Chapter 2: From Hunting – Gathering to Growing Food

Intext Questions:

Question 1. These rock shelters are close to the Narmada valley. Can you think of why people chose to live here?

Answer: The reason for choosing Narmada valley by people was these natural caves provided shelter from rain, heat and wind. As these caves are close to Narmada river, they had availability of abundant water.

Question 2. What do we use fire for today?

Answer: Today we use fire for cooking food, heating water, generating electricity, launching rockets, purifying metals by melting them, for burning wastes, trees, etc.,.

Question 3. What do you think the term Neolithic means?

Answer: The term Neolithic means New Stone (Neo means New, lithic means Stone).

Question 4. Can you think of any reasons why the dog was perhaps the first animal to be tamed?

Answer: Dogs are more social animals. They can be befriended easily by humans. They are intelligent enough to catch the commands of humans when compared to other animals. They are small in size and gentle so easy to tame them.

Question 5. Do you think hunter-gatherers would have made and used pots? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: I do not think hunters-gatherers would have made and used pots because they live nomadic life. They move from one place to another place in search of food and water. So they do not have excess food to store in the pots.

Question 6. Apart from food, what are the other things that could have been obtained from animals? What are animals used for today?

Answer: Apart from food, skin of animals used in leather industry, bones used for making tools, bone powder in some beauty products, silk and wool comes from animals.
Today animals are used for various purposes like transportation, domestication, for carrying goods, for entertainment purpose especially games like bull fighting, cock fights and for medicinal purposes.

Question 7. Draw a pit house.

Answer: 

Question 8. Cave paintings were done on ceremonial occasions. Or perhaps they were made for special rituals, performed by hunters before they went in search of prey? Can you think of any other reasons?

Answer: The other reasons for these paintings can be any religious purpose. They might have drawn to show their belief on nature. These can also be drawn during their leisure time.

Question 9. What do you think cowries and shells would have been used for?

Answer: Cowries and shells were used as ornaments and jewellery. In some civilisations they were used as currency and for trade purposes. They were also used as religious objects.

Imagine

Question: You live in a rock shelter like the one shown on page14 about 12,000 years ago. Your uncle is painting one of the inner walls of the cave and you want to help him. Will you mix the colours, draw the lines, fill in the colours? What are the stories he might tell you?

Answer: I will mix the colours and fill the colours. My uncle might tell me his adventures while hunting alone and hunting as a group. He might have told me how he killed wild boars, bisons, etc.,.

Let’s recall

Question 1. Complete the sentences:

1. Hunter-gatherers chose to live in caves and rock shelters because ________.
2. Grasslands developed around _________ years ago.

Answer: 

1. they give shelter from rain, heat and wind
2. 12000

Question 2. Why do people who grow crops have to stay in the same place for a long time?

Answer: People who grow crops have to stay in the same place for a long time because they need constant care. Plants require constant maintenance and timely water supply. Plants have to be protected from birds and animals. Plants require timely application of fertilisers and pesticides so that they could grow.

Question 3. Why do archaeologists think that many people who lived in Mehrgarh were hunters to start with and that herding became more important later?

Answer: Archaeologists found evidence of many kinds of animal bones from the earliest level where they found bones of wild animals and pig and in later level bones of sheep, goat and cattle have been found. As the earliest level contained wild animals bones that represented the hunting life of Mehrgarh people and the availability of bones of goat, cattle represented the herding occupation.

Let’s discuss

Question 4. Why did the hunter-gatherers travel from place to place? In what ways are these similar to/different from the reasons for which we travel today?

Answer:  Hunter-gatherers travelled from place to place in search of food and water. Once food resources at a place were exhausted, they needed to go to a new place. Now-a-days; people travel for various purposes. Some people travel to meet relatives and friends on special occasions. Some people travel as a part of their work. Some people travel to explore new places and food.

Question 5. List three ways in which hunter-gatherers used fire(see page15). Would you use fire for any of these purposes today?

Answer: The three ways in which hunter-gatherers used fire are as follows:

1. For cooking
2. For warding off wild animals
3. For clearing forest

Today we are using fire for cooking and for clearing forests.

Question 6. List three ways in which the lives of farmers and herders would have been different from that of huntergatherers.

Answer:  The three ways in which life of farmers and herders is different from hunter gatherers are-

1. Farmers and herders have settled life whereas hunter gatherers have nomadic life
2. Farmers and herders used pottery to store food and meat, milk where as pottery is not used by hunters and gatherers.
3. Farmers and herders domesticated animals unlike them

Let’s do

Question 7. List two tasks that are performed by both men and women at present. List another two that are performed only by women, and two that are performed only by men. Compare your list with that of any two of your classmates. Do you notice any similarities/differences in your lists?

Answer: 
Two tasks performed by both men and women are- 1) Weaving 2) Driving
Two tasks performed by women are- 1) Taking care of children 2) Household cooking
Two tasks performed by men are- 1) Carpenter work, 2) Fishing
I have compared my list with my friends list. We both wrote same answers.

Question 8. List the cereals that you eat. Do you grow the cereals you eat. If yes, draw a chart to show the stages in growing them. If not, draw a chart to show how these cereals reach you from the farmers who grow them.

Answer: Some cereals eaten by us are Rice, wheat, barley, maize, millets. We grow the cereals like rice in our agriculture land. Steps include like