NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4 Timeline and Sources of History

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 4, Timeline and Sources of History, help students understand how historians study the past and measure time. The Timeline and Sources of History Class 6 questions and answers explain how timelines help arrange events in the correct order and make history easier to understand. Students also learn about different sources of history, such as inscriptions, coins, manuscripts, monuments, and archaeological remains.

This chapter answers an important question: how do we know what happened thousands of years ago? Through simple explanations and examples, students discover how historians use these sources to collect information and understand ancient life. These NCERT solutions cover all questions and activities from the Exploring Society: India and Beyond textbook. Written in easy language, they help students revise important topics, improve understanding, and prepare confidently for exams while developing interest in history.

Learning About Timeline and Sources of History Class 6 Questions and Answers

When you start this chapter, you will see that history is like a long story that needs to be put in the right order. To do this, historians use a Timeline. A timeline is a line that shows events in the order they happened.

Students looking for timeline and sources of history class 6 questions and answers ncert will find that we use special labels for dates:

• BCE (Before Common Era): Used for years before the birth of Christ. These years count backward (like 1900 BCE comes before 100 BCE).

• CE (Common Era): Used for years from the birth of Christ to now (like 2024 CE).

Finding the timeline and sources of history class 6 questions and answers helps you see how we group time into decades (10 years), centuries (100 years), and millennia (1000 years).

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Timeline and Sources of History Class 6 Questions and Answers

Below are the solutions to all the textbook questions from Chapter 4 Timeline and Sources of History. These answers are designed to help Class 6 students understand how we measure historical time and the different sources that help us study history. The chapter also introduces important concepts like BCE and CE, timelines, and the role of primary and secondary sources in understanding the past.

The Big Questions 

Question 1. How do we measure historical time?

Answer: We measure historical time using calendars, timelines, and years. We also divide time into decades (10 years), centuries (100 years), and millennia (1000 years).

Question 2. How can various sources help us understand history?

Answer: Sources like old books, coins, tools, pictures, and buildings help us know what happened in the past and how people lived long ago.

Question 3. How did early humans live?

Answer: Early humans hunted animals, gathered fruits, lived in caves, used simple tools, moved from place to place, and made fire to cook food and stay warm.

THINK ABOUT IT 

Question 1. What is the earliest memory you can recollect? Do you remember how old you were at that time? Those memories together are a part of your past, maybe going five or six years back. How do you think understanding the past will help us understand the present world?

Answer:  My earliest memory is when I went to school for the first time. I think I was around 4 years old. Understanding the past helps us know how things have changed over time. It tells us how people lived, what they discovered, and how the world developed. This helps us understand the present better and learn from past mistakes to make a better future.

LET’S EXPLORE

Question 1.  Such calculations are simple, but there is a catch. In the Gregorian calendar, there is no ‘year zero’. The year 1 CE follows immediately the year 1 BCE. Draw a simple timeline marking every year from 2 BCE to 2 CE; you will see that because of the absence of a year zero, only 3 years have passed between those two dates.

So to calculate the number of years between a BCE date and a CE date, you should add them but subtract 1 — in the above case, 2 + 2 – 1 = 3.

Practice a few examples with your classmates. For example, to return to the question about the Buddha, suppose we are now in the year 2024 CE, then the Buddha was born 560 + 2024 – 1 = 2,583 years ago. 

Answer:

• In the Gregorian calendar, there is no year zero.

• That means the year 1 BCE is followed directly by 1 CE.

• So, if you draw a timeline from 2 BCE to 2 CE, you’ll see that only 3 years have passed, not 4.

• Here's how: 2 + 2 – 1 = 3 years.

• To find the number of years between any BCE and CE dates, use this formula:

• BCE year + CE year – 1 = Total years 

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LET’S EXPLORE

Question 1. Create a timeline stretching from 1900 CE to the current year and place the dates of birth of your grandparents, parents, siblings and yourself. Also, mark the years that the 20th century CE begins with and ends with.

Answer: 

Steps to Create the Timeline:

1. Draw a straight horizontal line.

2. Mark years starting from 1900 CE to 2025 CE at equal gaps.

3. Highlight these important points:

• 20th century began in 1901 CE

• 20th century ended in 2000 CE

4. Now, add your family's birth years. Example:

Example Timeline (you can change the years as per your family):

• 1901 CE – Start of 20th century

• 1945 CE – Grandfather born

• 1950 CE – Grandmother born

• 1975 CE – Father born

• 1978 CE – Mother born

• 2005 CE – Sibling born

• 2012 CE – You were born

• 2000 CE – End of 20th century

• 2025 CE – Current year
  
  

LET’S EXPLORE

 Can you collect information about at least three generations of your family on your mother’s and father’s sides? Create a family tree with your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Find out their names, what they did for a living and where they were born. Also, write the sources from where you got this information.

Answer:

THINK ABOUT IT

Question 1. Have you ever seen old coins, books, clothes, jewellery or utensils in and around your house? What type of information can we gain from such objects? Or from old houses or buildings? 

Answer: Yes, I have seen old coins and utensils in my house. These objects tell us about how people lived in the past. Old coins can show us which kings ruled and what kind of money was used. Old clothes and jewellery show the fashion and culture of that time. Utensils tell us how food was cooked and eaten. Old houses and buildings help us understand the design, materials, and lifestyle of people many years ago.

LET’S EXPLORE 

Question 1. In the above picture, look at some activities of early humans in a rock shelter. Which ones can you recognise? Give a brief description for each.

Answer: 

Here are some activities early humans did in rock shelters:

1. Hunting and Gathering- Early humans hunted animals and collected fruits, nuts, and roots for food. They used tools made of stone and bones.

2. Tool Making- They made simple tools like stone axes, sharp-edged stones, and scrapers. These helped them hunt and cut food.

3. Fire Making and Usage- They discovered fire and used it for cooking food, keeping warm, and scaring wild animals away.

4. Cave Paintings and Art- They drew pictures on cave walls. These paintings showed animals, hunting scenes, and symbols. It was their way of telling stories or expressing feelings.

5. Living and Shelter- Rock shelters protected early humans from rain, heat, and wild animals. These places were used for sleeping and staying safe.

6. Social and Ritual Activities- They may have lived in groups, and sometimes they did group activities or special ceremonies together.

7. Food Preparation- They cooked food using fire, and they used grinding stones to crush grains or plants before eating.

LET’S EXPLORE 

Question 1. Observe the scene on the next page. It depicts an agricultural community from a few millenniums ago. List the main activities you can identify.

Answer: 

Here are the main activities shown in the picture of an early agricultural community:

Harvesting – People are working in the fields, cutting and collecting crops after they are grown.

Sheep Rearing – Some people are taking care of sheep and goats. They used these animals for wool, milk, and meat.

Gathering – People are collecting fruits, vegetables, and other edible plants from the surroundings.

Living in Small Settlements – People are living together in small huts or houses, showing the beginning of settled life.

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Questions, activities and projects

Question 1. As a project, write the history of your family (or village if you live in one), using sources of history at your disposal. Ask your teacher to guide you.

Answer:

I live in a small village named Roshanpur in Uttar Pradesh. I collected information about my family and village from my parents, grandparents, and the Gram Panchayat records.

• My great-grandfather was Amar Singh, a farmer, born in 1910 in this village.

• My grandfather, Mahesh Singh, was also a farmer and was born in 1940.

• We have an old photograph of Amar Singh and some family stories that helped me learn about our past.

• Our village is believed to be settled around 500 A.D., nearly 1500 years ago, according to old village records.

I used oral history, old photos, and documents to prepare this family history.

Question 2. Can we compare historians to detectives? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer:

Yes, we can compare historians to detectives because both try to find out the truth using clues.

• Detectives use clues to solve crimes.

• Historians use old books, objects, inscriptions, and stories to find out what happened in the past.

• Both ask questions, collect information, and carefully put pieces together to understand what really happened.

Question 3.  A few exercises with dates:  

(a) Place these dates chronologically on the timeline:

323 CE, 323 BCE, 100 CE, 100 BCE, 1900 BCE, 1090 CE, 2024 CE

Chronological Order:

1900 BCE
323 BCE
  100 BCE
  100 CE
323 CE
1090 CE
2024 CE

(b) If King Chandragupta was born in 320 CE, which century did he belong to? And how many years was that after the Buddha’s birth?

 Answer:

• King Chandragupta was born in the 4th century CE.

• Buddha was born in 560 BCE.

• So, 560 + 320 – 1 = 879 years.
  Chandragupta was born 879 years after Buddha’s birth.

(c) Rani of Jhansi was born in 1828. Which century did she belong to? How many years was that before India’s Independence?

Answer:

• Rani of Jhansi was born in the 19th century CE.

• India became independent in 1947.

• 1947 – 1828 = 119 years
  Rani of Jhansi was born 119 years before Independence.

(d) Turn ‘12,000 years ago’ into a date.

Answer:

• Current year = 2024 CE

• 12,000 – 2024 + 1 = 9977 BCE
  So, the date is around 9977 BCE.
  
  

Question 4. Plan a visit to a nearby museum: the visit should be prepared with some prior research on the kind of exhibits the museum holds. Keep notes during the visit. Write a brief report afterwards, highlighting what was unexpected / interesting / fun about the visit and the exhibits.

Answer:

Museum Visit Report

Preparation:
I planned a visit to the National Museum. I searched their website and found that they have exhibits from ancient Indian civilizations.

During the Visit:
I saw galleries filled with terracotta figurines, Harappan seals, coins, and paintings. I took notes and photos of objects from the Harappan, Mauryan, Gupta, and Mughal periods.

Interesting Observations:

• The Harappan pottery was very detailed and beautiful.

• I found it fun to see ancient tools and jewellery.

• The modern art gallery was also exciting, showing how art has changed over time.

Conclusion: The museum visit helped me understand how people lived long ago and how history is preserved through objects.

Question 5. Invite to your school an archaeologist or a historian and ask them to speak on the history of your region and why it’s important to know it.

Answer:

Classroom Activity.

The Official History Answer Guide Explained

To get the timeline and sources of history class 6 questions and answers right, you must understand the "clues" historians use. These are called Sources. Sources are divided into two main types:

• Primary Sources: These are original things from that time. For example: old coins, stone carvings, clay pots, or diaries written by people long ago.

• Secondary Sources: These are things made later by people who studied the primary sources. For example: history books, documentaries, or articles.

Think of it like a puzzle. The timeline and sources of history class 6 questions and answers in hindi (इतिहास के स्रोत) solutions show you that historians are like detectives. They use these clues to piece together the "hidden truth" about how early humans lived. Using a good guide for your studies is the secret to doing well in class.

Timeline and Sources of History Class 6 Question and Answer Examples 

Let’s look at some simple timeline and sources of history class 6 questions and answers examples. These are common questions that will help you understand the chapter easily.

• Question 1: How do we measure historical time?

• Answer: We use calendars (like the Gregorian calendar) and timelines. We label periods as BCE and CE and divide time into centuries and millennia.

• Question 2: Why are historians compared to detectives?

• Answer: Both look for clues to solve mysteries. Detectives solve crimes using evidence, while historians use sources (like artefacts and old books) to understand the past.

• Question 3: If someone was born in 1828, which century did they belong to?

• Answer: They belonged to the 19th century. (Hint: For years in the 1800s, add 1 to the '18' to get the century).

• Question 4: What are the main activities of early humans in rock shelters?

• Answer: They hunted animals, gathered wild plants, made stone tools, used fire for warmth, and made paintings on cave walls.

Doing Your Best with NCERT Solutions

Working with timeline and sources of history class 6 questions and answers is the best way to do well in school. You will learn about how early humans moved from being hunters to starting small farming villages. Using the timeline and sources of history class 6 questions and answers of your study material ensures you don't miss any details.

You can find the answers by looking closely at these specific things:

• Archaeological Sources: These are physical things like the Lion Capital of Ashoka (our national emblem) or Harappan pottery. They tell us about art and power in the past.

• Oral Histories: These are stories or interviews passed down by word of mouth from people who witnessed events.

• Agricultural Communities: These were early groups that started domesticating animals like sheep and growing crops like wheat.

Common mistakes to avoid include getting confused with BCE dates. Remember, in BCE, a bigger number means it happened longer ago. For example, 500 BCE is older than 200 BCE!

This is because BCE dates work like a countdown to zero. If you imagine a number line, BCE years are on the left side, moving closer to the birth of Christ. To find the total years from then to now, you must add the BCE year to our current year.

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