Pre Historic Age and Indus Valley Civilisation – UPSC Civil Service Exam – Past Year Solved Questions

Which one of the following is not a Harappan site?

[UPSC CIVIL SERVICE EXAM 2019]

Options

• Chanhudaro
• Kot Diji
• Sohgaura
• Desalpur

Answer – Sohgaura

Explanation – Desalpur, Chanhudaro and Kot Diji are the Harappan sites. Desalpur is a village and site belonging to Indus Valley Civilisation located in Gujarat.
The ancient site of Kot Diji is a site of Indus Valley Civilisation, located in the Sindh district, Pakistan.
Chanhudaro is an archaeological site belonging to Indus Valley Civilisation, located 130 km South of Mohenjodaro in Sindh, Pakistan.
Sohgaura copper inscription is a Mauryan record depicting famine relief efforts. It is written in Prakrit in the Brahmi script.

With reference to the difference between the culture of Rigvedic Aryans and Indus Valley people, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. Rigvedic Aryans used the coat of mail and helmet in warfare whereas the people of Indus Valley Civilization did not leave any evidence of using them.
2. Rigvedic Aryans knew gold, silver, and copper whereas Indus Valley people knew only copper and iron.
3. Rigvedic Aryans had domesticated the horse whereas there is no evidence of Indus Valley people having been aware of this animal.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

[UPSC CIVIL SERVICE EXAM 2017]

Options

• Only 1
• 2 and 3
• 1 and 3
• 1, 2 and 3

Answer – Only 1

Explanation – Indus people were basically peace-loving. Their arms (swords, daggers, arrowheads, and spears) were primitive in nature. No evidence of armor, helmet, body armor or shield is available. The Aryans, on the contrary, were warlike people and were conversant with all kinds of traditional arms and armor, and had devised a full-fledged ‘science of war’.
The Indus valley people knew the use of copper, bronze, silver, and gold but not iron. The horse, which played a decisive role in the Aryan system of warfare, was also known to the Indus people. A few bones of a horse and a terracotta figure of a ‘horse-like animal’ have been unearthed from Surkotada (Gujarat) which indicates that the horse was employed by the Harappans.
On the other hand, some scholars claim that the horse was widely domesticated and used in India in the area covered by the Indus-Sarasvati (or Harappan) Civilisation, but this evidence remains unsubstantiated. At Surkotada and Lothal, horse evidence has also been found.

Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of the 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 answer using the codes given below

[UPSC CIVIL SERVICE EXAM 2013]

Options

• 1 and 2
• Only 2
• All of these
• None of these

Answer – Only 2

Explanation – Among the archaeological remains of the Indus valley civilization, no great palaces and temples have been found, even though there is evidence of great granaries and great baths. There is evidence of both male and female deities in the Indus valley civilization remains. Horses have not been found In the Indus valley civilization remains, though they were quite common in the later Vedic period. One of the few sites, where horse remains have been found is Surkotada, but in general, horses were rare.

Regarding the Indus valley civilization, consider the following statements
1. It was predominantly a secular civilization and the religious element, though present, did not dominate the scene.
2. During this period, cotton was used for manufacturing textiles in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

[UPSC CIVIL SERVICE EXAM 2011]

Options

• Only 1
• Only 2
• Both 1 and 2
• Neither 1 nor 2

Answer – Both 1 and 2

Explanation – Indus valley civilization was a secular civilization with no trace of theocratic or organized religion being followed. Cotton textiles were produced during the Harappan period as shown by artifact evidence.