RBSE Class 7 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 8 Devotional Paths to the Divine

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 7 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 8 Devotional Paths to the Divine Important Questions and Answers. 

RBSE Class 7 Social Science Important Questions History Chapter 8 Devotional Paths to the Divine

Multiple Choice Questions 

Question 1. 
What was the name of the place where Sufi saint assembled?
(a) Dargahs 
(b) Tariqa
(c) Khanqahs 
(d) Gubbarga
Answer:
(c) Khanqahs 

 

Question 2. 
How many Alvars were there in all?
(a) 12
(b) 13
(c) 14 
(d) 15
Answer:
(a) 12

Question 3.  
Ramanuja was born in:
(a) Kerala 
(b) Tamil Nadu
(c) Punjab
(d) Mumbai
Answer:
(b) Tamil Nadu

Question 4. 
The best known Nayanars are:
(a) Affar 
(b) Sambandar
(c) Sundarar 
(d) All of these
Answer:
(d) All of these

Question 5. 
Shankara was born in:
(a) Kerala 
(b) Tamil Nadu
(c) Punjab 
(d) None of these 
Answer: 
(a) Kerala  

Fill in the blanks

Question 1. 
Guru Gobind Singh was son and successor of  ............... 
Answer:
Guru Tegh Bahadur

Question 2. 
Ramanuja was deeply influenced by ............... 
Answer:
Alvars

Question 3. 
Ramacharitmanas was written in ............... languages.
Answer:
Awadhi

Question 4. 
Mirabai was a disciple of ...............  
Answer:
Ravidas

Question 5. 
Surdas compositions were complied in the ..............., ...............,   and to express his devotion.
Answer:
Sursagar, Surasaravali and Sahitya Lahori.

True/False 

Question 1. 
Ramanuja, born in Tamil Nadu in the eighth century.
Answer:
False

Question 2. 
Shankara was born in Kerala in the eighth century.
Answer:
True.

Question 3. 
Sangam literature is the earliest example of Tamil literature.
Answer:
True.

Question 4. 
Islam propagated strict monotheism to a specific evil.
Answer:
False

Question 5. 
In Kashmir the Rishi order of Sufism flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Answer: 
True.

Match the column

I	II
1. Ramananda	(a) Julaha
2. Kabir	(b) founder of Bhakti move¬ment in north
3. Shankaradeva	(c) Amritsar
4. Jayadeva	(d) Gita Govinda
5. Nankana sahib	(e) Kirtana-ghosha
6. Dera Baba Nanak	(f) Guru Govind Singh
7. Khalsa	(g) Kartarpura
8. Harmandar Sahib	(h) Pakistan

Answer:

I	II
1. Ramananda	(b) founder of Bhakti move¬ment in north
2. Kabir	(a) Julaha
3. Shankaradeva	(e) Kirtana-ghosha
4. Jayadeva	(d) Gita Govinda
5. Nankana sahib	(h) Pakistan
6. Dera Baba Nanak	(g) Kartarpura
7. Khalsa	(f) Guru Govind Singh
8. Harmandar Sahib	(c) Amritsar

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Which supreme deities came to be worshipped?
Answer: 
Shiva, Vishnu and Durga were supreme deities came to be worshipped.

Question 2. 
Highlight the idea of the supreme God.
Answer: 
From the 12th century, the idea of Bhakti or the idea of supreme God emerged in the society. This idea can deliver human from bondage if we approached with devotion. 

Question 3. 
Name the book which advacates the idea of ‘Supreme God.
Answer: 
The idea of a ‘Supreme God’ is mentioned in the Bhagavadgita.

Question 4. 
Who were Nayanars?
Answer: 
The Nayanars led religious movements in south India. They were devoted to Shiva to get salvation. There were 63 Nayanars saints.

Question 5. 
Who were Alvars?
Answer: 
The Alvars led religious movement in south India. They were devoted to Vishnu to attain salvation. There were 12 Alvar saints.

Question 6. 
What did the Nayanars and Alvars do to spread their movement?
Answer: 
They composed poem in Sangam literature and blended them with the values 
of Bhakti. They went from place to place to spread the movement.

Question 7. 
What is Hagiography?
Answer: 
Hagiographies are the biographies of the Alvars and Nayanars or can be considered as religious biographies.

Question 8. 
Mention the main source of information about the Bhakti tradition.
Answer: 
Hagiographies or the religious biographies of Nayanars and Alvars were composed. Many poems were complied. These written histories are the main source of information about the Bhakti tradition.

Question 9. 
Give names of some famous saints of Maharashtra between 13th to 17th century.
Answer: 

1. Gyaneshwar
2. Namdev
3. Eknath
4. Tukaram.

Question 10. 
When did local myths become a part of the Puranic stories?
Answer: 
When gods and goddess were identified with Shiva, the local myths and legends became part of the Puranic stories.

Question 11. 
What do you mean by Sufis?
Answer: 
Sufis were the Muslim mystics who were in the favour of love towards all human beings.
Question 12. 
State the famous sufi saints of central Asia.
Answer: 
Ghazzali, Rumi and Sadi are few of the famous sufi saints. 

Question 13. 
Write any one point of similarity between the Sufi and Bhakti saints.
Answer: 
(i) Both Sufi and Bhakti saints believe that god is full of love. Human compassion and mercy are the ways to reach the God.

Question 14. 
How did the sufi bhakti movement gain strength in India.
Answer: 
The Dehli Sultanate provided strength to this process. Many major Sufi centres were established all over the subcontinent under the Chishti silsila.

Question 15. 
Trace the name of Sufi order that became popular in Medieval India.
Answer: 
The Chishti silsila was one of the most influential Sufi order.

Question 16. 
What do you mean by Khanqahs?
Answer: 
These were the buildings which were specially designed for gathering of Sufi saints.

Question 17. 
Write a short note on Dargah.
Answer: 
A tomb of a Muslim saint generally knows as Dargah. The Dargah became a place of pilgrimage where thousands of people from all the castes flocked.

Question 18. 
Name the composer of Ramcharitmanas.
Answer: 
Tulsidas was the composer of Ramcharitmanas.

Question 19. 
Write a short note on Mirabai.
Answer: 
Mirabai was a Rajput princess married into the royal family of Mewar and she was a devotee of Krishna and composed many bhajAnswer:

Question 20. 
Who was Kabir?
Answer: 
Kabir was one of the famous Bhakti saints of 15th century. His devotees called him Sant Kabir Das.

Question 21. 
Define sakhis and pads.
Answer: 
The ideas of Kabir are contained in a vast collection of verses called sakhis and pads.

Question 22. 
Which language was used in Kabir’s verses?
Answer: 
Hindi language was used in Kabir’s verses.

Question 23. 
Where the Sakhis and pads of Kabir were preserved?
Answer: 
They were included in Guru Granth Sahib and few others were compiled in the form of Panchvani and Bijak.

Question 24. 
Define ‘Langar’.
Answer: 
The followers of Guru Nanak Devji ate together in a common kitchen which is known as ‘Langar’.

Question 25. 
Define ‘Dharmsal’
Answer: 
Dharmsal’ is also known as ‘Gurdwara’ in present time. It is a sacred space created by Guru Nanak.

Question 26. 
Who was the succesor of Guru Nanak?
Answer: 
The successor of Guru Nanak was Lehna but the he came to be known as Guru Angad.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Illustrate the circumstances which led to the idea of a ‘Supreme God’.
Answer: 

1. Through the growth of towns, trade and empire, new ideas developed and people came together.
2. The idea that all living things would pass through cycles of birth and rebirth according to their good and bad deeds was accepted.
3. All human beings are not equal.
4. Social privileges came from birth.
5. People were uneasy with such ideas and they did not like religious sacrifice performed by BrahmAnswer:
6. People wanted to break the cycle of birth and rebirth to win social differences.
7. These were the reasons why some people attracted to the idea of supreme god which could free human beings from such bondage if approached with devotion and bhakti.

Question 2. 
People of many groups turn to the teachings of the Buddha and Jainas”. Analyse the reasons.
Answer: 

1. People were not comfortable with some ideas such as countless cycles of birth and rebirth. According to deeds of persons, equality among human beings, social were was based on birth and religion.
2. People thought that the upliftment of lower castes and equality among social castes could be obtained by the rejection of religious beliefs and sacrifices.
3. Hence, people turned to the teachings of Buddhas and Jainas according to which it was possible to overcome social differences and break the cycle of rebirth through personal efforts. 

Question 3. 
Explain the main ideas of saints of Bhakti movement in South India.
Answer: 

1. From 7th to 9th century, new religious movements emerged.
2. The Nayanars and Alvars led religious movements in south India.
3. The Nayanars saints were devoted to Shiva and Alvars devoted to Vishnu.
4. These saints preached devotion to God.
5. They came from different castes such as porters, soldiers, peasants and untouchable workers.
6. They were critical of the Buddhists and Jainas.
7. They composed forms in Sangam literature.
8. They preached love of Shiva or Vishnu to get the path of salvation.

Question 4. 
What were the teachings of saints of Maharashtra?
Answer: 

1. The saints of Maharashtra were strong and outspoken and were from all social classes. They focussed on the Vitthala (a form of Vishnu) temple in Pandharpur as well as a notion of a personal God residing in the hearts of a people. 
2. These saints rejected all forms of ritualism.
3. They were against the caste difference based on birth.
4. They did not believe in the idea of renunciation.
5. They preferred to live with their families, earning their livelihood like any other person.
6. They preached to serve human being in need.
7. They told that bhakti lay in sharing others’ pains. Hence a new humanist idea emerged from them.

Question 5. 
How did the Sufi masters held their assemblies? 
Answer: 
The Sufi saints held their assemblies in their Hospices or khanqahs. Devotees from all sectors of the society including members of the royalty, nobility, and ordinary people came to the khanqahs to discuss about spiritual matters, to get the blessings of the saints in solving their problems. They also attended the music and dance sessions.

Question 6. 
Enumerate new Bhakti deve-lopments occurred in North India.
Answer: 

1. Many different kinds of movements influenced each other in North India, and people from different religions and castes thronged to holy places to listen to preachers of new religions.
2. Islam, Sufism, Brahmanical, Hinduism, different strands of Bhakti, the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis influenced one another.
3. New towns and kingdoms were emerging.
4. People were taking new professions and new roles for themselves many times based on religions.
5. Some people like craftspersons, peasants, traders and laborers came to listen to these saints and spread their ideas.

Question 7. 
Write short notes on following saints of the Bhakti movement:
(a) Surdas . 
(b) Tulsidas
(c) Shankaradeva
Answer: 
(a) Surdas: Surdas was a devotee of Krishna, and he expressed his devotion with compositions such as the Sursagara, Surasaravali, and Sahitya Lahari.

(b) Tulsidas: Tulsidas accepted God in the form of Rama and composed the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi. This work is important both as a religious book and as a literary work.

(c) Shankaradeva: Shankaradeva of Assam emphasised devotion to Vishnu, and composed poems and plays in Assamese. He began the practice of setting up namghars or houses of recitation and prayer, a practice that continues till date.

Question 8. 
Evaluate how did the saints songs get popularised?
Answer: 
A unique feature of most of the saints is that they composed their work in regional language that could be sung by all. They also, taught their teachings to people in regional languages. Their work became popular and was transferred orally from generation to generation. The poorest, deprived communities and women transmitted these songs after adding their own experience. Hence, these songs created by saints to praise the God and became a popular part of culture.

Question 9. 
Write an account of the teachings of Islam.
Answer: 
Islam advocated strict submission to one god. It was not in the favour of idol worship. Religious scholars developed a holy law called the Shariat. Sufis provided it with an additional dimension and sought union with God much as a lover seeks his beloved. They made simple rituals of worship used in collective prayers. They developed elaborate methods of training using zikr (chanting), contemplation sama (singing), raqs (dancing), discussion of parables, breath control, etc. under the guidance of a master or pir.

Question 10 
Write a short note on Basavanna.
Answer: 
The Virashaiva movement was started by Basavanna and by his' companion like Allama Prabhu and Akkainahadevi. The movement was started in Karnataka in the middle of 12th century. They believed in the equality of the all human beings. They were against the brahmanical ideas about caste and the treatment of women. They were also against rituals and idol worship.

Question 11. 
Discuss the effects of the Nathpanthis, Siddhas and Yogis.
Answer: 

1. These groups became popular among the low caste.
2. These religious groups criticised prevalant rituals and unequal social divisions through simple logical arguments.
3. Their criticism of conventional religion created the ground for devotional religion particularly in the North India.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Mention the circumstances and ideas which developed the idea of ‘Supreme God’ in the medieval period in the Indian subcontinent.
Answer: 
Rise of new ideas due to cities, trade and empires-As people were brought together through the growth of towns, trade and empires, new ideas began to develop. They are:
(i) The idea that all living things pass through countless cycles of birth and rebirth performing good deeds and bad came to be widely accepted.

(ii) Similarly, the idea that all human beings are not equal even at birth gained ground diming this period. The belief that social privileges came from birth in a “noble” family or a “high” caste was the subject of many learned texts.

(iii) Many people were uneasy with such ideas and turned to the teachings of the Buddha or the Jainas according to which it was possible to overcome social differences and break the cycle of rebirth through personal effort.

(iv) Others felt attracted to the idea of a Supreme God who could deliver humans from such bondage if approached with devotion (or bhakti). Shiva, Vishnu and Durga as supreme deities came to be worshipped through elaborate rituals. At the same time, gods and goddesses worshipped in different areas came to be identified with Shiva, Vishnu or Durga. In the process, local myths and legends became a part of the Puranic stories, and methods of worship recommended in the Puranas were introduced into the local cults.

Question 2. 
Explain the major ideas of saints of Bhakti movement in South India.
Or
Describe the Alvars and Nayanars.
Answer: 
(i) The seventh to ninth centuries saw the emergence of new religious movements, led by the Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints devoted to Vishnu).

(ii) They were sharply critical of the Buddhists and Jainas and preached ardent love of Shiva or Vishnu as the path to salvation.

(iii) They drew upon the ideals of love and heroism as found in the Sangam literature (the earliest example of Tamil literature, composed during the early centuries of the Common Era) and blended them with the values of bhakti.

(iv) The Nayanars and Alvars went from place to place composing exquisite poems in praise of the deities enshrined in the villages they visited, and set them to music.

(v) There were 63 Nayanars, who belonged to different caste backgrounds such as potters, “untouchable” workers, peasants, hunters, soldiers, Brahmanas and chiefs. The best known among them were Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikka- vasagar. There are two sets of compilations of their songs-Tevaram and Tiruvacakam.

(vi) There were 12 Alvars, who came from equally divergent backgrounds, the best known being Periyalvar, his daughter Andal, Tondaradippodi Alvar and Nammalvar. Their songs were compiled in the Divya Prabandham.

(vii) Between the tenth and twelfth centuries the Chola and Pandya kings built elaborate temples around many of the shrines visited by the saint-poets, strengthening the links between the bhakti tradition and temple worship.

Question 3. 
What was the contribution of the various gurus of Sikhism? Describe.
Answer: 
Contribution of various Sikh guru:
(i) Guru Nanak: Guru Nanak adopted a regular worship method for his followers in Kartarpura under which his words are sung. Irrespective of their former creed, caste or gender, his followers ate together in the common kitchen (langar). The sacred space thus created by Baba Guru Nanak was known as dharmsal. It is now known as Gurudwara.

(ii) Guru Angad: Guru Angad compiled the compositions of Baba Guru Nanak, to which he added his own in a new script known as Gurmukhi.

(iii) Guru Amardas: Guru Amardas taught people the lesson of unity.

(iv) Other Gurus: 

• Guru Ramdas constructed Harmandir Sahib in the middle of the Amritsar reservoir.
• Guru Arj an Dev converted voluntary donations into compulsory donations.
• Guru Har Rai and Guru Harkrishna followed the policy of pacifism and Guru Tegh Bahadur organized the people against the Mughals.
• Guru Gobind Singh built the Khalsa institution. The community of the Sikhs, called the Khalsa Panth, became a political entity. He also: built Akal Takht.