4Aug, 2025
Chapter 6 The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation

Worksheet No. 16 PP Publication

A. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) – with options and correct answers:

  1. If tin is added to copper the resulting metal is:
    (a) Bronze ✅
    (b) Aluminium
    (c) Steel
    (d) Silver
  2. The most favoured ornament of Harappans were made of:
    (a) Beads
    (b) Shells
    (c) Gold
    ✅ (d) Copper
  3. The traders identified their goods as well as each other by using this:
    (a) Dresses
    (b) Language
    (c) Faces
    ✅ (d) Seals
  4. Despite all achievements, the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilisation began to fall around:
    (a) 1700 BCE
    (b) 1800 BCE
    ✅ (c) 1900 BCE
    (d) 2000 BCE
  5. There has been found a dockyard, with length a little more than that of two football grounds, at/in:
    (a) Kalibangan
    (b) Dholavira
    ✅ (c) Lothal
    (d) Harappa

B. True or False:

  1. The Harappans were the first in Eurasia to grow cotton and they used to weave it into clothes.
    ✅ True
  2. The intense agricultural activity was managed by villages and the cities could survive only if enough agricultural produce from rural areas reached them on a daily basis.
    ✅ True
  3. The Harappans imported bronze metal along with other goods.
    ❌ False (They made bronze by mixing copper with tin.)
  4. The Harappans used bronze to make tools, pots, pans, figurines, etc.
    ✅ True
  5. Seals were used by traders to identify goods in the market.
    ✅ True

C. Fill in the blanks:

  1. Steatite was a soft stone used to make seals.
  2. A dockyard in Lothal was used to receive and send boats for goods.
  3. The most favoured ornaments of the Harappans were beads of carnelian.
  4. At Dholavira, at least six large reservoirs were built with stones.
  5. The Harappans made farming tools including the plough.

D. Match the following:

Column AColumn B
1. Conch shell(a) Bangles
2. A reddish semiprecious stone(e) Carnelian
3. Found on the Oman coast(d) Ivory comb
4. Seals(c) Steatite
5. A bronze figurine from Mohenjo-Daro(b) Dancing Girl

E. Short Answer Questions:

  1. What the Harappans imported in exchange of the exported goods is not clear. It probably included —
    Copper, as it was not commonly available locally.
  2. If tin is added to copper, what is the resulting metal? Which of these two is harder?
    It forms bronze, which is harder than copper.
  3. Why did the Harappans return to rural life around 1900 BCE?
    Due to climatic changes and the drying up of the Sarasvati river, urban life declined.
  4. What do you observe in the ‘Dancing Girl’ figurine?
    She expresses confidence and pride, with bangles covering her entire arm — a custom still seen in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
  5. Do you think workers were paid for their labour like today? (HOTS)
    No. There was no money system like today; payment may have been in kind or organized by community leaders.

F. Long Answer Questions:

  1. Why could cities survive only if enough agricultural produce reached them?
    Cities depended on daily food supply from surrounding villages. Without this, urban populations couldn’t sustain themselves.
  2. Describe Harappan trade: what did they export/import and how?
    • Exports: Beads, ornaments, timber, cotton, food items
    • Imports: Copper (likely), semi-precious stones
    • Transport: Via land routes, rivers, and sea (dockyard at Lothal)
  3. List ornaments worn by Harappans (also draw any two):
    • Beads of carnelian, shell bangles, gold items, copper rings, ivory combs
      (User can draw: Shell bangles and Carnelian bead necklace)
  4. Why did Harappans return to rural settlements? What caused decline?
    • Reasons:
      1. Climatic change around 2200 BCE
      2. Drying of Sarasvati River
      • Lack of water and food forced shift from cities to rural lifestyle.

G. Paragraph-Based Questions and Answers:

Q1. What caused the decline of the Harappan civilisation?
A: Climatic change (less rainfall) and drying of Sarasvati River, leading to abandoned cities.

Q2. Which two factors have archaeologists proposed?
A:

  1. A global climatic shift from 2200 BCE causing droughts.
  2. Sarasvati river dried up, affecting cities like Kalibangan and Banawali.

Q3. What do these factors remind us of?
A: Our dependence on environment and climate for food, water, and survival.