From Hunting-Gathering to Growing Food Question Answers: NCERT Class 6 Social Science - History Our Past

(a) Hunter-gatherers chose to live in caves and rock shelters because they found protection from rains, winds, attack of animals and sunlight.
(b) Grasslands developed around 12,000 years ago.

The people who grow crops have to stay in the same place for a long time as they have to take care of their crops and it takes so many months to bear fruits. After the grain ripened they had to store it in some place have to protect them too.

Archeologists have found bones of wild animals from lower level of mehrgarh and bones of domestic animals from the upper level. This proves that people in mehrgarh earlier were hunters later on they turned into herders.

Hunter-gatherers traveled from place to place for several reasons:

1. They would have used up all the plants and animals in one area, so they moved to find new food sources.
2. Animals move around, and since they relied on hunting, they had to follow the animals' movements.
3. Plants and trees bear fruits in different seasons. To find food throughout the year, they moved in search of different plants as seasons changed.
4. Water is essential for survival, but many rivers and lakes dried up in certain seasons. During the dry season, they traveled to find places with water.

Similarity/Difference with Our Travels Today:
Unlike hunter-gatherers, who moved for survival needs like food and water, we usually travel for different reasons, such as education, work, or holidays. However, just like them, we also travel to places where our needs or interests are met.

Hunter-gatherers used fire in the following ways:

1. As a source of light – Fire helped them see in the dark.
2. To roast meat – They used fire to cook food, which made it tastier and easier to eat.
3. To scare away animals – Fire protected them from wild animals at night by keeping dangerous creatures away.
4. To clear the jungle - Fire helped them to clearing forest area for staying on a clean surface

Would we use fire for these purposes today?
Yes, we still use fire for some of these purposes today. For example, we use fire for cooking food. However, we don’t need fire as much for light because we have electric lights now, and we usually don’t use fire to scare away animals, as we live in safer places.

The lives of farmers and herders were different from hunter-gatherers in the following ways:

1. Settled Life – Farmers and herders stayed in one place for a longer time because they needed to look after their crops and animals. In contrast, hunter-gatherers moved from place to place in search of food.

2. Food Supply – Farmers grew their own food like grains, while herders took care of animals like goats and sheep for milk and meat. Hunter-gatherers relied on hunting animals and gathering wild fruits and plants.

3. Storage of Food – Farmers could store food they grew, like grains, for later use. Hunter-gatherers couldn’t store food easily because they were always moving and depended on what they found daily.

This made the lives of farmers and herders more stable compared to the wandering life of hunter-gatherers.