NCERT Class 6th History Solution Chapter 9 Vital Villages, Thriving Towns
Question-1
Fill in the blanks:
a. ……………..was a word used for large landowners in Tamil
b. The ‘gramabhojaka’ often got his land cultivated by the…………………..
c. Ploughmen were known as ………….….. in Tamil.
d. Most ‘grihapatis’ were………………..
Answer:
- ‘Vellalar’
- slaves and workers
- ‘uzhavar’
- smaller.
Question. 2: Describe the Junctions of the ‘gramabhojaka’. Why do you think he was powerful?
Answer: The Functions of the Gramabhojaka are:
- The village headman was known as the gramabhojaka in northern India.
- He had a vast plot of land that he had cultivated with the help of his slaves and hired labourers.
- By the king’s order, he used to collect taxes from the community.
- He also served as a judge and a police officer on occasion
II. Gramabhojaka as a powerful man:
- His position was inherited. Typically, the role was maintained by males from the same family for generations.
- The gramabhojaka was the most powerful landowner.
- To develop the land, he usually used slaves and paid labourers.
- He was also often hired by the monarch to collect taxes from the community because of his influence.
- The gramabhojaka also served as a judge and a policeman on occasion.
Question. 3: List the crafts persons who would have been present in both villages and cities.
Answer: The list of craftspersons who would have been present in both villages and cities is:
- Blacksmiths
- Goldsmiths
- Carpenters
- Weavers
- Garland makers
- Perfumers
- Basketmakers
- Statue makers.
Question. 4: Choose the correct answer:
(a) Ring wells were used for:
1. bathing
2. washing clothes
3. irrigation
4. drainage.
(b) Punch marked coins were made of:
1. Silver
2. gold
3. tin
4. ivory.
(c) Mathura was important:
1. village
2. port
3. religious centre
4. forested area.
(d) ‘Shrines’ were associations of:
1. rulers
2. craftspersons
3. farmers
4. herders.
Answer:
(a) drainage
(b) silver
(c) religious centre
(d) crafts persons.
Question. 5: Which of the iron tools shown on page 87 (of the NCERT textbook) would have been important for agriculture? What would the other tools have been used for?
Answer:
The sickle, tongs, and axe are among the iron instruments seen on page 87. Sickle and axe were the ones that would have been employed in agriculture.
Tongs were employed to keep items in place without really touching them.
Question. 6: Compare the drainage system in your locality with that of the cities mentioned in the lesson. What similarities and differences do you notice?
Answer: The drainage system in our neighbourhood consists of pipes and drains.
Irrigation projects/things developed during the historical period (which we discussed in the chapter) include ring wells and drains, according to the lesson.
Comparison:
- Similarities. I am a city dweller. Our neighbourhood has a well-functioning drainage system. Every home or structure has a strong drainage system as well. In addition, archaeologists discovered sewers and waste dumps in each of the cities/towns or sites listed in the chapter, as well as in a single home.
- Differences or Dissimilarities. Everything (project or task) nowadays is well-maintained and constructed from high-quality raw materials. However, in early towns, mud bricks and thatch were utilised, which may not have lasted long. With modem technology, we employ separators and filters that were not available before.
Question. 7: If you have seen craftspersons at work, describe in a short paragraph what they do.
[Hint. How do they get the raw materials, what kind of equipment do they use, how do they work, what happens to the finished product.]
Answer:
Craftspersons at Work:
(1) In villages and towns, many craftspeople operate. Blacksmiths, goldsmiths, carpenters, potters, weavers, and so forth.
(2) Craftspeople get raw materials from villages, adjacent towns, and even from far-flung parts of India and other nations.
(3) Craftspeople employ a variety of tools depending on the nature of their work. A potter’s wheel, spade, a stick, a spin-thread, a bright-fire burning or furnace, heating, and hammering metal rods are examples of tools used by potters.
A blacksmith works with iron and other metals, as well as a furnace, a hammer, and a large iron rod. A weaver uses a spinning wheel, cotton, a needle, scissors, dye colours, and dying containers, among other tools.
Wood, iron, a hand-ax, borer, iron-blade, and nails are used by a carpenter.
(4) How do they (or did they) work?
The majority of the artisans worked from their own cottages or homes. Other members of his family used to assist him. Shrenis, or craft groups, were created by a large number of artisans. Craftspeople from Shrenis gave instruction, purchased raw materials, and distributed the final product.
(5) Where did the completed goods end up?
After retaining a little portion for themselves or their families, the craftspeople sold the rest of the produce (or excess production) to local marketplaces or neighbouring merchants. These merchants or traders used to transport the goods to areas of the country or to other nations where people, foreign traders, or citizens desired them.
(5) Where did the completed goods end up?
After retaining a little portion for themselves or their families, the craftspeople sold the rest of the produce (or excess production) to local marketplaces or neighbouring merchants. These merchants or traders used to transport the goods to areas of the country or to other nations where people, foreign traders, or citizens desired them.
Question. 8: List (he Junctions performed by men and women who live in your city and village. In what ways are these similar to those performed by people who lived in Mathura? In what ways are they different?
Answer: Different sorts of tasks such as household, officials, and linked to government offices or departments are done by men and women as part of their daily routine in our city (or hamlet).
Mathura. Around 2500 years ago, it was (and still is) an important holy city. It was particularly significant since this city was situated at the crossroads of two major commercial and transportation routes. Several temples and shrines may be found throughout the city. Farmers and herders from the surrounding regions supplied food and other necessities to the city’s residents.
Similar. People in our city or hamlet work as traders, merchants, or farmers, much as the men of Mathura’s ancient city did. Domestic wives or ladies, as they are known in modern towns and villages, performed a lot of labour at home.
Differences. People in Mathura worked for the kings and their families, but today people labour to pay their daily necessities or costs in towns or villages.