UPSC Ancient India – Chapter 4: Harappan Economy, Society, Religion and Decline (21 MCQs)

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UPSC Ancient India – Chapter 4: Harappan Economy, Society, Religion and Decline (21 MCQs) – 21 questions, subject: History. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

The most common animal motif on Harappan seals is the:

Correct Answer: B [unicorn]

Explanation:

The unicorn, a one-horned bull-like animal, is by far the most frequent motif on Harappan steatite seals.

2.  

Harappan weights were usually made of:

Correct Answer: D [chert]

Explanation:

NCERT notes Harappan weights were generally cubical, made of a stone called chert, and carried no markings.

3.  

The site devoted almost entirely to crafts such as bead-making and shell-cutting was:

Correct Answer: C [Chanhudaro]

Explanation:

NCERT describes Chanhudaro as a tiny settlement almost exclusively devoted to bead-making, shell-cutting, metal-working, seal-making and weight-making.

4.  

Mesopotamian texts used the name Meluhha probably for:

Correct Answer: D [the Harappan region]

Explanation:

Mesopotamian texts call a land supplying carnelian, lapis lazuli, copper, gold and wood Meluhha, probably the Harappan region.

5.  

The bronze "dancing girl" was made by the:

Correct Answer: D [lost-wax method]

Explanation:

The dancing girl was cast by the lost-wax (cire perdue) method: a wax model in clay was melted out and replaced by metal.

6.  

Lapis lazuli reached the Harappans from:

Correct Answer: B [the Badakhshan region near Shortugai]

Explanation:

Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan; the Harappan settlement of Shortugai was set up near this best source.

7.  

The lower denominations of Harappan weights followed the:

Correct Answer: C [binary system]

Explanation:

NCERT notes the lower Harappan weights doubled at each step (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 … up to 12,800), a binary system.

8.  

Which metal was not known to the Harappans?

Correct Answer: A [Iron]

Explanation:

Iron came into use in India only much later; the Harappans used copper, bronze, gold and silver.

9.  

Terracotta models of the plough have been found at:

Correct Answer: A [Banawali]

Explanation:

NCERT reports terracotta models of the plough from Banawali in Haryana and from sites in Cholistan.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. Harappan seals were usually made of steatite.
2. Seals were probably used to make sealings on packages.
3. Seals carry long inscriptions of several hundred signs.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Seals were usually of steatite and were pressed on clay to make sealings; their inscriptions are short, so statement 3 fails.

11.  

Assertion (A): Historians reject the theory that the Harappan cities were destroyed by an Aryan invasion.

Reason (R): The skeletons at Mohenjo-daro cited as evidence of a massacre do not belong to a single period.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

Both are true, and because Dales showed the skeletons are of different periods, the massacre evidence collapses, explaining A.

12.  

The seal described by John Marshall as "proto-Shiva" shows:

Correct Answer: A [a figure seated in a yogic posture surrounded by animals]

Explanation:

The Mohenjo-daro seal shows a figure seated cross-legged in a yogic posture, surrounded by animals such as elephant, tiger, rhinoceros and buffalo.

13.  

Dilmun is usually identified with:

Correct Answer: C [Bahrain]

Explanation:

Dilmun, named in Mesopotamian texts as a trading partner, is generally identified with the Gulf island of Bahrain.

14.  

The "priest-king" figure from Mohenjo-daro is made of:

Correct Answer: C [steatite]

Explanation:

The bearded priest-king bust with a trefoil-patterned robe is carved in steatite, a soft stone also used for seals.

15.  

Traces of irrigation canals of the Harappan period have been reported from:

Correct Answer: D [Shortugai]

Explanation:

NCERT notes traces of canals at the Harappan site of Shortugai in Afghanistan, but not in Punjab or Sind.

16.  

Who showed in 1964 that the "massacre" at Mohenjo-daro was a myth?

Correct Answer: A [George Dales]

Explanation:

In 1964 the archaeologist George Dales showed the Mohenjo-daro skeletons belonged to different periods, so there was no massacre.

17.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. George Dales rejects the "massacre"
2. The bronze "dancing girl" is found
3. Rakhigarhi ancient-DNA study published
4. Marshall's report on Mohenjo-daro published

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [2-4-1-3]

Explanation:

Order: The bronze "dancing girl" is found (1926) → Marshall's report on Mohenjo-daro published (1931) → George Dales rejects the "massacre" (1964) → Rakhigarhi ancient-DNA study published (2019).

18.  

Shell objects of the Harappan civilisation were made mainly at:

Correct Answer: B [Nageshwar and Balakot]

Explanation:

Coastal Nageshwar and Balakot were specialised centres making shell bangles, ladles and inlay, close to the sea.

19.  

Rice is found only rarely at Harappan sites; the main crops were:

Correct Answer: C [wheat and barley]

Explanation:

Grains of wheat and barley are the commonest plant finds at Harappan sites, while rice is relatively rare.

20.  

Which of the following is generally accepted as a major cause of the Harappan decline?

Correct Answer: D [Environmental change, including drying rivers and a weaker monsoon]

Explanation:

Most historians link the decline to environmental stress such as a weaker monsoon and the drying or shifting of rivers.

21.  
UPSC Prelims 2013

Which of the following characterizes/ characterize the people of Indus Civilization?

1. They possessed great palaces and temples.
2. They worshipped both male and female deities.
3. They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.

Select the correct statement/ statements using the codes given below.

Correct Answer: B [2 only]

Explanation:

mother-goddess figurines and male figures on seals suggest worship of both.

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