Delhi - Comprehension Worksheet
Delhi, located on the banks of the River Yamuna, has been known to be continuously inhabited since at least the 6th century. Delhi is also widely believed to have been the site of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas during the times of the Mahabharata. Delhi re-emerged as a major political, cultural and commercial city along the trade routes between northwest India and the Gangetic plain after the rise of the Delhi sultanates. It is the site of many ancient and medieval monuments, archaeological sites and remains. In 1639, Mughal emperor Shahjahan built a new walled city in Delhi which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1649 to 1857.
After the British East India Company got a foothold in North East India in the late 18th century, Calcutta became the capital of British held territories under Company rule (1774-1857) and remained so under the British Raj (1857-1920). British had captured Delhi by 1803 and George V announced in 1911 that the capital of British controlled parts of India would move back to Delhi. A new capital city, New Delhi, was built to the south of the old city during the 1920s. When India gained independence from British rule in 1947, New Delhi was declared its capital and seat of government. As such, New Delhi houses important offices of the government, including the Parliament of India, as well as numerous national museums, monuments, and art galleries.
Owing to the migration of people from across the country (mostly from the Northern and Eastern states of India), Delhi has grown to be a multicultural, cosmopolitan metropolis. Its rapid development and urbanization, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Delhi into a major cultural, political, and commercial centre of India.
Delhi has plenty of parks and gardens. New Delhi, a part of Delhi is one of world's Greenest Capital cities. Delhi Ridge, the last leg of the Aravalli Range is known as Delhi's Green Lung. It runs through South Delhi and terminates in Central Delhi. This makes these two regions the greenest in the city. Owing to its greens, Delhi is home to such large number of birds that it is the world's most bird enriched Capital, only after Kenya's Nairobi.
The definition of capital of India New Delhi within Delhi is unclear and complex. Even administratively, the demarcation between Delhi and New Delhi is not clear. Government of India and Government of Delhi have not clearly defined the area.
Multiple-Choice Question:
(A) New Delhi (B) Delhi
(C) Indrapastha (D) Calcutta
(A) government offices (B) Urbanisation
(C) Location (D) Size
(A) Kenya (B) Delhi (C) Nairobi (D) New Delhi
(A) medieval (B) new (C) recent (D) ancient
(A) developing (B) development
(C) developed (D) develop
(A) continuous (B) continue
(C) continuation (D) continuing
Fill in the blanks:
True/False:
Answer key:
(C)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(C)
(C)
Delhi Ridge
1947
George V
South
Shahjahan
Inhabited
True
True
False
False
False
