Class 6 History Chapter 6 Practice Question Answers - New Questions and Ideas

Q1: Define Tirthankara.
Ans: A seeker of truth in Jain religion.

Q2: Why was Shankaracharya famous?
Ans: For Upanishadic thoughts.

Q3: Why Mahavira is called Jina?
Ans: For conquering pleasure and pain.

Q4: The Zoroastrians who migrated to India are presently known as ________.
Ans: Parsis.

Q5: What does Vinaya Pitaka say about the Buddhist sangha?
Ans: According to Vinaya Pitaka, there were separate branches for men and women. All men could join the sangha. But children had to get permission from their parents and slaves from their masters. Those who worked for the king had to take his permission and debtors that of creditors. Women had to get permission from their husbands.

Q6: Why Jainism spread among the common people.
Ans: Labourers, slaves and merchants joined the Sangha. Other groups of people like the barahmins, kshjastriyas and courteseans also joined it. This is one of the reasons for the spread of Jainism among the common people.

Q7: Write a short note on Shankaracharya.
Ans: Shankaracharya, with his remarkable reinterpretations of Hindu scriptures such as Upanishads or Vedanta, had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism. He was born in 788 AD in a village named Kaladi on the banks of the river Purna in Kerala.

Q8: Who was Gargi?
Ans: Gargi was one amongst few learned women, who had contributed in the creation of Upanishads. She was the daughter of sage Vachaknu and her inclination towards academics was very conspicuous from an early age. She has composed several hymns, questioning the origin of all existence.

Q9: What is thirst or tanha?
Ans: Buddha taught that life is full of sufferings and unhappiness because we have unlimited cravings and desires. Buddha described this as thirst or tanha.

Q10: What happened when Siddhartha saw the four sights on an excursion outside the palace?
Ans: After seeing the four sights, Siddhartha decided to search for answers to the mystery of life and death and find a solution to the suffering of mankind.

Q11: What was the difference between Buddha and Mahavira?
Ans: Buddha gave the society a new religion in the form of Buddhism. Jainism however existed before Mahavira. Mahavira reformed the practice of Jainism and made it simpler.

Q12: What is the meaning of Upanishad?
Ans: The literal meaning of Upanishad is 'approaching and sitting near' and the texts contain conversation between teachers and students. Mostly the ideas were presented through simple dialogues.

Q13: What were the things gifted by the people to the Buddhist monks?
Ans: The people gave gifts of food, clothing and medicines to the monks and nuns. In return, the monks taught the people.

Q14: How were the other thinkers trying to understand the world during the Buddha period?
Ans: Around the time that Buddha was preaching, other thinkers also tried to find answers to difficult questions. They tried to understand life after death. Others wanted to know the purpose of sacrifices.

Q15: Who were the Upanishadic thinkers?
Ans: The Upanishadic thinkers were men especially Brahmins and rajas. Occasionally, there is a mention of women thinkers such as Gargi, who was famous for her learning and participated in the debates in the royal courts. Poor people rarely took part in these discussions.

Q16: Who where bhikkhus and the bhikkhunis?
Ans: These were the members of the Buddhist sangha. They meditated for most of the time and went to villages and cities for begging food. They taught others and helped one another.

Q17: What were the teachings of Buddha?
Ans:

• Buddha taught that life is full of sufferings and unhappiness caused by our cravings and desires which often cannot be fulfilled.
• He asked to follow moderation in everything and to remove constant craving or thirst (tanha)
• He taught people to be kind and respect the lives of others, including animals.
• He believed that the results of our actions (karma) affect us both in this life and the next.

Q18: Why did the Buddha leave his home? Explain briefly.
Ans:

• When Buddha was a young man, he left his house leaving his luxurious life in search of knowledge.
• He wandered for several years meeting and holding discussions with other thinkers.
• Finally, he decided to find his own path to realisation, and meditated for days on end under a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where he attained enlightenment. It was only after attaining that knowledge that he was known as the Buddha or the Wise One.
• He gave his first sermon at Sarnath, near Varanasi.
• For the rest of his life he travelled on foot went from place to place and taught people.

Q19: Who were Jainas and how did they lead their life?
Ans: The followers of Mahavira were known as Jainas.
The teachings of Jainism were:

• They had to lead very simple lives, begging for food.
• They had to be honest and should not steal. They had to observe celibacy.
• Men had to give up everything, including their clothes.
• Despite these strict rules and regulations, many followed the teachings of Mahavira.

Q20: Explain the system of the ashramas and who were expected to follow the ashramas?
Ans: The word ashram was used for a stage of life. Brahmin, kshatriya and vaishya men were expected to follow the system of ashrams.

• They were to lead simple lives and study the Vedas during the early years of their life (brahmacharya).
• After they had to marry and live as householders (grihastha).
• After that they had to live in the forest and meditate (vanaprastha).
• Finally, they had to give up everything and become samnyasis (sannyasa).

The system of ashramas allowed men to spend some part of their lives in meditation. Generally, women were not allowed to study the Vedas, and they had to follow the ashramas chosen by their husbands.