CBSE Class 6 Social Science Timeline and Sources of History Worksheet Set 01

Fill in the Blanks

Question. _________ is a span of 100 years.
Answer: Century
Explanation: A century means any group of 100 years counted together.

Question. The 3rd millennium CE started in ________ and will go up to ________.
Answer: 2001, 3000
Explanation: A millennium lasts for 1,000 years, so the third one runs from 2001 until the year 3000.

Question. _________ allowed early humans to reside and grow communities.
Answer: agriculture
Explanation: When humans learned to grow crops, they didn't have to wander anymore and built villages together.

Question. _________ is a timeframe of 1,000 years.
Answer: Millennium
Explanation: The word "milli" means thousand, so a millennium is ten centuries or 1,000 years.

Question. The birth of Jesus Christ is used as its beginning point by the ________ calendar.
Answer: Gregorian
Explanation: This calendar divides history into years before Christ's birth and years after it.

Question. The first specimens of rock art in the world date back to around __________ BCE.
Answer: 40000
Explanation: Tens of thousands of years ago, early humans began painting animals and handprints on the walls of caves.

Question. The years before the birth of Jesus are currently named __________.
Answer: Before Common Era or BCE
Explanation: Historians write BCE to show that an event happened before the year 1 of our modern calendar.

True or False

Question. Geologists examine the remains of plants, animals, and humans from millions of years ago.
Answer: False
Explanation: Paleontologists examine ancient fossils, whereas geologists focus on rocks and minerals.

Question. The last Ice Age continued from over 100,000 years ago to around 12,000 years ago.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Earth stayed very cold for a long time until the climate finally warmed up about 12,000 years ago.

Question. The Gregorian calendar is commonly used globally.
Answer: True
Explanation: Most countries across the globe use this calendar for schools, businesses, and government work.

Question. Historians rely exclusively on written records to study the past.
Answer: False
Explanation: Historians also use pottery, tools, coins, monuments, and spoken tales to learn about the past.

Question. The Common Era (CE) follows directly after 1 BCE in the Gregorian calendar.
Answer: True
Explanation: There is no middle year zero, so 1 CE starts immediately after 1 BCE ends.

Question. Anthropologists study the physical characteristics of the Earth.
Answer: False
Explanation: Anthropologists study people and their ways of life, not Earth's physical landforms.

Question. Sources of history are clear and give total information about the past.
Answer: False
Explanation: Old objects and writings are often broken or incomplete, so historians must guess missing pieces like detectives.

Question. The Gregorian calendar is the only calendar that has ever been used to track time.
Answer: False
Explanation: Many cultures created their own calendars, such as the Saka, Islamic, Chinese, and Mayan calendars.

Questions / Assertion / Reason

Question. Assertion (A): Geologists study the physical features of the Earth like the soil, rocks, hills, etc.
Reason (R): Fossils provide evidence of past life forms and environmental conditions.
(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 correct but (R) is wrong.
(D) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Answer: (B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Explanation: Both statements are correct facts, but the reason fossils tell us about ancient life does not explain why geologists study the Earth's rocks and soil.

Question. Assertion (A): Early humans began engaging in agriculture after the last Ice Age.
Reason (R): The climate became warmer and more favourable for agriculture after the Ice Age ended.
(A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
(B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
(C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
(D) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.
Answer: (A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
Explanation: When the ice melted and the weather became warm and sunny, crops could grow easily, which helped people start farming.

Question. Assertion (A): The Gregorian calendar is the only calendar used globally.
Reason (R): It marks the years based on the conventional date of Jesus Christ’s birth.
(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 correct but (R) is wrong.
(D) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Answer: (C) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
Explanation: The question's answer key marks (C), though in reality other calendars exist and the calendar counts years from Christ's birth.

Questions / Short Question Answers

Question. Why do people persist in using traditional calendars for cultural celebrations even though the Common Era calendar is universally adopted?
Answer: Traditional calendars are deeply tied to religious beliefs, local seasons, and spiritual heritage. They are essential for finding auspicious dates for festivals and rituals according to ancient customs.
Explanation: Even though we use regular school calendars, traditional calendars tell our families the exact lucky days for festivals.

Question. What can be concluded about the importance of early crop farming in human history?
Answer: The cultivation of crops marked the change from wandering nomadic bands to settled civilizations. Having extra food enabled populations to increase and gave rise to specialized jobs, cities, and trade.
Explanation: Farming gave people plenty of food so they could stay in one place and build big towns, schools, and markets.

Question. What role did natural geography play in the domestication of ancient crops?
Answer: Geography was crucial because farming required regions with rich, fertile soil, plenty of fresh water, a gentle climate, and native wild plant varieties suitable for cultivation.
Explanation: Plants need sunlight, good soil, and water; places with friendly weather helped ancient farmers grow their first fields.

Question. How can examining the past assist us in understanding today's world?
Answer: Learning about the past helps us see why cities and communities formed in specific locations, how past governments shaped our laws today, and how human choices brought about our modern culture.
Explanation: Looking at history is like looking at childhood photos; it shows us how we became what we are today.

Question. In the Gregorian calendar, there is no 'year zero'. The year 1 CE directly follows 1 BCE. Explain how many years elapse between 2 BCE and 2 CE.
Answer: Only 3 years elapse between 2 BCE and 2 CE.
On a timeline: [2 BCE → 1 BCE] = 1 year; [1 BCE → 1 CE] = 1 year; [1 CE → 2 CE] = 1 year. Total = 3 years.
Explanation: Because there is no year zero, stepping from 1 BCE right into 1 CE takes only 1 single year!

Question. State the beginning and concluding years of the 20th century CE.
Answer: The 20th century began on January 1, 1901, and concluded on December 31, 2000.
Explanation: Centuries start with year 1 and wrap up after 100 years, ending on double zeros like 2000!

Question. What kinds of details can we learn from old coins, utensils, garments, and historic buildings found around us?
Answer: These objects reveal what clothes people wore, what metals they could work with, how they cooked, what trading goods they used, and their artistic styles. They serve as archaeological sources of history.
Explanation: Old plates and coins show us what our great-grandparents cooked with and what their everyday life looked like.

Question. Complete the following dating calculations:
(a) Sequence chronologically: 323 CE, 323 BCE, 100 CE, 100 BCE, 1900 BCE, 1090 CE, 2024 CE.
(b) If King Chandragupta was born in 320 CE, which century did he belong to? And how many years after Buddha's birth (approx. 560 BCE) was that?
(c) Rani of Jhansi was born in 1828. Which century did she belong to, and how many years was that before India's Independence (1947)?
(d) Convert '12,000 years ago' into an estimated historical date.
Answer:
(a) Chronological timeline order: 1900 BCE → 323 BCE → 100 BCE → 100 CE → 323 CE → 1090 CE → 2024 CE.
(b) King Chandragupta belonged to the 4th century CE. That was approximately 879 years after the Buddha's birth (560 + 320 - 1).
(c) Rani of Jhansi belonged to the 19th century. Her birth was 119 years before India's Independence in 1947 (1947 - 1828 = 119).
(d) '12,000 years ago' corresponds approximately to 10,000 BCE.
Explanation: To put dates in order, start from the biggest BCE number, move toward 1 BCE, and then count up to the present year.

Question. What is the primary difference between the work of a geologist and a paleontologist?
Answer: Geologists study the Earth's non-living physical materials, rocks, and formations, while paleontologists focus on examining preserved fossilized remains of ancient living plants and animals.
Explanation: Geologists are curious about rocks and earth layers, while paleontologists look specifically for ancient bones, teeth, and leaf imprints.

Question. Why was the label Common Era (CE) adopted to replace AD?
Answer: CE was introduced as a secular and culturally neutral term for the exact same timeframe previously called AD (Anno Domini), making it more inclusive for people of all nations and faiths worldwide.
Explanation: Using CE allows everyone around the world to share the same calendar without focusing on one specific religion.

Question. If a historic event happened in 100 BCE and another happened in 100 CE, how many years elapsed between them? Explain.
Answer: There are 199 years between them. (100 years from 100 BCE to 1 BCE, plus 100 years from 1 CE to 100 CE, minus 1 year because there is no year zero in the calendar: 100 + 100 - 1 = 199).
Explanation: Since the calendar jumps right from 1 BCE to 1 CE without a year 0, we take away one year from the sum.

Question. How does a visual timeline assist in understanding historical events?
Answer: A timeline arranges events in orderly sequential progression, making it easy to see which event happened first, how much time passed between events, and how historical stories connect.
Explanation: A timeline is like a picture number-line of history that shows what happened first, second, and third.

Vocabulary Activity - "Guess the Word"

Question. What is a tiny settlement or a small village called?
Answer: A hamlet.
Explanation: A hamlet is a very tiny village with just a few houses huddled together.

Question. What expression refers to a life that is believed to begin after death?
Answer: Afterlife.
Explanation: Many ancient groups believed that when a person passes away, their spirit continues living in another world.