Selina Textbook Solutions: The River Valley Civilisations – Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese Civilisations | History Class 6 ICSE PDF Download

 Page 1


Exercise 
I. Fill in the blanks: 
1. The Egyptian kings were called Pharaohs. 
2. Mummification is the process of preserving dead bodies. 
3. Mesopotamia is situated in Western Asia now Iraq. 
4. The first code of laws were made by Hammurabi. 
5. The Chinese script is Pictographic. 
 
6. The Chinese worshiped a God called Shang Ti. 
II. Match Column A with Column B 
 
 
Answer: 
 
Page 2


Exercise 
I. Fill in the blanks: 
1. The Egyptian kings were called Pharaohs. 
2. Mummification is the process of preserving dead bodies. 
3. Mesopotamia is situated in Western Asia now Iraq. 
4. The first code of laws were made by Hammurabi. 
5. The Chinese script is Pictographic. 
 
6. The Chinese worshiped a God called Shang Ti. 
II. Match Column A with Column B 
 
 
Answer: 
 
III. Write True or False against the following statements 
1. The Egyptians perfected the art of embalming. 
True 
2. The Egyptians developed a lunar calendar. 
False 
3. Two famous pyramids have been found at Cairo. 
False 
4. The star Sirius appeared in Egypt whenever there were floods. 
True 
5. The Sumerians developed a system of writing known as Cuneiform. 
True 
6. Hammurabi built the Hanging Gardens. 
 False 
7. The Chinese invented the seismograph which recorded earth quake. 
True 
IV. Answer the following questions in a few sentences. 
1. With what name is the old kingdom of Egypt also known? 
Ans. This is known as the period of the construction of pyramids. 
2. Mention the contribution of ancient Egyptians. 
Ans. Ancient Egyptians developed a photographic script called hieroglyphics. They built 
pyramids, sphinxes, and knew how to preserve mummies. They knew about basic 
mathematical calculations and circulation of blood. They developed the solar calendar. 
3. Name two gods of the Egyptians. 
Ans. Ra, Isis, Osiris, Homs, etc. 
4. What is Egyptian writing known as? 
Ans. Hieroglyphics 
5. Name the four dynasties that ruled China. 
Ans. The four dynasties that ruled China were: Shang, Chou, Chin and Han. 
6. Name two Mesopotamian city states. 
Ans. Ur and Babylon. 
V. Answer the following questions briefly: 
Question 1. 
Name the four River Valley Civilisations. Mention their common features. 
Page 3


Exercise 
I. Fill in the blanks: 
1. The Egyptian kings were called Pharaohs. 
2. Mummification is the process of preserving dead bodies. 
3. Mesopotamia is situated in Western Asia now Iraq. 
4. The first code of laws were made by Hammurabi. 
5. The Chinese script is Pictographic. 
 
6. The Chinese worshiped a God called Shang Ti. 
II. Match Column A with Column B 
 
 
Answer: 
 
III. Write True or False against the following statements 
1. The Egyptians perfected the art of embalming. 
True 
2. The Egyptians developed a lunar calendar. 
False 
3. Two famous pyramids have been found at Cairo. 
False 
4. The star Sirius appeared in Egypt whenever there were floods. 
True 
5. The Sumerians developed a system of writing known as Cuneiform. 
True 
6. Hammurabi built the Hanging Gardens. 
 False 
7. The Chinese invented the seismograph which recorded earth quake. 
True 
IV. Answer the following questions in a few sentences. 
1. With what name is the old kingdom of Egypt also known? 
Ans. This is known as the period of the construction of pyramids. 
2. Mention the contribution of ancient Egyptians. 
Ans. Ancient Egyptians developed a photographic script called hieroglyphics. They built 
pyramids, sphinxes, and knew how to preserve mummies. They knew about basic 
mathematical calculations and circulation of blood. They developed the solar calendar. 
3. Name two gods of the Egyptians. 
Ans. Ra, Isis, Osiris, Homs, etc. 
4. What is Egyptian writing known as? 
Ans. Hieroglyphics 
5. Name the four dynasties that ruled China. 
Ans. The four dynasties that ruled China were: Shang, Chou, Chin and Han. 
6. Name two Mesopotamian city states. 
Ans. Ur and Babylon. 
V. Answer the following questions briefly: 
Question 1. 
Name the four River Valley Civilisations. Mention their common features. 
Answer: 
The four River Valley Civilisations were: 
1. Harappan civilisation 
2. Chinese civilisation 
3. Mesopotamian civilisation 
4. Egyptian civilisation 
Common features 
1. They were located on the banks of rivers. 
2. Their main occupation was agriculture. 
3. They developed their own art of writing. 
4. All of them had strong political organisations. 
5. They had many cities. 
Question 2. 
Why is the Egyptian Civilisation called the Gift of the Nile? 
Answer: 
The Egyptian civilisation flourished on the banks of the river Nile. Without the River Nile 
Egypt would have been a desert and an uninhabited region. There is hardly any rainfall 
in Egypt. The alluvial soil deposited by Nile makes the region fertile. Therefore, the 
Egyptian civilisation is called the gift of the Nile. 
Question 3. 
What was the position of the king in the Egyptian society? 
Answer: 
The king occupied the top position in the Egyptian society. He had absolute powers 
over his people. People worshiped him as God and his statues were placed in temples. 
King’s achievements were described on their wails. The king was called the ‘ Pharaoh’. 
Question 4. 
What do you know about the Sphinx? 
Answer: 
It is a fine example of Egyptian sculpture. It is a mythological animal with the body of a 
lion and the head of a man. It is carved out of a single large stone. It was meant to 
guard the pyramids. 
Question 5. 
Describe the contribution of Egyptians in astronomy. 
Answer: 
Egyptians developed the first solar calendar. They made the first known calendar of 365 
days in a year of 12 months, each month of 30 days. 
Page 4


Exercise 
I. Fill in the blanks: 
1. The Egyptian kings were called Pharaohs. 
2. Mummification is the process of preserving dead bodies. 
3. Mesopotamia is situated in Western Asia now Iraq. 
4. The first code of laws were made by Hammurabi. 
5. The Chinese script is Pictographic. 
 
6. The Chinese worshiped a God called Shang Ti. 
II. Match Column A with Column B 
 
 
Answer: 
 
III. Write True or False against the following statements 
1. The Egyptians perfected the art of embalming. 
True 
2. The Egyptians developed a lunar calendar. 
False 
3. Two famous pyramids have been found at Cairo. 
False 
4. The star Sirius appeared in Egypt whenever there were floods. 
True 
5. The Sumerians developed a system of writing known as Cuneiform. 
True 
6. Hammurabi built the Hanging Gardens. 
 False 
7. The Chinese invented the seismograph which recorded earth quake. 
True 
IV. Answer the following questions in a few sentences. 
1. With what name is the old kingdom of Egypt also known? 
Ans. This is known as the period of the construction of pyramids. 
2. Mention the contribution of ancient Egyptians. 
Ans. Ancient Egyptians developed a photographic script called hieroglyphics. They built 
pyramids, sphinxes, and knew how to preserve mummies. They knew about basic 
mathematical calculations and circulation of blood. They developed the solar calendar. 
3. Name two gods of the Egyptians. 
Ans. Ra, Isis, Osiris, Homs, etc. 
4. What is Egyptian writing known as? 
Ans. Hieroglyphics 
5. Name the four dynasties that ruled China. 
Ans. The four dynasties that ruled China were: Shang, Chou, Chin and Han. 
6. Name two Mesopotamian city states. 
Ans. Ur and Babylon. 
V. Answer the following questions briefly: 
Question 1. 
Name the four River Valley Civilisations. Mention their common features. 
Answer: 
The four River Valley Civilisations were: 
1. Harappan civilisation 
2. Chinese civilisation 
3. Mesopotamian civilisation 
4. Egyptian civilisation 
Common features 
1. They were located on the banks of rivers. 
2. Their main occupation was agriculture. 
3. They developed their own art of writing. 
4. All of them had strong political organisations. 
5. They had many cities. 
Question 2. 
Why is the Egyptian Civilisation called the Gift of the Nile? 
Answer: 
The Egyptian civilisation flourished on the banks of the river Nile. Without the River Nile 
Egypt would have been a desert and an uninhabited region. There is hardly any rainfall 
in Egypt. The alluvial soil deposited by Nile makes the region fertile. Therefore, the 
Egyptian civilisation is called the gift of the Nile. 
Question 3. 
What was the position of the king in the Egyptian society? 
Answer: 
The king occupied the top position in the Egyptian society. He had absolute powers 
over his people. People worshiped him as God and his statues were placed in temples. 
King’s achievements were described on their wails. The king was called the ‘ Pharaoh’. 
Question 4. 
What do you know about the Sphinx? 
Answer: 
It is a fine example of Egyptian sculpture. It is a mythological animal with the body of a 
lion and the head of a man. It is carved out of a single large stone. It was meant to 
guard the pyramids. 
Question 5. 
Describe the contribution of Egyptians in astronomy. 
Answer: 
Egyptians developed the first solar calendar. They made the first known calendar of 365 
days in a year of 12 months, each month of 30 days. 
Question 6. 
What is a Ziggurat? Describe it and give an example. 
Answer: 
Mesopotamian city was divided into three main areas — the sacred area, the walled city 
on a mound and an outer town. The sacred area had the main temple called Ziggurat 
dedicated to the patron God of the city. The temple had multi-storeys each smaller than 
the one below it. The temple area was also the administrative centre. 
Question 7. 
Why is Hammurabi famous in history? 
Answer: 
The greatest king of Babylon was Hammurabi who became famous for first ever 
codification of laws, called Hammurabi’s Code of Laws. The laws were 282 in number 
and were carved on both sides of an eight feet stop pillar. The pillar was placed in the 
temple of Marduk – the Sun God. The punishments depended on the nature and 
circumstances of crimes and the position of the offender in society. Other ancient 
nations took lead from these laws. 
Question 8. 
Describe the contribution of the Chinese civilisation in various fields. 
Answer: 
The Chinese were the first to grow tea and produce silk from silkworms. They were also 
the first to make porcelain or Chinaware and to produce paper. They made the 
seismograph and recorded earthquakes. They used both solar and lunar calendars. 
They also invented the mariner’s compass, gun powder, the umbrella and kites. They 
also invented an astronomical clock. The Great Wall of China, one of the seven 
wonders of the ancient world, extending over 2400 km, was built by the Chinese. The 
pagodas made of wood are another example of fine Chinese architecture. 
Question 9. 
Describe the religion of the people of the Chinese civilisation. 
Answer: 
Like in other contemporary civilisations, the Chinese also worshiped various forces of 
nature. They worshiped a god called Shang Ti or the ‘ruler above’. They believed in 
ancestor worship, Taoism and Confucianism’ were the two most popular religions and 
philosophical systems founded by Lao-tze and Confucius respectively. 
VI .Write short notes on 
1. Contribution of Mesopotamian in the field of science 
2. Mummification 
3. The Great Pyramid & 
4. Great Wall of China 
Page 5


Exercise 
I. Fill in the blanks: 
1. The Egyptian kings were called Pharaohs. 
2. Mummification is the process of preserving dead bodies. 
3. Mesopotamia is situated in Western Asia now Iraq. 
4. The first code of laws were made by Hammurabi. 
5. The Chinese script is Pictographic. 
 
6. The Chinese worshiped a God called Shang Ti. 
II. Match Column A with Column B 
 
 
Answer: 
 
III. Write True or False against the following statements 
1. The Egyptians perfected the art of embalming. 
True 
2. The Egyptians developed a lunar calendar. 
False 
3. Two famous pyramids have been found at Cairo. 
False 
4. The star Sirius appeared in Egypt whenever there were floods. 
True 
5. The Sumerians developed a system of writing known as Cuneiform. 
True 
6. Hammurabi built the Hanging Gardens. 
 False 
7. The Chinese invented the seismograph which recorded earth quake. 
True 
IV. Answer the following questions in a few sentences. 
1. With what name is the old kingdom of Egypt also known? 
Ans. This is known as the period of the construction of pyramids. 
2. Mention the contribution of ancient Egyptians. 
Ans. Ancient Egyptians developed a photographic script called hieroglyphics. They built 
pyramids, sphinxes, and knew how to preserve mummies. They knew about basic 
mathematical calculations and circulation of blood. They developed the solar calendar. 
3. Name two gods of the Egyptians. 
Ans. Ra, Isis, Osiris, Homs, etc. 
4. What is Egyptian writing known as? 
Ans. Hieroglyphics 
5. Name the four dynasties that ruled China. 
Ans. The four dynasties that ruled China were: Shang, Chou, Chin and Han. 
6. Name two Mesopotamian city states. 
Ans. Ur and Babylon. 
V. Answer the following questions briefly: 
Question 1. 
Name the four River Valley Civilisations. Mention their common features. 
Answer: 
The four River Valley Civilisations were: 
1. Harappan civilisation 
2. Chinese civilisation 
3. Mesopotamian civilisation 
4. Egyptian civilisation 
Common features 
1. They were located on the banks of rivers. 
2. Their main occupation was agriculture. 
3. They developed their own art of writing. 
4. All of them had strong political organisations. 
5. They had many cities. 
Question 2. 
Why is the Egyptian Civilisation called the Gift of the Nile? 
Answer: 
The Egyptian civilisation flourished on the banks of the river Nile. Without the River Nile 
Egypt would have been a desert and an uninhabited region. There is hardly any rainfall 
in Egypt. The alluvial soil deposited by Nile makes the region fertile. Therefore, the 
Egyptian civilisation is called the gift of the Nile. 
Question 3. 
What was the position of the king in the Egyptian society? 
Answer: 
The king occupied the top position in the Egyptian society. He had absolute powers 
over his people. People worshiped him as God and his statues were placed in temples. 
King’s achievements were described on their wails. The king was called the ‘ Pharaoh’. 
Question 4. 
What do you know about the Sphinx? 
Answer: 
It is a fine example of Egyptian sculpture. It is a mythological animal with the body of a 
lion and the head of a man. It is carved out of a single large stone. It was meant to 
guard the pyramids. 
Question 5. 
Describe the contribution of Egyptians in astronomy. 
Answer: 
Egyptians developed the first solar calendar. They made the first known calendar of 365 
days in a year of 12 months, each month of 30 days. 
Question 6. 
What is a Ziggurat? Describe it and give an example. 
Answer: 
Mesopotamian city was divided into three main areas — the sacred area, the walled city 
on a mound and an outer town. The sacred area had the main temple called Ziggurat 
dedicated to the patron God of the city. The temple had multi-storeys each smaller than 
the one below it. The temple area was also the administrative centre. 
Question 7. 
Why is Hammurabi famous in history? 
Answer: 
The greatest king of Babylon was Hammurabi who became famous for first ever 
codification of laws, called Hammurabi’s Code of Laws. The laws were 282 in number 
and were carved on both sides of an eight feet stop pillar. The pillar was placed in the 
temple of Marduk – the Sun God. The punishments depended on the nature and 
circumstances of crimes and the position of the offender in society. Other ancient 
nations took lead from these laws. 
Question 8. 
Describe the contribution of the Chinese civilisation in various fields. 
Answer: 
The Chinese were the first to grow tea and produce silk from silkworms. They were also 
the first to make porcelain or Chinaware and to produce paper. They made the 
seismograph and recorded earthquakes. They used both solar and lunar calendars. 
They also invented the mariner’s compass, gun powder, the umbrella and kites. They 
also invented an astronomical clock. The Great Wall of China, one of the seven 
wonders of the ancient world, extending over 2400 km, was built by the Chinese. The 
pagodas made of wood are another example of fine Chinese architecture. 
Question 9. 
Describe the religion of the people of the Chinese civilisation. 
Answer: 
Like in other contemporary civilisations, the Chinese also worshiped various forces of 
nature. They worshiped a god called Shang Ti or the ‘ruler above’. They believed in 
ancestor worship, Taoism and Confucianism’ were the two most popular religions and 
philosophical systems founded by Lao-tze and Confucius respectively. 
VI .Write short notes on 
1. Contribution of Mesopotamian in the field of science 
2. Mummification 
3. The Great Pyramid & 
4. Great Wall of China 
Answer: 
1. Contribution of Mesopotamians in the field of science: 
The Mesopotamians made great progress in the field of science. They were expert 
in mathematics, medicines and astronomy, and were the first to develop algebra 
and geometry. They also used the figure of 60 for measuring time in hours, 
minutes and seconds. They were the first to divide a circle into 360° and the day 
and night into 12 hours each. They invented a calendar of 12 months with 30 days 
each. 
2. Mummification: The Egyptians believed in life after death. They believed that the 
body should be preserved so that the soul might live within it. They developed the 
art of preserving the body to great perfection — a process called mummification. 
The embalmed body (mummy) was placed in a coffin and put inside a pyramid. 
3. The Great Pyramid: The Great Pyramid at Giza near Cairo was the largest 
pyramid. It was built by Pharaoh Cheopa (Khufu) in 2650 BC. It is one of the 
seven wonders of the ancient world and it took over 20 years to be built. 
4. Great Wall of China: The Great Wall of China is a fine example of engineering 
skills of ancient Chinese. It is the highest and longest wall in the world. It extends 
over 2400 km and is eight meters high and seven meters wide. There are 16,000 
towers across the length of the wall. Each tower is built at an interval of 150 
meters and is 14 feet high. The Great Wall of China is one of the seven wonders 
of the ancient world. 
VII. Tell Us Why/How: 
Question 1. 
The floods of the river Nile benefited the Egyptians. 
Answer: 
The Nile was the only source of water without which Egypt would have been a desert. 
Egypt hardly receives rainfall and the region would have been barren but for the fertile 
alluvium, deposited by river Nile. The floods deposited rich and fertile alluvial soil in the 
floodplains so essential for agriculture. 
Question 2. 
Hwang Ho is called the ‘Sorrow of China.’ 
Answer: 
The large river Hwang-Ho often changed its course after the floods. Floods led to 
destruction of crops, humans and cattle. People living near it faced many difficulties due 
to floods. That is why it is called the ‘Sorrow of China’. 
VIII. Picture study: This is a world famous garden.