Timelines and Sources of History – Very Short Answer Type Questions
Class 6
Social Science
Theme B — Tapestry of the Past — Chapter 4: Timelines and Sources of History
Jump to Questions
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CBSE — Assessment Overview
- Very short answer questions test definitions and quick facts.
- Useful for formative assessments and short-answer sections in exams.
- Designed strictly according to NCERT Class 6 syllabus.
Content Bank — Chapter Highlights
Introduction to history, timelines, BCE/CE, primary & secondary sources, manuscripts, coins, inscriptions, oral traditions, artefacts, dating, reliability and exam tips.
A. Introduction to History (Q1–10)
Q1. What is history?
Answer: The study of past events and human activities.
Q2. Why do we study history?
Answer: To understand how societies changed and learn from the past.
Q3. Who uses timelines?
Answer: Historians, students and researchers to arrange events in order.
Q4. What does NCERT stand for?
Answer: National Council of Educational Research and Training.
Q5. What is a simple timeline?
Answer: A chart that lists events in chronological order.
Q6. What is chronology?
Answer: The arrangement of events in the order they happened.
Q7. What is the main source of historical evidence?
Answer: Primary sources created during the period studied.
Q8. Give one example of a secondary source.
Answer: A history textbook or an article analyzing events.
Q9. What does 'past' refer to?
Answer: Events and times that occurred before the present.
Q10. Name one skill developed by studying history.
Answer: Critical thinking or source analysis.
B. Timelines & Dating (Q11–20)
Q11. What do BCE and CE mean?
Answer: BCE = Before Common Era; CE = Common Era.
Q12. How are timelines read?
Answer: From left (earlier) to right (later) usually.
Q13. What is relative dating?
Answer: Determining which event happened before another without exact years.
Q14. What is absolute dating (simple)?
Answer: Estimating the age of an object in years (e.g., carbon dating used by scientists).
Q15. What is a comparative timeline?
Answer: Two timelines shown side-by-side to compare events in different places.
Q16. Why is scale important on a timeline?
Answer: It shows how many years each unit represents for accurate spacing.
Q17. Give one use of timelines in exams.
Answer: To show sequence or duration of historical events concisely.
Q18. What is a personal timeline?
Answer: A timeline showing important events in a person’s life.
Q19. What does 'era' mean?
Answer: A long period of history with distinct features.
Q20. What is a date?
Answer: A specific day, month and year when an event occurred.
C. Primary Sources (Q21–33)
Q21. What is a primary source?
Answer: A direct, contemporary record from the time studied.
Q22. Give two examples of primary sources.
Answer: Inscriptions and coins (also manuscripts, artefacts).
Q23. What is a manuscript?
Answer: A handwritten document on paper or palm leaf.
Q24. What information can coins provide?
Answer: Ruler's name, symbols, and trade links.
Q25. What are inscriptions?
Answer: Writings carved on stone, metal or walls.
Q26. How do inscriptions help historians?
Answer: They record events, grants or royal orders and help date events.
Q27. What are artefacts?
Answer: Objects like pottery, tools or jewellery used in daily life.
Q28. What is an oral tradition?
Answer: Stories and songs passed down by word of mouth.
Q29. Why are primary sources important?
Answer: They offer direct evidence about the past.
Q30. Give one limitation of manuscripts.
Answer: They may be damaged or incomplete.
Q31. What does palaeography study? (simple)
Answer: The study of ancient handwriting and scripts.
Q32. What can pottery tell us?
Answer: About daily life, technology and trade contacts.
Q33. Name one place where inscriptions are commonly found.
Answer: Temple walls or pillars.
D. Secondary Sources & Interpretation (Q34–39)
Q34. What is a secondary source?
Answer: A later work that interprets primary sources (e.g., textbooks).
Q35. Give one example of a secondary source.
Answer: A history book or documentary.
Q36. Why do historians compare sources?
Answer: To confirm facts and reduce errors or bias.
Q37. What is bias in a source?
Answer: When a source shows one-sided or unfair views.
Q38. How can you check a source's reliability?
Answer: By asking who created it, when and why.
Q39. What is corroboration?
Answer: When multiple sources agree on the same fact.
E. Using Sources & Evidence (Q40–45)
Q40. What question helps identify a source's purpose?
Answer: Why was this source created?
Q41. Give one way archaeologists find evidence.
Answer: By digging (excavation) at sites.
Q42. What does 'context' mean for a source?
Answer: The background or circumstances when it was made.
Q43. Give one use of coins in history.
Answer: To date events and study trade and rulers.
Q44. Why are oral traditions useful?
Answer: They preserve local memories where written records are absent.
Q45. What is an archive?
Answer: A place where historical records and documents are stored.
F. Reliability & Limitations (Q46–50)
Q46. Give one limitation of oral sources.
Answer: They can change over generations and may be inaccurate.
Q47. Why might a ruler's inscription be biased?
Answer: It may praise the ruler and omit failures.
Q48. What should you do if two sources disagree?
Answer: Compare other evidence and look for corroboration.
Q49. How does preservation affect sources?
Answer: Poor preservation (damage) can make sources incomplete or unreadable.
Q50. Give one exam tip for this chapter.
Answer: Learn key definitions and cite one example of a source in answers.
These 50 very short questions and answers are prepared strictly according to NCERT Class 6 Chapter 'Timelines and Sources of History' to help quick revision and exam preparation.
© NCERT-aligned study content for CBSE Class 6 Social Science. Adapt as needed for classroom use.