Themes in World History

Ch 3 Changing Traditions

Class 11 • Themes in World History

NCERT Class 11 History Chapter 3 Questions (MCQ, One-Word or Descriptive)

This page provides complete NCERT Class 11 Themes in World History Chapter 3 questions, including MCQs, one-word and descriptive questions. All questions are extracted line-by-line from NCERT for full syllabus coverage and exam preparation.

This chapter traces the transformation of European society from the decline of the Roman Empire in the west (fifth century CE) through the medieval period to the dawn of the early modern era (c. 1300-1700). It begins by explaining the emergence of feudalism – a system where agricultural production was organised around castles and manor houses, with lords owning land cultivated by serfs (peasants) who pledged loyalty, goods, and services.

Lords, in turn, owed loyalty to greater lords (vassals) of kings. The Catholic Church supported this system and provided spiritual guidance in an uncertain world where life expectancy was low. Monasteries became centres of religious devotion and scholarship, connected to a network stretching from Muslim Spain to Byzantium.

From the twelfth century, commercial revival began, led by Mediterranean entrepreneurs in Venice and Genoa. Trade with Muslim states and the eastern Roman Empire grew, reinforced by the Crusades. Population growth stimulated fairs and port cities of the Baltic and North Seas. By the fourteenth century, the Renaissance (especially in north Italian towns) shifted European attitudes – the wealthy became less concerned with the afterlife and more interested in the wonders of life itself.

Artists, sculptors, and writers explored humanity and world discovery, influenced by Islamic art, Greek ideas from Byzantine trade, and classical examples. By the late fifteenth century, these changes encouraged unprecedented voyages of discovery. Spaniards and Portuguese pushed down Africa’s west coast, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and reached India (Vasco da Gama in Calicut, 1498).

Columbus attempted a western route to India and reached the West Indies in 1492. Europeans encountered diverse peoples – from North African geographer Hasan al-Wazzan (Leo Africanus), who wrote the first geography of Africa for Pope Leo X, to Japanese who quickly adopted European musket technology. However, European encounters also brought devastation: diseases killed over 90% of some indigenous American populations by the end of the sixteenth century.

The chapter concludes by noting that until the end of the seventeenth century, for much of the Islamic world, India, and China, Europeans remained curiosities – hardy traders and seamen with little to contribute to their sense of the larger world.

🚀 How to use this Study Material:

  1. Read First: Go through this Chapter in your textbook thoroughly.
  2. Revise Conceptually: Solve the Descriptive Questions in Section A.
  3. Fact Check: Use the One-Liners and MCQs in Section B to test your factual memory.
  4. Refer Back: If you miss a point, check the specific Page Number mentioned with each question.
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Section A: Descriptive Questions

  1. What was feudalism in western Europe, and how was it organised? Page 79
  2. What role did the Catholic Church play in medieval European society? Page 79
  3. How did commerce and towns evolve within the feudal order from the twelfth century onward? Page 79
  4. What was the Renaissance, and how did it change European attitudes? Page 80
  5. What motivated European voyages of discovery in the late fifteenth century? Page 80
  6. Who was Hasan al-Wazzan (Leo Africanus), and what was his contribution? Page 80-81
  7. How did the encounter with Europeans vary across different non-European societies? Page 81
  8. What was the impact of European diseases on indigenous populations in the Americas? Page 81

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Section B1: Objective MCQs

Page 78-79

Which empire of Charlemagne is mentioned as a fine example of combining Roman institutions with tribal customary rules?

A) Roman EmpireB) Byzantine EmpireC) Carolingian EmpireD) Holy Roman Empire
View Answer
Correct Answer: Carolingian Empire
Reference: NCERT Page 78-79
Page 79

What name was given to peasants who cultivated land and pledged loyalty, goods, and services to lords of the manor?

A) VassalsB) SerfsC) KnightsD) Freemen
View Answer
Correct Answer: Serfs
Reference: NCERT Page 79
Page 79

Which two Mediterranean cities were known for entrepreneurial trade encouraging evolution of the feudal order?

A) Rome and FlorenceB) Venice and GenoaC) Pisa and NaplesD) Milan and Bologna
View Answer
Correct Answer: Venice and Genoa
Reference: NCERT Page 79
Page 80

In which year did Columbus reach the islands Europeans called the West Indies?

A) 1482B) 1488C) 1492D) 1498
View Answer
Correct Answer: 1492
Reference: NCERT Page 80
Page 81

Who was the Aztec woman who befriended Cortes and interpreted/negotiated for him?

A) MalincheB) La MalincheC) Dona MarinaD) Both Malinche and Dona Marina (same person)
View Answer
Correct Answer: Both Malinche and Dona Marina (same person)
Reference: NCERT Page 81
Page 81

Where did Vasco da Gama arrive in 1498?

A) GoaB) BombayC) Calicut (Kozhikode)D) Cochin
View Answer
Correct Answer: Calicut (Kozhikode)
Reference: NCERT Page 81
Page 80-81

Which Englishman became friend and counsellor of Japanese Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early seventeenth century?

A) Francis DrakeB) John HawkinsC) Will AdamsD) Thomas Roe
View Answer
Correct Answer: Will Adams
Reference: NCERT Page 80-81
Page 83

What invention is associated with Zacharias Janssen in the 1590s according to the timeline?

A) TelescopeB) MicroscopeC) BarometerD) Thermometer
View Answer
Correct Answer: Microscope
Reference: NCERT Page 83
Page 83

Who wrote The Canterbury Tales, one of the earliest compositions in English?

A) Geoffrey ChaucerB) William ShakespeareC) John MiltonD) Edmund Spenser
View Answer
Correct Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer
Reference: NCERT Page 83
Page 84

Which Mughal emperor consolidated Mughal rule in India?

A) BaburB) HumayunC) AkbarD) Jahangir
View Answer
Correct Answer: Akbar
Reference: NCERT Page 84
Page 85

What was the capital of the Aztec empire established in 1325?

A) TeotihuacanB) TenochtitlanC) Chichen ItzaD) Palenque
View Answer
Correct Answer: Tenochtitlan
Reference: NCERT Page 85
Page 85

What accounting system did the Aztecs develop according to the timeline?

A) AbacusB) QuipuC) Papyrus scrollsD) Decimal system
View Answer
Correct Answer: Quipu
Reference: NCERT Page 85

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Section B2: Factual One-Liners

What was the system of agricultural production organised around castles and manor houses called? Page 79

Reveal Answer
Feudalism (Page 79)

What were the God-fearing communities where people devoted themselves to religious service called? Page 79

Reveal Answer
Monasteries (Page 79)

What term describes military expeditions to free holy places associated with Christ from Muslims? Page 79

Reveal Answer
Crusades (Page 79)

What period of European cultural rebirth beginning in the fourteenth century is mentioned? Page 80

Reveal Answer
Renaissance (Page 80)

Which Spanish conqueror of Mexico was befriended by Dona Marina? Page 81

Reveal Answer
Cortes (Page 81)

What disease devastated indigenous American populations after European contact? Page 81

Reveal Answer
Plague (Page 81)

What was the name of the Japanese shogun who befriended Will Adams? Page 81

Reveal Answer
Tokugawa Ieyasu (Page 81)

Which Portuguese explorer reached India in 1498? Page 81

Reveal Answer
Vasco da Gama (Page 81)

Which dynasty ruled China from 1368 onwards according to the timeline? Page 84

Reveal Answer
Ming (Page 84)

Which Mughal ruler built the Taj Mahal (1632-53)? Page 84

Reveal Answer
Shah Jahan (Page 84)

Which European country established slave trading in 1442? Page 83

Reveal Answer
Portugal (Page 83)

Who wrote Don Quixote (1605), one of the first novels? Page 83

Reveal Answer
Miguel de Cervantes (Page 83)

Which French king (1638-1715) is associated with absolutism? Page 83

Reveal Answer
Louis XIV (Page 83)

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