The Church and Society Class 11 – Concept, MCQs & Notes PDF

Topic covered: The Church and Society class 11 notes and MCQs questions: The Three Orders (All single detail notes are exam-oriented).

We have discussed in-depth and exam-oriented pointers that can be asked in the board exam of class 11th about “The Church and Society“ from the NCERT history notes for class 11th chapter 4 “The Three Orders”.

Download the NCERT History for Class 11th Chapter 4 The Three Orders Notes PDF

Download the NCERT History for Class 11th Chapter 4 The Three Orders Notes PDF for a detailed and easy-to-understand explanation of medieval European society. These notes begin with an introduction to feudalism and explain how the feudal system developed in France and England. You will clearly understand the three orders of society, focusing on the second order, the nobility, their privileges, duties, and life on the manorial estate, including the role of knights in feudal warfare.

The chapter also explains the first order, the clergy, covering monks, the Church, and its deep influence on social life, education, and moral values. Equal attention is given to the third order, peasants, both free and unfree, with specific references to England and their everyday struggles. In addition, the notes discuss factors affecting social and economic relations, the emergence of a possible fourth order with new towns, townspeople, and cathedral towns, and the major crisis of the fourteenth century, marked by social unrest and political changes. These NCERT-based notes are ideal for concept clarity, revision, and exam preparation.

The Church and Society

1. Survival of Pre-Christian Beliefs:

• Even after becoming Christian, Europeans retained old beliefs.
• Magic and folk traditions continued alongside Christianity.

2. Christian Festivals:

• Christmas and Easter became important from the fourth century.
• These festivals replaced older pre-Christian traditions.

3. Christmas:

• Celebrates the birth of Christ.
• Observed on 25 December.
• Replaced an old pre-Roman festival.
• The earlier festival was calculated using the solar calendar.

4. Easter:

• Marks the crucifixion of Christ and his resurrection.
• The date of Easter was not fixed.
• It replaced an older festival celebrating the arrival of spring.
• The older festival followed the lunar calendar.

5. Village Customs and the Parish:

• Traditionally, villagers toured their village lands on the festival day.
• With Christianity, this practice continued.
• The village was now called a ‘parish’.
• A parish was the area under one priest’s supervision.

6. Holy Days and Peasant Life:

• Overworked peasants welcomed holy days/holidays.
• Peasants were not expected to work on these days.
• Though meant for prayer, people often spent time feasting and enjoying themselves.

7. Pilgrimage:

• Pilgrimage was an important part of Christian life.
• People travelled long distances.
• Destinations included:
  • Shrines of martyrs
  • Large churches

8. Pilgrimage in Literature:

• Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales describes pilgrimages.
• Written in Middle English in the fourteenth century.
• Describes people travelling from all parts of England to Canterbury.

Next & Previous Topics of NCERT/CBSE History Class 11 Chapter 4: The Three Orders

MCQs on NCERT History Class 11 Chapter 4 Topic – The Church and Society Class 11

Here are the top exam-oriented MCQ-type questions on “The Church and Society Class 11” that you should prepare for your CBSE or state board exams:

Question 1. Even after becoming Christian, Europeans continued to believe in:

a) Only Church laws
b) Magic and folk traditions
c) Scientific ideas
d) Roman politics

Answer: b) Magic and folk traditions

Question 2. Which two festivals became important from the fourth century?

a) Christmas and Easter
b) Easter and Lent
c) Christmas and Lent
d) Palm Sunday and Easter

Answer: a) Christmas and Easter

Question 3. Christmas celebrates:

a) The resurrection of Christ
b) The crucifixion of Christ
c) The birth of Christ
d) The baptism of Christ

Answer: c) The birth of Christ

Question 4. The birth of Christ is celebrated on:

a) 1 January
b) 25 December
c) 31 December
d) 21 March

Answer: b) 25 December

Question 5. Christmas replaced an old festival which was:

a) Roman
b) Greek
c) Pre-Roman
d) Christian

Answer: c) Pre-Roman

Question 6. The date of the pre-Roman festival replaced by Christmas was calculated using the:

a) Lunar calendar
b) Agricultural calendar
c) Solar calendar
d) Church calendar

Answer: c) Solar calendar

Question 7. Easter marks:

a) Christ’s birth
b) Christ’s baptism
c) Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection
d) Christ’s ascension

Answer: c) Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection

Question 8. The date of Easter was not fixed because it replaced:

a) A Roman war festival
b) A harvest festival
c) A spring festival
d) A winter festival

Answer: c) A spring festival

Question 9. The older spring festival replaced by Easter was dated according to the:

a) Solar calendar
b) Lunar calendar
c) Church calendar
d) Agricultural calendar

Answer: b) Lunar calendar

Question  10. Traditionally, on the spring festival day, villagers used to:

a) Visit churches
b) Fast
c) Tour their village lands
d) Pay taxes

Answer: c) Tour their village lands

Question 11. After the coming of Christianity, the village was called:

a) Diocese
b) Manor
c) Parish
d) Abbey

Answer: c) Parish

Question 12. A parish was defined as:

a) Land under a king
b) Area under a bishop
c) Area under one priest
d) Area under monks

Answer: c) Area under one priest

Question 13. Overworked peasants welcomed holy days mainly because:

a) They received money
b) They were exempted from work
c) They travelled
d) They paid fewer taxes

Answer: b) They were exempted from work

Question 14. Holy days were originally meant for:

a) Trade
b) Entertainment
c) Prayer
d) Farming

Answer: c) Prayer

Question 15. In practice, people spent holy days mostly:

a) Working secretly
b) Studying
c) Having fun and feasting
d) Travelling abroad

Answer: c) Having fun and feasting

Question 16. Pilgrimage was considered an important part of:

a) A knight’s life
b) A peasant’s duty
c) A Christian’s life
d) A monk’s training

Answer: c) A Christian’s life

Question 17. People went on pilgrimages mainly to:

a) Royal courts
b) Trade centres
c) Shrines of martyrs and big churches
d) Battlefields

Answer: c) Shrines of martyrs and big churches

Question 18. The poem describing pilgrimage to Canterbury was written by:

a) Langland
b) Dante
c) Geoffrey Chaucer
d) Thomas Aquinas

Answer: c) Geoffrey Chaucer

Question 19. The Canterbury Tales was originally written in:

a) Latin
b) Old English
c) Middle English
d) French

Answer: c) Middle English

Question 20. According to Chaucer, people especially travelled to which place on pilgrimage?

a) Rome
b) Jerusalem
c) Canterbury
d) Paris

Answer: c) Canterbury