Question

IV. Answer the following questions in brief.
1. Why is the study of history important? Give any four reasons.
2. Why are coins important to historians?
3. What are the important sources of history?
4. What are the main literary sources of ancient history?
5. Why did people in ancient times choose to live near rivers?​

Answer 1

Answer:

1. Why is the study of history important? Give any four reasons.

Ans. Studying the past is important because we get to know the following.

i. By studying the past, we understand how our ancestors lived.

ii. By studying history, we come to know about many great kings / queens,

leaders as well as ordinary people.

iii. Studying history is also necessary to know how scripts evolved and how

the languages that we speak have come into being.

iv. Studying the past help us solve the mysteries of the past.

2. Why are coins important to historians?

Ans. Coins are important as they help in determining the dates of several dynasties

and also tell us about the religious and cultural practices of the people who

issued them. Coins provide information on the kind of metals used in the period.

3. What are the important sources of history?

Ans. We learn about our ancient past (history) from two groups of sources -

i. Archaeological sources (for example : physical remains, artefacts,

monuments, coins, inscriptions)

ii. Literary sources (Such as religious literature, secular literature,

biographies, traveller's accounts, chronicles)

4. What are the main literary sources of ancient history?

Ans. The main literary sources of ancient history are: books, religious texts, accounts

of foreign travellers, biographies and chronicles.

5. Why did people in ancient times choose to live near rivers?

Ans. In the ancient times, people chose to live near rivers such as the Indus, Ganga

and Narmada. This was because the rivers provided water for peoples' needs,

the land near them was fertile for irrigation, and they also served as a means

of transport.