The Class 6 History Chapter 2 Questions And Answers is available here.  This chapter is all important and must be read carefully before starting your preparation.

Class 6 History Chapter 2 Questions And Answers

Brief Notes about the Chapter

Hunter-gatherers moved from place to place. There are many reasons for this.

1. First, if they had stayed at one place for a long time, they would have eaten up all the available plant and animal resources. Therefore, they would have had to go elsewhere in search of food.
2. Second, animals move from place to place — either in search of smaller prey, or, in the case of deer and wild cattle, in search of grass and leaves. That is why those who hunted them had to follow their movements.
3. Third, plants and trees bear fruit in different seasons. So, people may have moved from season to season in search of different kinds of plants.
4. Fourth, people, plants and animals need water to survive. Water is found in lakes, streams and rivers. While many rivers and lakes are perennial (with water throughout the year) others are seasonal. People living on their banks would have had to go in search of water during the dry seasons (winter and summer).

What are sites?

All the places from which archaeologists have found evidence of hunter-gatherers are called as sites. Many sites were located near sources of water, such as rivers and lakes. In other words, Sites are places where the remains of things (tools, pots, buildings etc.) were found. These were made, used and left behind by people. These may be found on the surface of the earth, buried under the earth, or sometimes even under water.

What is Palaeolithic age?

The word “Palaeolithic” comes from two Greek words, ‘palaeo’, meaning old, and ‘lithos’, meaning stone. The name points to the importance of finds of stone tools. The Palaeolithic period extends from 2 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago. This long stretch of time is divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. This long span of time covers 99% of human history.

What is Mesolithic age?

The period when we find environmental changes, beginning about 12,000 years ago till about 10,000 years ago is called the Mesolithic (middle stone). Stone tools found during this period are generally tiny, and are called microliths. Microliths were probably stuck on to handles of bone or wood to make tools such as saws and sickles. At the same time, older varieties of tools continued to be in use.

What is Neolithic age?

The next stage, from about 10,000 years ago, is known as the Neolithic.

The first animal to be tamed was the wild ancestor of the dog. Later, people encouraged animals that were relatively gentle to come near the camps where they lived. These animals such as sheep, goat, cattle and also the pig lived in herds, and most of them ate grass. Often, people protected these animals from attacks by other wild animals. This is how they became herders.

Pit-houses:

Archaeologists have found traces of huts or houses at some sites. For instance, in Burzahom (in present-day Kashmir) people built pit-houses, which were dug into the ground, with steps leading into them. These may have provided shelter in cold weather. Archaeologists have also found cooking hearths both inside and outside the huts, which suggests that, depending on the weather, people could cook food either indoors or outdoors.

Mehrgarh site:

This site is located in a fertile plain, near the Bolan Pass, which is one of the most important routes into Iran. Mehrgarh was probably one of the places where people learnt to grow barley and wheat, and rear sheep and goats for the first time in this area. It is one of the earliest villages that we know about. At this site many animal bones were found. Bones of wild animals such as the deer and pig, and also bones of sheep and goat were found.

Other finds at Mehrgarh include remains of square or rectangular houses. Each house had four or more compartments, some of which may have been used for storage.

When people die, their relatives and friends generally pay respect to them. People look after them, perhaps in the belief that there is some form of life after death. Burial is one such arrangement. Several burial sites have been found at Mehrgarh. In one instance, the dead person was buried with goats, which were probably meant to serve as food in the next world.

Complete the sentences:

(a) Hunter-gatherers chose to live in caves and rock shelters because — they wanted to protect themselves from wild animals and bad weather.

(b) Grasslands developed around 12,000 years ago.

(c) Early people painted on the walls of caves.

(d) In Hunsgi, tools were made of limestone.

Find out the states where Bhimbetka, Hunsgi, and Kumool are located.

Answer:

Bhimbetka — Madhya Pradesh

Hunsgi — Karnataka

Kumool — Andhra Pradesh

Why did the hunter-gatherers travel from place to place? In what ways are these similar to/different from the reasons for which we travel today?

Answer: Hunter-gatherers travelled from place to place for four basic reasons which are as follows:

1. If they stayed at one place for a long time, they would have eaten up all the available plant and animal resources. Therefore, they went to another place for more food.
2. Animals move from place to place. Humans followed them as they hunted them.
3. Plants and trees bear fruit in different seasons. So when season changed, people moved to another place.
4. In search of water, people travelled from place to place. Water is necessary for survival.

What tools would you use today for cutting fruit? What would they be made of?

Answer: Today, for cutting fruit, we would use modem tools like knives, which are made of iron or steel.

List three ways in which hunter-gatherers used fire. Would you use fire for any of these purposes today?                                                                              ,

Answer:

(a)

Hunter-gatherers used fire as a source of light.

They used fire to cook meat or food.

They used fire to scare away animals also.

Fire keeps him or her warm.

(b) Yes, fire is used as a source to cook food including meat. We also use it to keep us warm. Some people use it for religious purposes and bum their dead bodies.

Categories: History