NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science (Exploring Society) Chapter 9: Family and Community

These Class 6 Social Science Exploring Society Chapter 9 solutions cover Family and Community from Exploring Society: India and Beyond, the new NCF-2023 textbook for the 2026–27 session. The chapter belongs to the theme Governance and Democracy and answers two Big Questions: why the family unit is important, and what a community is and what role it plays. It explores joint and nuclear families, the rich kinship terms of Indian languages, the roles and responsibilities of family members, family values such as ahimsa, dāna, sevā and tyāga, and many real-life examples of communities supporting one another. Below you get step-by-step answers to all Questions, activities and projects, clear notes on key terms, extra practice, MCQs, Assertion–Reason and FAQs.

Class: 6 Subject: Social Science Book: Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter: 9 Theme: Governance and Democracy Session: 2026–27
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Class 6 Social Science Exploring Society Chapter 9 – Overview

Chapter 9, Family and Community, explains that the family is the fundamental and most ancient unit of society. In India today there are several types of families — from joint families, where several generations such as grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters and cousins live together, to nuclear families limited to a couple and their children (or one parent and children). Indian languages have far more kinship terms than English — words like bua, tau, tai, chacha, mausi, nana, nani — and in most Indian languages there is no separate word for ‘cousin’, because cousins are simply ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’, showing the deep bonds in a family. Relationships rest on love, care, cooperation and interdependence, with each member having a role and responsibility. The family is also a ‘school’ for values such as ahimsa, dāna (giving), sevā (service) and tyāga (sacrifice). Through stories from Kerala (Shalini) and Meghalaya (Tenzing) and real examples like the Bhil halma tradition, the Chennai floods and Kamal Parmar’s classes, the chapter shows how a community — a group of connected people — supports its members, follows shared rules, and is ultimately interdependent.

Key Concepts & Terms

Family: the fundamental and most ancient unit of any society; almost all of us live in one. Relationships within a family are based on love, care, cooperation and interdependence.

Joint family: a family in which several generations live together — grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, brothers, sisters and cousins.

Nuclear family: a family limited to a couple and their children, and sometimes one parent and children.

Kinship terms: the words used for family relationships. Indian languages have many more such terms than English — in Hindi, for example, bua, tau, tai, chacha, mausi, nana, nani. Most Indian languages have no word for ‘cousin’, because cousins are treated as brothers and sisters.

Cooperation: ‘working together’. Each member of a family has a role and responsibility towards the others.

Dharma: doing one’s duty; following our dharma has been an important principle of Indian culture.

Family values: the family is also a ‘school’ where children learn values such as ahimsa (non-violence), dāna (giving), sevā (service) and tyāga (sacrifice). Individuals often give up their own needs for the family’s needs.

Community: a group of connected people, including families and the people around them. Members come together for festivals, feasts, weddings, farming and other events. (The word has other meanings too, depending on the context.)

Community rules: practices — rarely written down — that communities agreed upon for the use of shared natural wealth like water, grazing lands and forest produce, giving everyone secure access while also giving each family duties to perform.

Halma: a tradition of the Bhil community of coming together to support any individual or family in times of crisis; near Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh) the Bhils planted thousands of trees and built water-harvesting structures to serve Mother Earth.

Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA): a new type of urban community in which residents make their own rules about waste management, cleanliness of common areas, care of pets, and so on.

Interdependence: in our complex societies everyone depends on a number of other people and communities — an RWA, for example, depends on the trading community for supplies and on municipal workers to handle waste.

Jāti: a jāti, or a subdivision of it, is also often called a community.

“Questions, activities and projects” — Full Solutions

All questions below are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT textbook’s end-of-chapter Questions, activities and projects section. Answers are original, written in clear Grade 6 exam-ready style.

1. What are some of the rules you follow in your family and neighbourhood? Why are they important?

ANSWER This is a personal-observation question, so your own examples are accepted. A model answer is given below. Some rules I follow in my family: waking up and sleeping on time; finishing homework before playing; switching off lights, fans and taps when not in use; greeting and respecting elders; sharing household chores such as cleaning my room and helping to lay the table; asking permission before going out; and eating meals together. Some rules I follow in my neighbourhood: keeping the streets and common areas clean and not littering; throwing waste in the dustbin and separating wet and dry waste; not making loud noise that disturbs others; parking vehicles in the right place; greeting neighbours politely; and helping anyone who is in need. Why they are important: these rules help everyone live together in peace and comfort. They teach cooperation, care and responsibility, keep our home and surroundings clean and safe, prevent quarrels, and make sure that each person does his or her duty so that the family and community function smoothly.

2. Do you think some rules are unfair to a few people in the family or community? Why?

ANSWER Yes, sometimes a few rules can be unfair to some members of a family or community. Rules are meant to help everyone, but if they are not based on fairness and equal respect, they may burden or leave out a few people. Examples of unfair practices: expecting only the girls or women of the house to do all the cooking, cleaning and washing while the boys or men do nothing; not allowing girls or some children to study or play; giving more food, freedom or attention to one child than to another; or, in a community, denying some families equal access to shared resources like water or common land. Why such rules are unfair: a fair rule should treat all members with equal respect and share work and benefits among everyone. When a rule places all the duties on a few people, or denies some members their needs and rights, it is unfair. In a good family and community, members support each other, share responsibilities, and make rules together so that no one is left out or overburdened.

3. Describe several situations that you have observed where community support makes a difference. You can draw or write about these.

ANSWER Community support means people coming together to help one another, often without expecting anything in return. Here are several situations where such support makes a real difference (you may also write about your own observations or draw a picture): 1. During festivals: neighbours and families come together to clean and decorate streets, organise feasts and celebrate events such as Onam, Diwali or Eid, sharing food and joy with everyone. 2. In farming villages: people help each other in land preparation, sowing and harvesting, so that no family is left struggling alone in the busy season. 3. In natural disasters: like the Chennai floods of 2015, when many groups cooked large quantities of food and distributed it to people in need; or the Bhil halma tradition near Jhabua, where the community planted trees and built water-harvesting structures to fight a water crisis. 4. In emergencies in the neighbourhood: when a neighbour’s house was damaged in a storm, people collected money to help with the repairs; when there is a power failure, someone registers a complaint at the nearby office for everyone. 5. In education: like Kamal Parmar in Ahmedabad, who taught underprivileged children for free in the evenings and gave them dinner, while teachers and older students volunteered to help. In all these situations, community support brings people relief, hope and strength, and shows how working together makes life better for all.

Extra Practice Questions

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. What is a family? Why is it called the most ancient unit of society?

ANSWERA family is a group of people related to one another who live and care for each other. It is called the fundamental and most ancient unit of society because almost all of us live in a family, and families have existed since the earliest human societies, forming the base on which larger communities are built.

Q2. What is the difference between a joint family and a nuclear family?

ANSWERA joint family has several generations living together — grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters and cousins. A nuclear family is limited to a couple and their children, and sometimes one parent and children. A joint family is larger, while a nuclear family is smaller.

Q3. Why is there usually no separate word for ‘cousin’ in most Indian languages?

ANSWERIn most Indian languages there is no separate word for ‘cousin’ because cousins are treated simply as ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’. This emphasises the deep bonds among all the children of the family, showing closeness rather than distance.

Q4. Name the four values that the chapter says children learn in the family as a ‘school’.

ANSWERThe four values mentioned are ahimsa (non-violence), dāna (giving), sevā (service) and tyāga (sacrifice). The family is called a ‘school’ because children learn these important values there, often by giving up their own needs for the family.

Q5. What is the halma tradition of the Bhil community?

ANSWERHalma is a tradition of the Bhil community of coming together to support any individual or family in times of crisis. To fight an acute water crisis near Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh, the Bhils planted thousands of trees, dug trenches and built water-harvesting structures — without pay — as their duty towards the community and Mother Earth.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Explain how the relationships among family members are based on love, care, cooperation and interdependence.

ANSWERRelationships among family members rest on love, care, cooperation and interdependence. Love and care mean that members are concerned for one another’s happiness and wellbeing. Cooperation means ‘working together’ — each member has a role and responsibility towards the others. For example, parents are responsible for raising their children to become happy and responsible members of society; and as children grow up, they take on more responsibilities at home to help their parents, brothers and sisters. Through this daily practice, children learn to participate in the life of the household and to follow the traditions of the family. Interdependence means members depend on one another — in Tenzing’s family, the father helps with chores while the mother works, the grandmother tells stories and cooks, and the grandfather helps with homework and social work. In this way, love, care, cooperation and interdependence hold the family together.

Q2. What is a community? Describe, with examples, the different ways in which the word ‘community’ is used.

ANSWERA community is a group of connected people — families and the people around them — who come together for various reasons such as celebrating festivals, organising feasts and weddings, or supporting one another in farming and times of crisis. The word ‘community’ is a flexible concept and is used in many ways. (i) A jāti, or a subdivision of it, is often called a community. (ii) A group of people of a particular religion, region, common work or interest may be called a community — for instance, ‘Mumbai’s Parsi community’, ‘Chennai’s Sikh community’, ‘Kerala’s scientific community’ or ‘the village’s farming community’. (iii) In school we belong to many communities — our class, the sports community, the National Service Scheme, the National Cadet Corps, or a science or drama club. (iv) New communities such as Residents’ Welfare Associations make their own rules about waste, cleanliness and pets. The list of communities is endless.

Q3. ‘Communities are ultimately interdependent.’ Explain this statement with examples.

ANSWERThe statement means that no community can survive entirely on its own; every community depends on a number of other people and communities. In our complex societies, members of one community must rely on the work of others to meet their needs. For example, a Residents’ Welfare Association makes rules for its area, but it still depends on the trading community for supplies of food and goods, and on municipal workers to collect and handle the waste. Farming communities provide food to towns and cities, while traders, transporters and shopkeepers bring that food to homes. In the same way, in many villages people come together to support each other with land preparation, sowing and harvesting, and they share natural resources like water, grazing lands and forest produce by following agreed rules. This sharing means that all families and individuals have specific duties to perform, otherwise the community will not function smoothly. Thus, by helping and depending on one another, communities remain ultimately interdependent.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. The fundamental and most ancient unit of any society is the:

(a) community    (b) family    (c) village    (d) school

2. A family in which several generations live together — grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts and cousins — is called a:

(a) nuclear family    (b) joint family    (c) single family    (d) small family

3. A family limited to a couple and their children is called a:

(a) joint family    (b) extended family    (c) nuclear family    (d) community

4. The word ‘cooperation’ means:

(a) competing with others    (b) working together    (c) staying alone    (d) giving orders

5. Which of the following is not one of the values the chapter says children learn in the family?

(a) ahimsa    (b) dāna    (c) tyāga    (d) competition

6. In most Indian languages there is no separate word for:

(a) brother    (b) sister    (c) cousin    (d) uncle

7. The halma tradition belongs to which community?

(a) Parsi    (b) Bhil    (c) Sikh    (d) Tamil

8. During which event of 2015 did many groups cook and distribute food to people in need?

(a) Chennai floods    (b) Kerala floods    (c) Gujarat earthquake    (d) Mumbai rains

9. Residents’ Welfare Associations in urban areas are examples of:

(a) joint families    (b) new types of communities    (c) nuclear families    (d) government offices

10. The statement ‘everyone depends on a number of other people and communities’ describes:

(a) independence    (b) interdependence    (c) competition    (d) isolation

Answer key: 1-(b), 2-(b), 3-(c), 4-(b), 5-(d), 6-(c), 7-(b), 8-(a), 9-(b), 10-(b).

For each Assertion–Reason question, choose: (A) Both true and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion; (B) Both true but the Reason is not the correct explanation; (C) Assertion true, Reason false; (D) Assertion false, Reason true.

A-R 1. Assertion: In most Indian languages there is no separate word for ‘cousin’.

Reason: In Indian families, cousins are treated as brothers and sisters, showing the deep bonds among all the children.

A-R 2. Assertion: English has many more kinship terms than Indian languages.

Reason: Hindi has terms such as bua, tau, tai, chacha, mausi, nana and nani.

A-R 3. Assertion: A community is ultimately interdependent.

Reason: A Residents’ Welfare Association depends on the trading community for supplies and on municipal workers to handle waste.

A-R 4. Assertion: The family can be called a ‘school’.

Reason: Children learn important values such as ahimsa, dāna, sevā and tyāga within the family.

A-R 5. Assertion: Communities follow rules about the use of shared resources like water, grazing lands and forest produce.

Reason: Such rules give all families and individuals specific duties so that the community functions smoothly.

Answer key: 1-(A), 2-(D), 3-(A), 4-(A), 5-(A).

Exam Tips & Common Mistakes

How to score full marks in this chapter

Learn the two Big Questions — why the family is important and what a community is. Be ready to give a clear two-sided comparison of joint vs nuclear families with examples. Remember the four family values (ahimsa, dāna, sevā, tyāga) and the meaning of cooperation and dharma. For community questions, use the textbook’s own real-life examples — the Bhil halma tradition near Jhabua, the Chennai floods of 2015, Kamal Parmar’s evening classes in Ahmedabad and Residents’ Welfare Associations — and always end with the idea that communities are interdependent. For personal-observation questions, write neat examples from your own home and neighbourhood.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Confusing a joint family (several generations together) with a nuclear family (a couple and their children).
  • Saying English has more kinship terms than Indian languages — it is the other way round.
  • Forgetting that most Indian languages have no separate word for ‘cousin’.
  • Mixing up the four values — dāna is giving, sevā is service, tyāga is sacrifice and ahimsa is non-violence.
  • Treating a community as one fixed thing — remember it is a flexible concept with many meanings (jāti, religion, region, work, interest, school clubs, RWAs).
  • Leaving personal-observation questions (Q1, Q3) blank — always write your own examples.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chapter 9 of Class 6 Social Science Exploring Society about?

Chapter 9, Family and Community, explains why the family is the most ancient and fundamental unit of society, the difference between joint and nuclear families, the rich kinship terms of Indian languages, the roles, responsibilities and values learnt in a family, and what a community is — how it supports its members, follows shared rules and is ultimately interdependent.

What is the difference between a joint family and a nuclear family?

A joint family has several generations living together — grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters and cousins. A nuclear family is limited to a couple and their children, and sometimes one parent and children. A joint family is larger, while a nuclear family is smaller.

What is the exercise heading for Chapter 9 of Exploring Society?

The end-of-chapter exercise in Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 9 is headed Questions, activities and projects and contains 3 numbered questions, all answered step by step on this page.

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