D.A.V.

SCHOOL
Nandeeshwarar Campus, Adambakkam, Chennai -88 CLASS : 7
SOCIAL SCIENCE
HISTORY : LESSON 1 – When, Where and How ?

(BBE, Text book questions , EQ-extra questions with answers & Concept map)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(I) Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

(a) From 1000 CE onwards, there were Turkish invasions in India.
(b) The Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and the Gol Gumbaz are examples of
Indo-Islamic integration.
(c) During the era of the Puranas, the subcontinent was referred to as
Bharatavarsham.
(d) Babur’s memoirs are known as the Baburnama.
(e) The study of coins is known as Numismatics.

(II) Choose the correct answer:

(a) The religious movements which emerged in the period between 700 CE and
1800 CE were………

(i)Bhakti (ii) Sufism (iii) Sikhism (iv) all of these

(b) The author of Ain-i-Akbari was………..

(i) Akbar (ii) Al Beruni (iii) Abul Fazl (iv) Jahangir

(c) The Moroccan traveler who visited India during the Medieval Period was…….
(i) Ibn Batuta (ii) Al Beruni (iii) Marco Polo (iv) Nicolo
Conti
(d) The art of beautiful writing is known as………..
(i) Epigraphy (ii) calligraphy (iii) autobiography (iv) biography

(e) Epigraphy is the study of ……….

(i) Monuments (ii) coins (iii) inscriptions (iv) bones

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 (III) Match the rows:

(a) Gulbadan Begum (b) Nicolo Conti (c) Abdur Razzaq (d) Hawa Mahal (e) Dancing Shiva

(i)Jaipur (ii)Chola bronze (iii)Italian (iv)Persian (v)Humayunnama

sculpture

d e b c a

(IV) Write true or false. Correct the false sentences in your notebook:
(a) The period between 700 CE and 1800 CE is one of continuity and change- True
(b) India is referred to as ‘Hind’ in Persian literature- True
(c) Court Chronicles are a reliable source of history- False (Court Chronicles are not
a reliable source of history)
(d) Al Beruni is the author of Akbarnama- False (Abul Fazl is the author of
Akbarnama)
(e) The memoirs of Babur describe the natural landscape of India- True

(V) Answer the following questions in one or two sentences: (1 mark)

1) What are some of the present-day examples in cuisine which are a legacy of
Mughal rule?

Ans: Some of the present-day examples in cuisine which are a legacy of Mughal
rule are parathas, gulab jamuns, kebabs, biryani, shahi tukda, etc.

2) Name some important foreign travellers and writers who visited India in the
Medieval Period.

Ans: Some of the important travellers and writers who visited India during the
Medieval Period were Ibn Batuta of Morocco, Nicolo Conti of Italy, Abdur Razzaq
of Persia and Athanasius Nikitin of Russia.

3) Why do historians not rely extensively on court chronicles?

Ans: Historians do not rely extensively on court chronicles because court historians
may have flattered the kings about whom they were writing, and as such these
accounts may have been exaggerated.

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 4) What are archival records? How are they useful to historians?

Ans: A collection of historical documents or records of a government are called

archival records and this include royal orders, treaties between kingdoms, court
records and revenue records. They help historians in reconstructing the past as
they reveal important information about administrative policies of the rulers.

5) How is numismatics an important source of information?

Ans: Numismatics is an important source of information as it gives an insight into

the state of the economy and polity of the period.

6) What are the main archaeological sources used to reconstruct the Medieval
Period ?

Ans: Archaeological sources include monuments, coins, inscriptions and objects of

art such as paintings and sculptures which tells us about the economy and social
life of the times.

(VI) Answer the following questions in four or five sentences: (3 marks)

1) Why is Medieval Period termed as one of continuity and change?
➢ The Medieval Period has been termed as a period of continuity and change
because there was a fusion of new and existing traditions.
➢ From 1000 CE, there were Turkish invasions in India and the period saw the
advent of two major dynasties- the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.
➢ The invaders brought with them their own traditions and also adopted the
existing traditions which led to syncretism in culture, as evident in art,
literature, food, dress and architecture.

2) How are the accounts of foreign travellers useful to historians?

➢ Many foreign travellers and scholars have left behind detailed accounts of
their experiences in India.
➢ Historians rely on the writings of the foreign travellers for a fair and
unbiased account of a king’s reign.
➢ These accounts give information about the political, economic and social
life of the people and the historians often compare them with the accounts
written by court historians.

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 3) Discuss the memoirs and autobiographies that form a part of literary
sources of this period. (EQ)
➢ Memoirs and life histories written by the rulers themselves are
important sources of information for this period.
➢ Babur’s memoir, the Baburnama, throws light on the natural landscape
of India and the observations of the king and Jahangir’s autobiography,
Jahagirnama, gives us a good idea about Jahangir’s reign.
➢ Gulbadan Begum’s Humayunnama gives us an insight into the affairs of
the royal household.

4) How is the study of monuments in Medieval Period useful to the

historians? (EQ)
➢ Many magnificent monuments such as the Red Fort, Brihadeshwara
Temple, and the Taj Mahal were built during the Medieval Period which
tell us about the architectural styles used by the people who built these
structures.
➢ They reveal the extent of technological development and engineering
skills of the period and also form an integral part of our cultural
heritage.
➢ The inscriptions found on these monuments are of great value to
historians because they provide information about the life of the
people.

(5 marks)

1) What is epigraphy ? How are inscriptions useful to historians ?

➢ The study of inscriptions is called epigraphy.
➢ Inscriptions in various languages and scripts tell us about the different
dynasties and their history.
➢ They record the achievements of the rulers, royal proclamations and gifts
made by the kings to temples, villages and scholars.
➢ Inscriptions also throw light on the social and economic conditions of the
people and even narrate the achievements of kings.
➢ They also include the family histories of dynasties.

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2) Write a brief note on the different names by which India has been known.
➢ Throughout history, India has been known by a variety of names such as
Aryavarta, Bharatavarsham and Hindustan.
➢ “Aryavarta” means “land of the Aryans” and “Bharatavarsham” was the
term used to denote the subcontinent during the era of the Puranas.
➢ The invaders from Central and West Asia referred to the subcontinent as
Hind or Hindustan, derived from the Indo-Aryan term “Sindh”.
➢ The rulers of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire referred to their
realm as Hindustan.
➢ In Sanskrit literature, the country is called Bharat and the Indian
Constitution uses both India and Bharat to describe the country.

3) Name some important court chronicles for the study of the Delhi Sultanate and
Mughal Empire. (EQ)
➢ Minhaj-us-Siraj’s Tabakat-i-Nasiri gives us information about the Delhi
Sultanate.
➢ Ziauddin Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi tells us about Firoz Shah Tughlaq’s reign.
➢ Abud Fazl’s Ain-i-Akbari and Akbarnama are the two most important works
dealing with Akbar’s reign.
➢ Another important contemporary work is Badauni’s Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh.
➢ The Padshahnama and the Alamgirnama cover Shah Jahan’s and the early
years of Aurangazeb’s reign.

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 CONCEPT MAP

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