Case Based Questions: What, Where, How and When?

Case 1

People have lived along the banks of river (1) for several hundred thousand years. Some of the earliest people who lived here were skilled gatherers, - that is, people who gathered their food. These people knew about the vast wealth of plants in the surrounding forests, and collected roots, fruits and other forest produce for their food. They also hunted animals. Some of the areas where women and men first began to grow crops such as wheat and barely about 8000 years ago are located here. People also began rearing animals like sheep, goat, and cattle, and lived in villages. These were some of the other areas where agriculture developed. The places where rice was first grown are to the north of the (2).

Q1: Name the river mentioned in (1).
Ans: The Narmada River.

Q2: Name the place mentioned in (2).
Ans: The Vindhyas.

Q3: Who were the skilled gatherers?
Ans: The people who lived along the Narmada River were called skilled gatherers because they collected food to live.

Q4: What occupation did the skilled gatherers practice?
Ans: They collected fruits, roots, and other food items from the forest. They also hunted animals and began farming.

Q5: Name a few animals that people used to rear.
Ans: Some animals they started to rear were sheep, goats, and cattle.

Case 2

About 4700 years ago, some of the earliest cities flourished on the banks of these rivers. Later about 2500 years ago, cities developed on the banks of the (1) and its tributaries, and along the sea coasts. In ancient times, the area along these rivers to the south of Ganga was known as (2) now lying in the state of (3). Its rulers were very powerful, and set up a large kingdom. Kingdoms were set up in the other parts of the country as well.

Q6: Name the river mentioned in (1).
Ans: The Ganga River.

Q7: Name the place mentioned in (2).
Ans: Magadha.

Q8: Name the state mentioned in (3).
Ans: Bihar.

Q9: State true or false
(i) The rulers of Magadha were very powerful but did not have large kingdoms.
Ans: False
(ii) Kingdoms were only set up in Magadha.
Ans: False

Q10: What are tributaries?
Ans: Tributaries are small rivers that flow into a bigger river.

Case 3

Two of the words we often use for our country are (1) and (2). The word India comes from the --- called Sindhu in Sanskrit. The Iranians and the Greeks who came through the northwest about 2500 years ago and were familiar with the Indus called it the Hindos or the Indos, and the land to the east of the river was called (3). the Name Bharata was used for a group of people who lived in the (4) , and who are mentioned in Rigveda.

Q11: What are the words often used for our country?
Ans: India and Bharat.

Q12: The word India comes from which river?
Ans: The Indus River.

Q13: Give a brief about how Greeks and Iranians came through the northwest and got familiar with Indus.
Ans: About 2500 years ago, the Greeks and Iranians came through the northwest. They called the Indus River "Hindos" or "Indos," and the land to the east was called India.

Q14: Land to the east of the Indus River was called (3).
Ans: India.

Q15: Bharata was used for a group of people who lived in which part?
Ans: In the northwest.

Case 4

There are several ways of finding out about the past. One is to search for and read books that were written long ago. These are called (1), because they were written by hand . These were usually written on palm leaf, or on the specially prepared bark of a tree known as the birch, which grows in the (2).These books dealt with all kinds of subjects: religious beliefs and practices, the lives of kings, medicine and science.

Q16: What were the books written long ago called?
Ans: Manuscripts.

Q17: Give a brief description of manuscripts and where they were written.
Ans: Manuscripts were handwritten books, usually written on palm leaves or the bark of a birch tree.

Q18: The specially prepared bark of a tree known as birch grows in ______.
Ans: The Himalayas.

Q19: Manuscripts dealt with what kinds of subjects?
Ans: Manuscripts covered topics like religious beliefs, the lives of kings, medicine, and science.

Case 5:

There were many other things that were made and used in the past. Those who study these objects are called (1). They study the remains of buildings made of stone and brick, paintings and sculpture. They also explore and excavate to find tools, weapons, pots, pans, ornaments and coins. Some of these objects may be made of stone, others of bone, baked clay or metal. Objects that are made of hard, imperishable substances usually survive for a long time.Historians, that is, scholars who study the past, often use the word source to refer to the information found from manuscripts, inscriptions and archaeology.Archaeologists also look for bones - of animals, birds, and fish - to find out what people ate in the past.

Q20: People who study objects made in the past are known as?
Ans: Archaeologists.

Q21: What do archaeologists do?
Ans: They study old buildings, paintings, sculptures, and items like tools, weapons, and coins.

Q22: What kind of objects survive for a longer period of time?
Ans: Objects made from hard materials like stone or metal last longer.

Q23: Why do historians use the word "source"?
Ans: Historians use the word "source" to refer to the information they find from old books, inscriptions, and archaeology.

Q24: Why do archaeologists look for bones?
Ans: They study bones to find out what people ate in the past.

Case 6

In ancient times, the area along these rivers to the south of the Ganga was known as (1) now lying in the state of Bihar. Its rulers were very powerful, and set up a large kingdom.Throughout, people travelled from one part of the subcontinent to another. The hills and high mountains including the Himalayas, deserts, rivers and seas made journeys dangerous at times, but never impossible. So, men and women moved in search of livelihood, as also to escape from natural disasters like floods or droughts.Sometimes men marched in armies, conquering others' lands.

Q25: The area along these rivers to the south of the Ganga was known as?
Ans: Magadha.

Q26: Magadha now lies in which state?
Ans: Bihar.

Q27: Why did people travel from one part of the subcontinent to another?
Ans: People moved to find work or to escape from disasters like floods or droughts.

Q28: What things made journeys difficult at times?
Ans: High mountains, deserts, rivers, and seas made travel dangerous sometimes.

Q29: Why did men march in armies from one place to another?
Ans: They marched to conquer other lands.