NCERT 6th Class (CBSE) Social Science: The Seeds of a Revolution / Gathering to Growing Food

Question: Why did early humans made pottery? How did they learn to make pottery?

Answer: Early humans made pottery as they needed vessels to store grains, liquids and cooked food. Humans learned to make clay pottery, which was shaped by hand then baked in fire. The potter’s wheel enable then to make pots in different shapes and sizes in much lesser time. Later they started glazing and decorating the pots.

Question: How do er get know about the existence of early farmers?

Answer: We get to know about the existence of early farmers from the Archaeological evidence like charred grains and seeds of wheat, barley and many kinds of lentils which have been found from Burzahom, Mehrgarh and other sites.

Question: Write a short note on Daojali Hading.

Answer: Daojali Hading is an important Neolithic site in Assam. Extensive digging at this site has yielded polished stone tools, Ceramics and kitchen items such as corn grinders, pestles and mortars. A large number of pots have also been found. All these finds suggest that people here were growing and storing grains and preparing food.

Question: How did agriculture change the life of early humans?

Answer: Agriculture changed the life of early humans there lives were settled. They did not have to go from one place to another in search of food. They stayed in one place and grew crops. They made mud houses near the fields. They cultivated fields, hunted animals and made tools and weapons. The first cereals to be grown were wheat and barley.

Question: How was the invention of wheel an important step to word progress for early humans?

The invention of wheel was an important step towards progress. The wheel changed man’s life in many ways:

1. People could now go from one place to another place much faster than before.
2. They could also move heavy objects more easily.
3. The wheel also improved pottery from one place to another making. The potter’s wheel come to be used during this period.

Question: Describe pit-houses found at Burzahom.

Answer: Many pit-houses have been found at Burzahom. People used stone tools to dig circular pits into ground. Then they plastered there sides with mud. The pits were usually narrow at the top and wide at the base. The pits that were deep had steps that led down. Ash, charcoal and pieces of poetry has been found in these pits. Some of the pits had ovens mad of stone and clay. These ovens may have been used to cook food. Perhaps peoples lived in these pit-houses when the weather was cold.