Social Science Notes Class 6 English Medium 2026-27

Social Science Chapter 4. Timeline and Sources of History

CBSE Notes New Syllabus: Class 6

Assignments - What Have You Learned?

Chapter 4. Timeline and Sources of History

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Who studies the physical features of the Earth?

   1. Anthropologist
   2. Geologist
   3. Archaeologist
   4. Historian

2. What do palaeontologists mainly study?

   1. Modern languages
   2. Fossils
   3. Newspapers
   4. Coins only

3. Which calendar is commonly used around the world today?

   1. Gregorian Calendar
   2. Roman Calendar
   3. Egyptian Calendar
   4. Julian Calendar

4. What does CE stand for?

   1. Central Era
   2. Common Era
   3. Current Era
   4. Christian Era

5. What does BCE stand for?

   1. Before Common Era
   2. Before Current Era
   3. Beginning Common Era
   4. Before Calendar Era

6. How many years are there in one century?

   1. 10
   2. 50
   3. 100
   4. 1,000

7. How many years are there in one millennium?

   1. 100
   2. 500
   3. 1,000
   4. 10,000

8. Which of the following is an archaeological source?

   1. Poem
   2. Tool
   3. Story
   4. Newspaper

9. Which of the following is a literary source?

   1. Pottery
   2. Coin
   3. Manuscript
   4. Weapon

10. Who studies ancient inscriptions?

    1. Epigraphist
    2. Geologist
    3. Palaeontologist
    4. Biologist

11. Modern humans are known as:

    1. Homo erectus
    2. Homo sapiens
    3. Australopithecus
    4. Neanderthals

12. Early humans were mainly:

    1. Farmers and traders
    2. Hunters and gatherers
    3. Builders and merchants
    4. Soldiers and rulers

13. Where did many early agricultural communities settle?

    1. Deserts
    2. Mountain tops
    3. Near rivers
    4. Deep oceans

14. Which technology developed before the use of iron?

    1. Plastic
    2. Copper
    3. Steel
    4. Aluminium

15. Which of the following helped prepare the way for the emergence of civilisation?

    1. Growth of settlements and technology
    2. Disappearance of agriculture
    3. Decline of villages
    4. End of communication

Answer Key – MCQs

Very Short Answer Questions

1. What is History?
2. What are fossils?
3. Who are archaeologists?
4. What is a timeline?
5. What is a decade?
6. What is a century?
7. What is a millennium?
8. What is the full form of CE?
9. What is the full form of BCE?
10. What is a pañchānga?

Short Answer Questions

1. How do geologists and palaeontologists help us understand the past?
2. What is the importance of a timeline in studying history?
3. Explain the difference between CE and BCE.
4. Why is there a difficulty in calculating years between BCE and CE?
5. Why do historians use different sources to reconstruct the past?
6. What are archaeological sources? Give any four examples.
7. What are literary sources? Give any four examples.
8. How do inscriptions help historians?
9. What was the lifestyle of early hunter-gatherers?
10. Why did early agricultural communities often settle near rivers?

Long Answer Questions

1. Explain the major types of sources used by historians to reconstruct the past.
2. Describe the life of early humans and explain how they obtained food and shelter.
3. Explain the important changes that took place after the end of the Ice Age.
4. Describe how small settlements gradually developed into villages and towns.
5. Explain how agriculture, animal domestication, technology and social organisation contributed to the development of early human societies.

Think and Answer

1. Why can historians not depend on only one source while studying the past?
2. Why are archaeological sources important even when written records are not available?
3. How would life have been different for humans after they began practising agriculture?
4. Why were rivers important for the growth of early settlements?
5. How did the development of technology change human life?

Source-Based Questions

Read the situation and answer the questions:

An archaeologist excavates an ancient settlement and discovers pottery, stone tools, animal bones, beads and remains of houses. Nearby, an inscription is also found. A historian compares these findings with an ancient written text to understand the life of the people who lived there.

1. Which objects mentioned above are archaeological sources?
2. Which source is an inscription?
3. Which source belongs to the literary category?
4. Why should the historian compare different sources?

Activity-Based Questions

1. Draw a simple timeline showing 1 BCE, 1 CE, 100 CE, 500 CE and 1000 CE.
2. Make a table showing the difference between a decade, century and millennium.
3. Classify the following as archaeological, literary, artistic, oral or inscriptional sources: pottery, manuscript, sculpture, folk story and stone inscription.
4. Prepare a flow chart showing: Hunters and Gatherers → Agriculture → Settled Life → Villages → Towns → Civilisation.

Fill in the Blanks

1. A period of 100 years is called a __________.
2. A period of 1,000 years is called a __________.
3. CE stands for __________.
4. BCE stands for __________.
5. There is no __________ between 1 BCE and 1 CE.
6. Modern humans are known as __________.
7. Early humans were mainly __________ and gatherers.
8. The study of ancient inscriptions is called __________.
9. Many early agricultural communities settled near __________.
10. __________ was used before iron in the development of metal technology.

True or False

1. A decade contains 100 years.
2. A century contains 100 years.
3. A millennium contains 1,000 years.
4. There is a year zero between 1 BCE and 1 CE.
5. Archaeologists study material remains of the past.
6. Early humans were mainly hunters and gatherers.
7. Early agricultural communities often settled near rivers.
8. Homo sapiens are modern humans.
9. Pottery and metal technology developed as human communities became more settled.
10. Historical sources are useful for reconstructing the past.