CBSE Class 6 Social Science India That Is Bharat Worksheet Set 01

Fill in the Blanks

Question. In the South, India is referred to as _________.
Answer: Bharatam
Explanation: Southern languages like Tamil and Malayalam traditionally address India as Bharatam.

Question. _________ was one of India’s most celebrated texts.
Answer: Mahabharata
Explanation: The Mahabharata is one of the grandest and most famous storybooks in Indian history.

Question. The Rig Veda gives the northwest area of the Subcontinent the name __________.
Answer: Sapta Sindhava
Explanation: Sapta Sindhava means the land of seven sacred flowing rivers in Sanskrit.

Question. The term Sindhu refers to the _________ River.
Answer: Indus
Explanation: Sindhu is the old Sanskrit name for the mighty Indus River.

Question. Kurukshetra, mentioned in the Mahabharata, corresponds to parts of present-day __________.
Answer: Haryana
Explanation: Kurukshetra is a real city located in Haryana where the epic battle took place.

Question. The Indian Constitution came into effect in _________.
Answer: 1950
Explanation: India adopted its official book of laws on 26 January 1950, our Republic Day!

Question. The French addressed India as _________.
Answer: Inde
Explanation: People speaking the French language spell and pronounce India as Inde.

Question. Foreigners used names derived mostly from the _________ or River.
Answer: Sindhu (Indus)
Explanation: Visitors crossing into India saw the great Indus River first and named the land after it.

True or False

Question. ‘Bharata’ is a name assigned to India by foreign travellers.
Answer: False
Explanation: Bharata is our own ancient Indian name, not one given by travelers from abroad.

Question. The Indian Constitution was first drafted in English.
Answer: True
Explanation: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and the drafting committee wrote the first text in English.

Question. ‘Jambudvipa’ signifies ‘the land of the seven rivers’.
Answer: False
Explanation: Jambudvipa means the island of the jamun tree, while Sapta Sindhava means seven rivers.

Question. The Mahabharata was written from a few centuries BCE forward.
Answer: True
Explanation: Sages began writing down the epic stories over two thousand years ago.

Question. Ashoka employed the term “Bharatavarsha” to refer to India.
Answer: False
Explanation: King Ashoka used the name Jambudvipa on his rock inscriptions, not Bharatavarsha.

Question. The term ‘Bharata’ was first found in the Rig Veda.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Rigveda is the oldest text where the name Bharata first appeared.

Question. In ancient Persian, the word ‘Hindu’ refers to the Hindu faith.
Answer: False
Explanation: In the beginning, Hindu was a geography word for people living near the Indus River.

Question. In Ashoka's time, 'Jambudvipa' covered today's India, parts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Answer: True
Explanation: Emperor Ashoka ruled a huge empire that spread across all these modern nations.

Questions / Assertion / Reason

Question. Assertion (A): The phrase “India, that is Bharat” occurs in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
Reason (R): Article 1 of the Constitution affirms the dual name of the nation.
Codes:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer: (d) A is false, but R is true
Explanation: The famous phrase is written in Article 1, not in the Preamble, so the first statement is false.

Question. Assertion (A): The Mahabharata uses the term Bharatavarsha to portray India.
Reason (R): Bharatavarsha means “land of the jamun fruit tree.”
Codes:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer: (c) A is true, but R is false
Explanation: Bharatavarsha means the land of the Bharatas, while Jambudvipa refers to the jamun tree.

Question. Assertion (A): The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang referred to India as Tianzhu, a term meaning “heavenly master.”
Reason (R): The Chinese respected India as the land of the Buddha and a centre of learning.
Codes:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation: Chinese visitors gave India this respectful title because Lord Buddha was born here and it had world-famous schools.

Question. Assertion (A): The Rig Veda describes north-west India as Sapta Sindhava, or the land of seven rivers.
Reason (R): The word ‘Sindhu’ in Sanskrit was used to apply only to the Ganga River.
Codes:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer: (c) A is true, but R is false
Explanation: 'Sindhu' meant the Indus River or rivers in general, not just the Ganga.

Question. Assertion (A): The Persians and Greeks assigned India names like Hind, Hindu, and Indoi.
Reason (R): These names were derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Sindhu.’
Codes:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true, but R is false
(d) A is false, but R is true
Answer: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
Explanation: Foreigners who came to India called the people and land after the river Sindhu, which they pronounced in their own ways.

Questions / Short Question Answers

Question. What is considered the Rig Veda?
Answer: The Rig Veda is India’s oldest religious text written several thousand years ago.
Explanation: It is the earliest collection of holy hymns and prayers composed by ancient Indian sages.

Question. How did the Greeks obtain the word 'Indoi' for India?
Answer: The Greeks borrowed the Persian word 'Hindu,' itself derived from 'Sindhu,' but dropped the initial 'h' sound since it did not exist in Greek. Thus, they called the region 'Indoi'.
Explanation: Because the Greek alphabet had no 'H' sound, they could not say Hindu and instead said Indoi.

Question. What does the phrase ‘Jambudvipa’ mean?
Answer: The term ‘Jambudvipa’ means the island of the fruit of the jamun tree.
Explanation: In Sanskrit, 'Jambu' is the tasty dark purple jamun fruit and 'dvipa' means an island or land surrounded by water.

Question. The Indian Constitution was first drafted in which language?
Answer: The Indian Constitution was first written in English.
Explanation: Our nation's leaders originally debated, formulated, and wrote the national rulebook in English.

Question. Who was Hiuen Tsang? When did he journey to India?
Answer: Hiuen Tsang, also known as Xuanzang, was a Chinese Buddhist monk who came to India in the 7th century C.E. He collected many Buddhist texts from various parts of the country and returned to China after 17 years.
Explanation: He was a wise traveler from China who spent 17 years walking across India to study Buddhist books.

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).
Explanation: This ancient book defines India by its natural boundaries: the snowy Himalayas on top and the ocean below.

Question. What names did the early Greeks use to refer to India?
Answer: The ancient Greeks named the region ‘Indoi’ or ‘Indike’.
Explanation: When Greek travelers and historians wrote about our land, they called it Indoi or Indike.

Question. From which waterway was the term ‘Hindu’ derived?
Answer: The term ‘Hindu’ was derived from the Indus River, which was earlier known as Sindhu by the Persians.
Explanation: The Persians pronounced the river name Sindhu with an 'H', which created the word Hindu.

Question. What is the popular name for 'Cape Kumari' today?
Answer: Kanyakumari.
Explanation: Kanyakumari is the famous coastal town located at the very southern tip of India where three great water bodies meet.

Question. What is the meaning of the word ‘Tianzhu’? From which Indian word has it been derived? What does this word represent?
Answer: The word 'Tianzhu' means ‘heavenly master’. It has been derived from the word ‘Sindhu’. It signifies the respect the ancient Chinese had for India.
Explanation: Ancient Chinese people called India Tianzhu because they loved and respected it as the sacred land of Lord Buddha.

Vocabulary Activity - "Guess the Word"

Question. I am an ancient Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent meaning the "Island of the Jamun tree", and Emperor Ashoka used me in his inscriptions. What is my title?
Answer: Jambudvipa
Explanation: 'Jambu' means the purple Jamun fruit tree, and 'dvipa' means island or land surrounded by water!

Question. I am an ancient Chinese phrase meaning "Heavenly Master", used with great respect to call India because it was the birthplace of Lord Buddha. What is my name?
Answer: Tianzhu
Explanation: Ancient Chinese scholars used this respectful title to honor India as a sacred land of learning and peace.

Question. I am the great north-western river from whose original Sanskrit title foreigners developed names like 'Hind', 'Indoi', and 'India'. What is my name?
Answer: Sindhu (Indus River)
Explanation: The river Sindhu was the very first major river travelers crossed when entering India, so they named the whole region after it!