GRADE- VII

SOCIAL SCIENCE
NOTES
2022-2023
 History

TERM 1

CH 1-TRACING CHANGES THROUGH A THOUSAND YEARS

Q1. Who was considered a “foreigner” in the past? (Pg 4)

Ans.

● In the medieval period a “foreigner” was any stranger who appeared in a given
village, someone who was not a part of that society or culture.
● A city-dweller, therefore, might have regarded a forest-dweller as a “foreigner”, 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.

Q2. What were some of the major religious developments during this period? (Pg 11, 12)
Ans.
● It was during this period that important changes occurred in what we call Hinduism Today. ●
These included the worship of new deities, the construction of temples by royalty and the
growing importance of Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society. ● Their knowledge
of Sanskrit texts earned the Brahmanas a lot of respect in society. ● Their dominant position was
consolidated by the support of their patrons — new patrons rulers searching for prestige.
● One of the major developments was the emergence of the idea of bhakti — of loving,
personal deity that devotees could reach without the aid of priests or elaborate rituals. ●
Merchants and migrants first brought the teachings of the holy Quran to India in the
seventh century.
Q3. In what ways has the meaning of the term “Hindustan” changed over the centuries? (Pg 3)

Ans.

● Today we understand “Hindustan” as “India”, the modern nation state.

● When the term was used in the thirteenth century by Minhaj-i Siraj, a chronicler who wrote in
Persian, he meant the areas of Punjab, Haryana and the lands between the Ganga and Yamuna.
He used the term in a political sense for lands that were a part of the dominions of the Delhi
Sultan.
● The areas included in this term shifted with the extent of the Sultanate but the term never
included south India within it.
● By contrast, in the early sixteenth century Babur used Hindustan to describe the geography, the
fauna and the culture of the inhabitants of the subcontinent.
● This was somewhat similar to the way the fourteenth-century poet Amir Khusrau used the word
“Hind”.
● While the idea of a geographical and cultural entity like “India” did exist, the term Hindustan did
not carry the political and national meanings which we associate with it today.
Q4. How were the affairs of jatis regulated? (Pg 8)

Ans.

● As society became more differentiated, people were grouped into jatis or sub-castes and
 ranked on the basis of their backgrounds and their occupations.
● Ranks were not fixed permanently, and varied according to the power, influence and
resources controlled by members of the jati.
● The status of the same jati could vary from area to area.
● Jatis frame their own rules and regulations to manage the conduct of their members. ●
These regulations were enforced by an assembly of elders, described in some areas as the
jati panchayat. · But jatis were also required to follow the rules of their villages.

Q5. What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts? (Dictate)

Ans.

● Manuscripts and documents provide a lot of detailed information to historians but they
are also difficult to use.
● There was no printing press in those days so scribes copied manuscripts by hand. As
scribes copied manuscripts, they also introduced small changes — a word here,a
sentence there.
● These small differences grew over centuries of copying until manuscripts of the same
text became substantially different from one another.
● This is a serious problem because we rarely find the original manuscript of the author
today.
● We are totally dependent upon the copies made by later scribes.
● As a result historians have to read different manuscript versions of the same text to
guess what the author had originally written.
Q6. How do historians divide the past into periods? Do they face any problems in doing so? (Pg
12, 13)

Ans.
● In the middle of the nineteenth century British historians divided the history of India into three
periods: “Hindu”, “Muslim” and “British”.
● This division was based on the idea that the religion of rulers was the only important historical
change, and that there were no other significant developments – in the economy, society or
culture.
● Such a division also ignored the rich diversity of the subcontinent.
● These thousand years of Indian history witnessed considerable change. · After all, the sixteenth and
eighteenth centuries were quite different from the eighth or the eleventh.
● Therefore, describing the entire period as one historical unit is not without its problems.
CH 2-NEW KINGS AND KINGDOMS

Q1. What were the qualifications necessary to become a member of a committee of

the sabha in the Chola Empire? (Pg 27)
Ans. The qualifications necessary to become a member of a committee of the sabha in the Chola
Empire were:
● They should be owners of land from which land revenue is collected.
● They should have their own homes.
● They should be between 35 and 70 years of age.
● They should have knowledge of the Vedas.
● They should be well-versed in administrative matters and honest.
● If anyone has been a member of any committee in the last three years, he cannot become
a member of another committee.
 ● Anyone who has not submitted his accounts, as well as those of his relatives, cannot
contest the elections.
Q2. How did the Rashtrakutas become powerful? (Pg 17)

Ans.
● Initially the Rashtrakutas were subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka.
● In the mid-eighth century, Dantidurga, a Rashtrakuta chief, overthrew his Chalukya overlord and
performed a ritual called hiranya-garbha (literally, the golden womb).
● When this ritual was performed with the help of Brahmanas, it was thought to lead to the
“rebirth” of the sacrificer as a Kshatriya, even if he was not one by birth.
Q3. What did the new dynasties do to gain acceptance? (Dictate)

Ans. In order to gain acceptance, the new dynasties made the following efforts:
● They took on new titles and performed religious rituals known as hiranya-garbha which was
thought to lead to the “rebirth” of the sacrificer as a Kshatriya, even if he was not one by birth. ●
They were regarded as the subordinates or Samantas by their overloads. But when they gained power
and wealth, they declared themselves to be maha-samantas.
● They asserted their independence from their overlords.
● They engaged themselves in warfare to assert their power and carve out an independent kingdom. ●
Many of these new kings adopted high-sounding titles such as maharaja-adhiraj,
tribhuvana-chakravartin and so on.
● They also deputed learned brahmanas to depict them as valiant, victorious warriors.
● They tried to demonstrate their power and resources by building large temples.

Q4. What kind of irrigation works were developed in the Tamil region? (Pg 24, 25) Ans. During the fifth
or sixth century, the areas near the Kaveri river in Tamil Nadu were opened up for large-scale
cultivation.The irrigation works that were developed in this region were as follows: ● In many areas,
wells were dug and tanks were built for storage of rainwater.
● Embankments were built in the delta region to prevent flooding
● Canals were built to carry water to the fields.
● Sluice-gates were built that regulated the outflow of water from a tank into the channels that
irrigated the fields.
Q5. What were the activities associated with Chola temples? (Pg 23, 24)
Ans. Various activities associated with Chola temples were:
● Chola temples often became the nuclei of settlements that grew around them.
● Chola temples were centres of craft production.
● They were also endowed with land by rulers, as well as by others. The produce of this land was used
for the maintenance of all the specialists who worked at the temple like priests, garland makers,
cooks, sweepers, musicians, dancers, etc.
Thus, the Chola temples were not only places of worship but also the hub of economic, social and cultural
life.

Q6. Contrast the “elections” in Uttaramerur with present - day panchayat elections. (Dictate)
Ans.
● In Uttaramerur, names of those eligible to be members of the committees were written on
small tickets of palm leaf and kept in an earthenware pot, from which a young boy was asked
to pick the tickets, one by one for each committee.
● It was a lottery system.
● The present day panchayat members are elected through a general election.
● The names of the contestants are made available along with a symbol on anElectronic
 Voting Machine.
● The voters have to press the button next to the candidate of their choice.
Votes are counted and results are declared by the Returning Officer. Every
procedure is organised by a statutory body.

Extra question

Q. Who was Kalhana? What was he famous for? (Pg 20)

Ans.

● The twelfth century witnessed a long Sanskrit poem containing the history of kings who
ruled over Kashmir.
● It was composed by an author named Kalhana.
● He used a variety of sources, including inscriptions, documents, eyewitness accounts and
earlier histories, to write his account.
● Unlike the writers of Prashastis, he was often critical about rulers and their policies.
______________________________________________________________________________

Ch 3-THE DELHI SULTANS

Q1. According to the “Circle of Justice”, why was it important for military commanders to keep
the interests of the peasantry in mind? (Pg 32)

Ans. According to the "Circle of Justice", it was important for military commanders to keep the interests
of the peasantry in mind because of the following reasons:-
● A king cannot survive without soldiers and soldiers cannot live without salaries. ● The
salary of the military was generated from the revenue collected from the peasants. ● The
peasants would pay revenue only when they were happy and prosperous. ● This happens
when the king promotes justice and honest governance.
Q2. What were the steps taken to ensure that muqtis performed their duties? Why do
you think they may have wanted to defy the orders of the Sultans? (Pg39)

Ans. The muqtis or iqtadar was a military commander appointed by the Khilji and Tughlaq monarchs as
governors of territories of varying sizes. These lands were called ‘Iqta’. The duties of the muqtis were as
follows:
● To lead military campaigns and maintain law and order in their iqtas.
● The muqtis had to collect the revenues of their assignments as salary in exchange for their military
services and had to pay their soldiers from these revenues.
● Control over muqtis was most effective if their office was not inheritable and if they were assigned
iqtas for a short period of time before being shifted.
● Accountants were appointed by the state to check the amount of revenue collected by the muqtis.
Care was taken that the muqti collected only the taxes prescribed by the state and that they kept
the required number of soldiers.
Q3. What was the impact of the Mongol invasions on the Delhi Sultanate? (Dictate)
Ans. Mongol attacks on the Delhi Sultanate increased during the reign of Alauddin Khalji
and in the early years of Muhammad Tughluq’s rule. This forced the Sultans to undertake a
number of expensive protective measures.
● They had to mobilise a large standing army in Delhi that posed a big administrative challenge.
● They had to build new garrison towns for the soldiers.
 ● They collected produce as tax from lands between the Ganga and Yamuna to feed their soldiers.
● The soldiers also had to be paid cash that again put strain on the treasury.
Result of all these protective measures was the weakening of the Delhi Sultanate.
Q4. Do you think the authors of tawarikh would provide information about the lives of
ordinary men and women? (Pg 33)
Ans. The authors of tawarikh were men who were very learned. They were secretaries, administrators,
poets and courtiers. They did not provide information about the lives ordinary men & women because: ●
The authors of tawarikh used to live in cities (mainly Delhi) and not in villages. ● Often they wrote
histories for Sultans in the hope of getting rich rewards.
● They also advised rulers regarding their birthrights and gender distinctions.
Extra questions

Q1. Who was Raziyya? Why was she not accepted as a Sultan in spite of being talented? (Pg 33) Ans.
Raziya was Sultan Iltumish's daughter.She was the first Muslim female ruler and also only Emperor of
Delhi. She ruled Delhi for 4 years. She was the fifth Mamluk Sultan of Delhi. It was believed that she had
refused to be addressed as a Sultana, rather she claimed the title “Sultan” itself.
● In 1236 Raziyya became Sultan.
● The chronicler of the age, Minhaj-i Siraj, recognised that she was more able and qualified
than all her brothers.
● Neither he was not comfortable with having a queen as ruler nor were the nobles happy at
her attempts to rule independently.
● She was removed from the throne in 1240.
Q2. ‘Controlling garrison towns in distant Bengal and Sind from Delhi was extremely difficult’.
Explain. (Pg 34)
Ans. Controlling garrison towns in distant Bengal and Sind from Delhi was extremely difficult because of
the following reasons:
● Rebellion, war, even bad weather could snap fragile communication routes.
● The state was also challenged by Mongol invasions from Afghanistan and by governors
who rebelled at any sign of the Sultan’s weakness.
● The Sultanate barely survived these challenges.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Geography

CH1-Environment

Q1. What is an ecosystem? (TB Pg5)

Ans.

● All plants, animals and human beings depend on their immediate surroundings. · Often they are
also interdependent on each other.
● This relation between the living organisms, as well as the relation between the organisms
and their surroundings form an ecosystem.
● There could be an ecosystem of large rain forest, grassland, desert, mountains, lake, river,
ocean and even a small pond.
Q2. What do you mean by natural environment? (TB Pg2, 3)
Ans.
● The place, people, things and nature that surround any living organism is called the environment. It
is a combination of natural and human made phenomena.
 ● While the natural environment refers to both biotic and abiotic conditions existing on the earth,
the human environment reveals the activities, creations and interactions among human beings. ●
Land, water, air, plants and animals comprise the natural environment.
Q3. Which are the major components of the environment? (TB Pg2)
Ans. The components of the environment are:
● Natural – Land, air, water and living things
● Human made – Buildings, parks, bridges, roads, monuments and industries
● Human – Individual, family, community, religion,educational, economic and political
situation
Q4. What is lithosphere? (TB Pg3)
Ans.
● Lithosphere is the solid crust or the hard top layer of the earth.
● It is made up of rocks and minerals and covered by a thin layer of soil.
● It is an irregular surface with various landforms such as mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys,
etc.
● Landforms are found over the continents and also on the ocean floors.
● Lithosphere is the domain that provides us with forests, grasslands for grazing, land
for agriculture and human settlements.
● It is also a source of mineral wealth.
Q5. Give reasons.

(i) Man modifies his environment (TB Pg5)

Ans.
● Human beings interact with the environment and modify it according to their needs.
● Early humans adapted themselves to the natural surroundings.
● They led a simple life and fulfilled their requirements from the nature around them.
● With time, needs grew and became more varied.
● Humans learn new ways to use and change environment

(ii) Plants and animals depend on each other(Dictate)

Ans.
● Plants and animals are interdependent.
● Plants release oxygen that animals breathe and absorb carbon dioxide that animals release.
Dead and decaying animals provide nutrition to plants.
● Plants and plant products provide nutrition to animals.
● Forests are the natural habitat for wildlife.

CH 2-Inside our earth

Q1. Explain the three layers of the Earth. (Pg 7, 8)

Ans.
● The uppermost layer over the earth’s surface is called the crust.
● It is the thinnest of all the layers. It is about 35km. on the continental masses and only 5km
on the ocean floors.
● The main mineral constituents of the continental mass are silica and alumina while that of
 the oceanic crust is silica and magnesium.
● Just beneath the crust is the mantle which extends up to a depth of 2900km below the
crust.
● The innermost layer is the core with a radius of about 3500 km.
● It is mainly made up of nickel and iron.
● The central core has very high temperature and pressure.

Q2. What is a rock? Name three types of rocks. (Pg 8)

Ans.

● Any natural mass of mineral matter that makes up the earth’s crust is called a rock.
● Rocks can be of different colour, size and texture.
● There are three major types of rocks: Igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic
rocks.
Q3. How are extrusive and intrusive rocks formed? (Pg 8)

Ans. Intrusive and extrusive rocks are two types of igneous rocks. The difference between these two types
of Igneous rocks are as follows:-
● When molten lava comes on the earth’s crust, it rapidly cools down and becomes solid.
● Rocks formed in such a way on the crust are called extrusive rocks.
● They have a very fine grained structure. E.g. Basalt.
● When the molten magma cools down deep inside the earth’s crust, it forms solid rocks
called intrusive rocks.
● Since they cool down slowly they form large grains. E.g. Granite.
Q4. What do you mean by a rock cycle? Discuss in detail. (Pg 9)

Ans. The process of transformation of rocks from one type to another, due to changes in certain
conditions in a cyclic manner, is called a rock cycle.

For example, when the molten magma cools; it solidifies to become igneous rock. These igneous rocks are
broken down into small particles that are transported and deposited to form sedimentary rocks. When the
igneous and sedimentary rocks are subjected to heat and pressure they change into metamorphic rocks.
The metamorphic rocks which are still under great heat and pressure melt down to form molten magma.
This molten magma again can cool down and solidify into igneous rocks.
 Fig. Rock Cycle

5. What are the uses of rocks? (Pg 9)

Ans. The following are some uses of rock :
● For the construction of roads, residences, and other structures.
● For use in cutting and drilling.
● Scientific inquiry is aided by the fossilised remnants of plants and animals found in rocks. ●
Minerals found in diverse rocks are utilised as fuels, medicines, fertilisers, and in a variety of
industries.
Q6. Give reasons:
i) We cannot go to the centre of the earth.

Ans. Extremely high temperature and pressure characterise the earth's core, which is located around
6000 kilometres below the ocean's surface. At the earth's core, there is just molten magma. There is
no oxygen. Any live entity would not be able to survive under such conditions. As a result, we are
unable to travel to the Earth's core.
ii) Sedimentary rocks are formed from sediments.
Ans. When large boulders break down into small fragments (or sediments), water and wind move
the fragments and deposit them. Over time, the loose sediments compress and harden, forming
layers of rocks. Sedimentary rocks are the name given to these types of rocks.
iii) Limestone is changed into marble.

Ans. Igneous and sedimentary rocks change into metamorphic rocks under heat and pressure. This
happens in the case of limestone. Limestone under heat and pressure changes into marble, which is
a metamorphic rock.
CH 3-Our Changing Earth

Q1. What are exogenic and endogenic forces? Mention few differences between both the forces.(Pg 12)

Ans. The earth movements are divided on the basis of the forces that cause them. The forces that act on
the earth's surface are called exogenic forces while the ones that act in the earth's interior are called
endogenic forces. Difference between both the forces are as follows:
Endogenic Forces Exogenic Forces

● These are internal forces ● These are external forces that operate
that exist deep inside the and act on the surface of the Earth.
Earth.

● These forces are also known ● These forces are also known as
as ‘constructive forces’ as they ‘destructive forces’ as they at times
create relief features on the result in destruction of the existing
surface of the Earth. landforms through weathering and
erosional activities.

● Examples: Earthquakes and ● Examples: Winds, rivers, glaciers etc

volcanic eruptions.

Q2. How are flood plains formed? (Pg 15)

Ans. When a river overflows its banks, it results in the flooding of the area surrounding
it. ● When it floods, it deposits a layer of fine soil and other material called
sediments. ● Thus, forming a fertile layer of soil called flood plains.
● Flood plains are also formed when a meander erodes sideways as it travels downstream.
Q3. What are sand dunes? (Pg 17)
Ans.
● When the wind blows, it lifts and transports sand from one place to another.
● When the wind stops blowing, the sand falls and gets deposited in the low hill-like structures.
● These are called sand dunes. They are mostly found in desert areas.
Q4. How is a delta formed?Name the biggest delta in the world. (Pg 15, 16)
Ans. A delta is a triangular piece of land which is found at the mouth of a river.
● It is formed when a river deposits the sediments as it flows towards its mouth (a place where a
river drains into a lake, sea or an ocean).

● When a river reaches a lake or the sea towards the end of its journey, the water slows down and
loses the power to carry sediment.
● The sediment is thus deposited at the mouth of the river.
● Some rivers deposit huge quantities of sediment which cannot be carried away by sea waves and
tides. This results in the building up of layers forming a delta.
The Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta is the biggest delta in the world.
 Fig. Delta

Q5. What are Oxbow lakes? Explain the process of its formation. (Pg 15)

Ans. An ox-bow lake is a crescent-shaped lake formed by a meandering river.

● During its journey through a plain, a river twists and turns to form meanders. ● Erosion and
deposition occur constantly along the sides of a meander, thereby causing the ends of its loop to
come closer and closer.
● In due course of time, the meander loop cuts off from the river and forms a cut-off,
crescent-shaped ox-bow lake.

Fig. Formation of Oxbow Lake

Q6. Give reasons:
i) Some rocks have the shape of a mushroom.
Ans. Some rocks have the shape of a mushroom, because of the following reasons: ● When rocks fall
in the course of running dust-storms, the suspended particles of sand strike the lower portion of
the rocks and erode them.

● The upper portions of the rocks remain unaffected/uneroded.

● In course of time the rocks take up the shape of a mushroom.

ii) Flood plains are very fertile.

Ans. Flood plains are usually very fertile because floods deposit layers of nutrient rich soil and
sediments along the bank of the river. Since the flood plains are flat and often have few boulders or
other large obstacles, they make excellent farmlands.
iii) Sea caves are turned into stacks.
Ans. This phenomenon occurs due to the erosion property of sea waves. The waves continuously
strike at the sea caves and make the cavities bigger. As the cavities widen over time, only the roof of
the caves remain intact and are called arches. Further erosion breaks the roof and only walls are left
which are called stacks.
iv) Buildings collapse due to earthquakes.
Ans. Earthquakes occur due to the movement of lithospheric or tectonic plates inside the earth. An
earthquake can be slight or a major one depending on its magnitude. When an earthquake measuring
6.0 and above on the Richter scale occurs, it shakes up the earth crust at that particular place causing
the buildings to collapse.

CH 4-Air
Q1. What is the atmosphere? (Pg 20)
Ans.
● The blanket of air surrounding the earth is called the atmosphere.
● The atmosphere primarily comprises nitrogen and oxygen in bulk and other gases like carbon
dioxide, helium, ozone, etc in lesser quantities.
● All living beings on earth depend on the atmosphere for their survival.
Q2. Describe the composition of the atmosphere. (Pg 20)
Ans. The composition of the atmosphere is as follows:-
● Our atmosphere is composed of mainly two gases—nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%). ● Other
gases like carbon dioxide, helium, ozone, orgon and hydrogen are found in lesser quantities. ● Apart
from these gases, tiny dust particles are also present in the air.

Q3. Give an account of the different layers of the atmosphere. (Pg 22)
Ans. Our atmosphere has five different layers. They are:
● Troposphere: This is the most important layer of the atmosphere with an average height of 13 km
from the earth. It is in this layer that we find the air that we breathe. Almost all the weather
phenomena such as rainfall, fog, and hailstorm occur here.
● Stratosphere: This layer extends up to a height of 50 km. It presents the most ideal conditions for
flying aeroplanes. It contains a layer of ozone gas which protects us from the harmful effect of the
sunrays.
● Mesosphere: This layer extends up to a height of 80 km. Meteorites bum up in this layer on entering
from the space.
● Thermosphere: In this layer, the temperature rises very rapidly with increasing height. The
ionosphere is a part of this layer. It extends between 80—400 km. This layer helps in radio
transmission. Radio waves transmitted from the earth are reflected back to the earth by this layer.
● Exosphere: It is the uppermost layer where there is very thin air. Light gases such as helium and
hydrogen float into space from here.

Q4. How do plants take in nitrogen? (Pg 20, 21)

Ans.
 ● Nitrogen is essential for the survival of the plant.
● But plants cannot take nitrogen directly from the air.
● Bacteria that live in the soil and roots of some plants, take nitrogen from the air and change its
form so that plants can use it.

Q5. How does air circulation take place? (Pg 21)

Ans.
● When air is heated, it expands, becomes lighter and rises up.
● Cold air is denser and heavy and so tends to sink down.
● When hot air rises, cold air from the surrounding area rushes there to fill in the
gap.That is how air circulation takes place.
Q6. What is global warming? How can it affect the earth? (Pg 20)
Ans. When the level of CO2 in the atmosphere increases due to factory smoke or car fumes, the heat
retained on earth increases the temperature of the earth. This is called global warming. ● The rise in
temperature causes the snow in the coldest part of the world to melt.As a result the sea level rises,
causing floods in the coastal areas.
● There may be drastic changes in the climate of a place leading to extinction of some plants and
animals in the long run.
Q7. What is air pressure? Give a brief description. (Pg 24)
Ans.
● Air pressure is defined as the pressure exerted by the weight of air on the earth's surface.
The air pressure is highest at sea level and decreases with height.
● In areas where temperature is high, air pressure is low.
● Low pressure is associated with cloudy skies and wet weather.
● In areas having low temperature, air pressure is high.
● High pressure is associated with clear and sunny skies.
Q8. What is wind? Explain its type. (Pg 24, 25)
Ans. The movement of air from high pressure to low pressure is called wind. Winds can either be too
gentle like a breeze or too strong like a storm. Winds can be broadly divided into three types. ● Permanent
winds: These winds blow constantly throughout the year in a particular direction.
○ For example trade winds, westerlies and easterlies.
● Seasonal winds: These winds change their direction in different seasons.
○ For example monsoons in India.
● Local winds: These winds blow only during the particular period of the day or year in a small
area.
○ For example, the sea and land breeze.
Q9. Write a note on rainfall. Mention its type. (Pg 27, 26)
Ans.
● Rainfall is very important for all living beings.
 ● It brings fresh water to the earth’s surface.
● With less rainfall drought or water scarcity occurs and more rainfall brings floods. ● On the
basis of its mechanism there are three types of rainfall: The convectional rainfall, The
orographic rainfall and The cyclonic rainfall.

Q10. Give reasons:

i) Wet clothes take a longer time to dry on a humid day.
Ans. On a humid day, humidity level is very high which means plenty of moisture is present in the air
at that time. In this condition the air is unable to take up more water vapour so the rate of
evaporation is slow. Therefore wet clothes take a longer time to dry on a humid day. ii) Amount of
insolation decreases from the equator towards the poles.
Ans. Due to the spherical shape of the Earth, the Equator receives vertical rays of the sun and the
area towards the pole receives slanting rays of the sun. That is why the amount of insolation
decreases from the equator towards poles.
iii) Why do jet planes flying in the sky leave a white trail behind?
Ans. They do so because of the moisture from their engines that condenses. This condensed
moisture is seen for some time when there is no air movement to disturb it.
iv) Temperature in cities is much higher than that of villages.
Ans. The concrete and metals in buildings and the asphalt of roads get heated up during the day.
This heat is released during the night. Also, the crowded high rise buildings of the cities trap the
warm air and thus raise the temperature of the cities.

________________________________________________________________________________

Civics
CH 1-On Equality

Q1. In a democracy why is universal adult franchise important? (Pg 6)

Ans.

● In a democratic country, all adults irrespective of what religion they belong to, how much
education they have had, what caste they are, or whether they are rich or poor are allowed to
vote. This is called the universal adult franchise and is an essential aspect of all democracies.
● The idea of universal adult franchise is based on the idea of equality because it states that every
adult in a country, irrespective of their wealth and the communities she/he belongs to, has
one vote.
Q2. Re-read the box on Article 15 and state two ways in which this Article addresses
inequality? (Pg 14)
Ans. The ways in which Article 15 addresses inequality are:
● The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex,
place of birth or any of them.
● No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be
subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to –
○ access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment; or ○ the
 use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or
partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public.

Q3. In what ways was Omprakash Valmiki’s experience similar to that of the Ansaris? (Pg 9)
Ans.
● Both Omprakash Valmiki and the Ansaris were treated unequally on the basis of differences of
caste and religion.
● When persons are treated unequally, their dignity is violated.
● The dignity of both Omprakash Valmiki and the Ansaris was violated because of the way in
which they were treated.
● By picking on him and making him sweep the school, because of his caste, Omprakash
Valmiki’s schoolmates and teachers hurt his dignity badly and made him feel as if he was
less than equal to all other students in the school.
● The Ansaris’ dignity was also hurt when persons refused to lease their apartments tothem.
Q4. What is the midday meal programme? Can you list three benefits of the programme? How do
you think this programme might help promote greater equality?
Ans.
● Midday meal programme refers to the programme introduced in all government
elementary schools to provide children with cooked lunch.
● This programme has had many positive effects.
● These include the fact that more poor children have begun enrolling and regularly attending
school.
● Teachers reported that earlier children would often go home for lunch and then not return
to school but now with the midday meal being provided in school, their attendance has
improved.
● This programme has also helped reduce caste prejudices because both lower and upper
caste children in the school eat this meal together, and in quite a few places,Dalit women
have been employed to cook the meal.
● The midday meal programme also helps reduce the hunger of poor students who often come
to school and cannot concentrate because their stomachs are empty.

EXTRA QUESTION

Q1. What do you understand by the term “all persons are equal before the law”? Why do you think
it is important in a democracy?

Ans.
● The term “all persons are equal before the law” means that every person, from the
President of the country to Kanta, a domestic worker, has to obey the same laws. ● No
person can be discriminated against on the basis of their religion, race, caste, place of
birth or whether they are female or male.
● Every person has access to all public places including playgrounds, hotels, shops
and markets.
● All persons can use publicly available wells, roads and bathing ghats.
● Untouchability has been abolished.
CH 2- Role of Government in Health

Q1. What are the different ways through which the government can take steps to
provide healthcare for all? Discuss. (Dictate)

Ans. The government can provide healthcare to all in following ways:

● Increasing the number of hospitals, healthcare facilities and family welfare centres. ·
Organising free health check-ups.
● Taking precautionary measures for the prevention of communicable diseases i.e.TB,
malaria, jaundice etc.
● Providing quality healthcare services either free or at a low cost, so that even the poor can
seek treatment.
● Providing safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities.
Q2. What differences do you find between private and public health services? (Dictate)

Ans. Difference between private and public health services are:

● Private health care services are expensive. Better service is available at a higher cost.
They are well equipped with modern machines and technologies. People with good
earnings will be able to afford them.
● Public health care services are comparatively cheaper. They are available at a cheaper
cost for everyone. That is the reason they are overcrowded and the services provided
might take time to reach the people. At times they lack proper equipment too which
leads to delay in service provided.
Q3. ‘Improvement in water and sanitation can control many diseases.’ Explain with the help of
examples. (Dictate)
Ans. Water and sanitation are the basic necessities for the maintenance of our health. ● There are
several diseases that spread through contaminated water. E.g. cholera,diarrhoea, dysentery etc.
● Similarly poor sanitation causes many epidemics by giving birth to dangerous insects. E.g.
malaria, chikungunya, dengue etc.
● As they are communicable diseases, the chances of spreading them increase more. ·
Improvement in water and sanitation can control these happenings.
E.g.- The recent outbreak of dengue which happened in Bangalore could be contained after
improving the water and sanitation facilities.
Q4. What is the Costa Rican approach? Explain.
Ans. Costa Rica is considered to be one of the healthiest countries in Central
America. ● To achieve this milestone they decided not to have an army.
● The money which they were spending on the army’s development, now is being used on
health, education and other basic needs of the people.
● The Costa Rican government believes that a country has to be healthy for its development
and pays a lot of attention to the health of its people.
● The Costa Rica government provides basic services and amenities such as safe drinking
water, sanitation, nutrition and housing to its citizens.
● Health education is also considered very important and knowledge about health is an
essential part of education at all levels.
EXTRA QUESTIONS

Q1. Why should we pay taxes to the government? (Pg 24)

Ans.
● Government uses tax money to provide services to the citizens such as defence,
police,highways etc.
 ● Taxes fund developmental programmes and services such as education, health care etc.
required for needy citizens.
● Tax money is utilised for relief and rehabilitation in case of natural disasters.
● Space, nuclear and missile programmes are funded from the revenue collected as taxes.
Government provides some services especially for the poor who cannot afford to
purchase them from the market. E.g. Health care.

Q2. What did the court say in the case of Hakim Sheikh? (Pg 25)

Ans. According to our Constitution, it is the primary duty of the government to ensure the welfare of the
people and provide health care facilities to all.
● The government must safeguard the Right to Life of every person.
● The Court said that the difficulty that Hakim Sheikh had to face could have cost him his life.
● If a hospital cannot provide timely medical treatment to a person, it means that this
protection of life is not being given.
● Hakim Sheikh was denied treatment at various government hospitals.
● Therefore, the Court asked the State Government to give him the money that he had spent on
his treatment.
Q3. Is adequate healthcare available to all? Justify your answer with examples. (Pg 26,
27) Ans.

● In India, we face a situation where private services are increasing but public services are
not.
● What is then available to people are mainly private services which are concentrated in
urban areas.
● As these services are run for profit, the cost of these services is rather high.
● Many people cannot afford them or have to borrow money when there is an illness in the
family.
● Women’s health concerns are considered to be less important than the health of men in the
family.
● Many tribal areas have few health centres and they do not run properly.
So, we can say that adequate healthcare is not available for all.

CH 3- How the State Government Works

Q1. Use the terms ‘constituency’ and ‘represent’ to explain who an MLA is and how is
the person elected? (Pg 32)

Ans.
● In accordance with the population, a state is divided into constituencies.
● For representation in the Legislative Assembly, every constituency elects one representative who
shoulders the responsibility of representing his/her constituency at the national level. ● These
representatives are called MLAs or Members of Legislative Assembly, and are elected through a
general election.
● They could be part of a political party or can also be independent candidates. ● They also have the
additional responsibility of presenting the needs and demands of their constituency at the Legislative
Assembly.
Q2. How did some MLAs become ministers? Explain. (Dictate)
Ans.
● The Political Party that has won more than half the constituencies in the state is known as the ruling
party.
● The MLAs of that party form the electoral majority in the State Legislature. The ruling party then
elects the head of the government known as the Chief Minister of the State.
● The Chief Minister then appoints the other ministers of his cabinet in consultation with the
Governor of the State.
● The selected MLAs as ministers are then assigned with the portfolios and this leads them to be
more accountable to the entire state.
Q3. Why should decisions taken by the Chief Minister and other ministers be debated in
the Legislative Assembly? (Dictate)

Ans.
● The decisions taken by the Chief Minister and other ministers need approval from the Legislative
assembly as these decisions play a very significant role in running the government. ● Democracy has
permitted the other members of the house to ask a question, decide where the money should be
spent, and debate on the more important issue. It looks into the matter of whether a particular
decision is in the interest of the people at large or not.
● The MLAs selected as Ministers are collectively responsible to the Legislature for their decisions.
This enhances the accountability, transparency, and representativeness of the Cabinet. Q4. What is the
difference between the work that MLAs do in the Assembly and the work done by government
departments? (Dictate)
Ans.
● The core difference between the work done by MLAs in the assembly and the
government departments is that every government department is headed by a
minister, who is also an MLA.
● The minister approves any work done or proposed by the department.
● The department is responsible for the completion of the work, while the MLAs
coordinate between the Legislative Assembly and the various government
machinery that will be involved in the completion of any projects undertaken.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

Q1. How does a government function in a state?

Ans. A government is headed by the Chief Minister.
● The Chief Minister, in order to manage the functioning of the government, appoints ministers at
various levels like cabinet ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers.
● Every government department is headed by a cabinet minister who is directly accountable for the
functioning of the particular department.
● The heads of the government departments who are bureau rates are responsible for the handling of
the government decisions. The bureau rates projects and gets the works completed. The ministers
give approval to the works.
Q2. What is a unicameral and bicameral legislature? (Dictate)

Ans.

● Unicameral Legislature: In a few state legislatures, there is only one house known as Legislative
Assembly. Such legislatures are known as unicameral legislatures. Few states such as Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh, Assam etc. have a unicameral legislature.
 ● Bicameral Legislature: The legislature where two houses are there, is called bicameral
legislature. These two houses are –
○ Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha)
○ Legislative Council ( Vidhan Parishad)
Only 6 states in India have bicameral legislature which are Andhra Pradesh,Maharashtra,
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

__________________________________________________________________________________
History

TERM 2
Ch 4-THE Mughal Empire

Q1. What was the relationship between the mansabdar and the jagir?(Pg51) Ans.
• Mansabdars received their salaries as revenue assignments called jagirs which were
somewhat like iqtas.
• But unlike muqtis, most mansabdars did not actually reside in or administer their jagirs.
• They only had rights to the revenue of their assignments which was collected for them by their
servants while the mansabdars themselves served in some other part of the country.

Q2. What was the role of the zamindar in Mughal administration? (Pg52, 53) Ans.
• The main source of income available to Mughal rulers was tax on the produce of the
peasantry.
• In most places, peasants paid taxes through the rural elites, that is, the headman or the local
chieftain.
• The Mughals used one term – zamindars – to describe all intermediaries, whether they were
local headmen of villages or powerful chieftains.
• In some areas the zamindars exercised a great deal of power.
Q3. How were the debates with religious scholars important in the formation of Akbar’s
ideas on governance? (Pg 54, 55)
Ans.
• While Akbar was at Fatehpur Sikri during the 1570s he started discussions on religion with the
ulama, Brahmanas, Jesuit priests who were Roman Catholics, and Zoroastrians.
• It made him realise that religious scholars who emphasised ritual and dogma were often bigots.
• Their teachings created divisions and disharmony amongst his subjects. • This eventually led
Akbar to the idea of sulh-i kul or “universal peace”. • This idea of tolerance did not
discriminate between people of different religions in his realm.
• Instead it focused on a system of ethics – honesty, justice, peace – that was universally
applicable.
• Abul Fazl helped Akbar in framing a vision of governance around this idea of sulh-i kul.
Q4. Why did the Mughals emphasise their Timurid and not their Mughal descent? (Pg 46)
Ans.
• The Mughals were descendants of two great lineages of rulers.
• From their mother’s side they were descendants of Genghis Khan (died 1227), ruler of the
Mongol tribes, China and Central Asia.
• From their father’s side they were the successors of Timur (died 1404), the ruler of Iran, Iraq and
modern-day Turkey.
• However, the Mughals did not like to be called Mughal or Mongol. • This was because
 Genghis Khan’s memory was associated with the massacre of innumerable people.
• It was also linked with the Uzbegs, their Mongol competitors.
• On the other hand, the Mughals were proud of their Timurid ancestry, not least of all
because their great ancestor had captured Delhi in 1398.

Q5. How important was the income from land revenue to the stability of the Mughal Empire?
(Dictate)
Ans.
• The income from land revenue played an important role in establishing stability in the
Mughal Empire.
• It strengthened the economic system of the Empire.
• Money collected was invested on building forts, and for the welfare of subjects.
• Its importance can be easily assessed that Todar Mal, Akbar’s revenue minister, took10- year
period to carry out proper calculation of land revenue.
Q6. Why was it important for the Mughals to recruit mansabdars from diverse backgrounds
and not just Turanis and Iranis? (Pg 51)
Ans.
• As the empire expanded to encompass different regions the Mughals recruited diverse bodies
of people.
• From a small nucleus of Turkish nobles (Turanis) they expanded to include Iranians, Indian
Muslims, Afghans, Rajputs, Marathas and other groups. • Those who joined Mughal service were
enrolled as mansabdars.

CH 6-TOWNS, TRADERS AND CRAFTSPERSONS

Q1. Why do you think towns grew around temples? (Pg 76, 77)

Ans.

• Temples were often central to the economy and society.

• Rulers built temples and endowed them with grants of land and money to carry out
elaborate rituals, feed pilgrims and priests and celebrate festivals.
• Pilgrims who flocked to the temples also made donations.
• Temple authorities used their wealth to finance trade and banking.
• Gradually a large number of priests, workers, artisans, traders, etc. settled near the temple to
cater to its needs and those of the pilgrims. Thus grew temple towns.
Examples: Bhillasvamin (Bhilsa or Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh), and Somnath in Gujarat. Other
important temple towns included Kanchipuram and Madurai in Tamil Nadu and Tirupati in
Andhra Pradesh.

Q2. How important were craftspersons for the building and maintenance of temples? (Pg 81)

Ans.
• The Panchalas or Vishwakarma community, consisting of goldsmiths,bronze smiths, blacksmiths,
masons and carpenters, were essential to the building of temples. • They were also helpful in the
artwork in copper and silver making idols, designing the walls and the roofs.
• Similarly, weavers such as the Saliyar or Kaikkolars emerged as prosperous communities,
making donations to temples.
Q3. Why did people from distant lands visit Surat? (Pg 84)

Ans.

• Surat in Gujarat was the emporium of western trade during the Mughal period. It was
the gateway for trade with West Asia via the Gulf of Ormuz.
• Surat has also been called the gate to Mecca because many pilgrim ships set sail from here.
• In the seventeenth century the Portuguese, Dutch and English had their factories and
warehouses at Surat.
• The textiles of Surat were famous for their gold lace borders (zari) and had a market in West Asia,
Africa and Europe.
• The state built numerous rest-houses to take care of the needs of people from all over the world
who came to the city.
• There were magnificent buildings and innumerable pleasure parks.

Q4. In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities like
Thanjavur? (Dictate)

Ans.

• Craftspersons in Calcutta were in the hands of the Europeans while in Thanjavur they were
independent.
• In Calcutta craftspersons began to work on the system of advances while in Thanjavur crafts were
developed of interest.
• In Calcutta the craftspersons didn’t have the liberty to sell their own crafts while in
Thanjavur they had.
• In Calcutta they had to reproduce the designs supplied to them by the company agents while
in Thanjavur they were creative.

Extra Question

Q1. Discuss the ‘lost wax’ technique used during the Chola period. (Pg 77)

Ans.
• First, an image was made of wax.
• This was covered with clay and allowed to dry.
• Next it was heated, and a tiny hole was made in the clay cover.
• The molten wax was drained out through this hole.
• Then molten metal was poured into the clay mould through the hole.
• Once the metal cooled and solidified, the clay cover was carefully removed, and the image was
cleaned and polished.
CH 7-TRIBES, NOMADS AND SETTLED COMMUNITIES

Q1. How was the administration of the Ahom state organised? (Pg 99,100)

Ans.
• By the first half of the seventeenth century the administration became quite centralised. • The
Ahom state depended upon forced labour called paiks to work for the state. • Almost all adult males
served in the army during war and at other times, they were engaged in building dams, irrigation
systems and other public works.
• Ahom society was divided into clans or khels.
• The peasant was given land by his village community which the king could not take it away
 without the community’s consent.
Q2. What changes took place in varna-based society? (Pg 96)

Ans.

• Smaller castes, or jatis, emerged within varnas.

• For example, new castes appeared amongst the Brahmanas.
• On the other hand, many tribes and social groups were taken into caste-based society and given
the status of jatis.
• Specialised artisans – smiths, carpenters and masons – were also recognised as separate jatis
by the Brahmanas.
• Jatis, rather than varna, became the basis for organising society.
Q3. How did tribal societies change after being organised into a state? (Pg 98, 100)

Ans. Changes in Gond society

• The emergence of large states changed the nature of Gond society.

• Their basically equal society gradually got divided into unequal social
classes. Brahmanas received land grants from the Gond rajas and became more
influential.
• The Gond chiefs now wished to be recognised as Rajputs.
Changes in Ahom society

• During the first half of the seventeenth century, the influence of Brahmanasincreased.
Temples and Brahmanas were granted land by the king.
• In the reign of Sib Singh (1714-1744), Hinduism became the predominant religion.
Q4. Were the Banjaras important for the economy?
Ans.
• The Banjaras were the most important trader-nomads.
• Sultan Alauddin Khalji used the Banjaras to transport grain to the city markets. • The
Banjaras carried grain on their bullocks from different areas and sold it in towns. They
transported food grain for the Mughal army during military campaigns.
• They bought grain where it was cheaply available and carried it to places where it
was dearer.
Q5. In what ways was the history of the Gonds different from that of the Ahoms? Were there any
similarities? (Dictate)
Ans. Differences

• Gonds lived in a vast forested region called Gondwana while the Ahoms lived in the
Brahmaputra valley.
• Gonds practised shifting agriculture while the Ahoms didn’t.
• Gonds were completely annexed by the Mughal Empire while Ahoms, though defeated by the
Mughals, managed to reclaim their independence.
Similarities

• Both were capable of building large states.

• Both were defeated by the Mughals.
• Both of them granted land to Brahmanas.
• Both had centralised administration.
Extra Questions

Q1. Mention some special features of tribal societies. (Pg 91, 92)

Ans.

• They did not follow the social rules and rituals prescribed by the Brahmanas. ∙ They
were not divided into numerous unequal classes.
• Members of each tribe were united by kinship bonds.
• Tribal people did not keep written records but they preserved rich customs and oral
traditions.

Q2. Write a short note on Rani Durgawati.

Ans.

• Durgawati was the daughter of Salbahan, the Chandel Rajput raja of Mahoba. She
married Dalpat, the prince of Garha Katanga.
• When Dalpat died an early death she started ruling on behalf of her son and expanded the
kingdom.
• She put up a strong resistance when the Mughal forces attacked her kingdom.

CH 10- EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY POLITICAL FORMATIONS

Q1. How were the Sikhs organised in the eighteenth century? (Pg 149)
Ans.
• Under a number of able leaders in the eighteenth century, the Sikhs organised themselves into a
number of bands called jathas, and later on misls.
• Their combined forces were known as the grand army (dal khalsa).
• The entire body used to meet at Amritsar at the time of Baisakhi and Diwali to take
collective decisions known as “resolutions of the Guru (gurmatas).”
• Their well-knit organisation enabled them to put up a successful resistance to the Mughal
governors first and then to Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Q2. What were the policies adopted by Asaf Jah to strengthen his position? (Pg 143)
Ans.
• Asaf Jah already had full control over its political and financial administration.
• Taking advantage of the turmoil in the Deccan and the competition amongst the court nobility, he
gathered power in his hands and became the actual ruler of that region.
• Asaf Jah brought skilled soldiers and administrators from northern India who welcomed the new
opportunities in the south.
• He appointed mansabdars and granted jagirs.
• Although he was still a servant of the Mughal emperor, he ruled quite independently
without seeking any direction from Delhi or facing any interference.

Extra Questions

Q1. Discuss the causes for the decline of Mughal rule. (Pg 139,140)

Ans.
• Emperor Aurangzeb had depleted the military and financial resources of his empire by
 fighting a long war in the Deccan.
• Under his successors, the efficiency of the imperial administration broke down. • It became
increasingly difficult for the later Mughal emperors to keep a check on their powerful
mansabdars.
• As the governors consolidated their control over the provinces, the periodic remission of
revenue to the capital declined.
• Peasant and zamindari rebellions in many parts of northern and western India added to these
problems.
• The Mughal emperors after Aurangzeb were unable to arrest the gradual shifting of political and
economic authority into the hands of provincial governors, local chieftains and other groups.

Q2. How can the states of the eighteenth century be divided? (Pg 142)

Ans. Broadly speaking the states of the eighteenth century can be divided into three
overlapping groups:
• States that were old Mughal provinces like Awadh, Bengal and Hyderabad. Although extremely
powerful and quite independent these states did not break their formal ties with the Mughal
emperor.
• States that had enjoyed considerable independence under the Mughals as watan jagirs. These
included several Rajput principalities.
• The last group included states under the control of Marathas,Sikhs and others like the Jat.
Q3. What did Burhan -ul- Mulk do to consolidate his position in Awadh?
Ans.

• Burhan-ul-Mulk tried to decrease Mughal influence in the Awadh region by reducing the
number of office holders (jagirdars) appointed by the Mughals.
• He also reduced the size of jagirs, and appointed his own loyal servants to vacant positions. • The
accounts of jagirdars were checked to prevent cheating and the revenues of all districts were
reassessed by officials appointed by the Nawab’s court.
• He seized a number of Rajput zamindars and the agriculturally fertile lands of the Afghans of
Rohilkhand.

________________________________________________________________________________

Geography
CH 5-Water
Q1. What is the water cycle? Explain the water cycle with the help of a labelled diagram. (Pg 30)
Ans.
• The process by which water continually changes its form and circulates between oceans,
atmosphere and land is known as the water cycle.
• The sun’s heat causes evaporation of water, flowing down to the stream or drains into water
vapour.
• When the water vapour cools down, it condenses and forms clouds. These clouds, when they
become too heavy to float, start falling on the land or sea in the form of rain, snow, or sleet.
 Fig: Water Cycle Diagram
Q2. What are tides and how are they caused? (Pg 35, 36)
Ans.
• The rhythmic rise and fall of ocean water twice in a day is called a tide.
• It is high tide when water covers much of the shore by rising to its highest level. •
It is low tide when water falls to its lowest level and recedes from the shore.
• The strong gravitational pull exerted by the sun and the moon on the earth’s surface causes the tides.

Fig: A Tide Diagram

Q3. What are spring tides and neap tides? (Pg 36)
Ans. Spring Tides:
• The water of the earth closer to the moon gets pulled under the influence of the moon’s
gravitational force and causes high tides.
• During the full moon and new moon days, the sun,the moon, and the earth are in the same line so
tides are at their highest. These tides are called spring tides.
Neap Tides:
• When the moon is in its first and last quarter, the ocean waters get drawn diagonally opposite
directions by the gravitational pull of the sun and earth resulting in low tides. These tides
are called neap tides.
 Fig: Diagram of Spring Tide and Neap Tide
Q5. Mention the uses of high tides. (Pg 36)
Ans.
• High tides help in navigation. They raise the level of water close to the shores. This helps the ships
to arrive at the harbour more easily.
• High tides help in fishing. Many fish come closer to the shore during high tides which makes fishing
easier for fishermen.
• High tides are being used in some places to generate electricity.
Q6. What are ocean currents? (Pg 36)
Ans.
• Ocean currents are streams of water flowing constantly on the ocean surface in definite
directions. These currents can be warm or cold.
• The warm ocean currents generally originate near the equator and move toward the poles. The
Gulf Stream is the warm current.
• The cold current carries water from higher latitudes to lower latitudes.
The Labrador Ocean current is the cold ocean current.
Q7. Give reasons:
1. Ocean water is salty.
Ans. It is so because of the large amount of dissolved salt that is present in the ocean. Most of
the salt is sodium chloride or the common table salt that we eat.
2. The quality of water is deteriorating.
Ans. Water quality is deteriorating because of pesticides, toxic wastes, rubbish, decayed
organic materials and chemicals.

CH 7- Human environment – Settlement, transport and communication.

Q1.Trace the era of human development leading to the formation of settlements. (Dictate)

Ans.
• As men started growing crops, it became necessary to have a permanent home.
• The settlements grew near the river valleys as water was available and land was fertile. Gradually
men tried to organise their life through various discoveries like fire, metal, wheel, agriculture
etc. and developed the art of community living.
• With the development of trade, commerce and manufacturing, human settlements also
increased in size. Today there are many types of settlements.
Q2.What is a rural settlement? Explain its types. (Dictate)
Ans.
 • Rural settlements are areas including villages that have limited facilities for education,
health care, transport and communication and markets etc.
• Rural settlements are primarily of four types –
o Compact/ nucleated settlement in which houses are closely built with a market area or
a crossroad as the nucleus.
o Scattered settlement has houses scattered over a large area. This type is mostly seen
in forested, mountainous or desert regions.
o Linear settlements develop along a road, railway track or canal. It is a common pattern
in rural India.
o Radial settlement develops when streets radiate from a common point in all
directions.
Q3. What do you understand about roadways? Mention its merits. (Dictate)
Ans.
The oldest and most commonly used means of transport for short distances are roads. They can
be metalled or unmetalled and have an advantage over other means for following reasons:
• They connect places on a door-to-door basis.
• Roads are relatively easy to construct and maintain.
• They can be laid in deserts, mountainous regions, forests etc.
4. Write briefly on railways enlisting its merits. (Dictate)
Ans.
• The railways carry heavy goods and large numbers of people over long distances quickly and
cheaply.
• In the beginning, steam engines were manufactured which then gave way to diesel and
electric engines.
• In some places superfast trains have made journeys short, fast and comfortable. • The longest
railway of the world is Trans- Siberian Railway which connects St. Petersburgto Vladivostok in
Russia.
5. Explain the different types of waterways. Mention its drawbacks. (Dictate)
Ans.
• Waterways are the oldest and the cheapest means for transporting heavy goods over long
distances.
• Waterways are divided into two types:
o Inland waterways that include navigable rivers, lakes and artificial canals. E.g. The lowerNile
(Egypt) and The Ganga-Brahmaputra river (India and Bangladesh).
o Ocean Transport is the cheapest way to export and import heavy goods. E.g. The Suez
Canal and the Panama C anal are the busiest waterways of the world.
o The main disadvantages of this means of transport are that it is a very slow means
of transport and takes a very long time.
Moreover, it is best suited to connect places only in the coastal areas.
Q6. Give reasons:
1. Today’s world is shrinking. (Dictate)
Ans.
• It implies that the advancement of transport, technology and communication has made it easier
to reach out to everyone and everything from across the world.
• Newspapers, radio and television have connected the whole world into one.
• Satellites have not only made the mass media faster but have also helped in oil exploration,
survey of forest, underground water, mineral wealth ,weather forecast and disaster warning.
• Emails and cell phones have become a necessity today.
 • The Internet provides us with worldwide information and interaction along with making our
lives more comfortable.
• We can reserve tickets for airways, railways, hotels and cinemas sitting at home. • With this kind
of inter connectivity of people, services and institutions-the world is a large global society.

CH 10- Life in the deserts

Q1. Write a note on the location of the Sahara desert. (Dictate)
Ans.
• The Sahara desert is the largest desert in the world occupying 11 countries in the northern part
of Africa.
• It extends from the Atlantic coast in the west to the Red Sea in the east.
• The river Niger flows along the west and the river Nile flows along the east of the Sahara
desert.
• The desert varies between highlands, plains, plateaus and basin.
• It is a waterless wasteland with Lake Chad as the only freshwater lake on the southern
border of the Sahara desert.
Q2. Write a brief note on the climate and flora and fauna of the Sahara Desert. (Pg 72, 73)
Ans. Climate of Sahara Desert:
• The climate of Sahara is scorching hot and parched dry with temperatures as high as 50° C. •
The nights are freezing cold with the temperature nearing zero degrees.
• The rainy season is short.
• Days are extremely hot but the nights may be freezing cold with temperature nearing zero degrees. •
Flora:The Sahara desert has vegetation such as cactus, date palms and acacia. In some places there are
oases where one can see green islands with date palms.
• Fauna:The animals found in the Sahara desert are camels, hyenas, jackals, foxes, scorpions, several
varieties of snakes and lizards.

Q3. Give a brief description about the location and climate of the cold desert Ladakh. (Pg
74) Ans.
• Ladakh lies in the Great Himalayas, on the eastern side of Jammu and Kashmir. • The Karakoram
Range in the north and the Zanskar range in the south enclose it. • Among the several rivers and
glaciers passing through it, Indus is the most important river. Due to its high altitude, the climate
of Ladakh is extremely cold and dry.
• The area experiences freezing winds and burning hot sunlight. There is little rainfall.
Q4. Describe the natural vegetation and wildlife of Ladakh. (Pg 75)
Ans.
• Ladakh has a very cold climate with rocky and uneven terrain. It is a dry desert with a severe
climate with low temperatures. Due to these factors, there is a limited amount of vegetation
here. There are certain types of willow groves, wild roses, and herbs. There are a number of
herbs and perennial and annual shrubs.
• The important animals found here are yak , goats, wild sheep, provide milk, meat and hides.
The main bird species are robins,snowcoks, ravens etc. some of them are migratory birds.
Q5. Write a note on the life of the people of Ladakh. (Dictate)
Ans.
• The people here are either Muslims or Buddhists.
• Many Buddhist monasteries dot the Ladakhi landscape with their traditional gompas. Some of the
famous monasteries are Hemis, Thiksey, Shey and Lamayuru.
• The people of Ladakh have over centuries learnt to live in harmony with nature. Due to the scarcity of
resources, they understand their value and conserve them.
 • In the summer people are busy cultivating barley, potatoes, beans, peas and turnips. •
The women are very hard-working.
Q6. Give an account of the life and economic activities of the people in the Sahara Desert. (Dictate)
Ans.
• The Sahara has very low population density. Majority of the population are nomads who
move from place to place in groups. Bedouins and Tuaregs are the two major tribal groups
in the Sahara.They raise sheep, goats and camels. Some people raise crops like rice on
irrigated land. They eat rice and meat of camels and sheep. The discovery of minerals,
particularly oil and natural gas, has led to economic development in the region.
• The oasis in the Sahara and the Nile Valley in Egypt supports a settled population. Since water
is available, the people grow date palms. Crops such as rice, wheat, barley and beans are
also grown. Egyptian cotton, famous worldwide, is grown in Egypt.
Q7. Give reasons: (Dictate)
1. There is scanty vegetation in the desert.
Ans. There is scanty vegetation in the desert because of the unfavourable climatic conditions for the
growth of vegetation. The deserts are arid regions with extremely harsh climate – either too hot as fire
or too cold as ice with low rainfall which is not suitable for any vegetation to grow. 2. People of the
Sahara Desert wear heavy robes.
Ans. The dust storms and hot winds frequently occur in the Sahara desert. In order to protect
themselves, the people of the Sahara desert wear heavy robes.

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Civics
Term 2
CH 5- Women Change the World

Q1. How do you think stereotypes about women can or cannot affect women’s right to equality?
(Pg 57)
Ans.
• Rigorous social conditioning has enforced the stereotype that women are considered inferior to men.
• It is a prevalent belief that women do not have the technical mind to be engineers and scientists and
that they are only fit for professions like teaching and nursing.
• This stereotype about which profession they can or cannot pursue hinders the fight for women’s
equality. It is also a reason why they are paid less than their male counterparts.
Q2. List one reason why learning the alphabet was so important to women like Rashsundari Devi,
Ramabai and Rokeya. (Dictate)
Ans.

• In olden days, education for women was prohibited because society felt that it was
dangerous to moral development and family life.
• Hence, learning the alphabet became important to women such as Rassundari Devi,
Ramabai and Rokeya.
• After learning the alphabet, they could achieve their goals, fulfil their dreams and
contribute to society.
• Rashsundari Devi wrote ‘Amar Jiban’, the first autobiography written by an Indianwoman. Ramabai
set up a mission in Khedgaon, Pune, where widows and poor women were taught a variety of
skills, from carpentry to running a printing press.
• Rokeya started a school for girls in Kolkata in 1910 and thus helped other girls to get an
 education.

Q3. “Poor girls drop out of school because they are not interested in getting an education.” Explain
why this statement is not true. (Pg 62, 63)
Ans.
• There are several reasons why children from Dalit, Adivasi and Muslimcommunities leave school. •
In many parts of the country, especially in rural and poor areas, there may not even be proper
schools nor teachers who teach on a regular basis.
• If a school is not close to people’s homes, and there is no transport like buses or vans,
parents may not be willing to send their girls to school.
• Many families are too poor and unable to bear the cost of educating all their children.Boys
may get preference in this situation.
• Many children also leave school because they are discriminated against by their teacher and
classmates.

Q3. Describe two methods of struggle that the women’s movement used, to raise issues? (Pg 64, 65)
Ans. Women chose many ways to show their resentment against the stereotype during the
women’s movement. Two of them are:
a. Campaigning:
• This is a very important part of the women’s movement through which women fought
against discrimination and violence.
• These campaigns have also led to new laws being passed. E.g. In 2006 a law was passed to give
women legal protection from domestic violence.
• In the similar way in the 1980s with the help of different campaigns dowry laws were changed to
punish families who seek dowry.
b. Raising Awareness:
• An important part of the women’s movements’ work is to raise public awareness on
women’s rights issues.
• To raise awareness on any issue they spread their message through street plays, songs and public
meetings.

Extra question

Q1. Who wrote the story of Sultana’s dream? What is the story all about? (Pg60)

Ans.
• In 1905 Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain wrote a remarkable story titled Sultana’s Dream. • In this story
she imagined a character named Sultana who reached a place called Ladyland.Ladyland was a
place where women had freedom to study, work and create inventions like controlling rain from
the clouds and flying air cars.
• In this Ladyland, the men had been sent into seclusion- their aggressive guns and other
weapons of war defeated by the brain power of women.
• As Sultana travels in Ladyland with Sister Sarah, she awakes to realise that she was only
dreaming.

CH-6 Understanding Media

Q1. In what ways does the media play an important role in a democracy? (Dictate)

Ans. Media plays an important role in democracy, as it provides news and discusses events
taking place around the country and all over the world. It also acts as a watchdog to the
conduct of the government by:
• Criticising the unpopular policies and programs that the government undertakes. •
Highlighting and even to a certain extent, influencing public opinion.
• Acknowledging several current issues.
• Spreading awareness among the general masses.

Q2. What do you understand about the link between media and big business? (Dictate)

Ans.
• Most of the media (Newspapers, magazines, news channels) are owned by big business houses. e.g.,
Hindustan Times by Birla group.
• Big business houses finance the media in a big way.
• They pay heavy amounts to the media for their advertisements.
• They provide political, financial, social, and moral support.
• In return, the media propagates its policies and programmes.
• They publish and advertise their products.
Q3. You have read about the ways in which the media ‘sets the agenda’. What kind of effect does this
have in a democracy? Provide two examples to support your point of view. (Dictate)
Ans. Media “setting an agenda” has an impact on democracy.
• By focusing on a particular issue the media influences our thoughts and feelings. • It brings the core
issues to light and sometimes even helps get justice for people. • By setting an agenda, the media
creates awareness about certain wrongs or the illegal activities happening in the society and makes the
government take action.
• Sometimes due to government pressure or due to the influence of big business houses, the balance
may not come out.
For example: During and after the Commonwealth games media focused on the corruption in giving
out the projects, more recently the “Coalgate” issue.
Bring to light the amount of money secretly stashed in Swiss banks.
EXTRA QUESTIONS

Q1. What do you mean by an independent media? Why is it important for the media to be independent?
(Dictate)
Ans.
• An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage of news. • No one
should tell the media what can be included and what should not be included in a news story. • It means
that the media should not be under any one’s pressure. It will be totally independent. • An independent
media is very important because it is on the basis of the information that the media
provides that we take action as citizens. Hence, it is essential that this information is reliable. It
should be biased at all.

Q2. Explain different types of media with the help of a flow chart. (Dictate)
Ans. Different types of media are:
 CH-8 Markets Around Us

Q1. In what ways is a hawker different from a shop owner? (Dictate)

Ans. Hawker:
• Hawkers generally sell non-branded items.
• Hawkers do not have permanent shops.
• They sell the products at cheaper prices.
Shop owners:
• Shop owners sell branded as well as non-branded products.
• They have permanent shops.
• The products sold by them are comparatively costly.
Q2. Explain how a chain market is formed. What purpose does it serve? (Dictate)
Ans.
• Goods are produced in factories or farms.
• Wholesalers then buy the goods from the producers in bulk.
• They then sell the goods to retailers and hawkers.
• Retailers and hawkers sell the goods to customers.
• Thus from factories to consumers a chain market is formed.
• Purpose of the chain markets:
• The chain market works like a system where people work on different stages without
interfering into others areas.
• A producer needs to sell his produce in large quantities which will not be possible for a retailer
or for the customer as they don’t need such a big quantity of the products. Whereas, the
wholesaler needs customers and retailers to sell his produce as he cannot earn profits
without them. So, this whole chain is required to link the producers and the customers.

Q3. ‘All persons have equal rights to visit any shop in a marketplace.’ Do you think this is true of
shops with expensive products? Explain with examples. (Dictate)
Ans.
• It is true that all persons have equal rights to visit any shop in the marketplace. But this is not true
of shops with expensive products. It is because of the following:
• People with high incomes can buy expensive products. Hence, these people go to the shops with
expensive products and not the poor or people with low income.
 • The low-income group people visit the shops or weekly markets to buy goods as these goods are
available at cheaper rates.
Examples:
People with high income buy green vegetables from multiplexes or malls while poor people
purchase green vegetables from small vegetable sellers or from hawkers.
Q4. ‘Buying and selling can take place without going to a marketplace.’ Explain this statement with the
help of examples. (Dictate)
Ans.
• In today’s time when technology has become very advanced and we are able to communicate with
our friends and relatives staying far away from us within minutes, the same technology has
affected marketing to a great extent.
• Now-a-days, if we need to buy something we have many internet sites through which we can
place an order while sitting at home and the product reaches us at our door steps. E.g.
Flipkart, Snapdeal, and Amazon etc.
• Even food can be purchased online through Swiggy and Zomato etc.
• In the same way banking, swipe machines and electronic wallets have made these online
services easier.
• The increasing demand of online customers is attracting many big companies like LG, Bajaj etc.
to sell their products online.
EXTRA QUESTIONS
Q1. Why are goods sold in permanent shops costlier than those sold in the weekly markets or by
roadside hawkers? (Dictate)
Ans.
• The goods in permanent shops are costlier as:
• The shopkeeper keeps a big and permanent shop instead of a small and temporary shop which
includes many expenses such as electricity bill, rent for the shop, maintenance of the shop, taxes
etc.
• The permanent shops appoint many employees and to give them a salary they need to charge
extra from the customer for the products.
Q2. Write a short note on ‘Market and Equality’. (Dictate)
Ans.
• Equality does not exist in the market at any level.
• The big business houses earn bigger profits than the small businessmen as customers prefer to buy
branded products.
• If we think on the customer’s level, inequality exists there also.
• A person with low income cannot go to the showrooms and buy costly products as it is beyond his
budget whereas the rich customer will only go to branded showrooms instead of the local shops
which again creates inequality.