Chapter 2- From Hunting – Gathering to Growing Food

New words:
Domestication: The process of taming an animal and keeping it as a pet or on a farm.
Herder: A person who looks after a herd of livestock or makes a living from keeping livestock.
Burial: The action or practice of burying a dead body.
Sites: Sites are places where the remains of things (tools, pots, buildings, etc.) used by early
humans were found.

Q uestion & Answer

Q1. Why do people who grow crops have to stay in the same place for a long time?
Ans. When they plant a seed, it takes some time to grow. Depending on the type of seeds used, the time
taken would vary from days to weeks, months, and years. It means they had to stay in the same place to
take care of the plants by watering, weeding, and driving away animals and birds – till the grain ripened.
Once ripened, they had to think of ways to store it. Hence, they had to stay in the same place for a long
time.

Q2. Why did hunter-gatherers travel from place to place?

Ans. The hunter-gatherers travel from place to place for the following reasons:

They would have eaten up all the plant and animal resources.
Animals move from place to place, hence they had to follow their movements
Plants and trees bear fruits in different seasons. So, people may have moved from season to season, in
search of different kinds of plants.
They need water to survive and many rivers and lakes were seasonal. So, they had to go in search of water
during dry seasons.

Extra Questions:
Q1. Explain about Palaeolithic.

Ans. Palaeolithic comes from two Greek words, ‘palaeo’ meaning old, and ‘lithos’ meaning stone.
Therefore, Palaeolithic is the period in History when people used stone in their day-to-day life. The
Palaeolithic period extends from 2 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago. This long stretch of time is
divided into the Lower, Middle, and Upper Palaeolithic.

Q2. How did the changing climate affect the life of humans?
Ans. The climate of the world had major changes around 12,000 years ago. There was a shift to relatively
warmer conditions. Grasslands developed in many areas. Plants and animals also developed in the
meantime. Humans observed the places where edible plants were found, they wondered how seeds broke
off stalks, fell on the ground, and new plants sprouted from them. They became farmers due to these
changes.
They also learned how to get the attention of animals by taming them and providing them with food. People
tamed the wild ancestor of the dog. They also started rearing sheep, goats, cattle, etc. and this made them
herders.
Grasslands had allowed many animals which lived on the grass to grow in number.

Q3. What kind of information do we get from cave paintings?

Ans. Cave painting is significant because it was what people in prehistoric times did in order to record
history and culture.
As it provides all the information about –
1. Dexterity of early humans
2. Early humans collectively engaged in recreational activities
3. Evidence for the planning of hunting grounds and prey by early humans.

Chapter2-GLOBE: LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES

New Words
Equator: The latitude at 0 degrees which divides the earth into two equal halves.
Prime Meridian: The longitude at 0 degrees which passes through the British Royal Observatory at
Greenwich
Greenwich Mean Time: The time at the Prime Meridian.

Question & Answer

Q1. What are the three heat zones of the Earth? Explain them with the help of a diagram.
Ans. Ans in textbook pg 12, Diagram in pg. 11(2.3)

Q2. What are the parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude?

Ans.
All parallel circles from the equator up to the poles are called parallels of latitudes.
They are measured in degrees and are indicated by the letter ‘N’ or ‘S’.
The lines of references running from the North Pole to the South Pole are called meridians of longitudes.
They are measured in degrees and are indicated by the letter ‘E’ or ‘W’.

Extra questions
Q1. Why do we have standard time?
Ans (Pg15)

Q2. How are the latitudes different from the longitudes?

Ans.
Latitudes Longitudes

1. Latitudes are imaginary lines that run from west to 1. Longitudes are imaginary lines that run from
east north to south.

2. They are parallel to the equator. 2. They are not parallel to the prime meridian.

3. They are not of the same length. 3. They are of the same length.

4. As we move away from the equator, the size of the 4.They are semi-circles and the distance between
parallels of latitude decreases. them decreases steadily poleward until it becomes
zero at the poles, where all the meridians meet.

5. There are 181 latitudes. 5. There are 360 longitudes

 Chapter2 Diversity and Discrimination

New Words:
1. Discrimination: The unjust treatment of different categories of people, especially on the
grounds of race, age, or gender.
2. Prejudice: To judge other people negatively or see them as inferior.
3. Stereotype: Fixing people into one image.

Question & Answer

Q1. How can the stereotype that girls are a burden on their parents affect the life of a
daughter? Ans.
• If parents think of the girl child as a burden then from the beginning of the girl’s life, she will not
get equality.
• She will not be given a chance to study.
• She will not be allowed to choose a profession of her own choice.
• In some cases, if parents know that a girl child is going to be born, they kill her in the
mother’s womb itself.

Q 2. Why a country which gives importance to equality, is considered

to be better?
Ans.
• If everyone in the country regardless of their caste, religion, gender, etc. is given equal
opportunity, only then the overall development of the country will be possible.
• If equality is not there, then few people will be suppressed and will not be given a chance to
develop, which is not healthy for any society.
• Everyone should be treated equally so that each and everyone can contribute towards their
country and society.

Extra Questions
Q1. How does Constitution help us to attain
equality?
Ans.
• Before Independence, discrimination had been practiced in Indian society and people struggled
a lot to get rid of it and fought extensively for equality.
• After the Independence, the leaders kept few provisions in the constitution to keep equality in
the society. Such as-
➢ Untouchability is seen as crime and is completely abolished.

➢ Freedom to choose the job of one’s own choice.

➢ The Constitution also placed responsibility on the government to take specific steps to realise
the right to equality for poor and other such marginal communities.
Q2. Write a short note on Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar and his contribution towards the Indian
Constitution.
Ans.
• Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar was the head of the constituent assembly, which framed the
constitution of India and is considered as the father of the Indian Constitution.
• He came from the ‘Dalit’ class and was treated as untouchable for a long time in society.
• But even after many hurdles he continued with his studies and became a lawyer.
• Throughout his life he struggled against untouchability and encouraged ‘Dalits’ for education and
jobs.
• Due to his own experiences, he kept a few provisions in the Indian Constitution to remove
untouchability from India.
• Because of his contributions he is known as the leader of the Dalit community.

Q3. How can we differentiate between inequality and discrimination?

Ans. In any society, there are many inequalities, which are unavoidable.

 On the basis of financial status, educational qualifications, etc., there are many differences which are
called inequalities.
 But discrimination occurs when due to these inequalities, few people consider themselves as upper
class than the other few and treat them with prejudice.
 Sometimes this discrimination becomes excessive and converts into exploitation as well and the
discriminated individual or the community is devoid of the equal opportunities or facilities.
 Earth is divided into 24 time zones of one hour each . Each time zone thus covers 15 degrees longitudes. so
360 / 15 =24. Each time zone is 1 hour apart from the other.