Students revise important topics using Class 7 SST Extra Questions and Class 7th SST Chapter 4 New Beginnings Cities and States Important Extra Question Answer before exams.
Class 7 SST Chapter 4 New Beginnings Cities and States Extra Questions
NCERT Class 7 Social Science Chapter 4 Extra Questions on New Beginnings Cities and States
New Beginnings Cities and States Class 7 Very Short Question Answer
Question 1.
Which mahajanapads were not monarchies?
Answer:
Mahajanapadas which were called ganas or sanghas were not monarchies.
Question 2.
What are two main sources of ancient urban centres?
Answer:
Two main sources of ancient urban centres are:
(a) Archaeological excavation
(b) Ancient literature
Question 3.
Describe the structure of ancient cities.
Answer:
Most of the ancient cities had broad streets with well-fortified and running moat outside to protect their boundaries.
Question 4.
Which metallurgy was mastered by Harappan Cimlisation?
Answer:
Copper and Bronze metallurgy was mastered by Harappan Civilisation.
Question 5.
What was the purpose of opening routes in the 1st millennium BCE?
Answer:
In the 1st millennium BCE, the purpose of opening routes was encouraging trade, pilgrimage, and mobilising military, etc.
New Beginnings Cities and States Class 7 Short Question Answer
Question 1.
How did Malla and Vajji’s governance system differ from other mahajanapadas? Explain.
Answer:
Malla and Vajji had more powerful assemblies or councils known as ‘sabha or samiti’. The assembly took important decisions through voting. It had the power to elect the ruler (raja/king) and restrict his decisions. They were the earliest form of republic or democracy in the world.
Question 2.
What major shift in technologies do we notice in the Second Urbanisation?
Answer:
The Harappan civilisation mastered copper and bronze. They were fully dependent on these for making tools, weapons and utensils. The Second Urbanisation introduced iron metallurgy which was more durable and easier to shape. It encouraged trade and agriculture and strengthened the military.
Question 3.
What was the criteria of early Varna – Jati system?
Answer:
Earlier, the society was categorised on the basis of occupation to reduce the complexity of several groups. The system was quite flexible, and people had the right to change their profession during any crisis. But the system became rigid over time, and the divisions created inequalities and social differences.
Question 4.
What were the mbrant centres of trade?
Answer:
In the 1st millennium BCE, many routes were opened up to encourage trade and military campaigns. These routes were interconnected with the ports on the western and eastern coasts which later became the vibrant centres of trade.
New Beginnings Cities and States Class 7 Long Question Answer
Question 1.
What resources were the southern regions rich in?
Answer:
The southern regions were known for their huge centres of precious and semi¬precious stones like pearls, rubies and gold. These gems were very valuable support for uplifting trade with other parts of India and foreign lands. These stones encouraged the production of coins and utensils which maintained economic balance. The southern regions were very famous for its sandalwood forests and well-established production chain of spices like cinnamon, pepper, and cardamom, etc. These spices were in demand both in international and subcontinental markets. These resources made room for sustainable trade system and offered chance to initiate strong alliance.
Question 2.
“The Mahajanapadas ceased to exist leaving the place to fresh developments.” Explain.
Answer:
There were many reasons for the decline of Mahajanpadas. The alliances were shifting quickly and the frequent wars to expand their territories, shaked the strength of the kingdoms. Kingdoms like Magadha, Avanti, and Kosala took advantage of the downfall of smaller states. They expanded their boundaries and strengthened their unions. The downfall of mahajanpadas acquired room for fresh and unified kingdoms which led to rise of Mauryan dynasty. The establishment of large kingdoms, introduced more centralised political structure, new administrative system in ancient India and broad territorial expansion.
Question 3.
Give a brief description of the collapse of India’s ‘First Urbanisation’.
Answer:
By the early 2nd millennium BCE, the Harappan civilisation, called First Urbanisation of India, started diminishing. The demolishment happened due to multiple factors such as shifting in river patterns, climate change and weak trade system. People from different tribes started migrating in clans towards north India. The civilisation had the best urban planning resulting an effortless rural life settlement in the Ganga plains. After the decline of urban centres, the civilisation drew its focus to self-sufficient rural economy and considered agriculture as an important economic activity. For a long period of time the urban life remained absent in the plains which affected the trade networks and resources.
New Beginnings Cities and States Class 7 Source Based Questions
Question 1.
Study the origin of the word “caste” and discuss your findings.
Answer:
Caste is an English word which refers to Varna or Jati. It originated from the word ‘casta’ which means ‘breed or race’. In 16th century CE, the Portuguese were researching the social dynamics of India, they came across a term known as ‘Jati’ which means ‘being a part of a particular tribe or category’. They used the word casta, closest to this term, to easily define and communicate its meaning to others.
New Beginnings Cities and States Class 7 Picture Based Questions
Look at the picture carefully and answer the questions.
Question 1.
Identify the picture?
Answer:
This picture is of a panel of the Sanchi stupa.
Question 2.
What does the above picture depicts?
Answer:
The above picture depicts a metal workshop.
Question 3.
What activity does the picture indicate?
Answer:
Many workers are doing different jobs to help make the stupa.
Question 4.
The workers are stoking the fire to speed up the process. (True or False)
Answer:
True
New Beginnings Cities and States Class 7 Competency Based Questions
Question 1.
During the age of mahajanapadas many new schools of thought emerged. Analyse their impact and discuss.
Answer:
We have noticed the emergence of several schools of thought during the age of mahajanapadas. Late Vedic, Buddhist, and Jain philosophies influenced the society most. With every school of thought a sage was correlated who preached the main perspective of these schools. The scholars and monks used to travel across the globe to enlighten people with their teachings and beliefs. These schools of thought aimed a secular society. They challenged the rigid social and political patterns and promoted diverse flexible non-Vedic traditions.
Question 2.
Mention the key geographical features of the ‘Second Urbanisation’.
Answer:
Considering all the geographical factors, the ‘Second Urbanisation’ flourished in the Ganga plains. The region included present north Indian states. The fertile lands of the Ganga, encouraged the forsaken agriculture. The river systems like the Ganga and the Yamuna boosted trade and agriculture to their highest levels. The river routes added an extra layer of connectivity with the other parts of the countiy. Over time, trade became efficient and led to more powerful and economically stable kingdoms like Magadha.
Iron deposits available in northern India elevated the making of tools and weapons, advanced farming, and uplifted productivity.
New Beginnings Cities and States Class 7 Skill Based Questions
Question 1.
State two technologies that adva¬nced military in mahajanapada period.
Answer:
The development of iron metallurgy reinforced military. It increased the production and redefined the categories of arms and tools. Iron swords, spears and arrows made the military stronger and battles more effective. Development of new urban administrations, centralised army and renewed the traditional patterns of wars. During this period, trained elephants were introduced to the battle fields offering height advantages and additional power to wars.
Question 2.
Why are the writings of Kautilya in his famous book Arthshastra still relevant today?
Answer:
Kautilya’s Arthshastra is still relevant today because it offers timeless insights on governance, economies, diplomacy, law and administration. His ideas about statecraft, leadership, intelligence, gathering and managing resources continue to be studied in political science and public administration. Many of his principles can be applied to policymaking, strategy planning and ethical governance.
Class 7 New Beginnings Cities and States Extra Questions for Practice
A. Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
According to Kautilya, what should a capital be like?
(a) Socially divided
(b) Self-sustained
(c) Politically strong
(d) Urbanised
Question 2.
What was the urban life status between 2000 BCE and 1000 BCE?
(a) Well-organised
(b) Established in eastern India
(c) Remained absent
(d) None of these
Question 3.
Which of these mahajanapada is located in central India?
(a) Anga
(b) Malla
(c) Kuru
(d) Ashmaka
Question 4.
Which mahajanapada had a democratic governance system?
(a) Malla
(b) Matsya
(c) Kuru
(d) Chedi
Question 5.
In mahajanapadas age, which region of India, was rich in resources?
(a) Eastern
(b) Southern
(c) Western
(d) Central
B. Fill in the blanks
Question 1.
In the eastern region, major cities emerged, such as ………….
Question 2.
The main source of mahajanapada is …………..
Question 3.
Some janapadas were in effect of …………
Question 4.
Ganas or sanghas were called …………… by the scholars.
Question 5.
People changed their …………. if circumstances demanded.
C. State Whether True or False
Question 1.
The Portuguese word ‘casta’ refers to Varnas’.
Question 2.
In an ideal society, all groups would not work in harmony.
Question 3.
Iron deposits were found in southern part of India.
Question 4.
Indian art also underwent a renewal in mahajanapada age.
Question 5.
Sabha was the most powerful assembly.
D. Match the columns
| Column A | Column B |
| 1. Iron ore | (a) King |
| 2. Collect revenue | (b) Democratic state |
| 3. Assemblies | (c) Use of coins |
| 4. Second innovation | (d) Decision making |
| 5. Vajji | (e) Ganga plains |
E. Assertion and Reason Questions
Two statements are given – Assertion (A) And Reason (R). Read them carefully and choose the correct option.
Question 1.
Assertion (A): In the subcontinent’s southern region, cities began emerging from about 400 BCE.
Reason (R): Many lateral roads also connected with other parts of India.
Codes:
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and R is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false but (R) is true.