Class 7 History Social Science Chapter 1 : Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years Ncert Solution

 The solutions for Chapter 1, Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years are given below. 

Question 1. Who was considered a ‘foreigner’ in the past?

Answer:  The term ‘foreigner’ is used in the sense of a person who is not an Indian. In the medieval period it was applied to any stranger who appeared, say in a given village, someone who was not a part of that society or culture. In this sense a forest-dweller was a foreigner for a city-dweller. 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.

2. State whether true or false:

(a) We do not find inscriptions for the period after 700.

(b) The Marathas asserted their political importance during this period.

(c) Forest-dwellers were sometimes pushed out of their lands with the spread of agricultural settlements.

(d) Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban controlled Assam, Manipur and Kashmir.

Answer:

(a) False

(b) True

(c) True

(d) False

3. Fill in the blanks:

1. Archives are places where _________ are kept.
2. _____________ was a fourteenth-century chronicler.
3. _______, _______, _______, ________ and ________ were some of the new crops introduced into the subcontinent during this period.

Answer:

(a) manuscripts .

(b) Ziyauddin Barani .

(c) Potatoes, corn, chillies, tea and coffee.

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

Answer:
Some of the technological changes associated with this period are:

1. Persian wheel in irrigation.
2. Spinning wheel.
3. Fire-arms in combat.

Question 5. What were some of the major religious developments during this period?

Answer:  Some of the major significant religious developments occurred in Hinduism. The worship of new deities, the construction of temples by royalty and growing importance of Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society were the new changes. Brahmanas’ importance grew due to their knowledge of Sanskrit language. They were patronized by the Emperors. The idea of bhakti emerged among people. The merchants and migrants brought with them the teachings of Quran, the holy book of Muslims.

6. In what ways has the meaning of the term “Hindustan” changed over the centuries?

Answer: The meaning of the term ‘Hindustan’ has eventually changed over the past centuries. Today, the term ‘Hindustan’ is referred to denote India. But during the 13th century, the term was used by Minhaj-i-Siraj – a chronicler (in a political sense) of lands that belonged to the Delhi Sultan. During the 14th century, the term ‘Hind’ was used by Amir Khusrau to refer to the culture and people of the Indus river. Whereas, during the early 16th century, Babar used the term ‘Hindustan’ to describe the culture, geography and fauna of the inhabitants of the sub-continent.

7. How were the affairs of Jatis regulated?

Answer: During this period, several social and economic differences emerged among the people, which led to the introduction of Jatis or sub-castes, where people were ranked on the basis of their occupations and backgrounds. The affairs of jatis were regulated by an assembly of elders known as the jati panchayat in some areas. The jatis were required to follow the rules of their villages, which were governed by a chieftain.

8. What does the term pan-regional empire mean?

Answer: A pan-regional empire is referred to an empire which is expanded over several regions of diverse cultures, geography and religion. For example, the dynasties of the Mughals, Cholas, Khaljis and the Tughluqs.

Question 9. What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts?

Answer:

Historians faced a lot of difficulties while using manuscripts because:

1. There was no printing press in the 13th and 14th centuries. Scribes in those days made manuscripts by hand.
2. To copy was not an easy exercise. Scribes could not read the handwriting of the other writers.
3. They were forced to guess. So there were small but significant differences in the copy of the scribed.
4. These small words or sentences here and there grew over centuries of copying.
5. The manuscripts of the same text became a great extent different from the original.