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:

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1. The Great Bath which indicates the high degree of perfection of the art of the
building.

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2. The Citadel which points to the planning and development of cities in Harappan
civilisation.

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Question 2

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

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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.
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Question 3

Give any two characteristic features of the citadel.

Answer
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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
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granary and the assembly hall.

Question 4
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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

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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

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which possibly accommodated labourers. The granary had ventilation to prevent grains from
becoming mildewed.

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Question 6

Briefly describe the ornaments worn by the Harappans.

Answer K
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.
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Question 7

Briefly describe the statue of the dancing girl.

Answer
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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.
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Question 8

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

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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

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centres for bangle-making.

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Question 10

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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:
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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.
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Question 11

Name the four animals depicted on the Pashupati seal.

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

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

Answer
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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

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

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Answer

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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
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In what two respects is Harappan Civilisation our greatest heritage?

Answer
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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
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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.
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Question 16

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

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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

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thus created was filled with molten metal which took the original shape of the object.

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Question 18

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Briefly describe the 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
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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
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Question 1

With reference to Harappan Culture, answer the following questions:

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(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.
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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
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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.

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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

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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

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

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Indus, and Harappa on left bank of the Ravi.
2. Both measured around 5.0 km in circuit.

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Question 3

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Study the picture and answer the questions that follow:

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 (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

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sides.
2. There are two flights of steps one in the north and the other in the south leading into

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the tank.

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(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
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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.
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Question 4

Study the picture of the seal given on the right and answer the following questions:
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(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?
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(c) What do the seals reveal about the Harappans?

Answer

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

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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

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

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Answer

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

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1. All these civilisations had the concept of metallurgy.

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2. They knew the art of Handicraft, pottery.
3. Trade was a common feature of all the civilisations.

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Dissimilar features:

1. Town planning of Harappan civilisation was most distinct.

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

Question 5
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What can you interpret about the religious beliefs and practices of the Harappans from the
depictions on there artifacts?

Answer

Some artifacts like seal of Pashupati have suggested that the Harappans believed in Shiva. They
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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.
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