 CLASS VI SOCIAL SCIENCE SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER STUDY MATERIAL

HISTORY – CHAPTER-5 KINGDOM KINGS AND AN EARLY REPUBLIC

How some men became rulers

Around 3000 years ago, we found some changes had taken place in the ways in which rajas were
chosen. Some men were then recognised as rajas by performing very big
sacrifices. Ashvamedha or horse sacrifice was one such ritual in which a horse was let loose to
wander freely and it was guarded by the raja’s men. If the horse wandered into the kingdoms of
other rajas and they stopped it, they had to fight. If they allowed the horse to pass, it meant that
they accepted that the raja who wanted to perform the sacrifice was stronger than them. These
rajas were then invited to the sacrifice. The raja who organised the sacrifice was recognised as
being very powerful and all those who came brought gifts for him.

Janapadas
The rajas who performed big sacrifices were then recognised as being rajas of janapadas rather
than janas. The word janapada means the land where the jana set its foot and settled down.
Archaeologists have excavated a number of settlements in these janapadas such as Purana Qila in
Delhi, Hastinapura near Meerut, and Atranjikhera near Etah.

1. They found that people lived in huts, and kept cattle as well as other animals.
2. They also grew a variety of crops such as rice, wheat, barley, pulses, sugarcane, sesame
and mustard.
3. They made earthen pots. One special type of pottery found at these sites is known as
Painted Grey Ware.

Mahajanapadas
About 2500 years ago, some janapadas became more important than others, and were known
as mahajanapadas. Most mahajanapadas had a capital city, many of these were fortified which
means that huge walls of wood, brick or stone were built around them. Forts were probably built
because:

1. People were afraid of attacks from other kings and needed protection.
2. Some rulers wanted to show how rich and powerful they were by building large, tall and
impressive walls around their cities.
 3. The land and the people living inside the fortified area could be controlled more easily by
the king.
4. Building such huge walls required a great deal of planning.

The new rajas began maintaining armies. Soldiers were paid regular salaries and maintained by
the king throughout the year.

Taxes
The rulers of the mahajanapadas were building huge forts and maintaining big armies so they
needed more resources. To meet their requirement they started collecting regular taxes.

1. Taxes on crops were collected from peoples because most people were farmers. Usually,
the tax was fixed at 1/6th of what was produced. This was known as bhaga or a share.
2. There were taxes on crafts persons as well. These could have been in the form of labour.
3. Herders were also expected to pay taxes in the form of animals and animal produce.
4. There were also taxes on goods that were bought and sold through the trade.
5. Hunters and gatherers also had to provide forest produce to the raja as tax.

Changes in agriculture
There were two major changes in agriculture around mahajanapadas time.
Growing use of iron ploughshares: This means heavy, clayey soil could be turned over better
than with a wooden ploughshare so that more grain could be produced.
People began transplanting paddy. This meant that instead of scattering seed on the ground,
saplings were grown and then planted in the fields.

A closer look – Magadha

Magadha became the most important mahajanapada in about 200 years. Many rivers such as the
Ganga and Son flowed through Magadha which play an important role for:

 Transport
 Water supplies
 Making the land fertile
Parts of Magadha were forested which was used for building houses, carts and chariots. There
were iron ore mines in the region that could be tapped to make strong tools and weapons.

1. Magadha had two very powerful rulers, Bimbisara and Ajatasattu, who used all possible
means to conquer other janapadas.
2. Rajagriha (present-day Rajgir) in Bihar was the capital of Magadha for several years.
Later the capital was shifted to Pataliputra (present-day Patna).

A closer look – Vajji

Vajji, with its capital at Vaishali (Bihar), was under a different form of government, known
as gana or sangha. In a gana there were many rulers. Each one was known as a raja. These rajas
performed rituals together. They also met in assemblies, and decided what had to be done and
how, through discussion and debate.

I.MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Choose the correct option to complete the statements given below:
(i)The ‘ashvamedha’ was the sacrifice of
(a)horse (b) cow
(c) bull (d) goat.
(ii) Which of these groups of people were not allowed to take part in the rituals after the
‘ashvamedha’ ?
(a) ‘Vish’/’Vaishya’ (b) Priests
(c) Women (d) ‘Shudras’.
(iii)The two words that constitute the word ‘janapada’ mean:
(a) woman and foot (b) citizens and foot
(c) men and hand (d) goats and ‘rajas’.
(iv) Which of these was usually fortified?
(a)all cities in ‘mahajanapadas’
(b)all cities in ‘janapadas’
(c)capital cities of ‘mahajanapadas’
(d)the whole ‘mahajanapada’.
(v) One-sixth of the produce was taken as tax from
(a) farmers (b) hunter-gatherers
(c) crafts-persons (d) Traders.
(vi) The present name of Raj agriha is
(a) Rajgir (b) Rajmahal
(c) Rajgaon (d) Patna.
(vii) Alexander was a ruler who lived in
(a) Sloven (b) Greece
(c) R (d) Macedonia.
(viii) At the banks of which river did Alexander’s troops stop?
(a) Indus (b) Ganga
(c) Narmada (d) Beas.

(ix) Vajji had its capital city at

(a) Raj agriha (b) Vaishali
(c) Patna (d) Magadha.

Ans: (i)—(a), (ii)—(d), (iii)—(b), (iv)–(c), (v)—(a), (vi)—(a), (vii)—(d), (viii)—(d), (ix)—(b).
  Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence:

(i) Some changes took place in the ways of choosing new ‘rajas’ about…………………..
years ago.
(ii) Purana Qila was a settlement in a ‘janapada’ and is now located in ………………………
(iii) Archaeologists have discovered that people in ‘janapadas’ lived in ……………………….
(iv) Painted Grey Ware is a type of…………………
(v) The taxes on crops were called ………………
(vi) Herders were supposed to pay taxes in the form of…………………….
(vii) ‘Kammakara’ was a word used for …………………
(viii) A ruler called……….. extended the control of Magadha up to the northwest part of the
subcontinent.
Ans. (i) 3000mNew Delhi (iii) huts (iv)potteiyr (v) ‘bhaga’ (vi)animals and animal produce
(vii) landless agricultural laburers (viii)Mahapadma Nanda.

 State whether these sentences are true (‘I’) or false (F).

(i)The sprinkling of sacred water on the king was done by the ‘shudras’.
(ii)The word ‘janapada’ means the land where the ’jana’ has set its foot.
(iii)Capital cities were fortified with huge walls of wood, brick or stone.
(iv) The rulers of ‘mahajanapadas’ depended on occasional gifts brought by people,
(v) The rivers Narmada and Brahmaputra flowed through Magadha.
(vi) Alexander was the only person who conquered Magadha.
(vii) Both the Buddha and Mahavira belonged to ‘ganas’ or ‘sanghas’.

Ans. (i)—F, (ii)—T, (iii)—T, (iv)—F, (v)-F, (vi)—F, (vii)—T.

 GEOGRAPHY CHAPTER – 4 “MAPS”

Overview
Map – A map is a representation or a drawing of the earth’s surface or a part of it drawn on a flat
surface according to a scale.
Atlas – When many maps are put together we get an Atlas. Atlases are of various sizes,
measurements drawn on different scales.
They are of different types of maps. Some of them are described below.
Physical Maps
Maps showing natural features of the earth such as mountains, plateaus, plains, rivers, oceans
etc., are called physical or relief maps.
Political Maps
Maps showing cities, towns and villages, and different countries and states of the world with
their boundaries are called political maps.
Thematic Maps
Some maps that focus on specific information; such as road maps, rainfall maps, maps showing
distribution of forests, industries etc., are known as thematic maps.
There are three Components of Maps – distance, direction and symbol.

Distance
Scale is the ratio between the actual distance on the ground and the distance shown on the map.
Scale is very important on any map. If you know the scale, you will be able to calculate the
distance between any two places on a map. When large areas like continents or countries are to
be shown on paper, then we use a small scale. It is called a small scale map. When a small area
like your village or town is to be shown on paper, then we use a large scale that is 5 cm. It is
called a large scale map.

Direction
There are four major directions, North, South, East and West. They are called cardinal points.
Other four intermediate directions are north-east (NE), southeast (SE), south-west (SW) and
north-west (NW). We can find out the direction of a place with the help of a compass. It is an
instrument used to find out main directions. Its magnetic needle always points towards north-
south direction.

Symbols
It is the third important component of a map. It is not possible to draw on a map the actual shape
and size of different features such as buildings, roads, etc. So, they are shown by using certain
letters, shades, colours, pictures and lines. These symbols give a lot of information in a limited
space. Maps have a universal language that can be understood by all. There is an international
agreement regarding the use of these symbols. These are called conventional symbols.
Various colours are used for the same purpose. For example, generally blue is used for showing
water bodies, brown for mountain, yellow for plateau and green is used for plains.

Sketch
A sketch is a drawing mainly based on memory and spot observation and not to scale.
Sometimes a rough drawing is required of an area to tell where a particular place is located with
respect to other places. Such a rough drawing is drawn without scale and is called a sketch map.

Plan
A plan is a drawing of a small area on a large scale. A large-scale map gives a lot of information,
but there are certain things, which we may sometimes want to know, for example the length and
breadth of a room, which can’t be shown in a map. At that time, we can refer drawings drawn to
scale called a plan.

Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is a map? Describe its major features.
Answer:

 Map is a representation of the earth’s surface or a part of it drawn on flat surfaces.

 One map contains as many facts as a big book.
 All the maps are put together to make on atlas of maps of various sizes and drawn on
different scales.
 They provide more information than a globe.

Question 2.
Define Sketch.
Answer:

 A sketch is a drawing of an area or object mainly based on memory and not to the scale.
 Sometimes a rough drawing of an area is needed to know where a particular place is
located with reference to other places.
 With the help of a rough sketch we may find the location of a place.
 Such a rough drawing is drawn without scale.

Question 3.
What is a Plan?
Answer:

 A plan is a drawing of a small area on a large scale.

  A large-scale map depicts much information.
 Sometimes we want to know the length and breadth of a room, which can’t be shown on a
map. In such an event; we can refer drawings drawn on scale.
 It is known as a plan.

Question 4.
Describe various types of maps.
Answer:
Maps are of various types. They are:

 Physical Maps. They show natural features of the Earth like mountains, plateaus, plains,
rivers, oceans etc.
Example: Physical map of the world.
 Political Maps. Political maps show different countries and states of the world with their
boundaries.
Example: Political map of India.
 Thematic Maps. Maps showing specific information are called thematic maps. Example:
Road maps, rainfall maps, forest distribution maps, industries maps etc.

Question 5.
Give historical background of maps.
Answer:
The science of map making is termed as cartography.

Ancient map makers did not know the shape of the Earth:

 Babylonians drew maps assuming that the Earth is flat.

 An Egyptian geographer, (cartographer) Ptolemy first represented the Earth as a sphere.

Maps were drawn on different materials:

 Eskimos used animal skin.

 Egyptians engraved maps on metal plates.
 Babylonians made maps of clay tablets.

Today maps are made on computers:

 These maps are very accurate.

 Improvement in technology has improved the quality of maps.

Question 6.
What are the components of maps?
Answer:

 Distance,
  Direction and
 Symbol.

Distance:

 Distance is measured with the help of a scale.

Direction.

 Direction is known by the arrow marked with ‘N’ on the map.

 It is also known by an instrument called compass.

Symbol:

 Universally accepted marks or icons to depict information on the maps are known as
symbols.

Question 7.
Name the two types of maps based on scale.
Answer:
Small Scale Maps
When large areas are shown on a small map, it is called small scale map.

 These maps give very limited information.

 The map of India is a small scale map.

Large Scale Maps

 When small areas are shown on large map it is called Large scale map.
 These maps give detailed information.
 The map of Delhi, shown on large sheet of paper is a large scale map.

Question 8.
How are directions known?
Answer:
Directions are known by the following:
Maps contain an arrow marked with the letter ‘N’ on the upper right.
An Arrow with ‘N’ mark:

 This arrow shows the North direction.

 It is called north line. On the Earth one can find out directions e.g. north, east, west and
south.
 There are four major directions.
 North, South, East, West. They are called cardinal points.
  Other four intermediate directions are North-East (NE), South-East (SE), South¬West
(SW) and North-West (NW).
 One can locate any place more accurately with the help of these intermediate directions.

Compass. One can also know the direction with the help of compass

 It is an instrument used to find the main directions.

CIVICS – 4 “KEY ELEMENTS OF A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT”

Key Elements of A Democratic Government

South Africa is a country of several races including African American people who belong to
South Africa, the whites who came there to settle, Indians who came as labourers and traders and
so on. Earlier, the country was governed by Apartheid laws. Apartheid means separation on the
basis of race. African people were divided into white, African American, Indian and other races.
According to the law, these races were not allowed to mingle with each other, live near each
other or even use common facilities.
The African National Congress, a group of people led the struggle against apartheid and their
most well-known leader, Nelson Mandela fought the apartheid system for several years. Finally,
they succeeded and in 1994 South Africa became a democratic country in which people of all
races were considered equal.

Participation
Why do we have regular elections? It was already discussed in an earlier chapter that people
make decisions in a democracy. People elect leaders to represent them via elections. These
leaders can also take decisions on behalf of the people. It is believed that these representatives
will keep in mind the voices and the interests of the people. Every Government is elected for a
fixed period. In India, it is for five years and every Government that is elected is allowed to stay
in power for only that period. However, if they want to continue to be in power, then they will
have to be re-elected by the people. In this way, regular elections limit the power of the
government.

Other ways of participating

Elections are held once every 5 years. Besides voting, people can participate in the process of the
Government by taking an interest in its operations and criticising it when required. For example,
In August 2005, when the ruling Government of the time increased the money people had to pay
for the electricity, they expressed their disapproval very sharply by taking out rallies and
organising a signature campaign. Even though the Government tried to explain and defend their
decision, they finally listened to the people’s opinion and withdrew the increase.
If a country’s people are alert and interested in how the country is run, the democratic character
of the government of that country will be stronger. So the next time we see a rally winding
through the streets of our cities and towns or villages we should pause to find out what the rally
is about, who is participating in it, and what they are protesting about. This will help to give us a
sense of how our government works. While it is true that democracy allows the people to
participate, it is not all the sections of people who are actually able to do so.
Finding another way to participate, people organise themselves into social movements that seek
to challenge the government and its functioning. Members of the minority community like the
Dalits, Adivasis, women and others often participate in this manner. If the people of a country
are alert and interested in how the country is run, then the democratic character of the
government is expected to be stronger.
Need to Resolve Conflict
It is seen that conflicts can lead to violence and death when one group decides that it is all right
to use force to prevent the other group from protesting. Conflicts arise when people of varied
cultures, religions, regions or economic backgrounds do not get along with each other, or when
some among them feel they are being discriminated against. People may use violent methods to
settle their differences, leading to fear and tension among others living in an area. The
Government is responsible for resolving conflicts. Religious processions and celebrations also
lead to conflicts sometimes. For example, the route a procession takes may lead to a conflict. The
government, particularly the police, play an important role in getting representatives of
concerned communities to meet and try and arrive at a solution. Nevertheless, there is also fear
that violence may erupt, with people throwing stones or trying to disrupt the procession. The
police is in charge of ensuring that violence does not take place.
Meanwhile, rivers too can become a source of conflict between states if it begins in one state,
flows through another and ends in a third. Sharing of river water between different states that the
river goes through can become an issue of conflict. An example is given. The Cauvery Water
dispute that broke out between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is an example. The origins of a legal
dispute over Cauvery waters date back to 1892 and by the late 1960s, both states and the Central
government began to realize the gravity of the situation as the 50-year run of the 1924 agreement
was soon coming to an end. The water stored in Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Karnataka was used
for irrigating a number of districts and for meeting the needs of the city of Bengaluru. At the
same time, the water stored in Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu was used for crops grown in the delta
region of that state. A conflict arose because both dams are on the same river. The downstream
dam in Tamil Nadu could only be filled up if the water is released from the upstream one located
in Karnataka leading to water scarcity in one state, as both states can’t get as much water as they
need for people in their states. This leads to conflict. The central government has to step in to see
that a fair distribution is worked out for both states.

Equality and Justice

The key idea of a democratic government is its commitment to equality and justice, which are
inseparable. The earlier practice of untouchability is now banned by law. They were earlier
denied education, transport or medical facilities and even the chance to offer prayers. Dr
Ambedkar and many others like him realised that such practices must not continue and justice
can only be achieved when people are treated equally. The government also recognises this and
makes special provisions for groups within society that are unequal.

Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
“South Africa is a country of several races.” How?
Answer:
South Africa is a country of several races because of the following reasons:

 There are black races which belong to South Africa originally.

 White races came from European countries and settled there.
 Indian races came to South Africa as labourers and traders and settled there.

Key Elements of a Democratic Government Class 6 Extra Questions

Short Answer Type
Question 1.
Read the story of Hector Pieterson and answer the questions that are given below:

1. What was Maya Naidoo doing?

2. Where was she living?
3. What did she see in the scrap book?
4. Who had shot Hector Pieterson and why?
5. When was he shot dead?
6. Against what were the people protesting?
7. Who was the leader of the African National Congress?
8. When did South Africa become a democratic country?

Answer:
 1. Maya Naidoo was helping her mother to clear and clean up old boxes.
2. She was living in Johannesburg.
3. She saw a picture of a school boy, 15 year-old in a scrap book. His name was Hector
Pieterson.
4. Police had killed him because he alongwith his classmates was protesting against the
imposition of learning
5. Afrikaan language on the non-white students by the white government.
6. He was shot dead on 30th April, 1976.
7. The people were protesting against the policy of apartheid.
8. Nelson Mandela was the leader of the African National Congress.
9. South Africa became a democratic country in 1994.

Question 2.
What are the ways of participating in the process of government other than voting?
Answer:
Other ways:

 Participating by taking interest in the working of the government.

 By criticising the government when required.
 By holding rallies and organising signature campaigns.

Question 3.
Describe the ways in which people express their views and make government
understand what actions they should take.
Answer:
People express their views to make the government understand what action they should
take through the following means:

 Dharnas
 Rallies
 Strikes
 Signature campaigns.

Question 4.
How do people bring forward things which are unfair and unjust?
Answer:
People bring forward the unfair and unjust things through:

 Posters/Pamphlets
 Letters to the editor
 Action line
 Newspapers
 Magazines
 Newsletters .
 Radio and T.V.

Still other ways:

  Organising themselves into social movements – members of the minority community,
dalits, women, adivasis and others organise themselves into organisations to participate.

Question 5.
When we come across a rally passing (winding) through the streets of cities, towns and
villages, wThat should we do?
Answer:
We should pause for a while
We should know about:

 What is the rally about?

 Who is participating in it?
 What are they protesting about?

These points will give us the idea how our government is working.

Question 6.
How do conflicts occur and lead to violence and death?
Answer:
Conflicts occur when one group decides that whatever it says, is correct or right. Such
groups decide that they should use force to curb the protests of other groups. This leads
to violence and death. Conflicts occur:

 When People of different cultures, religions, regions or economic backgrounds do not get
along with one another.
 When some of them feel they are being discriminated against.
 People use violent means to settle their differences.

Question 7.
Describe some of the conflicts in our society and the role of the government in resolving
them.
Answer:
Conflicts:

 Religious processions and celebrations – Route of the procession can cause conflict.
Government and police discuss this with people of different religions and arrive at a
decision by consensus.
 Rivers – A source of conflicts between states in respect of sharing waters of the river
between these states.

Question 8.
What are the key ideas of a democratic government?
Answer:
Key ideas of a democratic government are:

 Equality and justice. They are inseparable.

 Ban on untouchability.