Articles

The last Maurya emperor was assassinated around 185 BCE by his commander-in-chief Puṣhyamitra Śhunga. This led to a breakup of the empire - hardly half a century after Aśhoka.

This poem contrasts a tiger in the zoo with the tiger in its natural habitat. The poem moves from the zoo to the jungle, and back again to the zoo.

In this extract from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela speaks about a historic occasion, ‘the inauguration’.

Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

The house - the only one in the entire valley - sat on the crest of a low hill. From this height one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always promised a good harvest. The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho - who knew his fields intimately - had done nothing else but see the sky towards the north-east.

The word ‘empire’ comes from the Latin ‘imperium’, which means ‘supreme power’. An empire is a collection of smaller kingdoms or territories over which a powerful ruler or group of rulers exert power, often after waging war against the smaller kingdoms.

In the early 2nd millennium BCE, the Harappan civilisation disintegrated. Some of its cities were abandoned and in others, some people continued living there, but reverting to a rural or village lifestyle.

Indian culture is several millenniums old. Like any ancient tree, it has many roots and many branches. The roots nurture a common trunk. And from the trunk emerge many branches, which are different manifestations of Indian culture, yet united by a common trunk.

Civilisation began at different times in different parts of the world. In the region known as Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Syria), that happened about 6,000 years ago, and the civilisation in ancient Egypt followed a few centuries later.

Today, the India we know is a modern nation, with defined borders, defined states and a known population. However, it was very different 500 years ago, 2,000 years ago or even 5,000 years ago.

At present, the Gregorian calendar is commonly used worldwide. The conventional year for Jesus Christ’s birth has generally been taken to be the starting point for this calendar.

Nature is the totality of life and non-life forms that are part of our environment but have not been created by humans. When humans use these for their sustenance, or create new things from them for consumption, these elements of Nature become resources.

Weather is what we experience every hour or day. It might be raining, or there could be bright sunshine, a lot of wind, etc. The weather keeps changing. Climate is the pattern of weather an area or a region experiences over a long period of time - several decades at least. This pattern varies from region to region.

Weather is a state of the Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time and place. Atmosphere is the layer of gases (air) that surround the Earth.

India is the seventh-largest country in the world, and a part of Asia. Along with its neighbours - Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar - it forms the region known as the Indian Subcontinent.

Land has many forms and features. Its appearance changes a lot from one region to another. A landform is a physical feature on the surface of the planet Earth. Landforms take shape over millions of years and have a significant connection with the environment and life.

Almost three-fourths of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. The largest water bodies are called oceans. The land covers a little over one-fourth of the globe. A large body of land is called a landmass, and a large continuous expanse of land is called a continent.

A map is like a treasure guide. It shows you where things are and how to get to them.

1. What kinds of cloth had a large market in Europe?

The kinds of cloth which had a large market in Europe were chintz, cossaes or khassa and bandana.

1. Draw up a list of the different festivals celebrate in your locality. Which of these celebrations are shared by members of different regional and religious communities?

The festivals celebrated by members of different regional and religious communities include Holi, Diwali, Dushera, Rakshabandhan, Chrismtas, Id-ul-Zuha, Lohri, etc.

1. What are Prejudices?

Village people are, in everyone’s opinion, supposed to be ignorant and superstitious while city people are supposed to be greedy, lazy and money-minded. These opinions create negative impression in a human’s sub-conscious mind and are called Prejudices.

1. What is Universal Adult Franchise (UAF)?

In a democratic country like India, adult citizens, irrespective of their religion, caste, education, status, gender, race, colour or place, have the right to vote. This is called Universal Adult Franchise.

1. What is agriculture?

The primary activity that involves cultivation of crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock is called agriculture.

1. The world population has grown very rapidly. Why?

Development in medical science has caused decrease in death rate, so the world population has grown very rapidly.

1. What is a public activity?

An activity or service that is meant for all people in the country and is mainly organised by the government. This includes schools, hospitals, telephone services, etc. People can demand these services and also raise questions about their non-functioning.

1. Why do you think we need the government to find solutions to many disputes or conflicts?

We need the government to find solutions to several disputes and conflicts because it is trusted to adopt an impartial role and impart justice which is the prime duty of the government.

1. What is the difference between the work that MLAs do in the Assembly and the work done by government departments?

An MLA is responsible for the welfare of his people. He raises issued in the Assembly so that solution too the problem facing the masses can be taken. Government departments make and implements make and implement the solution.

1. Define natural resources.

Resources that are drawn from nature and used without much modification are called natural resources.

1. What is the main objective of village Panchayat?

The main objective of village Panchayat is to improve the conditions of the villagers and to make them self-sufficient.

1. What is "Khasra Record"?

Khasra record consists of a plot wise description of ownership, area, classification, share of ownership and the status there of. It identifies which plot of land is owned by whom.

1. “And no one buys a ball back. Money is external”. What does the poet imply by this expression?

Through this expression the poet implies that a lost ball cannot be bought back even with money. Money can only be used to buy valuable things but not to restore or compensate for a thing that is lost.

1. What is vernacular?

Vernacular is a term generally used to refer to a local language or dialect as distinct from what is seen as the standard language.

1. Describe the Child Marriage Restraint Act.

According to the Child Marriage Restraint Act passed in 1929, no man below the age of 18 and woman below the age of 16 could marry.

This chapter introduces numbers, their different types, and their uses in everyday life.

This chapter builds upon the concepts introduced in the previous chapter and delves deeper into the properties and operations of whole numbers.

This chapter introduces various concepts and strategies related to numbers and their properties.

This chapter introduces basic concepts and terms related to geometry.

"The Seven Ages" is a poem by William Shakespeare that presents a metaphorical journey through the different stages of human life. It describes life as a series of seven distinct ages, each with its own characteristics and experiences. The poem emphasizes the fleeting nature of time and the inevitable progression of life from infancy to old age.

"The Tiger and the Mosquito" is a traditional fable or moral story.

"The Tiger King" is a satirical short story written by Kalki Krishnamurthy. It tells the tale of a fictional king in a princely state in India who becomes obsessed with hunting and killing tigers. Here are the important points of the story in detail: