Students can download Class 8 History Chapter 2 Geographical Features & Pre-Historic India Important Questions, KSEEB Class 8 Social Science Important Questions and Answers helps you to revise the complete Karnataka State Board Syllabus and to clear all their doubts, score well in final exams.
Karnataka State Syllabus Class 8 Social Science History Important Questions Chapter 2 Geographical Features & Pre-Historic India
Question 1.
Explain the relationship between human history and geographical environment.
Answer:
The geographical environment has influenced every country and race in the world. There is an intimate relationship between human life and environment. Therefore, it is essential to learn about the geographical environment in order to know about human history.
Question 2.
Why is India called a sub-continent?
Answer:
India occupies a vast area in the southern part of Asian continent. Geographically, it is separated from the rest of Asia by the Great Himalayas. It has a wide variety of physical features, flora and fauna. Therefore, it is called a sub-continent.
Question 3.
Why is India called a peninsula?
Answer:
India is called a peninsula because it is surrounded by water on three sides and land on the other.
Question 4.
Name the countries with which India shares its boundaries.
Answer:
India shares its boundaries with Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Question 5.
How many states and union territories are there in India?
Answer:
India has 29 States and 6 Union Territories and one National Capital Region (Delhi).
Question 6.
How are the Himalayan mountains helpful to India?
Answer:
The Himalayan mountains help to preserve the safety and security of India.
Question 7.
Which are the valleys through which the attacks on India have taken place?
Answer:
Most of the attacks on India have taken place from the north-western side through the valleys of Bolan and Khyber Passes.
Question 8.
Describe the significance of Indo-Gangetic plains in the history of India.
Answer:
The flat Indo-Gangetic plains are an extremely fertile area. The ancient civilizations of Indus valley and Vedic period flourished here. Many battles have been fought from time to time to establish control over this area. Usually, the dynasties that established control over this fertile Gangetic plain also established empires in the area.
Question 9.
Which river separates India into two?
Answer:
The river Narmada separates India into two
- Malwa Plateau or Central Highlands and
- Deccan Plateau in the south.
Question 10.
What are the special features of the Indian coastal region? How did it influence the history of India?
Answer:
India has a vast coastline stretching over 6,100 kms. The eastern coastline is called the Coromandel coast and the western coastline is referred to as Konkan and Malabar coasts. The numerous ports on this coastline have attracted foreigners like the Romans, the Greeks and the Arabs since time immemorial.
Most of the foreign trade in the ancient times was carried through these ports. As a result, port towns flourished resulting in the rise of powerful kingdoms in the south like Pandyas, Cheras and Cholas.
Question 11.
Describe briefly the geographical features of India.
Answer:
India is a sub-continent occupying a large area in the southern part of the Asian continent. It is a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides and land on the other. India’s geographical features comprise the Himalayan mountain range and the Indo-Gangetic plain in the north, the Deccan Plateau and the coastal region in the south.
The snow-capped mountains in the north include some of the tallest mountain peaks in the world. The Narmada river separates India into two – Malwa plateau or Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau in the south. India has a vast coastline stretching over 6,100 kms. The eastern coastline is called the Coromandel coast and the western coastline is referred to as Konkan and Malabar coasts.
Question 12.
How did the geographical factors contribute to unity in diversity in India?
Answer:
The diversity in the Indian geographical environment has influenced the life of the people in different ways creating diversity in their culture, food, language, etc. In spite of these diversities there exists a cultural and emotional bond of unity, which binds all these diversities. That way both diversity and unity have been caused by geographical factors.
Question 13.
What is meant by prehistoric period?
Answer:
The period before the discovery of the art of writing is called the prehistoric period.
Question 14.
How do historians construct the history of the prehistoric period?
Answer:
Since there are no written records for the study of the prehistoric period, historians study the tools, weapons, etc., used by those people, to construct the history of that period.
Question 15.
How was the life of the people during the prehistoric period?
Answer:
During the prehistoric period man was a nomad and indulged in hunting and food-gathering. Probably they used weapons made of stone, wood and bones. They might have used these tools to peel the skin and separate the flesh and bones of animals, to scrape the bark of trees and to cut fruits and roots. These people lived in caves and seem to have known the use of fire. They also might have used stone axes to cut trees.
Question 16.
In which places have the relics of hunting and food-gathering man been found in India?
Answer:
In India, the relics of hunting and food-gathering man are found in places like Bimbetka, Hunasagi and Kurnool. There are many other sites too where such relics have been found. Most of these sites are discovered along the banks of rivers and lakes.
Question 17.
What is meant by ‘industrial sites’ of the prehistoric period?
Answer:
For the people of the prehistoric age stone implements were essential for their survival. Therefore, they chose areas abundant with stones, which could fulfil their needs. The areas where people used stones to create various implements have been termed ‘industrial sites’.
Question 18.
How do we get to know about the existence of ‘industrial sites’?
Answer:
Usually, we get to see stone implements around rocky areas. People might have rejected some stones as unsuitable for their implements. Heaps of broken rocks or stone-chips obtained during the creation of implements abound in such areas. It is possible that people lived for a long period in these places. We thus come to know about the existence of such residential and industrial sites.
Question 19.
What do signs of ashes found in the caves of Kurnool indicate?
Answer:
The signs of ashes found in the caves of Kurnool indicate that people here were aware of the use of fire. Probably fire was used for various purposes such as to cook food, for light, for keeping warm and to frighten wild animals.
Question 20.
What were the uses of fire for the prehistoric people?
Answer:
The prehistoric people probably used fire for cooking food, for light, for keeping themselves warm and to frighten wild animals.
Question 21.
How do you say that the people of the Stone Age had good artistic skills?
Answer:
We get to see drawings in the caves in which people lived in the Stone Age. Such cave drawings are found in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. There are beautiful drawings of wild animals and of hunting; therefore, it is assumed that the Stone Age people had good artistic skills.
Question 22.
How did animal husbandry and dairy farming begin?
Answer:
It is believed that 12000 years ago a major change took place in the earth’s environment. Earth’s temperature began to increase gradually. This led to the development of grasslands because of the melting of ice caps. Birds and animals began to multiply in unprecedented numbers. Man not only took to hunting of these animals but also began domestication of these animals and this way animal husbandry and dairy farming began.
Question 23.
How did the early man learn the art of growing food grains?
Answer:
About 12000 years ago, due to changes in the environment, human beings noticed that some grain-bearing grass grew naturally. Human beings learned to use these grains as food. Gradually, they learnt to grow these plants and obtained the grains needed by them. This way he learnt the art of growing food grains.
Question 24.
Which are the different phases of the prehistoric age?
OR
The different periods of prehistory have been given various names by archaeologists. What are they?
Answer:
The age that prevailed 2 million years ago is the oldest age and is called the old stone age and it stretched over a period up to 12000 years ago. This long duration has been classified into three stages – namely the Early, Middle and Late Old Stone Ages. The period from 12000 years to around 10000 years is called the Middle Stone Age. The period after 10,000 years up to the age of metals is called New Stone Age.
Question 25.
What were the characteristic features of the tools of the Middle Stone Age?
Answer:
The Middle Stone Age, which lasted from about 12000 to 10000 years ago, had distinct stone tools. The implements of this period are generally small and delicate. These are also called microliths. Man used to fashion handles from wood and bone for tools and weapons made of delicate stones. These were used as axes and saws. Along with these tools, weapons of the old kind too continued to Be used.
Question 26.
Describe the special features of the implements of the New Stone Age.
OR
Write a short note on the New Stone Age.
Answer:
The period after 10000 years up to the age of metals is called the New Stone Age. The stone tools and weapons of this Age were bright and had sharp blades. People of this age used grinding stones to grind leaves, herbs, cereals and grains. Some pots and pans of this period too have been found. Pots were used for storing grains and for cooking food. People of this age had learned to weave cloth.
Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1.
India is surrounded by water on three sides and land on the other; therefore, it is a
(A) continent
(B) sub-continent
(C) peninsula
(D) island
Answer:
(C) peninsula
Question 2.
With which of the following countries does India not have a land boundary?
(A) Myanmar
(B) Bhutan
(C) Nepal
(D) Srilanka
Answer:
(D) Srilanka
Question 3.
Most of the attacks over India during the ancient times took place through the _________ Passes of the northwest.
(A) Bolan and Khyber
(B) Shipki-La and Zilep-La
(C) Kangra and Kulu
(D) Shipki-La and Kulu
Answer:
(A) Bolan and Khyber
Question 4.
Generally, the dynasties which were able to establish control over the fertile Gangetic plain also established
(A) peninsulas
(B) empires
(C) foreign trade
(D) unity in diversity
Answer:
(B) empires
Question 5.
The river that separates India into Malwa Plateau and Deccan Plateau is
(A) Tungabhadra
(B) Godavari
(C) Narmada
(D) Ganga
Answer:
(C) Narmada
Question 6.
The Konkan and Malabar coasts are on the _________ coast.
(A) South
(B) West
(C) East
(D) North
Answer:
(B) West
Question 7.
The growth and prosperity of port towns helped in the emergence of _________ kingdoms.
(A) Pallava, Chalukya and Kadamba
(B) Maurya, Gupta and Satavahana
(C) Satavahana, Chalukya and Chera
(D) Chera, Chola and Pandya
Answer:
(D) Chera, Chola and Pandya
Question 8.
In ancient times the ports on the western coast attracted merchants from
(A) Rome
(B) Persia
(C) China
(D) Burma
Answer:
(A) Rome
Question 9.
The period earlier to the development of the art of writing is known as
(A) Stone Age
(B) Modern Age
(C) Prehistoric Age
(D) Medieval Age
Answer:
(C) Prehistoric Age
Question 10.
The sources used for the study of prehistoric period are
(A) literary sources
(B) archaeological remains
(C) monuments
(D) coins
Answer:
(B) archaeological remains
Question 11.
In India, the cave drawings of the prehistoric period are found at ___________ in Madhya Pradesh.
(A) Hunasagi
(B) Bhimbetka
(C) Kurnool
(D) Raichur
Answer:
(B) Bhimbetka
Question 12.
Signs of ashes obtained in the caves of Kurnool reveal the knowledge of
(A) drawing
(B) fire
(C) agriculture
(D) iron
Answer:
(B) fire
Question 13.
The places where the stone age people prepared their stone implements are called ___________ sites.
(A) industrial
(B) agricultural
(C) hunting
(D) mining
Answer:
(A) industrial
Question 14.
The period between 2 million years to 12000 years ago is called
(A) New Stone Age
(B) Middle Stone Age
(C) Microlith Age
(D) Old Stone Age
Answer:
(D) Old Stone Age
Question 15.
Bright and sharp stone tools were used in the
(A) Old Stone Age
(B) Middle Stone Age
(C) New Stone Age
(D) Megalith Age
Answer:
(C) New Stone Age
Fill In The Blanks
- India is a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides and land on the other.
- The northern Himalayan mountain range has some of the tallest mountain peaks in the world.
- The flat indo-Gangetic plains are an extremely fertile area of India.
- India’s coastline stretches over 6100 kms.
- The east coast of India is known as Coromandel coast.
- The west coast of India is known as Konkan and Malabar coasts.
- The period before the discovery of writing is called prehistopric period.
- Signs of ashes have been found in the caves at kurnool.
- The tools of the Middle Stone Age are called delicate stone tools.
Match the Following
| A | B |
| a. North Western passes | 1. Fertile agricultural land |
| b. Indo-Gangetic plain | 2. Provides safety and security |
| c. Port towns | 3. Divides India into two |
| d. Himalayan range | 4. Rise of powerful kingdoms |
| 5. Attacks over India |
Answer:
a – 5; b – 1; c – 4; d – 2.
| A | B |
| a. Old Stone Age | 1. Period before the discovery of writing |
| b. Middle Stone Age | 2. Hunting and food gathering |
| c. New Stone Age | 3. Use of metals |
| d. Pre-historic Period | 4. Pots and pans were used |
| 5. Delicate stone implements |
Answer:
a – 2; b – 5; c – 4; d – 1.