Class 7 History Chapter 7 Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities Extra Questions and Answers
Class 7 History Chapter 7 Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities extra questions and answers available here. Solving class 7 extra questions help students to revise the Chapter most competently. We prepared these questions as per the latest NCERT book and CBSE syllabus. Practicing these extra questions before the exam will ensure excellent marks in the exam.
Tribes, Nomads and Settled Communities Class 7 History Extra Questions and Answers
Very Short Extra Questions and Answers
1: The provinces in Gond kingdom were known as _______.
Answer: Garha
2: Name the vast forested region where the Gonds lived.
Answer: Gondwana
3: The tribe that was very influential during the 13th and 14th century in Punjab
Answer: Khokhars
4: During the Mughal rule the Balochis tribals lived in the _________.
Answer: north west.
5: The Gond Kingdom was divided into ________.
Answer: garhs
6: Western Himalayan tribe of Gaddis earned their living as Shepherd. True/False
Answer: True
7: Name the noble in Mughal court appointed by Akbar.
Answer: Kamal Khan
8: How the Western Himalayan tribe of Gaddis did earned their living?
Answer: Shepherd
9: According to the Akbar Nama, the Gond kingdom had_____ villages.
Answer: 70,000 villages
10: Rajas donated land to Brahmans to exhibit their power. True/False
Answer: True
11: Who was Chandra Shah?
Answer: the uncle of Bir Narain the son of Rani Durgawati
12: What is the meaning of ‘bhuiyans’?
Answer: landlords
13: Who were paiks?
Answer: forced labour in Ahom state.
14: Name the Mughal emperor in whose memory the banjara tribe is described.
Answer: Jahangir
15: Sib Singh was the tribal chief of _________.
Answer: Ahom
16: Who subdued the Cheros?
Answer: Aurangzeb
17: In Ahom society, khel was referred to as ________.
Answer: Clan
18: Where does the Kutiya Kond tribes lived?
Answer: Orissa
19: Name the tribal chief of the Ghakkhar tribe.
Answer: Kamal khan
20: In the 13th and 14th century, khokkars were influential in the Delhi region. True/False
Answer: False
21: What was varna?
Answer: As per varna system, the hindu society was divided into four groups on the basis of the works they had to perform.
22: Who were the most important trading nomads?
Answer: Banjaras
23: What do you understand by tanda?
Answer: Caravan of banjaras
24: Who defeated Cheros in the Mughal period?
Answer: Raja Man Singh
25: What was buranjis?
Answer: The historical works, written in the Ahom society were known as buranjis
26: Name the tribe that specialises in transporting grains.
Answer: Banjara
27: What was the name of the shepherd tribe in the Western Himalayas?
Answer: Gaddis
28: Specialised artisans were recognised as separate jatis by the_________.
Answer: Brahmans
29: Name the Mughal emperor who finally subjugated the Cheros and captured their fortresses.
Answer: Aurangzeb
30: On whose behalf, Rani Durgawati ruled the kingdom of Garha Katanga?
Answer: Son
31: Name the agricultural system practiced by most Gonds.
Answer: shifting cultivation
32: Dalpat Shah had matrimonial relations with the ________
Answer: Chandels of Mahoba
33: The Ahoms extended the wet rice cultivation in upper Assam. True/False
Answer: True
34: Name the Pastoral tribes who bought agricultural products from peasants and sold them in urban centres.
Answer: Banjaras
35: Barhots were made of _________ villages
Answer: 12
36: Name the place where the Ahoms established a kingdom in the present day.
Answer: Assam
37: How did Garha Katanga earn much of its wealth?
Answer: It earned much wealth by trapping and exporting wild elephants to other kingdoms.
38. Who controlled garh?
Answer: Each garh was controlled by a particular Gond clan.
39. Who were specialised artisans?
Answer: Specialised artisans include smiths, carpenters and masons.
40. Who was Chandra Shah?
Answer: Chandra Shah was uncle of Bir Narain.
41. What is the meaning of ‘bhuiyans’?
Answer: Landlords
42. Where does the Kutiya Kond tribe live?
Answer: Kutiya Kond tribe lives in Orissa.
43. What do you understand by tanda?
Answer: Caravan of banjaras was called tanda.
44. Name the shepherd tribe of the Western Himalayas.
Answer: Gaddis
45. What was buranjis?
Answer: Historical works was known as buranjis.
46. Who was the chief of Gakkhar tribe?
Answer: Kamal Khan Gakkhar was the chief of Gakkhar tribe.
45. Which tribe was powerful in north-west?
Answer: The Balochis tribe was powerful in the north-west.
46. Who were the most important trader nomads?
Answer: The Banjaras were the most important trader nomads.
47. When did the Mughals forces attack Garha Katanga?
Answer: In 1565, the Mughal forces under Asaf Khan attacked Garha Katanga.
48. Why did Mughals attack Ahom kingdom?
Answer: In 1662, the Mughals under Mir Jumla attacked the Ahom kingdom.
Short Extra Questions and Answers
1. Who was made a noble (mansabdar) by Emperor Akbar?
Answer: Kamal Khan Gakkhar was made a noble (mansabdar) by Emperor Akbar.
2. What made the brahmanas more influential in the Gond society?
Answer: Brahmanas received land grants from the Gond rajas and became more influential.
3. Name the tribes which lived in extreme south.
Answer: Further south there were large tribal populations of Koragas, Vetars, Maravars and many others.
4. Who subjugated the Cheros?
Answer: Under Aurangzeb, Mughal forces captured many Chero fortresses and subjugated the tribe.
5. Who were paiks?
Answer: The Ahom state depended upon forced labour. Those forced to work for the state were called paiks.
6. Who was Raja Man Singh?
Answer: Raja Man Singh was Akbar’s famous general who attacked and defeated the Cheros in 1591.
7. How did castes of entertainers earn their livelihood?
Answer: Castes of entertainers earn their livelihood by performing in different towns and villages.
8. What did Mughal capture when they defeat the Gonds?
Answer: When the Mughals defeated the Gonds, they captured a huge booty of precious coins and elephants.
9. How did Garha Katanga earn much of its wealth?
Answer: Garha Katanga was a rich state. It earned much wealth by trapping and exporting wild elephants to other kingdoms.
10. Who was Rani Durgawati?
Answer: Durgawati was the daughter of Salbahan, the Chandel Rajput raja of Mahoba. She got married to Dalpat, the son of Gond raja Aman Das.
11. Who are nomads?
Answer: Nomads are wandering people. Many of them are pastoralists who roam from one pasture to another with their flocks and herds.
12. Which was the most influential tribe in Punjab during 13th and 14th century?
Answer: In Punjab, the Khokhar tribe was very influential during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
13. What are itinerant groups?
Answer: Itinerant groups, such as craftspersons, pedlars and entertainers travel from place to place practising their different occupations.
14. What kinds of exchanges took place between nomadic pastoralists and settled agriculturists?
Answer: Nomadic pastoralists exchanged wool, ghee, etc., with settled agriculturists for grain, cloth, utensils and other products.
15. What is clan?
Answer: A clan is a group of families or households claiming descent from a common ancestor. Tribal organisation is often based on kinship or clan loyalties.
16. What is ‘shifting cultivation’?
Answer: Trees and bushes in a forest area are first cut and burnt. The crop is sown in the ashes. When this land loses its fertility, another plot of land is cleared and planted in the same way.
17. Write about the occupation of Ahom society.
Answer: Almost all adult males served in the army during war. At other times, they were engaged in building dams, irrigation systems and other public works. The Ahoms also introduced new methods of rice cultivation.
18. Who were Gonds?
Answer: The Gonds lived in a vast forested region called Gondwana – or “country inhabited by Gonds”. They practised shifting cultivation. The Gonds were found in great numbers across the present-day states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
19. Write about the administrative system Gond Kingdoms.
Answer: The administrative system of these kingdoms was becoming centralised. The kingdom was divided into garhs. Each garh was controlled by a particular Gond clan. This was further divided into units of 84 villages called chaurasi. The chaurasi was subdivided into barhots which were made up of 12 villages each.
20. Explain the term ‘khel’ in reference to Ahom society.
Answer: Ahom society was divided into clans or khels. There were very few castes of artisans, so artisans in the Ahom areas came from the adjoining kingdoms. A khel often controlled several villages. The peasant was given land by his village community. Even the king could not take it away without the community’s consent.
21. How do the present day historians use to write tribal histories?
Answer: Contemporary historians and travellers give very scanty information about tribes. A few exceptions apart, tribal people did not keep written records. But they preserved rich customs and oral traditions. These were passed down to each new generation. Present day historians have started using such oral traditions to write tribal histories.
22. Who were Ahoms? How did they build a large state?
Answer: The Ahoms migrated to the Brahmaputra valley from present-day Myanmar in the thirteenth century. They created a new state by suppressing the older political system of the bhuiyans (landlords). During the sixteenth century, they annexed the kingdoms of the Chhutiyas (1523) and of Koch-Hajo (1581) and subjugated many other tribes.
23. How do Nomadic Pastoralists live and earn?
Or
Who are nomadic pastoralists?
Answer: Nomadic pastoralists moved over long distances with their animals. They lived on milk and other pastoral products. They also exchanged wool, ghee, etc., with settled agriculturists for grain, cloth, utensils and other products. They bought and sold these goods as they moved from one place to another, transporting them on their animals.
Long Extra Questions and Answers
1. What changes took place in varna-based society?
Answer: Smaller castes, or jatis, emerged within varnas. For example, new castes appeared amongst the Brahmanas. On the other hand, many tribes and social groups were taken into caste-based society and given the status of jatis. Specialised artisans – smiths, carpenters and masons – were also recognised as separate jatis by the Brahmanas. Jatis, rather than varna, became the basis for organising society.
2. What do you know about religion practised by Ahom society?
Answer: Originally, the Ahoms worshipped their own tribal gods. During the first half of the seventeenth century, however, the influence of Brahmanas increased. Temples and Brahmanas were granted land by the king. In the reign of Sib Singh (1714-1744), Hinduism became the predominant religion. But the Ahom kings did not completely give up their traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism.
3. How did the tribes earn their livelihood?
Answer: Many tribes obtained their livelihood from agriculture. Others were hunter-gatherers or herders. Most often they combined these activities to make full use of the natural resources of the area in which they lived. Some tribes were nomadic and moved from one place to another. A tribal group controlled land and pastures jointly, and divided these amongst households according to its own rules.
4. Write a brief note on Banjaras.
Or
Were the Banjaras important for the economy?
Answer: The Banjaras were the most important trader nomads. Their caravan was called tanda. Sultan Alauddin Khalji used the Banjaras to transport grain to the city markets. Emperor Jahangir wrote in his memoirs that the Banjaras carried grain on their bullocks from different areas and sold it in towns. They transported food grain for the Mughal army during military campaigns. With a large army there could be 100,000 bullocks carrying grain.
5. How did the emergence of large states change the nature of Gond society?
Answer: The emergence of large states changed the nature of Gond society.
- Their basically equal society gradually got divided into unequal social classes.
- Brahmanas received land grants from the Gond rajas and became more influential.
- The Gond chiefs now wished to be recognised as Rajputs. They began forming marital relation with Rajputs.
6. How was the administration of the Ahom state organised?
Answer: (i) The Ahom state depended upon forced labour. Those forced to work for the state were called paiks.
(ii) A census of the population was taken. Each village had to send a number of paiks by rotation.
(iii) People from heavily populated areas were shifted to less populated places. Ahom clans were thus broken up.
(iv) By the first half of the seventeenth century the administration became quite centralised.
7. Mention some special features of tribal societies.
Answer: Special features of tribal societies were:
- They did not follow the social rules and rituals prescribed by the Brahmanas. Nor were they divided into numerous unequal classes.
- Members of each tribe were united by kinship bonds.
- Many tribes obtained their livelihood from agriculture. Others were hunter-gatherers or herders.
- Some tribes were nomadic and moved from one place to another. A tribal group controlled land and pastures jointly, and divided these amongst households according to its own rules.
8. Write about the Rani Durgawati.
Answer: (i) Durgawati was the daughter of Salbahan, the Chandel Rajput raja of Mahoba. She got married to Dalpat, the son of Gond raja Aman Das.
(ii) Dalpat, however, died early. Rani Durgawati was very capable, and started ruling on behalf of her five-year-old son, Bir Narain.
(iii) Under her, the kingdom became even more extensive. In 1565, the Mughal forces under Asaf Khan attacked Garha Katanga.
(iv) A strong resistance was put up by Rani Durgawati. She was defeated and preferred to die rather than surrender. Her son, too, died fighting soon after.
9. Write about Ahom society.
Answer: Ahom society was divided into clans or khels. There were very few castes of artisans, so artisans in the Ahom areas came from the adjoining kingdoms. A khel often controlled several villages. The peasant was given land by his village community. Even the king could not take it away without the community’s consent. Originally, the Ahoms worshipped their own tribal gods. During the first half of the seventeenth century, however, the influence of Brahmanas increased. Temples and Brahmanas were granted land by the king. In the reign of Sib Singh (1714-1744), Hinduism became the predominant religion. But the Ahom kings did not completely give up their traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism. Ahom society was very sophisticated. Poets and scholars were given land grants. Theatre was encouraged.
10. How did tribal societies change after being organized into a state?
Answer: (i) Considerable social change took place in the subcontinent. Varna-based society and tribal people constantly interacted with each other. This interaction caused both kinds of societies to adapt and change.
(ii) There were many different tribes and they took up diverse livelihoods.
(iii) Over a period of time, many of them merged with caste based society. Others, however, rejected both the caste system and orthodox Hinduism.
(iv) Some tribes established extensive states with well-organised systems of administration. They thus became politically powerful. This brought them into conflict with larger and more complex kingdoms and empires.
11. What do you know about Mongols?
Answer: (i) The best-known pastoral and hunter gatherer tribe in history were the Mongols. They inhabited the grasslands (steppes) of Central Asia and the forested areas further north.
(ii) By 1206 Genghis Khan had united the Mongol and Turkish tribes into a powerful military force. At the time of his death (1227) he was the ruler of extensive territories.
(iii) His successors created a vast empire. At different points of time, it included parts of Russia, Eastern Europe and also China and much of West Asia.
(iv) The Mongols had well-organised military and administrative systems. These were based on the support of different ethnic and religious groups.
12. Write about the tribal people found in different parts of subcontinent.
Answer: Tribal people were found in almost every region of the subcontinent. In Punjab, the Khokhar tribe was very influential during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Later, the Gakkhars became more important. In Multan and Sind, the Langahs and Arghuns dominated extensive regions before they were subdued by the Mughals. The Balochis were another large and powerful tribe in the north-west. In the western Himalaya lived the shepherd tribe of Gaddis. The distant north-eastern part of the subcontinent too was entirely dominated by tribes – the Nagas, Ahoms and many others. In many areas of present-day Bihar and Jharkhand, Chero chiefdoms had emerged by the twelfth century. The Mundas and Santals were among the other important tribes that lived in this region and also in Orissa and Bengal.
The Maharashtra highlands and Karnataka were home to Kolis, Berads and numerous others. Further south there were large tribal populations of Koragas, Vetars, Maravars and many others. The large tribe of Bhils was spread across western and central India. The Gonds were found in great numbers across the present-day states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
13. In what ways was the history of the Gonds different from that of the Ahoms? Were there any similarities?
Answer: History of the Gonds was different from that of the Ahoms in the following ways:
(i) The Gonds lived in a vast forested region called Gondwana – or “country inhabited by Gonds”. The Ahoms migrated to the Brahmaputra valley from present-day Myanmar in the thirteenth century.
(ii) Gonds practised shifting cultivation. The Ahoms also introduced new methods of rice cultivation.
(iii) Gonds society was not as developed as Ahoms. The Ahoms built a large state, and for this they used firearms. They could even make high quality gunpowder and cannons.
(iv) Gonds were influenced by Rajputs. In order to gain power and recognition, they had marriage alliances with Rajputs. Ahoms annexed the kingdoms of the Chhutiyas and of Koch-Hajo and subjugated many other tribes
There were many similarities between Gonds and Ahoms.
(i) Both the tribal states were attacked by Mughals at different times. Despite their brave defence, both were defeated by the Mughals.
(ii) Both granted land to the Brahmanas.
(iii) Both developed centralised administrative systems.