In the Earliest Cities quiz

The Great Bath was found at:

The Harappan cities are about how old?

Fire altars have been found at:

Harappan seals were usually made of:

Lothal is situated in present-day:

Carnelian is a:

Harappan weights were usually made of:

Tin was probably brought from present-day:

Which of the following was not a crop grown by Harappans?

Dholavira is located in:

Why were Harappan houses built with baked bricks? (2 marks)

What was special about the bricks used in Harappan cities? (2 marks)

Name two crafts practised in Harappan cities. (2 marks)

Why is Lothal considered an important trading centre? (2 marks)

What evidence shows that Harappans used ploughs? (2 marks)

What were spindle whorls used for? (2 marks)

Why do historians think the rulers lived in the citadel? (2 marks)

Name two animals reared by Harappans. (2 marks)

Why were storehouses built in Harappan cities? (2 marks)

Give two possible reasons for the decline of Harappan cities. (2 marks)

Harappan cities flourished from about 4700 years ago to about 3900 years ago. For how many years did they flourish? Write the starting date in BCE, taking the present as 2000 CE. (3 marks)

A Harappan brick measures 40 cm long. If bricks followed the ratio 4 : 2 : 1, find the breadth and height. How many such bricks laid end to end would make a 10 m wall? (3 marks)

Arrange in chronological order: decline of Harappan cities, discovery of Harappa, beginning of farming at Mehrgarh, building of the first Harappan cities. (3 marks)

An archaeologist found 250 beads at a site: 100 of carnelian, 75 of faience, 50 of shell and the rest of gold. How many gold beads were found? What percentage were carnelian? (3 marks)

A Harappan weight system doubled at each step starting from 1 unit. What is the 6th weight? What is the total of the first 5 weights? (3 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. The Great Bath at Mohenjodaro was a large tank lined with bricks, coated with plaster and made watertight with a layer of natural tar. There were steps on two sides and rooms on all sides. Water was probably brought from a well and drained out after use. (i) Why was the tank made watertight? (ii) Why do historians think it was used on special occasions? (iii) What does it tell us about the people's engineering skills? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. Lothal stood beside a tributary of the Sabarmati in Gujarat, close to the Gulf of Khambat. It was situated near areas where raw materials such as semi-precious stones were easily available. A workshop for making beads was found there. (i) Why was Lothal a good place for trade? (ii) What was made in the workshop? (iii) What raw materials were available nearby? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. At Mohenjodaro, archaeologists found houses that were one or two storeys high, with rooms built around a courtyard. Most houses had a separate bathing area, and some had wells. Drains from houses were connected to the street drains. (i) What does this tell us about cleanliness? (ii) Why were rooms built around a courtyard? (iii) How were house drains connected to street drains? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. Harappans made objects of copper and bronze, such as tools, weapons, ornaments and vessels. Copper was probably brought from present-day Rajasthan and even from Oman in West Asia, while tin came from Afghanistan and Iran. (i) What is bronze made from? (ii) Name two places from which copper came. (iii) What does this show about trade networks? (5 marks)

Read the passage and answer the questions. Around 3900 years ago, people stopped living in many Harappan cities. Writing, seals and weights were no longer used. However, new settlements grew in the east and south. (i) Name two things that stopped being used. (ii) Give two possible reasons for the decline. (iii) Where did new settlements develop? (5 marks)

Draw a plan of a Harappan city showing the citadel, lower town, streets, drains and the Great Bath. Explain the main features of town planning. (6 marks)

Describe the crafts of the Harappans: beads, weights, seals, faience, spindle whorls and metal objects. Draw labelled sketches of a seal and a set of weights. (6 marks)

Make a chart of raw materials used by Harappans and their sources. Explain how this shows trade with distant lands. Mark any four sources on an outline map. (6 marks)

Describe the life of farmers and herders in the Harappan civilisation. Explain the crops grown, the use of the plough, irrigation and animals reared. Draw a sketch of a toy plough. (6 marks)

Compare Mohenjodaro, Lothal and Dholavira under location, special buildings and importance. Mark the three sites on an outline map of India. (6 marks)