Chapter 7 India’s Cultural Roots Extra Questions Answers Class 6 Social Science
Extra Question Answer of India’s Cultural Roots for Class 6 SST is available on this page of studyrankers website. This chapter is from NCERT Textbook for Class 6 Science named Exploring Society India and Beyond. This textbook is published by NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training). Class 6 Social Science Textbook published by NCERT is prescribed for CBSE students. Chapter 7 India’s Cultural Roots Important Questions are very helpful in understanding the chapter clearly and in easy manner. Students can also find NCERT Solutions for India’s Cultural Roots on this website for their reference. It is very helpful for class 6 students in preparing for the examination. We have included all the important questions and answers from all the topics of India’s Cultural Roots chapter of class 6 SST ncert textbook. Students can also find all the Revision Notes of India’s Cultural Roots chapter for understanding the chapter which is in the textbook updated to latest pattern of cbse and ncert.
Extra Questions for Chapter 7 India’s Cultural Roots Class 6 Social Science
Very Short Answer Questions
Question 1. What are the Vedas?
Answer
The Vedas are ancient Indian texts, including Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda, and Atharva Veda.
Question 2. Who composed the Vedic hymns?
Answer
The hymns were composed by rishis (male sages) and rishikas (female sages) in early Sanskrit.
Question 3. What is the significance of truth in Vedic culture?
Answer
Truth was considered essential and often equated with God, emphasizing unity among people.
Question 4. What did UNESCO recognize in 2008?
Answer
UNESCO recognized Vedic chanting as a significant part of humanity's oral and intangible heritage.
Question 5. What are yajna?
Answer
Yajna are rituals aimed at deities for personal or communal well-being, often involving offerings to Agni.
Question 6. What does the term 'Atman' refer to?
Answer
Atman refers to the Self, the divine essence present in every being, interconnected with Brahman.
Question 7. Who is Siddhārtha Gautama?
Answer
Siddhārtha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was a prince who attained enlightenment and taught about suffering.
Question 8. What principle did the Buddha emphasize?
Answer
The Buddha emphasized ahimsa, or non-violence, which means non-hurting or non-injuring.
Question 9. What does Jainism focus on?
Answer
Jainism focuses on principles like ahimsa (non-violence), anekāntavāda (multiple perspectives), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
Question 10. What does 'Jain' mean?
Answer
'Jain' derives from 'jina,' meaning 'conqueror,' referring to conquering ignorance.
Question 11. How many tribes are there in India according to the 2011 census?
Answer
There are 705 tribes in India, with a population of about 104 million people.
Question 12. What is the main teaching of the Upanishads?
Answer
The Upanishads emphasize the importance of asking questions and seeking deeper truths.
Question 13. Who was Mahāvira?
Answer
Mahāvira, also known as Prince Vardhamāna, was the founder of Jainism, known for attaining supreme wisdom.
Question 14. What is the role of clans in early Vedic society?
Answer
Clans, or janas, were large groups organizing society, mentioned in the Rig Veda.
Question 15. What is brahman?
Answer
Brahman is the ultimate divine essence in Hindu philosophy, underlying all existence.
Question 16. What does the term 'Karma' refer to?
Answer
Karma is the principle of cause and effect in actions, influencing one's future experiences.
Question 17. What does 'Dharma' mean?
Answer
Dharma refers to duty or righteousness, guiding moral conduct in life.
Question 18. What is the significance of the monkey king in the Jataka tale?
Answer
The monkey king's sacrifice teaches selflessness and leadership responsibilities.
Question 19. How did tribes view nature?
Answer
Tribes regarded elements of nature as sacred, often worshipping deities associated with them.
Question 20. What is the purpose of the Sangha in Buddhism?
Answer
The Sangha is a community of monks and nuns dedicated to practicing and spreading the Buddha's teachings.
Short Answer Questions
Question 1. What does the Subhașhita say about true knowledge?
Answer
The Subhashita calls true knowledge the greatest wealth. It says it can’t be stolen or taken by rulers, weighs nothing so it’s no burden, and grows daily when used. Unlike gold or land, knowledge stays safe and increases with sharing, like a flame lighting more flames. This wise saying shows why India’s culture values learning and wisdom above all, a root that feeds its many traditions and ideas.
Question 2. How is Indian culture compared to a tree?
Answer
Indian culture is like an ancient tree with deep roots and many branches. The roots, like the Vedas or tribal traditions, support a strong trunk of shared values. From this trunk grow branches—art, science, religion, and schools of thought—each different but linked. This picture shows India’s culture as old, diverse, and united, growing strong for thousands of years across the Subcontinent.
Question 3. What are the Vedas, and when were they composed?
Answer
The Vedas are India’s oldest texts—Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda—meaning ‘knowledge’ in Sanskrit. They’re hymns, prayers as poems, made by rishis and rishikas in the Sapta Sindhava region. Experts guess the Rig Veda dates from the 5th to 2nd millennium BCE, passed down orally for 100–200 generations, keeping India’s ancient wisdom alive.
Question 4. What does ‘ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti’ mean?
Answer
‘Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti’ from the Rig Veda means ‘The Existent is one, but sages give it many names.’ It says the supreme reality, or Truth, is single, but people call it by different names like Indra or Agni. This shows the Vedic view of one cosmic power behind all deities, teaching unity beneath diversity in life and the universe.
Question 5. How was early Vedic society organized?
Answer
Early Vedic society had janas, or clans, like the Bharatas and Purus, each tied to northwest regions. The Rig Veda names over 30 such groups. They had kings (raja) and gatherings called sabhā and samiti for decisions. People worked as farmers, weavers, potters, or priests, showing a simple, clan-based life shaped by Vedic hymns and community.
Question 6. What are the Upanișhads, and what do they teach?
Answer
The Upanișhads are texts building on the Vedas, teaching about brahman—the divine essence in everything—and atman, the self inside us, united with brahman. They introduce rebirth and karma, where actions shape future lives. They say all is connected, wishing happiness for all creatures, like in the prayer ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinah,’ showing a deep, linked worldview.
Question 7. What is the Vedanta school of thought?
Answer
Vedanta, from the Upanișhads, says everything—humans, nature, the universe—is one divine essence called brahman, or ‘tat’ (that). It teaches that ātman, our inner self, is part of brahman, connecting all life. This school sees the world as one, not separate, guiding people to realize this unity through understanding, a key root of Hindu thought today.
Question 8. How did Siddhartha Gautama become the Buddha?
Answer
Siddhārtha Gautama, born around 560 BCE in Lumbini, left his prince life at 29 after seeing suffering—an old man, a sick man, a dead body—and a peaceful ascetic. He wandered as an ascetic, then meditated under a pipal tree in Bodh Gaya, gaining enlightenment. Realizing ignorance and attachment cause suffering, he became the Buddha, meaning ‘awakened one.’
Question 9. What is the core teaching of Buddhism?
Answer
Buddhism teaches that suffering comes from ignorance (avidyā) and attachment, and can end through inner discipline and ahimsa—non-hurting. The Buddha’s method helps people shed these to find peace. He started the Sangha, a monk community, to spread this path. It’s about living simply and kindly, shaping India and Asia for centuries.
Question 10. How did Vardhamana become Mahavira?
Answer
Vardhamana, born in the 6th century BCE near Vaishali, left his royal life at 30 to seek wisdom. After 12 years of tough ascetic practice, he gained infinite knowledge, becoming Mahāvīra, or ‘great hero.’ Known as a jina—conqueror of ignorance—he shared Jain teachings, influencing India with ideas of nonviolence and truth from Bihar’s plains.
Question 11. What does ahimsa mean in Jainism?
Answer
In Jainism, ahimsa means not harming any living being—breathing, existing, or sentient—in action or thought. Mahāvīra said no creature should be slain, hurt, or abused. It’s more than avoiding fights; it’s kindness to all, even tiny organisms, showing Jainism’s deep respect for life’s web, a value shared across India’s culture.
Question 12. What is anekantavada in Jainism?
Answer
Anekāntavāda, or ‘not just one,’ is a Jain idea that truth has many sides, not one simple answer. No single view can fully explain reality—like seeing a tree from different angles. It teaches openness, understanding others’ perspectives, and patience, making Jainism a thoughtful path that values the complexity of life and the world.
Question 13. What tribes are, and how many are there in India?
Answer
Tribes are close-knit groups sharing descent, culture, and a chief, with no private property. In India, they’re called janjāti, not a Vedic term but janas in ancient times. The 2011 Constitution counts 705 tribes, with 104 million people—more than Australia and the UK combined—spread across states, adding rich roots to India’s culture.
Question 14. How do tribal traditions view nature?
Answer
Tribal traditions see nature—mountains, rivers, trees, animals, stones—as sacred, alive with consciousness. The Todas of Tamil Nadu treat Nilgiri peaks as divine homes, too holy to point at. Many tribes worship nature’s deities, yet also honor a supreme being, blending respect for the earth with a higher spiritual view.
Question 15. How did folk and tribal traditions mix with Hinduism?
Answer
Folk and tribal traditions swapped ideas with Hinduism for ages. Tribal gods like Jagannath of Puri joined Hindu worship, while tribes took Hindu tales like the Mahābhārata, adding their twists. Both see nature as sacred and share values, enriching each other naturally, as sociologist André Béteille notes, shaping India’s diverse culture.
Long Answer Questions
Question 1. What are the Vedas, and what messages do they carry?
Answer
- The Vedas are India’s oldest texts—four collections called Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda, and Atharva Veda, all meaning ‘knowledge’ in Sanskrit.
- Created by rishis and rishikas, wise seers from the Sapta Sindhava region, these hymns were composed as poetic prayers between the 5th and 2nd millennium BCE and passed down orally for 100 to 200 generations.
- They praise deities like Indra, Agni, and Sarasvatī, who uphold ritam, the cosmic truth and order that keeps life and the universe in harmony.
- A famous line, ‘ekam sat vipra bahudhā vadanti,’ reveals their big idea: the supreme reality is one, though sages give it many names, showing unity behind different gods.
- The Vedas also wish for people to live together peacefully, as seen in the Rig Veda’s final verses.
- They list over 30 janas, or clans, like the Bharatas, painting a picture of early northwest society with kings and gatherings.
- These hymns sparked rituals called yajñas, offerings to gods for wellbeing, linking people to the divine.
- In 2008, UNESCO honored this oral tradition as a masterpiece, proving its careful preservation.
- The Vedas root India’s culture in values of truth, connection, and community, messages that still echo today, feeding the nation’s ancient tree of wisdom with ideas that never fade.
Question 2. How do the Upanișhads build on Vedic ideas?
Answer
- The Upanishads are special texts that grow from the Vedas, adding deeper thoughts to India’s ancient wisdom.
- They teach about brahman, a divine essence flowing through all—humans, nature, the universe—making everything one.
- They also introduce ātman, the inner self inside us, which is part of brahman, tying all life together like threads in a cloth.
- The Upaniṣhads bring new ideas like rebirth, where we live again based on karma, our actions shaping what comes next.
- They pray for everyone’s happiness with words like ‘sarve bhavantu sukhinah,’ hoping all creatures thrive free of sorrow.
- Stories in these texts, like Śhvetaketu learning from his father Uddālaka that brahman is the subtle essence in all things—like a seed holding a banyan tree—make these ideas vivid.
- Then there’s Nachiketa, bravely asking Yama, the death god, about the immortal self, showing the value of questions.
- Gārgi, a wise rishika, debates Yājñavalkya, pushing him to explain how brahman powers the world, proving women’s voices mattered too.
- These tales and teachings inspired Yoga, a way to feel brahman inside, laying the groundwork for Hinduism.
- The Upaniṣhads deepen Vedic roots, turning hymns into a big, connected vision of life that still guides India’s spirit.
Question 3. What are the main principles of Buddhism, and how did it start?
Answer
- Buddhism began with Siddhārtha Gautama, born around 560 BCE in Lumbini, a prince who had everything until he saw life’s pain.
- At 29, he left his palace after spotting an old man, a sick man, a dead body, and a calm ascetic, wondering why suffering exists.
- He roamed as an ascetic, then sat under a pipal tree in Bodh Gaya, meditating until he found enlightenment, becoming the Buddha, or ‘awakened one.’
- He learned that ignorance, called avidyā, and attachment to things cause suffering, and taught a path of inner discipline to break free from them.
- Ahimsa, meaning non-hurting, became his rule—live kindly, harm no one.
- He shared this simple way, starting the Sangha, a group of monks to carry his message across India and beyond.
- Stories like the Jataka tales, where he’s a monkey-king dying to save his troop, show selflessness, a core value.
- Unlike the Vedas, which he didn’t follow, Buddhism built its own system, focusing on ending pain through understanding.
- His ideas spread wide, touching Asia with lessons of peace and discipline, leaving a mark on India’s culture that lasts even now, a branch growing strong from its own bold roots.
Question 4. What are Jainism’s core ideas, and how did Mahāvīra share them?
Answer
- Jainism sprouted with Vardhamāna, a prince born in the 6th century BCE near Vaiśālī, who traded royal comforts for truth at 30.
- After 12 years of tough ascetic life, he gained infinite knowledge, earning the title Mahāvīra, ‘great hero,’ and jina, a conqueror of ignorance.
- He preached ahimsa, a deep rule against harming any living thing—big or small—in action or thought, saying all creatures deserve kindness.
- Anekāntavāda, or ‘not just one,’ teaches that truth has many sides, like a puzzle with no single piece telling the whole story, urging patience and openness.
- Aparigraha means non-possession, living light with only what’s needed, free from greed.
- Mahāvīra saw all life as linked, from humans to tiny beings, a web holding the world together.
- In a tale, Rohineya, a thief, hears Mahāvīra, turns from crime, and becomes a monk, showing right action’s power.
- Mahāvīra’s monks roamed, built monasteries, and spread these ideas, planting Jainism’s seeds across India.
- With nonviolence and balance, it enriched India’s culture, adding a gentle, thoughtful branch to the nation’s ancient tree.
Question 5. How do tribal beliefs add to India’s culture?
Answer
- Tribal beliefs weave a rich thread into India's cultural tapestry, starting with what tribes are—tight-knit groups sharing descent, culture, and a chief, owning no private land.
- India’s 2011 count lists 705 tribes, over 104 million strong, more than Australia and the UK combined, scattered across states.
- They worship nature—mountains, rivers, trees, animals, even stones—as sacred, alive with spirit, like the Todas in Tamil Nadu who see Nilgiri peaks as divine homes, too holy to point at.
- Many also honor a supreme being, like Donyipolo in Arunachal Pradesh or Singbonga among the Munda, blending nature’s gods with a higher power.
- Tribes and Hinduism swapped treasures—tribal deities like Jagannath of Puri joined Hindu temples, while tribes reshaped tales like the Mahābhārata in their own voices.
- Passed down orally, not written, these beliefs flow naturally.
- Sociologist André Bétéille says this mixing enriched both sides, with shared values like nature’s holiness binding them.
- From Odisha to Tamil Nadu, tribal roots deepen India’s culture, adding diversity and a sacred love for the land to its mighty tree.