21 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markThe Mature Harappan phase, the most prosperous and urban phase of the civilisation, is dated to:
(A) 1900 to 1300 BCE(B) 2600 to 1900 BCE(C) 6000 to 2600 BCE(D) 1300 to 600 BCE - 1 markNearly what proportion of the more than 2000 Harappan sites found so far lie in the Saraswati basin?
(A) Almost all of them(B) About half(C) About two-thirds(D) About one-third - 1 markWhat is the real lesson behind Mackay’s account of the “saddle querns” and “curry stones” at Mohenjodaro?
(A) Identifying an ancient object is always certain once it is compared with a modern one(B) Comparing an ancient object with a present-day one is only an analogy, not proof(C) Curry stones and querns for grinding grain were exactly the same object(D) Querns were used only for grinding spices, never for grinding grain - 1 markWhat was the standardised ratio of length : breadth : height in Harappan bricks, whether sun-dried or baked?
(A) 4 : 2 : 1(B) 4 : 3 : 2(C) 5 : 3 : 1(D) 3 : 2 : 1 - 1 markAt which two sites was the entire settlement fortified, unlike the usual Citadel-Lower Town pattern?
(A) Rakhigarhi and Chanhudaro(B) Dholavira and Lothal(C) Nageshwar and Balakot(D) Harappa and Mohenjodaro - 1 markWhat is considered the best indicator for identifying a centre of craft production?
(A) Waste material(B) Finished objects(C) Weights(D) Seals - 1 markWhat common element found in both Omani and Harappan copper suggests a trade contact between the two?
(A) Nickel(B) Zinc(C) Silver(D) Gold - 1 markAbout how many signs does the longest known Harappan inscription contain?
(A) 100 signs(B) About 26 signs(C) 400 signs(D) 8 signs - 1 markThe lower denominations of Harappan weights followed which system?
(A) Binary (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32)(B) Decimal (10, 100, 1000)(C) A Roman numeral system(D) No fixed system - 1 markWhy could Cunningham not fit the Harappan seal given to him into his framework of investigation?
(A) The seal’s script had already been read(B) The seal turned out to be fake(C) He never actually received a seal(D) He believed Indian history began with cities in the Ganga valley, and Harappa fit neither a pilgrim route nor the Early Historic period - 1 markWhat theory did the Rakhigarhi archaeogenetic research rule out?
(A) The theory of a large-scale migration of the so-called Aryans(B) Trade with Mesopotamia(C) The existence of the Harappan script(D) The urban phase of the Harappan civilisation
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): Miniature faience pots are treated by archaeologists as luxury objects.
Reason (R): Faience, made by firing ground sand or silica with colour and gum, was difficult to produce.
(A) A and R are both true, and R correctly explains A(B) A and R are both true, but R does not explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Cunningham successfully placed the Harappan seal he was shown within his Early Historic framework.
Reason (R): He believed Indian history began with the first cities in the Ganga valley.
(A) A and R are both true, and R correctly explains A(B) A and R are both true, but R does not explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch List I with List II.
List I: (i) Daya Ram Sahni (ii) R.D. Banerji (iii) R.E.M. Wheeler (iv) Vasant Shinde
List II: (a) Began archaeogenetic research at Rakhigarhi (2013) (b) Began excavations at Harappa in the early twentieth century (c) Found seals similar to Harappa’s at Mohenjodaro (d) Took over as Director-General of the ASI in 1944 and standardised stratigraphic excavation
(A) i-c, ii-b, iii-a, iv-d(B) i-b, ii-c, iii-d, iv-a(C) i-d, ii-a, iii-b, iv-c(D) i-a, ii-d, iii-c, iv-b
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements:
1. The Citadel was generally smaller but higher than the Lower Town.
2. The Lower Town was also walled.
3. At Dholavira and Lothal, the entire settlement was fortified.
4. At Lothal, the Citadel was walled off separately from the rest of the settlement.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(A) 1, 2, 3 and 4(B) 2, 3 and 4 only(C) 1 and 4 only(D) 1, 2 and 3 only - 1 markConsider the following statements:
1. Alexander Cunningham was the first Director-General of the ASI.
2. John Marshall announced the discovery of the civilisation in 1924.
3. R.E.M. Wheeler introduced stratigraphic excavation at the ASI.
4. The Rakhigarhi DNA study was led by Alexander Cunningham.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(A) 1, 2, 3 and 4(B) 1, 2 and 3 only(C) 2, 3 and 4 only(D) 1 and 4 only
5 Chronological Ordering
Chronological Ordering
- 1 markArrange the following events in chronological order:
1. John Marshall announces the discovery of the Indus valley civilisation
2. Alexander Cunningham’s report on a Harappan seal
3. R.E.M. Wheeler introduces stratigraphic excavation as ASI Director-General
(A) 1-2-3(B) 2-1-3(C) 3-2-1(D) 2-3-1
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 mark______ was a tiny settlement of less than 7 hectares, almost exclusively devoted to craft production.
(A) Rakhigarhi(B) Dholavira(C) Chanhudaro(D) Ganweriwala
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich of these is the odd one out?
(A) Carnelian(B) Jasper(C) Chert(D) Steatite
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Much later, in 1947, R.E.M. Wheeler, then Director-General of the ASI, tried to correlate this archaeological evidence with that of the Rigveda, the earliest known text in the subcontinent. He wrote: “The Rigveda mentions pur, meaning rampart, fort or stronghold. Indra, the Aryan war-god is called puramdara, the fort-destroyer. … On circumstantial evidence, Indra stands accused.” In the 1960s, the evidence of a massacre in Mohenjodaro was questioned by an archaeologist named George Dales. He demonstrated that the skeletons found at the site did not belong to the same period.
— NCERT, Bricks, Beads and Bones (Source 3)
— NCERT, Bricks, Beads and Bones (Source 3)
- 1 markAccording to the passage, what was R.E.M. Wheeler trying to explain by connecting Indra, the Rigvedic war-god, with the Mohenjodaro skeletons?
(A) The origin of the Harappan script(B) How Harappan weights were standardised(C) Why Harappan bricks followed a fixed ratio(D) What destroyed the Harappan civilisation
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 markStatement I: The Harappan script has been fully deciphered.
Statement II: The script was probably written from right to left.
Which one of the above statements is/are correct?
(A) Only Statement I(B) Only Statement II(C) Both Statement I and II(D) Neither Statement I nor II
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (B) The Mature Harappan phase (2600-1900 BCE) was the urban phase and the most prosperous, and is what this chapter is mainly about.
- (C) Nearly two-thirds of the more than 2000 known Harappan sites are located in the Saraswati basin, suggesting its great importance for the civilisation.
- (B) Mackay distinguished querns used for grinding grain from a second type his workmen called “curry stones”; the lesson is that comparison with present-day objects is a useful strategy, but only an analogy, not proof.
- (A) The length and breadth of Harappan bricks were four times and twice the height respectively, giving a 4:2:1 ratio used at all Harappan settlements from Jammu to Gujarat.
- (B) At Dholavira and Lothal, the entire settlement was fortified and sections within the town were separated by internal walls; at Lothal the Citadel itself was not walled off but simply built at a height.
- (A) Waste is one of the best indicators of craft work: pieces of shell or stone cut to make objects would be discarded as waste at the place of production, even when larger waste pieces were later reused.
- (A) Chemical analyses show that both Omani copper and Harappan copper artefacts have traces of nickel, suggesting a common origin and a trade relationship.
- (B) Most inscriptions are short, the longest containing about 26 signs.
- (A) Lower denominations were binary (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32), probably for weighing jewellery and beads, while higher denominations followed the decimal system (160, 200, 320, 640).
- (D) Cunningham believed Indian history began with the first cities in the Ganga valley; Harappa was not on the itinerary of Chinese pilgrims and not an Early Historic city, so it did not fit his framework.
- (A) The Harappans were shown to be indigenous, with genetic roots going back to 10,000 BCE; this continuity rules out large-scale immigration of the so-called Aryans.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both statements are true, and R gives the exact reason A is true: because faience was hard to make, it was treated as a valuable, non-utilitarian material.
- (D) A is false: Cunningham could NOT place the seal, because he believed Indian history began with the first cities in the Ganga valley. R is true. Harappa also fell outside his Early Historic focus, which is why he missed its significance.
Match the Following
- (B) Sahni began excavating at Harappa; Banerji found similar seals at Mohenjodaro, leading to the idea of a shared culture; Wheeler took over the ASI in 1944 and standardised stratigraphy; Shinde began the Rakhigarhi archaeogenetic study in 2013.
Statement-Based Questions
- (D) Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Statement 4 is wrong: at Lothal the Citadel was not walled off separately, it was simply built at a height.
- (B) Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. Statement 4 is wrong: the Rakhigarhi archaeogenetic study, begun in 2013, was led by Vasant Shinde, not Cunningham, who died long before DNA science existed.
Chronological Ordering
- (B) Cunningham’s report came in 1875, Marshall’s announcement in 1924, and Wheeler’s stratigraphic method from 1944 onward: order 2-1-3.
Fill in the Blanks
- (C) Chanhudaro, at less than 7 hectares compared with Mohenjodaro’s 125, was almost entirely a craft-production centre.
Odd One Out
- (C) Carnelian, jasper and steatite were materials used to make beads; chert was the stone typically used to make weights, not beads.
Passage-Based Questions
- (D) In 1947 Wheeler tried to correlate the Mohenjodaro skeletons with the Rigveda’s Indra, the “fort-destroyer”, to explain what destroyed the Harappan civilisation; George Dales later questioned this evidence of a massacre.
True / False
- (B) Statement I is false; the script remains undeciphered to date. Statement II is true, based on the spacing pattern seen on some seals.
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