The Harappan Civilisation

Multiple-Choice Questions

Question 1

The period when man used both stone and copper tools is known as:

1. Bronze Age Period
2. Chalcolithic Period
3. Mesopotamian Civilisation Period
4. Egyptial Period

Answer

Chalcolithic Period

Question 2

Name the term archaeologists use for a group of objects distinctive in style, usually found together within a specific geographic area and period of time.

1. Civilisation
2. Culture
3. Period
4. History

Answer

Culture

Question 3

Which of the following insights about the Harappan Civilisation was provided by the citadel?

1. There were public buildings for specific purposes.
2. There was ceremonial bathing.
3. There was overseas trade.
4. The people were literate.

Answer

There were public buildings for specific purposes.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a feature of the Dockyard?

1. World's oldest dockyard
2. Presence of mud brick platform
3. Surrounded by wall of baked bricks
4. Connected by channels to Gulf of Cambay.

Answer

Presence of mud brick platform

Question 5

What made the pool at the Great Bath watertight?

1. Burnt bricks
2. Mortar lined with bitumen and gypsum
3. Mud brick platforms
4. Both (a) and (b)

Answer

Both (a) and (b)

Question 6

Which of the following is a feature of the Great Bath?

1. tank in a courtyard.
2. tank surrounded by corridors
3. porticos and rooms
4. All of the above.

Answer

All of the above

Question 7

Bronze statues were made by a special process called

1. moulded clay process
2. lost wax process
3. clay wax process
4. lost clay process

Answer

lost wax process

Question 8

Features of the Indus script include

1. Alphabetical order
2. Written from right to left
3. Written from left to right
4. All of the above.

Answer

Written from right to left

Question 9

Seals were made of

1. Steatite
2. Terracotta
3. Agate
4. All of the above

Answer

All of the above

Question 10

Seals are not a source of information for

1. script
2. trade
3. beliefs
4. society

Answer

society

Question 11

Bearded man, found in Mohenjo-daro is a statue of a meditative man wearing

1. an amulet
2. a Shawl
3. a bangle
4. an elaborate headdress

Answer

a Shawl

Question 12

'The Dancing Girl' has which of the following features?

1. stone sculpture
2. heavily-bangled left arm
3. half-closed eyes
4. seated cross-legged.

Answer

heavily-bangled left arm

Short Answer Questions

Question 1

Name two important sources of information about the Harappan Civilisation.

Answer

The two important sources of information about the Harappan Civilisation are:

1. The Great Bath which indicates the high degree of perfection of the art of the building.
2. The Citadel which points to the planning and development of cities in Harappan civilisation.

Question 2

Name one important public building of Indus Valley Civilisation and its importance.

Answer

The Great Bath is an important public building of Indus Valley Civilisation. The importance of The Great Bath lies in the fact that it indicates the perfection in the art of building, religious, economical and social development of the society and efficient planning of structures.

Question 3

Give any two characteristic features of the citadel.

Answer

Two important characteristic features of the citadel are:

1. Citadel was built on mud brick platform and hence it was a raised area.
2. Citadel had important buildings like the houses of ruling class, the great bath, the granary and the assembly hall.

Question 4

How were seals used? What information do they give about Harappan trade?

Answer

The seals were used by the traders to stamp their goods. The goods were packed and tied and the knot was covered with wet clay and the seal was pressed on it.
The seals indicate that the Harappan trade had spread over a vast area.

Question 5

Briefly describe granaries at Harappa.

Answer

The granaries at harappa were built on raised platforms to protect them from floods. There were two rows of six granaries each. To the south of granaries there were rows of circular floors which probably were working platforms for threshing. The granaries also had two-roomed barracks which possibly accommodated labourers. The granary had ventilation to prevent grains from becoming mildewed.

Question 6

Briefly describe the ornaments worn by the Harappans.

Answer

Ornaments were worn by both men and women. The ornaments were made up of gold, silver, precious stones and ivory. Some common ornaments were necklaces, finger-rings, bangles, armlets, anklets, fan-shaped head dress and earrings.

Question 7

Briefly describe the statue of the dancing girl.

Answer

The statue of a dancing girl, made up of bronze was found at Mohenjo-daro. The right hand of the dancing girl rests on the hip and the heavily bangled left arm, holding a bowl rests on her left leg. The statue is a masterpiece of art and shows the high degree of development in field of art of sculpture. The figurine shows vigour, variety and ingenuity.

Question 8

Mention the types of dress worn by the Indus Valley people.

Answer

The Indus Valley men used to wear a dhoti and a shawl was used to cover the upper part of the body. The women wore a skirt and used a cloak to cover arms and shoulders. The discovery of needles and buttons at some sites show that they wore stitched clothes too.

Question 9

State two features of the internal trade in the Indus Valley Civilization.

Answer

The features of the internal trade in the Indus Valley Civilization were:

1. All exchanges carried through barter system.
2. There were important centres of different products, for example Lothal, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were centres for metallurgy; Balakot and Chanundaro were centres for bangle-making.

Question 10

State any two evidences that show the Harappans also had trade relations with foreign countries.

Answer

The evidences that show the Harappans also had trade relations with foreign countries are:

1. The Mesopotamian records from about 2350 BC onwards refer to trade relations with Meluha, which is the ancient name given to Indus region.
2. The depictions of ships and boats on seals also indicate foreign trade. Mesopotamian texts refer to Meluha as a land of seafarers.

Question 11

Name the four animals depicted on the Pashupati seal.

Answer

The four animals depicted on the Pashupati seal are an Elephant, a Tiger, a Buffalo and a Rhinoceros.

Question 12

State any two causes that led to the decline of the Harappan Civilisation.

Answer

Two causes that led to the decline of the Harappan Civilisation were:

1. Floods and Earthquakes
2. Deforestation

Question 13

What types of weights and measures did the Indus people use ?

Answer

The Indus people used a set of cubical stone weights. The basic unit was 16 (equal to 14 grams). Larger weights were multiples of 16 like 32, 48, 64, 128 and so on. The smaller ones were all fractions of 16.

Question 14

State any two ways to show the value of Indus script as a source of historical information.

Answer

The Indus script indicates that the script was pictographic as it uses signs of birds, fishes and humans. Although not yet deciphered, the script is found inscribed on a number of seals, copper tools, rims of jar, copper and terracotta tablets, jewellery and on an ancient signboard. This indicates that the Harappan civilisation was an advanced urban civilisation.

Question 15

In what two respects is Harappan Civilisation our greatest heritage?

Answer

Harappan Civilisation is our greatest heritage as:

1. The Harappan way of making baked pottery, bricks, beads, jewellery, textiles, etc. was adopted by the later civilisations. Cultivation of cotton was the biggest achievement of Harappan civilisation which adopted by Egyptians after several centuries.
2. In the religious sphere, the worship of Pashupati Shiva, the female deity as Mother Goddess, sacred trees, animals, serpents, religious symbols, etc. which were prevalent during the Harappan period, some of them have continued to this day.

Question 16

How did Indus pottery reflect the potter's artistic skill?

Answer

Harrappans produced their own characteristic pottery which was made glossy and shining. Earthen vessels and pottery, crafted on the potter's wheel, were decorated with black geometrical designs. The large jars with narrow necks and red pots with black decoration bear evidence of potters's artistic skill.

Question 17

Name and briefly describe the process by which sculpture in metal was done.

Answer

The sculpture in metal was done through the special lost wax process. In this process wax figures were covered with a coating of clay. Then the wax was melted by heating and the hollow mould thus created was filled with molten metal which took the original shape of the object.

Question 18

Social classification of Harappans as pointed out by the citadel.

Answer

The city of Harappans were divided into two parts — the raised area called citadel and the lower town. The Citadel had the houses of the ruling class and all important buildings like the Great Bath, the granary, the assembly hall and the workshops. The lower town had the residential buildings where the people lived and worked. This shows some sort of political organisation and social classification of Harappans.

Structured Questions

Question 1

With reference to Harappan Culture, answer the following questions:

(a) Discuss briefly the indigenous origin of the Harappan Civilisation.

(b) Describe the extent of the civilisation.

(c) Name any four cities of the Harappan Civilisation and a significant feature of each city.

Answer

(a) The Harappan Civilisation had its roots in Indian soil.The civilisation evolved in areas near the Indus river and expanded over the time.The urban culture which has been observed was just the extension of local village culture along with effect of trade relations with Mesopotamia.The historians found some marked similarities between the pre-Harappan and proto-Harappan culture at Kot Diji, Amri and Kalibangan in terms of granary, defensive walls and long distance trade in these settlements.

(b) The Harappan Civilisation was the largest of all ancient civilisations covering a triangular area of 1.3 million sq.km . It extended from Suktagendor (Baluchistan) in west to Alamgirpur (U.P.) in the east and from Manda (Jammu) in the north to Bhagatrav (Narmada Estuary) in the south. The Harappan Civilisation covered parts of Punjab, Haryana, Sindh, Baluchistan, Gujarat, Rajasthan and fringes of western Uttar Pradesh.

(c) The four important cities of the Harappan Civilisation are:

1. Harappa — It is situated in Montgomery district of Punjab on the left bank of Ravi river. It was the first site to be discovered in 1921. It measured around 5 km in circuit and was an important centre of Metallurgy.
2. Mohenjo-daro — It is situated in Larkana district of Sindh on the right bank of Indus river. It was the second site to be discovered in 1922. The main feature of this city is it's drainage system and it's roads. It is linked to Harappa through Indus river.
3. Chanhudaro — It lies about 130 km south of Mohenjo-daro. It was probably the industrial hub with bangle and beads making industries. Copper and Bronze models of carts with seated drivers were also found from this city.
4. Lothal — It is situated in Gujarat. A rectangular dockyard was discovered here. Lothal was an important trading and manufacturing centre of the Indus Valley Civilisation and was used for carrying out overseas trade.

Question 2

With reference to the chief features of the Harappan Civilisation, answer the following:

(a) Any three characteristic features of town planning.

(b) Three special features of the houses of the people.

(c) Mention any two common elements between Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.

Answer

(a) Three Characteristic features of town planning of Harappan Civilization are:

1. Each city was divided into two parts- the raised area (citadel) and the lower town.
2. House drains emptied all waste water into the street drains.
3. The streets crossed the main road at right angles, dividing the roads into square or rectangular blocks.

(b) Three special features of the houses of the people are:

1. The buildings had a deep foundation and were constructed according to a set plan on high mounds in order to protect them from floods.
2. The houses were made of brick and wood. Each house had doors, windows and ventilators. Doors and windows opened on the side of the streets and not on the main roads.
3. The size of houses varied from a single room tenements to bigger houses with courtyards, upto twelve rooms, private wells and toilets. Each house had covered drains connected to street drains.

(c) The two common elements between Mohenjo-daro and Harappa are:

1. Both cities are located on river banks — Mohenjo-daro on the right bank of the Indus, and Harappa on left bank of the Ravi.
2. Both measured around 5.0 km in circuit.

Question 3

Study the picture and answer the questions that follow:

(a) Identify the structure. List any two of its characteristic features.

(b) State the importance of this structure as a source of information about Harappan Civilisation.

(c) Name another architectural structure of this period. How does this structure show that Harappan Civilisation was highly developed?

Answer

(a) The given structure is the Great Bath. Its two characteristic features are:

1. It has a large rectangular tank in a courtyard surrounded by a corridor on all four sides.
2. There are two flights of steps one in the north and the other in the south leading into the tank.

(b) The Great Bath is an important source of information about the life of people and their culture. The design of the Great Bath reflects an efficient planning and drainage system. It also suggests that there was a ruling class which could mobilise labour, collect taxes and build such large public buildings.

(c) The Citadel was the other structure of this period. It was a raised area of the city on which the important buildings like the houses of ruling class, the granary, the Great Bath and the assembly hall were made. The Citadel shows that there was a classification or stratification in Harappan society. It also indicates that the Harappans were developed and their civilisation was an urban one.

Question 4

Study the picture of the seal given on the right and answer the following questions:

(a) Identify the seal in the given picture. Which animal is depicted on this seal?

(b) Of what material were these seals made? Why were the seals used?

(c) What do the seals reveal about the Harappans?

Answer

(a) The seal in the given picture is Unicorn seal.

The animal depicted on this seal is a unicorn.

(b) These seal were made up of terracotta, steatite, agate etc.

These seals were used by traders to stamp their goods. After a bag of goods was tied, a layer of wet clay was applied on the knot, and the seal was pressed on it.

(c) The seals provide useful information about the script, trade, religion and beliefs of Harappans. It also shows the extent of trade in that region.

Thinking Skills

Question 1

Suppose you visit the ruins of a deserted ancient civilisation. What evidences would you collect and how would you trace the development of civilisation?

Answer

I would collect articles like seals, weights, pots, toys, tools etc. I would study the buildings and their possible uses. Materials used for building houses should also be studied. Engraved walls, scripts and pictures can be studied. All these things provide information about the civilisation and help to trace the development of a civilisation.

Question 2

You went for an excursion to a site belonging to the Harappan Civilisation in India. From the ruins, how can you conclude the presence of granaries, the crops grown and the type of agriculture practised by them?

Answer

The granaries of Harappan Civilisation are arranged in rows and has ventilation to prevent grains from becoming mildewed. This shows that the structure has planned construction. Working platforms consisting of rows of circular brick platforms are present to the south of the granaries. Wheat and Barley grains were found in the crevices. These platforms were used for threshing of grains by the labourers. Special barracks are also found where these labourers might be living. The location of Harappa near river suggests that foodgrains were brought to this place by boats.

Question 3

Imagine that you met a person belonging to the Harappan Civilisation. You asked him about the characteristic features of society prevalent during that era. From the reply given by him, which features of society during the Indus valley civilisation do you think have continued till today?

Answer

The Harappan civilisation had many characteristic features that have continued till today, including urbanization and city planning, trade and commerce, craftsmanship and metallurgy, religious and cultural practices, and agricultural practices. These features continue to shape the modern world in significant ways.

Question 4

Make a list of both similar and dissimilar features that existed between the Harappan-Civilisation and its contemporary Bronze Age Civilisations.

Answer

Similar features:

1. All these civilisations had the concept of metallurgy.
2. They knew the art of Handicraft, pottery.
3. Trade was a common feature of all the civilisations.

Dissimilar features:

1. Town planning of Harappan civilisation was most distinct.
2. Excellent closed drainage system was present in Harappan civilisation.
3. Brick-lined drains, Brick paved streets with manholes was present in cities of Harappan Civilisation.

Question 5

What can you interpret about the religious beliefs and practices of the Harappans from the depictions on artifacts of arts and craft?

Answer

Some atrifacts like seal of Pashupati have suggested that the Harappans believed in Shiva. They also worshipped mother goddess as terracotta figurines have been found. There were pictures of animals like an elephant, a tiger, a buffalo and a rhinoceros or trees on seals. This shows that they used to worship animals, nature and trees etc.