NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 5 Rulers and Buildings

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Rulers and Buildings NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 5

Class 7 History Chapter 5 Rulers and Buildings InText Questions and Answers

Text Book Page No. 60

Question 1.
What would have been the impact of a building like the Qutb Minar on observers in the thirteenth century?
Answer:
A building like Qutb Minar would have had a huge impact such as that of Taj Mahal today, on the observers in the thirteenth century.

Text Book Page No. 62

Question 1.
What differences do you notice between the shikharas of the two temples?
Answer:
The difference in height can be noticed between the shikharas of the two temples.

Question 2.
Can you make out that the shikhara of the Rajarajeshvara temple is twice as high as that of the Kandariya Mahadeva?
Answer:
Yes, one can easily make out that the shikhara of the Rajarajeshvara temple is twice as high as that of the Kandariya Mahadeva.

Text Book Page No. 63

Question 1.
Compare Figures 2(a) and 2(6) with 5(a) and 5(b).
Answer:

• The figures in 2(a) and 2(6) show an arch which is pointed from the middle.
• This is the “trabeate” or “corbelled” style of architecture.
• Figures 5(a) and 5(b) show arches which are rounded from the middle. They have a keystone in the middle.
• This is an “arcuate” style of architecture.

Question 2.
Describe what the labourers are doing, the tools shown, and the means of carrying stones.
Answer:

• The labourers are placing cemented plaster to construct the floor of the fort.
• Some labourers are carrying stone by rolling it by big iron roads or by carrying it on shoulders.
• Some labourers are shown to be assisting the masons.
• Horses are also employed to carry stones and other construction materials. Textbook Page No. 65

Question 1.
Can you find it on Map 1 in Chapter 3?
Answer:
Yes, hauz-i Sultani or the Delhi-i Kuhna can be easily located on Map 1 in Chapter 3.

Text Book Page No. 66

Question 1.
In what ways do you think the policies of Rajendra I and Mahmud of Ghazni were a product of their times? How were the actions of the two rulers different?
Answer:
(1) When the two contemporaries Rajendra I and Mahmud of Ghazni live looting the temples of other states and kings was considered as a normal activity.

(2) Temples were the centres of honour for any state or king. And by destroying the temple, the king and his statesmen were humiliated. Temples were looted as they had untold wealth.

(3) The only difference in the actions of Rajendra I and Mahmud of Ghazni was that latter destroyed Hindu temples reoccurring in order to become a hero of Islam, i.e., he had communal intentions behind destroying temples. Whereas Rajendra I destroyed temples and reestablished their duties at the temples that he constructed in his state. Thus, he didn’t have communal intentions behind his actions.

(4) Also, Mahmud of Ghazni used the looted wealth of temples in constructing a capital city for himself.

Text Book Page No. 72

Question 1.
Look at the illustration and try and identify the bell towers.
Answer:
The bell towers are those constructed upto third floor and stand tallest in the building.

Text Book Page No. 73

Imagine

Question 1.
You are an artisan standing on a tiny wooden platform held together by bamboo and rope fifty metres above the ground. You have to place an inscription under the first balcony of the Qutb Minar. How would you do this?
Answer:
I would stand up on the tiny wooden platform held together by bamboo and rope, hanging fifty metres above the ground. And then I would do the work of inscribing by the tools such as hammer and chisale.

Class 7 History Chapter 5 Rulers and Buildings Exercise Questions and Answers

Let’s Recall

Question 1.
How is the “trabeate” principle of architecture different from the “arcuate”?
Answer:

Trabeate	Arcuate
Roofs, doors and windows were made by placing horizontal beam across two vertical columns.	The weight of the superstructure was carried by arch. A keystone  was placed  at the centre. It transferred the weight of the superstructure to the base of the arch.
It is also called corbelled technique.	The keystone was called “true” arch.
Example is the Q u w w a t –a l – I s l a m mosque at Delhi.	Example is Alai Darwaza at delhi.
The arch was pointed from the middle.	The arch was rounded from the middle.

Question 2.
What is a shikhara?
Answer:
The topmost pointed portion of a temple is called a Shikhara.

Question 3.
What is pietra-dura?
Answer:
Pietra-dura was an architectural technique mostly used in the buildings of Shah Jahan. In this technique coloured hard stones were placed in depressions carved into marbles or sandstones creating beautiful ornate patterns.

Question 4.
What are the elements of a Mughal Chahar bagh garden?
Answer:
The elements of a Mughal Chahar bagh (garden) are mentioned below:

1. Placed within rectangular walled enclosures.
2. Divided into four quarters (portions) by artificial channels.
3. Symmetry in the four divisions.

Let’s Understand

Question 5.
How did a temple communicate the importance of a king?
Answer:

• Temples were constructed to demonstrate the power, wealth and devotion of the parton king.
• Often the names of king and the main deity were similar. For example, Rajarajeshvara temple built by king Rajarajadeva. For the worship of hisgod, Rajarageshvaram.
• The other subordinate deities in a temple symbolised the actual subordinates of a king.
• The temple was a miniature model of the world’ruled by the king and his allies.
• As they worshipped their deities together in the royal temples, it seemed as if they brought the just rule of the Gods on earth.

Question 6.
An inscription in Shah Jahan’s diwan-i khas in Delhi stated: “If there is Paradise on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.” How was this image created?
Answer:
Shah Jahan’s diwan-i khas was designed in such a way that it fused together in a grand harmonious synthesis. It was carefully planned. It was placed within a large courtyard. Behind the emperor’s throne, there were a series of pietra-dura inlays. It depicted the legendary god Orpheus playing the lute. The diwan-e khas was aimed to communicate that the king’s justice would treat the high and the low as equals, creating a world where all could live together in harmony. The diwon-i khas reflected the image of a paradise in itself.

Question 7.
How did the Mughal court suggest that everyone-the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak – received justice equally from the emperor?
Answer:

1. Behind the emperor’s throne was a series of pietra dura inlays that depicted the legendary Greek God Orpheus playing the lute.
2. It was believed that Orpheus’s music could calm ferocious beasts until they coexisted together peaceably.
3. This image communicated that the king’s justice would treat high and the low as equal which create a world where all could live together in harmony.

Question 8.
What role did the Yamuna play in the layout of the new Mughal city at Shahj ahanabad?
Answer:

• The Yamuna played a significant role in the layout of the new Mughal city at Shahjahanabad.
• The imperial palace commanded the river-front in the new city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi.
• Only specially favoured nobles, such as Dara Shukoh (son of Shah Jahan), were given access to the river.
• All the others had to construct their homes in the city away from the river Yamuna.
• The city of Shahjahanabad was established on the one side of river Yamuna whereas in Agra, the constructions were done on both sides of the river Yamuna.

Let’s Discuss

Question 9.
The rich and powerful construct large houses today. In what ways were the constructions of kings and their courtiers different in the past?
Answer:
The rich and powerful construct large houses today. But these houses are not the same as those of the kings and their courtiers in the past. The houses of the kings and their courtiers were big structures with big courtyard, thick walls, domed-roofs, huge pillars, big gardens and well-decorated halls. But today houses have no courtyards gardens nor thick walls nor domed-roofs. In many ways, these are inferior to those of the kings and their courtier’s houses.

Question 10.
Look at Figure 4. How could that building be constructed faster today?
Answer:
By the use of cranes and heavy-duty machines, the same building as in figure 4 can be constructed faster; today.

Let’s Do

Question 11.
Find out whether there is a statue of or a memorial to a great person in your village or town. Why was it placed there? What purpose does it serve?
Answer:
Students, do themselves.
[Hint: The person depicted in the statue must have done a great deed. The main purpose of the statue is to inspire others for doing great deeds as was done by the man in the image.]

Question 12.
Visit and describe any park or garden in your neighbourhood. In what ways is it similar to or different from the gardens of the Mughals?
Answer:
Students, do themselves.
[Hint: See whether the four symmetrical divisions are there or not. If yes, then the garden is somewhat similar to the gardens of the Mughals. Otherwise, it is different. Also, study the fountain system or water system, tanks in the garden that you visit.]