NCERT Book Solutions Class 7 History Our Pasts – II Chapter 1
When historians read documents, maps, and texts from the past, they have to be sensitive to the different historical backgrounds–the contexts– in which information about the past was produced. The context in which information is produced changes with time. Chapter 1 of CBSE Class 7 History helps students trace the changes through a thousand years. NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 1 “Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years” contains solutions to the exercises given in the “Our Pasts-II”. NCERT Solutions of the exercises provided at the end of the chapter will be useful for school exams, as they are sourced from the NCERT textbooks.
1. Who was considered a “foreigner” in the past?
A. In the past a foreigner was a stranger or who was not a part of society or culture. For example, a city-dweller, therefore, might have regarded a forest-dweller as a foreigner.
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:
(a) Archives are places where ——————— are kept.
(b) —————— was a fourteenth-century chronicler.
(c) ——, ———, ———, ——— 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
4. List some of the technological changes associated with this period.
A. Some of the technological changes associated with this period are “the Persian wheel, the spinning wheel and fire arms in combat and new food and beverages.
5. What were some of the major religious developments during this period?
A. During the Medieval period major religious developments of this period are the inclusion of new deities in Hinduism, the emergence of Bhakti and the introduction of Islam, and also so many new religions.
6. In what ways has the meaning of the term “Hindustan” changed over the centuries?
A. i. 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.
ii. 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?
A. i) They are ruled by their own rules and create regulations to manage the conduct of their members. They follow the rule of Jati and also the rules of the village.
ii) The affairs of the jatis were regulated by the assembly of elders, known in some areas as the jati panchayat.
8. What does the term pan-regional empire mean?
A. The term pan-regional empire is applied to an empire crossing its region and spreading over several regions of diverse cultures, geography, and religion. For example, the dynasties of the Mughals, Cholas, Khaljis, and the Tughluqs.
9. What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts?
A. i) While using manuscripts, historians face a number of difficulties.
ii) Manuscripts were written by hand and as a result, they were small but significant differences were find between any two copies.
iii) The scribes who copied them introduced changes. As a result, historians have to read different manuscript versions of the same text to guess what the authors had originally written.
iv) First, economic and social changes keep taking place hence
Frequently Asked Questions on NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 1
- Is Chapter 1 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History important for the final exam?
- From Chapter 1 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History, what are the topics that students can learn?
- What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts as discussed in the NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 1?
1. Is Chapter 1 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History important for the final exam?
Yes, Chapter 1 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History is equally important as the other chapters for the annual exam. So, skipping upon this chapter by students can lead to low marks in the exam. Hence, students should thoroughly practice and revise the key topics of all the chapters regularly to ace the annual exam. Referring to these NCERT Solutions aid students to improve their conceptual knowledge and analyzing abilities that are vital from the exam point of view.
2. From Chapter 1 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History, what are the topics that students can learn?
From Chapter 1 of NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History, students can learn about topics like –
New and old terminologies
a. Changes in terms and their meanings
Historians and their sources
a. Value of papers
b. Manuscripts and chronicles
c. What are archives?
New social and political groups
a. The appearance of new technology
b. Introduction to new crops and beverages
c. Regulation of jatis
Region and empire
a. What is a pan-regional empire?
Old and New Religions
a. Important religious developments
Thinking about Time and Historical Periods
3. What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts as discussed in the NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 1?
In the past, historians faced a lot of difficulties in using manuscripts. Due to the lack of printing press during those periods, the historians had to scribe the manuscripts by hand, and copying the manuscripts with new changes was not an easy job. Small differences and mistakes grew over the centuries of copying until manuscripts of the same text became substantially different from one another. As a result, we rarely find the original manuscript of the author today.
