Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years Class 7 Worksheet History

Multiple Choice Questions

Q. 1. Who was Al-Idrisi? 
a. Cartographer
b. Choreographer 
c. Scribe 
d. None of these 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (a); Cartographer

Q. 2. Who is a cartographer? 
a. A person who makes painting 
b. A person who make maps 
c. A person who make sketch 
d. None of these 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (b); A person who make maps 

Q. 3. What do you mean by ‘archives’? 
a. Place where manuscripts were collected 
b. Place where diamonds were collected 
c. Place where maps were collected
d. None of these 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (a); Place where manuscripts were collected

Q. 4. Who used the term Hindustan in the thirteenth century? 
a. Minhaj- i- Siraj 
b. Babur 
c. Ziyauddin Barani 
d. None of these 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (a); Minhaj- i- Siraj

Q. 5. What were the new crops and beverages that arrived in Indian sub-continent in the medieval period? 
a. Corn 
b. Coffee 
c. Potato 
d. All of these 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (d); All of these

Q. 6. Name the new religion of medieval age? 
a. Hinduism 
b. Sikhism 
c. Islam 
d. Christianity 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (c); Islam

Q. 7. Why were only Brahmans dominated in the society during the medieval period? 
a. They were only class to proficient in Sanskrit language 
b. They were only class to proficient in British language
c. They were only class to proficient in Hindi language 
d. None of these 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (a); They were only class to proficient in Sanskrit language

Q. 8. The records written in praise of rulers were called 
a. Prashasti 
b. Manuscript 
c. Inscription 
d. All of these 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (a); Prashasti

Q. 9. Who divided the Indian history in three periods i .e. Hindu,Muslim and British 
a. The Indian historians 
b. The Muslims historians 
c. The Mughal historians 
d. The British historian 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (d); The British historian 

Q. 10. Who was considered a ‘foreigner’ in the past? 
a. Any stranger that is not the part of society 
b. Citizen of that village 
c. Both a and b 
d. None of these 

Ans: The correct answer is Option (a); Any stranger that is not the part of society.

One Word Answer

1) The study of past is called ___________________ 

2) When did Islam reached India ______________________ 

3) Name the holy book of Muslims _____________________ 

4) Name the two groups of Muslims ________________ and __________________ 

5) The term used for the leaders of Muslim community in Arab country. ___________________ 

6) Into how many parts the Indian history was divided by Indian Historian _________________ 

7) How have Britishers divided the Indian History? ____________________ 

8) What is the term is used for a stranger ______________________ 

9) The people who use to copy manuscript were called _____________________ 

10) An influential, wealthy individual who supports another person was known as _________________

Answers:

1) History
2) 10th Century
3) Quran
4) Shia and Sunni
5) Khalifas
6) Ancient, Medieval, Modern
7) Hindu, Muslim and British
8) Foreigner
9) Scribes
10) Patron

Short Question Answers

Q.1. How do Sunni and Shia Muslims differ?

There were the Shia Muslims who believed that the Prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali, was the legitimate leader of the Muslim community, and the Sunni Muslims who accepted the authority of the early leaders (Khalifas) of the community, and the succeeding Khalifas.

Q.2. What was the extent of Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban's empire?

Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban's empire stretched from Bengal (Gauda) in the east to Ghazni (Gajjana) in Afghanistan in the west and included all of south India (Dravida).

Q.3. Which century marked the beginning of the medieval period? Why?

The eighth century is taken as the beginning of the medieval period because society, economy, politics, religion, and culture underwent many changes during this century.

Q.4. List some of the technological changes associated with this period.

Some of the technological changes associated with this period were the Persian wheel in irrigation, the spinning wheel in weaving, and firearms in combat.

Q.5. Who were the scribes? 

Scribes were the people who copied manuscripts by hand before the invention of automatic printing.

Q.6. How are travelogues an important literary source?

Many foreign travelers visited India during the medieval period. Their writing or travelogues gives lot of information about the places they visit and the people they met. They give a detailed account about political trade, events and commerce of that place.

Q.7. How have historians divided history during the middle of the 19th century?

In the middle of the nineteenth century, British historians divided the history of India into three periods: “Hindu”, “Muslim” and “British”. This division was based on the idea that the religion of rulers was the only important historical change, and that there were no other significant developments – in the economy, society, or culture.

Q.8. Who was considered a “foreigner” in the past?

In the medieval period a “foreigner” was any stranger who appeared, say in a given village, someone who was not a part of that society or culture. A city-dweller, therefore, might have regarded a forest-dweller as a “foreigner”, but two peasants living in the same village were not foreigners to each other, even though they may have had different religious or caste backgrounds.

Q.9. Why was there a dramatic increase in the variety of textual records between 700 to 1750 CE?

During this period, paper became cheaper and widely available. This resulted in a dramatic increase in the variety of textual records between 700 to 1750 CE. People started using paper to write holy texts, chronicles of rulers, letters, and teachings of saints, petitions and judicial records, and registers of accounts and taxes.

Q.10. Why do you think that there were many literary sources from the medieval period?

The number and variety of textual records increased dramatically during this period. They slowly displaced other types of available information. Through this period paper gradually became cheaper and more widely available. People used it to write holy texts, chronicles of rulers, letters and teachings of saints, petitions and judicial records, and registers of accounts and taxes. Manuscripts were collected by wealthy people, rulers, monasteries, and temples. They were placed in libraries and archives.

Q.11. What do you know about chronicles?

A chronicle is a record of the rule of the kings and life at the court. Most kings had court chroniclers who wrote in detail about what happened during their reign. Some important chronicles of the medieval period are:
(i) Rajatarangini by Kalhana, which is a history of the king of Kashmir.
(ii) Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi by Zia-ud-din Barani, which describes the history of the Sultans of Delhi till the reign of Firoz Shah Tughluq.
(iii) Tarikh-e-Ferishta by Ferishta, which is a record of the history of the Delhi Sultans, from the time of Turks till the seventeenth century.

Q.12. What are the archaeological sources of the medieval period?

Archaeological sources of the medieval period are:
(i) Inscriptions –Writings or drawings found on stones, pillars, clay or copper tablets, and walls of caves, temples, and monuments.
(ii) Archaeological remains and Monuments - Ancient ruins, remains and monuments recovered as a result of excavation and exploration.
(iii) Coins - Ancient coins were mostly made of gold, silver, copper, or lead. Some of the coins contain religious and legendary symbols which throw light on the culture of that time. Coins also contain the figures of kings and gods.

Q.13. How were the affairs of jatis regulated?

Affairs of jatis were regulated in the following ways:

(i) As society became more differentiated, people were grouped into jatis or sub-castes and ranked on the basis of their backgrounds and their occupations.
(ii) Ranks were not fixed permanently and varied according to the power, influence, and resources controlled by members of the jati. The status of the same jati could vary from area to area.
(iii) Jatis framed their own rules and regulations to manage the conduct of their members. These regulations were enforced by an assembly of elders, described in some areas as the jati panchayat. But jatis were also required to follow the rules of their villages.
(iv) Several villages were governed by a chieftain. Together they were only one small unit of a state.

Q.14. How do historians divide the past into periods? Do they face any problems in doing so?

Historians look to economic and social factors to characterize the major elements of different moments of the past.
The problem faced by historians in dividing the past into periods
(i) These thousand years of Indian history witnessed considerable change. After all, the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries were quite different from the eighth or the eleventh. Therefore, describing the entire period as one historical unit is not without its problems.
(ii) Moreover, the “medieval” period is often contrasted with the “modern” period. “Modernity” carries with it a sense of material progress and intellectual advancement. This seems to suggest that the medieval period was lacking in any change whatsoever. But of course, we know this was not the case.
(iii) During these thousand years the societies of the subcontinent were transformed often and economies in several regions reached a level of prosperity that attracted the interest of European trading companies.

Q.15. Mention the manner in which history was divided by historians during the middle of the 19th century.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, British historians divided the history of India into three periods: “Hindu”, “Muslim” and “British”. This division was based on the idea that the religion of rulers was the only important historical change, and that there were no other significant developments – in the economy, society, or culture.