Introduction – Why Social Science?

A. We live in the 21st century (if you do not know what this figure really means, you will soon learn about it).

D. Everyone agrees that it is a particularly challenging time for humanity.

C. On the other hand, the world is witnessing multiple wars, armed conflicts and rising social tensions, and our planet’s natural environment is under great stress.

B. We live in an age of great possibilities but also great challenges.

A. They cannot be simple, because human societies are very diverse and complex.

D. If we wish tofind answers to such questions and help build a better future, we first need to understand our world, and human societies in particular.

C. That is what Social Science is all about.

B. You may wonder whether this is a ‘science’ like, say, physics or chemistry.

A. The discipline does use scientific methods wherever possible (you will see a few examples in this textbook), but its focus — human society — is, again, too diverse to allow the kind of set procedures and fixed results the sciences come up with.

D. Social Science has many subdisciplines: geography, history, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, psychology and a few more.

C. You need not feel intimidated by all these terms!

B. While you will study some of these subdisciplines in the Secondary Stage, in the Middle Stage we have avoided this classification.

A. Instead, we have opted for five broad themes.

D. Theme A – India and the World: Land and the People This first theme includes the basics of the geographical world around us — some of the main features of our planet and the way to represent them on a map.

C. Because it deals with much more than maps.

B. It also asks how geographical features — oceans, mountains, rivers, etc. — have shaped entire civilisations throughout their histories.

A. It is also, in India’s case, about how its natural setting has contributed to giving this ancient civilisation a unique identity.

D. Theme B – Tapestry of the Past A tapestry is a large piece of canvas-like cloth usually kept as a wall hanging, with pictures and designs on it — sometimes a historical narrative.

C. Our tapestry is where we will be painting scenes from the past, beginning with India’s past.

B. Because it is the key to understanding the present, and the chapters in this theme will often make this connection clear.

A. The past is a major source for our identities — it helps us understand who we are and where we come from.

D. The past is still with us, in other words.

C. And since history is unfortunately not all about happy developments, it is useful to understand where people, governments or rulers went wrong, and why.

B. Only then can we hope to avoid repeating those errors.

A. Theme C – Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions It has often been said that India has a rich and ancient culture.

D. These are some of the questions that this theme is exploring, with the objective that every student should understand some of the cultural foundations of our civilisation and learn to appreciate their value.

C. Theme D – Governance and Democracy Citizens of any country should know how their political system functions.

B. India, as the world’s largest democracy, has an elaborate system working at different levels.

A. By studying this theme, we can become more responsible citizens, understand how the organs of the government function, and learn to have a say in the policies that affect us all, whether locally or nationally.

D. Theme E – Economic Life Around Us Nofamily can be happy without the essentials of daily living — at least food, clothing, shelter, access to water in a first stage; in a second, livelihood for adults and access to education for the younger ones.

C. Similarly, no country can develop harmoniously without a sound economy.

B. This theme will lay down some of the important concepts and practices that will enable us to answer these questions.    You will notice that there are many questions in the preceding paragraphs.

A. This is as it should be — Social Science is also about the art of asking the right questions.

D. Only then can we start looking for the right answers.

C. This also explains the presence of ‘Big Questions’ at the start of each chapter in this book.

B. You may also be intrigued tofind a game of chess and some ancient Tamil poetry in chapters that apparently deal with geography; a discussion on the uses of the sari in a chapter on cultural heritage; the concept of sevā and the mention of festivals in chapters focusing on economics.

A. We believe in bringing elements from diverse fields together (you will learn later that this is called ‘multidisciplinarity’).

D. By now, it should be clear that although Social Science makes constant use of the past, it seeks to make sense of the present so as to help us prepare a better future.

C. It is an exploration and an adventure.

B. Locating Places on the Earth CHAPTER1 The globe of the Earth stands in space, made up of water, earth, fire and air and is spherical....

A. The Big Questions India and the World: Land and the People Imagine that you are visiting a city for the first time.

D. You might ask a local person for help, or you might look at a map of the city.

C. In previous grades, you learnt a little about maps, and in this chapter, we will study them in more detail.

B. Imagine that you just got off a train at the railway station, and you want to visit the bank marked on the map.

A. This is where a map comes in handy!

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

C. Notice the four arrows in the top right corner of the map; we will soon see how they point to some specific directions and make maps even more helpful.

B. 1.1 given on page 8 — Mark the hospital.

A. Let each group try to draw a map of your school and some of the streets or roads that lead to it, and a few neighbouring buildings.

D. At the end, compare all the maps and discuss.

A Map and Its Components From this simple example, we understand that a map is arepresentation, or a drawing, of some area — it may be a small area (a village, a town, etc.), a bigger area (say, your district or state), or a very large area like India or even the whole world. In a map, you look at the surface as if you are viewing it from the top.

In a map, you look at the surface as if you are viewing it from the top. An atlas is a book or collection of maps.

An atlas is a book or collection of maps. In addition, there are three important components of maps—distance, direction and symbols.

In addition, there are three important components of maps—distance, direction and symbols. Let us now define them more precisely.

Let us now define them more precisely. It is all thanks to the map’s scale.

It is all thanks to the map’s scale. Each centimetre on the map represents a certain distance on the ground — let us suppose it is 500 metres; we say that the scale is 1 cm = 500 m.

Each centimetre on the map represents a certain distance on the ground — let us suppose it is 500 metres; we say that the scale is 1 cm = 500 m. The scale is repre- sented in the bottom left corner by a ruler with ‘500’ written above its length and ‘km’ on the side.

The scale is repre- sented in the bottom left corner by a ruler with ‘500’ written above its length and ‘km’ on the side. It simply means that this ruler, which measures 2.5 cm in the printed map, corresponds to 500 kilometres on the ground.

It simply means that this ruler, which measures 2.5 cm in the printed map, corresponds to 500 kilometres on the ground. So, the actual distance between two points represented on the map depends on the scale that the map is using.

So, the actual distance between two points represented on the map depends on the scale that the map is using. Let us assume it is arectangle, 40 m in length and 30 m in width.

Let us assume it is arectangle, 40 m in length and 30 m in width. Draw it precisely with your ruler on a scale of 1 cm = 10 m. Æ Now measure the diagonal of the rectangle.

Draw it precisely with your ruler on a scale of 1 cm = 10 m. Æ Now measure the diagonal of the rectangle. Using the scale, calculate the real length of the playground’s diagonal, in metres.

Using the scale, calculate the real length of the playground’s diagonal, in metres. Let us return to the four arrows at the top right of the small city’s map.

Let us return to the four arrows at the top right of the small city’s map. They point tofour directions, which are north, at the top, and, moving clockwise, east, south and west.

They point tofour directions, which are north, at the top, and, moving clockwise, east, south and west. These are called the cardinal directions, also cardinal points.

These are called the cardinal directions, also cardinal points. Other than these, intermediate directions are also used — northeast (NE), southeast (SE), southwest (SW) and northwest (NW). Most maps simply have an arrow marked with the letter ‘N’, which points to the north direction.

Most maps simply have an arrow marked with the letter ‘N’, which points to the north direction. Identify the correct and incorrect statements in the list below: The mark et is north of the hospital. The museum is southeast of the bank.

The museum is southeast of the bank. The r ailway station is northwest of the hospital. Discuss with your teacher and your parents.

Discuss with your teacher and your parents. Symbols are another important component of maps. Our map has small drawings of actual buildings and a few other elements, but there would not be enough space on the map of a large city or a country to draw them all.

Our map has small drawings of actual buildings and a few other elements, but there would not be enough space on the map of a large city or a country to draw them all. Instead, a symbol is used to represent these features — symbols for different kinds of buildings (for instance a railway station, a school, a post office), for roads and railway lines, and for natural elements such as a river, a pond or a forest. In that way, numerous details can be shown in the limited space available on a map.

In that way, numerous details can be shown in the limited space available on a map. To make maps more easily understood by a variety of users, map makers use specific symbols. Different countries use different sets of symbols.

Different countries use different sets of symbols. The Survey of India, a government body, has fixed a set of symbols for maps of India (or parts of India). 1.2 on page 12 to mark some important features.

1.2 on page 12 to mark some important features. India and the World: Land and the People Mapping the Earth Mapping the Earth is a little more difficult because our planet is not a flat surface. It nearly has the shape of a sphere. (We say ‘nearly’ because it is not a perfect sphere, but is slightly flattened at the poles.

It nearly has the shape of a sphere. (We say ‘nearly’ because it is not a perfect sphere, but is slightly flattened at the poles. However, in practice, we will consider it to be spherical.) Representing a sphere accurately on a flat sheet of paper is not possible. Now, consider a globe, which is a sphere on which a map is drawn.

Now, consider a globe, which is a sphere on which a map is drawn. This may be a map of the Earth, the Moon, the planet Mars, the stars and constellations in the sky, etc. The physical object, like the one shown in the drawing on the next page, is a sphere that is generally made of metal, plastic or cardboard.

The physical object, like the one shown in the drawing on the next page, is a sphere that is generally made of metal, plastic or cardboard. A selection of symbols commonly used in maps. Railway Line: broad gauge, metre gauge, railway station Roads: metalled, unmetalled Boundary: international, state, district River, well, tank, canal, bridge Temple, church, mosque, chhatri Settlement, graveyard Post Office, Post & Telegraph Office, Police Station PO PTO PS Trees, grass RS Here we will study the globe representing the Earth’s geography. Because the globe and the Earth have the same spherical shape, a globe will better represent the geography of the Earth than a flat map. Let us now explore some of its features. a) Understanding coordinates Imagine a big market in a city or town, with neat rows of shops, all the same size.

Let us now explore some of its features. a) Understanding coordinates Imagine a big market in a city or town, with neat rows of shops, all the same size. You want to meet a friend at a stationery shop inside the market. But your friend does not know where the shop is. So you would give directions like, “Meet me at 6 pm at the 7 th shop in the 5 th row from the entrance.” This will allow your friend to precisely determine your location. To record moves by advanced players, letters are placed alongside the main pieces (from ‘a’ to ‘h’, see the image) and numbers (from 1 to 8) in between the two sides.

To record moves by advanced players, letters are placed alongside the main pieces (from ‘a’ to ‘h’, see the image) and numbers (from 1 to 8) in between the two sides. This simple system allows players to mark each square and record every move. Here, the white side has just opened the game by moving the queen’s pawn two squares forward (a very common opening). So, the pawn is said to have moved from d2 to d4. India and the World: Land and the People The system used in these two examples may be called a system of coordinates.

India and the World: Land and the People The system used in these two examples may be called a system of coordinates. Thanks to their two coordinates, the stationery shop as well as the chess square on the chessboard can be precisely determined. A similar system of coordinates is used in the world of maps to determine the location of any place on a map. Let us see how this system works. b) Latitudes Let us return to the globe. It is easy to identify the North Pole and the South Pole on it.

It is easy to identify the North Pole and the South Pole on it. Rotate the globe; while it rotates, the fixed points at the top and bottom are the two poles. Imagine that you stand on the Equator and travel towards one of the poles; your distance from the Equator increases. Latitude measures this distance from the Equator. At any point of this travel, you can draw an imaginary line that runs east and west, parallel to the Equator.

At any point of this travel, you can draw an imaginary line that runs east and west, parallel to the Equator. Such a line is called a parallel of latitude and it draws a circle around the Earth. Latitudes are expressed in degrees; by convention, the Equator is latitude 0° (zero degree), while the latitudes of the two poles are 90° North and 90° South respectively; this is noted 90°N and 90°S. There is a connection between latitude and climate. Around the Equator, the climate is generally hot (it is also called ‘torrid’).

Around the Equator, the climate is generally hot (it is also called ‘torrid’). As you travel away from the Equator towards one of the two poles (in other words, as your latitude increases), the climate becomes more moderate (or ‘temperate’). And closer to the North or South Pole, the climate grows colder (or ‘frigid’). You will learn in Science why this is so, and also why we experience different seasons in the course of a year. This globe shows both parallels of latitude and meridians of longitudes c) Longitudes Imagine now that you travel from the North Pole to the South Pole by the shortest possible line.