Class 6 Social Studies Notes Chapter 1 (What; Where How and When?) – History - Our Past Book

Alright class, let's dive straight into Chapter 1: 'What, Where, How and When?' from your Class 6 History book. This chapter lays the foundation for understanding how we study the past, which is crucial not just for your exams but also for understanding our present. Pay close attention, as these details often form the basis for questions in competitive exams.

Chapter 1: What, Where, How and When? - Detailed Notes for Exam Preparation

1. Why Study the Past?

• The past helps us understand our present. Many aspects of our current lives (food, clothes, language, society) have roots in the past.
• It tells us about the lives of our ancestors: their struggles, achievements, ways of life, and the societies they built.
• Studying history allows us to learn from past successes and failures.
• It helps us understand the evolution of human societies, cultures, technologies, and ideas.

2. What Can We Know About the Past?

We can learn about various aspects of past lives:

• Daily Life: What people ate (food gathering, hunting, farming), the kinds of clothes they wore.
• Housing: The types of houses they lived in (caves, huts, brick houses).
• Occupations: The lives of hunters, herders, farmers, rulers, merchants, priests, craftspersons, artists, musicians, scientists.
• Culture & Recreation: The games children played, the stories they heard, the plays they saw, the songs they sang.

3. Where Did People Live? (Key Geographical Locations & Significance)

• Banks of the River Narmada:
  • People lived here for several hundred thousand years.
  • They were skilled gatherers (collected roots, fruits, forest produce) and hunters. This region is in Central India.
• Sulaiman and Kirthar Hills (North-West):
  • Among the earliest areas (around 8000 years ago) where people began to grow crops like wheat and barley.
  • People also began rearing animals like sheep, goat, and cattle.
  • These people lived in villages.
• Garo Hills (North-East) and Vindhyas (Central India):
  • Other areas where agriculture developed.
  • Evidence suggests rice was first grown to the north of the Vindhyas.
• Banks of the River Indus and its Tributaries:
  • About 4700 years ago, some of the earliest cities flourished here (e.g., Harappa, Mohenjo-daro - though these names are from later chapters, the concept of early cities near Indus is introduced here).
  • Tributaries are smaller rivers that flow into a larger river.
• Banks of the River Ganga and its Tributary, the Son:
  • About 2500 years ago, cities developed along the Ganga and its tributaries, and along the sea coasts.
  • The area south of the Ganga was known as Magadha (now in Bihar). Its rulers were very powerful and set up a large kingdom.

4. Movement of People:

People travelled across the subcontinent for various reasons:

• In search of livelihood.
• To escape natural disasters like floods or droughts.
• Merchants travelled with caravans or ships, carrying valuable goods (trade).
• Rulers marched with armies to conquer other lands.
• Religious teachers walked from place to place, offering instruction and advice.
• Some travelled driven by a spirit of adventure, wanting to discover new places.
• Significance: This movement led to the sharing of ideas, skills, and cultural practices between different groups of people, enriching cultures. Natural frontiers like hills, mountains (Himalayas), deserts, rivers, and seas made travel difficult but not impossible.

5. Names of the Land:

• India:
  • Derived from the river Indus, called Sindhu in Sanskrit.
  • Iranians and Greeks, who came through the northwest about 2500 years ago, were familiar with the Indus. They called it the Hindos or the Indos.
  • The land to the east of the river Indus came to be called India.
• Bharat:
  • The name Bharata was used for a group of people who lived in the north-west.
  • They are mentioned in the Rigveda, the earliest composition in Sanskrit (dated to about 3500 years ago).
  • Later, this name came to be used for the entire country.

6. Finding Out About the Past: Sources

Historians and archaeologists use various sources to study the past:

• (a) Manuscripts:
  • Definition: Books written by hand long ago.
  • Materials: Usually written on palm leaf or the specially prepared bark of the birch tree (found in the Himalayas).
  • Content: Dealt with religious beliefs and practices, lives of kings, medicine, science, epics, poems, plays.
  • Languages: Written in Sanskrit, Prakrit (languages used by ordinary people), and Tamil.
  • Challenges: Many were eaten away by insects, some were destroyed, but many have survived, often preserved in temples and monasteries.
• (b) Inscriptions:
  • Definition: Writings engraved on relatively hard surfaces such as stone or metal.
  • Content: Often contain orders issued by kings for people to see and obey, records of victories in battle, donations made by kings and queens, or deeds of men and women (including kings and commoners).
  • Advantages: They tend to last longer than manuscripts.
  • Example: Ashokan inscriptions (though Ashoka is detailed later, the concept is relevant).
  • Languages & Scripts: Could be in various languages and scripts (e.g., Prakrit in Brahmi script, Greek, Aramaic in the northwest). Script refers to the letters or signs used, while language is what is spoken.
• (c) Archaeology:
  • Definition: The study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of physical remains.
  • Archaeologists: People who study these objects.
  • What they study: Remains of buildings (made of stone, brick), paintings, sculpture. They also explore and excavate (dig under the surface) to find tools, weapons, pots, pans, ornaments, and coins.
  • Analysis: They study objects made of stone, bone, baked clay (terracotta), and metal. They also look for bones of animals, birds, and fish to understand what people ate. Plant remains survive more rarely.
  • Coins: Provide information about rulers, dates, economy, and trade.

7. One Past or Many?

• The chapter title uses "Our Pasts" (plural in the book title) to highlight that the past was different for different groups of people.
• The lives of kings and queens were different from those of farmers or craftspersons.
• Lives of herders/farmers were different from merchants.
• Even today, lives differ based on region (e.g., Andaman Islands vs. cities).
• History is not just about great rulers and battles; it's also about the lives of ordinary people, which are often harder to reconstruct due to less direct evidence.

8. What Do Dates Mean?

• Dates are generally assigned based on the birth year of Jesus Christ, considered year 1.
• BC (Before Christ): Refers to years before year 1. These years are counted backwards (e.g., 200 BC is earlier than 100 BC). Now often written as BCE (Before Common Era).
• AD (Anno Domini): Latin words meaning 'In the year of the Lord (Christ)'. Refers to years after year 1. These years are counted forwards (e.g., AD 100 is earlier than AD 200). Now often written as CE (Common Era). 'Common Era' is used to be more secular.
• c. or circa: Means 'approximately' when the exact date is not known.
• BP: Means 'Before Present'. Sometimes used, especially for very old dates in prehistory.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Here are 10 MCQs based on Chapter 1 for your practice:

1. People who gathered their food along the banks of the Narmada river lived there:
   a) About 4700 years ago
   b) About 2500 years ago
   c) For several hundred thousand years
   d) About 8000 years ago

2. In which of the following areas did people first begin to grow crops like wheat and barley around 8000 years ago?
   a) Garo Hills
   b) Vindhyas
   c) Sulaiman and Kirthar Hills
   d) Banks of the Ganga

3. The kingdom of Magadha, known for its powerful rulers, was located:
   a) In the north-west of the subcontinent
   b) To the north of the Vindhyas
   c) Along the banks of the Indus
   d) In the area south of the Ganga river

4. Handwritten documents from the past, often written on palm leaf or birch bark, are known as:
   a) Inscriptions
   b) Manuscripts
   c) Excavations
   d) Archives

5. Writings engraved on hard surfaces like stone or metal are called:
   a) Manuscripts
   b) Scrolls
   c) Inscriptions
   d) Fossils

6. The study of objects like tools, weapons, pots, buildings, and coins from the past is known as:
   a) History
   b) Cartography
   c) Archaeology
   d) Calligraphy

7. The name 'India' is derived from which river, known as 'Sindhu' in Sanskrit?
   a) Ganga
   b) Narmada
   c) Indus
   d) Brahmaputra

8. The Rigveda, the earliest composition in Sanskrit mentioning the 'Bharata' group, is dated to about:
   a) 4700 years ago
   b) 2500 years ago
   c) 8000 years ago
   d) 3500 years ago

9. The abbreviation 'BCE' used in dating historical events stands for:
   a) Before Christian Era
   b) Before Common Era
   c) Before Contemporary Era
   d) Before Century Era

10. Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a reason for people travelling in the past?
    a) Search for livelihood
    b) Religious teaching
    c) Attending modern schools
    d) Trade and commerce

Answer Key for MCQs:

1. c
2. c
3. d
4. b
5. c
6. c
7. c
8. d
9. b
10. c

Make sure you revise these points thoroughly. Understanding these basics will make subsequent chapters much easier. Keep track of the locations on a map and try to visualize the sources historians use. Good luck with your preparation!