Chapter 9. Tracing Changes Through Thousands of Years: Understanding The Spread of Trade and Empire

Chapter 9.
Tracing Changes through Thousands of Years
Very Short Q&A:

Q1: Dvarsamudri was the language spoken in ________________.
Ans: Karnataka
Q2: Into how many periods does the British historians divided the history of India?
Ans: three periods
Q3: India got its name in the 13th century. True/ False
Ans: True
Q4: In which century the teachings of the holy Quran first came to India?
Ans: 7th century
Q5: According to Sanskrit Prashasti, the eastern limit of Giyasuddin Balban's Empire
was extended to Bihar. True/ False
Ans: False
Q6: Name the language that was considered as the elite class language.
Ans: Sanskrit
Q7: Name the two sects of Islam.
Ans: Shia and sunni
Q8: Who is Cartographer?
Ans: Cartographer is the one who makes maps and analyses them and thus helps us in
understanding the spread of trade and empire.
Q9: Who was Al-Idrisi?
Ans: An Arabic geographer
Q10: Minhaj-us-Siraj used the term 'Hindustan' to refer the areas of Punjab, Haryana
and __________.
Ans: Doab of Ganga-Yamuna
Q11: Babar used the term 'Hindustan' to specify geography, flora, fauna and cultures of
the entire Indian subcontinent. True/ False
Ans: True
Q12: What does the term 'foreigner' meant in the past?
Ans: The one who was not a part of a specific social unit like village or city etc
Q13: Name some sources that gave information about our past.
Ans: coins, inscriptions, accounts of travellers, art and architecture
Q14: When did Ziyauddin Barani first wrote his chronicle?
Ans: 1356
Q15: Amir Khusrau described Mabari as the language of ______.
Ans: Tamil Nadu
Q16: What is archives?
Ans: Archives are the place where all old and new documents and manuscripts are kept.
Q17: In early medieval period, manuscripts were copied by ___________.
Ans: Hands
Q18: Between 700 to 1750, various socio-cultural changes took place, what was the
important reasons for this?
Ans: Interaction with people from different parts of the world
Q19: Early medieval period saw worship of new ____________.
Ans: Deities
Q20: Who divided the history of India into Hindu period, Muslim period and British
period in19th century?
Ans: British historians
Q21: Name the paintings that were used in manuscripts.
Ans: miniature paintings
Q22: Babar used the term 'Hindustan' in political sense. True/False
Ans: false
Q23: In Map 1, modern Kanauj was represented by the word __________.
Ans: Qanauj
Q24: Who all used the Map 2?
Ans: European sailors and merchants.
Q25: Guillaume de l'Isle belonged to ________________.
Ans: France
Q26: The 'Persian wheel' was used in ________.
Ans: Irrigation
Q27: What was the meaning of term Shikaste?
Ans: a writing style
Q28: Name the Sultan of Delhi, who was praised in the prashasti written in Sanskrit.
Ans: Balban
Q29: Who were the Ulemas?
Ans: Theologians and Jurists
Q30: Name the state where Awadhi is predominantly spoken.
Ans: Uttar Pradesh
Q31: Name the state where Dvarsamudri is spoken.
Ans: Karnataka
Q32: Ajnabi is a _________ word.
Ans: Persian
Q33: Name the Hindi word used to describe a foreigner.
Ans: Pardesi
Q34: The learned theologians and jurists in Islam are known as ______.
Ans: Ulama
Q35: Name the famous poet who used the word 'Hind' for the first time.
Ans: Amir Khusrau
Q36: According to khusrau, Telangani is spoken in the state of ___________.
Ans: Andhra Pradesh
Q37: Name the eastern extent of the empire of Ghiyassuddin Balban.
Ans: Bengal
Q38: Name the state where Ma Bari language is spoken.
Ans: Tamil Nadu
Q39: Why forest dwellers were forced to migrate?
Ans: due to the change in their habitat.
Q40: What was the ancient name of Bengal?
Ans: Gauda
Q41: Name the book written by Shihabuddin Umari.
Ans: Masalik al- Absar fi Mamalik al- Amsar
Q42: Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, a major work on medieval India was written by ____________.
Ans: Ziauddin Barani
Q43: Name the warrior clan that became popular between 8th and 14th centuries.
Ans: Rajputs
Q44: Define a patron?
Ans: An influential wealthy individual who supports another person - an artist, a crafts
person, a learned man, or a noble is called a patron.
Q45: Who made Maps in 1154 AD?
Ans: The Arab geographer Al-Idrisi made maps in 1154 AD.
Short Q&A:
Q1: What were the major developments in the religious traditions between 700 and
1750?
Ans: Period between 700 and 1750 witnessed major developments in religious
traditions.
• During this period, some important changes occurred in Hinduism. Worship of

new deities and construction of temples by Kings began. The importance of
Brahmanas and priests increased. They became dominant groups in the society.
• Another major development was emergence of the idea of Bhakti in which
devotees did not require the aid of priests or elaborate rituals to reach their
personal deity.
• During this period, new religions also appeared in the subcontinent. Teachings of
the Holy Quran were brought to India in the 7th century by merchants and
migrants.
Q2: Who were the Rajputs?
Ans: The name Rajput is derived from "Rajaputra", the son of a ruler. Between the eighth
and fourteenth centuries, a body of warriors who were Kshatriya by caste was termed
as Rajputs. The Rajputs were not just rulers and chieftains, but also soldiers and
commanders who served in the armies of different monarchs all over the subcontinent.
This group of people became important in this period. Poets and bards of these Rajput
rulers ascribed some great qualities, such as great valour and immense sense of loyalty,
to these rulers.
Q3: In the Medieval period, for whom was the term foreigner used?
Ans: In modern times, the term foreigner is used for someone who is not an Indian. But
in the medieval period, a "foreigner" was any stranger who was not a part of a particular
society or culture. Therefore, a forest-dweller might have been regarded as a "foreigner",
by a city-dweller. But two peasants living in the same village were not foreigners to each
other, even though they may have had different religious or caste backgrounds.
Q4: What were 'jatis'? How were the affairs of jatis regulated?
Ans: As society became more differentiated, people were grouped into jatis or sub-
castes. They were ranked on the basis of their backgrounds and occupations. The
status of same jati could vary from area to area. Jatis framed their own rules and
regulations to administer the behaviour of their members. An assembly of elders,
described in some areas as the jati panchayat, enforced these regulations. Besides they
had to follow rules of their village. Several villages were governed by a chieftain.
Q5: Why did Brahmanas become important in Hindu society in the early 8th century?
Ans: Brahmanas became important during this period due to the following reasons:
• They had knowledge of Sanskrit texts, which made them respectable in the
society.
• They had support of their patrons, who were new rulers and searching for
prestige.
Q6: Describe the major developments in religion and the religious traditions?
Ans: During this period many changes were witnessed in religion.Peoples belief in the
divine was sometimes personal and at other times collective. Other changes occurred in
what we call 'Hinduism' today,as Brahmans earned a lot of respect in society. There was
an emergence of the idea of 'Bhakti of a loving, personal deity that devotees could reach
without the aid of priests or elaborate rituals.
Q7: Compare the value of paper in the thirteenth and fourteenth century?
Ans: In the thirteenth century if a scholar wanted to copy a book, but he did not have
enough paper, he washed the writing of a manuscript, he did not want and dried the
paper and used it again. In the fourteenth century, there was a shortage of paper and
the condition was that, if you bought some food from the market you might be lucky if
the shopkeeper wrapped it for you in some paper
Q8: Describe the difficulties faced by historians in using manuscripts?
Ans: There was no printing press in those days so the writers copied manuscripts by
hands. As a result of coping there occurred small but significant differences in the
manuscripts. Small changes were introduced- a word here, a sentence there. Reading
these manuscripts over the centuries proved to be difficult and the historians had to
face difficulties.
Q9: Describe the different languages used in this period?
Ans: In this period, various languages were used, in every region. Sindhi, Lahori,
Kashmiri, Dvarsamudri, Telangani, Gujari, Awadhi and Hindawi.
Q10: State the difference between Shia and Sunni.
Ans: The Shia Muslims went by the Prophet's son-in-law Ali, and Sunni Muslims
accepted the authority of the early leaders or the "Khalifas".
Q11: Who coined the term "Hindustan" in the thirteenth century and which areas were
covered under it?
Ans: The term Hindustan which we use as India- a modern nation state was first used
by Minhaj-i-Siraj , a chronicler who wrote in Persian. The areas that he used this term for
were Punjab, Haryana, and the lands between Ganga and Yamuna. He used the term in
political terms for the land that came under the Delhi Sultanate.
Q12: What are sources? How are sources helpful to historians?
Ans: Sources are important to trace the ancient records. Different types of sources are
coins, inscriptions, architecture and textual records. References to historical events and
traditions are scattered in many ancient Indian texts. Historians use these sources to
learn about the past depending upon the period of their study and the nature of their
investigation.
Q13: Why was there a dramatic increase in the variety of textual records between 700
to 1750 CE?
Ans: During this period, paper became cheaper and widely available. This resulted in a
dramatic increase in the variety of textual records between 700 to 1750 CE. People
started using paper to write holy texts, chronicles of rulers, letters and teachings of
saints, petitions and judicial records and for registers of accounts and taxes.
Q14: How has been the meaning of Hindustan changing?
Ans: In the modern sense the term Hindustan is used to refer to the whole independent
India with its different states. That is to identify with the whole nation and its states. But
during the 13th century Minhaj-I-Siraj, Persian Chronicler, used it indicate the areas of
Punjab, Haryana and the lands between Ganga and Yamuna. He used it in political
sense to locate the areas, which were under the control of the Delhi Sultan. But during
the 16th century Babur used it to mean the whole subcontinent.
Q15: Mention the vegetables, beverages and technologies that came to Indian
subcontinent from other continents?
Ans: Vegetables such as corn, chilies, potatoes, and beverages such as tea and coffee
and new technologies like Persian wheel for irrigation and spinning wheel in textile
industry and firearms to be used in battle came to the subcontinent from other
continents
Q16: Why the British Historians periodization of Indian history is not correct one?
Ans: The British Historians perodized Indian history as Hindu India, Muslim India and
British India. This periodization focused only on the religions of the ruler and rejected
the rich diversity of the Indian subcontinent. It did not serve the very purpose of the
periodization. That is to say, to capture the characteristics of each periods in the
history. Apart from this, to study history from religious perspective is not a rational and
scientific way. That is why Indian historians have shifted the periodization to non-
religious periodization- Ancient, Medieval and Modern periods.
Q17: What do you understand by the Discontinuity in historical Sources?
Ans: Historians use coins, inscriptions, and manuscripts for reconstructing the history
of ancient period. Very few original manuscripts are available and manuscripts which
are available are the reproduction of scribes and some times information provided in
these sources are not reliable. As scribe fails to understand the information given in the
Historical text which led to the misinterpretation of facts. And moreover there is a lack
of continuity as text do not follow time line.In Medieval period use of paper to issue
Royal orders began instead of inscriptions. As paper has less durability than inscription
caused the discontinuity in the availability of historical source.
Long Q&A:
Q1: Describe the Social changes that took place in the years between 700 and 1750 AD
Ans: The social changes that took place in the ten years led to the society becoming
more complex. New technology like the persian wheel in irrigation, the spinning wheel in
weaving and the firearms in combat were developed.New foods and beverages like
potatoes, corn, chillies, tea and coffee were introduced.These innovations were brought
by travellers who came and settled in new lands. People were grouped into jatis, or sub-
caste on the basis of their backgrounds and their occupations.The Rajputs became
most powerful and a chivalric code of conduct was developed.Marathas, Sikhs, Jats ,
Ahoms and Kayasthas also became important.
Q2: Why was the information from the manuscripts difficult to use during the thousand
years?
Ans: During this period, there was no printing press so the manuscripts were copied by
the scribes by hand. The copying of the manuscripts relied upon the accuracy of the
scribes. While copying the manuscripts, the scribes made unintentional errors. At times,
scribes would also correct the spelling, grammar and alter what they believed to be
mistakes inherent in the text. They amended apparent historical and geographical
errors. These small differences grew over centuries of copying until manuscripts of the
same text became substantially different from one another. As a result, historians find it
difficult to use the information from the manuscript and have to read different
manuscript versions of the same text to guess what the author had originally written.
Q3: What changes did technology bring about in the lives of people from 700 CE to
1750 CE?
Ans: Technology revolutionised the lives of people within a span of thousand years.
People started travelling long distances in search of opportunities. New food crops
arrived in the Indian sub-continent due to new technological inventions in agriculture.
There were Persian wheels used in irrigation and spinning wheel in weaving. Gradually
forests were cleared and agriculture extended through modern mechanical tools. Many
forest dwellers began to migrate and started tilling land, acquiring the title of 'peasants'.
These peasants were influenced by the regional market dynamics and priests. As a
result, society became more differentiated and people were grouped into caste and sub-
castes depending upon their occupation and background.

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Chapter 9.

Tracing Changes through Thousands of Years

Very Short Q&A:

• During this period, some important changes occurred in Hinduism. Worship of

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