answer:
On 21st March and 23rd, September Sun’s rays fall directly on the Equator. So we experience equal day and
night on both these days. This is called equinox. On 21st March it is autumn in the Northern Hemisphere
and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Because of Earth’s rotation, half portion of the Earth receives Sun’s
rays and the remaining half remains in darkness. So we find changes on Earth because of Earth’s rotation
and revolution.

Question 9. Create a table and list out the similarities and differences between Latitudes and Longitudes.
Answer: Similarities between latitudes and longitudes:

1. Latitudes and longitudes are both artificial.

2. Latitudes and Longitudes are both invisible lines.
3. Latitude is based on the 0° latitude while longitude is based on Greenwich.
4. They both help us to locate a place on earth

Differences:
Latitudes Longitudes
1) Latitudes are the horizontal lines. 1) Longitudes are vertical lines
 2) Lines of longitude are not parallel and come to a
2) Lines of latitudes are parallel to the equator.
singular point.
3) Latitudes lines run in the East and West
3) Longitude lines run in the North to South direction.
directions.

Question 10. If India has day, it is night in America. What is the reason for this difference?
Answer: The part of the Earth that faces the Sun gets illuminated and experiences the day. The
opposite part of the earth that does not face the Sun, experiences night. As India is opposite to America the
difference in day and night occurs.

Question 11. Take a ball and draw the latitudes and longitudes on the surface.
Answer:

Project Work: Student Activity.

Question 12. Prepare a note on the difference between a globe and an atlas.
Answer: 1.A globe is a three-dimensional sphere. An atlas is two-dimensional.
2. A globe represents the whole earth. An atlas represents the whole earth or a part of it.
3. A globe can be used to get a broad-level picture of the world. An atlas provides more specific
information about different places.

Question 13. Find out the latest leap year and the coming leap year.
Answer: The present year 2020 is a leap year. 2024 is the coming leap year.

Question 14. What preparations should be taken to watch a solar eclipse safely?
Answer: The Sun outputs more power than our eye is designed and so it damages the retina. So we
should not watch the Sun or the solar eclipse directly. We should use special-purpose solar filters, such as
eclipse glasses to watch Solar eclipses safely. Projecting the Sun through a box projector is another safe way
to watch the solar eclipse.

Question 15. It is difficult to understand the geographical location, time, and distance in the absence of
the imaginary lines – latitudes and longitudes. Appreciate the design of the imaginary lines of latitudes and
longitudes.
Answer:
1. Latitudes are used to define the North-South position of a location on the planet.
The general climatic division of a place can be studied with the help of latitudes.
2. Longitudes are used to define the East-West position of a location on the planet. Longitudes also
help us to calculate the time of a particular place.
3. If the latitude and longitude are known any position on earth can be located. Even- though,
longitudes and latitudes are imaginary lines they play an important role.
So, we should appreciate the design of the imaginary lines of the latitudes and longitudes.
Question 16.
Venu met some children from different cities at a youth festival. They were: Geethika, John, Nihal, and Uma.
Venu collected some information about their cities.
Venu has given us certain clues. Can you find out the cities with the help of an Atlas?
 Geethika – A girl from a city where 19° Northern Latitude and 72° Eastern Longitude nearly
coordinates.
Find and write the city name: ………………………………………………………
 John – A boy from a city where 12° Northern Latitude and 77° Eastern Longitude nearly coordinates.
Find and write the city name: ………………………………………………………
 Nihal – A boy from a city where 28° Northern Latitude and 77° Eastern Longitude nearly coordinates.
Find and write the city name: ………………………………………………………
 Uma – A girl from a city where 22° Northern Latitude and 88° Eastern Longitude nearly coordinates.
Find and write the city name: ………………………………………………………
Answer:
 Geethika – A girl from a city where 19° Northern Latitude and 72° Eastern Longitude nearly
coordinates.
Find and write the city name: ( Bombay)
 John – A boy from a city where 12° Northern Latitude and 77° Eastern Longitude nearly coordinates.
Find and write the city name: (Bangalore)
 Nihal – A boy from a city where 28° Northern Latitude and 77° Eastern Longitude nearly coordinates.
Find and write the city name: (Delhi)
 Uma – A girl from a city where 22° Northern Latitude and 88° Eastern Longitude nearly coordinates.
Find and write the city name: (Kolkata)

Question 17. If an astronaut from a spaceship looks down at the Earth, can he/she see the rotation of the
earth?
Answer: Yes. From a spaceship, an astronaut can see the rotation of the earth. Spaceships move around
the Earth at a different speed. So the astronaut can see the Earth’s rotation.

Question 18. Why can’t we sense the rotation and revolution of the Earth?
Answer:
The Earth is moving at a fixed speed and we are also moving along with it at the same speed. That is why
we can’t sense the Earth’s spin. If Earth’s spin changes we would definitely sense it. If we are in a car that is
moving at a constant speed on a smooth surface, we will not know that we are moving. However, when the
car accelerates or when the brakes are applied, we will feel the motion. Another example is, we can drink
coffee or tea on a moving train which is moving at a constant speed* because we are traveling by the train
at the same speed. If the speed of the train changes we can’t drink. The spin of Earth doesn’t make those
kinds of changes. So we can’t sense the rotation and revolution of the Earth.

Question 19. Choose the correct answer.

i) The movement of the Earth around the Sun is known as
A) Rotation B) Revolution C) Inclination D) Meridian
Answer: B) Revolution

ii) Sun rays fall directly on the Equator on:

A) 21 March B) 21 June C) 22 December D) 22 October
Answer: A) 21 March

iii) Christmas is celebrated in summer in:

A) Japan B) Australia C) India D) The USA
Answer: B) Australia
iv) The cycle of the seasons is caused due to:
A) Rotation B) Revolution C) Gravitation D) Inclination
Answer: B) Revolution

Question 20.
Find and fill the latitudes and longitudes in the given table with the help of Atlas and Globe.
Answer:
S.No. PLACE LATITUDES LONGITUDES

1. Vijayawada 16°50′ N 80°64′ E

2. Kadapa 14°46’ N 78°82′ E

3. Tirupati 13°62’ N 79°41′ E

4. Visakhapatnam 17°68′ N 83°21′ E

5. Your Village (Ex: Chittoor) 13°21′ N 79°10’ E

Question 21.
Find and fill the latitudes and longitudes extent of India and Andhra Pradesh in the given table with the
help of Google Maps or Atlas.
Answer:
LATITUDES LONGITUDES
PLACE
From To From To

India 8°4′ N 37°6′ N 68°7′ E 97°25′ E

Andhra Pradesh 12°41′ N 19°07’ N 77° E 84°40′ E

Your district (Ex: Kurnool) 15°50′ N 4°32′ N 78° 1′ E 45° 71′ E

Your Mandal (Ex: Nandyal) 15°28′ N 42°84′ N 78°28′ E 59°13′ E

Question 22. Observe the following pictures and fill the boxes with the name of the shaded hemispheres.
Answer:

Project Work Draw a diagram of the globe showing the earth’s axis, the Equator, Tropic of Cancer
and Capricorn, Arctic Circle, and Antarctic Circle.
Answer: Student Activity.

Let’s Do (Textbook Page No. 17)

Question 1. Take a big round apple. Pierce a cycle spoke through it. The spoke resembles the axis shown
in a globe. You can now move the apple around this axis from left to right.

Answer: Student Activity.

Think and Respond (Textbook Page No. 16)

Question 1. How does the earth rotate and revolve without any needle, unlike the Globe? Discuss with the
teacher.
Answer: Our Solar System formed about 4.6 billion years ago when a huge cloud of gas and dust started
to collapse under its own gravity. As the cloud collapsed, it started to spin. The Solar system is made up of
the Sun and everything that orbits around it includes the planets and their moons as well as numerous
asteroids, meteoroids, and comets. Without any unbalanced forces acting on them, the tremendous gravity
of the Sun and the planets have kept them rotating for billions of years. Either the Earth or any other planet
does not have any needle to rotate or to revolve.

Question 2. All the celestial bodies are round in shape. Why?

Answer: A planet is round because of its gravity. Gravity pulls from the centre to the edges like the
spokes of a bicycle wheel. This makes the overall shape of a planet a sphere, which is a three-dimensional
circle. (Textbook Page No. 17)

Question 3. In which hemisphere is India located?

Answer: India is located within both the Northern and Eastern hemispheres.

Question 4. Which hemisphere has the maximum number of continents?

Answer: Northern Hemisphere has the maximum number of continents.

Question 5. In which hemisphere is the continent Antarctica located?

Answer: Antarctica is located in the Southern hemisphere. (Textbook Page No. 17)

Question 6. Complete the table with the help of a world map, globe, or internet.

Answer:
Name the Continents in the Northern Name the Continents in the Name the Continents that are spread
Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere Southern and Northern Hemispheres
Africa
Europe Australia
Asia
North America Antarctica
South America
Name the Continents in the Northern Name the Continents in the Name the Continents that are spread
Hemisphere Southern Hemisphere Southern and Northern Hemispheres
Arctic Ocean Southern Ocean Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean Indian O
Question 7.
Why do latitudes get smaller towards the pole? Which latitude is the biggest circle?
Answer:
The equator is the largest circle and divides the globe into two equal halves. So it is at the center of the
Earth. Circles of latitude are all great circles with the center of Earth in the middle. The circles of latitude get
smaller as the distance from the Equator increases. So the latitudes get smaller towards the poles. The
Equator is the biggest latitude. (Textbook Page No. 18)

Question 8. Fill in the table with the help of a globe/map.

Answer:

(Textbook Page No. 20)

Question 9. Identify and write down the Latitude and Longitude between the extents of the given
Andhra Pradesh map. You can take the help of Atlas.

Answer: Andhra Pradesh Latitude: 12°41’ N to – 19°07′ N

Longitude : 77° – 84°40′ E.
 3.MAPS

Question 1. What are the components of a map?

Answer: The components of the map are 1.Directions, 2.Scale, 3.Symbols and4.Colours.

Question 2. Why is the actual distance on the ground reduced on a map?

Answer: It is impossible to draw a map showing actual distances. So we use ‘scale’ to show the actual
distance on the ground in a reduced manner on a map.

Question 3. Explain the need for symbols in preparing maps.

Answer: Maps are too small for us to draw pictures of the things shown on them. For example, we can’t
draw the real school or a bus stand or a tree as they will take too much space on the map. Therefore, we
always show things with the help of symbols on the map.

Question 4. Find out the scale used in your district map to show the distance between your Mandal
headquarter and district headquarter?
Answer: Student Activity (One example is given for you).
Ex: Our mandal is Agiripalli. It is in the Krishna district. Our district headquarter is Machilipatnam.
On the map, the scale is given as 1 cm = 10 km.
The actual distance from Agiripalli to Machilipatnam is 83 km.
The distance between Agiripalli to Machilipatnam is 8.3 cms on the map.

Question 5. How political maps are different from physical maps.

Answer: Political maps show territorial features like country, cities, nations and their boundaries. A
physical map indicates the natural features of a place like mountains, water bodies, plains etc.

Question 6. What is the importance of thematic maps?

Answer: A thematic map shows the spatial distribution of earth surface features. Thematic maps are used
to display geographical concepts such as density, distribution, relative magnitudes, gradients, spatial
relationships and movements. These maps focus on specific information like the map of rainfall, roads,
tourist places etc..

Question 7. What are the uses of maps in our daily life?

Answer: Maps help us in many ways in our daily life. They help us to understand the concept of a subject.
1. Maps help us to locate places like cities, districts, states and countries.
2. Maps show the physical features such as mountains, plateaus, plains.
3. Maps help us to know the major routes of transport such as roads, railways, etc.
4. Maps help us to understand the distribution of crops, minerals, soils etc.
5. Maps help the army at the time of war and for security reasons.
6. Maps guide the tourists to their destination.
7. Maps help us to understand history easily.

Question 8. Locate all continents and oceans on the given World map.

Answer:
Choose the correct answer.

1) Maps showing the distribution of forests are …………….

A) Physical map B) Thematic Map
C) Political map D) none of the above Answer: B) Thematic Map

2) The blue colour is used for showing …………….

A) Waterbodies B) Mountains
C) Land D) Plains Answer: A) Waterbodies

3) A scale is a necessary component for …………….

A) Map B) Sketch
C) Plan D) None Answer: A) Map

4) A compass is used …………….

A) To show symbols B) To find the main direction
C) To measure distance.D) To find the height Answer: B) To find the main
direction

5) The intermediate direction between the North and East is called …………….
A) North-east B) South-east
C) North-west D) South-west Answer: A) North-east

Project Work
Question 1. Draw a sketch of your school.
Answer: Student Activity.

Question 2. Collect different maps and make a scrapbook.

Answer: Student Activity.

Question 3. Draw a sketch map showing the route from your home to school by using appropriate
symbols.
Answer: Student Activity.

Let’s Do
Question 1. Why was Mrudula not able to reach her destination with the help of the above
sketch? (Textbook Page No. 29 & 30)
Answer: Mrudula was not able to reach her destination (Sathwika’s house) because there are no
directions and scale in the given sketch.

Question 2. Go through the below picture and fill in the following table. (Textbook Page No. 30 & 31)

Answer:
Direction Object

North Hill, Trees

North – East Temple

South Well

South – West Masjid

East Rising Sun

South – East School

West House

North – West Church

Question 3. Observe the given picture and calculate the actual distance between the following places
using the scale. (Textbook Page No. 32)

Answer:
i. The distance between PO (A) and Raju’s house (C).
Answer:
Approximately 60 metres.
ii. The distance between Raju’s house (C) and Puja’s house (E).
Answer:
Approximately 30 metres.
iii. The distance between Chiru’s house (D) and the school.
Answer:
Approximately 55 metres.
Question 4. Make a table with the states, UTs and their capital. (Textbook Page No. 35)
Answer:
S.No. State/UT Capital
1. Andhra Pradesh Amaravati
2. Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar
3. Assam Dispur
4. Bihar Patna
5. Chhattisgarh Raipur
6. Goa Panaji
7. Gujarat Gandhinagar
8. Haryana Chandigarh
9. Himachal Pradesh Shimla
10. Jharkhand Ranchi
 11. Karnataka Bengaluru
12. Kerala Thiruvananthapuram
13. Madhya Pradesh Bhopal
14. Maharashtra Mumbai
15. Manipur Imphal
16. Meghalaya Shillong
17. Mizoram Aizwal
18. Nagaland Kohima
19. Orissa Bhubaneswar
20. Punjab Chandigarh
21. Rajasthan Jaipur
22. Sikkim Gangtok
23. Tamilnadu Chennai
24. Telangana Hyderabad
25. Tripura Agartala
26. Uttar Pradesh Lucknow
27. Uttarakhand Dehradun
28. West Bengal Kolkata

Union Territories and Capitals :

Andaman Nicobar Islands Port Blair
Lakshadweep Kavaratti
Ladakh Leh
Chandigarh Chandigarh
Dadar and Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu Silvassa
Puducherry Pondicherry
National Capital Region New Delhi
Srinagar (Summer) Jammu
Jammu & Kashmir
(Winter)
Question 5. Go through the below physical map and write some physical features of India. (Textbook Page No. 35)

Answer: India has all major physical features of the earth i.e., mountains, plains, deserts, plateaus and
islands.
1. The Himalayan mountains or the Northern Mountains.
2. The Northern plains or the Indo – Gangetic Plains.
3. The Peninsular Plateau.
4. The Great Indian desert
5. The Coastal Plains.
6. The Islands.
Question 6. Collect different thematic maps and display in your classroom. Discuss with your Mends.
(Textbook Page No. 36)
Answer: Student Activity.

Think and Respond

Question 1. How do symbols give us information? (Textbook Page No. 32)
Answer: With the help of symbols, maps can be drawn easily and are simple to read also. It is not
possible to draw a map in the actual shape and size with different features such as buildings, rivers, bridges,
trees and railway lines etc. So they are shown by using certain colours, letters, shades, pictures and lines.

Question 2. What does the map indicate? (Textbook Page No. 36)

Answer: This is a thematic map of India. Major crop grown areas were shown on this map. From this map,
we can know in which areas of India Rice, Wheat, Jowar, Bajra were grown. We can also know where two
crops were grown.

Question 3. Why it is called a thematic map? (Textbook Page No. 36)

Answer: Thematic maps are called so because they focus on a specific theme or subject relating to a
particular theme or aspect of geography like the map of rainfall, roads, tourist places.
 4.LAND FORMS – ANDHRA PRADESH

Question 1. What is a landform?

Answer: The ups and downs, uneven slopes on the surface of the earth is called a landform.

Question 2. Into how many categories landforms can be divided?

Answer: Landforms can be divided into mountains, plateaus, and plains depending upon their elevation
and slope.

Question 3. How is the delta formed?

Answer: Before joining the sea, a river divides into a large number of small streams. Before joining the sea
the water slows down and can’t carry the sediment which forms the delta.

Question 4. Why do plain areas have dense settlements?

Answer: Plains are suitable for building houses and cultivation. Because of fertile soil, the land is highly
productive and transportation is also easy in plains. So plains have dense settlements.

Question 5. Compare the various types of soils that prevailed in different landforms.
Answer:
Plains Plateau Mountains
Red and saline soils.
Alluvial soils Deep and Soils are uneven and sloped Red and Rocky
Saline soils have a high content of lime and salts.
Fertile soil.
Lava Plateaus are rich in black soil that is fertile.

Question 6. Why did the government declare some mandals as drought-hit?

Answer: Drought means a long period where there is little or no rain. In plateau regions, rains are very
little and unreliable. Because of low rainfall, farmers lost their crops. To aid them the government declares
some mandals as drought-hit.

Question 7. “Physical and climate feature determine the economic activities of a region”. Explain.
Answer: Location and climate have large effects on income levels and income growth. People living in
the plains depend on agriculture. Because of fertile soil, this region is highly productive. As transportation is
also easy the plain regions have more economic activities than plateau and mountain regions. Plateau
regions have fewer economic activities because of low rainfall. This region has an underlying influence on
the people who live here. In hilly regions people completely depend on rainfall and transportation is also
not easy in this region. When compared to the plain region hilly region is also underlying influence upon
the people there. So we can say physical and climatic feature determines the economic activities of a region.

Question 8. Are all the lands in your village agriculturally productive? If not give reasons.
Answer: All the lands in my village are agriculturally productive.

Question 9. Do you think it is important to preserve the lifestyle of tribes – Why?

Answer: I think that it is important to preserve the lifestyle of tribes because they do not destroy the
forests they use. Their lifestyle is also eco-friendly. If they follow the lifestyle of the people who live in plains
they too destroy the forests. This will lead to low rainfall in hilly areas also. They possess good knowledge of
forest which leads to more productivity of forest products. They take care of the environment in a lot of
ways than expected.

Question 10. Why kitchen garden is more important for the tribal people?
Answer: Tribal people do not have daily markets. They can’t go to the nearby cities and towns for
essential commodities like vegetables. They may not have good transportation also. So, kitchen gardening
is important for them as they grow vegetables in their backyards.
Question 11. Why agriculture is a profitable trade in plains? Explain.
Answer: The fertile soils in the plains are very deep and fertile. The alluvial soils are deposited as
sediments. Using machines in cultivation is easy in plains. Rivers in plains forms deltas that are fertile.
Underground water is also an added advantage in plains. They can cultivate two or three crops in a year.
Good transportation facilities are available in plains. Produce can be easily transported to the markets. So,
agriculture is a profitable trade in plains.

Fill in the blanks: 12. The highest peak in eastern ghats is ……… (Armakonda)
13. Large part of …………… is located in the Deccan plateau. (Rayalaseema)
14. In plain areas ………….. crop is extensively cultivated. (Paddy)
15. Hills of eastern ghats are composed of …………… (Charnockites and Khondalite rocks)
16. In hilly areas people fetch water from …………. (natural springs or down streams of downhills)
17. ………….. soils have a high content of lime and salts. (Saline)
18. Plain areas receive rainfall in …………….. (June to October)

Choose the correct answer.

19. Plateaus are rich in ………..
A) Vegetables B) Minerals C) Population D) Crops Answer: B) Minerals
20. Black soils are fertile and good for …………..
A) Cotton B) Millets C) Vegetables D) Wheat Answer: A) Cotton
21. There are …………… districts in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
A) 6 B) 4 C) 9 D) 5 Answer: C) 9
22. …………………………………
A) Rayalaseema B) Coastal Andhra C) Northern Andhra D) Deccan Plateau Answer: A) Rayalaseema
23. Fill this table with appropriate information. Answer:
Feature Plain Plateau Mountains or hills

Soils Fertile and Alluvial black soil Red soil with little nutrients Red and Rocky soils

Crops Paddy and cash crops Orchards Coffee

Rainfall Above Average Rainfall Below Average rainfall Average Rainfall
Occupation Agriculture Agriculture Shifting Agriculture
Project Work 1. Make a poster of landforms.
Answer: Student Activity.

2. Make the day moulds of different landforms.

Answer: Student Activity.

Let’s Do (Textbook Page No. 44)

Question 1. The names of Coastal Districts from North to South.
Answer: Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari,
Machilipatnam, Guntur, Bapatla, Spsr Nellore, SriBalaji Tirupati

Question 2. The names of Rayalaseema Districts:

Answer: Kurnool, Anantapur, YSR Kadapa and Chittoor Districts.

Question 3. Write your village/town/city name:

Answer: Student Activity Ex: Mandal: PEDAPUDI District: KAKINADA
Neighbouring districts to your district: KONASEEMA, EAST GODAVARI, ANAKAPALLI, MANYAM Districts
Neighbouring state to your districts: NIL.
(Note: Students can write their own districts and their Neighbouring districts & States)

Think and Respond (Textbook Page No. 41)

Question 1. List out the landforms from the below picture?

Answer: Mountain, Plateau and Plain are the landforms in the above picture.

Question 2. Name the landforms around your village/town?

Answer: Mountains, Plateau and Plains are the landforms that are found around our village. (Textbook Page No. 42)

Question 3. “The construction of a road is easy in plain areas”- Give the reason.
Answer: Plains are level lands with flat surfaces. So it is easy to lay a road in plain areas.

Question 4. Why plain areas are densely populated? Write two reasons.
Answer: The plains are densely populated because:
1. Plains are more suitable to construct buildings as well as cultivation.
2. Transport facilities are plenty.

Question 5. Generally, the villages located in plains will have good employment and standard of living.
Why?
Answer: Plains in villages are fertile. They have plenty of water resources. Canals, underground water
facilities are available in plains. They can use modern agricultural equipment also. So the production is also
high. So, employment in agricultural activities is more. Transportation facilities are more and employment
can be generated in this sector also. Construction of roads and buildings and for human inhabitation is
suitable. So we can say that the villages located in plains will have good employment and standard of living.

Question 6. Which type of soil is more suitable for cultivation?

Answer: Fertile and alluvial black soils, nutrient soils and high-water holding capacity soils are more
suitable for crops.

Question 7. Look at the pictures of a mountain, a plain and a plateau and identify which of them is similar
to your region.
Answer: Plateaus and plains are the landforms that are found in our region. (Textbook Page No. 46)

Question 8. Why hilly areas are suitable for plantation crops? Discuss with your Mends or teachers and
write.
Answer: In hilly areas, the soils are uneven and sloped. The soils in hilly areas are red and rocky. Due to
their high elevation and the natural downward movement of water, the soils are well-drained. These soils
are suitable for plantation crops like coffee and tea. For example, coffee is grown in the Araku valley in
Andhra Pradesh.

Question 9. Name some forest products.

Answer: Honey, fruits, gum, tamarind and wood pulp are some of the forest products.

Question 10. Have you visited any forests? If so describe your experiences.
Answer: Recently I visited Maredumilli in the East Godavari district. It is located in the deep forest area
of Eastern Ghats quiet away from the urban concrete jungle. Maredumilli nestled in green nature’s lap. It is
a pleasant place to visit as it is good for its scenic beauty with trees and lovely waterfalls pretty close to one
another. (Textbook Page No. 48)
Question 11. What are the major changes in the cropping pattern of the plateau region?
Answer: Due to the insufficient availability of water, only one crop can be grown here. Farmers in this
region are trying to overcome this problem with various types of irrigation methods. Millet crops like ragi,
sama, varagu, korra and groundnut are grown. Sometimes paddy, sugarcane, and fruit orchards are sown in
this region. At present farmers are trying mixed crops like red gram, maize with groundnut. Farmers are
trying contour bunding and organic farming to improve the soil quality As water facilities are fewer farmers
are growing sweet lime, sapota and mango. These orchards require water in some seasons only and give
regular returns. Wherever water is available plantation crops like banana, papaya, guava and pomegranate
are being cultivated. In this way, major changes came in cropping patterns in plateau region when
compared to the olden days.

Question 12. What are the problems we may face in, future by digging more bore wells? Find out and
discuss the causes and possible solutions.
Answer: The impact of bore wells includes scarcity of water, vanishing moisture in the soil as well as the
fertility of the soil. More and more borewells in the same area may cause earthquakes.
We have to plant more trees, create small ponds, create small check dams, save rainwater, make water
holding tanks to overcome this problem.

Question 13. Compare the rainfall in the coastal plains and in the interior plateau.
Answer: In regions closer to the coast, rainfall is heavy but in northern and western plateau regions,
meagre rainfall is observed. During October and November, heavy rainfall occurs due to northeast
monsoon winds. (Textbook Page No. 49)

Question 14. Name the main rivers that flow through the plains of Andhra Pradesh.
Answer: Krishna and Godavari are the main rivers that flow through the plains of Andhra Pradesh.

Question 15. What are the districts that come under the Krishna and Godavari deltas?
Answer: Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and East Godavari are the ‘districts that come under the Krishna
and Godavari deltas.

Question 16. Name the two main cities from where the two deltas begin. Find out the names of at least
two rivers that join the Krishna river.
Answer: Vijayawada and Rajahmundry are the two cities from where the two deltas begin. Ghataprabha
River, Malaprabha River, Bhima River, Tungabhadra River are the rivers that join the Krishna river.

Question 17. What are the reasons for the changes in cropping patterns?
Answer: Farmers in plain areas change their cropping pattern towards cash crops and food crops. Some
of the crops will make the soil fertile and the next will give high returns. Food crops like vegetables and
fruits will give high returns. So they are changing the cropping pattern.

Question 18. Why coastal deltas are rich in infertility?

Answer: Because of floods, the soil in these areas will get fertile due to the continuous deposition of
sediments by the rivers.

Question 19. Why agriculture is a main occupation in the plain areas?

Answer: Plain areas are gifts to agriculture and farmers. Agriculture is the main occupation in these
areas. Because of the fertility of the soil, more than one crop can be cultivated here.
 5.EARLY LIFE TO SETTELED LIFE

Question 1. List out the products of the forests?

Answer: Fruits, edible roots and tubers, nuts, seeds, leaves, honey, wild grains, medicinal herbs, fungi and
other natural products.

Question 2. What do you know about nomadic life?

Answer: A nomad is someone who lived by travelling from place to place. The nomadic lifestyle is likely
the oldest form of human society. Nomads generally move from place to place depending upon variables
such as climate, season, water availability, food and movement of animal herds.

Question 3. How do we use fire today?

Answer: Today, we use fire 1.to cook food, 2. to heat the water
3.for making steam from coal and water, 4.for moulding metals,
5.in rituals, 6. in agriculture for clearing land,
7..generating heat and light and many more.
Question 4. Prepare a list of the food items eaten by the early people and the modern people. Do you
notice any similarities or differences?
Answer:
Early people Modern people
Similarities:
Fruits Fruits
Edible roots and tubers Edible roots and tubers
Nuts Nuts
Seeds Seeds
Leaves Leaves
Honey Honey
Differences:
Wild grains Cooked grains
Raw meat Cooked meat
Fishes (uncooked) Cooked fish
Eggs (uncooked) Cooked eggs
Milk Boiled milk

Question 5. “The earliest human life became easier by domesticating animals and plants” Do you agree
or not? Support your answer.
Answer: Yes. We can say that the lives of the earliest humans became easier on domesticating animals
because.

1. They will provide them with food.

2. They help them in pulling cars.
3. They are trustful so they can protect them from other animals also.

Question 6. If there is no grinding stone, how would it affect our food habits?
Answer: It would be a little tough for us to have food without a grinding stone. But still, we should
remember our ancestors – the primitive humans, they had no grinding stone. But they survived. Instead of
eating cooked items, we could eat fruits and vegetables. Our diet would completely consist of plants. We
would be more conscious of plants and how to save them since they were our main diet.
But I can say cooking would be difficult without any stone or grinder.

Question 7. What tools do you use for cutting fruits? What would they be made of?
Answer: To cut fruits generally, I use a knife. They are made of iron or steel.
Question 8. Where did the early people store food grains?
Answer: The early people used large clay pots or woven baskets or fig pits into the ground to store food
grains.

Question 9. List out three ways in which the present lives of farmers and herders are different from that of
the early people.
Answer:
1. Hunter-gatherers kept travelling from place to place whereas farmers had to live at the same place
for longer periods of time to take care of their crops.
2. Hunter-gatherers depended on the meat of wild animals whereas farmers and herders used plants,
crops and cattle.
3. Hunter-gatherers did not have any settled life whereas farmers and herders gradually …… settled in
huts, pit houses.

Question 10. How did the lifestyle of farmer-herders lead to early civilisations?
Answer: Farmer herders learnt to plant the seeds they wanted and grow them for food. They attracted
animals by leaving food for them. These animals provided them milk, meat and carried loads. They
protected them from wild animals. They stayed in a place for a long time taking care of the plants. They
learned storing methods of food. So, people began to settle down inconvenient places for a long time. They
built houses. They developed new kinds of tools made of stone. Toolmakers created better farming tools.
These communities extended to different parts. In this way, the lifestyle of farmer- herders lead to early
civilisations.

Question 11. Locate the following Rock Art Sites on the map of Andhra Pradesh.
A) Chintakunta B) Adoni C) Kavali D) Naidupalli E) Velpumadugu F) Srikalahasti
Answer:

Project Work
Question 1. Collect the information about rock painting sites. Write a report and exhibit it in your class.
Answer: Recently I visited rock painting caves in Akkampalle Village in the Kurnool district with my
parents. There are three sites to see. Of the three sites, one is a painted rock shelter locally known as
“Mosalla-gundu” (‘Boulder of Crocodiles’), while the remaining two are naturally formed rock caves.
Artworks found within the caves reflect the life, culture, traits and beliefs of the era.

The Boulder of Crocodiles is open on three sides towards the west, north and south, and contains a large
number of paintings. The first crocodile is large in size compared with the other two. These paintings may
be assigned to the Mesolithic period due to the nature of their depictions and application of red-ochre
colour.

The second cave is a natural rock cave facing north and situated south of the Boulder of Crocodiles. The
cave was intentionally closed on three sides with huge boulders, which might have been to offer protection
from the cold winds and other natural hazards. The inner face of the cave is decorated with vertical strips of
white lime coating.

The final cave is a natural formation facing towards the north, which appears to have been used for the
purpose of dwelling. Its three sides – east, west, and south – are closed off with huge boulders of quartzite.
There is a roughly rectangular area with uneven natural bedrock as its floor.

Question 2. Collect some pictures of ancient people and prepare an album.

Answer: Student Activity.

Let’s Do
Question 1. List out the activities of early people in the below pictures? (Textbook Page No. 54)
Answer:
Fig. – 1
1. People fetching an animal for food. 2.Women planting seeds. 3.Man searching for something in
bushes.

Fig. – 2
1. People fetching an animal for food. 2.The man was polishing a leather.3.Man trying to lit a fire with
rocks,
2. A man is frying food on fire.

Question 2. List the items that you eat which are not grown but collected from the wild. (Textbook Page No. 55)
Answer: Honey, tamarind, wood apple, nuts, berries, apricot and spices.

Question 3. Apart from food, list out the other things that we get from the animals. (Textbook Page No. 60)
Answer: Wool from sheep, silk from the silkworm, pearls from oyster, leather products from snakes,
buffalo etc.,

Question 4. Make a list of animals and birds that are reared in your area. (Textbook Page No. 60)
Answer: Animals: cow, buffalo, ox, dog, ass, horse, cat and rabbit. Birds: Peacock, pigeon, parrot.

Think and Respond

Question 1. How did the early people discover fire? Discuss with your teacher and write. (Textbook Page No. 55)
Answer: Perhaps someone discovered fire while making a stone tool. When stones are rubbed or struck
against each other, sparks can be seen. Strike means to hit very hard These sparks can start a fire. Maybe,
once the sparks set fire to some dry grass or wood nearby. Or, perhaps some people saw a forest fire. When
the fire was over they found many wild animals burnt in it. They also probably tasted a piece of the burnt
meat and liked the new taste.
The discovery of fire changed the lives of the people forever.

Question 2. How does the changing climate affect human life at present? Discuss with your teacher,
friends and write. (Textbook Page No. 58)
Answer: Human health has always been influenced by climate and weather. Changes in climate patterns
result in crop loss or drastically reduced yield. Hence more agriculturists are moving away from agriculture
to other occupations which are less reliant on climate. The rise in ocean levels has forced people who live by
the coastline, to move inwards and pursue other places.

Question 3. How did the early humans become herders? (Textbook Page No. 58)
Answer: People say that they could attract tame animals by leaving food for them. The first animal to be
tamed was the ancestor of the dog. They started rearing sheep, goats, cattle, etc. that lived in herds and
most of them eat grass! People often protected these animals from being attracted by other wild animals.
This is how they became herders.

Question 4. How can you say the rearing of animals paved the way to a settled life of the early humans?
(Textbook Page No. 59)
Answer: As early humans started farming, they realized that seeds will take time to grow. For this, the
early man realized that he has stayed in that place for a long time. He realized that he has to take care of
the plants, watering them and protecting them from birds and animals. Besides, he realized that animals
will get multiplied if they are taken care of. He realised that he will get milk and meat from them. For these
reasons, early humans began to settle down inconvenient places for a long time.

Question 5. Compare the lifestyle of the

modern farmers with the early farmers-herders. Early farmers-herders
Answer: Modern farmer
1. They are enjoying settled life. 1. They enjoyed nomadic life.
2. They market the surplus food. 2. They shared the food among the group.
3. They receive government help during the time of
3. They received no help during the time of famines/natural calamities.
famines/natural calamities.
Question 6. What will happen if we don’t store food grains? (Textbook Page No. 59)
Answer: Grains had to be stored for food and seeds. If we don’t store them scarcity arises and there will
be no grains to put in the fields.

Question 7. Prepare a list of articles that are using for cooking and storing in modern days. (Textbook
Page No. 61)
Answer: For cooking, we use gas stoves or electric induction stoves. For- storing we use refrigeration,
vacuum packaging, pasteurisation, canning and irradiation.
 6.EARLY CIVILISATIONS

Question 1. Write the similarities between Indus and Vedic civilisation.

Answer: Religious features: Both Harappan people and Vedic people worshipped nature and Hindu gods
such as Shiva and Sakti.
Baked bricks, pottery, and wheeled carts were used both by Harappan and Vedic people.

Question 2. Who participated in the excavations of the Indus valley civilisation?

Answer: In 1850, the British engineers while laying a railway line between Karachi and Lahore excavated
the Indus valley civilization. In 1920 the archaeologists realised that it was a very did civilisation.

Question 3. Describe the economic life of the Indus people.

Answer:
1. The economy of the Indus valley civilization was based upon agriculture and trade.
2. Weaving cotton and woollen clothes were their main occupation. Indus people were the earliest to
produce cotton.
3. Production of baked bricks was another occupation of Indus people.
4. Crops such as wheat, barley, peas were raised by the Indus people.
5. They carried trade with other countries like Egypt, Mesopotamia, Afghanistan, and Iran also.
6. They carried their international trade through Lothal port in the Arabian Sea.

Question 4. How did the Indus people build their houses?

Answer: The buildings of Indus people were well planned. It is clear that they possessed a flourishing
urban culture. There were wide roads, public wells. Houses were made of bricks which were found in so
many other areas across this civilization also. There were two storied buildings also. Every house was
connected directly to an excellent main drainage system. A great tank was built for a public bath which now
was called as “the Great Bath”. Large granaries and quarters for labour were specially built in the Indus
civilization.

Question 5. The drainage system of Indus was exemplary. How?

Answer:
1. The Indus civilization had an elaborate sanitary and drainage system. They maintained a highly
efficient drainage system.
2. Importance was given to the cleanliness and public health.
3. They maintained an underground drainage system for the streets. They were connected to the main
drainage system.

Question 6. “Devotion of God is belief”. Comment on Indus people’s deities.

Answer:
1. Indus people believed in God. They believed in image worshipping.
2. They worshipped Pasupathi (Shiva) and the mother of the Goddess.
3. They accepted the pipal trees as sacred.
4. They worshipped neem trees, sun, fire, earth, water, and snakes also.
5. Fire pits and yagna vatikas are also found.
6. Swastik symbols were found in the archaeological remains of the Indus valley civilization.

Question 7 How many Vedas are there? What are they?

Answer: There are four Vedas in the Vedic culture. They are: 1.Rig Veda, 2.Yajur Veda, 3.Sama Veda and
4.Atharvana Veda.

Question 8. “Veda means superior knowledge”. Comment on it.

Answer:
 1. The term ‘Veda’ means “Superior Knowledge” in Sanskrit.
2. They are the most ancient religious texts which define truth for Hindus.
3. They are the most important sources of knowledge about the Aryans and the Vedic Period.
They are called shrutis which means hearing.
4. Vedas are the universal truths that were discovered or realized by learned people.
5. They formed the bedrock for Indian philosophy and Yoga.
6. Vedas contain deeper spiritual and scientific knowledge.
7. The Vedic traditions are continued till today and are still unbroken.
8. Research on Vedas is carried out in many Indian and foreign Universities also. Swami Dayananda
Saraswati gave a call “Go back to the Vedas”. Thus we can say the Vedas mean superior knowledge.

Question 9. Write about the social life of the early Vedic period.
Answer: The Vedic literature is the major source to understand the Vedic period. The period of Rig Veda
is called the early Vedic period.
The social life of early Vedic period:
1. The family was regarded as the basic unit of society.
2. The father was the head of the family.
3. The joint family system was in practice at that time.
4. The prisoners of war were called dasas and they were like slaves.
5. Monogamy was the usual practice of the Vedic period.

Question 10. What do you know about the political life of the early Vedic period?
Answer:
1. The polity of the Early Vedic period was basically a tribal polity with the tribal chief in the centre. The
tribe was called ‘Jana’, and the chief of that Jana was called ‘Rajan’.
2. Rajan looked after the affairs of the tribe with the help of other tribal members. There are two tribal
assemblies 1) Sabha and 2) Samiti.
3. Rajan was not a dictator, Kingship was not hereditary.

Question 11. What is the importance of epics?

Answer:
1. The epics tell us the right way to life.
2. They tell us what the importance of speaking the truth is.
3. They tell us that why we should have the basic manners in our lives in an interesting manner.
4. They tell us the importance of becoming a good human being.
5. We should read these epics because they fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom.
6. Epics tell us that how should we behave in society.
In Ramayana Rama is an ideal ruler, ideal brother, ideal son. Sita is ideal for Indian womanhood.
Mahabharata is a victory of Dharma over Adharma.
Question 12. Locate the following rivers on the outline map of India
a) River Indus b) River Ganges c) River Yamuna

Answer:

Question 13. What were the reasons for the decline of the Indus valley civilization?
Answer:
1. Some are of the opinion that the invasion of the Aryans was the cause for the decline of Indus valley
civilization.
2. Change of course of the river Indus changed the area into the sand and affected the fertility and this
led to the decline of the Indus valley civilization.
3. Due to changes in climatic conditions, the area lost fertility and people were compelled to move to
another area.
4. Constant use of firewood for brick manufacture caused deforestation and low rainfall.

Project Work: Make a project on the similarities of Indus civilization and Vedic civilization.
Answer: The Indus Valley civilization and the Vedic civilization had the following similarities.

 Both worshipped Hindu Gods such as Sakthi and Siva.

 Both believed in some sort of life after death.

They also played pre-Indian games such as gambling, dicing, and horse cart riding. The remains of a stone
sculpture of a priest say that their society of most similar to that of Vedic culture.

Let’s Do Question 1. Compare the economic activity of Indus people with the present. (Textbook Page
No. 66)
Answer:
Economic activity Indus times Present
Gems, jewellary, ready-made garments metals, cotton, yarn, and
Exports Cotton goods, pottery agricultural products.
fabrics.
Petrol, paper, precious stones, plastic wool, medicines, machinery,
Imports Jade, agate gold, silver, copper, tin.
edible oil.
Foodgrains, cotton, jute, sugarcane tobacco, oilseeds, coffee, tea,
Crops Wheat, barley, dates cotton, mustard.
coconut fruits, vegetables.
Domestication of animals Sheep, goat, buffalo, dog, cat, pig, elephant. Cow, buffalo, oxen, sheep, goat, horse, camel, elephant, pig etc.
Jewellery, Art, necklaces, bangles, combs, Shawls, woodwork, pottery, leather, jute, shell, brass handicrafts,
Crafts
idol-making. bamboo handicrafts.

Question 2. Compare the metals used in the Indus civilization with the present day. (Textbook Page No. 67)
Answer:
Metals used in the Indus civilization Metals used now
Gold, copper, silver, bronze metals were the metals known to Indus At present we are using gold, copper, silver, bronze, platinum, brass
Valley Civilization people. and Iron metals.
Question 3. List out the names of famous books and its writers from your school library. (Textbook Page No. 72)
Answer:

1. The Story of My Experiments with Truth – Mahatma Gandhi

2. The Discovery of India. – Jawaharlal Nehru
3. Wings if Fire - A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
4. ………………………………………………………………….(Student Activity)

Think and Respond (Textbook Page No. 65)

Question 1. Do you find any difference between the planning of Indus cities and the present cities? How?
Answer:
1. The Indus valley cities were established on a good plan. The modern Indian cities are not based on
any such plans.
2. Both the Indus valley and the modern Indian cities have a drainage system but the modern drainage
system does not work properly when compared to the Indus valley cities.
3. There were citadels in the Indus valley civilization while there is no citadels in the modern Indian
cities, (maybe because of population increase)

Question 2. Was the Indus drainage system more advanced? Why?

Answer: The Indus drainage system is well planned underground drainage system. The drainage system
which was followed by the Indus people was a great achievement. Every house is connected with pipes
which carry waste into the main drains. (Textbook Page No. 69)

Question 3. Do you find any similarities among these ancient (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus valley, and
China) civilizations?
Answer: Yes, we can find similarities among these ancient civilizations.
1. All the civilisations grew along mighty rivers.
2. All the civilisations have similarities in their settlements.
3. All the civilisation developed religions to explain the forces of nature and their roles in the world.
4. All the civilizations made efforts in the fields of science and technology.

Question 4. In what ways is the Indus valley civilisation more advanced among them?
Answer: In the Indus valley civilisation a strong and centralized government was established. The people
in the Indus valley civilisation built their houses with dried or baked bricks. They built two-storeyed
buildings also. Every house had a well for water and bathrooms with pipes that carried waste into the main
drains. The cities of the Indus valley civilisation were well planned. They were protected by forts. They had
wide roads, public wells. They had a well-planned underground drainage system which shows the
importance given to the cleanliness and public health. We don’t find this type of development in other
civilizations of that time.

Question 5. Write the names of religions in our country. (Textbook Page No. 71)
Answer: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Animism,
Donyi-polo, and Nirankari.

Question 6. How are our public representatives elected? (Textbook Page No. 72)
Answer: Our public representatives are elected in both direct and indirect elections.
 7.EMERGENCE OF KINGDOMS AND REPUBLICS

Question 1. What do you mean by Gana? How were they different from the kingdoms ruled by the kings?
Answer: The term ‘Gana’ means people of equal status. Sangha means ‘assembly’. Gana Sangha means an
assembly of equal-status people. They cover a small area that was ruled by a superior group among them.
These Gana sanghas practiced “all are equal” traditions.
A kingdom means a territory and was ruled by a king or queen. In a kingdom, a family which rules for a
long, period becomes a dynasty.

Question 2. Why did the Rajas of Mahajanapadas build forts?

Answer: The rajas of Mahajanapadas built forts to protect their capital city.
1. Huge walls of wood, brick or stone were built around the cities.
2. Forts were probably built because people were afraid of attacks from other kings and needed
protection.
3. Some rulers wanted to show their wealth and strength by building large, tall, and impressive walls
around their cities.
4. The land and the people living inside the forts could be controlled more easily by the king.

Question 3. Can you point out the difference between the way villages are managed today and in the
time of Mahajanapadas?
Answer: Nowadays, regular elections are taking place in villages which promotes democracy in our
country. But in earlier times there was a ruler who controlled the village which did not help the democracy,
but it helped in the monarch system which went for a long time in our country.

Question 4. Find out how the crafts persons are; taxed by the government today? Was it the same in the
times of Mahajanapadas?
Answer: Craft persons have to pay taxes at the time of Mahajanapadas. Sometimes they have to work free
of charge for the king for one day of every month. But today if a craft person earns money more than the
specified amount by the government they have to pay the tax for the excess amount they earned. There is
no chance to work instead of paying tax.

Question 5. Through what sources do you know about Mahajanapadas?

Answer: We can know much about those villages and towns from two kinds of sources from
archaeological excavations in different places and from the books composed during that period:

Question 6. Write the agricultural practices that led to an increase in agricultural production in the time of
Mahajanapadas.
Answer: Two major changes were practiced during the Mahajanapadas period.

1. Iron ploughshares were used. Heavy, clayey soil could be turned over better than with a wooden
ploughshare, so that more grain could be produced.
2. People of Mahajanapadas began transplanting paddy. Instead of scattering seeds on the ground,
from which plants would sprout, saplings were grown and then planted in the fields. Production
developed due to this since many plants survived.

Question 7. “The Mahajanapadas developed on the river banks.” Do you agree or not? Justify your answer.
Answer:
All the Mahajanapadas developed on the river banks. I agree with this statement. Archaeologists found
hundreds of sites in the Ganges valley. As this plain receives very high rainfall, it is very fertile. These rivers
bring silt from the Himalayas and flow throughout the year. Transportation is also easy from these places.
So Mahajanapadas developed on the river banks. If we observe all the Mahajanapadas, all the janapadas
emerged around the river banks of Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada and Godavari.
Question 8. How do you appreciate the works of craftsmen in the times of Mahajanapadas?
Answer: During the period of Mahajanapadas, craftsmen played a key role in the development of
Mahajanapadas. Availability of iron facilitated craft production also. Blacksmiths made necessary tools for
agriculture like ploughshares, sickles, axes, arrows etc., With the use of iron ploughshare productivity
improved. Potters made pots for cooking and storing grains. Carpenters made carts and with the help of
these carts’ transportation was made easy. Weavers weaved cloth which was exported to other places and it
helped the economy of Mahajanapadas. Potters made special type of pottery known as painted grey ware,
which became famous in those days.
In this way craftsmen participated in the development of Mahajanapadas.

Question 9. What were the taxes collected by the rulers of the Mahajanapadas?
Answer:
The taxes collected by the Mahajanapadas were:
1. 1/6th of the total agricultural produce as a tax on crops.
2. Craftsmen had to pay taxes in the form of labour.
3. Taxes on the sale and purchase of goods and services for trade.
4. Taxes on herders in the form of animals or animal products and taxes on hunters and gatherers in
the nature of their collection from forests.

Question 10. How are present-day elections different from the way in which rulers were chosen in
Janapadas?

Answer: Choosing of rulers in ‘janapadas’ – Men were chosen ‘rajas’ by performing big sacrifices. The
‘Ashvamedha was one such ritual that was used to identify a ‘raja’. The ‘raja’ chosen by this sacrifice was
considered very powerful.
Electing rulers today – Today, we have a democratic system of government. Each citizen has a right to cast
his vote and to form the government through his elected representative.

Question 11. What is similar in the way crops were grown in the Mahajanapadas and how they are grown
today?
Answer: The crops that were grown in the Mahajanapadas were wheat, barley, peas, and lentils. These
crops are grown in the same way as those were grown in the ancient days.
In the time of Mahajanapadas, they planted paddy saplings instead of grains.
Even today the same system was followed by the farmers.

Question 12. How can you appreciate the role of natural resources in the emergence of Magadha as a
powerful kingdom?

Answer: The rivers made the land very fertile and the Grihapatis could irrigate their lands easily. The rivers
were also used for transporting goods and armies. Parts of the Magadha were forested. Elephants were
captured from there and trained for fighting in the armies. Wood from the forests was used for building
fortresses and palaces and chariots. In the southern parts of Magadha, there were iron ore deposits that
could be used for making weapons, etc.
All this enabled Magadha to emerge as a very powerful kingdom. The kingdom extended from the
northwest part of India to Odisha.
Thus Magadha used the natural wealth of the region to build a powerful kingdom.
Question 13. Locate the 16 Mahajanapadas and their capitals in the following India outline map.
Answer:

Question 14. Solve the puzzle with new terms you have learned in this lesson. Take the support of your teacher.
Down ↓
1. The mahajanapada located on the extreme eastern side
2. This is the capital city of Avanti
3. Farmers used this metal to make plough shares.
4. The Mahajanapada located on the banks of river Godavari
5. The slaves employed at Gahapatis
6. Kusinara is the capital of this kingdom
7. The capital city of Surasena Cross
Cross →
1. The powerful kingdom of Mahajanapadas
2. another name for Varanasi
3. Kaushambi is the capital of this Mahajanapada
4. Mahabharata tells us about the battle among the kings of this mahajanapada
5. 1 /6th of farm produce collected as tax from farmers
6. These condemned caste systems and the use of yagnas
7. Vajji has this type of government.
Answer:

Project Work Collect the information about 16 Mahajanapadas, and the state, in which they were located.
Prepare a table as given below. Refer to India Political map given.
Answer:
S.No. Mahajanapada Capital Modern Location / State
1. Anga Champa West Bengal
2. Magadha Girivraja/Rajagriha Gaya & Patna / Bihar
3. Kasi Banaras/Varanasi Uttar Pradesh
4. Vatsa Kausambi Around Allahabad / UP
5. Kosala Shravasti Modern Avadh region / Eastern UP
6. Surasena Mathura Western UP region
7. Kuru Indraprastha Meerut & South-eastern Haryana
8. Matsya Viratnagar Around Jaipur
9. Chedi Shotimati Bundelkhand region
10. Avanti Ujjain/Mahismati Around Malwa MP
11. Gandhara Taxila Rawalpindi/Pakistan
12. Kambhoja Pooncha Kashmir & Hindukush
13. Asmaka Pratisthan / Pothan Telangana & Maharashtra
14. Vajji Vaishali Bihar
15. Malla Kusihara Deoria & UP
16. Panchala Ahichhatra/Kampliya Western UP

Let’s Do (Textbook Page No. 75)

Question 1. Look at the physical map of India and identify the plains through which the rivers Ganga and
Yamuna flow

Answer:
Question 2. Identify the modern cities of India like Delhi, Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow and Patna.

Answer:

Question 3. Do you think this area will be similar to your villages? Give your reasons.
Answer: I don’t think that our villages are similar to that of Delhi, Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, and
Patna. They are well developed from the time of Mahajanapadas itself. Because of high fertility lands and
transportation facilities these areas developed from that time. Now they became big cities and Delhi being
our national capital. So, we can’t compare our villages to the cities mentioned above.
(Textbook Page No. 77)
Question 4. The important Janapadas of those times are shown on the map.
Look at the map and fill in the blanks.
1. The …………. Janapada was settled on both the banks of the Yamuna.
2. The Panchala was settled on both the banks of the river …………..
3. The …………. Janapada was situated on the western side of the Surasena.
4. The …………. Janapada was on the extreme north.
5. The …………. Janapada was situated on the banks of the river Godavari.
6. The Gandhara was situated on the banks of the river …………..
Answer: 1) Kuru 2) Ganga 3) Matsya 4) Kambhoja 5) Asmaka 6) Kubha (Kabul)
Think and Respond (Textbook Page No. 75)

Question 1. Find out the names of a few Jana’s (tribes) who initially settled down in the Indo – Gangetic
plain,
Answer: 1. Magadha dynasty 2. Imperial Kanauj 3. Mughal Empire 4. Maratha Empire are some of the
janapadas who initially settled down in the Indo – Gangetic plains.

Question 2. What do you mean by Janapada? How is it different from Mahajanapadas?

Answer: People of different tribes settled down to practice agriculture in many parts of the valley. These
tribes were called Jana and the place they settled was called Janapada. Many groups of such villages and
towns are called Mahajanapadas.

Question 3. How is paddy grown today? (Textbook Page No. 78)

Answer:
1. Land is to be prepared and levelled.
2. Planting on time to be done.
3. Fertilization to be done.
4. Field is to be watered.
5. Pests is to be controlled.
6. Harvest on time.
7. Storing safely.
8. Milling efficiently.

Question 4. Describe the relationship between Grihapatis and Craftsmen of the village. (Textbook Page No. 79)
Answer: In most villages, there Were craft persons like blacksmiths who made tools necessary for
agriculture (like ploughshares, sickles, axes, arrows, etc), potters who made pots for cooking and storing
grains, carpenters who made carts, ploughs, furniture etc., and weavers who wove cloth for the villagers.
Probably the Grihapatis gave them grains in return for their products. These craft products were necessary
for agriculture, but the Grihapatis may not have had the time or skill to make them. (Textbook Page No. 80)

Question 5. The people of the towns would have needed grain, milk, meat etc. How do you think they
got them if most townspeople were not doing any farming?
Answer: Even though the townspeople were riot doing, any farming they get milk and meat by
purchasing them from nearby villages and shops situated in the town.

Question 6. Have you ever seen a fort on TV or have you ever been there? Why were there big walls
around the fort?
Answer: I have seen Red fort. I had been to Delhi and I have seen the Red Fort there. There are big walls
around the fort. To protect the enemy kings by not entering them into the fort big walls were constructed
around the fort.

Question 7. What were they made of? How do you think the kings managed to get the wealth needed for
all this?
Answer: The Red fort got its name from the stone used to construct it. The entire fort is made up of red
sandstone. Maybe it was constructed with the tax amount collected and conquering other kingdoms.

Question 8. Why did the king of Mahajanapadas need armies?

Answer: The kings of Mahajanapadas were afraid of attacks from other kings and enemies. They needed
protection. So, the king of Mahajanapadas needed armies. (Textbook Page No. 81)

Question 9. In which form the hunter-gatherers paid taxes to their kings?

Answer: Hunters and gatherers paid taxes to the Raja from what they got from the forest like hides,
woods, and honey etc.

Question 10. If everyone was forced to give away a part of their earnings as tax, how did it affect their
lives?
Answer: If everyone was forced to give away a part of their earnings, they will lose the earning for that part
which was given as tax.

Question 11.Why do you think they agreed to pay the taxes? Do you think they benefited in any way from
the new arrangements?
Answer:They will get encouragement, and support from the king – besides protection.

Question 12. What is bhaga? Does the government of our times take the produce of farmers in, a similar
way?
Answer: The Grihapatis had to divide their crops into six parts and one part of them is to be given to king
as tax. This was called bhaga. The government of our times does not collect produce from the farmers. The
government collects tax from the farmers as per the quantity sold. (Textbook Page No. 82)

Question 13. Why were the kings of Mahajanapadas keen to increase craft production and trade?
Answer: The kings of Mahajanapadas were keen to increase craft production and trade because they
would get more taxes. The wealth of the kingdom will increase.
1. How did the headmen of the villages benefit from the imposition of taxes by the kings?
Answer: The kings of Mahajanapadas wanted the village headmen to collect the taxes on their
behalf. This might have helped the headmen to increase their power in the villages.
(Textbook Page No. 83)

Question 14. Write a couple of lines on each of the natural resources of Magadha and how it could have
been used by the kings.
Answer:
1. Magadha kingdom was spread on both sides of the river Ganga. The river made the land fertile and
the Grihapatis could irrigate the land easily and produce was high.
2. The river was also used for transporting goods and armies.
3. Elephants were captured from the forests that spread over in the kingdom and trained for fighting in
the wars.
4. In southern parts of Magadha, there were iron ore deposits that were used for making weapons etc.

Question 15. Compare the Gana form of government in Vajji with the present-day republic. Who was not
allowed to participate in the assembly of Vajji Mahajanapada?
Answer: Vajji had Gana form of government which was nearly equal to the present-day form of
government. Gana was ruled by a group of leaders instead of a single ruler. In the present republic type of
government, we will elect local loaders and they will discuss our problems in the assemblies through
discussion and debate.
Women, slaves and wage earners are not allowed to participate in the assembly of Vajji Mahajanapadas.

Explore
Question 1. A famous religious epic tells us about many of these Janapadas. Find out about it. (Textbook
Page No. 77)
Answer: The Mahabharat.
Do you know
Question 1. Make a list of the Mahajanapadas and the cities which were situated on the Ganges valley.
(Textbook Page No. 76)
Answer: 1.Kasi–Banaras(Varanasi) 2.Kosala – Shravasti 3.Anga –Champa 4.Magadha –Girivraja or Rajagriha
5.Vajji or Vriji – Vaishali 6.Malla –Kushinagar 7.Vatsa –Kausambi 8.Kuru – Indraprastha/Hastinapur
9.Panchala – Ahichhatra 10.Surasena – Mathura 11.Chedi – Shotimati 12.Panchala – Ahichhatra.
 8.KINDOMS AND EMPHIRES

Question 1. After the war of Kalinga, King Ashoka decided not to fight any more wars. Do you think this
type of decision promotes world peace? How?
Answer: This type of decision definitely promotes world peace. Ashoka said that winning people through
dhamma is much better than conquering them through force. He believed that victory of dhamma was the
best victory. Ashoka sent his missions of peace to the countries outside of the Maurya Empire and both
inside and outside India. It showed an impact on Southern states. To achieve independence Gandhiji also
followed non-violence. He brought all the nation together. India won independence. So, I think this type of
decision promotes world peace.

Question 2. Explain the relevance of Ashoka Damma today? Appreciate the greatness of Ashoka.
Answer: The main principles of Damma include:
1. Be kind towards animals. We should be kind to animals all the time.
2. Be obedient to father and mother. We should be grateful and obedient to our parents.
3. Be kind towards the poor. Poor need the support of others to come out of their problems all the
time.
4. Respect the elders. May be of Ashoka’s time or today elders are to be respected.
5. Never criticize other religions. We should be tolerant of other religions.
6. Work for the welfare of mankind. We should work for all the men by not being selfish. So, we can
say that the principles of dhamma have relevance even today or in the future also.

Question 3. Compare and contrast the public works undertaken during Ashoka’s period with those of
today.
Answer: Ashoka founded hospitals for people and animals and supplying medicines. Good roads with
trees on both sides were provided. People draw water from the wells dug by the government. Travelers
were provided with rest houses.
Even today the government is providing some of these facilities to us. But we have to pay some amount for
these facilities. In widening the roads, they are cutting the big trees. Because of this, the heat will increase
and it will become difficult in day time particularly in summer.

Question 4. Ashoka used his army to serve the people instead of war. What are relief operations do the
present Indian army participate in other than war today?
Answer: Relief operations attended by Army:
1. Non – combat operations in support of national interest.
2. Whenever unrest prevails they will go there and re-establish peace there.
3. They will go to flood-hit areas and serve the people.

Question 5 What is the contribution of the Guptas in the fields of literature, art, and architecture?
Answer: The Gupta period was famous for great books and development in literature, art, architecture,
Kailas was a great poet and play writer during this period. His masterpiece was the Shakuntala.
Sophisticated gold coins were minted during the Gupta period. The Gupta period was famous for
marvellous rock-cut caves. Some of the paintings and sculptures of Ajanta and Ellora Caves are the finest
examples of that period.

Question 6. Why do we call the Gupta period as a golden age in Indian History?
Answer: The Gupta period became known as the golden age;> because there are inventions in science,
technology, literature, mathematics and astronomy. There were nine great scholars in the court of
Chandragupta – II. They were called ‘Navaratnas’. Aryabhata and Brahmagupta were the two great
mathematicians of that time. Char aka and Sushruta were the two great persons in medicine. Without any
lab, the scientists of the Gupta period understood that the earth is round and it revolves around the Sun.
They noticed the movements of stars and planets. The scientists of the Gupta period were also experts in
metal technology. They made steel and iron weapons and tools. They minted sophisticated gold coins also.
So, we can say that the Gupta period is the golden age in Indian history.

Question 7. How did Guptas contribute to the fields of medicine and metal technology?
Answer: Medicine: Charaka and Sushruta were the two great persons in medical knowledge during the
Gupta period. Sushruta was the first Indian doctor who carried out plastic surgery on the damaged noses.
Doctors of the Gupta period could set broken bones and perform operations. Charaka composed ‘Charaka
Samhita’. This was the basic text for Ayurvedic medicine. He was a renowned physician of that period.
Metal technology: The scientists of the Gupta period were experts in metal technology. They made steel
and iron tools and weapons. They minted gold coins.

Question 8. What was the contribution of the Pallavas to architecture?

Answer: Mahendravarman-I was a great patron of art and architecture. He introduced a new style of
Dravidian architecture which was known as the Mahendra style. Narasimhavarman-I converted the port of
Mahabalipuram into a beautiful city of art and architecture. Five rathas were built in Mahabalipuram. Each
ratha has been carved out of a single rock. Narasimhavarman-II was another Pallava king and during his
period temples were built by using soft sand rocks. It was known as the Rajasimha style. The famous Kailas
Nath temple at Kanchipuram is the best Example of Rajasimha style.

Question 9. Locate the following places on the outline map of India.

1.Pataliputra 2.Ujjaini 3.The river Narmada 4.Kanchi 5.Mahabalipuram 6.Dhanyakataka
Answer:

Question 10. Who am I?

a) I am in the lion capital of Ashoka. I am at the centre of our national flag. Who am I?
Answer: Ashoka Chakra.
b) I belong to Gupta Dynasty. I defeated all the kings in India. Who am I?
Answer: Samudragupta.
c) I am the Capital of Satavahana Empire. I am located on the banks of the river Krishna. Who am I?
Answer: Dhanyakataka.
d) I completed the rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram. I am the son of Mahendravarman-I. Who am I?
Answer: Narasimhavarman -I.
Project Work Collect the pictures of some rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram and paste them
in your scrapbook.
Answer: Student Activity.
Let’s Do (Textbook Page No. 89)
 Question 1. Identify the kingdom of Kalinga in the present map of India with the help of your teacher.

Answer:
Question 2. What is the present name of Kalinga?
Answer: Odisha state. (Textbook Page No. 90)

Question 3. Prepare a timeline chart of the Mauryan Dynasty.

Answer:

Question 4. Discuss the character of emperor Ashoka in the classroom.

Answer:
1. Ashoka the Great was the third king of the Mauryan Dynasty.
2. Ashoka was the most famous and unique Mauryan ruler.
3. Ashoka was the only king in the world history who gave up the conquest even after winning the war.
4. He converted to Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War.
5. He was the first ruler who tried to spread his message through inscriptions to the people.
6. He started to follow a religious policy of his own and formulated various policies of Dhamma.
7. Ashoka’s ‘Ashoka Chakra’ was adopted as the ‘Symbol of Independent India’.

Question 5. Write any four important cities of the Gupta empire as shown in the map. (Textbook Page No. 92)
Answer: Ujjain, Pataliputra, Sanchi and Bharukaccha.

Question 6. Collect the pictures of the coins of the Maurya’s and the Satavahana empires. Paste them in
your scrapbook. (Textbook Page No. 94)
Answer: Student Activity.

Question 7. Collect the pictures of the local temple and write a note on its architecture. (Textbook Page No. 97)
Answer: Student Activity.

Think and Respond (Textbook Page No. 88)

Question 1. Do you think Chandragupta could have established the Mauryan empire without Chanakya?
Answer: I don’t think that Chandragupta alone can establish the Mauryan empire. The brilliance of
Chanakya and the efficiency of Chandragupta as a warrior led to the establishment of the Mauryan empire. I
think that without each other, neither Chanakya could have completed his dream nor Chandragupta would
have been able to establish his rule.
Question 2. Why did Ashoka want to win Kalinga?
Answer: Kalinga was an important kingdom because it controlled the trade routes with Southeast Asia.
Because of this, Ashoka, the Mauryan king wanted to capture it. So, he declared a war on Kalinga.

Question 3. Why was Ashoka not happy after the Kalinga war?
Answer: In the Kalinga war both sides suffered heavy losses. More than one lakh people died in the war.
The Kalinga war resulted in the great loss of life and property. Ashoka was so horrified where he saw the
violence and bloodshed. This war was the most important event of Ashoka’s life. His heart was moved to
see the misery of men. He decided not to fight any more wars, He realized that there is a need to be some
other way to achieve or conquer. He started a new path which was known as Dhamma. He was the only
king in the history of the world who gave up conquest after winning a war.
(Textbook Page No. 90)

Question 4. Ashoka’s Inscriptions were understood by illiterates also. How do you think it was possible?
Answer: Ashoka appointed special officers to read his inscriptions to the illiterates.

Question 5. In what way do the messages of the government reach the people today?
Answer: Today there are many newspapers and television channels. It is very easy to spread the message
of the government to people today.
(Textbook Page No. 91)

Question 6. Discuss the importance of our National Symbols in the classroom.

Answer: The national symbol commands high respect and is used only for official purposes and events of
national importance. It appears on all government official letterheads, Indian currency, and passports. It is
the official seal of the state governments and the President of India also.

Question 7. Do you think there was a relationship between trade and transport? If so justify your answer.
Answer: There is a close relationship between trade and transport. Transportation helps in easy exchange
of raw materials and finished goods. Transport is important because it enables trade between people, which
is essential for the development of civilizations. Transport plays an important part in the economic growth
of a particular place.

Question 8. Do you think Samudra Gupta was a great conqueror? Support your answer. (Textbook Page No. 93)
Answer: After Chandragupta’s death, his son Samudragupta took over and expanded the Gupta empire in
north India. He was a great conqueror and remained undefeated. Nine important kingdoms of North India
were made part of the Samudragupta’s empire. 12 rulers of Dakshinapadha surrendered after defeat. Other
neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, and SriLanka accepted his authority. With all these, I can say that
Samudragupta was a great conqueror.

Question 9. Shall we say Gauthamiputhra Satakarni the greatest ruler of the Satavahanas? If so, why?
(Textbook Page No. 95)
Answer: Yes. we can say that Gauthamiputhra Satakarni was the greatest ruler of the Satavahanas. He
defeated sakas. He defeated Yawanas and Pallavas and conquered their kingdoms. He conquered the land
between the three seas. He got the title of ‘Trisamudradheeswara.’

Question 10. Ikshvakas were able to bring all other clans together. Do you agree or disagree? If so, what
were the ways they were used? (Textbook Page No. 96)
Answer: I agree with the above statement. Ikshvakas tried to strengthen their kingdom by marrying
people from the other clans. So that they will all get united and they will become strong and they will get
support from other clans.
 9.GOVERNMENT

Question 1. Write the differences between Parliamentary and Presidential democracy.

Answer: In the Parliamentary system, the executive body is formed from the legislature. The executive
body is responsible to the legislature. (Ex: India & Britain).
In the Presidential system, the executive body is not formed from the legislature. The executive body is not
responsible to the legislature. (Ex: America & Brazil)

Question 2. What is a government? What are the different types of governments?

Answer: A Group of people that controls and makes decisions for a country or a state is called the
government. Monarchy and democracy are the different types of government.

Question 3. Write any four activities organized by the government in our times.
Answer: The government ensures food, shelter for the citizens.
1. Government helps the people during cyclones and floods.
2. Government has the duty of protecting the boundaries.
3. Government builds schools, hospitals, and roads.
4. Government implements various schemes for the welfare of the people.

Question 4. Is it possible to include the opinions of all the participants in taking a decision? Discuss with
some more examples.
Answer: No. It is not possible to include the opinions of all the participants in taking a decision. Only one
decision can be implemented in a concept. If there are 20 members in a meeting and one proposal is
supported by 11 members and 9 members oppose it. Even 9 members opposed the proposal, it will be
implemented because the majority of the members supported the proposal. But some amendments can be
done to the proposal.

Question 5. How would your school function if it was run by all the students and teachers together?
Would you want everyone to participate in taking decisions? or would you like to elect representatives?
Give reasons?
Answer: If a school is run by all the students and teachers so many good decisions can be taken for the
prosperity of the school. Teachers can express the problems faced by the students and students can also
express their problems.
This will lead to a friendly atmosphere in the school. Because a school is a small unit both ways can be
implemented. Teachers’ and students’ interactions will help the students in the future also. They can express
their views freely in the future also. Nowadays in so many job interviews and group discussions are
followed. There are opinions are to be expressed. If we follow this method from the school level it will be
beneficial for the students.

Question 6.Do you think the decision-making in your school is democratic? Does everyone have a say in it?
Answer: The decision-making in our school is democratic. We discuss the issues with our class leader and
they can be discussed with our class teacher later and a solution can be found.

Question 7. Satwik’s father consulted all the members of his family on setting up a shop but everyone had
a different opinion. Finally, he decided to set up the shop. Do you think he was democratic?
Answer: In my opinion, Satwik’s father was democratic. Because
1. he consulted all the members and asked their opinion in setting the shop.
2. I think the majority of the family members supported the idea of setting up a shop.
So, Satwik’s father might have decided to set up the shop.

Question 8. Padma’s mother asked all children where they would like to go on Sunday. Two children
wanted to go and watch a film and three wanted to go to the park. If you were in Padma’s place what
decision would you take? Give reasons.
Answer: If I am Padma’s mother I will take them to the park on that Sunday because three of them are
interested to go to the park. I will convince them that I will take them to the cinema another Sunday.

Question 9. The place of origin of democracy is …………….

a) China b) India, c) Greece d) Rome
Answer: c) Greece

Question 10. Who has the right to make decisions in direct democracy?
a) Men b) Women c) Representative d) All eligible voters
Answer: d) All eligible voters

Question 11. In India, all the people above …………….. years of age enjoy Universal Adult Franchise.
a) 18 years b) 21 years c) 20 years d) 19 years
Answer: a) 18 years

Question 12. Every state and union territory in India has a Capital city. This is the headquarters of the state
government. Point put the following state capitals which are the headquarters of the state governments
concerned in the next page given India Map.
1. Maharashtra 2. Tamilnadu 3. Andhra Pradesh 4. Karnataka 5. West Bengal 6. Telangana
7. Ladakh 8. Punjab 9. Kerala 10. Arunachal Pradesh 11. Madhya Pradesh 12. Jharkhand
13. Chhattisgarh 14. Uttarakhand 15. Gujarat 16. Odisha

Answer:

Project Work 1. Collect some logos and information about different welfare schemes of our government.
Answer: 1.AMMA VODI:

The Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Andhra Pradesh has announced a

flagship programme “AMMA VODI” as a part of “NAVARATNALU” for providing financial assistance to each
mother or recognized guardian in the absence of the mother, who is below the poverty line household,
irrespective of caste, creed, religion, and region.
 2.HOUSING SCHEME FOR POOR PEOPLE:

Under the program, the government intends to provide house-sites to 26.6 lakh
people below the poverty line. Later, houses will be constructed.

3.JAGANNANA VASATHI DEEVANA:

The scheme is aimed at providing financial assistance to nearly 14

lakh students across the state and to ensure that students from lower-income households get
financial assistance for their education “while Jagannana Vasathi Deevana will take care of hostel
and mess charges.”

4.Dr. YSR AAROGYASRI:

The state government has introduced one of the most successful health plans
– Dr. YSR Aarogyasri. It mainly caters to the medical needs of families that are not financially well
equipped.

5.JALA YAGNAM:

This project accords the highest priority for the development of irrigation
infrastructure, particularly in backward and drought-prone areas by taking up this program in a big
way. Jala Yagnam includes a number of irrigation projects by the construction of reservoirs and lifts
irrigation systems for lifting water from major rivers, particularly from the Godavari, to provide
immediate irrigation benefits.

2. Collect the pictures of the President of India, Prime Minister, Governor and Chief Minister, your local M.P
(Lok Sabha), and M.L.A from newspapers and prepare a scrapbook.
Answer: Student Activity.

Let’s Do Question 1.Look at the newspaper headlines below and list the different activities of the
government. (Textbook Page No. 101)
Answer:
1. Educational facilities like online classes to students.
2. Government has a plan to tackle floods soon.
3. Government fixes the price of onions. Onions will be put into the market and see that there will be
no shortage.
4. AP government has conducted maximum Coronavirus tests.
5. Modern facilities will be provided in the hospitals to serve the poor.
6. Accelerating the impact of digital learning in India.

Question 2. With the help of your teacher, try to know the above Logos and pictures of government
schemes (Refer Text page 102 for the figure). Fill the following Mind map. (Textbook Page No. 102)

Answer:

Question 3. Observe the following pictures. Write the name of the government in respective boxes.
(Textbook Page No. 103)

Answer:

Question 4. Conduct a model election with the help of your teacher. Observe the process of the election.
(Textbook Page No. 105)
Answer: Students: Good morning teacher.
Teacher: Good morning my dear children. Today let us conduct a model election in the class. You all select a
student among you as your class leader.
Students: OK teacher.
Teacher: Two of you can contest for the class leader post. Take a piece of paper of the same size.
Students: OK teacher.
Teacher: OK. Now write the name of the student whom you want to be the class leader on the piece of
paper you have taken. Fold the paper and put that paper in the box kept in the corner of the room.
Teacher: Now open the box and count who got more votes. According to the majority who get more votes
will be declared as the class leader. Like this in a democracy election will be held. A candidate who gets
more votes will be declared elected.

Question 5. Ask your parents and, find out the problems they observed in the electoral system and
prepare a report. Discuss it in your class and find solutions for these problems. (Textbook Page No. 105)
Answer:
1. Majority System: Present majority system leads to many problems. Sometimes a candidate who gets
25% of the votes also gets elected.
o Instead of this, a candidate should get more than 50% votes.
2. Money Power: Nowadays elections are a costly affair. Votes are being as a market good through
buying and selling.
o A candidate should spend the amount told by the election commission. If it increases the candidate
should be punished and suspended from the election.
3. Muscle Power: Muscle power and domination are another major setback.
o Election Commission should take measures to control this problem by giving more security at
polling booths.
4. Caste and Religion: These two play a major role in elections.
o They should be given less importance.

Think and Respond (Textbook Page No. 100)

Question 1. How is the legislature is different from the executive?

Answer: The legislature: Legislature is the law and policy-making body either in the Parliament or State
assembly.
The Executive: Executive is responsible for the effective implementation of the laws/ policies passed in the
legislature.

Question 2. What is the prime duty of the judiciary?

Answer: Interpreting the laws is the prime duty of the judiciary. (Textbook Page No. 102)

Question 3. Name some more works of the government.

Answer: Amma Vodi, YSR Asara, Ban on Alcohol, Jalayagnam, Fee Reimbursement, Arogyasri, YSR Rythu
Bharosa, Pedalandariki illu and Pensionla Pempu are some other welfare schemes of Andhra Pradesh.

Question 4. What kind of facilities do you expect from the government?

Answer: Important facilities we expect from the government are sanitation, public transport, health care,
and water, etc. (Textbook Page No. 103)

Question 5. What kind of government do you like? Why?

Answer: I like the democratic type of government. Because we can express our ideas freely without any
hesitation and fear. If they are better, sometimes they can be followed also.

Question 6. Which government respects the opinion of the people?

Answer: The democratic type of government respects the opinion of the people. (Textbook Page No. 104)

Question 7. What are the differences between monarchy and democracy?

Answer:
Monarchy Democracy
1) Ruling will be done by a king or queen. 1) Ruling will be done by the representatives elected by the people.
2) A monarch comes into power by inheritance. 2) Power can’t be inherited.
3) Powers will be with King only. 3) People have rights.
Question 8. Is it possible to implement direct democracy in India? Give reasons.
Answer: It is not possible to implement direct democracy in India. In India, it may be difficult because of
the huge population and vast area.

Question 9. How is direct democracy different from indirect democracy?

Answer: In direct democracy people directly participate in decision-making. It is possible in small
countries. In an indirect democracy, people participate in decision-making indirectly through their
representatives. It is best to follow indirect democracy in large countries like India. (Textbook Page No. 105)

Question 10. How do you understand the rule of majority? Give another example.
Answer: If the majority of the representatives do not support it, a good proposal may also be objected to.
The shop setting of Satwik’s father may not be profitable. But the majority of the family members agreed to
set the shop. So Satwik’s father decided to set the shop following the idea of the majority of family
members.

Question 11. Why do we have a government at different levels?

Answer: Different levels of the government make it easy to distribute power among them. Administration
can be easily managed with different levels of the government.

Explore
Question 1. With the help of your teacher, try to know if any monarchies are there in the world at
present? (Textbook Page No. 102)
Answer: There are monarchies in some countries in the world at present. Some of them are:
1. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2. The United Arab Emirates
3. The Sultanate of Oman.

Question 2. Observe the world map given below and list out the countries that are following the
parliamentary system and the presidential system separately. (With the help of your teacher). Refer to the
world map given at the end of the book. (Textbook Page No. 106)

Answer: Parliamentary System

 India (Asia)
 Montenegro (Europe)
 Pakistan (Asia)
Presidential System
  Nigeria (Africa)
 Philippines (Asia)
 Paraguay (South America)
Parliamentary System
 Singapore (Asia)
 Somalia (Africa)
 Slovenia (Europe)
 Serbia (Europe)
 Slovakia (Europe)
 Turkey (Asia & Europe)
 Trinidad and Tobago (South America)
Presidential System
 Peru (South America)
 USA (North America)
 Uruguay (South America)
 Uzbekistan (Asia)
 Uganda (Africa)
 Ukraine (Europe)
 Tanzania (Africa)

Question 3. With the help of your teacher try to know who is part of the central government and state
government. (Textbook Page No. 107)
Answer:
 Central Government: President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Council of Central ministers, and Members
of Parliament.
 State Government: Governor, Chief Minister, Council of State ministers, and members of Legislative
Assemblies.
 10.LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT
Improve Your Learning

Question 1. What are the differences between Grama Sabha and Grama Panchayat?

Answer: Grama Sabha: - It consists of all voters in a Panchayat. This is the symbol of direct democracy.
It reviews the functioning of the Gram Panchayat.
Grama Panchayat: - It consists of Sarpanch and Ward members in a Panchayat. It executes government
schemes, collect taxes.

Question 2. Suppose you are a representative in your local government body, what issues would you
raise?
Answer: If I am a representative in our locality or village, I shall keep in view the following issues.
1. Schools, hospitals, sanitation, and library facilities.
2. Cleaning and lighting of streets.
3. Supply of drinking water.
4. Supply of electricity.
5. Garbage collection and disposal.
6. Making and maintenance of gardens and parks.
7. Eradication of malaria, dengue and taking care in preventing the outbreak of diseases.
8. I can raise the above issues in Grama Sabha in making the Gram Panchayat work responsibly.

Question 3. Do you think common people are able to participate in the process of decision-making in your
panchayat or municipality? Give some examples to illustrate your answer.
Answer: I think common people are not able to participate in the process of decision-making in Panchayat
or Municipality.
1. The people may not be informed about the meeting. It will result in less attendance in Panchayat or
Municipality meetings.
2. Even people attend the meeting a few people only can express their opinions. Such situations occur
because people find themselves in fear.

Question 4. Do you think panchayats should rise more tax from the village to carry out development works
or depend upon government funds?
Answer: Panchayats should get government funds to carry out the development of Panchayat. Panchayat
receives 95% of its revenue either from State or Central Governments. Only 5% of the revenue is from taxes.
Though they increase Taxes the amount received may not increase abnormally. So, it is better to get more
funds from the government besides rising the tax from the village nominally

Question 5. What challenges do the Sarpanch face in carrying out their work?
Answer: In carrying works sometimes the Sarpanch has to face some challenges. Because he is known to
all people in the village he may not express some issues freely. In the collection of house tax, he may not
demand to pay the tax. If any encroachment is noticed he may not ask them effectively. If sufficient funds
are not provided he cannot implement development activities. He cannot ask the government also to
release funds to meet – all the requirements of the Panchayat.

Question 6. What are the public amenities provided by a Municipality but not a Panchayat?
Answer: Amenities provided by Municipality: Roads, drainage and garbage disposal running schools,
ration shops, hospitals, etc., besides taking up new developmental works. Of these amenities running
schools, ration shops, and hospitals are provided by a municipality only.

Question 7. Geetika says that her street tap gives water only for half an hour and several people queue up
to fill their buckets. What would you advise her to do to solve this problem?
Answer: I will ask Geetika to take an individual tap connection so that she will get water for more time and
she can get more water. For this individual connection, she has to pay tax and this will be useful for the
municipality also. She can save time by not standing in the queue and can help the neighbours also.
She can write a letter to the municipal/panchayat officers to provide another tap in that area. She can
consult that ward councillor or ward member and explain the problem to them. With the help of them,
another tap can be provided there and it can ‘reduce the problem of Geetika and many others also.

Question 8. Frame a few questions to ask the local Corporator/Councillor to know the details of work
done by the Municipality?
Answer:
1. What are the works sanctioned for our area?
2. What is the progress of that works?
3. Is there any problem arising?
4. What are the measures taking to kill mosquitoes which are causing diseases like dengue, malaria,
chikungunya, etc?
5. What are the steps following to improve drainage and garbage disposal which do not allow the
mosquitoes to grow?
Question 9. Locate the following municipalities and municipal corporations in Andhra Pradesh.

1. Visakhapatnam
2. Vijayawada
3. Bheemunipatnam
4. Kadapa
5. Anantapuram
6. Tirupati
Answer:

Project Work
1.Visit your nearby Grama Sachivalayam/Ward Sachivalayam and interview the functionaries of
Sachivalayam and make a report.
Answer:
Model Interview of one of the functionaries in Grama Sachivalayam: (Model was given.)
1. I will ask the name of the functionary.
2. His / Her designation.
3. Enquire about the superiors.
4. Duties he has to perform.
5. Problems he identified in his ward.
6. No of the problems he solved in his ward.
 7. How his superiors helped in solving the problems.
8. Whether he is satisfied with the job or not.
I will tell him the story of Ashoka. Ashoka asked his officers to explain the inscriptions to the illiterate
people. Like the officers, the volunteers also have to deliver government services at the doorsteps.

2.Make posters on different public amenities which are provided by Local self-Governments.
Answer
Let’s Do
Question 1. Prepare a poster on public amenities in your locality as a group activity. (Textbook Page
No. 111)
Answer:

Question 2. If you live in a village, visit your grama sabha and make a report. (Textbook Page No. 112)
Answer:
In April I had been to my grandparent’s house. My grandfather told me that he is going to attend the
Grama Sabha meeting. He told me that on April 14th and October 3rd the Grama Sabha meetings will be
held every year. There I observed all the villagers gathered and the Sarpanch of the Grama Sabha convened
the meeting. They discussed the problems in that Panchayat and solutions for the same. The Sarpanch
explained about various welfare programs that the government is implementing. He asked all the villagers
whether all the amenities are coming to them or not. Later he concluded the meeting.

Question 3. With the help of your teacher/parents, try to know the services provided by the Grama
Volunteers. (Textbook Page No. 115)
Answer: Services provided by the Grama Volunteers:
1. Government services are to be delivered at the doorstep of all eligible households irrespective of
Caste/ Religion/Creed/Gender/Political affiliation.
2. If any person in the ward request any service volunteer should transfer the data to the village
secretariat.
3. The services/schemes of the government should be explained in detail and also have to assist them
to apply which is under him/her.
4. The grama volunteer should attend the meeting held in the grama secretariat and have to maintain
the record of the issues and requests which he collected to the authority.
5. The volunteer should guide the people under him regarding security, education, health, and
employment.
6. The volunteer should resolve the issues such as roads, street lights, drains, and drinking water.

Question 4. How many Nagara Panchayats, Municipalities, and Municipal Corporations are there in your
district? (Textbook Page No. 117)
Answer: Our district is Kakinada District. Nagara Panchayats-1, Municipalities-3, and Municipal
Corporations-1

Question 5. Visit nearby Municipal council / Municipal corporation and observe the functions. And make a
poster or storyboard as Individual activity. (Textbook Page No. 118)
Answer:

Question 6. Fill the following table with the help of your teacher. (Textbook Page No. 118)

Answer:
Designation Elected by Direct/Indirect Election
Ward Member Villagers Direct
Sarpanch Villagers Direct
Upa-sarpanch Ward members Indirect
MPTC Voters of mandal Direct
ZPTC Voters of the district Direct
Mandal Parishad President Members of Mandal Parishad Indirect
Zilla Parishat Chairman Members of Zilla Parishad Indirect
Municipal Chairman Councilors of Municipal Council Indirect
Mayor Corporators of Municipal Corporation Indirect
Think and Respond
Question 1. Name the public amenities which are provided in your locality. (Textbook Page No. 111)
Answer: The public amenities which were provided in my locality are:
1. Drinking water.
2. Best drainage system.
3. Street lights.
4. Library.
5. Park.
6. Benches on one side of the road.
Question 2.Write the similarities and differences between Grama Sabha and Grama Panchayat. (Textbook
Page No. 112)
Answer:
Similarities:
Grama Sabha Grama Panchayat
1) Grama Sabha works for the welfare of the
Grama Panchayat works for the welfare of the people.
village.
2) Grama Sabha will be presided by the Grama Panchayat will also be presided by the
President/Sarpanch of the village. President/Sarpanch of the village.
Differences:
Grama Sabha Grama Panchayat
 Gram Panchayat is the executive body of the village
1) It consists of all the adults of the village.
consisting of the Sarpanch and the Panchs
2) It is a permanent body of the village. It is elected for a term of 5 years.
3) The area covered by a Gram Sabha is an entire Gram Panchayat is divided into wards, where
village or sometimes a few villages. Sarpanch and Panch make it.
Question 3. Give some reasons, why additions or deletions to the voters list become necessary? (Textbook
Page No. 113)
Answer: If a person attains the age of 18 his name is to be included in the voter’s list. Similarly, if any
person dies whose name is in the voter’s list, his name is to be deleted. With all these types of additions and
deletions, a new voters list is to be prepared. So, additions or deletions are necessary to the voter’s list.
(Textbook Page No. 115)

Question 4. Who are your MPTC and ZPTC?

Answer: MPTC Name :
ZPTC Name :

Question 5. How many mandals are there in your district?

Answer: Mandals are 21 in Kakinada District .
Question 6.List out the public amenities provided by the local body in your area. (Textbook Page No. 116)
Answer: Public amenities in our area:
1. Water supply.
2. Drainage system.
3. Sanitation.
4. Street lights.
5. Recording births and deaths.
6. Necessary action to be taken to check contagious diseases.
7. Building libraries, schools, gardens, and parks.
8. Keeping the city clean.
Question 7. How is grama panchayat differ from the municipality in its functioning? (Textbook Page No. 118)
Answer:
Panchayat Municipality
A municipality is an urban local government
1) Panchayat is a rural local government body.
body.
2) Panchayat is responsible for the local The municipality is responsible to provide civic
administration of a village-like maintaining roads and amenities like roads and drainage to the urban
the village pond. population.
 11.INDIAN CULTURE, LANGUAGES AND RELIGION

Question 1. Name the holy book of the Muslims?

Answer: The Quran is the holy book of Muslims.

Question 2. What is the eightfold path?

Answer: According to Buddha, the final goal is attaining Nirvana. It could be achieved by following
the Eightfold Path. These eight aspects are to be practiced to attain Nirvana. The eightfold path is also
known as Ashtanga Marga.

Question 3. Write two slogans to encourage religious unity.

Answer: “We may have different religions, different languages, different coloured skin, but we all
belong to one human race – Kofi Annan “ Where there is Unity, there is Victory”.

Question 4. What is the main philosophy of Christianity?

Answer: Philosophy of Christianity are:
1. We are the children of God.
2. Lead a pure life without committing sins.
3. Love your neighbour as yourself.
4. When slapped on one cheek, show the other.
5. Service to mankind is service to God.

Question 5. What are the main teachings of Islam?

Answer: Teachings of Islam are:
1. All human beings are His creation.
2. All human beings are equal before God.
3. God has no shape and therefore it is wrong to worship idols.
4. Every Muslim should become a servant of God and be honest.

Question 6. What is Arya Sathyas?

Answer: The teachings of Gautama Buddha are called four noble truths or Arya Sathyas They are:
1. The world is full of suffering.
2. Suffering is caused by human desires.
3. The renunciation of desires is the path of salvation.
4. Salvation can be attained easily by following the Eightfold Path.

Question 7. “Unity in Diversity is the dominant cultural trait of India.” – Do you agree or not? Comment.
Answer: I agree with the statement “Unity in Diversity is the dominant cultural trait of India.” Indians
respect the great saints and philosophers who were born in all parts of the country like Mahavira, Buddha,
Nanak, Kabir, etc.
Indians celebrate their festivals like Holi, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Good Friday, Mahavir Jayanti, Buddha
Jayanti, etc. very peacefully without disturbing other religious people. We find people of different cultures
and different religions moving together, ft is the dominant cultural trait of India.

Question 8. There are many problems that affect the Indian National Integration at present.
What are the reasons for this? How could these be addressed?
Answer: Problems that are affecting the National integration are :
1. Casteism: Caste is a significant part of our social framework of Indian society and the difference
based on casteism affects National Integration.
2. Communalism: Religious hostility has professed severe challenges to National Integration in India.
3. Linguistic violence: Multi linguism is one of the primary characteristic in India due to which many
residents faced violence.
 4. Social and Economic inequalities
5. Regional disparities
6. Extremism
All the parts of India have to develop equally in all fields. Oneness feeling is to be created and developed in
all the people of India. Then this problem can be solved.

Question 9. Locate the given places on the outline map of India.

1.River Indus, 2. Tamilnadu, 3. Andhra Pradesh, 4. Bihar, 5. Bhattiprolu, 6. River Krishna, 7. River Ganga, 8.
River Yamuna, 8. Vindhya ranges, 9. Uttar Pradesh.

Answer:

Question 10. Prepare a picture of religious unity.

Answer:
Question 11. Prepare four slogans to promote religious unity.
Answer:
1. No one can win alone, but Unity can.
2. Unity is for you and you for Unity.
3. Let’s run for Unity, let’s run for India.
4. We can change the world through Unity.

Question 12. Fill the following blank boxes with the suitable words given below.
I. Religion: Hindu Religion, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism
II. God/Messenger: Siddhartha, Jesus Christ, Mahavira, Prophet Muhammad, Lord Krishna, Guru Nanak
III. Holy Book: Tripitaka, Bible, Bhagawad Gita, Quran, Guru Grandh Sahib, Angas
IV. Worshipping place: Mosque, Temple, Gurudwara, Church, Monastery, Jain
Answer:

Project Work

Question 1. Celebrate Sankranti, Ramzan, and Christmas in your school.

Answer: Student Activity.

Question 2. Read the holy books of all religions, know about the biography, teaching and theme of the
religious gurus.
Answer: Hinduism: Hinduism is based on the principles of Universal truth.
According to Hinduism – God can be realized in many paths. Hinduism says that God exists in all living and
Non-living things.
 Service to man is service to God.
 The whole world is one family.
 Let all people be happy.
Pursuit of moksha through penance.
Jainism: Jainism is an ancient religion that is rooted in the philosophy that teaches the way to liberation and
a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined non-violence to all living creatures.
Tenets of Jainism:
 Belief in God.
 It did not condemn the varna system but attempted to mitigate the evils of the Varna order.
Quran: Holy book of Muslims. Muslims believe that Quran was verbally revealed by Allah to Muhammed
through the angel Gabriel.
In Quran God warns human beings to find a proper way to reach happiness and perfection.
Teachings:
 All human beings are His Creation.
 All human beings are equal before the law.
 God has no shape.
Every Muslim should become a servant of God.
Buddhism: Buddha asked his followers to avoid indulgence in worldly pleasure and practice strict
abstinence and asceticism. According to Buddha, everyone was responsible for their own happiness in life.
The main teachings of Buddhism are encapsulated in the basic concept of Four noble truths.
Christianity: Jesus Christ was the eternal word of God who assumed human form to serve humanity and to
rescue human beings. Jesus Christ suffered and died to redeem mankind from sin. Christians believe that
Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God as the final judge of the dead and the He will return again as
prophesized.

Question 3. Field visit:

Visit a nearby place of worship, and observe the activities and discuss with your class.
Answer: Student Activity.

Let’s Do
Question 1. Invite a Mend of other language and interact with him/her. (Textbook Page No. 123)
Answer: (This question is answered keeping in view the question given in the 2nd lesson)
Venu met some children from different cities at a youth festival. Venu wants to talk to them. He wants to
know about their culture.
Venu: Hello Nihal. I am Venu. I am from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.
Nihal: Hello Venu, I am from Delhi.
Venu: What is your father. My father is a bank officer.
Nihal: My father is working in railways.
Venu: What is your mother tongue? How many letters are there in your mother tongue?
Nihal: My mother tongue is Hindi. I will tell you some interesting facts. Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language.
Hindi is mainly spoken in India. Hindi is the official language of India. Hindi script is Devanagari Script. No
of the letters in Hindi is 44. But some authors say there are 52 letters. Tell me about your mother tongue
also Venu.
Venu: My mother tongue is Telugu. It is spoken mainly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu has 56
letters. Telugu has more letters in its alphabet than any other Indian language.
Nihal: Oh, great. OK. Bye Venu. My friends are calling me. We will meet again. Bye.

Question 2. Meet the heads of different religions. Collect the theme and practices of the particular religion.
Discuss in the classroom. (Textbook Page No. 126)
Answer: Hinduism: According to Hinduism the proper goals or main aims of human life is Dharma, Artha,
Kama, Moksha.
Islam: Belief in Allah, belief in the prophets, belief in the last day, that there is judgment.
Christianity: The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the son of God and Messiah.
Buddhism: Buddhism encourages its people to avoid self-indulgence but also self-denial.
Jainism: The central theme of Jainism considers religion as a science of ethical practice.
Sikhism: The emphasis is on moral actions, noble living, and working for the welfare of all the people.

Think and Respond

Question 1. There are many languages in India. What is the need for a language? How did the languages
evolve? (Textbook Page No. 124)
Answer: Language is a medium of communication. With the help of language, we can communicate. Man
is the only living being on the earth who uses language. Learning became easier with the evolution of
language. In the olden days, people drawn pictures to communicate. They wrote on clothes, leaves, etc.
After that, they developed a script. Like these languages evolved.

Question 2. Try to read the inscription of Krishnadevaraya 1516. Take the help of your teacher to
understand this inscription. (Textbook Page No. 125)

Answer:
Student Activity.

Question 3. Discuss some customs and traditions of our ancestors which help to protect our health and
hygiene. (Textbook Page No. 127)
Answer:
1. Saying Namaste instead of shaking hands.
2. Washing hands before eating.
3. Taking off shoes before entering the house.
4. Maintaining regular eating habits.
 5. Practicing yoga and meditation are some of the customs and traditions our ancestors followed.
These customs and traditions of our ancestors help, us to protect our health and hygiene in these days also.
Question 4.Prepare and enact a role play on communal harmony in your school function. (Textbook Page No. 132)
Answer:
 A girl stands as God having a placard with the word Temple.
 A boy comes and prays to god and moves.
 The girl now carries the placard with the word Mosque.
 Another boy comes and performs prayer as a Muslim.
 The girl now carries the placard with the word Church.
 A boy comes with Bible in his hand and performs prayer.
 Now the girl carries the placard Gurudwara.
 Another boy comes and performs prayer.
 Now the girl carries the placard with the word Monastery.
 Another boy comes and prays.
 The girl now carries a placard with the word Mahavira.
 Another boy comes and Prays.
 Now all the boys come together with the placard

 They say loudly though we are of different religions we are all Indians.

Do You Know
Question 1. How was the script developed? (Textbook Page No. 124)
Answer: People wrote on clothes, leaves, barks, etc. in the olden days. The used pins to write on the dried
leaves. Initially, they drew pictures and symbols. Gradually the script developed.

Question 2. There are 26 letters in English and 56 in Telugu. How many letters are there in Tamil,
Kannada, Malayalam, and Odiya? (Textbook Page No. 125)
Answer: Tamil: 247; Kannada: 49; Malayalam: 56; Odiya: 52

Question 3. India is called a secular country. Why? (Textbook Page No. 125)
Answer: India is called a secular state because there is no discrimination of religions. The government will
not support any religion. The government cannot interfere in religious matters except if these matters can
damage the public. So, India is called a secular country.
 12.TOWARDS EQUALITY

Question 1. Observe the given sentences and write True/False in the given brackets.
Answer: i. One of the more common forms of inequality in India is the caste system. (True)
ii. Every person should not be treated with dignity. (False)
iii. Establishing equality in a democratic society is a continuous struggle. (True)

Question 2. How you will use these numbers when you or others are in trouble?

Answer: Eve teasing -1091: Whenever I find boys teasing the girls I will call 1091. Police will arrive
immediately and arrest the teasers. With this service, girls will be protected.
Children abuse – 1098: When I find any child getting abused I will call 1098 and the child will get protected.
100,112 and 181 are meant for special protection for women.

Question 3. Why does the caste system remain such a controversial issue today?
Answer: The caste system is the most dominant reason for inequality and discrimination in India. Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar fought actively for equality among the citizens of India. The government policy of reservation
has helped in enhancing the education and economic status of the Schedule caste and Schedule Tribe. “But
despite, the above efforts, still there is a long way to go as in rural areas caste-based identities are still
prevalent.

Question 4. What were the different reasons people had for not sending girls to school before freedom?
Answer: Before freedom, the status of women within the country was in a deprived state. There was male
dominance. Due to this the position of women was undermined. Child marriage was in practice at that time.
The parents might be in opinion that getting married is better than sending them to school. The girls have
to perform all the household activities. So the elder people are of the opinion that it is better than girls were
not sent to the school.

Question 5. What are the common forms of inequality that exist in India?
Answer:
1. Social inequality,
2. Political inequality,
3. Economic inequality and
4. Gender inequality are the common forms of inequality that exist in India.

Question 6. Write a short note on equality in Indian democracy.

Answer: Equality means “the state of being equal”. All the people in the society have the same status in
all respects, including civil rights, freedom of speech, property rights, and equal access to certain social
goods and social services. All are equal before Law Importance has been given to achieve equality in the
Indian Constitution. Untouchability was abolished by Law. People are free to choose the kind of work they
wish to do. Government jobs are open to all people. All people got equal importance.
Question 7. Give suggestions to remove inequality and discrimination in Indian society.
Answer: The remedial measures to be taken to remove inequality and discrimination are:
1. Quality basic services like healthcare and education are to be provided.
2. Reservations for women are to be provided.
3. Children have to know about other religions also.
4. Importance has to be given to moral values. We have a great culture.

Question 8. Differentiate between inequality and discrimination.

Answer: Inequality means differences in treatment. The different forms of inequalities are social
inequality, political inequality, and economic inequalities.
Discrimination is being negative towards other people. Discrimination can happen on the basis of colour,
class, religion, and gender.

Project Work
Question 1. Split the class into small groups, discuss with your peer group on discrimination and write a
report on it.
Answer:
 What is discrimination?
A Group: Discrimination is the demonstration of negative actions towards people.
 What can be considered discrimination?
B Group: When someone is treated unfairly or differently based on color, class, religion and gender,
it will be considered as discrimination.
 What are the kinds of discrimination, we observe?
C Group: Discrimination of Gender, disability, race, religion, region, caste are some kinds of
discrimination we usually observe.
 How this discrimination can be checked?
 By educating people and children in the school level and children educating the uneducated parents
we can resolve the discrimination to some extent.

Question 2. Collect information about any two famous personalities who faced prejudice and
discrimination.
Answer: Nelson Mandela: He brought peace to a racially divided country. He was successful in resolving
discrimination on grounds of race. He led the fight for human rights around the world.
 Though he spent 27 years in prison he did not stop the fight against discrimination.
 Sindhutai: Sindhutai was born in 1948. She faced gender discrimination in her family itself. Though
her father was keen to educate her, she was sent to school under the pretext of cattle grazing. She
was married at the age of nine. She was beaten badly and left to die by her Husband. She came back
to her mother’s house, but her mother refused to shelter her. Though she was alone, she realized
that there were so many children abandoned by their parents. She adopted and gave shelter to 1200
orphans. and won 750 awards. The President of India honoured her with Nari Shakti Puraskar. In
spite of poverty, child marriage, gender discrimination, and being abandoned by her family, yet
nothing stopped her. It shows that for a committed individual nothing is impossible.

Question 3. How can you fight against inequality and discrimination in your village?
Answer: With the help of my friends, I will arrange meetings regularly and educate the villagers.
 I will convince them that all are equal.
 I will quote the words from our books that all are equal before God.

Let’s Do
Question 1. What have you observed here? Discuss with the help of your teacher. (Textbook Page No. 141)

Answer: We observe gender discrimination, racial discrimination, and regional discrimination in the above
picture.

Question 2. Prepare a poster that illustrates discrimination. Hang your posters around the school to
encourage schoolmates to take action against discrimination. We have a preamble in our textbook. Find
where it is? Read it carefully. What you observed and understood about equality, discuss in your classroom.
(Textbook Page No. 144)
Answer:

 All are equal. All people should get equal importance.

 Our constitution provided provisions to achieve equality.
 Our preamble provided equality of status and opportunity to all the people of the country.

Think and Respond (Textbook Page No. 137)

Question 1. In what ways are the women experiencing discrimination in the present society?
Answer: Even today in some rural areas a girl is not allowed to go to college after finishing her schooling.
Most of the girls are not allowed to select a career of their choice. They are forced to choose marriage
instead of taking up a job. After marriage, she has to give up the job to raise children and to look after the
family.

Question 2. Have you ever attended any other religious place? What good things have you observed
there? What similarities did you notice?
Answer: I had been to church and mosque also. In both these places, they pray together like in temples.
On festival days they all meet together and participate in prayer together.
(Textbook Page No. 139)

Question 3. Do you support gender discrimination? Discuss in the classroom.

Answer: I don’t support gender discrimination. In school, we play together, discuss in the classrooms
together, and eat lunch together. We will compete with each other in our studies. We support them to
compete with us in all aspects. As mentioned in the pledge we move like brothers and sisters. (Textbook Page
No. 140)

Question 4. Write your opinion on this (Racial discrimination faced by Gandhi in South Africa) incident.
Answer:
The discrimination which Gandhiji faced is racial discrimination. In South Africa, only white people are
allowed to travel in first-class compartments in those days. Gandhiji also purchased a first-class ticket. Yet
he was not allowed to travel in that class. On the complaint of a white man, he was thrown out of the train.
Nowadays we don’t find this type of incident.

Question 5. What type of discrimination is it? Discuss in the classroom.

Answer: The discrimination mentioned here is racial discrimination. In the olden days there existed racial
discrimination mostly in America and South Africa. But now there is no racial discrimination. All are being
treated equally. In India also all the races people are treated equally.

Question 6. Have you ever faced any kind of discrimination? How did it make you feel?
Answer: I haven’t faced any kind of discrimination. If I face any discrimination it will make me sad.

Question 7. Have you observed any changes from past to present? How did the changes come about?
(Textbook Page No. 141)
Answer: We can observe a lot of changes in society when compared to the past.
1. Girls are coming to schools in large numbers. They are competing with the boys equally. In some
examinations we find girls dominating boys. Women are participating in games. Women are doing
jobs. .
2. We don’t find untouchability.
3. People can attend religious functions according to their wishes.
4. Government jobs are open to all. Anyone can achieve a government job. All the people are enjoying
equal status.

Question 8. The government introduced many programs like mid-day meals, Free textbooks. Free
distribution of school uniforms, shoes, etc. Discuss how these are helpful in achieving equality? (Textbook
Page No. 144)
Answer: The mid-day meals program is very much useful because all the children will meet at one place
and they have their meals in the group by having discussions. Oneness feeling will develop with these types
of programs. With other programs like free textbooks, uniforms, and shoes all the students look alike and
the feeling “all are equal”, is seen and felt. So, all these programs are helpful to achieve equality.