From Hunting–Gathering to Growing Food – Class 6 History Chapter 2 Notes, Q&A, MCQs

Introduction

Hey students! 👋 Have you ever wondered how your grandparents or parents lived when they were young? Now imagine going back 12,000 years – no mobile phones, no schools, no markets, no wheat fields, no pet dogs, and no cities. Shocking, right?

Chapter 2 – “From Hunting–Gathering to Growing Food” is one of the most important chapters in your Class 6 History syllabus. Why? Because it tells the greatest story of human change – how our ancestors stopped running behind animals and started growing their own food. This shift changed everything: villages were born, animals became friends (not just food), and human civilization actually began.

This chapter is extremely important for all NCERT-based exams – CBSE, UP Board, Bihar Board (BSEB), Rajasthan Board (RBSE), MP Board, Jharkhand, Haryana, and all other Hindi Belt state boards. Every year, questions appear from:

• Domestication (what is it? why important?)
• Neolithic Age tools and discoveries
• Mehrgarh (one of the earliest villages)
• Differences between hunter-gatherers and farmers
• Causes of the agricultural revolution

This all-in-one guide gives you NCERT-based notes, exam-style Q&A, MCQs, revision tricks, previous year trends, and board-wise focus. Let’s dive in!

Chapter Overview

Historical Background

For millions of years, humans lived as hunter-gatherers. They:

• Ate wild fruits, nuts, roots, and meat from hunting animals
• Moved from place to place (nomadic life)
• Lived in caves or temporary shelters
• Used stone tools (Paleolithic Age)

Then, around 12,000 years ago, the climate began to change. The earth became warmer. Grasses like wheat and barley started growing in large amounts. People noticed that seeds thrown on the ground grew into new plants. This was the beginning of farming.

At the same time, some animals like wild sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs started living closer to human camps. People realized that keeping them alive (instead of killing all at once) gave them regular milk, meat, and wool. This was domestication.

These twin revolutions – farming and herding – changed everything. This period is called the Neolithic Age (New Stone Age).

Important Dates

⏰ Memory Trick: “Mehrgarh = 8000 years ago” – Think: Mehrgarh has 8 letters? No – just remember: 8,000 = Eight thousand = M E H R G A R H (8 letters? Actually 8! M-e-h-r-g-a-r-h = 8 letters) ✅

Important Events

1. Climate change after Ice Age → warmer conditions
2. Wild grains (wheat, barley) grew naturally
3. Humans observed seed germination
4. Deliberate farming began
5. Domestication of sheep, goat, cattle, pig
6. Permanent villages emerged
7. New stone tools (polished axes, mortars, pestles)
8. Pottery invented for storing grains and cooking
9. Weaving and clothing developed
10. Burial practices showed social differences

Important Personalities (No specific historical figures – but key sites & discoverers)

Detailed Explanation of the Chapter

1. Who were Hunter-Gatherers?

Hunter-gatherers were people who:

• Hunted wild animals (deer, bison, boar)
• Gathered wild fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, roots
• Caught fish and birds
• Had no permanent home – moved every few weeks

Why did they move?

1. Animals moved away – they followed them
2. Plants/fruits got over in one area
3. Different seasons had different foods
4. Water sources dried up in summers

Tools they used: Hand axes, cleavers, scrapers, bone needles, spear throwers (all stone or bone).

2. Why Did Farming Begin?

Around 12,000 years ago, the world became warmer after the Ice Age. New grasses like wheat and barley grew in large wild fields.

Accidental discovery: People saw that grains falling near their camps grew into new plants. This idea spread – and soon people started deliberately sowing seeds.

Why farming was better?

• Steady food supply
• No need to move constantly
• Could feed more people
• Extra food could be stored for winter or bad times

3. What is Domestication?

Domestication = Taming wild animals and plants for human use.

Animal Domestication:

First domesticated animals (around 12,000–10,000 years ago):

• Sheep and goats (for meat, milk, wool/hair)
• Cattle (milk, meat, ploughing later)
• Pigs (meat)
• Dogs (hunting companions – domesticated earlier)

🐕 Dog fact: Dogs were probably the first domesticated animal – they helped in hunting and guarding camps.

Plant Domestication:

• Wheat, barley (Middle East & Mehrgarh area)
• Rice (Koldihwa, UP, India)
• Millet, pulses (grams, lentils)

Effects of Domestication:

• ✅ Regular food
• ✅ Permanent settlements
• ✅ Population growth
• ✅ New jobs (potters, weavers, tool makers)
• ✅ Trade between villages

4. The Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)

New Stone Tools:

• Polished axes (cutting trees, clearing land)
• Mortars and pestles (grinding grains)
• Sickles (harvesting crops)
• Bone needles (sewing clothes)
• Fishing hooks

5. How Did People Live in Neolithic Villages?

Houses:

• Rectangular or circular mud-brick houses
• Pit-houses (Burzahom, Kashmir) – dug into ground with steps, warm in winter
• Thatched roofs

Food:

• Grew: wheat, barley, rice, millet, pulses
• Domestic animals: sheep, goat, cattle, pig
• Also hunted and gathered wild foods

Daily Life:

• Women ground grain on stone slabs (called grinding stones)
• Men tended animals and cleared fields
• Both worked in fields
• Children collected firewood, water

Crafts:

• Pottery – clay pots baked in fire, used for cooking, storing grain, water
• Weaving – cloth from wool, cotton? (cotton came later)
• Bead-making – from shell, bone, stone

6. Finding Out About Early Farmers – Archaeological Evidence

Archaeologists find traces of the past:

Important Neolithic Sites in India & Pakistan:

7. Mehrgarh – Our Best Example

Mehrgarh (in present-day Pakistan) is one of the earliest villages in South Asia (8000 years ago).

What did they have?

• Square/rectangular mud-brick houses with 4–6 rooms
• Storage pits for grain
• Domesticated wheat, barley, sheep, goat, cattle
• Polished stone tools, bone tools
• Female figurines (probably mother goddess worship)
• Burials – bodies laid with goats, tools, beads (belief in afterlife?)

Why Mehrgarh is important? It shows a continuous history from early village farming to later Indus Valley Civilization.

8. Burzahom – Pit-House Dwellers

Burzahom (means “place of birch trees”) in Kashmir is unique.

Features:

• Pit-houses – dug 1–2 meters deep, steps leading down
• Warm in extreme cold
• Dogs buried with their masters (special bond)
• Bone tools, red pottery, stone axes
• Later period – mud-brick houses above ground

9. Daojali Hading – Hills and Forests

This site in Assam (North-East India) shows that Neolithic culture also spread to hilly areas.

Finds:

• Stone tools (polished axes, adzes)
• Pottery
• Jadeite (a green stone) – not found locally, so must have come from China or Central Asia – proof of long-distance trade.

Timeline Section

12,000 years ago  →  Climate warms, wild grasses spread
10,000–8,000 YA   →  Domestication begins (sheep, goat, wheat, barley)
8,000 YA          →  Mehrgarh village established
7,000 YA          →  Burzahom pit-houses (Kashmir)
6,000–4,000 YA    →  Farming spreads across India
4,500 YA          →  Daojali Hading (Assam)

Important Terms & Definitions

Causes and Effects of the Neolithic Revolution

Significance of the Chapter

This chapter is NOT just history – it is the story of YOU. Every time you eat roti, dal, rice, or milk your cow/buffalo, or pet a dog – you are living the Neolithic Revolution.

Why boards love this chapter:

• Connects geography (river valleys, climate) with history
• Compares hunting vs farming lifestyles
• Introduces archaeological evidence (how do we know?)
• Easy to make MCQs and short answers
• Links to Indus Valley Civilization (next chapter)

Board-Wise Exam Focus

Important Maps / Visual Suggestions

Images to include in your notes/book:

1. Map showing Neolithic sites – Mark: Mehrgarh, Burzahom, Daojali Hading, Koldihwa, Chirand
2. Comparison chart – Hunter-Gatherer vs Farmer (pictures: cave vs mud house, hand axe vs polished axe)
3. Neolithic tools diagram – Label: polished axe, sickle, mortar & pestle, grinding stone
4. Mehrgarh village reconstruction – Mud-brick houses, storage pits, people grinding grain
5. Burzahom pit-house cross-section – Steps leading down, hearth inside
6. Domesticated animals – Sheep, goat, cattle, pig, dog (with wild ancestors on other side)
7. Pottery evolution – From plain handmade to painted pottery
8. Timeline chart – 12,000 ya to 4,000 ya (color-coded)

Board Exam Important Questions

Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark)

1. Q: What does “domestication” mean?
   A: Taming of wild plants and animals for human use.
2. Q: Name any two Neolithic tools.
   A: Polished axe and sickle.
3. Q: Where is Mehrgarh located?
   A: In present-day Pakistan (Balochistan).
4. Q: What were pit-houses?
   A: Houses dug into the ground with steps – found in Burzahom.
5. Q: Which grain was found at Koldihwa (UP)?
   A: Rice.
6. Q: Write the full form of “YA” used in dates.
   A: Years Ago.
7. Q: What is a mortar and pestle used for?
   A: Grinding grains.

Short Answer Questions (3 Marks)

8. Q: Why did hunter-gatherers move from place to place? Give three reasons.
   A: (1) Animals moved away (2) Plants became scarce (3) Water sources dried up seasonally.
9. Q: How did domestication lead to village life?
   A: Domestication gave regular food → people didn’t need to move → built permanent houses → villages formed → population grew.
10. Q: What evidence tells us that Mehrgarh people grew crops?
    A: Archaeologists found charred seeds of wheat and barley, and storage pits in houses.

Long Answer Questions (5 Marks)

11. Q: Compare the lifestyle of hunter-gatherers and early farmers.
    A: (Write in table form)

    Aspect	Hunter-Gatherers	Early Farmers
    Movement	Nomadic	Settled
    Food	Wild animals & plants	Domesticated crops & animals
    Tools	Chipped stone	Polished stone
    Shelter	Caves, rock shelters	Mud-brick houses, pit-houses
    Storage	No	Yes (pottery, pits)

12. Q: Describe the findings at Mehrgarh that show it was an early farming village.
    A: Mehrgarh (8000 years ago) had:
    • Mud-brick houses (4–6 rooms)
    • Storage pits for grain
    • Charred seeds of wheat and barley
    • Bones of domesticated sheep, goat, cattle
    • Polished stone tools & bone tools
    • Burials with goats and tools (belief in afterlife)

Competency-Based Questions

13. Q: “Farming was a better way of life than hunting-gathering.” Do you agree? Justify.
    A: Yes – farming gave regular food, allowed permanent homes, larger families, stored food for bad times, and led to villages and trade.
14. Q: If you lived 10,000 years ago, would you choose to be a hunter-gatherer or a farmer? Why?
    A: (Open-ended) Farmer – safer food supply, don’t have to walk long distances, can live with family.

Assertion and Reason Questions

15. Assertion (A): Hunter-gatherers moved frequently.
    Reason (R): Animals and plants were not available in the same place all year.
    Answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
16. Assertion (A): Mehrgarh is one of the earliest villages in South Asia.
    Reason (R): It had mud-brick houses, storage pits, and domesticated plants/animals.
    Answer: Both A and R are true, and R supports A.

Source-Based (Picture/Passage) Question

Passage:
“At Mehrgarh, archaeologists found square and rectangular houses made of mud-brick. Each house had 4–6 rooms. In some houses, they found storage pits filled with charred grains of wheat and barley.”

Q1: What were houses made of?
A: Mud-brick.

Q2: How do we know they stored grains?
A: Storage pits with charred grains.

Q3: Name the grains found.
A: Wheat and barley.

MCQs with Answers

17. Which animal was domesticated first?
    a) Cow b) Dog c) Goat d) Pig
    Ans: b) Dog
18. Daojali Hading is in which state?
    a) Kashmir b) Bihar c) Assam d) UP
    Ans: c) Assam
19. What is jadeite?
    a) A tool b) A green stone c) A grain d) A house type
    Ans: b) A green stone
20. Which site has pit-houses?
    a) Mehrgarh b) Burzahom c) Daojali Hading d) Koldihwa
    Ans: b) Burzahom
21. The word “Neolithic” means:
    a) Old Stone b) New Stone c) Middle Stone d) Metal
    Ans: b) New Stone

HOTS Questions (Higher Order Thinking)

22. What if farming had never been discovered?
    Hint: Humans would still be hunter-gatherers – no cities, no schools, no technology.
23. Why did people in Burzahom build pit-houses?
    Ans: To protect from extreme cold of Kashmir winters.

Case Study Question

Case Study – Mehrgarh Burials:
At Mehrgarh, bodies were buried with goats, stone tools, and bead necklaces. One burial had 8 goats placed around the body.

Q1: What does this suggest about their belief system?
A: They believed in an afterlife – the person would need animals and tools.

Q2: Why were goats chosen?
A: Goats were domesticated and valuable – a sign of wealth or love.

Q3: How does this differ from hunter-gatherer burials?
A: Hunter-gatherers buried with fewer items; farmers showed social differences.

Previous Year Question Trends (Across NCERT Boards)

Common Mistakes Students Make

❌ Mistake 1: Writing “Neolithic” as “Neolitic” or “Niolithic” – spell carefully!
✅ Correction: N-E-O-L-I-T-H-I-C

❌ Mistake 2: Confusing Mehrgarh location (present-day Pakistan, not India)
✅ Correction: In exams, write “present-day Pakistan” – shows accuracy.

❌ Mistake 3: Saying “domestication means keeping animals at home” – incomplete
✅ Correction: Domestication = taming PLUS breeding for human use (plants + animals)

❌ Mistake 4: Forgetting