RBSE Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders and Craftspersons

Rajasthan Board RBSE Solutions for Class 7 Social Science  History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders and Craftspersons Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

RBSE Class 7 Social Science Solutions History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders and Craftspersons

RBSE Class 7 Social Science Towns, Traders and Craftspersons InText Questions and Answers

Page 76

Question 1.
Why do you think people regarded Thanjavur as a great town?
Answer: 
Thanjavur was a temple town and regarded a great town as:

1. It was the center of the Chola economy and represented urbanisation.
2. It was the capital city located on the delta of Kaveri with the most important temple Rajarajeshvara. It had tanks and wells for water supply.
3. It had a huge market selling grains, spices, clothes andjewellery.
4. Many communities like the sthapatis or sculptors and Saliya weavers lived here.
5. This was famous as a great pilgrim town.

 

Page 77 

Question 2.
What do you think were the advantages of using “lost wax” technique?
Answer:
Chola bronze statues were made using the ‘lost wax” technique. Through this technique, the images of the lord were made exactly the same as it was carved out by sculptor. There was no need for the sculptor to make metal statues.

Page 78 

Question 3.
Make a list of towns in your district and try to classify these as administrative centres or as temple/ pilgrim centres.
Answer: 
To be answered by the students themselves.

Page 79 

Question 4.
Find out more about present-day taxes on markets r who collect’s these, how are they collected and what are they used for?
Answer: Initially, we paid many taxes on property, houses, water, electricity, entertainment, road, import-export, VAT collected by agencies of local and central government. Now-a-days only a single lax named “Goods & Service Tax” (GST) is collected which includes percentage of both central and state government. These are used for various public facilities provided by the government and also for welfare work. 

Page 80 

Question 5.
As you can see, during this period there was a great circulation of people and goods. What impact do you think this would have had on the lives of people in towns and villages? Make a list of artisans living in towns.
Answer: 
People lived nomadic lives. They were not settled people, they moved from one place to another for trade, food and fodder. Their circulation was based on seasons. List of artisans-blacksmiths, ironsmiths, weavers, potters, cobblers, goldsmiths.

Page 83 

Question 6.
Why do you think the city was fortified?
Answer: 
The city was fortified to protect it from invaders.

Page 85

Question 7.
Why did the English and the Dutch decide to establish settlements in Masulipatnam.
Answer: 
Masulipatnam had a port and other basic facilities which were necessary to maintain and run a business. So, the English. and the Dutch decided to establish settlement in Masulipatnam.
 

RBSE Class 7 Social Science Towns, Traders and Craftspersons Textbook Questions and Answers

imagine

Question 8.
You are planning a journey from Surat to west Asia in the seventeenth century. What are the arrangements you will make?
Answer: 
I will arrange some textile goods especially with zari border, cotton textile ituns to be sold there. I will go through A abian Sea, and will visit some countries like Saudi Arabia. I will also purchase some articles from there to sell back in my country.

 

Let’s recall 

Question 1. 
Fill in the blanks: 
(a) The Rajarajeshvara temple was built in ................
Answer: 
Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu)

(b) Ajmer is associated with the Sufi Saint    
Answer: 
Muinuddin Chishti,

(c) Hampi was the capital of the ................ empire.
Answer: 
ijayanagara

(d) The Dutch established a Settlement at ................ in Andhra Pradesh.
Answer: 
Masulipatnam.

Question 2. 
State whether true or false:
(a) We know the name of the architect of the Rajarajeshvara temple from an inscription.
Answer:
True

(b) Merchants preferred to travel individually rather than in caravAnswer:
Answer:
False

(c) Kabul was a major centre for trade in elephants.
Answer:
False

(d) Surat was an important trading port on the Bay of Bengal.
Answer: 
False

Question 3. 
How was water supplied to the city of Thanjavur? 
Answer: 
Water was supplied from wells and tanks to the city of Thanjavur.

Question 4. 
Who lived in “Black Towns” in cities such as Madras?
Answer: 
Artisans, craftspersons, merchants and native traders lived in “Black Towns” in cities such as Madras.

Let’s understand

Question 5. 
Why do you think towns grew around temples?
Answer: 
Temples were the centres to the economy and society. A large number of pilgrims flocked to these towns due to temples. They needed a lot of things and the needs of pilgrims gave employment to many persons like priests, garland makers, sculptors, shopkeepers, traders, workers, artisans etc. These people settled near temple to cater to the need of pilgrims. Rulers donated many grants to temples such as land and money to carry out rituals, feed priests and to celebrate festivals. Temple authorities started using that wealth to finance trade and banking. All these factors created demand of things and created employment. Thus, towns grew around temples.

Question 6. 
How important were crafts- persons for the building and maintenance of the temples?
Answer: 
Craftspersons were important because of the following reasons:

1. They were important for the building and maintenance of temples.
2. The people of Vishwakarma community worked as goldsmith, blacksmiths and carpenters. Masons were involved in the construction of temples and places, etc.
3. Craftspersons maintained the temples also.
4. Some weavers were rich. They made donations to temple.
5. Craftspersons also helped in the artwork like making idols, decoration of the temple .walls and roofs, etc.

 

Question 7. 
Why did people from distant land visit Surat?
Answer: 
People from distant places visited Surat because it was the gateway of west Asia. It was also the gate to Mecca. Many pilgrims’ ships set sail from here. Surat was famous for cotton textile with zari border so people came here to purchase cotton goods.

Question 8. 
In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities like Thanjavur?
Answer: 
Craft production in Thanjavur was different from Calcutta in the following ways:

1. Thanjavur: Bidri work of Bidar community is a famous craft work. It is inlay work in copper and silver. As it is a temple town, so the craftspersons live in towns.
2. Calcutta: It is famous for cotton, jute, silk textiles etc. It was a trading town so the craftspersons lived in black towns.

Let's discuss 

Question 9. 
Compare any one of the cities described in this chapter with a town or a village with which you are familiar? Do you notice any similarities and differences?
Answer: 
In this chapter, Surat is described. We are familiar with Delhi. Hence, the difference between the two: Surat was the gateway to west Asia because it was a trade centre while Delhi was an important administrative town. Surat was famous for cotton textile and Zari work on cotton cloth while Delhi is famous for trade and big commercial units. The similarities are. Surat and Delhi, both are cosmopolitan cities. Both cities were important during the Mughal period. In both the cities, factories were built by traders and rulers.

Question 10. 
What were the problems encountered by the merchants? Do you think some of the problems persist today?
Answer: 
Problems faced by the merchants were:

1. The merchants had to travel from many kingdoms and forests.
2. During their journey sometimes they were looted up.
3. They had to face harsh climatic conditions.
4. They carried their goods on the back of animals. But these problems are not faced by the merchants of today.

Let’s do

Question 11. 
Find out more about the architecture of either Thanjavur or Hampi, and prepare a scrap book illustrating the temples and other buildings from these cities.
Answer: 
To be done by the students themselves.

Question 12. 
Find out about any present-day pilgrimage centres. Why do you think people go there? What do they do there? Are there any shops in the area? If so, what is bought and sold there?
Answer: 
Students should write their own observations.