Grade 6 : Social Science (Exploring Society) - The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation

Question 1

Archaeologists studying Harappan settlements observed a distinct division of space in most major cities. One area was elevated and fortified, while the other was expansive and situated lower down.

What name do archaeologists give to the higher, fortified western part of standard Harappan settlements?

Accepted Answer

B) Citadel

Answer

A) Lower Town

Answer

C) Granary

Answer

D) Dockyard

Question 2

Assertion (A): Harappan cities possessed remarkably well-engineered drainage systems with covered drains along the streets.
Reason (R): Harappan civic planners understood the necessity of sanitation, constructing inspection traps at regular intervals for cleaning.

Select the correct statement option:

Accepted Answer

A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Answer

B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Answer

C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.

Answer

D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Question 3

At which notable Indus Valley site was the famous 'Great Bath', a large rectangular tank lined with baked bricks and waterproofed with natural bitumen, discovered?

Accepted Answer

C) Mohenjo-daro

Answer

A) Kalibangan

Answer

B) Dholavira

Answer

D) Lothal

Question 4

An excavation team discovers an ancient coastal settlement featuring a massive tidal basin with brick embankments, designed to handle merchant boats coming through the Gulf of Khambhat.

Which ancient Harappan port city matches this architectural description?

Accepted Answer

C) Lothal

Answer

A) Banawali

Answer

B) Rakhigarhi

Answer

D) Harappa

Question 5

Assertion (A): Unlike most Harappan cities divided into two sectors, Dholavira in Gujarat was divided into three distinct fortified parts.
Reason (R): Dholavira was the primary centre for smelting copper imported from the Arabian Peninsula.

Select the correct option:

Accepted Answer

B) (A) is true, but (R) is false.

Answer

A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Answer

C) (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Answer

D) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Question 6

Harappan artisans achieved remarkable uniformity in the production of baked bricks. What was the standard ratio of thickness to breadth to length ($T : B : L$) found across their settlements?

Accepted Answer

D) $1 : 2 : 4$

Answer

A) $1 : 2 : 3$

Answer

B) $1 : 3 : 5$

Answer

C) $2 : 3 : 4$

Question 7

Archaeological digs across Harappan workshops frequently reveal thousands of uniform cubical objects without markings, made from chert stone and calibrated systematically.

What was the primary function of these cubical chert artefacts?

Accepted Answer

A) Standardised weights for trade

Answer

B) Playing dice for indoor games

Answer

C) Building blocks for miniature models

Answer

D) Ritual offerings placed in fire altars

Question 8

From which region did the Harappans primarily obtain their supply of copper for manufacturing bronze tools and ornaments?

Accepted Answer

C) Khetri region (Rajasthan)

Answer

A) Deccan Plateau (Karnataka)

Answer

B) Badakhshan (Afghanistan)

Answer

D) Chota Nagpur Plateau

Question 9

Statement I: Evidence of ploughed agricultural fields has been unearthed at the site of Kalibangan.
Statement II: Harappans made use of heavy iron ploughshares to till the dense black soil of Gujarat.

Which of the following is correct regarding these statements?

Accepted Answer

B) Statement I is correct, but Statement II is incorrect.

Answer

A) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.

Answer

C) Statement I is incorrect, but Statement II is correct.

Answer

D) Both Statement I and Statement II are incorrect.

Question 10

A student examines a collection of square Harappan seals carved from steatite (soapstone). Most feature an animal motif alongside a short inscription in an undeciphered script.

Which of the following was the most frequently depicted animal on these seals?

Accepted Answer

A) Unicorn (one-horned mythical beast) / Humped bull

Answer

B) Horse

Answer

C) Cow

Answer

D) Camel

Question 11

At which Harappan sites have archaeologists identified distinctive brick-lined 'fire altars', indicating potential public or domestic sacrificial rituals?

Accepted Answer

D) Kalibangan and Lothal

Answer

A) Harappa and Mohenjo-daro

Answer

B) Chanhudaro and Suktagendor

Answer

C) Dholavira and Banawali

Question 12

Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets from the third millennium BCE record extensive sea-borne commerce with three overseas lands: Dilmun, Magan, and Meluhha.

Historians widely agree that the name 'Meluhha' refers to which ancient region?

Accepted Answer

C) The Indus / Harappan region

Answer

A) Island of Bahrain

Answer

B) Coastal Oman

Answer

D) The Nile Valley

Question 13

Assertion (A): Harappan settlements were laid out along a planned grid pattern, with main streets intersecting at right angles.
Reason (R): This geometric town planning ensured efficient traffic movement and facilitated roadside covered drainage networks.

Choose the correct option:

Accepted Answer

B) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

Answer

A) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Answer

C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.

Answer

D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Question 14

Which ancient Harappan site is famous for being almost exclusively devoted to craft production, including bead-making, shell-cutting, and seal-making?

Accepted Answer

A) Chanhudaro

Answer

B) Kalibangan

Answer

C) Mohenjo-daro

Answer

D) Ropar

Question 15

A museum displays a striking dark grey stone bust of a bearded male figure draped in an embroidered shawl decorated with trefoil patterns, unearthed at Mohenjo-daro.

What is this iconic sculpted artefact popularly called by archaeologists?

Accepted Answer

D) The Priest-King

Answer

A) The Dancing Girl

Answer

B) The Pashupati Master

Answer

C) The Royal Archer

Question 16

Which semi-precious reddish stone was extensively used by Harappan artisans to craft elongated tubular beads, famously manufactured at Lothal and Chanhudaro?

Accepted Answer

C) Carnelian

Answer

A) Lapis lazuli

Answer

B) Turquoise

Answer

D) Jade

Question 17

Statement I: The Harappan writing system remains undeciphered to this day.
Statement II: The script was generally written from right to left, as evidenced by wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left side of seals.

Select the correct assessment of these statements:

Accepted Answer

B) Both Statement I and Statement II are true.

Answer

A) Statement I is true, but Statement II is false.

Answer

C) Statement I is false, but Statement II is true.

Answer

D) Both Statement I and Statement II are false.

Question 18

Around 1900 BCE, the mature urban phase of the Indus Valley Civilisation began to decline. Cities were gradually abandoned, standard weights and seals disappeared, and writing ceased.

Which combination of factors is most widely proposed by modern historians and scientists to explain this gradual decline?

Accepted Answer

A) Climate change, shifting river courses/drying up of rivers, and environmental degradation

Answer

B) Large-scale foreign invasion using iron weapons and horse chariots

Answer

C) Sudden volcanic eruptions that submerged the cities under lava

Answer

D) An empire-wide civil war between northern and southern cities

Question 19

Which valuable deep-blue stone was sought by Harappans from their distant northern trading outpost at Shortughai (in modern Afghanistan)?

Accepted Answer

D) Lapis lazuli

Answer

A) Steatite

Answer

B) Carnelian

Answer

C) Amethyst

Question 20

A student is analysing a two-column chart describing findings at major Indus Valley Civilisation archaeological sites:

Site	Significant Feature / Finding
1. Mohenjo-daro	Bronze 'Dancing Girl' statue
2. Lothal	Dockyard basin connected to river
3. Kalibangan	Ploughed field surface
4. Dholavira	Monumental rock-cut water reservoirs

How many of the pairs matched in the table are historically accurate?

Accepted Answer

B) All four pairs

Answer

A) Only two pairs

Answer

C) Only three pairs

Answer

D) Only one pair

Set 3Grade 6 : Social Science (Exploring Society) - The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation