Answer all questions carefully. Questions are UPSC-level involving statement analysis, site-feature matching, and analytical reasoning.
Indus Valley Revealed: Urban Planning, Trade, and the Enigma of Harappan Decline•hard•12 questions•~15 min
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Question 01
hard
Consider the following statements about the geographical extent and cities of the Harappan civilisation:
1. The Harappan culture covered an area of approximately 1,299,600 square kilometres - larger than ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
2. Banwali, situated in Hissar district of Haryana, showed two cultural phases - pre-Harappan and Harappan.
3. Chanhu-daro is located about 130 km north of Mohenjo-daro in Sindh.
4. Sutkagendor and Surkotada are coastal cities each marked by a citadel.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 02
medium
With reference to the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
Question 03
medium
Which of the following correctly describes the Harappan system of weights and measures?
Question 04
hard
Consider the following statements about the Harappan script:
1. The Harappan script was first noticed in 1853 and the complete script was discovered by 1923.
2. The script is mainly alphabetical in nature, with 250 to 400 letters.
3. The Harappan script has been successfully connected with the proto-Dravidian language.
4. The Harappan script is an indigenous product of the Indus region with no connection to Western Asian scripts.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Question 05
hard
With reference to the political organisation of the Harappan civilisation, RS Sharma's Ancient India suggests that:
Question 06
medium
The term 'Meluha' found in Mesopotamian records from about 2350 BC refers to:
Question 07
hard
Consider the following statements about Harappan agriculture:
1. The Indus people sowed seeds in November after flood waters receded and reaped harvests in April.
2. A ploughshare has been discovered at Kalibangan showing that the Harappans used iron ploughs.
3. The Indus people were the earliest to produce cotton; Greeks called it 'sindon' derived from Sindh.
4. Evidence of rice has been found at Lothal suggesting rice cultivation as early as 1800 BC.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 08
hard
With reference to the religious practices of the Harappan civilisation, consider the following:
1. The Pasupati seal from Mohenjo-daro shows a three-headed figure in a yogic posture surrounded by an elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, and a buffalo below the throne.
2. The Harappans placed their gods in temples for worship, similar to the practice in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
3. The phallus worship that originated in the Harappan period later became a respectable form of worship in Hindu society.
4. The Atharva Veda, considered a non-Aryan work, contains many charms and spells connecting it with Harappan amulet traditions.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Question 09
hard
Which of the following statements correctly distinguishes the Harappan civilisation from its contemporary civilisations in Egypt and Mesopotamia?
Question 10
hard
Consider the following explanations offered for the decline of the Harappan civilisation:
1. Decreasing fertility of soil due to increasing salinity caused by the expansion of the neighbouring desert.
2. Sudden subsidence or uplift of land causing floods.
3. Destruction by the Aryans through mass-scale military confrontation.
4. Slow percolation of new peoples into the Indus basin evidenced by new pottery types and foreign influences in the later phases.
Which of the statements given above represents the position as stated in RS Sharma's Ancient India?
Question 11
medium
The bronze dancing girl found at Mohenjo-daro is significant because:
Question 12
hard
With reference to the evidence of the horse in the Harappan civilisation, which of the following best represents the position stated in RS Sharma's Ancient India?
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