Balbharti Maharashtra State Board Class 11 History Important Questions Chapter 4 Vedic Period Important Questions and Answers.
Maharashtra State Board 11th History Important Questions Chapter 4 Vedic Period
1A. Choose the correct alternative and write the complete sentences.
Question 1.
____________ was composed in India around 1500 B.C.E.
(a) Atharvaveda
(b) Samaveda
(c) Yajurveda
(d) Rigveda
Answer:
(d) Rigveda
Question 2.
In the year 1583, an Italian merchant ____________ came to Kochi, Kerala.
(a) Vasco da Gama
(b) Filippo Sassetti
(c) Albuquerque
(d) Ferdinand
Answer:
(b) Fillippo Sassetti
Question 3.
The texts of the four Vedas are known as the ____________
(a) Aranyaka
(b) Brahmanas
(c) Samhitas
(d) Upanishads
Answer:
(c) Samhitas
Question 4.
The verses in the Rigveda are known as ____________
(a) Ruchas
(b) Suktas
(c) Mandala
(d) Mantras
Answer:
(a) Ruchas
Question 5.
The Vedic society was organised into four classes known as ____________
(a) Ashramas
(b) Varnas
(c) Javas
(d) Mahajanapadas
Answer:
(b) Varnas
Question 6.
____________ mentioned as the Lord of Urvara.
(a) Agni
(b) Varun
(c) Indra
(d) Pushan
Answer:
(b) Varun
Question 7.
The chariot makers in the Vedic Period were known as ____________
(a) Rathakara
(b) Taksham
(c) Kulal
(d) Vaya
Answer:
(a) Rathakara
Question 8.
The verses in ____________ is known on ‘Rueha’.
(a) Samaveda
(b) Rigveda
(c) Atharvaveda
(d) Yajurveda
Answer:
(b) Rigveda
Question 9.
The ____________ is regarded as the text that is fundamental in development of Indian music.
(a) Rigveda
(b) Samaveda
(c) Yajurveda
(d) Atharvaveda
Answer:
(b) Samaveda
1B. Find the incorrect pair from set ‘B’ and write the correct ones.
Question 1.
Set ‘A’ | Set ‘B’ |
(a) Rigveda | Suktas (hymns) |
(b) Yajurveda | Explanation of the sacrificial rituals |
(c) Samaveda | Rules of reciting mantras |
(d) Atharvaveda | Rules of grammar |
Answer:
(d) Atharvaveda – Charms and medicines for various problems and diseases
Question 2.
Set ‘A’ | Set ‘B’ |
(a) Shatdru | Sutlej |
(b) Asikni | Chinab |
(c) Parushi | Bias |
(d) Vitasta | Jhelum |
Answer:
(c) Parushi – Ravi
Question 3.
Set ‘A’ | Set ‘B’ |
(a) Kubha | Kabul |
(b) Gomati | Gomal |
(c) Suvastu | Swat |
(d) ‘God’s Country | Devraya Desh |
Answer:
(d) ‘God’s Country’ – Devnirmit Desh
1C. Find the odd one out.
Question 1.
Deities of the Vedic period:
(a) Indra
(b) Varun
(c) Ashwins
(d) Rathakara
Answer:
(d) Rathakara
Question 2.
Rivers of the Saptasindhu:
(a) Shatdru
(b) Vipas
(c) Asikni
(d) Cauvery
Answer:
(d) Cauvery
Question 3.
The Vedas:
(a) Rigveda
(b)Yajurveda
(c) Upanishad
(d) Atharvaveda
Answer:
(c) Upanishad
Question 4.
Terms associated with the textile industry:
(a) Tantum
(b) Otum
(c) Shuttle
(d) Uran
Answer:
(d) Uran
2A. Write the names of historical places, persons, and events.
Question 1.
Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784.
Answer:
Sir William Jones
Question 2.
Tribal Settlements.
Answer:
Krishtya
Question 3.
Earthen Jars in Marathi.
Answer:
Rahatgadage
Question 4.
Vedic name for carpenters.
Answer:
Takshan
Question 5.
Vedic name for the weaver.
Answer:
Vaya
Question 6.
Two well-known epics.
Answer:
Ramayana and Mahabharata
Question 7.
River transport.
Answer:
Navya
2B. Choose the correct reason and complete the sentence.
Question 1.
The Rigvedic culture is the culture of the ____________
(a) Early Vedic period
(b) Late Vedic Period
(c) Post Vedic Period
(d) Pre Vedic period
Answer:
(a) Early Vedic period
Question 2.
The Atharvaveda contains information about ____________
(a) Science, Technology and Inventions.
(b) Charms and medicines for various problems and diseases.
(c) Day-to-day life.
(d) The norms of statesmanship.
Answer:
(b) Charms and medicines for various problems and diseases.
Question 3.
The ____________ also mentions trade by exchange, negotiations, and traders travelling far and wide to earn profits.
(a) Atharvaveda
(b) Samaveda
(c) Yajurveda
(d) Rigveda
Answer:
(d) Rigveda
2C. Write the correct chronological order.
Question 1.
(a) Brahmanas
(b) Aryamka
(c) Vedas
(d) Upanishada
Answer:
(a) Vedas
(b) Brahmanas
(c) Aryamka
(d) Upanishads
Question 2.
(a) Grihasthashram
(b) Vanaprasthashram
(c) Brahmacharyashram
(d) Sanyasashram
Answer:
(a) Brahmacharyashram
(b) Grihasthashram
(c) Vanaprasthashram
(d) Sanyasashram
Question 3.
(a) Vedic Literature and Social organisation of Vedic Times
(b) Vedic literature, Linguistics, and Archaeology
(c) Later Vedic Period
(d) The Early Vedic Culture
Answer:
(a) Vedic literature, Linguistics, and Archaeology
(b) Vedic Literature and Social organisation of Vedic Times
(c) The Early Vedic Culture
(d) Later Vedic Period
3. Complete the concept maps.
Question 1.
Answer:
Question 2.
Answer:
Question 3.
Answer:
4. Explain the following concepts.
Question 1.
Varna System.
Answer:
- The Vedic society was organized into four classes known as ‘Varna’, namely, Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.
- The varna system is first mentioned in the tenth mandala (chapter) of the Rigveda.
- In the later Vedic period, the varna system lost its flexibility.
- Also, the caste system got rooted firmly by this period.
- In the beginning, the varna or the caste was decided by one’s occupation.
- Later it came to be determined on the basis of birth.
5. Explain the statement with reasons.
Question 1.
It became impossible to change one’s Varna and caste in which he/she was born.
Answer:
- The varna system is first mentioned in the tenth mandala (chapter) of the Rigveda.
- In the later Vedic period, the varna system lost its flexibility.
- Also, the caste system got rooted firmly by this period.
- In the beginning, the varna or the caste was decided by one’s occupation.
- Later it came to be determined on the basis of birth.
- Hence it became impossible to change one’s varna and caste, in which he/she was born.
Question 2.
Vedic literature is supposed to be the earliest literature of India.
Answer:
- The language of Vedic Literature in Sanskrit and it is one of the oldest languages.
- Vid’ in Sanskrit means to know and ‘Ved’ means knowledge.
- The four Vedas namely, Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda form the core of the Vedic literature.
- The texts of these four Vedas are known as the ‘Samhitas’.
- Thus, the Vedic literature is supposed to be the earliest literature of India.
Question 3.
Yajurveda is a combined composition of the Rigvedic richa in verse and the explanation of its use as a mantra in prose.
Answer:
- The Yajurveda offers an explanation of the sacrificial rituals.
- It explains when and how the mantras should be used.
- A Rigvedic Richa, when recited in sacrificial rituals, is regarded as Mantra.
- Thus, the Yajurveda is a combined composition of the Rigvedic richa in verse and the explanation of its use as a mantra in prose.
6. State your opinion.
Question 1.
Later Vedic Period saw the spread of Later Vedic culture from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhya Mountains in the south.
Answer:
- Later Vedic Period is dated to around 1000-600 B.C.E. The information about this period is gathered from the treatises written in that period.
- The material culture as reflected in the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata was studied with the help of archaeological evidence.
- A picture of the migration in the Later Vedic period can be gathered from the Saptasindhu region toward the east and its geographic markers from the literature of that period.
- Thus, this period saw the spread of Later Vedic culture from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhya Mountains in the south.
7. Answer the following questions in detail.
Question 1.
Write a note on Vedic literature in detail.
Answer:
- Vedic literature is supposed to be the earliest literature of India. Its language is Sanskrit.
- The four Vedas form the core of Vedic literature, i.e., Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda.
- The texts of these four Vedas are known as ‘Samhitas’ vid in Sanskrit means ‘to know’ and Veda means ‘knowledge.
- The Rigveda contains Suktas (hymns) composed to eulogize the deities.
- The verses in the Rigveda are known as ‘Rucha’. A number of Ruchas strung together to make a Sukta (hymn).
- Many Suktas make one Mandala. The Yajurveda offers explanations of rituals.
- It explains how and when mantras are to be used. The Samaveda is a text that gives the rules of reciting mantras in a musical form.
- The Atharvaveda is about day-to-day life. It contains information about charms and medicines.
Question 2.
Write a note on the Later Vedic period in detail.
Answer:
- The Later Vedic period is dated around 1000-600 B.C.E. The treatises of the period give information about this period.
- This period saw the spread of Later Vedic from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the Vindhyas in the south.
- A story in the Satapatha Brahmana bears evidence of the Later Vedic period settling and bringing land under cultivation from west to east.
- The Later Vedic period saw a gradual formation of the confederacies of the Vedic villages. They were known as ‘Janapadas’.
- Generally, the seniors and the elites in a Janapada collectively took social decisions.
- They functioned like oligarchic states. These slowly expanded into Mahajanapadas.
Question 3.
Write about the following:
(a) Varna System
(b) Ashrama System
Answer:
(a) Varna System:
- The Vedic society was organised into four classes known as “Varna’ namely Brahmana Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.
- The Varna system is mentioned in the 10th Mandala (chapter) of the Rigveda.
- In the Later Vedic period, the varna system became rigid. Also, the caste system got firmly rooted.
- In the beginning, the varna or the caste was decided by one’s occupation later it came to be determined on the basis of birth.
(b) Ashrama System: The Ashrama System of the Vedic period was divided into four stages namely Brahmacharya Ashram, Grihastha Ashram, Vanaprastha Ashrama, and Sanyasa Ashrama.
- In the first stage, one was expected to spend an austere life and earn knowledge and necessary occupational skills.
- In the second stage, one was expected to fulfill one’s prescribed duties with one’s wife by his side.
- In the third stage, one was expected to retire from the active life of a householder.
- It was also desirable that one should stay away from human settlement, renounce all family bonds, accept a wandering life, etc.
- A Sanyasi was to give up all worldly attachments and not be permitted to settle at one place for a longer time.
8. Answer the following questions with the help of given points.
Question 1.
Write a note on Ashrama System with the help of stages involved in it.
Answer:
The Ashrama System of the Vedic culture lays down the norms of living an ideal life by dividing the span of human life into four successive stages, namely Brahmacharyashram, Grihasthashram, Vanaprasthashram, and Sanyasashram.
- In the first stage, one was expected to spend an austere life and earn knowledge and necessary occupational skills.
- In the second stage, one was expected to fulfill one’s prescribed duties with one’s wife by his side.
- In the third stage, one was expected to retire from the active life of the householder and if the need is to give advice to the younger people. It was also desirable that one should stay away from human settlement.
- In the fourth and the last stage one was expected to renounce all the family bonds, accept a wandering life, and go away. A Sanyasi was not permitted to settle at one place for a longer time.
Question 2.
Write a note on Vedic Literature:
(a) Rigveda
(b) Yajurveda
(c) Samaveda
(d) Atharvaveda
Answer:
Vedic literature is supposed to be the earliest literature of India. Its language is Sanskrit. The four Vedas namely, Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda form the core of the Vedic literature.
(a) Rigveda: The Rigveda contains Suktas (hymns) composed to eulogize the deities. The verses in Rigveda are known as ‘Rucha’. A number of Ruchas strung together makes a Sukta (hymn). Many Suktas make one Mandala.
(b) Yajurveda: The Yajurveda offers an explanation of the sacrificial rituals. It explains when and how the mantras should be used. A Rigvedic Richa, when recited in sacrificial rituals, is regarded as Mantra. The Yajurveda is a combined composition of the Rigvedic richa in verse and the explanation of its use as a mantra in prose.
(c) Samaveda: The Samaveda is a text that gives the rules of reciting mantras in a musical form. The Samaveda is regarded as the text that is fundamental in the development of Indian music.
(d) Atharvaveda: The Atharvaveda is about day-to-day life. It contains information about charms and medicines for various problems and diseases. It also talks about the norms of statesmanship.