NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders and Craftspersons

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Towns, Traders and Craftspersons NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science History Chapter 6

Class 7 History Chapter 6 Towns,Traders and Craftspersons InText Questions and Answers

Text Book Page No. 75

Question 1.
What would a traveller visiting a medieval town expect to find ?
Answer:
A traveller visiting a medieval town is expected to find out what type of a town it is  temple town, administrative centre, commercial town or a port town. etc.

Text Book Page No. 76

Question 1.
Why do you think people regarded Thanjavur as a great town ?
Answer:

• Thanjavur was the capital of Chola empire.
• Thanjavur was a temple town, with Rajarajeshvara temple in it.
• It gave employment to a huge number of people, thus, becoming a centre of opportunities.
• Due to all these reasons. Thanjavur was regarded as a great town.

Text Book Page No. 77

Question 1.
What do you think were the advantages of using this (lost wax) technique ?
Answer:
The ‘lost wax’ technique had the following advantages :

• It was a quick way to make statues.
• Wax was a reusable material.
• Statues of any desired shape could be produced quickly through this technique.
• The Bronze statues were not at all hollow from inside. They were solidified and had long life.

Text Book Page No. 78

Question 1.
Make a list of towns in your district and try to classify these as administrative centres or as temple/pilgrim centres.
Answer:
Students, do it yourselves.
[Hint: Ask your teacher or parents to tell you about different types of towns in your district.]

Text Book Page No. 79

Question 1.
Find out more about present-day taxes on markets : who collects these, how are they collected and what are they used for ?
Answer:

1. The present-day taxes on the markets are property tax, service tax, sales tax, etc.
2. Central or State government collect these taxes through revenue departments.
3. They are collected in cash.
4. The money, thus, collected is used for the welfare of the society.

Text Book Page No. 80

Question 1.
What impact do you think this would have had on the lives of people in towns and villages ? Make a list of artisans living in towns.
Answer:
The great circulation of people and goods must have had following impacts on the lives of people living in towns and villages :

1. People in villages and towns must have felt that their lives have changed due to such a great circulation.
2. They would have become busier than ever before.
3. Their incomes must have increased.
4. Their time for the family would have reduced and they would have begun giving more time to the commercial activities, such as circulation of goods and people.
5. The towns must have had following artisans-blacksmith, goldsmith, wood carver, weaver, metal worker, gardener, etc.

Text Book Page No. 83

Question 1.
Why do you think the city was fortified ?
Answer:
Hampi was a trade as well as temple town. And temples, were the centres of wealth and the honour of kings. In order to protect the people fro the attack of the enemy, the town of Hampi was fortified

Text Book Page No. 85

Question 1.
Why did the English and the Dutch decide to establish settlements in Masulipatnam ?
Answer:

• Masulipatnam was the most important port of the Andhra coast.
• It had the convenience of the place where ships can anchor.
• It was a trade town connected to the hinterland.
  Due to all such reasons, the Dutch and the English decided to establish settlements in Masulipatnam.

Text Book Page No. 88

Imagine

Question 1.
You are planning a journey from Surat to west Asia in the seventeenth century. What are the arrangements you will make ?
Answer:
If I would plan a journey from Surat to West Asia in the 17th century, I would make the following arrangements :

1. I would get a confirmed reservation in one of the ships travelling on that route.
2. I would send some money to West Asia through hundi , as it would not be wise to carry money on a ship journey.
3. I would look for if I could do some businesses on my journey.

Class 7 History Chapter 6 Towns, Traders and Craftspersons Exercise Questions and Answers

Let’s Recall

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks :
(a) The Rajarajeshvara temple was built in ______
Answer:
Thanjavur

(b) Ajmer is associated with the Sufi saint ______
Answer:
Khwaja Muinuddin Chisti

(c) Hampi was the capital of the ______ Empire.
Answer:
Vijayanagara

(d) The Dutch established a settlement at ______ in Andhra Pradesh.
Answer:
Masulipatnam

Question 2.
State whether true or false :
(a) We know the name of the architect of the Rajarajeshvara temple from an inscription.
Answer:
True

(b) Merchants preferred to travel individually rather than in caravans.
Answer:
False

(c) Kabul was a major centre for trade iri elephants.
Answer:
False

(d) Surat was an important trading port on the Bay of Bengal.
Answer:
False

Question 3.
How was water supplied to the city of Thanjavur?
Answer:
Water supply for the city of Thanjavur came from wells and tanks.

Question 4.
Who lived in the “Black Towns” in cities such as Madras?
Answer:
The native traders, craftspersons, merchants, and artisans used to live in the “Black Towns” in the cities such as Madras.

Let’s Understand

Question 5.
Why do you think towns grew around temples?
Answer:
The following factors are responsible for the growth of towns around temples :

• A large number of priests, workers, artisans, traders, etc. settled near the temple.
• They catered to the various needs of the people as well as of pilgrims who flocked to the temples. By and by towns grew, which came to be known as temple towns.

Question 6.
How important were crafts¬persons for the building and maintenance of temples?
Answer:
Temples were the places to display the most sophisticated artwork. Therefore, the craftspersons were important for the building and maintenance of temples. They performed the following activities:

• The craftspersons of Bidar were so famous for their inlay work in copper and silver that it came to be called Bidri.
• The Panchalas or Vishwakarma community, consisting of goldsmiths, bronze- smiths, blacksmiths, masons and carpenters, were essential to the building of temples.
• Weavers often donated money to temples.

Question 7.
Why did people from distant lands visit Surat?
Answer:

1. People from distant places visited Surat as it was the Gateway to West Asia.
2. They came here to purchase cotton textiles and textiles with their gold lace border.

Question 8.
In what ways was craft production in cities like Calcutta different from that in cities like Thanjavur?
Answer:

Craft Production in Thanjavur	Craft Production in Calcutta
Craftspersons were free to be as much creative as they could be.	Craftspersons  had to produce what was demanded by the East India company.
Craftspersons used to live near temple. They always get buyers of their products.	The craftspersons were forced to live in the “Black Towns”. The only buyer of their products was the East India company.
There was no system of advances.	There existed a system of advances, which meant that they have to weave cloths which were already promised to European agents.
Weavers had the freedom of selling their own clothes or weaving by their own patterns.	Weavers no longer had the liberty of selling their own clothes or weaving by their own patterns.
They didn’t have to reproduce the same deigns.	They had to reproduce the designs supplied to them by the company agents.

Let’s Discuss

Question 9.
Compare any one of the cities described in this chapter with a town or a village with which you are familiar. Do you notice any similarities or differences?
Answer:
Students, do it yourselves.
[Hint: Take up the present-day city of New Delhi, the capital of India.]
Similarities :

1. It is the seat of government. (Parliament)
2. Justice is done here. (Supreme Court)
3. Many people from distant places visit here.
4. Many traders and powerful nobles live here.
5. It is a commercial complex.
6. It is a cultural development centre.
7. It provides employment opportunities, etc.

The difference – (with Thanjavur, the capital of Cholas)

1. Its size is much larger.
2. It has an elaborate transportation system.
3. It is expanding day by day.
4. It also experiences unlawful activities.
5. Migrants fill up the present-day Delhi, etc.

Question 10.
What were the problems encountered by merchants? Do you think some of these problems persist today?
Answer:
Problems encountered by merchants

1. Merchants had to pass many kingdoms and forests.
2. Travelled in caravans.
3. They had to carry goods on the back of camels, donkeys, and horses.
4. Their goods were looted frequently.
5. Competition with European traders.
6. Harsh climate and routes killed several merchants on the way or in the middle of their journey.
7. Most of these problems are not there today. The mode of transport has improved along with security.

Let’s Do

Question 11.
Find out more about the architecture of either Thanjavur or Hampi, and prepare a scrapbook illustrating temples and other buildings from these cities.
Answer:
Students, do it yourselves.
[Hint: Students can search from the internet.]

Question 12.
Find out about any present-day pilgrimage center. Why do you think people go there? What do they do there? Are there any shops in the area? If so, what is bought and sold there?
Answer:
Students, do it yourselves.
[Hint: Think of Vaishno Devi temple or Hazratbal Mosque in Kashmir. People go there on pilgrimage. There are shops of local merchants and traders in these pilgrimage centres. Apart from selling prasad the shops deal with shawls and other local products.]