STD.

CHAPTER 2 - THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

I. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:

1. Which is the biggest pyramid in the world?
ANS: The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest pyramid in the world.

2. On which river bank did the Egyptian civilization develop?

ANS: The Egyptian civilization developed along the banks of the river Nile.

3. What is Egyptian writing called?

ANS: The Egyptian writing is called as Hieroglyphics.

II. DEFINE THE FOLLOWING TERMS:

1. Papyrus- A material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a
writing surface.
2. Hieroglyphic- writing consisting of hieroglyphs.
3. Mummification- The process of preserving the body after death by deliberately
drying or embalming flesh.

III. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING IN BRIEF:

1. Name the kingdoms in ancient Egyptian history.
ANS: The three major kingdoms in ancient Egypt are:
Old kingdom
Middle kingdom
New kingdom

2. Which group of people belonged to the upper class?

ANS: The royal family, priests, nobles, government officials, scribes and doctors
belonged to the upper class.

3. How did trade occur in ancient Egypt?

ANS: 1. Trade was carried on by land and sea routes.
2. Goods were exchanged through barter system.
 4. What were the main features of Egyptian town planning?
ANS: The planning of an Egyptian town was based on two main factors:
1. The closeness to a riverbank and the height it was built to make sure that the
flood waters of the Nile did not affect the city.
2. The towns generally had a boundary wall with only one or two entrances
through the wall.

5. Describe the burial practice of the Egyptians.

ANS:
1. The Egyptians believed in life after death.
2. They used an embalming process, popularly known as mummification, to
preserve the dead.
3. The preserved bodies were called mummies.
4. The mummy was put into a wooden box, enclosed in a stone coffin and then
buried in a tomb.
5. Personal belongings like clothes, jewellery, food, water, furniture and so on
were kept in the tomb for comfortable journey to the next life.

6. To what extent had medicine developed in the Egyptian civilization?

ANS:1. The Egyptians knew more about the human body as they were making
mummies.
2. They made great progress in surgery and medicine.
3. One of their medical books has described the blood circulation in human body.
4. The Egyptian physicians knew that the heart and pulse were connected.
5. Their advancement in medicine can be proved from the fact that Egyptian
mummies which are thousands of year old, are still well preserved.

IV. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING IN DETAIL.

1. Elaborate on any three important achievements of the Egyptian civilization.
ANS:
1. Papyrus: The ancient Egyptians often wrote on tablets or walls, but they also
wrote on a type of paper called, papyrus.
2. Hieroglyphics: They used picture words to write.
3. Solar Calendar: The greatest achievement of Egyptians was the solar
calendar called Haab. It was much more accurate than the lunar calendar.
2. Write a short note on religion in the Egyptian civilization.
ANS: The Egyptians worshipped the forces of nature like the Sun God-Ra.
Ra was the sun god and considered chief among all the other gods because the sun
was believed to be the creator of all things. Other significant gods included Osiris,
Anubis the lord of the afterlife, and Horus, the god of the Sky. Additionally, they
were also worshipped the pharaoh as their god placed his statue in the temple after
his death.

3. Briefly explain the features of family life in the Egyptian civilization.

ANS: Family Life: 1.In Ancient Egypt, family members lived together in usually
large or joint families.
2. The eldest male member, the father, was the head of the family.
3. A family consisted of husband, wife and children.
4. Both men and women were treated as equals and had control over his or her
own property.
5. Parents arranged their children’s marriages.
6. Only very few children had the chance to read and write.
7. Women rulers were not unheard of. Queen Hatshepsut ruled over Egypt for 21
years.

4. Analyse the art and architecture of ancient Egypt.

Ans: 1.The Egyptians built beautiful temples with pillared halls.
2.The most famous of these temples is the Great Temple of Abu Simbel.
3. They also built pyramids to bury their dead.
4. The Great Pyramid at Giza, near Cairo, was built by Pharaoh Khufu. It is one
of the Seven Wonders of the World.
5. The Sphinx is also one of the most prominent examples of Egyptian sculpture.
It is a mythological figure.
6. The pyramids were tombs containing the mummies of Egyptian monarchs
along with all kinds of precious gold ornaments. These pyramids were huge
structures made of stone blocks.

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