RBSE Class 7 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders and Craftpersons

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 7 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders and Craftpersons Important Questions and Answers. 

RBSE Class 7 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders and Craftpersons

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1. 
Hampi was the capital of:
(a) Vijaynagar 
(b) Mughal Empire
(c) Malwa Empire
(d) Chola Empire
Answer:
(a) Vijaynagar 

 

Question 2. 
Where is Vrindavan situated? 
(a) Bihar 
(b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Delhi 
(d) Gujarat
Answer:
(b) Uttar Pradesh

Question 3. 
Thanjavur was the capital of:
(a) The cholas 
(b) The mughal 
(c) The cherras 
(d) The pandyas
Answer:
(a) The cholas 

Question 4. 
Merchant travelled in:
(a) caravans 
(b) in house carts 
(c) in buses 
(d) in chariots
Answer:
(a) caravans 

Question 5.
Christopher Columbus discovered:
(a) Italy 
(b) China
(c) America 
(d) None of these
Answer: 
(c) America 

Fill in the blanks

Question 1.  
Ajmer was the capital of ................ kings in the 12th century.
Answer:
Chauhan

Question 2. 
Ajmer is famous for ................ lake.
Answer:
Pushkar

Question 3. 
Guilds are formed to protect the interest of  ................,  ................,  ................ .
Answer:
 Merchants, Traders, Craftpersons

Question 4. 
Spices grown in tropical climates are ................  and ................   
Answer:
pepper and cinnamon

Question 5. 
Slaves were brought ................  in   for sale.
Answer: 
Kabul.

 

True/False

Question 1. 
Hampi is located in the Krishna Tungbhadra Basin.
Answer:
True

Question 2. 
Thanjavur was an administrative town.
Answer:
False

Question 3. 
Temple authorities used their wealth to finance trade and banking.
Answer:
True

Question 4. 
In the medieval period, traders usually made convoys and travelled, together.
Answer:
True

Question 5. 
Kanchipuram and Madurai were connected by the famous silk'r’oad.
Answer: 
False

Match the column

I	II
(i) Thanjavur	(a) Madras
(ii) Vrindavan	(b) Pilgrim Centre
(iii) Surat	(c) The Chola bronze statue
(iv) Wax technique	(d) Cosmopolitan City
(v) Fort St. George	(e) Temple Town

Answer:

I	II
(i) Thanjavur	(e) Temple Town
(ii) Vrindavan	(b) Pilgrim Centre
(iii) Surat	(d) Cosmopolitan City
(iv) Wax technique	(c) The Chola bronze statue
(v) Fort St. George	(a) Madras

Very Short Answer Type Questions 

Question 1. 
Name any three kinds of towns found during the medieval period. 
Answer: 

1. Temple town
2. Administrative centre
3. Commercial town
4. Port town,
5. Religious town.

Question 2. 
Define administrative centres. 
Answer: 
Many towns combined several functions they were administrative centres, temple towns as well as commercial or craft centres.

Question 3. Name a weaver community of Thanjavur. 
Answer: 
The Saliya weavers.

Question 4. 
Where did the sculptors make bronze idols and ornamental bell metal lamps?
Answer: 
The Sculptors made bronze idols and ornamental bell metal lamps at Anna. 

Question 5. Name any 2 temple towns. 
Answer: 

1. Bhillasvamin (Bhilsaor Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh)
2. Somnath in Gujarat.

Question 6. 
Mention the names of two pilgrimage centres developed into townships.
Answer: 
Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh) and Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu).

Question 7. 
Give the name of the capital of the Chauhan kings in 12th century. 
Answer: Ajmer (Rajasthan) was the capital of the Chauhans in 12th century.

Question 8. 
With whom did the horse traders form associations?
Answer: 
The traders especially, horse traders formed association with headmen.

 

Question 9. 
Give any one feature of south Indian guilds.
Answer: 
These guilds traded extensively both within the peninsula and with Southeast Asia and China.

Question 10. 
State the names of some foreign traders who traded with India.
Answer: 
Some foreign traders who came to India were Arab, Persian, Chinese, Jewish, Syrian Christian traders, etc.

Question 11. 
What was‘Bidri’?
Answer: 
Inlay work in copper and silver which was done by the Bidri community of Bidar was known as Bidri.

Question 12. 
Which weaver communities became the most prosperous?
Answer: 
The Saliyar or Kaikkolars.

Question 13. 
What is the location of Hampi?
Answer: 
It is located in the Krishna- Tungabhadra basin in Karnataka.

Question 14. 
When the Vijayanagara empire founded?
Answer: 
The Vijaynagar empire was founded in 1336.

Question 15. 
State the location of Surat.
Answer: 
Surat is situated in the state of Gujarat, on the left bank of Tapti River.

Question 16. 
Why Surat was also known as the gate of Mecca?
Answer: 
Surat was called the gateway of Mecca because the pilgrim ships set sail of Mecca from here.

Question 17. 
Who has banking houses at Surat?
Answer: 
The Kathiawad seths or Mahayans had huge banking houses at Surat.

Question 18. 
Mention the location of Masulipatnam.
Answer: 
The port town Masulipatnam laid on the delta of the Krishna River. Presently,
this town is located in state of Andhra Pradesh. 

Question 19. 
What were the another names of Masulipatnam?
Answer: 
It was known by different names . like Bandra or Masula.

Question 20. 
Who tried to control Masulipatnam?
Answer: 
The Dutch and English East India Companies tried to control Masulipatnam.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Highlight some striking features of Thanjavur as a temple town.
Or
Write a short note on ‘Thanjavur:
A Temple Town’.
Answer: 
The famous Rajarajeshvara temple is located in Thanjavur. It is a Shiva temple built by the king Rajaraja Chola. Temple towns led to urbanisation. Some nearby communities of weavers produced flags, used in the temple festival. Sculptors made bronze idols and other objects. Pilgrims who flocked to the temples also made donations. Temple authorities used the wealth to finance trade and banking. As Thanjavur had all the features of a temple town hence, it was known to be a temple town.

 

Question 2. 
List different kinds of traders in medieval towns.
Answer: 
There were many kinds of traders. These included:
Banjaras: They were nomadic traders. They traded in food stuffs like rice, flour, milk, vegetables, etc.
Horse traders: Horse traders sold horses.
Foreign traders: These were the traders who travelled by sea or land routes to the subcontinent.
Local traders: They were small traders who owned shops in the local markets.

Question 3. 
Describe the trade and commerce of the Vijayanagara empire.
Answer: 
Vijayanagara (Hampi) was a busy place due to commercial activities. Muslim 
merchants, Chettis and agents of European traders such as the Portuguese flocked into the market of Hampi. The craftsmen and merchants, guilds played an important role to flourish the trade and commerce.

Question 4.
Temples were the hub of cultural activities in Hampi.” Explain.
Answer: 
Temples were the hub of cultural activities. Devadasis performed before the deity royality and masses in the Virupaksha temple. The Mahanavami was one of the important festival celebrated at Hampi. Archaeologists have also found the Mahanavami platform, that the kings used to hold meetings and from where they watched various music and dance performances and wrestling matches. It was the platform where kings received gifts and tributes from subordinate chiefs.

Question 5. 
Illustrate splendid archi¬tectural features of Hampi.
Answer: 
The ruins of the city depicts that it was a fortified city. In the construction of walls, no cement or mortar was used. Walls were constructed by wedging technique interlocking the blocks together. The buildings in the royal complex had arches, domes and pillared halls with niches for holding sculptures. The members of royal families had their houses in garden complexes and orchards. They had sculptural motifs such as the lotus and corbels.

Question 6. 
Enumerate the features of guilds by giving some examples.
Answer: 
The guilds were the associations of traders and merchants. Guilds were formed to protect the interest of merchants and traders. Guilds also provided training to traders and merchants. The traders moved . in caravans as they had to pass from one kingdom to another. Hence, it was safe to move in groups. Example: Guilds in south India were Manigramam, Nanadesi.

Question 7. 
Highlight the commercial activities of the city of Thanjavur.
Answer: 
Thanjavur is also a commercial town. The town had many markets where
grains, spices, clothes and jewellery were sold and purchased. People of Thanjavur were also busy in craftworks. For example, weavers produced flags to be used in the temple festivals. Sculptors made fine bronze idols, ornamental bell metal lamps, etc.

Question 8. 
Write the significance of Ajmer as a religious centre.
Answer: 
City of Ajmer was an example of religious coexistence. The famous Sufi Saint Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti came here in 12th century. Now the Dargah of Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti is situated in Ajmer. Devotees come to Ajmer from all castes and creeds. Lake Pushkar near Ajmer has also attracted pilgrims from ancient times. Hence, Ajmer is a famous religious centre for both the communities i.e. Hindus and Muslims.

Question 9. 
The role of rulers was also significant in the development of towns around the temples.” Justify the statement.
Answer: 
Usually, temples were built by the kings to show their power, wealth and devotion to the God. Kings also supplied land and money to temples to carry out rituals, feed pilgrims and priests and celebrate festivals. Temple authorities used wealth to finance trade and banking. Development of trade means creation of employment. It developed towns around temples. Therefore, the role of kings was significant in the development of towns around temples.

Question 10. 
Discuss about the commercial activities of small towns?
Or
What kind of market did the small towns have?
Answer:
Mandapika or Mandi was at the centre of the town. People from nearby villages brought their produce or goods to sell in mandi. The towns also had market street known as haat, i.e. shops on both sides. There were streets for different kinds of artisans such as potters, oil pressers, sugar makers, toddy makers, etc. Traders soldmany products like horses, salt, camphor, saffron, betel nut spice and so on. Traders also used to come from far to buy local articles and sell products of distant places.

 

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Describe the activities taking place in the small towns of the 8th century.
Answer: 
From the eighth century onwards the subcontinent was dotted with several small towns. These probably emerged from large villages. The main activities taking place in these cities were as follows:

1. Mandapika (mandi): They usually had a mandapika (or mandi of later times) to which nearby villagers brought their produce to sell.
2. Hatta: They also had market streets called hattalined with shops.
3. Market for artisans and craftsmen: There were streets for different kinds of artisans such as potters, oil pressers, sugar makers, toddy makers, smiths, stonemasons, etc.
4. Traders: Some traders lived in the town, others travelled from town to town.
5. Trading: Many came from far and near to these towns to buy local articles and sell products of distant places like horses, salt, camphor, saffron, betel nut and spices like pepper.
6. Samantas or zamindar: Usually a samanta or, in later times, a zamindar built a fortified palace in or near these towns. They levied taxes on traders, artisans and articles of trade.

Question 2. 
Describe the different types of traders in the medieval subcontinent.
Answer: 
There were many types of traders. Following were some prominent traders:

1. Banjaras: Banjaras were the most important nomadic traders. They roamed far and wide with their animals. His life depended on milk and other pastoral products. They also used to barter with agricultural households. Some Banjaras used to carry goods from one place to another.

2. Horse traders: Horse traders, used to form associations, with headmen who negotiated on their behalf with warriors who bought horses

3. Trade union (guild): Since traders had to pass through many kingdoms and forests, they usually travelled in caravans and formed guilds to protect their interests. These guilds traded extensively both within the peninsula and with Southeast Asia and China.

4. Chettiars, Marwari Oswal and Gujrati traders: There were also communities like the Chettiars and the Marwari Oswal who went on to become the principal trading groups of the country. Gujarati traders, including the communities of Hindu Baniyas and Muslim Bohras, traded extensively with the ports of the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, East Africa, Southeast Asia and China.

5. Foreign traders: The towns on the west coast were home to Arab, Persian, Chinese, Jewish and Syrian Christian traders. Indian spices and cloth sold in the Red Sea ports were purchased by Italian traders and eventually reached European markets.

Question 3. 
Describe the architecture of Hampi city.
Answer: 
Hampi is located in the Krishna- Tungabhadra basin, which formed the nucleus of the Vijayanagara Empire, founded in 1336. Its architecture is discussed under the following points:

1. Well-fortified city: The magnificent ruins at Hampi reveal a well-fortified city. No mortar or cementing agent was used in the construction of these walls and the technique followed was to wedge them together by interlocking.
2. Typical architecture: The architecture of Hampi was distinctive. The buildings in the royal complex had splendid arches, domes and pillared halls with niches for holding sculptures.
3. Well-planned orchards: They also had well-planned orchards and pleasure gardens with sculptural motifs such as the lotus and corbels;

 

Question 4. 
Describe the cultural and commercial activities of Hampi.
Answer: 
In the fifteenth-sixteenth centuries, Hampi bustled with commercial and cultural activities. They are:

1. Muslim merchants, Chettis and agents of European traders such as the Portuguese, thronged the markets of Hampi.
2. Temples were the hub of cultural activities and devadasis (temple dancers) performed before the deity, royalty and masses in the many-pillared halls in the Virupaksha (a form of Shiva) temple.
3. The Mahanavami festival, known today as Navaratri in the south, was one of the most important festivals celebrated at Hampi.
4. Archaeologists have found the Mahanavami platform where the king received guests and accepted tribute from subordinate chiefs. From here he also watched dance and music performances as well as wrestling bouts.