Question 1

Question 6Briefly describe the ornaments worn by the Harappans.

Accepted 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 2

Question 7Briefly describe the statue of the dancing girl.

Accepted 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 3

Question 8Mention the types of dress worn by the Indus Valley people.

Accepted 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 4

Question 9State two features of the internal trade in the Indus Valley Civilization.

Accepted Answer

The features of the internal trade in the Indus Valley Civilization were:All exchanges carried through barter system.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 5

Question 10State any two evidences that show the Harappans had trade relations with foreign countries.

Accepted Answer

The evidences that show the Harappans had trade relations with foreign countries are:The Mesopotamian records from about 2350 BC onwards refer to trade relations with Meluha, which is the ancient name given to Indus region.The depictions of ships and boats on seals also indicate foreign trade. Mesopotamian texts refer to Meluha as a land of seafarers.

Question 6

Question 11Name the four animals depicted on the Pashupati seal.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

Question 12State any two causes that led to the decline of the Harappan Civilisation.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

Question 13What types of weights and measures did the Indus people use ?

Accepted 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 9

Question 14State any two ways to show the value of seals as a source of historical information.

Accepted Answer

Two ways in which the seals serve as a source of historical information are:Harappan seals give information about foreign trade, as many were found in Mesopotamia, showing contact with other civilizations.The Gods, symbols and animal figures on seals help historians understand Harappan art, religion, and script.

Question 10

Question 15In what two respects is Harappan Civilisation our greatest heritage?

Accepted Answer

Harappan Civilisation is our greatest heritage as: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.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 11

Question 16How did Indus pottery reflect the potter's artistic skill?

Accepted 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 12

Question 17Name and briefly describe the process by which sculpture in metal was done.

Accepted 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 13

Question 18Briefly describe the social classification of Harappans as pointed out by the citadel.

Accepted 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.

Question 14

Question 1With 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.

Accepted 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: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.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.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.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 15

Question 2With 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.

Accepted Answer

(a) Three Characteristic features of town planning of Harappan Civilization are:Each city was divided into two parts- the raised area (citadel) and the lower town.House drains emptied all waste water into the street drains.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:The buildings had a deep foundation and were constructed according to a set plan on high mounds in order to protect them from floods.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.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:Both cities are located on river banks — Mohenjo-daro on the right bank of the Indus, and Harappa on left bank of the Ravi.Both measured around 5.0 km in circuit.

Question 16

Question 3Study the picture given on the right 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?

Accepted Answer

(a) The given structure is the Great Bath. Its two characteristic features are:It has a large rectangular tank in a courtyard surrounded by a corridor on all four sides.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 17

Question 5Look at the newspaper excerpt from Sir John Marshall's article about the discovery of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro and answer the questions that follow.(a) Which 'Forgotten Age' is being talked about in the excerpt? Tiryns and Mycenae were	long forgotten ancient cities, what are referred to as Indian "Tiryns and "Mycenae"?(b) How was this 'Forgotten Age' in India revealed?(c) Explain briefly the significance of this 'Forgotten Age' in terms of its unique features.

Accepted Answer

(a) The "Forgotten Age" refers to the Indus Valley Civilization, with Harappa and Mohenjo-daro being the Indian equivalents of the ancient cities of Tiryns and Mycenae.(b) Indus Valley Civilization was discovered by the combined efforts of Sir John Marshall and two ASI archaeologists Daya Ram Sehni and Rakhal Das Banerji. Daya Ram Sehni found seals, painted pottery, beads at Harappa in 1921-22, and Rakhal Das found seals, pottery, copper products, and crucibles at Mohenjo-Daro in 1922. Marshall interpreted the similarities between objects found in the two cities and announced the discovery of the "civilization of the Indus Valley" in "The Illustrated London News" newspaper.(c) The significance of Indus Valley Civilization can be seen by:Planned Urban Layout — Cities like Mohenjo-daro had grid-pattern roads, citadel, and standardized bricks.Drainage System — They had an excellent drainage system with covered drains in the houses connected to the street drains.Religious Practices — Worship of nature, animals, and fertility symbols reflects early religious beliefs.Script and Seals — The undeciphered script on seals gives insights into administration, religion, and communication.Art and Craft — The Harappans produced fine seals, pottery, beads, and sculptures, showing their skill in art and craftsmanship.Trade Practices — They had internal and external trade, including contact with Mesopotamia, shown through seals and other objects.

Question 18

Question 4Considering the town planning of the Harappans, state how the Harappans were ahead of time.

Accepted Answer

The following features of Harappan town planning prove that the Harappans had a deep understanding of civic needs, making them far ahead of their time:Grid Pattern Streets — Harappan cities had streets laid out in a perfect grid, showing advanced urban planning.Efficient Drainage System — Every house was connected to a covered drainage system, ensuring cleanliness and hygiene.Zoned City Structure — Cities were divided into the Citadel (for administration and religion) and the Lower Town (for residences), showing organized planning.Standardized Bricks — Uniform bricks were used for buildings, indicating technological advancement.Water Management — Wells and reservoirs were built for water storage and daily use.

The Harappan Civilisation

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