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CDS 2012-II
1. The polity of the Harappan people, as derived from the material evidence, was
secular-federalist
theocratic-federalist
oligarchic
theocratic-unitary
Answer (d).
CDS 2016-I
2. Who among the following archaeologists was the first to identify similarities between a pre-Harappan culture and the mature Harappan culture?
Amalananda Ghosh
Rakhaldas Banerji
Daya Ram Sahni
Sir John Marshall
Answer (a).
CDS 2016-II
3. Consider the following statements about Harappan cities:
Roads were not always absolutely straight and did not always cross one another at right angles.
A striking feature is the uniformity in the average size of the bricks for houses and for city walls.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Answer (2). Roads were usually straight and intersected at right angles.
CDS 2017-II
4. Which one of the following statements about the Harappan Culture is not correct?
It witnessed the first cities in the subcontinent.
It marks the first use of script, written from right to left.
It marks the earliest known use of iron as a medium for the art of sculpting.
It marks the earliest known use of stone as a medium for the art of sculpting.
Answer (c).
5. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists:
List – I (Harappan Site)
List – II (Modern Name)
A. Dholavira
1. Saurashtra
B. Rakhigarhi
2. Hisar
C. Bhirrana
3. Kadir Island
D. Bhogavo
4. Haryana
Code:
A - 1, B - 4, C - 2, D - 3
A - 1, B - 2, C - 4, D - 3
A - 3, B - 2, C - 4, D - 1
A - 3, B - 4, C - 2, D - 1
Answer (c).
CDS 2018-II
6. The Harappan site at Kot Diji is close to which one of the following major sites of that civilization?
Harappa
Mohenjo-daro
Lothal
Kalibangan
Answer (b).
CDS 2020-I
7. From which one of the following factory sites were limestone and chert blades mass produced and sent to various Harappan settlements in Sindh?
Sukkur and Rohri Hills
Khetri in Rajasthan
Chagai Hills
Hill of Baluchistan
Answer (a).
CDS 2022-II
8. In the citadel and lower-town areas of which one of the following Harappan cities, have several large cisterns and reservoirs been found?
Banawali
Mohenjodaro
Dholavira
Rakhigarhi
Answer (c).
CDS 2023-II
9. Consider the following statements regarding the 'Levallois Technique':
It refers to making perforated Harappa pottery.
It refers to making prehistoric flake tools.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Answer (b).
Harappan Civilisation - Important Facts
Harappan Civilisation is also known as Indus valley civilization.
The civilisation belonged to the Bronze age.
The civilisation flourished from around 2600 B.C. to 1900 B.C. [Early Harappan culture - Before 2600 BCE; The Mature Harappan culture - 2600 BCE to 1900 BCE and the Late Harappan culture - After 1900]
The Harappan script has not been deciphered so far. It had 375 to 400 signs suggesting that it was not alphabetical. It was written from right to left as cramping is mostly found on the left side.
The grains eaten by these people included wheat, barley, lentil, chickpea, sesame and millets. Rice was relatively rare.
Bones of cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo, pig, fish and fowl were found indicating their domesticcation.
Bones of wild animals like boar, deer and gharial were also found which possibly indicate hunting.
Statue of Priest-King made of steatite, Pashupati seal, bronze statuette of the dancing girl were found at Mohenjo daro, majestic zebu bull seal was found at Harappa.
Weights were mostly made of a stone called chert and seals were made of steatite.
A lot many bricks were taken from the ancient site of Harappa to lay bricks for about 100 miles of the railway line between Lahore and Multan.
Bricks used at all Harappan settlements were of standardised ratio where the length and breadth were four times and twice the height respectively. They were sun-dried or baked.
Lothal had a dockyard and also evidence of cultivation of rice was found here.
Mohenjodaro means mound of the dead, it was a big settlement of about 125 hectares. It had two parts, the citadel and the lower town, both of which were walled. There were about 700 wells in the town. It had very good drainage system. The Great Bath, a large rectangular tank in a courtyard surrounded by a corridor on all four sides was found here.
Shortugai in Afghanistan had evidence of canals. It was also the best source of lapis lazuli, a blue stone which was considered valuable.
Water reservoirs were found in Dholavira.
Chanhudaro was a small settlement (less than 7 hectares) almost exclusively devoted to craft production, including bead-making, shell-cutting, metal-working, seal-making and weight-making.
Nageshwar and Balakot both settlements are near the coast were specialised centres for making shell objects including bangles, ladles and inlay.