NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 1 Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 1 Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years Social Science

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Chapter 1 Tracing Changes Through A Thousand Years NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History

Let’s Recall

1. Who was considered a "foreigner" in the past? 

Solution

• Any stranger who did not belong to a certain society or culture and was not a part of that particular village in medieval times was regarded as a foreigner.

• For example, a city dweller, might view a forest-dweller as a foreigner because they have different religious or caste backgrounds but if two persons are from the same village they are not foreigners, even though they have different backgrounds.

2. State whether true or false

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

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

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

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

Solution

(a) False

(b) True

(c) True

(d) False

3. Fill in the blanks

(a) Archives are places where ______ are kept.

(b) ______was a fourteenth-century chronicler.

(c) ______, ______, ______, ______ and ______ were some of the new crops introduced into the subcontinent during this period. 

Solution

(a) manuscripts

(b) Ziyauddin Barani

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

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

Solution

The technological changes associated with this period are:

• The Persian wheel for irrigation.

• The spinning wheel in weaving.

• Firearms in combat.

5. What were some of the major religious developments period of 700 to 1750? 

Solution

The major religious developments during this period:

• Important changes happened in Hinduism in which new deities were worshipped.

• Hindus started the construction of temples by royalty.

• The growing importance of Brahmanas, the priests, as dominant groups in society due to their knowledge of Sanskrit language. 

• There was also the emergence of the idea of bhakti i.e. of a loving, personal deity.

• One of the major developments was the emergence of the idea of bhakti- of a loving, personal deity that devotees could reach without the aid of priests or elaborate rituals.

• The merchants and migrants brought with them the teachings of Quran, the holy book of Muslims.

Let’s Understand

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

Solution

• The term ‘Hindustan’ was used for the first time by Minhaj-i Siraj, a thirteenth century Persian chronicler. He with this term meant the areas of Punjab, Haryana and the lands between the Ganga and Yamuna. It was used in a political sense for lands constituting a part of the dominions of the Delhi Sultan.

• During the 14th century, the term ‘Hind’ was used by Amir Khusrau to refer to the culture and people of the Indus river.

• Though, in the early 16th century, Babar used the term ‘Hindustan’ to describe the culture, geography and fauna of the inhabitants of the sub-continent.

7. How were the affairs of jatis regulated?

Solution

• Jatis were the sub-castes which were grouped on the basis of economic and social status.

• The affairs of jatis were regulated by an assembly of elders which is also known as jati panchayat in some areas.

• Jatis framed their own rules and regulations to manage the conduct of their members.

• Jatis were also required to follow the rules of their villages governed by a chieftain.

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

Solution

The empires which spanned diverse regions and were expanded to a larger area or regions like dynasties of Cholas, Khaljis, Tughluqs, and Mughals are known as pan-regional empires.

Let’s Discuss 

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

Solution

Difficulties faced by historians in using manuscripts:

• During the Middle Ages, scribes copied manuscripts by hand which was difficult to read and understand.

• While copying, scribes also introduced small changes in a word or sentence which have grown over centuries of copying.

• The author often relied on the work of later scribes and copies of their original manuscripts are sometimes hard to find today.

• Historians interpreted the facts based on historical manuscripts that they obtained. They found a number of facts with different interpretations in history.

10. How do historians divide the past into periods? Do they face any problems in doing so?

Solution

• Historians divide the past into periods on the basis of economic and social factors to characterize the major elements of different moments of the past:

• The historians struggled with the challenges of writing about social and economic, organisation, persistence and transformation of ideas and beliefs. Therefore, describing the entire period as one historical unit is not without its problems.

• "Modernity" also comes with material progress and intellectual advancement.

• The study of time is made somewhat easier by dividing the past into large segments periods which possess shared characteristics.