TRIBES, NOMADS AND SETTLED COMMUNITIES

Easy (15)

1. Which of the following terms is used to describe societies that did not follow the social rules and rituals prescribed by the Brahmanas?
   • Varna societies
   • Tribes (correct)
   • Jatis
   • Sabhas

   Why: Societies not following Brahmana rules and rituals were often called tribes.

2. Members of each tribe were united by which type of bonds?
   • Economic bonds
   • Political bonds
   • Kinship bonds (correct)
   • Religious bonds

   Why: Tribal members were united by kinship bonds.

3. Which tribe was very influential in Punjab during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries?
   • Gakkhars
   • Khokhar (correct)
   • Langahs
   • Balochis

   Why: The Khokhar tribe was influential in Punjab during the 13th and 14th centuries.

4. What was the caravan of the Banjaras called?
   • Khel
   • Garh
   • Tanda (correct)
   • Chaurasi

   Why: The caravan of the Banjaras was known as a tanda.

5. Which Mughal emperor used the Banjaras to transport grain to city markets?
   • Akbar
   • Jahangir
   • Aurangzeb
   • Alauddin Khalji (correct)

   Why: Sultan Alauddin Khalji used the Banjaras for grain transport.

6. What was the primary occupation of the Gonds mentioned in the chapter?
   • Fishing
   • Shifting cultivation (correct)
   • Craftsmanship
   • Trade

   Why: The Gonds primarily practiced shifting cultivation.

7. What were the forced labourers in the Ahom state called?
   • Khels
   • Paiks (correct)
   • Bhurans
   • Rathakaras

   Why: Forced labourers in the Ahom state were known as paiks.

8. What were the historical chronicles written by the Ahoms called?
   • Akbar Nama
   • Buranjis (correct)
   • Memoirs
   • Sabhas

   Why: Ahom historical chronicles were known as buranjis.

9. True or False: Tribal people generally kept detailed written records of their history.

   Why: Tribal people typically preserved history through oral traditions, not written records.

10. True or False: The Gonds practiced shifting cultivation.

    Why: The Gonds were known to practice shifting cultivation.

11. True or False: The Ahom state depended upon forced labour.

    Why: The Ahom state indeed relied on forced labour, provided by paiks.

12. The Bhils were a large tribe spread across western and central India. By the late sixteenth century, many of them had become settled _______________.

    Why: Many Bhils transitioned to settled agriculture by the late sixteenth century.

13. The Gond kingdom of Garha Katanga was mentioned in the _______________, a history of Akbar’s reign.

    Why: The Akbar Nama documented the Gond kingdom of Garha Katanga.

14. Identify the region where the Gaddis, a shepherd tribe, lived.
    • North-eastern part of the subcontinent
    • Western Himalaya (correct)
    • Multan and Sind
    • Bihar and Jharkhand

    Why: The Gaddis, a shepherd tribe, resided in the Western Himalayas.

15. Which of the following tribes is primarily associated with the present-day states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh?
    • Kolis
    • Bhils
    • Gonds (correct)
    • Nagas

    Why: The Gonds were found in large numbers across these central Indian states.

Medium (15)

1. How did tribal societies generally obtain their livelihood?
   • Exclusively through trade with settled communities
   • Primarily from agriculture, hunter-gathering, or herding, often combined (correct)
   • Only by collecting taxes from neighbouring kingdoms
   • Mainly through manufacturing goods in urban centres

   Why: Tribes combined agriculture, hunting, and herding to sustain themselves.

2. What significant social change occurred with the growth of the economy and societal needs?
   • The varna system was completely abolished.
   • Smaller castes, or jatis, emerged within varnas. (correct)
   • All tribes were immediately integrated into the highest varna.
   • The distinction between high and low social classes disappeared.

   Why: New jatis formed within varnas as society evolved.

3. Why did the Gond chiefs, like Aman Das, wish to be recognised as Rajputs?
   • To escape Mughal attacks
   • To gain greater social and political legitimacy (correct)
   • To adopt a new religion
   • To avoid paying taxes to the Delhi Sultans

   Why: Gond chiefs sought Rajput status for increased legitimacy and influence.

4. What was a significant administrative change in the Ahom state by the first half of the seventeenth century?
   • It became completely decentralized.
   • It became quite centralised. (correct)
   • It adopted the varna system.
   • It abolished the use of paiks.

   Why: The Ahom administration became centralized by the 17th century.

5. Match the following tribes with their regions:

   Why: Each tribe is matched with its historically associated region as per the chapter.

6. Match the following terms with their descriptions:

   Why: Terms are matched with their definitions as provided in the chapter.

7. Match the following rulers/figures with their associated kingdoms/tribes:

   Why: Each figure is correctly linked to their respective tribe or kingdom.

8. Match the following tribal groups with their primary livelihood or characteristic:

   Why: Each group is matched with their main economic activity or defining feature.

9. What is the term for a group of 84 villages in the Gond administrative system?

   Why: A 'chaurasi' was a unit of 84 villages in Gond kingdoms.

10. What was the name of the Gond kingdom mentioned in the Akbar Nama that had 70,000 villages?

    Why: Garha Katanga was the large Gond kingdom mentioned in the Akbar Nama.

11. What was the name of Rani Durgawati's five-year-old son, on whose behalf she ruled Garha Katanga?

    Why: Rani Durgawati ruled for her son, Bir Narain.

12. Arrange the following administrative units of the Gond kingdom from largest to smallest: chaurasi, garh, barhot.

    Why: The correct order is garh (largest), then chaurasi, then barhot (smallest).

13. Arrange the following events in the history of the Ahoms in chronological order:

    Why: The events are ordered from migration to the Brahmaputra valley, then annexations, Mughal attack, and finally the rise of Hinduism.

14. Identify the region in the map where the Chero chiefdoms emerged by the twelfth century.
    • Western Himalaya
    • Present-day Bihar and Jharkhand (correct)
    • Maharashtra highlands
    • North-eastern part of the subcontinent

    Why: Chero chiefdoms were located in present-day Bihar and Jharkhand.

15. Which region on the map was dominated by tribes like the Nagas and Ahoms?
    • Western India
    • Southern India
    • Distant north-eastern part of the subcontinent (correct)
    • North-western frontier

    Why: Nagas and Ahoms were prominent tribes in the distant north-eastern region.

Hard (10)

1. Assertion (A): Tribal people did not keep written records. Reason (R): They preserved rich customs and oral traditions which were passed down to each new generation.

   Why: Tribal societies relied on oral traditions for history, hence no written records.

2. Assertion (A): The emergence of large states changed the nature of Gond society. Reason (R): Their basically equal society gradually got divided into unequal social classes.

   Why: State formation led to social stratification in Gond society.

3. Assertion (A): The Ahom kings did not completely give up their traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism. Reason (R): Ahom society was very sophisticated, encouraging poets and scholars.

   Why: Ahom kings retained traditional beliefs, but this is not explained by their sophisticated society.

4. Read the following passage about the Banjaras and answer the question: Peter Mundy, an English trader who came to India during the early seventeenth century, has described the Banjaras: In the morning we met a tanda of Banjaras with 14,000 oxen. They were all laden with grains such as wheat and rice ... These Banjaras carry their household – wives and children – along with them. One tanda consists of many families. Their way of life is similar to that of carriers who continuously travel from place to place. They own their oxen. They are sometimes hired by merchants, but most commonly they are themselves merchants. They buy grain where it is cheaply available and carry it to places where it is dearer. From there, they again reload their oxen with anything that can be profitably sold in other places ... They travel with their wives and children, one tanda consisting of many families. We seldom see any of them without their wives and children in their company. They have their own peculiar manner of life, differing from all other people. They are not permitted to travel more than 6 or 7 miles a day – that, too, in the cool weather. After unloading their oxen, they turn them free to graze as there is enough land here, and no one there to forbid them. Based on Peter Mundy's description, which of the following statements about the Banjaras is NOT true?
   • They often acted as merchants themselves, buying and selling goods.
   • They travelled with their entire families, including wives and children.
   • They could travel long distances daily, even in hot weather. (correct)
   • Their oxen were allowed to graze freely after unloading.

   Why: Banjaras travelled limited distances daily, especially in cool weather, not long distances in hot weather.

5. Read the following passage about the Gonds and answer the question: The Gonds lived in a vast forested region called Gondwana – or “country inhabited by Gonds”. They practised shifting cultivation. The large Gond tribe was further divided into many smaller clans. Each clan had its own raja or rai. About the time that the power of the Delhi Sultans was declining, a few large Gond kingdoms were beginning to dominate the smaller Gond chiefs. The Akbar Nama, a history of Akbar’s reign, mentions the Gond kingdom of Garha Katanga that had 70,000 villages. The administrative system of these kingdoms was becoming centralised. The kingdom was divided into garhs. Each garh was controlled by a particular Gond clan. This was further divided into units of 84 villages called chaurasi. The chaurasi was subdivided into barhots which were made up of 12 villages each. The emergence of large states changed the nature of Gond society. Their basically equal society gradually got divided into unequal social classes. Brahmanas received land grants from the Gond rajas and became more influential. The Gond chiefs now wished to be recognised as Rajputs. So, Aman Das, the Gond raja of Garha Katanga, assumed the title of Sangram Shah. His son, Dalpat, married princess Durgawati, the daughter of Salbahan, the Chandel Rajput raja of Mahoba. Based on the passage, what was a key consequence of the emergence of large Gond kingdoms?
   • Gond society became more egalitarian and less hierarchical.
   • The administrative system became decentralized, with more power to local clans.
   • The Gond chiefs completely abandoned their traditional tribal identity.
   • Gond society transformed from an equal society into one with unequal social classes. (correct)

   Why: Large Gond states led to social stratification, moving from equality to unequal classes.

6. Read the following passage about the Ahoms and answer the question: The Ahoms migrated to the Brahmaputra valley from present-day Myanmar in the thirteenth century. They created a new state by suppressing the older political system of the bhuyans (landlords). During the sixteenth century, they annexed the kingdoms of the Chhutiyas (1523) and of Koch-Hajo (1581) and subjugated many other tribes. The Ahoms built a large state, and for this they used firearms early. By 1660s they could even make high quality gunpowder and cannons. However, the Ahoms faced many invasions from the south-west. In 1662, the Mughals under Mir Jumla attacked the Ahom kingdom. Despite their brave defence, the Ahoms were defeated. But direct Mughal control over the region could not last long. The Ahom state depended upon forced labour. Those forced to work for the state were called paiks. A census of the population was taken. Each village had to send a number of paiks by rotation. People from heavily populated areas were shifted to less populated places. Ahom clans were thus broken up. By the first half of the seventeenth century the administration became quite centralised. Almost all adult males served in the army during war. At other times, they were engaged in building dams, irrigation systems and other public works. The Ahoms also introduced new methods of rice cultivation. What was a significant impact of the Ahom state's reliance on 'paiks'?
   • It led to the complete abolition of the clan system in Ahom society.
   • It ensured that all adult males were exclusively engaged in agriculture.
   • It resulted in the breaking up of Ahom clans due to population shifts. (correct)
   • It made the Ahom state entirely dependent on external labour sources.

   Why: The system of paiks, involving population shifts, led to the breaking up of Ahom clans.

7. Observe the image of the Bhils hunting deer. Which of the following statements can be inferred about their lifestyle?
   • They primarily relied on settled agriculture.
   • Hunting was a significant part of their livelihood. (correct)
   • They were exclusively nomadic pastoralists.
   • They had no interaction with forest resources.

   Why: The image directly depicts hunting, indicating it was a key livelihood for the Bhils.

8. The image shows a Santal painted scroll depicting a tribal dance. What does this suggest about tribal societies?
   • They lacked any form of artistic expression.
   • They had rich cultural traditions, including art and dance. (correct)
   • Their culture was entirely borrowed from settled communities.
   • They only engaged in activities related to survival, not culture.

   Why: The image of a painted scroll and dance indicates rich cultural traditions within tribal societies.

9. Which of the following statements accurately describe the interaction between caste-based and tribal societies?
   • Tribal societies always remained completely isolated from caste-based societies.
   • Both societies depended on each other for diverse needs, causing mutual change. (correct)
   • Many tribes eventually merged with caste-based society, often joining lower jatis. (correct)
   • Tribal societies universally rejected the caste system and orthodox Hinduism.

   Why: Interaction led to mutual dependence and change, with many tribes integrating into caste society.

10. Which of the following statements correctly describe the Ahom administration and society?
    • The administration became quite centralised by the 17th century. (correct)
    • Almost all adult males served in the army during war. (correct)
    • The Ahom kings completely abandoned traditional beliefs after adopting Hinduism.
    • Artisans were abundant within Ahom clans, making external reliance unnecessary.

    Why: Ahom administration was centralized, and adult males served in the army; they did not fully abandon traditional beliefs, and artisans were scarce.