Class 7 Social Science Part 1 Chapter 4 MCQs – New Beginnings: Cities and States

The chapter calls the Harappan civilisation India’s First Urbanisation. Its cities had specialised occupations, public structures, administration and other features of urban life. A later growth of cities is described separately as the Second Urbanisation.

The chapter places the new urban growth in the Ganga plains, parts of the Indus basin and neighbouring regions. It later spread more widely. Fertile land, growing trade and technological changes helped support these developing settlements.

Archaeological excavations reveal the remains of ancient settlements, while literature refers to cities and life in them. The chapter uses both kinds of evidence. Together, material remains and written descriptions help historians reconstruct the past.

Janapada combines words connected with people and setting foot, referring to a territory where a community settled. The chapter describes groups associated with such territories and led by rulers, before some developed into larger states.

As connections and trade networks grew, some earlier states combined into larger territories called mahajanapadas. The chapter presents this as a stage in political development. The name refers to larger states rather than an individual building or occupation.

The most commonly mentioned list contains sixteen mahajanapadas. The chapter also cautions that ancient lists differ and that some smaller states continued independently. The number should therefore be understood as a frequent historical list rather than perfect certainty.

A moat is a deep, wide ditch outside a fort or fortified city, often filled with water. It adds protection beyond the walls. The chapter describes moats as one of the defensive features of important ancient capitals.

Narrow gateways made it easier for guards to manage entry and exit through fortified walls. They could watch people and goods more closely. This feature shows how the design of a city could serve security and administration.

Sabha and samiti were terms for assemblies or councils where matters concerning a community were discussed. The chapter explains that rulers were expected to take advice. These institutions formed part of the political arrangements of early states.

A hereditary position is passed through a family, often from a ruler to a son. The chapter uses this idea when describing monarchies. Such succession differs from selecting a ruler through the deliberations of an assembly.

The chapter describes Vajji and Malla as ganas or sanghas, where assemblies held important powers. Members discussed decisions and could vote when necessary, including in selecting a ruler. These arrangements differed from the hereditary monarchies described nearby.

Assemblies in these states could select rulers and make important decisions through discussion and sometimes voting. This is why scholars describe them as early republics. The term does not mean their system was identical to modern universal democracy.

Iron tools became more widely available and helped people practise agriculture on a larger scale. The chapter connects this technological change with growing settlements. More effective tools supported economic activity, while iron also had uses in making weapons.

The chapter describes the earliest Indian coins as silver pieces into which symbols were punched. Growing trade encouraged their use. Coins of other metals appeared later, and coins could circulate beyond the state that originally issued them.

As trade expanded, people needed convenient means of making exchanges. The chapter connects the first use of coins with this growth. Coins circulated between different regions, showing that economic links extended beyond a single state.

The chapter describes jati as a group connected with a particular livelihood, with skills often passed between generations. It also explains that social divisions later became rigid and produced discrimination. Describing this history does not justify inequality.

The chapter explains that increasing rigidity in the varna–jati system led to inequalities and discrimination against lower groups and excluded communities. This harmful outcome is important when studying social organisation, rather than treating every division as fair or beneficial.

Uttarapatha linked the northwest with the Ganga plains and extended towards eastern India. The chapter describes it as an important communication route. Such roads carried traders, travellers and ideas, helping connect distant parts of the subcontinent.

Dakshinapatha began near Kaushambi and crossed the Vindhya hills towards southern India. The chapter places it among the important communication routes of the period. These connections supported trade, travel and the movement of cultural ideas.

The chapter names the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas as kingdoms that emerged in the southern regions. Ancient Tamil literature and archaeological evidence help us study them. Southern resources also supported trade within India and with overseas regions.

The chapter studies cities using archaeological remains and ancient literature. Walls reveal material features, while a written account may describe activities or institutions. Comparing different evidence can produce a fuller understanding than relying on a single type.

Fertile land supports productive agriculture, which can help feed a growing population. The chapter connects the fertile Ganga plains with the growth of states and cities. Towns also depended on other resources, technologies and trade connections.

The chapter explains that rulers were expected to consult assemblies rather than rule arbitrarily. Seeking advice shows that a council had a political role. It does not by itself prove the existence of voting rights like those of modern democracies.

Some texts mention removing an incompetent ruler, but the chapter warns against treating this as a firmly established law everywhere. Evidence from such distant periods is incomplete. A careful conclusion should reflect that uncertainty rather than exaggerate it.

Ganas and sanghas gave assemblies an important role in choosing rulers and taking decisions. A discussion among members before selection fits this description. Automatic hereditary succession instead matches the monarchies contrasted with these states in the chapter.

The chapter notes that coins from neighbouring areas were used in trade. Their circulation points to economic connections beyond local boundaries. However, sharing or accepting coins does not show that two states had the same political system.

The chapter stresses that urbanisation depends partly on technology. Iron tools helped expand agriculture, while metalworking also supported other needs. These developments contributed to growing settlements alongside trade, resources and political organisation, rather than acting alone.

The chapter gives environmental hardship as one reason people could move and adopt new occupations in earlier periods. Such evidence suggests that social arrangements were not completely unchanging. It should be considered alongside the later growth of rigidity and discrimination.

The chapter describes scholars, monks, nuns, pilgrims and other travellers moving across regions. Along with traders and their goods, they carried teachings and cultural ideas. Roads therefore supported social and cultural connections as well as economic exchange.

Kautilya’s description includes farming land, forests, mines, pastures, roads, waterways and a productive economy. He also advises against depending only on rain. The quotation presents a well-supported kingdom as needing resources and connections as well as protection.