Welcome! This page offers accurate and easy-to-understand NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 1: Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years. We provide complete, free answers to all exercise questions from the Our Pasts – II textbook. Along with the main chapter Q&A, you’ll also find important extra questions, revision notes, and MCQs to help you master the chapter and prepare perfectly for your exams.
Let’s Recall
1. Who was considered a “foreigner” in the past?
In the past, a foreigner was anyone who did not belong to the local community or village. This could include strangers from another village, even if they lived nearby and were not Indians from outside the country.
2. State whether true or false:
(a) We do not find inscription inscriptions for the period after 700.
False. Inscriptions were still found after 700 CE, although the number and variety of written records increased greatly through the period.
(b) The Marathas pushed out of their lands with the spread of agricultural not to published.
False. The Marathas were an important group who became powerful in their time; they were not simply pushed out due to agricultural expansion.
(c) Sanskrit did not belong to any region and was known to Brahmanas.
True. Sanskrit was considered an ancient language, not belonging to just one region, and was mostly known and used by Brahmanas.
(d) Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban controlled Assam, political importance.
False. While Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban claimed to control a large empire, historians consider some of these claims exaggerated.
3. Fill in the blanks:
(a) Archives are places where documents and manuscripts are kept.
(b) Ziyauddin Barani was a fourteenth-century chronicler.
(c) Potato, corn, chillies, tea and coffee were some of the new crops introduced into the subcontinent during this period.
4. List some of the technological changes associated with this period.
Some important technological changes during this period were the use of the Persian wheel for irrigation, the spinning wheel for weaving, and firearms in battles. New crops like potatoes, corn, chillies, tea, and coffee also came to India.
5. What were some of the major religious developments during this period?
During this time, new religious ideas developed. In Hinduism, people began worshipping new gods and building temples. The idea of Bhakti, loving a personal god, became popular. Islam was also introduced through traders and migrants and was practiced in various ways.
Let’s Understand
6. In what ways has the meaning of the term “Hindustan” changed over the centuries?
The term “Hindustan” has changed in meaning over time. In the thirteenth century, Minhaj-i-Siraj used it for lands under Delhi Sultans, mainly Punjab, Haryana, and areas between the Ganga and Yamuna. Later, Babur used “Hindustan” to describe the geography and culture of the Indian subcontinent. Today, it means the entire nation of India.
7. How were the affairs of jatis regulated?
Jatis set their own rules, which were enforced by a council of elders called the jati panchayat. They also had to follow village laws set by the local chieftain, so both the jati and village rules influenced people’s behavior and decisions.
8. What does the term pan-regional empire mean?
A pan-regional empire means a kingdom or state that covers many different regions and cultures, uniting them under one ruler or government. Empires like the Cholas, Tughluqs, and Mughals are examples.
Let’s Discuss
9. What are the difficulties historians face in using manuscripts?
Manuscripts are often damaged, incomplete, or worm-eaten, so lines and words may be missing or unclear. Different scribes copied the same text with changes in spellings, meanings, and details, creating many versions. Translating old languages and scripts is hard, and dates or place names can be confusing. Because of these issues, historians must compare many copies before trusting any one version.
10. How do historians divide the past into periods? Do they face any problems in doing so?
Historians group the past by big changes—such as ruling powers, economy, society, religion, or technology—and then name periods to make study easier. But neat labels hide variety: events overlap, regions change at different speeds, and people’s lives don’t shift all at once. Old divisions like “Hindu–Muslim–British” are biased and ignore shared cultures. So, periodisation is useful for organising study, yet always imperfect and open to revision.
10. How do historians divide the past into periods? Do they face any problems in doing so?
Historians divide the past into periods based on important features like economic, social, and political changes. Earlier, British historians divided Indian history into Hindu, Muslim, and British periods. However, it’s difficult because events often overlap and each period has many differences within itself, making periodisation complex.
Let’s Do
11. Compare either Map 1 or Map 2 with the present-day map of the subcontinent, listing as many similarities and differences as you can find.
Map 2 from the 18th century shows India’s coastal areas in good detail, similar to modern maps, as large cities are still at the coast. However, place names and boundaries are different, and inland areas were less accurately mapped than today. Modern maps have much clearer borders and use local languages for names.
12. Find out where records are kept in your village or city. Who writes these records? Is there an archive? Who manages it? What kinds of documents are stored there? Who are the people who use it?
Records in most cities or villages are kept in government offices like the municipality, panchayat, or district collectorate. Clerks or record keepers write them and archives are managed by government officials. Documents stored include birth certificates, land records, and legal papers. Officials, lawyers, and sometimes ordinary citizens use these records for reference and proof.
Chapter 1: Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years – Quick Revision Guide
What this chapter is about
- How India changed between 700 and 1750.
- New words and meanings, new rulers and groups, new ideas in religion.
- How historians study the past using different sources.
- Why dividing history into periods is useful but difficult.
Key words and simple definitions
- Cartography: The science and art of making maps.
- Foreigner: In medieval times, any outsider to a village or community, not only a person from another country.
- Archive: A place where old documents and manuscripts are stored safely.
- Manuscript: A handwritten text, usually copied by scribes before the printing press.
- Chronicler: A person who writes accounts of events, often linked to a court or ruler.
- Jati: A sub-caste or community group with its own rules.
- Jati panchayat: Council of elders of a jati that makes and enforces rules.
- Pan‑regional empire: A large kingdom that covers many regions and cultures under one ruler.
- Patron: A rich or powerful supporter of scholars, artists, temples, or religious leaders.
- Bhakti: Devotion to a personal god with love, often without complex rituals.
Section-wise core ideas
- New and old terminologies
- Word meanings change over time; the same term can mean different things in different centuries.
- Example: “Hindustan” in the 1200s mainly meant lands of the Delhi Sultans in North India; later, writers used it for the larger subcontinent.
- “Foreigner” in villages meant a stranger to that local society, not necessarily a person from another country.
- Historians and their sources
- Sources used: coins, inscriptions, buildings, paintings, and many more texts.
- Paper became cheaper over time, so people wrote holy texts, chronicles, letters, court orders, tax records.
- Problems with manuscripts: copied by hand, so errors and variations grew; original versions are rare; different scripts and languages make reading hard.
- New social and political groups
- Mobility increased; many groups sought power and work.
- Rajputs became important; later also Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Ahoms, and Kayasthas.
- Forests were cleared; agriculture spread; some forest-dwellers migrated or turned to farming.
- Society became more complex; people were grouped into jatis with changing ranks.
- Jatis had their own rules through jati panchayats but also followed village and state rules.
- Technology, crops, and daily life
- New technologies: Persian wheel for irrigation, spinning wheel for weaving, firearms in warfare.
- New crops and drinks: potato, corn, chillies, tea, coffee. These changed food habits and farming.
- Region and empire
- Big dynasties (like Cholas, Tughluqs, Mughals) tried to rule across many regions.
- Rulers often claimed very wide control; historians check such claims carefully.
- Empires connected regions but each region kept its own culture and language.
- Old and new religions
- In Hindu traditions: worship of new deities grew; many temples were built; Brahmanas gained social respect through learning.
- Bhakti taught loving devotion to a personal god, open to common people.
- Islam reached India through traders and migrants; it has different schools and traditions, including Shia and Sunni.
- Thinking about time and periods
- Dividing the past into periods helps to study change, but labels can be misleading.
- The old division “Hindu–Muslim–British” focuses only on rulers’ religions and ignores social, cultural, and economic change.
- Better to look at broader patterns like economy, society, states, and ideas.
Must-remember facts and examples
- Al-Idrisi’s 12th‑century map and an 18th‑century French map look very different, showing how knowledge and mapping improved.
- Copying by scribes created multiple versions of the same text; historians compare versions to reconstruct the original.
- Ziyauddin Barani was a fourteenth‑century chronicler.
- Archives store government records, petitions, tax registers, and letters.
Quick concept checks
- Why is reading manuscripts hard? Different scripts, copying errors, missing parts, no original, and language changes.
- What is a jati panchayat? A council of elders that regulates the jati’s rules and settles disputes.
- What makes an empire pan‑regional? It spans many regions with varied languages and cultures under one ruler.
- How did “Hindustan” change in meaning? From parts of North India under specific rulers to a broader idea of the subcontinent, and today as the nation of India.
Short answer frames (exam-ready)
- Foreigner (medieval): Any outsider to a local community; not only a non-Indian.
- Archives: Safe storage places for old documents and manuscripts used by historians.
- Bhakti: Personal devotion to God, less dependent on priests and complex rituals.
- Problems in periodisation: Overlaps, regional differences, biased labels; yet useful for organising study.
Fill-in set from the chapter
- Archives are places where documents and manuscripts are kept.
- Ziyauddin Barani was a fourteenth‑century chronicler.
- Potato, corn, chillies, tea, and coffee were new introductions.
5-minute last‑minute revision list
- Terms: Hindustan, foreigner, archive, manuscript, chronicler, jati, pan‑regional, patron, bhakti.
- Technologies/crops: Persian wheel, spinning wheel, firearms; potato, corn, chillies, tea, coffee.
- Groups: Rajputs, Marathas, Sikhs, Jats, Ahoms, Kayasthas.
- Big ideas: Changing meanings of words, growth of records, jati regulation, regional empires, religious developments, limits of periodisation.
Practice prompts
- Explain two difficulties in using manuscripts with an example.
- Describe how jatis were regulated and who enforced the rules.
- Give one reason why the term “Hindustan” has meant different things over time.
- List two technologies and two new crops that changed life in this period.
One-paragraph summary
Between 700 and 1750, India saw major changes in language, power, society, religion, and knowledge. Words like “Hindustan” shifted in meaning, written records multiplied, and copying by hand created many versions of the same text. New groups rose to power, agriculture spread, jatis set their own rules, and large empires connected diverse regions. Religious life evolved with temple-building, bhakti ideas, and the spread of Islam. Dividing this past into neat periods helps us study it, but no single label can capture all the variety and change.
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