CBSE Class 6 Social Science India That Is Bharat Assignments Set 02

Fill in the Blanks

Question. Ultimately the name _________ came to be used.
Answer: India
Explanation: Through Latin and English, 'India' became the modern international name.

Question. Sindhu relates to the __________ river.
Answer: Indus
Explanation: Sindhu is simply the Sanskrit name for the river Indus.

Question. It had _________ names in the course of it’s past.
Answer: Many
Explanation: Many different people, kings, and travelers gave India unique names over time.

Question. The term ‘Hindustan’ was first found in a Persian inscription some __________ years ago.
Answer: 1800
Explanation: About 18 centuries ago, Persian writers chiseled this title into stone.

Question. The Indian Constitution begins by declaring “__________ that is Bharat”.
Answer: India
Explanation: The Constitution starts: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States."

Question. _________ was the Chinese monk who came to India in the 7th century CE.
Answer: Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang)
Explanation: Xuanzang was a monk who traveled across mountains to study at Nalanda University.

Question. The ancient Greeks labeled the region __________ or ‘Indike’.
Answer: Indoi
Explanation: Greeks wrote 'Indoi' when naming the Indian land and its inhabitants.

True or False

Question. The Vishnu Purana depicts the entire Sub-continent.
Answer: True
Explanation: It describes all the land south of the snow-capped Himalayas down to the ocean.

Question. The Rig Veda refers to ‘Bharatavarsha’ as the home of the Bharatas.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Rigveda mentions the Bharata tribe, but the word 'Bharatavarsha' came in later books.

Question. ‘Hindustan’ was first used in a Persian inscription approximately 1,800 years ago.
Answer: True
Explanation: Sasanian Persian inscriptions from the 3rd century CE first wrote Hindustan.

Question. ‘Tianzhu’ was a term used by early Chinese that could also be understood as ‘heavenly master’.
Answer: True
Explanation: Tianzhu meant a heavenly, sacred land in Chinese because it was the home of Lord Buddha.

Question. This name, ‘Bharata’ continues in use even today.
Answer: True
Explanation: We still sing and say Bharat proudly as our country's name every day.

Question. ‘Yintu’ and ‘Yindu’ are terms used by early Chinese to refer to India.
Answer: True
Explanation: Chinese travelers used sounds like Yindu to translate the name of India.

Question. The Persians were the first foreigners to mention India and they named it “India” in their earliest writings.
Answer: False
Explanation: Persians called it Hind or Hindu; the spelling 'India' came later from Greeks and Romans.

Questions / Short Question Answers

Question. Analyse the process by which foreigners (Persians, Greeks, Chinese) formed names for India from the river Sindhu. Highlight the linguistic transformations involved.
Answer: Persians adapted 'Sindhu' to 'Hind/Hidu/Hindu'. Greeks, lacking the 'h' sound, transformed this to 'Indoi/Indike'. The Chinese also derived 'Yintu/Yindu' from 'Sindhu', possibly via intermediate forms like 'Indu'. These examples show how a local river name was modified through different languages' phonetics.
Explanation: When the name of the river 'Sindhu' traveled to different foreign countries, each country changed the sounds slightly to fit their own alphabet.

Question. Why did ancient Chinese texts sometimes describe India as 'Tianzhu'?
Answer: 'Tianzhu' was another Chinese word derived from 'Sindhu.' It could also mean "heavenly master," reflecting the respect the Chinese had for India as the land of the Buddha.
Explanation: Because Buddhism started in India, Chinese scholars gave India a beautiful title that meant a place of heavenly wisdom.

Question. Mention how ancient and foreign accounts contributed to the naming and knowledge of the unified Indian subcontinent.
Answer: (i) Ancient texts like the Rig Veda, Mahabharata, and Vishnu Purana called the Indian subcontinent by names such as 'Sapta Sindhava', 'Bharatavarsha', and 'Jambudvipa'.
(ii) These names provided a collective identity to all regions within these boundaries and highlighted the geographical and cultural unity of the area.
(iii) Foreign accounts, especially from Persians and Greeks, introduced names like 'Hindu' and 'Indoi' based on their interactions with the region, which later influenced terms like 'Hindustan.'
(iv) These names gave global recognition to the Indian subcontinent and shaped the understanding of India's identity over the years.
Explanation: Both ancient Indian books and foreign visitors helped everyone realize that all the different regions from the north to the south were part of one big, united family.

Question. How did the absence or presence of certain phonetic sounds in different languages (e.g., 'h' in Greek) influence the names given to India by foreigners?
Answer: The phonetic systems of foreign languages influenced how 'Sindhu' was pronounced and transcribed. Persians retained a sound similar to 'h' ('Hindu'), but Greeks, lacking this sound, dropped it, leading to 'Indoi'. This illustrates how linguistic differences directly shape the evolution of names.
Explanation: Just like someone with an accent says words a little differently, ancient Greeks did not have the 'H' sound, so 'Hindu' became 'Indu' or 'Indoi'.

Question. How does the Indian Constitution reconcile the various historical names for the nation? Why do you think this was important?
Answer: The Constitution states "India, that is Bharat," officially acknowledging both the internationally prevalent name and a significant traditional name. This was important to honor the country's ancient heritage and indigenous identity while also maintaining continuity with its modern, global presence.
Explanation: Our country's big rule book—the Constitution—uses both 'India' and 'Bharat' so we celebrate our ancient history while also being recognized all over the world.

Question. Explain the evolution of the name ‘Bharatavarsha’.
Answer: Originating in the Mahabharata, the name 'Bharatavarsha' underwent significant evolution. Initially, it referred to the kingdom of the Bharatas, an ancient Vedic tribe. Over time, the term expanded to encompass the entire Indian subcontinent, including present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. This evolution reflects the dynamic nature of India's naming conventions, influenced by literary, cultural, and geographical developments.
Explanation: At first, 'Bharatavarsha' was just the kingdom of a brave tribe, but as time passed, people used it to describe the whole giant subcontinent.

Question. What phrase does the Indian Constitution use to describe the nation, and where is it found?
Answer: The Constitution uses the phrase "India, that is Bharat." It appears right at the beginning of the document, in Article 1 (and reflected in foundational statements of the nation).
Explanation: Right on the very first page of our law book, it proudly says "India, that is Bharat".

Question. Ancient Indians knew their geography well. Justify this assertion using examples from ancient Indian texts that describe the geographical extent of the land.
Answer: Texts like the Mahabharata list diverse regions from Kashmir to Kerala. The Vishnu Purana defines Bharata from the Himalayas to the ocean. Ancient Tamil poetry describes a kingdom stretching from Kanyakumari to the northern mountains and coastal seas. This detailed knowledge of widespread regions proves that ancient Indians understood their geography thoroughly.
Explanation: Even without Google Maps, ancient Indian poets and writers knew all the rivers, mountains, and places from the freezing north in Kashmir down to the sunny south in Kerala.

Question. What was the significance of the Persian conquest of the Indus River region in the 6th century BCE and how did it affect the naming of India?
Answer: The Persian conquest marked a pivotal moment in India's history. By adapting the local Sanskrit term 'Sindhu' into 'Hind', 'Hidu', or 'Hindu', the Persians established the first foreign reference to the subcontinent. This naming convention influenced subsequent foreign references by the Greeks and others, integrating India into ancient global trade and communication networks.
Explanation: When Persian rulers came to the Indus River, they started calling the land 'Hind', which was the first time other foreign countries started using a similar name for India.

Question. The Indian Subcontinent has had many different names and shifting boundaries. Expand on this statement with examples of names and the geographical extent they referred to.
Answer: Early on, 'Sapta Sindhava' referred to the northwest region of seven rivers. 'Jambudvipa,' as used in Ashoka's edicts, covered modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of Afghanistan. 'Bharatavarsha' encompassed the entire subcontinent between the Himalayas and the southern ocean. These examples show that as empires grew and cultures connected, names evolved and their geographical scope expanded.
Explanation: As different kings ruled and different maps were drawn, names like 'Sapta Sindhava' and 'Bharatavarsha' grew to describe larger and larger parts of the land.

Question. What account of India is found in the Vishnu Purana?
Answer: The Vishnu Purana describes India as the land lying north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains (the Himalayas), and states that the children of Bharata dwell there.
Explanation: An ancient book tells us that our country is the wonderful land resting right between the snowy mountains at the top and the blue ocean at the bottom.

Question. Discuss what could be the meaning of the quotation at the beginning of the chapter.
Answer: The quotation by Sri Aurobindo states that spiritual and cultural unity was achieved early in India's history across the vast territory between the Himalayas and the two seas. It means that unity was not merely political, but deeply woven into the everyday thoughts, values, and soul of the people, creating an enduring civilizational identity.
Explanation: The great thinker Sri Aurobindo explained that even long ago, people across India felt connected in their hearts and traditions like one big family.

Question. Discuss the development of the names 'Bharata' and 'Jambudvipa' for the Indian Subcontinent, citing textual and inscriptional evidence.
Answer: 'Bharatavarsha' (country of the Bharatas) and 'Jambudvipa' (island of the Jamun tree) both appear in epic literature like the Mahabharata. Inscriptional evidence comes from Emperor Ashoka (c. 250 BCE), who inscribed 'Jambudvipa' on stone pillars to describe his empire. Later, the Vishnu Purana clearly defined 'Bharata' as the land bounded by the Himalayas and the sea, showing its widespread acceptance for the whole subcontinent.
Explanation: We find the name 'Jambudvipa' carved on Ashoka's stone pillars, and 'Bharata' written in sacred stories, showing both names were respected and used for our land.

Question. The term 'Hindustan' has different roots and historical usage compared to 'Bharata'. Compare these two names in terms of their etymology and the contexts in which they were primarily used.
Answer: 'Bharata' is an indigenous Sanskrit name originating from Vedic literature and epics, referring to a people and a sacred geographical landscape. In contrast, 'Hindustan' originated from Persian (derived from 'Sindhu' plus the suffix '-stan' meaning land). Initially, 'Hindustan' was a geographical term used by foreigners for the Indus basin, and during medieval times, it was used to refer to northern India or the subcontinent as a whole.
Explanation: 'Bharata' is our country's home-grown name from ancient stories, while 'Hindustan' was created when Persian speakers added '-stan' (which means land) to the word 'Hind'.

Question. Discuss the impact of foreign Invaders and scholars on the naming and perception of India in ancient times. How did the Persians, Greeks and Chinese contribute to India’s global standing?
Answer: Foreign invaders and scholars helped connect India to the wider world: (i) Persians adapted 'Sindhu' into 'Hind' or 'Hindu', introducing India to western Asia; (ii) Greeks transformed this into 'Indoi' and 'Indike', spreading knowledge of India to Europe; (iii) Chinese pilgrims and scholars translated Buddhist texts and reverently called India 'Tianzhu' and 'Yindu'. These interactions gave India global fame as a rich hub of trade, learning, and spirituality.
Explanation: Travelers, teachers, and traders took stories of India's wealth and wisdom back to their home countries, making India famous all over the world.

Question. Considering the various motivations people might have had for travelling to India in ancient times (trade, pilgrimage, scholarly pursuits, conquest), how might these different intentions have influenced their perception and naming of the land?
Answer: Different purposes shaped different perceptions: Merchants and traders viewed India as a land of valuable ports, rivers, and treasures; religious pilgrims like Xuanzang saw it as a sacred land of enlightenment ('Tianzhu'); scholars viewed it as an intellectual center of philosophy and science; while conquerors viewed it as a wealthy territory beyond the great Indus river ('Hind').
Explanation: What a visitor thought about India depended on why they came: traders saw rich markets, scholars saw great schools, and pilgrims saw a holy land.