Class 6 Social Science History Chapter 4 – Timeline and Sources of History MCQ With Answers

Class 6 Social Science History Chapter 4 MCQs – Timeline and Sources of History

Class 6 Social Science History Chapter 4 MCQs for Timeline and Sources of History (based on NCERT textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond ).


MCQ with Answers for Practice – History Chapter 4 – Timeline and Sources of History

Class 6 Social Science – Exploring Society: India and Beyond
Theme B: Tapestry of the Past
History Chapter 4: Timeline and Sources of History
This includes All types of MCQs normally asked in school exams, tests, and NCERT exercises.


Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)History Chapter 4: Timeline and Sources of History


Q1. History is best defined as the study of

a) animals
b) planets
c) human past
d) natural disasters

Answer: c) human past

Q2. Who said that history is “an unending dialogue between the present and the past”?

a) Jawaharlal Nehru
b) E. H. Carr
c) B. R. Ambedkar
d) R. C. Majumdar

Answer: b) E. H. Carr

Q3. Which institution preserves objects like coins, statues and ornaments from the past?

a) Library
b) School
c) National Museum
d) Court

Answer: c) National Museum

Q4. Which of the following helps us understand the sequence of historical events?

a) Map
b) Timeline
c) Graph
d) Table

Answer: b) Timeline

Q5. Who studies the physical features of the Earth?

a) Archaeologists
b) Anthropologists
c) Geologists
d) Historians

Answer: c) Geologists

Q6. Fossils are mainly studied by

a) archaeologists
b) palaeontologists
c) anthropologists
d) historians

Answer: b) palaeontologists

Q7. Which professional studies human societies and cultures?

a) Geologist
b) Archaeologist
c) Anthropologist
d) Palaeontologist

Answer: c) Anthropologist

Q8. Archaeologists study the past mainly by

a) reading novels
b) watching documentaries
c) digging up remains
d) studying planets

Answer: c) digging up remains

Q9. Fossils are found preserved within layers of

a) water
b) air
c) soil or rocks
d) ice

Answer: c) soil or rocks

Q10. An era is

a) a small village
b) a short event
c) a distinct period of time
d) a calendar

Answer: c) a distinct period of time

Q11. Which calendar is commonly used worldwide today?

a) Hindu calendar
b) Muslim calendar
c) Chinese calendar
d) Gregorian calendar

Answer: d) Gregorian calendar

Q12. What does CE stand for?

a) Christian Era
b) Common Era
c) Central Era
d) Civil Era

Answer: b) Common Era

Q13. What does BCE stand for?

a) Before Christian Era
b) Before Central Era
c) Before Common Era
d) Before Civil Era

Answer: c) Before Common Era

Q14. The year India gained independence can be written as

a) 1947 BCE
b) 1947 CE
c) 1947 BC
d) 1947 BE

Answer: b) 1947 CE

Q15. Which important fact is true about the Gregorian calendar?

a) It has 13 months
b) It has a year zero
c) Leap year occurs every 10 years
d) There is no year zero

Answer: d) There is no year zero

Q16. Which of the following is a leap year?

a) 1800
b) 1900
c) 2000
d) 2100

Answer: c) 2000

Q17. A century consists of

a) 10 years
b) 50 years
c) 100 years
d) 1000 years

Answer: c) 100 years

Q18. The 21st century CE started in

a) 2000
b) 2001
c) 2021
d) 2100

Answer: b) 2001

Q19. A millennium is a period of

a) 100 years
b) 500 years
c) 1000 years
d) 2000 years

Answer: c) 1000 years

Q20. The 1st millennium BCE includes the years

a) 1 BCE to 1000 BCE
b) 1000 BCE to 2000 BCE
c) 1 CE to 1000 CE
d) 100 CE to 1100 CE

Answer: a) 1 BCE to 1000 BCE

Q21. Which of the following is NOT a source of history?

a) Coins
b) Inscriptions
c) Newspapers
d) Future plans

Answer: d) Future plans

Q22. Which of these is a literary source of history?

a) Tools
b) Coins
c) Manuscripts
d) Pottery

Answer: c) Manuscripts

Q23. Who writes and studies history?

a) Archaeologist
b) Historian
c) Geologist
d) Anthropologist

Answer: b) Historian

Q24. Which modern source helps historians study recent history?

a) Fossils
b) Rock paintings
c) Newspapers
d) Pottery

Answer: c) Newspapers

Q25. Genetics helps historians understand

a) language
b) climate
c) inheritance of features
d) trade routes

Answer: c) inheritance of features

Q26. Modern humans are known scientifically as

a) Homo erectus
b) Homo habilis
c) Homo sapiens
d) Australopithecus

Answer: c) Homo sapiens

Q27. Early humans mainly lived as

a) farmers
b) traders
c) hunters and gatherers
d) factory workers

Answer: c) hunters and gatherers

Q28. Early humans used fire mainly for

a) decoration
b) cooking and protection
c) writing
d) farming

Answer: b) cooking and protection

Q29. Rock paintings help us understand

a) modern art
b) early human life
c) future technology
d) climate change

Answer: b) early human life

Q30. The last Ice Age ended about

a) 2,000 years ago
b) 5,000 years ago
c) 12,000 years ago
d) 50,000 years ago

Answer: c) 12,000 years ago

Q31. Agriculture began after

a) invention of fire
b) last Ice Age
c) birth of Buddha
d) use of iron

Answer: b) last Ice Age

Q32. Early villages were usually settled near rivers because

a) rivers were sacred
b) soil was fertile
c) weather was cold
d) forests were nearby

Answer: b) soil was fertile

Q33. A hamlet is

a) a large city
b) a capital
c) a small settlement
d) a fort

Answer: c) a small settlement

Q34. Which metal was used first by early humans?

a) Iron
b) Gold
c) Copper
d) Aluminium

Answer: c) Copper

Q35. Which activity shows social complexity in early societies?

a) Living alone
b) Individual farming
c) Collective farming
d) Hunting only

Answer: c) Collective farming

Q36. Which activity helped early humans communicate ideas and beliefs?

a) Writing books
b) Rock paintings
c) Printing newspapers
d) Making coins

Answer: b) Rock paintings

Q37. Early humans mostly lived in

a) permanent houses
b) palaces
c) caves and rock shelters
d) apartments

Answer: c) caves and rock shelters

Q38. What does the term ‘afterlife’ mean?

a) Life before birth
b) Life in forests
c) Life that begins after death
d) Daily human life

Answer: c) Life that begins after death

Q39. Which of the following tools were used by early humans?

a) Plastic tools
b) Iron machines
c) Stone axes and blades
d) Electric devices

Answer: c) Stone axes and blades

Q40. Ornaments made by early humans were mostly of

a) gold and silver
b) plastic
c) stone, shells and animal teeth
d) iron

Answer: c) stone, shells and animal teeth

Q41. The exchange of ornaments between early groups shows

a) isolation
b) lack of skills
c) early trade and interaction
d) modern economy

Answer: c) early trade and interaction

Q42. Which climate change helped humans begin agriculture?

a) Increase in rainfall
b) End of Ice Age
c) Volcanic eruptions
d) Earthquakes

Answer: b) End of Ice Age

Q43. Domestication of animals means

a) hunting animals
b) worshipping animals
c) keeping animals under human control
d) painting animals

Answer: c) keeping animals under human control

Q44. Which animals were among the earliest domesticated animals?

a) Lions and tigers
b) Cattle and goats
c) Elephants and horses
d) Dogs only

Answer: b) Cattle and goats

Q45. Why did early farming communities grow near rivers?

a) For defence
b) For religious reasons
c) For fertile soil and water
d) For trade routes

Answer: c) For fertile soil and water

Q46. Pottery technology helped early humans to

a) build weapons
b) cook food and store grains
c) hunt animals
d) write scripts

Answer: b) cook food and store grains

Q47. Which metal was used after copper in early history?

a) Gold
b) Aluminium
c) Iron
d) Silver

Answer: c) Iron

Q48. Which of the following best describes a ‘chieftain’?

a) A farmer
b) A religious teacher
c) A community leader
d) A trader

Answer: c) A community leader

Q49. Early societies believed mainly in

a) modern science
b) technology
c) natural elements
d) written laws

Answer: c) natural elements

Q50. Which of the following shows collective ownership in early societies?

a) Private houses
b) Individual farms
c) Community farming
d) Trade markets

Answer: c) Community farming

Q51. Which source of history studies ancient inscriptions?

a) Archaeology
b) Epigraphy
c) Anthropology
d) Geography

Answer: b) Epigraphy

Q52. Chemical study of excavated materials helps historians to

a) imagine stories
b) predict future events
c) gain scientific insights
d) draw maps

Answer: c) gain scientific insights

Q53. Electronic media is useful mainly for studying

a) ancient history
b) prehistoric life
c) recent history
d) fossils

Answer: c) recent history

Q54. A family tree helps us understand

a) political history
b) environmental history
c) personal and social history
d) economic systems

Answer: c) personal and social history

Q55. Which of the following is NOT a material source of history?

a) Coins
b) Tools
c) Oral memories
d) Pottery

Answer: c) Oral memories

Q56. The term ‘welfare’ refers to

a) wealth only
b) health and well-being
c) power
d) trade

Answer: b) health and well-being

Q57. Which of these helped villages grow into towns?

a) Isolation
b) Exchange of goods
c) Wars
d) Migration

Answer: b) Exchange of goods

Q58. Why do historians consult many sources?

a) To save time
b) To confirm and compare information
c) To write stories
d) To memorise facts

Answer: b) To confirm and compare information

Q59. Which of the following best explains why history is important?

a) It entertains people
b) It helps understand the present
c) It predicts the future
d) It replaces science

Answer: b) It helps understand the present

Q60. Which statement best matches the idea of a timeline?

a) It shows places on Earth
b) It shows climate zones
c) It shows events in order of time
d) It shows population

Answer: c) It shows events in order of time