Unit Test(Solutions): India, That Is Bharat | Social Studies for Class 6 PDF Download

Time: 1 hour
M.M: 30
Attempt all questions.

• Question numbers 1 to 5 carry 1 mark each.
• Question numbers 6 to 8 carry 2 marks each.
• Question numbers 9 to 11 carry 3 marks each.
• Question numbers 12 & 13 carry 5 marks each.

Q1: Which ancient text first mentions the name 'Bharata'? (1 Mark) 
Ans: The Rig Veda

Q2: Which ancient poem mentions geography from Cape Kumari to the great mountain? (1 Mark) 
Ans: A Tamil poem from about 2,000 years ago.

Q3: What natural boundaries of the Indian Subcontinent ? (1 Mark) 
Ans: The Himalayas in the north, the Indian Ocean in the south, the Arabian Sea in the west, and the Bay of Bengal in the east.

Q4: Which foreign language derived the term 'Indoi' from 'Sindhu'? (1 Mark) 
Ans: Greek.

Q5: In which century did the Persian emperor launch a military campaign that led to the region being called 'Hind'? (1 Mark) 
Ans: 6th century BCE.

Q6: Explain the significance of the name 'Jambudvīpa' in ancient Indian texts. (2 Marks) 
Ans: 'Jambudvīpa' means 'the island of the fruit of the jamun tree' and was used in ancient texts like the Mahābhārata to describe the entire Indian Subcontinent. It was also used by Emperor Aśhoka around 250 BCE to refer to a region including modern India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan.

Q7: How did the name 'Bhārata' evolve to be used for the entire Indian Subcontinent? (2 Marks) 
Ans: The name 'Bhārata' first appears in the Ṛig Veda, referring to a Vedic group of people. Later, in texts like the Mahābhārata and Viṣhṇu Purāṇa, it was used as ‘Bhāratavarṣha’, meaning “the country of the Bharatas,” to describe the entire Indian Subcontinent, including its rivers and peoples. Over time, this name came to represent the whole region and is still used today as 'Bharat' or 'Bharatam'.

Q8: What does the phrase 'India, that is Bharat' in the Indian Constitution signify? (2 Marks) 
Ans: It signifies the dual identity of the nation, recognizing both 'India' (derived from foreign names) and 'Bharat' (an ancient Indian name) as official names, reflecting the country's historical and cultural heritage.

Q9: Describe how the ancient Chinese named India and what 'Tianzhu' indicates about their perception. (3 Marks) 
Ans: The ancient Chinese called India ‘Yintu’ or ‘Yindu’, which came from the word ‘Sindhu’ through the sequence: Sindhu → Hindhu → Indu → Yindu. Another name they used was ‘Tianzhu’, which means “heavenly master.” This shows that the Chinese respected India as a holy land, especially because it was associated with the Buddha and Buddhism.

Q10: Who was Xuanzang, and what were his contributions during his visit to India in the 7th century CE? (3 Marks) 
Ans: Xuanzang (formerly spelt Hiuen Tsang, Hsuan Tsang, etc.) travelled from China to India in the 7th century CE. He visited many parts of India, met scholars, collected Buddhist texts, and returned to China after 17 years. There, he translated the manuscripts he took back with him from Sanskrit into Chinese. Several other Chinese scholars visited India over the centuries.

Q11: Name some regions mentioned in the Mahābhārata and identify their approximate locations in modern India. (3 Marks) 
Ans: The Mahābhārata is one of India’s most famous texts (we read about it in the theme ‘Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions’). Interestingly, it lists many regions, such as Kāshmīra (more or less today’s Kashmir), Kurukṣhetra (parts of Haryana today), Vanga (parts of Bengal), Prāgjyotiṣha (roughly today’s Assam), Kaccha (today’s Kutch), Kerala (more or less today’s Kerala), and so on. 

Q12: Discuss the motivations that might have driven people to travel to India from various parts of the world in ancient times. (5 Marks) 

Ans: People traveled to India in ancient times for several reasons:

1. Seeking knowledge: Scholars like Xuanzang from China visited India to study and collect Buddhist texts and learn from Indian teachers.
2. Trade: India was rich in resources, spices, and luxury goods, which attracted traders from different regions.
3. Religious pilgrimage: Sacred sites of Buddhism, Hinduism, and other religions drew pilgrims from faraway lands.
4. Conquest: Some travelers came as part of invasions or for expanding their kingdoms, such as Persian and Greek rulers.
5. Cultural exchange: People were interested in India’s ancient traditions, literature, art, and sciences, leading to exchanges of ideas and knowledge

Q13: Compare the naming of India by its inhabitants with that by foreigners, providing at least three examples for each. (5 Marks) 
Ans: 

By Inhabitants:

1. ‘Sapta Sindhava’ (Ṛig Veda) – referred to the northwest region of seven rivers, derived from the Indus River (Sindhu).
2. ‘Bhāratavarṣha’ (Mahābhārata) – used for the entire Subcontinent, meaning “country of the Bharatas.”
3. ‘Jambudvīpa’ (Mahābhārata) – described India as “the island of the jamun tree.”
4. Over time, the name ‘Bhārata’ became widely used, as in the Viṣhṇu Purāṇa, and is still used today as Bharat or Bharatam.

By Foreigners:

1. ‘Hind’ / ‘Hindu’ (Persians, 6th century BCE) – derived from Sindhu, used as a geographical term for the Indus region.
2. ‘Indoi’ / ‘Indike’ (Greeks) – adapted from the Persian term, dropping the ‘h’ as it did not exist in Greek.
3. ‘Yintu’ / ‘Yindu’ and ‘Tianzhu’ (Chinese) – derived from Sindhu; ‘Tianzhu’ means “heavenly master,” showing respect for India as the land of the Buddha.
4. Later terms like ‘Hindustān’ (Persian inscriptions, ~1,800 years ago) and European names such as ‘India’ (English) and ‘Inde’ (French) were also used.