Harappan Civilization Questions and Answers | Features, Occupations, Religion & Decline

Harappan Civilization Questions and Answers as per the ICSE curriculum

Short Question Answer Section 1

Question 1: State any two features of the Great Bath.

Ans: Any two features of The Great Bath are:

1. It is a rectangular tank , 39 by 23 feet and more than 8 feet deep.
2. It was surrounded by galleries and had rooms on all sides.

Question 2: What was the purpose of the well near the Great Bath?

Ans: A well built alongside was the source of water for the tank.

Question 3: Where was the Great Granary discovered?

Ans: The Great Granary was discovered at Harappa.

Question 4: What was the purpose of the Great Granary?

Ans: The purpose of the Great Grnary was to store surplus foodgrains.

Question 5: What does the dockyard at Lothal suggest?

Ans: The dockyard at Lothal suggests taht the Harappans were engaged in maritime trade with west Asia.

Question 6: What impressions can we draw about the people of the period from the ruins of the buildings?

Ans: The ruins of Mohenjodaro, Harappa and other towns and cities leave us in no doubt that the cities were largely populated and the inhabitants enjoyed municipal advantages of a very high order.

Question 7: What leads us to believe that agriculture was the backbone of the Harappan economy?

Ans: Agriculture as an occupation was the backbone of the Harappan Civilization is proved by the discovery of a toy plough and the granaries. The Great Granary at Harppa further solidifies the importance of agriculture for Harappans.

Question 8: Name any two agricultural crops grown during this period.

Ans:The two main agricultural crops were white and barley.

Question 9: Give two examples of trade objects that suggest people during this period had trade with other civilizations.

Ans: Any two items that were traded with other civilizations are : lapis lazuli and turquoise.

Question 10: Name any two occupations followed by the Harappans.

Ans:Any two occupations followed by the Harappans are carpentry and masonry.

Short Question Answer Section 2

Question 11: Give an example to demonstrate the carpentry skills of the Harappans.

Ans: The Harappans were quite advanced than their contemporaries. They devised a saw with teeth that allowed sawdust to escape from cut automatically.

Question 12: What was the usual mode of dressing of the people in this period?

Ans: People wore clothes made up of both cotton and wool. Men wore a garment similar to modern day dhoti. Women wore short skirts held at the waist with a girdle. Shawl was used as an upper garment.

Question 13: Name any two ornaments used by the Harappans.

Ans: Any two ornaments used by Harappans are amulets and necklaces.

Question 14: How did the people enjoy their free time?

Ans:  The people enjoyed their leisure time by playing different games . The discovery of dice-pieces shows that Harappans knew the game of dice. 

Question 15: Name any two prominent toys made for children.

Ans: The two prominent toys made for children are toy carts and whistles in the shape of birds and so on.

Question 16: Name any two important crafts practiced by the Harappans.

Ans:The Harappans practised numerous arts and crafts. Bead-making was an important craft. The beads made of gold, silver, copper and faience have been discovered. The long barrel carnelian beads revela the artistic excellence of the Harappans.

Pottery making was a developed art. Beautiful reddish glazed pottery with different designs have been discovered from almost all the sites.

Question 17: How do we know that sculpture was well developed in the Harappan Civilization?

Ans: The Harappans practised sculptures. This fact is proved by the discovery of archaeological remains found from different sites. The most notable of these is the statue of “the priest king” discovered at Mohenjodaro. He has a beard and he wears a headband and an embroidered shawl.

Question 18: Describe two important details about the Dancing Girl.

Ans: The dancing girl was made up of bronze metal and the right hand of the statue rests on her hip and the left arm heavily bangled  informs us about the ornaments and hairstyles appreciated by the woman of that age.

Question 19: What were the seals made of?

Ans: The seals were primarily made up of seatite having square, rectangular and flat shape.

Short Question Answer Section 3

Question 20: Name any two important seals.

Ans: The two important seals are: The seal containing the engraving of the mythical unicorn. The other one is the Pashupati seal. It shows a three-faced deity sitting in a yogic posture, surrounded by rhinoceros, a buffalo, an elephant and a tiger.

Question 21: State the importance of the Harappan seals.

Ans: More than 2000 seals have been discovered from the various Harappan sites. The seals were primarily made up of square, flat or rectangular shape. The seals were used for trade and commerce purpose. The inscriptions on the seals suggest that the Harappans were educated and the education was not limited to select classes.

Question 22: What was the style of script during this period?

Ans:  The style of the script was pictographic in nature.

Question 23: Why is the Harappan script still an enigma?

Ans: The script of the civilization was pictographic , like the one prevalent in the early Sumerian, Minoan and Egyptian civilizations. The inscriptions are usually short, comprising 26 characters. later , the Harappans used a phonetic script in the beginning and later an alphabetic pattern was developed . The script has remained undeciphered till date due to lack of knowledge about the script by the linguists.

Question 24: State any two features of the religious beliefs of the people of this age.

Ans: Any two features of the religious beliefs of the people of this age are: 

1. The numerous female terracotta figurines suggest that the Harappans worshipped Mother Goddess, the early form of shakti.
2. The Pashupati seal depicting the three faced deity denotes the early conception of Shiva.

Question 25: What was the Mother Goddess a symbol of?

Ans: The Mother Goddess was the symbol of power or “shakti”.

Question 26: State the probable reasons for the decline of the Harappan Civilization.

Ans: The Harappan Civilization declined due to a number of probable reasons:

a. Climatic Changes: The climatic change in the Indus region may have been responsible for the disappearance of civilization.

b. Deforestation: The use of kiln-burnt bricks must have required a lot of fuel. Excessive deforestation may have resulted in a decrease in rainfall and forced people to evacuate.

c. Floods: Natural causes like floods may have led to the evacuation of Mohenjodaro.

D. Invasion: The invasion of nomadic invaders in the second millennium BC may have broken up the organized agriculture altogether.

Question 27: What reason would you accept for the decline of the Harappan Civilization, and why?

Ans: The Harappan Civilization declined due to a number of probable reasons:

a. Climatic Changes: The climatic change in the Indus region may have been responsible for the disappearance of civilization.

b. Deforestation: The use of kiln-burnt bricks must have required a lot of fuel. Excessive deforestation may have resulted in a decrease in rainfall and forced people to evacuate.

c. Floods: Natural causes like floods may have led to the evacuation of Mohenjodaro.

D. Invasion: The invasion of nomadic invaders in the second millennium BC may have broken up the organized agriculture altogether.

Reference to the Context/Long Question Answers

Question 28: With reference to the people of this civilization, discuss the following:

1. Their occupation

Ans: The agricultural class constituted the largest section of the Harappan population. Then there were potters, carpenters, weavers, blacksmiths, masons, goldsmiths, ivory-workers, stone-cutters, sculptors and jewellers.

2. The dress and the ornaments

Ans:People wore clothes made up of both cotton and wool. Men wore a garment similar to modern day dhoti. Women wore short skirts held at the waist with a girdle. Shawl was used as an upper garment.

Both men and women wore ornaments. Men wore amulets and finger rings, while women wore necklaces, bracelets, bangles and earrings.

3. Their modes of recreation

 Ans:The people enjoyed their leisure time by playing different games . The discovery of dice-pieces shows that Harappans knew the game of dice. 

Question 29: Discuss the religious beliefs of the Harappans.

Ans: The numerous female terracotta figurines suggest that the Harappans worshipped Mother Goddess, the early form of shakti.The Pashupati seal depicting the three faced deity denotes the early conception of Shiva.