Articles

Earth is a unique planet because the life is found only on this planet because of availability of water and air. The air is a mixture of several gases. The air encompasses the earth from all sides called the atmosphere.

Air has weights and it exerts pressure which varies from place to place. These variations are specified ion pressure belts. The pressure at different location of the world also varies in different seasons. This variation causes the movement of air called winds.

The temperature, atmospheric pressure, winds and precipitation are main elements of weather have an important effect on our lives. For example the houses we construct, the clothes we wear and the food we prefer mainly depend on weather and climatic conditions.

Economics as a subject matter of social science has been treated as a science of (a) Wealth, (b) Welfare, (c) Scarcity and Choice (d) Growth and Development and (e) Sustainable Development.

Economy is a system of socially and legally acceptable ways by which people get a living. An economy is also looked at as a system of cooperation for the satisfaction of human wants.

The issue of choice arises, because a) the resources are scarce and b) the resources can be put to many alternative uses.

Production process is the process of combining inputs, utilising their services and making production of goods and services. The entrepreneur organizes the production activities for which he earns profit or bears loss.

Demand for a commodity refers to the quantity of the commodity that a buyer is willing to buy at given price at given time. Individual demand is the quantity of a commodity that an individual buyer is willing to buy at the given price at given time.

Before money was invented people used to exchange goods for goods which was called barter system. There were many problems of barter system such as absence of a common measure of value, lack of double coincidence of wants, lack of space to store goods to exchange them for other goods etc. This prompted human society to discover money.

The story of Indian economy has two distinct phases. One, the economy during British period and two, the economy after independence.

1. Why do you think ordinary men and woman did not generally keep records of the what they did?

The ordinary men and woman generally did not keep records of what they did as they regarded it as a part of their daily routine and not anything important.

1. What is the Mesolithic Period?

It was period between 10,000 to 8,000 BC.

1. What was Citadel?

Citadel is the west part of Harappan city. It is smaller but higher.

1. What kind of evidence from burials do archaeologists use to find out whether there were social difference amongst those who were buried?

In Brahmagiri, archaeologists located a skeleton buried with 33 gold beads, 2 stone beads, 4 copper bangles and 1 conch shell. Some other skeletons were found but with only a few pots. This helped archaeologists to find out social differences of those who were buried.

1. What are Varnas?

The priests divided into four groups called Varnas.

1. What was the original name of Lord Buddha?

Siddartha was the original name of Lord Buddha.

1. What do you mean by an empire?

Large kingdom where different types of people live in different parts of the kingdom is known as an empire.

1. What are Jatakas?

Jatakas were stories written and preserved by Buddhist monks in Sanghas.

1. What were the things for which South India was famous?

South India was famous for gold and spices, especially pepper and precious stones.

1. Name the capital of the Chalukyas.

Aihole was the capital of Chalukyas.

1. Name the God who that were worshipped in the earliest Hindus temples.

Deities such as Vishnu, Shiva and Durga were worshipped in the earliest Hindu temples.

1. List some of the technological changes associated with this period?

(a) The Persian wheel in irrigation (b) The spinning wheel in weaving (c) Firearms in combat

1. Who were the parties involved in the ‘tripartite struggle’?

Gujara - Prathihara, Rashtrakuta and Pala dynasties.

1. Which ruler first established his or her capital at Delhi?

Tomara Rajputs were the first rulers to establish their capital at Delhi.

1. What were the central provinces under the control of the Mughals?

Delhi, Agra, Awash, Allahabad, Bihar, Bengal, Gujarat, Ajmer, Lahore, Multan and Kabul.

1. What was a Shikhara?

Shikhara was the topmost portion of the building. The top of the building built during Chola rulers was called Shikhara.

1. Name three important centres of trade.

Three important centres of trade were - Surat, Hampi and Masulipatnam.

1. On what basis society was divided?

Society was divided according to the rules of Varna, prescribed by the Brahmanas.

1. How did intense devotion come in worship?

Intense devotion came into worship in 8th century and later on due to the legacy of different kinds of Bhakti and Sufi movements.

India is a diverse country with a rich cultural heritage and a multitude of regional cultures. Each region in India has its own distinct language, customs, traditions, art forms, music, dance, and cuisine.

The 18th century witnessed the decline of the Mughal Empire, which had been a dominant political power in India for several centuries. Weak successors, administrative corruption, and invasions by foreign powers weakened the Mughal rule.

1. How important are dates? 

Dates tell about the events, kings and their policies and battles which occurred at a particular time.

1. What attracted European trading companies to India?

The European trading companies were attracted to India because of fine quality of cotton and silk produced in India and Indian spices such as pepper, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.

1. Describe how company became the Diwan.

On 12 August 1765, Robert Clive was granted the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa by the Mughal ruler.

1. Who was Birsa Munda?

Birsa belonged to a family of Mundas, a tribal group that lived in Chhotanagpur.

1. Who were affected by the policies of the East India Company?

Kings, queens, peasants, landlords, tribals and soldiers were all affected in different ways by the policies of the East India Company.

1. Who did the Indian National Congress wish to speak for?

The Indian National Congress wished to speak for the people of India belonging to different communities.

1. What was role of the planning commission?

The role of the Planning Commission was to design and execute suitable policies for economic development of India.

1. Name two essential features of a democratic government.

The two essential features of a democratic government are: (i) People have power to elect their leaders. (ii) Universal Adult franchise (UAF). All the adult citizens of the country have the fight to participate in elections.

1. Define Urbanisation

Urbanisation means the increase in the proportion of population of a country who live in the urban areas.

1. Where is Kalpattu village situated?

Kalpattu is a village close to the sea coast of Tamil Nadu.

1. The art of Zari work is centered in which state of India?

The art zari work is centred in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh which is known for its rich heritage of art and craft. This art has been predominant here for the last 300 years. Apart from Bhopal, it is practiced extensively in Gwalior and Indore.

1. Where are Samoan Islands?

The Samoan Islands are a part of a large group of small islands in the southern part of the Pacific ocean.

1. What are stereotypes?

When it is believed that people belonging to certain groups based on religion, wealth, language, sex etc. would behave in a particular manner, we create a stereotype. For example, people believe that girls or boys will behave in a certain manner.

1. What do you mean by mass media?

Media that reaches large number of people or the masses, across the country and the world is called mass media. For example Television, radio, newspaper etc.

1. What makes the consumer confused?

Sometimes there are two or more advertisements of a similar product of different brands. This makes the consumer confused, because it becomes difficult for him to differentiate between the same product of different brands.

1. What are the benefits of neighbourhood shops?

Shops in the neighbourhood are useful in many ways: (i) They are near our home and we can go there on any day of the week. (ii) These shops also provide goods on credit.

The sun is in the centre of the solar system. There are eight planets in our solar system. In order of their distance from the sun, they are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.