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

Fill in the Blanks

Question. Emperor __________ used the term 'Jambudvipa' in his edicts.
Answer: Ashoka
Explanation: Ashoka was a famous ancient emperor who wrote messages on giant rock pillars, calling the land 'Jambudvipa'.

Question. In the Constitution of India, the expression “India, that is Bharat” appears in Article ___.
Answer: 1
Explanation: Article 1 is the very first rule in our Constitution, and it says our country is known as both India and Bharat.

Question. The historic name ‘Jambudvipa’ literally means the island of the ___ fruit tree.
Answer: jamun
Explanation: In ancient stories and books, our land was called Jambudvipa after the sweet purple jamun fruit tree.

Question. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang toured India in the ___ century CE.
Answer: 7th
Explanation: Xuanzang was a curious traveler and student from China who came to India around 1,400 years ago.

Question. The Rig Veda depicts north-west India as the land of the ___ rivers.
Answer: seven
Explanation: The Rig Veda calls this area 'Sapta Sindhava' because seven important rivers flowed through it.

Question. The Greeks omitted the letter ‘___’ from ‘Hindu’ because it did not exist in their language.
Answer: h
Explanation: The Greek language did not have an 'h' sound, so they dropped it and said 'Indos' instead.

Question. According to the Vishnu Purana, Bharata is the land north of the ___ and south of the snow-capped mountains.
Answer: ocean
Explanation: This ancient book describes our country as lying above the blue sea and below the snowy Himalayas.

True or False

Question. The Mahabharata names India as Bharatavarsha, the land of the Bharatas.
Answer: True
Explanation: The great epic Mahabharata clearly refers to this land as Bharatavarsha.

Question. The phrase “India, that is Bharat” features in the last article of the Indian Constitution.
Answer: False
Explanation: It appears in the very beginning, in Article 1, not at the end.

Question. The ancient name Jambudvipa relates to the island of the mango fruit tree.
Answer: False
Explanation: Jambudvipa comes from the jamun tree (Indian blackberry), not the mango tree.

Question. The Persians were among the first outsiders to call India by names such as Hind or Hindu.
Answer: True
Explanation: Ancient Persians were early visitors and traders who called the land Hind after the river Sindhu.

Question. The Rig Veda speaks of north-west India as the land of the seven rivers.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Rig Veda describes the region as Sapta Sindhava, meaning the land of seven rivers.

Question. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited India in the 7th century CE and resided for about 17 years.
Answer: True
Explanation: Xuanzang spent almost two decades studying and traveling all across India.

Questions / Short Question Answers

Question. Why did ancient Chinese texts occasionally refer to 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: The Chinese revered India because it was the holy land where Lord Buddha taught wisdom to the world.

Question. If you were born some 2,000 years ago and had the opportunity to name our country, what name or names might you have chosen, and why? Use your imagination!
Answer: If I were born 2,000 years ago, I would have chosen names that reflect the country's natural beauty, cultural richness and mythological significance. Some of the names which I would have chosen are as follows:
• Aryavarta: Derived from Sanskrit 'Arya' (noble), to honor ancient civilization.
• Bharatamrita: Combines 'Bharata' and 'amrita' (immortal), signifying eternal essence.
• Dharmakshetra: Meaning 'Land of Dharma', reflecting spiritual heritage.
• Swarnaloka: Translating to 'Land of Gold', symbolizing richness and prosperity.
• Himalayagrama: Meaning 'Village of the Himalayas', acknowledging the majestic mountains.
Explanation: We can imagine proud names for our land that celebrate its soaring mountains, shimmering rivers, and golden history.

Question. What is the Latin term for India?
Answer: India.
Explanation: The ancient Romans spoke Latin, and they spelled and pronounced our country's name as 'India'.

Question. Describe the northern geographical border of the Indian Subcontinent.
Answer: The primary northern geographical boundary of the Indian Subcontinent is formed by the massive Himalayan mountain range, and also the Hindu Kush mountains to the northwest.
Explanation: Giant snowy mountains called the Himalayas stand like a tall natural wall guarding the top of India!

Question. In which year did the Indian Constitution come into effect?
Answer: 1950
Explanation: On 26th January 1950, India officially started following its own rulebook, which we celebrate as Republic Day every year.

Question. What is the role of the Indus River in the naming of India?
Answer: The Indus River (Sindhu) is central to many names for India, as terms like Hind, Hindu, Indoi, and India are all etymologically derived from its name.
Explanation: The great river Sindhu (Indus) gave birth to almost all the famous names used around the world for our country.

Question. What was Emperor Ashoka's geographical view of 'Jambudvipa'?
Answer: Emperor Ashoka used ‘Jambudvipa' in inscriptions to describe the whole of India, which during his time included present-day Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts of Afghanistan.
Explanation: King Ashoka used the name Jambudvipa on his carved stone pillars to mean his whole giant kingdom.

Question. Why did the ancient Greeks drop the first 'h' from the word 'Hindu'?
Answer: The letter 'h' did not exist in their Greek language.
Explanation: The ancient Greeks did not have an 'h' sound in their alphabet, so they said 'Indoi' instead of 'Hindoi'.

Question. In the course of it’s history, India has been called by many names by it’s inhabitants. Elaborate the statement.
Answer: The Rig Veda referred to the northwest region of the Subcontinent as the land of the seven rivers or Sapta-Sindhu. The Indus River was known as ‘Sindhu’. Later the Mahabharata uses the two terms Bharatavarsha and Jambudvipa to define India. Bharatavarsha means the country of the Bharatas. The Bharata were one of the main Vedic tribes of the Rig Vedic Age. The second term used was Jambudvipa wherein jambul refers to a species of fruit widely available in the Indian Subcontinent and dvipa means continent. Ashoka also refers to the whole of India as Jambudvipa. However in the course of time Bharata became the name generally used. The Vishnu Purana also mentions the name Bharata in its text. In north India, India is known as Bharat while in South India the word “Bharatam” is used.
Explanation: People living here have lovingly given India many names across history, such as Sapta-Sindhu, Jambudvipa, Bharatavarsha, and Bharat!

Question. What does the Rig Vedic name 'Sapta Sindhava' reveal about the geography of ancient northwest India?
Answer: 'Sapta Sindhava' signifies 'the land of the seven rivers,' highlighting the geographical importance of the Indus river system in defining that ancient region.
Explanation: 'Sapta Sindhava' means 'land of seven rivers', showing how important freshwater rivers were for early settlers.

Question. What is the French word for India?
Answer: Inde.
Explanation: In the French language, people spell and call our country 'Inde'.

Question. What was the importance of Xuanzang's visit to India in the 7th century CE?
Answer: Xuanzang, a Chinese scholar, travelled to India, studied, collected many Buddhist manuscripts, and translated them into Chinese, fostering cultural and intellectual exchange.
Explanation: His journey helped people in China and India share ideas, books, and wisdom like good friends.

Question. What expression does the Indian Constitution use to refer to the country, combining its common English and traditional names?
Answer: India, that is Bharat.
Explanation: Our country's official rulebook lovingly includes both names: India and Bharat!

Question. How does the Vishnu Purana geographically describe 'Bharata'?
Answer: The Vishnu Purana defines 'Bharata' as The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains, encompassing the Indian Subcontinent.
Explanation: This ancient book describes Bharata as the great land between the snowy Himalayas in the north and the ocean in the south.

Question. How did ‘Jambudvipa’ come to represent the Indian Subcontinent?
Answer: The jamun tree is a common tree to be found throughout the Indian Subcontinent. Consequently Jambudvipa came to mean the Indian Subcontinent. The term Jambudvipa is used by Ashoka to represent his empire in the 3rd century BCE and then repeated in many subsequent inscriptions reinforcing the concept of the Indian Subcontinent being referred to as Jambudvipa.
Explanation: Jamun fruit trees grew everywhere across the land, so ancient kings called the whole country the island of jamun trees.

Question. What does the reference to a king's kingdom in ancient Tamil literature suggest about geographical knowledge?
Answer: It suggests that ancient Tamils had a clear geographical understanding of the Subcontinent, defining its extent from Cape Kumari in the south to the northern mountains.
Explanation: It shows that ancient Tamil writers knew India went all the way from the southern tip at Kanyakumari up to the northern mountains.

Question. In which language did the term 'Hindustan' first feature in an inscription?
Answer: Persian.
Explanation: The word 'Hindustan' was first carved in stone writing using the Persian language about 1,800 years ago.