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Class 8 Social Science Chapter 2 The River Valley Civilizations Notes Questions and Answers
The River Valley Civilizations Class 8 Notes Pdf
Class 8 Social Science Chapter 2 Question Answer Kerala Syllabus
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Question 1.
Prepare a note on the early excavations in the Indus valley regions.
Answer:
- The Indus valley Civilization existed in the valleys of the river Indus and its tributaries.
- The First excavation was conducted in Harappa in the present Pakistan
- The Harappan Civilization stretched across the region ranging from the western part of pakistan to Alamgirpur in Uttarpradesh.
- • John Marshall-Director of the Archaeological Survey of India.
- Daya Ram Sahni-Conducted excavations in Harappa.
- RD Banerji -Conducted excavations in Mohenjodaro.
Question 2.
Explain the features of life in the Indus valley cities.
Answer:
The Harappan civilization stretched across the region ranging from western part of Pa- kistan to Alamgirpur in Uttar Pradesh, and from Kashmir in the north to the Narmada valley in the south. The period of this civili- zation is generally placed between BCE 2700 and BCE 1700.
Parts of Harappan cities
The part of the city to the west was higher. It was used by the administrators The ruins of a big building. Proba bly an assembly hall, were discovered here.
The part of the city to the east was lower and was inhabited by the common people. The ruins of many buildings that might have been houses were unearthed here
Question 3.
What were the features of the Great Bath in Mohenjodaro?
Answer:
In Mohenjodaro a great tank, called the Great Bath, was discovered it is an evidence fir the architectural skill of the people of that period. It was built entirely with burnt bricks.
Question 4.
What are the major handicrafts that prevailed in the Indus valley civilization?
Answer:
The seals, clay figures, utensils, ornaments, etc. dug out from Harappa bear witness to their craftsmanship. The ruins of kilns where pottery was produced have been widely dug out. Ornamental works were done on clay pots. Animal figures were molded from clay. Figures of men, women, and gold were used to make ornaments. Evidence of centres where beads were made have been unearthed in Lothal, Bangles were made clay, bronze, and tortoise shells. though skilled at making handcrafts, the Harappans did not give im- portance to forging weapons. The artistic skill of the Harappansis reflected in the seals they made. The seals were made from clay and stones. The statuette of the dancing girl found from Mohenjodaro is also an example for their artistic skill. The diverse handicrafts hint at the existence of occupational groups
Question 5.
The Indus valley civilization is an example of a Bronze Age civilization. Substantiate.
Answer:
Since bronze was widely used in the Harappan civilization, it came to be known as bronze age civilization.
Question 6.
The artistic skill of the Harappan people is evident in the seals they made. Explain with examples.
Answer:
The seals found from Harappa provides in- formation about the then belief systems. Clay figures of women have widely been discov- ered. They prove the existence of worship- ping the mother goddess. Such worship ex- isted in connection with fertility of the soil. Historians opine that the figures of men found from here are the early form of Siva (proto Siva). They also worshipped animals and trees. The Great bath unearthed in Mohenjodaro might have been used for reli- gious ceremonies.
Question 7.
Prepare a note on the art of writing in Mesopotamia.
Answer:
The Mesopotamian system of writing is called Cuneiform. The script was wedge- shaped. They were written on the smooth surface of wet clay tablets. A sharp stylus was used for writing. The tablets were then baked in the sun. A huge collection of these tablets has been found her. Most of them were related to trade.
Question 8.
Analyse the progress achieved by the Bronze Age civilizations in the fields of science and mathematics.
Answer:
They achieved remarkable progress in the field of mathematics and astronomy. They formulated a divided a year into 12 months, a month in to four weeks, and a day into 24 hours. They knew division, multiplication, and square root.
Question 9.
Match column A with B
| A | B |
| A. John Marshall | 1) Mesopotamia |
| B. Daya Ram Sahni | 2) Mohenjodaro |
| C. RD Banerji | 3) Harappa |
| D. Hieroglyphics | 4) Director of the Archaeological Survey of India |
| E. Cuneiform script | 5) Egypt |
Answer:
| A. John Marshall | Director of the Archaeological Survey of India |
| B. Daya Ram Sahni | Harappa |
| C. RD Banerji | Mohenjodaro |
| D. Hieroglyphics | Egypt |
| E. Cuneiform script | Mesopotamia |
Class 8 Social Science The River Valley Civilizations Notes Questions and Answers
Question 1.
Choose the correct answer from the bracket
a) Identify the river valley where the Chinese civilization flourished. (Nile, Hwang-Ho, Euphrates, Tigris)
b) Which among the following is NOT a Mesopotamian city. (Ur, Shortughai, Uruk, Lagash)
c) Sphinx is related with (China, Egypt, Mesoptamia, Harappa)
d) The term Meluha denotes (Egypt, China, Mesoptamia, Harappa)
Answer:
a) Hwang-Ho
b) Shortughai
c) Egypt
d) Harappa
Question 2.
Match the following table
| A | B |
| Alamgirpur | Rajasthan |
| Lothal | Afghanistan |
| Kalibangan | Uttar Pradesh |
| Shortugai | Gujarath |
Answer:
| A | B |
| Alamgirpur | Uttar Pradesh |
| Lothal | Gujarath |
| Kalibangan | Rajasthan |
| Shortugai | Afghanistan |
Question 3.
Find the relation between the two parts of item ‘a’ and fill in the blanks of item ‘b’ ac- cordingly.
i) a) Harappa : Dayaram Sahni
b) Mohenjo Daro : ……………….
ii) a) Rangpur : Gujarath
b) Khetri : …………….
iii) a) Pharaoh : Egypt
b) Ziggurat : …………….
iv) a) Cuneiform : Mesopotamia
b) Hieroglyphs : ……………
Answer:
i) R. D. Banerji
ii) Rajasthan
iii) Mesopotamia
iv) Egypt
Question 4.
Match the following table
| A | B |
| Great Bath | Mesoptamia |
| Tutankhaman | Chinese script |
| Sumerian | Egypt |
| Pictographic | Mohenjo-daro |
Answer:
| A | B |
| Great Bath | Mohenjo-daro |
| Tutankhaman | Egypt |
| Sumerian | Mesoptamia |
| Pictographic | Chinese script |
Question 5.
Choose the correct answer from the bracket.
a) Identify the meaning of the word Mesoptamia (Holy land, Land between two mountains, Land between two rivers, Fertile Land)
b) What was the shape of the cuneiform script? (Leaf, Tree, Human, Wedge)
c) What do you mean by the term Hieroglyphics? (Sacred writing, Holy word, Beautiful writing, Cruel Word)
d) The place where the evidence for ploughed agriculture was discovered (Lothal, Kalibangan, Dholavira, Harappa)
Answer:
a) Land between two rivers
b) Wedge
c) Sacred writing
d) Kalibangan
Question 6.
Match the following table
| A | B |
| Dholavira | Copper |
| Mohenjo Daro | Rice Cultivation |
| Khetri | Statue of dancing girl |
| Lothal | Signboard |
Answer:
| A | B |
| Dholavira | Signboard |
| Mohenjo Daro | Statue of dancing girl |
| Khetri | Copper |
| Lothal | Rice Cultivation |
Question 7.
Complete the table
| Sir John Marshall | ……………………… |
| Daya Ram Sahni | ……………………….. |
| RD Banerji | …………………………. |
Answer:
| Sir John Marshall | Director of the Archaeological Survey of India |
| Daya Ram Sahni | Conducted excavations in Harappa |
| RD Banerji | Conducted excavations in Mohenjodaro |
Question 8.
List the major sites of the Indus Valley civilization in the table given below.
Answer:
Question 9.
Complete the flow chart.
Answer:
Question 10.
What do you learn about the social situation from excavations of Harappan cities?
Answer:
- They used hard burnt bricks.
- Houses were built along side of planned streets.
- The drainge system was common in cities.
Question 11.
The Indus valley people gave importance to neatness and drainage. Do you agree?
Answer:
The drainage system was an important an- other feature of these cites. The waste water from the houses was let out into the drains. These drains were connected to the main drain of the street. The drains were built of burnt bricks and covered with stone slabs. Effective drainage systems existed even in small towns and villages.
In Mohenjodaro a great tank, called the great bath, was discovered it is an evidence fir the architectural skill of the people of that pe- riod. It was built entirely with burnt bricks.
Question 12.
Observe the following picture. What does the picture indicate?
Answer:
Weighing and measuring tools, are shown in the picture. The agricultural progress led to surplus production and storage of grains. Accurate weights and measures were used for exchanging the stored products. These tools were used for such purposes
Question 13.
What are the evidences that signify the trade relations of the Harappan people?
Answer:
The inscriptions discovered from Mesapotamia mention their trade relation with Meluha. Historians opine that Meluha is probably Harappa. The Mesopotamian seals found from Harappa also provide evi- dence for this trade link. Lothal was one of the centers of maritime trade. The clay mod- els of sailing ships obtained also prove their Sommaritime trade link.
The seals widely found from the Indus val- ley sites were probably used for the purpose of trade. However, no evidence for the use of coins has been found yet. They collected copper from the mines of Khetri in the present Rajasthan and tin from the present Afghanistan and central Asia. Copper was mixed with tin to produce bronze. They made tools and weapons using bronze. Since bronze was widely used in the Harappan civilization, it came to be known as Bronze Age civilization.
Question 14.
Point out the instances dug out from Harappaus as witness of their craftsmanship.
Answer:
Seals – Clay figures
Utensiles – Ornaments
Question 15.
Complete the following table.
Answer:
| Handicrafts | Features |
| Seals | Figures of men, women, carts etc. |
| Ornaments | Copper, bronze and gold |
Question 16.
Prepare a note on Handicrafts of Harappan people.
Answer:
The seals, clay figures, utensils, ornaments, etc. dug out from Harappa bear witness to their craftsmanship. The ruins of kilns where pottery was produced have been widely dug out. Ornamental works done on clay pot. Animal figures were molded from clay. Fig- ures of men, women, and carts have also been uncovered from here. Copper, bronze, and gold were used to make ornaments. Evidence of centers where beads were made have been unearthed in Lothal.
Bangles were made from clay, bronze and tortoise shells. Though skilled at making handicrafts, the Harappans did not give importance to forging weapons. The artistic skill of the Harappans is reflected in the seals they made. The seals were made from clay and stones. The diverse handicrafts hint at the existence of occupational groups.
Question 17.
What kind information about Harappan be- liefs do you receive from the seals found from Harappa?
Answer:
The seals found from Harappa provides in formation about the then belief systems. Clay figures of women have widely been discov- ered. They prove the existence of worship- ping the mother goddess. Such worship ex- isted in connection with fertility of the soil. Historians opine that the figures of men found from here are the early form of Siva (proto Siva). They also worshipped animals and trees. The Great bath unearthed in Mohenjodaro might have been used for reli- gious ceremonies.
Question 18.
When did Harappan civilization began to decline? Point out causes for the fall of the Harappan civilization
Answer:
The Harappan civilization began to decline by BCE 1700. Several views prevail on the causes of its decline. A few of them given below.
- Flood
- External invasions
- Deforastation
- Decline of agricultural sector
- Epidemics
Question 19.
Prepare a seminar paper on the salient features of Indus Valley Civilizations.
Answer:
The Harappan civilization stretched across the region ranging from western part of Pa- kistan to Alamgirpur in Uttar Pradesh, and from Kashmir in the north to the Narmada valley in the south. The period of this civili- zation is generally placed between BCE 2700 and BCE 1700.
Question 20.
What do you mean by hieroglyphics?
Answer:
Hieroglyphics was Egyptian script. it means ‘scared writing’. The hieroglyphic script was first deciphered by Champollion a French scholar. He had ac- companied the French ruler Napoleon when the latter conquered Egypt in 1798. The script was engraved on a stone (Rosetta) near the mouth of the river Nile. The script could only be deciphered after much patient labour.
Question 21.
Given below some terms. states to which civilization they are related. prepare a note on each of them.
• Pharaoh
• Mummy
Pyramids
Answer:
These terms are related to Egyptian civilization. The Egyptian king was known as ‘Phararoh’. The practice of preserving the body of the dead prevailed in Egypt a corpse preserved thus is called a ‘mummy’. Pyra- mids were tombs where the mummies were preserved. They remain as evidence for the excessive use of labour and wealth.
Question 22.
Point out any 3 features of Egyptian civilization.
Answer:
1) This civilization flourished in the valley of the river Nile.
2) Agricultural was the backbone of this cultivation.
3) The Egyptians also engaged in weaving and production of glassware.
Question 23.
Egyption attained amazing advancement in the field of science. Substantiate.
Answer:
The Egyptians also attained amazing advance- ment in the field of science. They formulated a solar calendar. As per this calendar year had 365 days. A year was divided into 12 month, of 30 days each. The remaining five days were set aside for celebrations. Their ad- vancement in the field of mathematics also significant. They could calculate the area of triangles and rectangles to determine time they made sundial, a clock that tells time by the shadow cast by the sun and water clock that works on water current.
Question 24.
Identify the picture. What does it indicate?
Answer:
Sphinx
It is a statue with lion’s body and human head. It is an evidence of Egyptian skill and sculpture.
Question 25.
The word ‘Mesopotamia’ means ………….
Answer:
Land between rivers
Question 26.
Name the 4 civilizations emerged and declined in Mesopotamia.
Answer:
1) → the sumerian
2) → the babylonian
3) → the Assyrian
4) → the chaldean
Question 27.
Discuss the agricultural progress and trade of Mesopotamia.
Answer:
The fertile soil of Mesopotamia helped ag- ricultural progress. It led to trade and the consequent growth of cities. Ur, Uruk, and Lagash were the major cities in ancient Mesopotamia. Cities were also trading cen- ters. We have discused the trade link between the people of Mesopotamia and the Indus valley. As trade developed, it became essen- tial to record the accounts of the exchanged goods. It eventually led to the developement of the art of writing.
Question 28.
Prepare a note on Mesopotamian system of writing.
Answer:
The Mesopotamian system of writing is called Cuneiform. The script was wedge- shaped. They were written on the smooth surface of wet clay tablets. A sharp stylus was used for writing. The tablets were then baked in the sun. A huge collection of these tablets has been found her. Most of them were re- lated to trade.
Question 29.
Prepared a note on the achievements of the Mesopotamians in the field of science.
Answer:
They achieved remarkable progress in the field of mathematics and astronomy. They formulated a divided a year into 12 months, a month in to four weeks, and a day into 24 hours. They knew division, multiplication, and square root.
Question 30.
What is mean by ‘Ziggurat’? How they were constructed?
Answer:
The construction of the temples namely ‘Ziggurat’ is the evidence the amazing archi- tectural skills of the ancient Mesopotamia. They constructed in cities. They were built on artific hillocks using bricks.
Question 31.
What were the achievements of Chinese civi- lization in the art of writing.
Answer:
The art of writing existed in ancient china as well. The script was pictographic, not alpha- betic, Later it developed into an ideographic script. Like ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians, ancient Chinese too formulated calendar in which a year consisted of 365 1⁄2 days.
Question 32.
What were the features of the Grat bath in Mohenjodaro.
Auswer:
In Mohenjodaro a great tank, called the Great Bath, was discovered it is an evidence fir the architectural skill of the people of that pe- riod. It was built entirely with burnt bricks.
Question 33.
Prepare a flow chart showingthe features of River valley civilazations.
Answer:
Std 8 Social Science The River Valley Civilizations Notes
- The Indus valley Civilization existed in the valleys of the river Indus and its tributaries.
- The First excavation was conducted in Harappa in the present Pakistan
- The Harappan Civilization stretched across the region ranging from the western part of pakistan to Alamgirpur in Uttarpradesh.
- The key feature of the Harappan cities was the use of hard burnt bricks.
- Houses were built along both sides of planned streets.
- The drainage system was another feature of these cities.
- In Mohenjo-daro, a great tank, caused the Great Bath, was discovered.
- Granaries are significant among the ryins discovered from Harappa.
- The villages were the major market for urban products.
- In addition to agriculture, animal husbandry also existed.
- The Agricultural progress led to surplus production and storage of grains. Accurate weights and measures were used for exchanging the stored products.
- The seals widely found from the Indus valley sites were probably used for the purpose of trade.
- Since bronze was widely used in the Harappan civilization, it came to be known as Bronze Age civilization.
- The seals, clay figures, utensils, ornaments, etc. dug out from Harappa bear witness to their craftsmanship.
- The seals found from Harappa provide information about the then belief system.
- The Harappan Civilization began to decline by BCE 1700 .
- The Mesopotamian Egyption and Chinese civilizations were existed in the same period.
- These Civilizations are commonly known as Bronze Age civilization.
- Egyptian civilization flourished in the valley of the river Nile.
- Hieroglyphs was the art of writing of the Egyption people.
- The Pyramids and sphinx were the imported features of the Egyptian Civilization.
- The Egyptians formulated a solar calendar.
- The Mesopotamian Civilization flourished in the land between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris.
- The Mesopotamia system of writing is called cuneiform.
- The people of Mesopotamia achieved progress in the field of mathematics and astronomy.
- The construction of temples namely ziggurat is the evidence of the amazing architecture skill of the ancient Mesopotamian.
- The Chinese civilization flourished in the valley of the river Hwang-Ho.
- agriculture was the base of the Chinese civilization
- The Chinese script, was pictographic, not alphabetic.
- Chinese too formulated a calendar.
Kalibanan
The word Kalibangan’ means black bangles’ Fire altars were discovered from here Around 2900 BCE Kalihangan became a planned Harappan city. It is situated on the banks of the river Gaggar.
Shortuhai
The remains of canals were discovered from Shortughai situated in Afghanistan. It is an example for the agricultural technologies used by the Harappan People to increase Agricultural production. It was a commercial centre. It is considered as the northern most site of the Harappan Civiization. The Harappan people obtained rawmeterials for the productions of the beads from here.
Dholavira
Dholavira in Gujarat is a latest [larappan site to be discovered. The remains of waterreservoir were discovered from here. The UNESCO has enlisted Dholavira in its world Heritage list. It was discovered by J.P. Joshi during 1967-68. Many seals were also discovered from here.
JOHN MARSHALL
John Marshal, a native of England, ways the director of the Archaeological survey of India from 1902 to 1928. He was born in 1876. In 1902 he became the director of the Archaeological survey of India due tot the Initiative of Lord of Curzon.
Archaeological survey of India
The Archaeological survey of India was established in 1861, It is now under the control of the cultural department of the central government. Alexander Cunningham was the first director of the ASI. Its headquarters is Newdeihi. Protection and preservation of historical monuments is the main objective of the Archaeological survey of India.