13 February 2024

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding Harappan seals and inscriptions:

1. Harappan seals usually have a line of writing, probably containing the name and title of the owner.
2. Most inscriptions are long.
3. The script has too many signs – somewhere between 375 and 400.

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Harappan seals usually have a line of writing, probably containing the name and title of the owner. Scholars have also suggested that the motif (generally an animal) conveyed a meaning to those who could not read.
• Most inscriptions are short, the longest containing about 26 signs. Although the script remains undeciphered to date, it was evidently not alphabetical (where each sign stands for a vowel or a consonant) as it has just too many signs – somewhere between 375 and 400. It is apparent that the script was written from right to left as some seals show a wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left, as if the engraver began working from the right and then ran out of space.
• Consider the variety of objects on which writing has been found: seals, copper tools, rims of jars, copper and terracotta tablets, jewellery, bone rods, even an ancient signboard!

Q2. Consider the following archaeological sites:

1. Manda
2. Rakhigarhi
3. Sutkagen Dor
4. Daimabad

How many of the above are the sites of Indus Valley Civilisation?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

• Sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation have been found in a large area extending from Sutkagen Dor in Balochistan near the Pakistan-Iran border to Rakhigarhi in Haryana’s Hisar district, and from Manda in Jammu to Daimabad in Maharashtra. Other important sites of the Harappan civilization in India are at Lothal and Dholavira in Gujarat, and Kalibangan in Rajasthan.

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding Harappan civilization:

1. The Harappan cities used burnt bricks for buildings whereas, in the contemporary buildings of Egypt dried bricks were primarily used.
2. Unlike Harappans, Mesopotamians domesticated elephants in large scale.
3. Sesamum and mustard were grown during Indus valley civilization.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

Statement 2 is incorrect.

• The use of burnt bricks in the Harappan cities is remarkable because in the contemporary buildings of Egypt dried bricks were primarily used. We find the use of baked bricks in contemporary Mesopotamia, but they were used to a much larger extent in the Harappan cities.
• The Indus people produced wheat, barley, rai, peas, and the like. Two types of wheat and barley were grown. A substantial quantity of barley was discovered at Banawali. In addition, sesamum and mustard were grown.
• Although the Harappans practised agriculture, animals were raised on a large scale. Oxen, buffaloes, goats, sheep, and pigs were domesticated. Humped bulls were favoured by the Harappans. There is evidence of dogs and cats from the outset, and asses and camels were bred. Elephants were well known to the Harappans, who were also acquainted with the rhinoceros.

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding Harappan civilization:

1. Unlike the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the Harappans did not write long inscriptions.
2. Most of the Harappan inscriptions were recorded on seals and contain only a few words.
3. The Harappan script is largely alphabetical.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Statement 3 is incorrect.
• There are nearly 4000 specimens of Harappan writing on stone seals and other objects. Unlike the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the Harappans did not write long inscriptions. Most inscriptions were recorded on seals and contain only a few words. Altogether we have about 250 to 400 pictographs, and in the form of a picture each letter stands for some sound, idea, or object. The Harappan script is not alphabetical but largely pictographic.

Q5. What is Zealandia?

(a) An extinct species of dinosaur discovered in Antarctica.

(b) A submerged continental mass located in the southwest Pacific Ocean.

(c) The largest desert in Africa.

(d) A newly discovered planet in our solar system.

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

• Zealandia is an underwater continent located to the southeast of Australia. It was recognized as Earth’s eighth continent in 2017. Zealandia formed around 83 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period and started as part of the supercontinent Gondwana before breaking away.
• The existence of Zealandia was first recorded in 1642 by Dutch businessman and sailor Abel Tasman