Ancient River Valley Civilisation: Egypt
Solutions for History & Civics, Class 6, ICSE
Answer In Brief
4 questionsAnswer:
The Egyptian society was divided into three distinct classes.
- The upper class consisted of members of the royal family, rich landowners, high priests and government officials.
- The middle class was made up of merchants, manufacturers, artisans or craftspersons. The ordinary priests were also members of this class.
- The lower class consisted of farmers and unskilled workers. Slaves, who were mostly prisoners of war, were at the lowest level of society and had no rights.
Answer:
Two features of the Egyptian religion are:
- The Egyptians believed in many gods and goddesses, who were symbols of nature. Some of the important gods were Re, the Sun god; Isis, the wife of Osiris, the god of underworld and resurrection.
- The pharaohs, who they believed were god's representatives on Earth, were also worshipped.
Answer:
Two features of the Egyptian calender are:
- The ancient Egyptian calendar had a year that was 365 days long.
- The Egyptian civil calendar was divided into 12 months of 30 days each, plus 5 extra days at the end of the year for the celebration of religious festivals.
Multiple Choice Questions
7 questionsChoose one option to match the items given in Column I with those in Column II.
| Column I: | Column II: |
|---|---|
| i. pyramid | a. a mythical figure with the head of a man and the body of a lion |
| ii. sphinx | b. a body preserved in an Egyptian manner |
| iii. mummy | c. tomb and monument built for Egyptian kings |
- i-b, ii-a, iii-c
- i-c, ii-a, iii-b
- i-a, ii-b, iii-c
Answer:
i-c, ii-a, iii-b
Reflective Learning
2 questionsAnswer:
Government and religion were intertwined in ancient Egypt. As the Egyptians believed that their kings or pharaohs were the descendants of gods, the pharaoh was not only the head of the state, but also God's representative on Earth.
Which of the following options best describes what the process of mummification tells us about the ancient Egyptians? Give at least one reason for your answer. You can choose multiple options.
- The process of mummification tells us that the ancient Egyptians had an advanced knowledge of medicine and the human body.
- The process of mummification tells us that the ancient Egyptians wanted to keep their pharaohs alive.
- The process of mummification tells us that the ancient Egyptians believed in life after death.
Answer:
Option 1 and 3 are true.
Reason — When a person died, the body organs were removed and the body was dried. The body was embalmed with oils and spices to preserve it. It was then wrapped in strips of linen (a very fine cloth). This preserved body is called a mummy. Mummies were prepared thousands of years ago, and yet they are well preserved today. Therefore, the process of mummification tells us that the ancient Egyptians had an advanced knowledge of medicine and the human body.
The ancient Egyptians also believed in life after death. As a result of this, when the mummies were put in a wooden coffin and buried in the tombs, food, wine, clothes, jewellery, furniture and weapons were kept there too to make the journey comfortable.