Here are important questions from NCERT Class 6 History Chapter 9 Vital Villages, Thriving Towns

1. The use of iron began in the Indian subcontinent around ………………….. years ago.

3000

2. In the Tamil region, large landowners were known as ………………………….

Vellalar

3. In the northern region, the village headman was known as ……………………………

Grama bhojaka

4. The earliest literary works in Tamil are known as ………………………….

Sangam literature

5. Sangam literature was composed around ……………………………… years ago.

2300

6. ………………………… stories were probably composed by ordinary people and then written down and preserved by Buddhist monks.

Jataka stories

7. The earliest coins which archaeologists have found are ………………………………..

punch marked coins

8. …………………………… became the second capital of Kushanas around 2000 years ago.

Mathura

9. …………………………… was an important centre for the worship of Krishna.

Mathura

10. Varanasi in the North and Madurai in the south were famous for …………………………….

cloth manufacturing

11. Associations formed by crafts persons and merchants were known as ……………………………….

Shrenis

12. ……………………………. in Puducherry was a coastal settlement between 2200 and 1900 years ago.

Arikamedu

13. Landless labourers and slaves in Tamil region were known as ……………………….

Kadaisiyar and adimai

Textbook questions

1. Fill in the blanks:

(a) ……………………… was a word used for large landowners in Tamil.

Vellalar

(b) The grama bhojaka often got his land cultivated by ……………………….

Slaves and hired workers

(c) Ploughmen were known as ………………………… in Tamil.

Uzhavar

(d) Most grihapatis were …………………………… landowners.

Smaller

2. Describe the functions of grama bhojaka. Why do you think he was powerful?

The grama bhojaka was the headman. He was often the largest landowner. He had slaves and hired workers to cultivate land. As he was powerful, the king often used him to collect taxes from the village. He also functioned as a judge and sometimes as a policeman.

3. List the crafts persons who would have been present in both villages and cities?

In most villages there were some crafts persons such as blacksmith, potter, carpenter and weaver. In cities, there were goldsmiths, blacksmiths, weavers, basket makers, garland makers, perfumers etc.

4. Choose the correct answer:

(a) Ring wells were used for:

1. bathing

2. washing clothes

3. irrigation

4. drainage

Answer: drainage

(b) Punch marked coins were made of:

1. silver

2. gold

3. tin

4. ivory

Answer: silver

(c) Mathura was an important:

1. village

2. port

3. religious centre

4. forested area

Answer: religious centre

(d) Shrenis were associations of:

1. rulers

2. crafts persons

3. farmers

4. herders

Answer: crafts persons