CHAPTER 6: THE BEGINNINGS OF INDIAN CIVILISATION
1. What is a civilisation generally understood to be?
A. A group of people who only hunt
B. An advanced stage of human societies
C. A society without agriculture
D. A group without permanent settlements
Answer: B. An advanced stage of human societies
2. Which of the following is a characteristic of a civilisation mentioned in the chapter?
A. Absence of administration
B. No exchange of goods
C. Some form of government and administration
D. Complete absence of crafts
Answer: C. Some form of government and administration
3. What does urbanism include?
A. Town-planning, city growth and city management
B. Only farming in villages
C. Only hunting and gathering
D. The absence of drainage systems
Answer: A. Town-planning, city growth and city management
4. Which facility is generally included in the urbanism described in the chapter?
A. Airports
B. Railway stations
C. Television networks
D. Water management and drainage systems
Answer: D. Water management and drainage systems
5. Which of the following is included among the characteristics of a civilisation?
A. No communication
B. A variety of crafts
C. No finished goods
D. No management of raw materials
Answer: B. A variety of crafts
6. Why is some form of writing important in a civilisation?
A. To eliminate trade
B. To replace agriculture
C. To keep records and communicate
D. To prevent the growth of cities
Answer: C. To keep records and communicate
7. What kind of agriculture is needed to support a civilisation?
A. Productive agriculture that feeds villages and cities
B. Agriculture that produces food only for rulers
C. Agriculture without any crops
D. Agriculture that supplies only distant countries
Answer: A. Productive agriculture that feeds villages and cities
8. About how long ago did civilisation begin in Mesopotamia, according to the chapter?
A. 1,000 years ago
B. 2,000 years ago
C. 4,000 years ago
D. About 6,000 years ago
Answer: D. About 6,000 years ago
9. Mesopotamia, as described in the chapter, is located in which modern countries?
A. India and Nepal
B. Iraq and Syria
C. China and Japan
D. Iran and Afghanistan
Answer: B. Iraq and Syria
10. Which civilisation followed Mesopotamia a few centuries later?
A. Roman civilisation
B. Greek civilisation
C. Ancient Egyptian civilisation
D. Chinese civilisation
Answer: C. Ancient Egyptian civilisation
11. During which period did the Indus-Sarasvati civilisation flourish, according to the timeline on page 87?
A. About 2600 to 1900 BCE
B. About 500 to 100 BCE
C. About 1000 to 500 BCE
D. About 1900 to 1500 CE
Answer: A. About 2600 to 1900 BCE
12. Which rivers watered the plains of Punjab and Sindh?
A. Ganga and Yamuna
B. Narmada and Tapi
C. Godavari and Krishna
D. Indus and its tributaries
Answer: D. Indus and its tributaries
13. Why were the plains of Punjab and Sindh favourable for agriculture?
A. They had no rivers
B. Rivers made the plains fertile
C. They were entirely covered by forests
D. They received no water
Answer: B. Rivers made the plains fertile
14. Which river once flowed from the Himalayan foothills through Haryana, Punjab, parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat?
A. Godavari
B. Kaveri
C. Sarasvati
D. Mahanadi
Answer: C. Sarasvati
15. Around when did villages in the region begin growing into towns?
A. From about 3500 BCE
B. From about 500 CE
C. From about 1500 CE
D. From about 1000 CE
Answer: A. From about 3500 BCE
16. Around when did the transition from towns to cities take place?
A. 500 BCE
B. 1000 BCE
C. 1900 CE
D. 2600 BCE
Answer: D. 2600 BCE
17. Which of the following is another name for the civilisation studied in this chapter?
A. Roman civilisation
B. Harappan civilisation
C. Egyptian civilisation
D. Greek civilisation
Answer: B. Harappan civilisation
18. What are the inhabitants of this civilisation called?
A. Mesopotamians
B. Egyptians
C. Harappans
D. Persians
Answer: C. Harappans
19. Why is the civilisation called ‘Harappan’?
A. Harappa was the first city of this civilisation to be excavated
B. Harappa was its only settlement
C. All its inhabitants lived in Harappa
D. Harappa was its capital according to a written record
Answer: A. Harappa was the first city of this civilisation to be excavated
20. When was Harappa first excavated, according to the chapter?
A. 1800–1801
B. 1900–1901
C. 1947–1948
D. 1920–1921
Answer: D. 1920–1921
21. What is the development of Harappan cities also called?
A. Second Agricultural Revolution
B. First Urbanisation of India
C. Industrial Revolution
D. First Maritime Empire
Answer: B. First Urbanisation of India
22. What is the present name of the Sarasvati River in India mentioned in the chapter?
A. Ganga
B. Yamuna
C. Ghaggar
D. Indus
Answer: C. Ghaggar
23. What is the river called in Pakistan, as described in the chapter?
A. Hakra
B. Narmada
C. Kaveri
D. Brahmaputra
Answer: A. Hakra
24. Why is the Ghaggar-Hakra River now described as seasonal?
A. It flows throughout the year
B. It has no connection with rainfall
C. It is entirely underground
D. It flows only during the rainy season
Answer: D. It flows only during the rainy season
25. In which ancient text is the Sarasvati River first mentioned, according to the chapter?
A. Mahabharata
B. Rig Veda
C. Arthashastra
D. Vishnu Purana
Answer: B. Rig Veda
26. Which two Harappan cities were among the first to be discovered?
A. Dholavira and Lothal
B. Rakhigarhi and Kalibangan
C. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro
D. Banawali and Farmana
Answer: C. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro
27. Where is Dholavira located?
A. Gujarat
B. Haryana
C. Punjab
D. Sindh
Answer: A. Gujarat
28. Where is Rakhigarhi located?
A. Gujarat
B. Sindh
C. Punjab
D. Haryana
Answer: D. Haryana
29. Why is the term ‘Indus Valley civilisation’ considered obsolete in the chapter?
A. The Indus River never existed
B. The civilisation extended far beyond the Indus region
C. Harappa was not part of the civilisation
D. The civilisation existed only near the sea
Answer: B. The civilisation extended far beyond the Indus region
30. How were the larger Harappan cities generally planned?
A. Without streets
B. With only one building
C. According to precise plans
D. Without residential areas
Answer: C. According to precise plans
31. In which directions were many Harappan streets oriented?
A. Cardinal directions
B. Only towards the sea
C. Only towards the mountains
D. Random directions in every case
Answer: A. Cardinal directions
32. What were the two distinct parts found in most larger Harappan cities?
A. Forest and desert
B. Port and airport
C. Village and farm
D. Upper town and lower town
Answer: D. Upper town and lower town
33. Who probably lived in the upper town?
A. Only visiting traders
B. The local elite
C. Only farmers from distant villages
D. Only foreign sailors
Answer: B. The local elite
34. Who generally lived in the lower town?
A. Only rulers
B. Only priests
C. Common people
D. Only foreign visitors
Answer: C. Common people
35. What were Harappan buildings generally made of?
A. Bricks
B. Plastic
C. Glass
D. Concrete reinforced with steel
Answer: A. Bricks
36. What was the approximate size of Mohenjo-daro’s Great Bath?
A. 2 × 3 metres
B. 50 × 40 metres
C. 73 × 20 metres
D. 12 × 7 metres
Answer: D. 12 × 7 metres
37. Which material was used to help waterproof the Great Bath?
A. Cotton
B. Natural bitumen
C. Paper
D. Wool
Answer: B. Natural bitumen
38. What is one proposed interpretation of the Great Bath?
A. A railway station
B. A grain field
C. A tank used for religious rituals
D. A metal workshop
Answer: C. A tank used for religious rituals
39. What was an important feature of Harappan water management?
A. A network of drains carrying wastewater away
B. The absence of household bathing areas
C. The use of rivers only for transport
D. The absence of wells and reservoirs
Answer: A. A network of drains carrying wastewater away
40. How did people in Mohenjo-daro obtain water?
A. Only from distant oceans
B. Only from rainfall collected in pots
C. Only from imported water
D. From hundreds of brick-built wells
Answer: D. From hundreds of brick-built wells
41. What was the length of the largest reservoir at Dholavira mentioned in the chapter?
A. 12 metres
B. 73 metres
C. 217 metres
D. 33 metres
Answer: B. 73 metres
42. What crops did the Harappans grow?
A. Only cotton
B. Only rice
C. Barley, wheat, some millets and sometimes rice, along with pulses and vegetables
D. Only fruits and vegetables
Answer: C. Barley, wheat, some millets and sometimes rice, along with pulses and vegetables
43. What were the Harappans among the first people in Eurasia to grow?
A. Cotton
B. Tea
C. Coffee
D. Tobacco
Answer: A. Cotton
44. What evidence shows that the Harappans consumed animals and fish?
A. Modern paintings
B. Written restaurant menus
C. Coins describing meals
D. Animal and fish bones found during excavations
Answer: D. Animal and fish bones found during excavations
45. Which of the following was found in examinations of Harappan cooking pots?
A. Only wheat flour
B. Remains of turmeric, ginger and banana
C. Only tea leaves
D. No traces of food
Answer: B. Remains of turmeric, ginger and banana
46. Which ornament was especially favoured by the Harappans?
A. Plastic bangles
B. Iron chains
C. Beads made of carnelian
D. Glass watches
Answer: C. Beads made of carnelian
47. Which metal was used by the Harappans to make tools, pots and pans after combining it with tin?
A. Bronze
B. Aluminium
C. Stainless steel
D. Zinc
Answer: A. Bronze
48. What was the likely purpose of the large basin at Lothal?
A. A royal swimming pool only
B. A grain field
C. A public garden
D. A dockyard for receiving and sending boats
Answer: D. A dockyard for receiving and sending boats
49. What were many Harappan seals made from?
A. Wood
B. Steatite
C. Cotton
D. Paper
Answer: B. Steatite
50. Which two factors are identified in the chapter as important possible causes of the decline of the Harappan civilisation?
A. The invention of writing and the growth of trade
B. The construction of reservoirs and wells
C. Climate change with reduced rainfall, and the drying up of the Sarasvati River in its central basin
D. The discovery of new farming tools
Answer: C. Climate change with reduced rainfall, and the drying up of the Sarasvati River in its central basin
