Class 7 History Chapter 9 The Making of Regional Cultures Extra Questions and Answers

Class 7 History Chapter 9 The Making of Regional Cultures 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.

The Making of Regional Cultures Class 7 History Extra Questions and Answers

Very Short Extra Questions and Answers

1: The songs of Maynamati and Gopichandra together makes_________.

Answer: Nath literature

2: Who established the kingdom at Mahodayapuram?

Answer: Cheras

3: When Lilatilakam was written?

Answer: 14th century

4: “Lilatilakam” deals in grammar and ___________.

Answer: Poetics

5: Name the author of Rasamanjari.

Answer: Bhanudatta

6: The kathak caste was traditionally associated in the temples of _______________.

Answer: northern India

7: Lilatilakam deals with _______ and __________.

Answer: grammar and poetics

8: Who was the last Nawab of Awadh?

Answer: Wajid Ali Shah

9: The Brahmins of Bengal were allowed to eat fish. True/ False

Answer: True

10: The term, Ras-lila was used to describe folk dance. True/False

Answer: False

11: Name the painting style that developed in 17th century near the Himalayan foothills.

Answer: Basohli

12: The first literary works in Malayalam language resembles with which language?

Answer: Sanskrit language

13: Name the state where Jagannatha temple is located.

Answer: Orissa

14: State the specialty of Jagannatha temple now a day.

Answer: In present days the Jagannatha temple is popular for its annual Rathyatras.

15: State one of the unique features of the Kangra painting.

Answer: lyrical treatment of themes

16: Who were Naths?

Answer: ascetics

17: Official records were kept in regional language by ________.

Answer: Chera kingdom

18: Name the source of inspiration in kangra paintings.

Answer: Vaishnavite tradition

19: Name the official language of Bengal suba.

Answer: Persian

20: Rajasthan was called Rajputana by the_________.

Answer: British

21: Jagannatha temple is located in__________.

Answer: Orissa

22: Jagannatha temple was dedicated to God Vishnu. True/ False

Answer: True

23: The women of defeated kings sometimes committed _______.

Answer: Jauhar

24: Name the dance form popular in the state of Orissa.

Answer: Odissi

25: Name the ruler who dedicated his kingdom to the deity and proclaimed himself as the “deputy of God” in the year 1230.

Answer:  Anangabhima III

26: __________ are considered as contributors to the distinctive culture of Rajasthan.

Answer: Rajputs

27: In Persian language, spiritual guide is known as_______.

Answer: pir

28: Name the cultural practices disfavored by the British administrators.

Answer: kathak dance

29: Who used to perform Jauhar?

Answer: Women belonging to royal household.

30: Name The Mughal capital of Bengal.

Answer: Dhaka

31: Who made the wooden image of Lord Jagannath?

Answer: tribal people

32: The traditions that inspired the Kangra paintings due to which it developed into miniature paintings were____________.

Answer: Vaishnavite tradition

33: Kathak was recognized and was performed in the Court of Mughal Empire. True/ False

Answer: True

34: When the temple theatre of Kerala was developed?

Answer: ninth century A.D

35: Name the place where Malayalam is mostly spoken?

Answer: Kerala

36: Why Puri is famous?

Answer: Rathayatra festival.

37: What is the meaning of the word ‘Mangalakavyas’ in Bengali literature?

Answer: auspicious poem.

38: Name a Ganga king, who declared himself as the “Deputy” of the god.

Answer: Anangabhima

39: Name the folk play in which the legends of Radha- Krishna were played.

Answer: rasa lila

40: Kerala is known for the dance form of_________.

Answer: Kathakali.

41: Who was the leader of the Vaishnava bhakti movement in Bengal?

Answer: Chaitanyadeva

42: Who wrote the book Rasamanjari?

Answer: Bhanudatta

43: In which language Brihaddharma Purana is written?

Answer: Sanskrit

44. Who were the Naths?

Answer: The Naths were ascetics who engaged in a variety of yogic practices.

Short Extra Questions and Answers

1. Who was Anantavarman?

Answer: Anantavarman was one of the most important rulers of the Ganga dynasty in the twelfth century.

2. What was called Rajputana by the British?

Answer: In the nineteenth century, the region that constitutes most of present-day Rajasthan was called Rajputana by the British.

3. What do you understand by the term kathak?

Answer: The term kathak is derived from katha, a word used in Sanskrit and other languages for story.

4. Who were the Kathaks?

Answer:  The kathaks were originally a caste of story-tellers in temples of north India, who embellished their performances with gestures and songs.

5. What are miniatures?

Answer: Miniatures are small-sized paintings, generally done in water colour on cloth or paper.

6. What distinguished Kangra painting from other paintings?

Answer: Soft colours including cool blues and greens, and a lyrical treatment of themes distinguished Kangra painting.

7. Why do you think the second category of texts was not written down?

Answer: The second category of texts was not written down because it was circulated orally and cannot be precisely dated.

8. What does animism mean?

Answer: Animism refers to attribution of living soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena.

9. Who were the major patrons of Kathak?

Answer: The major patrons of Kathak were the Mughal emperors and their nobles and Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh.

10. What was the style of miniature that developed in Himachal Pradesh?

Answer: By the late seventeenth century this region had developed a bold and intense style of miniature painting called Basohli.

11. Who built Jagannath temple at Puri?

Answer: One of the most important rulers of the Ganga dynasty, Anantavarman built Jagannath temple at Puri in the twelfth century.

12. What do terracotta plaques on the walls of temples and viharas depict?

Answer: Terracotta plaques on the walls of temples and viharas (Buddhist monasteries) depict scenes of fish being dressed and taken to the market in baskets.

13. When was the Chera Kingdom established?

Answer: The Chera kingdom of Mahodayapuram was established in the ninth century in the south-western part of the peninsula, part of present-day Kerala.

14. Whom did King Anangabhima III dedicate his kingdom to? What did he proclaim himself?

Answer: In 1230, king Anangabhima III dedicated his kingdom to the deity and proclaimed himself as the “deputy” of the god.

15. What was name of the text that was illustrated in the miniature paintings of Himachal Pradesh?

Answer: The text that was illustrated in the miniature paintings of Himachal Pradesh was Bhanudatta’s Rasamanjari.

16. What is called rasa lila?

Answer: The legends of Radha-Krishna were enacted in folk plays called rasa lila, which combined folk dance with the basic gestures of the kathak story-tellers.

17. How did regional cultures evolve?

Answer: Regional cultures today are often the product of complex processes of intermixing of local traditions with ideas from other parts of the subcontinent.

18. What is Manipravalam? Name a book written in that language.

Answer: Manipravalam was a literally style referring to the two languages, Sanskrit and the regional language. The Lilatilakam, dealing with grammar and poetics, was composed in Manipravalam.

19. Why did conquerors try to control the temple of Jagannatha at Puri?

Answer: As the temple gained in importance as a centre of pilgrimage, its authority in social and political matters also increased. Thus, all those who conquered Orissa attempted to gain control over the temple. They felt that this would make their rule acceptable to the local people.

20. How did the Cheras draw upon Sanskritic traditions?

Answer: At the same time, the Cheras also drew upon Sanskritic traditions. The temple theatre of Kerala, which is traced to this period, borrowed stories from the Sanskrit epics. The first literary works in Malayalam, dated to about the twelfth century, are directly indebted to Sanskrit.

21. Why do we know much more about the cultural practices of rulers than about those of ordinary people?

Answer:  Ordinary women and men painted as well – on pots, walls, floors, cloth – works of art that have occasionally survived, unlike the miniatures that were carefully preserved in palaces for centuries. Thus, we know much more about the cultural practices of rulers than about those of ordinary people.

22. How did Kathak reach its present form?

Answer: Under the Mughal emperors and their nobles, Kathak was performed in the court, where it acquired its present features and developed into a form of dance with a distinctive style. Subsequently, it developed in two traditions or gharanas: one in the courts of Rajasthan (Jaipur) and the other in Lucknow.

23. How are women depicted in the stories about Rajput heroes?

Answer: Sometimes, they figure as the “cause” for conflicts, as men fought with one another to either “win” or “protect” women. Women are also depicted as following their heroic husbands in both life and death – there are stories about the practice of sati or the immolation of widows on the funeral pyre of their husbands.

24. Why were the Bengal Brahmanas allowed to eat fish?

Answer: Brahmanas were not allowed to eat nonvegetarian food, but the popularity of fish in the local diet made the Brahmanical authorities relax this prohibition for the Bengal Brahmanas. The Brihaddharma Purana, a thirteenth-century Sanskrit text from Bengal, permitted the local Brahmanas to eat certain varieties of fish.

Long Extra Questions and Answers

1. Write a short note on Kangra School of painting.

Answer: Nadir Shah’s invasion and the conquest of Delhi in 1739 resulted in the migration of Mughal artists to the hills to escape the uncertainties of the plains. Here they found ready patrons which led to the founding of the Kangra School of painting. By the mid eighteenth century the Kangra artists developed a style which breathed a new spirit into miniature painting.

2. Why did minstrels proclaim the achievements of heroes?

Answer: Stories about Rajput heroes were recorded in poems and songs, which were recited by specially trained minstrels. These preserved the memories of heroes and were expected to inspire others to follow their example. Ordinary people were also attracted by these stories – which often depicted dramatic situations, and a range of strong emotions – loyalty, friendship, love, valour, anger, etc.

3. Mention the role of Cheras in the development of Malayalam.

Answer: The Chera kingdom of Mahodayapuram was established in the ninth century in the south-western part of the peninsula, part of present-day Kerala. It is likely that Malayalam was spoken in this area. The rulers introduced the Malayalam language and script in their inscriptions. In fact, this is one of the earliest examples of the use of a regional language in official records in the subcontinent.

4. Why were temples built in Bengal?

Answer: Bengal witnessed a temple-building spree from the late fifteenth century, which culminated in the nineteenth century. Temples and other religious structures were often built by individuals or groups who were becoming powerful – to both demonstrate their power and proclaim their piety. As social and economic position improved, people proclaimed their status through the construction of temples.

5. How did miniature painting develop under the Mughal patronage?

Answer: The Mughal emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan patronised highly skilled painters who primarily illustrated manuscripts containing historical accounts and poetry. These were generally painted in brilliant colours and portrayed court scenes, scenes of battle or hunting, and other aspects of social life. They were often exchanged as gifts and were viewed only by an exclusive few – the emperor and his close associates.

6. What are the important architectural features of the temples of Bengal?

Answer: Important architectural features of the temples of Bengal are

  • The temples began to copy the double-roofed (dochala) or four-roofed (chauchala) structure of the thatched huts.
  • In the comparatively more complex four-roofed structure, four triangular roofs placed on the four walls move up to converge on a curved line or a point.
  • Temples were usually built on a square platform. The interior was relatively plain, but the outer walls of many temples were decorated with paintings, ornamental tiles or terracotta tablets.

7. What do you know about Rajput tradition of heroism?

Answer: Rajputs are often recognised as contributing to the distinctive culture of Rajasthan. These cultural traditions were closely linked with the ideals and aspirations of rulers. From about the eighth century, most of the present-day state of Rajasthan was ruled by various Rajput families. These rulers cherished the ideal of the hero who fought valiantly, often choosing death on the battlefield rather than face defeat. Stories about Rajput heroes were recorded in poems and songs, which were recited by specially trained minstrels.

8. Who were the pirs? What was their position in the society?

Answer: The early settlers in Bengal sought some order and assurance in the unstable conditions of the new settlements. These were provided by community leaders, who also functioned as teachers and adjudicators and were sometimes ascribed with supernatural powers. People referred to them with affection and respect as pirs. This term included saints or Sufis and other religious personalities, daring colonisers and deified soldiers, various Hindu and Buddhist deities and even animistic spirits. The cult of pirs became very popular and their shrines can be found everywhere in Bengal.

9. Write a short note on Kathak, a popular classical dance form of north India.

Answer: Kathak now associated with several parts of north India. The term kathak is derived from katha, a word used in Sanskrit and other languages for story. The kathaks were originally a caste of story-tellers in temples of north India, who embellished their performances with gestures and songs. Kathak began evolving into a distinct mode of dance in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries with the spread of the bhakti movement. The legends of Radha-Krishna were enacted in folk plays called rasa lila, which combined folk dance with the basic gestures of the kathak story-tellers. Under the Mughal emperors and their nobles, Kathak was performed in the court, where it acquired its present features and developed into a form of dance with a distinctive style.

10. Write a short note Bengali Literature.

Answer: (i) Early Bengali literature may be divided into two categories – one indebted to Sanskrit and the other independent of it. The first includes translations of the Sanskrit epics, the Mangalakavyas (literally auspicious poems, dealing with local deities) and bhakti literature such as the biographies of Chaitanyadeva, the leader of the Vaishnava bhakti movement.

(ii) The second includes Nath literature such as the songs of Maynamati and Gopichandra, stories concerning the worship of Dharma Thakur, and fairy tales, folk tales and ballads.

(iii) The texts belonging to the first category are easier to date, as several manuscripts have been found indicating that they were composed between the late fifteenth and mid-eighteenth centuries. Those belonging to the second category circulated orally and cannot be precisely dated.