NCERT Solutions For Class 6 History Social Science Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food

NCERT Solutions For Class 6 History Social Science Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food

NCERT Question And Answers

Question 1. What do we use fire for today?
Answer:

Today, we use fire for the following purposes

1. to cook food.
2. as a source of light.
3.  as a source of heat in the winter season.
4. to generate heat in industries, mills, etc.

Question 2. What do you think the term Neolithic means?
Answer:

The term Neolithic means a New Stone Age as new advanced tools were built during this period. It began about 10,000 years ago.

Question 3. Can you think of any reasons why the dog was perhaps the first animal to be tamed?
Answer:

The following could be the possible reasons that the dog was the first animal to be tamed

• Dogs could help the earliest people in hunting.
• They could help in providing safety and security to humans and their food from wild animals.
• These were more loyal as compared to other wild animals.
• Under extreme weather conditions, dogs could be eaten as food.

Question 4. Look at these two sets of teeth. Which do you think belongs to a wild pig and which to a domesticated one?

Answer:

• The set on the right should be of the wild pig because of its large size and sharp teeth used to hunt and tear meat. They have to grind up tough food.
• The smaller set of teeth is of a domesticated pig. They don’t need sharp teeth as they are provided with fodder. They don’t need to hunt.

Question 5. Do you think hunter-gatherers would have made and used pots? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:

• I think hunter-gatherers would not have made and used pots because they were food gatherers, not food producers. They did not store any food.
• They did not have large quantities of grains as a produce from agriculture. They did not make or use any pot or basket to store grains.

Question 6. Apart from food, what are the other things that could have been obtained from animals? What are animals used for today?
Answer:

• Apart from food, animals provide us with the following valuable resources
• Clothing and Textiles Animals like sheep, goats and camels provide us with wool, fur and leather, which are used for making clothes and shoes.
• Transportation In the past, animals like horses, camels and elephants were widely used for transportation and carrying goods. Even today, animals play a crucial role in transportation in many rural areas.

Question 7. You lived in a rock shelter about 12,000 years ago. Your uncle is painting one of the inner walls of the cave and you want to help him. Will you mix the colours, draw the lines, and fill in the colours? What are the stories he might tell you?
Answer:

• As a young kid living in a rock shelter 12,000 years ago, I would eagerly help my uncle to paint the cave walls.
• I would mix the colours using natural colours around me, and charcoal. Together, we would fill the colours, and decorate our home which is caves.
• My uncle would share stories of our ancestors, of their bravery in hunting, and their deep connection to nature. He would paint scenes of hunts and celebrations.

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Exercises

Question 1. Complete the sentences.

1. Hunter-gatherers chose to live in caves and rock shelters because
2. Grasslands developed around years ago.

Answer:

1.  they wanted to protect themselves from wild animals and bad weather.
2. 12,000

Question 2. Why do people who grow crops have to stay in the same place for a long time?
Answer:

• People who grow crops have to stay in the same place for a long time because the crops take time to grow and require proper maintenance.
• It requires constant watering, weeding and driving away animals and birds until the grain fully grows. Then, the grain has to be used carefully.

Question 3. Why do archaeologists think that many people who lived in Mehrgarh were hunters to start with and that herding became more important later?
Answer:

• Archaeologists think that the people of Mehrgarh were hunters first because of the following evidence found
• The presence of animal bones of hunted animals in the lower levels of the Mehrgarh site. These bones include deer, pig and gazelle.
• The presence of domesticated animal bones in the upper levels of the Mehrgarh site. Domesticated animal bones, such as sheep, goats and cattle, only appear in the upper levels of the site.

Question 4. Why did the hunter-gatherers travel from place to place? In what ways are these similar to/different from the reasons for which we travel today?
Answer:

• Hunter-gatherers travelled from one place to another because of the following reasons
• They travelled from one place to another in search of food.
• Sometimes they followed the animals who were also moving from place to place in search of their food.
• They moved from season to season in search of different seasonal plants.
• Sometimes they moved in search of sources of water for their survival.
• The movement of hunter-gatherers was totally based on their basic needs, mainly food and water.
• This is quite different from the reasons for which we travel today. Now we generally travel for official responsibility, to explore new lands or for personal reasons.
• We are not travelling in search of food. But poor sections of our society are often migrating in search of their livelihood, which can be described as in search of food also.

Question 5. List three ways in which hunter-gatherers used fire. Would you use fire for any of these purposes today?
Answer:

The hunter-gatherers used fire for purposes like

• as a source of light
• to cook meat
• to scare wild animals
• Yes, fire is still in use as a source of light in villages and as well as in cooking food.

Question 6. List three ways in which the lives of farmers and herders would have been different from those of hunter-gatherers.
Answer:

• The three ways in which the lives of farmer/herders and hunter-gatherers would have been different from that of hunter-gatherers are as follows
• Hunter-gatherers depended on the meat of wild animals whereas farmers and herders cultivated plants, crops and cattle.
• Hunter-gatherers did not have any settled life whereas farmers and herders gradually settled in huts, pit-houses, etc.
• Hunter-gatherers kept travelling from place to place whereas farmers had to live at the same place for longer periods of time to take care of their crops.

Question 7. List the cereals that you eat. Do you grow the cereals you eat? If yes, draw a chart to show the stages of growing them. If not, draw a chart to show how these cereals reach you from the farmers who grow them.
Answer:

The three cereals that I eat are wheat, rice and pulse.

No, I do not grow these cereals but they reached me via different stages and these are

Farmers → Large buyers (wholesalers) → Small buyers (Retailers) Customer (me)

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Multiple Choice Question And Answers (MCQs)

Question 1. The hunter-gatherers lived in the sub-continent as early as

1. 1 million years ago
2. 2 million years ago
3. 3 million years ago
4. 4 million years ago

Answer: 2. 2 million years ago

Question 2. Which among the following types of tools have survived best?

1. Stone tools
2. Wood tools
3. Bone tools
4. None of these

Answer: 1. Stone tools

Question 3. What were the handles attached to some tools made of?

1. Stone
2. Cloths
3. Bones
4. Plastic

Answer: 3. Bones

Question 4. The evidence of hunter-gatherers has been collected from which of the following sites?

1. Kurnool caves
2. Hunsgi
3. Both (1) and (2)
4. None of these

Answer: 3. Both (1) and (2)

Question 5. Most of the sites where the earliest people lived were located near the

1. rivers
2. lakes
3. Seas
4. All of these

Answer: 4. All of these

Question 6. Traces of ash have been found in

1. Hunsgi
2. Mumbai
3. Kurnool
4. Bhimbetka

Answer: 4. Bhimbetka

Question 7. In which period, the major changes in the climate of the world had been noticed?

1. Palaeolithic
2. Neolithic
3. Mesolithic
4. Microlithic

Answer: 3. Mesolithic

Question 8. Stone tools found during the Mesolithic period are called

1. microliths
2. spears
3. arrows
4. None of these

Answer: 1. microliths

Question 9. Name the first animal to be tamed.

1. Horse
2. Cow
3. Dog
4. Elephant

Answer: 3. Dog

Question 10. Which of the following is not a way of storing food grains in the past?

1. Large boxes
2. Woven baskets
3. Pits in the ground
4. Clay pots

Answer: 1. Large boxes

Question 11. How did early people become farmers?

1. Due to climate change.
2. Due to changes in plants and animals.
3. By observing stages of plants.
4. They began to settle and take care of plants.

Answer: 4. They began to settle and take care of plants.

Question 12. The evidence of pit houses recovered from which of the sites?

1. Daojali Hading
2. Mehrgarh
3. Burzahom
4. Koldihwa

Answer: 3. Burzahom

Question 13. Which of the following sites was known for fertile land?

1. Burzahom
2. Koldihwa
3. Mehrgarh
4. Mahagara

Answer: 3. Mehrgarh

Question 14. Read the following statements and identify the site.

1. In this site, pit-houses were built.
2. On this site, there were cooking hearths both inside and outside the huts.

Codes:

1. Mehrgarh
2. Burzahom
3. Brahmagiri
4. Hunsgi

Answer: 2. Mehrgarh

Question 15. Read the following statements and select the correct Option.

1. Tools made of stone, wood and bone were used during earlier periods.
2. Apart from firewood, wood was also used for making huts and tools.

Codes:

1. Only 1
2. Only 2
3. Both 1 and 2
4. None of these

Answer: 3. Both 1 and 2

Question 16. Read the following statements and choose the correct option. Competency-Based

1. Burzahom is located near the Bolan Pass. –
2. The Middle Stone Age is called Mesolithic.
3. Tiny stone tools are called Microliths.

Codes:

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 3
3. 1, 2, 3
4. only 3

Answer: 2. 2 and 3

Question 17. Arrange the following according to chronological order.

1. Palaeolithic
2. Neolithic
3. Mesolithic

Codes:

1. 1, 3, 2
2. 1, 2, 3
3. 3, 2, 1
4. 3, 1, 2

Answer: 1. 1, 3, 2

Question 18. Arrange the following sites from West to East and choose the correct option.

1. Bhimbetka
2. Mehrgarh
3. Koldihawa
4. Chirand

Codes:

1. 1, 2, 3, 4
2. 3, 2, 1, 4
3. 2, 3, 1, 4
4. 4, 1, 2, 3

Answer: 3. 2, 3, 1, 4

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Match the Following

Question 1. 

Codes:

• A  B  C  D

1.  3  4  2  1
2.  2  3  1  4
3. 3   4  1  2
4.  3  2  4  1

Answer: 4.  3 2 4 1

Question 2. 

Codes:

• A   B   C    D

1.  3   4   2   1
2.  2   3   1   4
3.  3   4   1   2
4.  3   2    4  1

Answer:  1.  3  4  2  1

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Assertion Reason Question And Answers

Question 1. Assertion (A) The Hunter-gatherer’s name comes from the way in which they got their food.

Reason (R) Hunter-gatherers generally hunted wild animals and caught fish and birds.

Codes:

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
2. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
3. A is true, but R is false
4. A is false, but R is true

Answer: 1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

Question 2. Assertion (A) The Mesolithic age was followed by the Neolithic age.

Reason (R) Neolithic age consisted of large stone tools.

Codes:

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
2. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
3. A is true, but R is false
4. A is false, but R is true

Answer: 2. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Fill in the Blanks

Question 1. The hunter-gatherers got their food from ________ wild animals.
Answer: Hunting

Question 2. Caves paintings on the walls were found in ________ and Madhya Pradesh.
Answer: Uttar Pradesh

Question 3. The discovery of crops grown by early man is linked to the finding of ________
Answer: Burnt Grains

Question 4. The dead person was buried with ________
Answer: Goat

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food True/False

Question 1. Grains such as wheat and rice grew naturally.
Answer: True

Question 2. In the past, colours were made from the blood of animals.
Answer: False

Question 3. The change in climate started around 2 million years ago.
Answer: False

Question 4. The Neolithic period started around 10,000 BC.
Answer: True

Question 5. Domesticated animals were used for milk and meat.
Answer: True

Question 6. Burzahom is in present-day Rajasthan.
Answer: False

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Picture Based Question And Answers

Question 1. Look at the picture given below and answer the question that follows.

Which of the following statements about the image is Incorrect?

1. It was found in Mehrgarh.
2. It remains only square houses.
3. Each house has four or more compartments.
4. Some compartments may have been used as storage.

Answer: 2. It remains only square houses

Question 2. Make a list of what these tools given below were used for and try and decide which of these tasks could be performed using a natural pebble. Give reasons for your answer.

Answer:

1. The tools (A) were used for grinding the grains and making of tools.
2. The tool (B) was used for cutting meat and chopping fruits.
3. The tools (C) were used for digging soil.
4. The tools (D) were used for hunting animals.
5. The tools (E) were natural pebbles which were also used for grinding grains.

Question 3. Answer the questions based on the picture given below

Question 1. Where are the above sites located?
Answer:

These sites are located in Bhimbetka.

Question 2. Bhimbetka is located in which state?
Answer:

Bhimbetka is located in Madhya Pradesh.

Question 3. Which valley is closer to these rock shelters?
Answer:

The Narmada Valley is close to these rock shelters.

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Case Based Question And Answers

Question 1. Read the passage given below and answer the following questions that follow.

• Around 12.000 years ago. there were major changes in the climate of the world, with a shift to relatively warm conditions. In many areas, this led to the development of grasslands. This in turn led to an increase in the number of deer, antelope, goats, sheep and cattle, i.e., animals that survived on grass.
• Those who hunted these animals now followed them, learning about their food habits and their breeding seasons. It is likely that this helped people to start thinking about herding and rearing these animals themselves. Fishing also became important.
• This was also a time when several grain-bearing grasses, including wheat, barley and rice grew naturally in different parts of the sub-continent. Men, women and children probably collected these grains as food, and learnt where they grew, and when they ripened. This may have led them to think about growing plants on their own. In this way, people became farmers.
• People could also attract and then tame animals by leaving food for them near their shelters. The first animal to be tamed was the wild ancestor of the dog. Later, people encouraged animals that were relatively gentle to come near the camps where they lived.
• These animals such as sheep, goats, cattle and also the pigs lived in herds, and most of them ate grass. Often people protected these animals from attacks by other wild animals. This is how they became herders.

Question 1. The environmental changes around 12,000 years ago led to which of the following changes?

1. Rise in temperature
2. Increase in number of deer, antelope, etc.
3. Development of grasslands
4. All of the above

Answer: 4. All of the above

Question 2. What is understood about the transition from hunting to herding rearing animals?

1. It happened abruptly.
2. It had no connection to climate change.
3. It only occurred in specific regions.
4. It was a gradual process influenced by learning about animals.

Answer: 4. It was a gradual process influenced by learning about animals.

Question 3. What is suggested about people who hunted grass-eating animals?

1. They stopped hunting altogether.
2. They continued hunting but for different animals.
3. They started learning about the food habits and breeding seasons of these animals.
4. They abandoned hunting for fishing.

Answer: 3. They started learning about the food habits and breeding seasons of these animals.

Question 4. During the mentioned time, what grain-bearing grasses naturally grew in different parts of the subcontinent?

1. Corn and sorghum
2. Wheat, barley and rice
3. Oats and rice
4. Millet and Quinoa

Answer: 1. Corn and sorghum

2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.

• Archaeologists have found traces of huts or houses at some sites. For instance, in Burzahom (in present-day Kashmir) people built pit houses, which were dug into the ground, with steps leading into them. These may have provided shelter in cold weather. Archaeologists have also found cooking hearths both inside and outside the huts, which suggests that, depending on the weather, people could cook food either indoors or outdoors.
• Stone tools have been found on many sites as well. Many of these are different from the earlier Palaeolithic tools and that is why they are called Neolithic. These include tools that were polished to give a fine cutting edge, and mortars and pestles used for grinding grain and other plant produce. Mortars and pestles are used for grinding grain even today, several thousand years later. At the same time, tools of the Palaeolithic types continued to be made and used, and remember, some tools were also made of bone.
• Many kinds of earthen pots have also been found. These were sometimes decorated and were used for storing things. People began using pots for cooking food, especially grains like rice, wheat and lentils which now became an important part of the diet. Besides, they began weaving cloth, using different kinds of materials, for example, cotton, that could now be grown. Did things change everywhere and all at once? Not quite.
• In many areas, men and women still continued to hunt and gather food, and elsewhere people adopted farming and herding slowly over several thousand years. Besides, in some cases people tried to combine these activities, doing different things during different seasons.

Question 1. How were the houses of Burzahom built?
Answer:

The houses of Burzahom were dug into the ground, with steps leading to them. These were called pit-houses.

Question 2. What were the time period given by archaeologists for earlier days?
Answer:

In earlier days, the time period given by archaeologists were

• Palaeolithic (Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic) (2 million years ago-12000 BC)
• Mesolithic (12,000 BC -10,000 BC)
• Neolithic (From 10,000 BC)

Question 3. What do indoor and outdoor cooking hearth indicate?
Answer:

Indoor and outdoor cooking hearts indicate that the place of cooking depends on the weather conditions.

Question 4. What type of tools were used by hunter-gatherers? Answer:

The various types of tools used by hunter-gatherers were tools made of stone, wood and bone.

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Very Short Answer Type Question And Answers

Question 1. How was the wood used in the past?
Answer:

In the past, wood was used as firewood and to make. huts and tools.

Question 2. How did the hunter-gatherers use stone tools?
Answer:

Hunter-gatherers used stone tools to cut meat and bone, scrape bark and hides, chop fruit and roots.

Question 3. Where were the early Palaeolithic sites found?
Answer:

A number of early Palaeolithic sites were found at Hunsgi in Karnataka.

Question 4. Why did the people choose to live in natural caves?
Answer:

People chose to live in natural caves because it provided shelter from the rain, heat and wind.

Question 5. Why did earlier people use fire?
Answer:

The earlier people used fire to make light, to cook meat and to scare away animals.

Question 6. When were the trains used first?
Answer:

Trains were first used 150 years ago.

Question 7. Where are the natural caves and rock shelters found?
Answer:

Natural caves and rock shelters are found in the Vindhyas and the Deccan plateau.

Question 8. Name any two grain-bearing grasses.
Answer:

The two grain-bearing grasses are wheat and barley.

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Short Answer Type Question And Answers

Question 1. Why it was difficult for hunter-gatherers to collect food?
Answer:

• It was difficult for hunter-gatherers to collect food due to the following reasons
• Unpredictable Availability of Food Wild plants and animals were not always available, and their abundance depended on the season and environmental conditions.
• They had to constantly track animal migrations and identify edible plants, which was time-consuming and uncertain.
• Physical Demands of Hunting and Gathering Hunting large animals required strength and risk was also involved. Gathering edible plants often involved long hours of walking and searching. All this was physically demanding.

Question 2. Stone tools were used for which purposes?
Answer:

Stone tools were used for the following purposes

• To cut meat and bone.
• To scrape bark from trees.
• To scrape hides (animal skins)
• To chop fruit and roots
• To make spears and arrows for hunting.
• To chop wood for firewood and to make huts.

Question 3. What were the major agricultural producers at that time? How did gatherers become farmers?
Answer:

• At that time, the major agricultural products were wheat, barley and rice. These grain-bearing grasses grew naturally in different parts of the sub-continent.
• Men, women and children probably collected these grains as food and learnt where they grew and when they ripened. This led them to the idea of growing plants on their own. In this way gatherers became farmers.

Question 4. Explain how archaeologists divide early periods of human history.
Answer:

Archaeologists divided the early period of human history into the following

• Palaeolithic Period The word palaeo’ means old and ‘lithos’ means stone. This period extended from 2 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago.
• It is divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. This long span of history covers over 99% of human history.
• Mesolithic (Middle Stone) Period This period extended from 12,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago. Stone tools found during this period were small, so they were called microliths, For Example. sickles.
• Neolithic Period This period started about 10,000 years ago. Advanced stone tools were made in this period.

Question 5. Mention two changes in the new discovery of agriculture.
Answer:

The changes in the life of early man after the discovery of agriculture were

• With the beginning of growing plants, people had to stay in the same place for a long time. It was not possible for them to migrate as frequently as before. Crops took a long time to grow and produce grains.
• In some parts of the sub-continent, people started making large clay pots, baskets or dug pits into the ground in order to store grains for both food and seed.

Question 6. Describe the tools used by farmers and herders.
Answer:

• Stone, bone and wood tools were used by farmers and herders. Stone tools have been found on many sites.
• They are often different from the Palaeolithic tools and are called Neolithic. Neolithic tools were polished to give a fine cutting edge, and mortars and pestles were used for grinding grain and other plant produce.
• Palaeolithic tools were still used for some purpose but with a little variation. Some tools were also made of bone. But out of these tools, only stone tools have the best survival.

Question 7. Mention any two features of the Neolithic age.
Answer:

The two features of the Neolithic period are as follows

1. People began to settle in one place. They practised agriculture and domesticated animals like dogs, cattle and sheep.
2. Advanced tools were made during this period.

Tools were polished to give a fine cutting edge, and mortars and pestles were used for grinding grain and other plant produce.
Describe the burials at the site of Mehrgarh.

• Burial is the practice or act of placing a dead person on the ground. Earlier, it was believed that some form of life existed after death.
• When people die, their relatives and friends pay respect to them. Several burial sites have been found at Mehrgarh. In one instance, the dead person was buried with goats, which were probably meant to serve as food in the next world.

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Long Answer Type Question And Answers

Question 1. What was the major change In the climate of the world, around 12,000 years ago? What were its consequences?
Answer:

• The major change in the climate of the world around 12000 years ago was that there was a shift to relatively warm conditions due to which Grasslands developed in many areas.
• This climate change led to the following consequences
• The increase in grasslands led to an increase in animals that survived on grass like deer, antelope, goats, sheep and cattle.
• The increasing number of animals helped people to start herding and rearing of these animals. Fishing also became an important activity.
• Several grains bearing grasses like wheat, barley, and rice grew naturally and men became aware of where these grew and when they ripened. These grains were collected by men, women and children and they started thinking about growing these plants on their own.

Question 2. Domestication of plants and animals began about 12000 years ago. Explain in detail about domestication during this period. competency Based
Answer:

• Domestication is the process by which people grow plants and look after animals. The plants and animals that are domesticated by people become different from wild plants and animals.
• The people select those plants and animals for domestication that are not prone to disease. They select plants that yield large-size grain and have strong stalks, capable of bearing the weight of the ripe grain. They select animals that are relatively gentle are selected for breeding.
• Domestication was a slow process that took place in many parts of the world. It began about 12,000 years ago. Some of the earliest plants to be domesticated were wheat and barley. The earliest domesticated animals include sheep and goats.

Question 3. Describe the traces or sources found from the site of Mehrgarh.
Answer:

The traces or sources found from the site of Mehrgarh are

• Bones of many animals such as deer, pig, sheep and goats have been found in Mehrgarh.
• The remains of square and rectangular houses have been discovered from this site. Each house had four or more compartments, some of which may have been used for storage.
• Several burial sites have also been from Mehrgarh. The dead person was buried with goats, which were probably meant to serve as food in the next world. There was a belief that there was some form of life after death.

History Chapter 2 From Hunting Gathering To Growing Food Map Based Question

Question 1. Locate the following sites on a political Map of India

1. Burzahom
2. Mahagara
3. Bhimbetka

Answer: