Punjab State Board PSEB 6th Class Social Science Book Solutions History Chapter 11 The Vedic Age Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.
PSEB Solutions for Class 6 Social Science History Chapter 11 The Vedic Age
SST Guide for Class 6 PSEB The Vedic Age Textbook Questions and Answers
I. Answer the following questions in brief:
Question 1.
Write five sentences about the political life of the Early Vedic Age.
Answer:
There were several tribal states in the early Vedic Age. These states often fought with each other. Each state had its own king who was generally selected for his strength and bravery. But later on, the kingship became hereditary. The king ruled according to the wishes of the tribe and he had various persons to assist him. The king’s duty was to protect the tribe. There were two important assemblies, namely Sabha and Samiti, with which the king discussed very important matters.
Question 2.
Which gods were worshipped by the Vedic people?
Answer:
The Vedic people worshipped gods of nature. Their main gods were Indra, Agni, Varuna, Soma, Prithvi, Surya, Pushan, Vishnu and Ashvins.
Question 3.
What do you know about the social life of the Vedic Age?
Answer:
The important points in the social life of the Vedic Age were as follows :
1. Varna System: The society was divided into four varnas. These varnas were Brahamanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and fourth Varna. The varnas were based on occupation.
- Brahmanas: The Brahamanas formed the intellectual class. They were devoted to study, teaching and religious affairs.
- Kshatriyas: The Kshatriyas were the warrior class.
- Vaisyas: Peasants and traders were included in the Vaishyas.
- Slave class: Fourth Varna belonged to the slave class.
2. Family: Family consisted of father, mother, sisters and brothers. Joint family system was prevalent. Father headed the family. Each family wanted to have a son.
3. Position of Women: Women were given a great respect in society. They were educated and had the right to marry by their own choice. They participated in all social and religious ceremonies.
4. Food: The food of the Vedic people was simple but nourishing. Wheat, rice, pulses, fruit, vegetables, milk, butter and ghee were their main food items. Some people consumed non-vegetarian food also. They also consumed intoxicating items like Soma.
5. Dress and Ornaments: People wore turban, banian, shirt, dhoti, etc. Both men and women were fond of ornaments.
6. Means of Recreation: Hunting, chariot-races, horse-riding, dancing and singing, -gambling, etc. were the major means of recreation of people of the Vedic Age.
Question 4.
What were the economic activities of the Vedic people?
Answer:
Agriculture, cattle-rearing, workmanship and trade were the major economic activities of the Vedic people :
1. Agriculture: The Vedic people grew wheat, barley, cotton, rice, pulses, vegetables, etc. Fields were ploughed with the help of oxen.
2. Cattle-rearing: The Vedic people reared cow, horse, sheep, goat, ox, etc. Cow was held sacred and cow-slaughter was prohibited.
3. Workmanship: Iron-smiths, carpenters, chariot-makers, weavers, potters, etc. were the major workmen of the Vedic Age. People depended on them for their daily needs.
4. Trade: Trade was carried on both by land routes and by boats and ships in rivers and seas.
Question 5.
Which rivers flowed in the land of Saptasindhu?
Answer:
Saptasindhu stands for the land of seven rivers. Punjab was known as the land of Saptasindhu in the Vedic Age. The rivers forming this land included the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj and Sarasvati.
II. Fill in the blanks :
Question 1.
There were several small ________ in the early Vedic period.
Answer:
tribal states
Question 2.
The society was divided into four divisions, called the ________
Answer:
varnas
Question 3.
The main food items of the Vedic people were ________
Answer:
wheat and rice, pulses
Question 4.
The Vedic people were fond of ________
Answer:
outdoor games
Question 5.
The Vedic people worshipped ________
Answer:
nature.
III. Match the columns :
Question 1.
| A | B |
| (i) Vipasa | (a) Political body |
| (ii) Sabha | (b) Branch of Science |
| (iii) Ayurveda | (c) A god |
| (iv) Varuna | (d) A river |
Answer:
Correct columns :
| A | B |
| (i) Vipasa | (d) A river |
| (ii) Sabha | (a) Political body |
| (iii) Ayurveda | (b) Branch of Science |
| (iv) Varuna | (c) A god |
IV. Write ‘true’ or ‘false’ in the brackets given after each statement :
Question 1.
Parushni is the name of a river.
Answer:
True
Question 2.
Indra was the Vedic God of rain.
Answer:
True
Question 3.
Cow was not sacred to Vedic people.
Answer:
False.
Question 4.
Women were not respected in Vedic Age.
Answer:
False.
V. Activities (Something To Do) :
Question 1.
Make a list of the Vedic people’s gods that are worshipped even today.
Answer:
Do it yourself.
Question 2.
Collect a few hymns from the Vedas.
Answer:
Do it yourself.
PSEB 6th Class Social Science Guide The Vedic Age Important Questions and Answers
Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
Which of these is the oldest Hindu religious book?
(A) Vedas
(B) Ramayana
(C) Mahabharata
(D) Manu Smriti.
Answer:
(A) Vedas.
Question 2.
How many Vedas are there?
(A) Two
(B) Three
(C) Four
(D) Five.
Answer:
(C) Four.
Question 3.
Which of these is the oldest Veda?
(A) Rigveda
(B) Yajurveda
(C) Atharvaveda
(D) Samveda.
Answer:
(A) Rigveda.
Question 4.
________were yoked to chariots.
(A) Bulls
(B) Horses
(C) Dogs
(D) Cows.
Answer:
(B) Horses.
Question 5.
Beginning of the composition of the vedas dated back to around years ago.
(A) 3500
(B) 1500
(C) 2500
(D) 500.
Answer:
(A) 3500.
Question 6.
________ were used for all types of work.
(A) Women
(B) Slaves
(C) Men
(D) Children.
Answer:
(B) Slaves.
Question 7.
Megaliths were found in
(A) South India
(B) North-East India
(C) Kashmir
(D) All of these.
Answer:
(D) All of these.
Question 8.
What was included in the offerings made’ in Yajnas.
(A) Ghee
(B) Grain
(C) Animals
(D) All of these.
Answer:
(D) All of these.
Question 9.
Why were battles fought?
(A) to capture cattles, land
(B) on the issue of water
(C) to capture people to make them slaves
(D) all of these.
Answer:
(D) all of these.
Question 10.
Who was Charaka?
(A) Famous ancient Indian physician
(B) Ancient King
(C) Famous ancient Indian mathematician
(D) Famous astrologer.
Answer:
(A) Famous ancient Indian physician.
Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
How do you come to know about the Vedic Civilization? .
Answer:
We come to know about the Vedic Civilization from the hymns and the poems and the stories which were composed during the Vedic Age.
Question 2.
Why is the Aryan period known as the Vedic Age?
Answer:
The Aryan period is known as the Vedic Age because the four Vedas were composed in this period.
Question 3.
What was the language of the Aryans?
Answer:
The language of the Aryans was Sanskrit.
Question 4.
Name the river on the banks of which the Vedas were written.
Answer:
The Sarasvati.
Question 5.
What did the Aryans do to please their gods?
Answer:
To please their gods, the Aryans performed yajnas.
Question 6.
In which part of India did the Aryans settle first?
Answer:
The Aryans at first settled in Punjab.
Question 7.
Make a list of the Vedic people’s gods who are worshipped even today.
Answer:
The Vedic people’s gods who are worshipped even today are Indra, Agni, Surya, etc.
Question 8.
Name the smallest unit of the Aryan society.
Answer:
Family.
Question 9.
Who was Senani?
Answer:
Senani was the commander of the warriors who assisted the king during a war.
Question 10.
What is Ashwamedha?
Answer:
Ashwamedha was a yajna performed by releasing a horse and claiming the land wherever it roamed.
Question 11.
Name the officers who assisted the king during the Early Vedic Age.
Answer:
The officers who assisted the king during the Early Vedic Age were Purohita, Senani, Gramini and others.
Question 12.
What was Sabha?
Answer:
Sabha was a smaller assembly of selected people of the village.
Question 13.
What was Samiti?
Answer:
Samiti was the assembly of whole village community. In this assembly anyone could speak his mind about any problem.
Question 14.
What are Upanishads?
Answer:
Upanishads are parts of the Vedas.
Question 15.
Name all four Vedas. Which of these is the oldest?
Answer:
The Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and the Atharvaveda are the four Vedas. The Rigveda is the oldest Veda out of all four Vedas.
Question 16.
What is meant by Arya?
Answer:
The meaning of Arya is ‘noble’. It means an educated and well mannered person.
Question 17.
Who were Rajan and Samrat?
Answer:
Head of the State was king and was generally succeeded by his son. He was known as Rajan and the more powerful kings were known as Samrat.
Question 18.
What was Soma and Sura?
Answer:
People consumed a drink on special occasions which v is known as Soma. But few people also consumed alcoholic liquor which was known as Sura.
Question 19.
Why was consumption of Sura condemned?
Answer:
Sura was a alcoholic liquor whose consumption was considered as bad. That’s why its consumption was condemned.
Question 20.
What do you mean by the Epics?
Answer:
The Epics are the poems narrating continuously great events of one or more heroes, about their bravery and the battle which they fought.
Question 21.
Who were the Aryans?
Answer:
The people of the Vedic Civilization are known as the Aryans. They came to India from Central Asia or North-Eastern Iran.
Question 22.
What is meant by Vish and Jana?
Answer:
The meaning of Vish was a clan which was a group of families. The people of the tribe were called Jana.
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1.
What were the religious beliefs and practice’s of the Vedic people?
Answer:
The religious beliefs and practices of the Vedic people were simple. They worshipped all forms of nature. They worshipped sun, moon, sky, rain, air, fire and trees like peepal and animals like cow. They did not make temples or statues of their gods and goddesses. They sang songs in their praise in the open. They performed yajnas to please their gods. Hymns were sung at the time of yajnas.
Question 2.
Name the rivers the mention of which is found in the Rigveda.
Answer:
The mention of the rivers like the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj, Sarasvati, Yamuna and Ganga is found in the Rigveda. The Sarasvati was the most sacred river in the Vedic Age. The Punjab was known as Saptasindhu or the ‘Land of Seven Rivers’ after these rivers.
Question 3.
Describe the science and technology in the Vedic Civilization.
Answer:
Science and technology flourished during the Vedic Age. Mathematics and its branches like algebra, geometry and trigonometry were highly advanced. Astronomy and astrology were also well known. The Vedic people could calculate the movement of planets, occurrence of the eclipses of the sun and the moon and rotation of the earth on its axis and around the sun. The medical sciences were called Ayurveda and were fairly advanced.
Question 4.
Write few lines about ‘Rigveda’.
Answer:
The Rigveda is a collection of hymns in praise of nature god. It is the oldest book in the world. The Rigveda was not written by a single or one person but its hymns were written by a number of scholars, i.e. Rishis, over a long period of time and were included in it.
Question 5.
What is Vedic Literature?
Answer:
A number of books were written after the Vedas during a long period of time. Some of them explain the rituals mentioned in the Vedas, some of them are commentaries on the Vedas and few others are works of philosophy of religion. They are known as the Brahmans, Aranyakas, Upanishads and the Sutras. Together or collectively they are known as the Vedic Literature because they were composed during the long time of Vedic period.
Long Answer Type Question
Question 1.
Describe the administrative set up of the Vedic Age.
Answer:
Society in the Vedic Age was divided into tribes and each tribe had settled in a particular region. Each tribe heeded a leader or head who would defend it from aggression by other tribes.
These tribes fought over grasslands where their animal herds would graze.
- King: King was the head of the tribal state. He ruled according to the wishes of the tribe. He was normally succeeded by his son. He was assisted by a number of persons.
- Senani: Senani was the commander-in-chief of the king’s army.
- Purohita: Purohita was the priest who performed the religious ceremonies for the king and advised him on various matters.
- Sabha and Samiti: Sabha and Samiti were the two most important assemblies where the king consulted the members of tribes to take a final decision.
- Gramini: Gramini was the head of the village. The king also consulted the Gramini.
- Messengers: There were messengers through whom the king made contact with his tribesmen.