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.

    4Aug, 2025
    Chapter 6 – The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation

    Worksheet No 15 PP Publication

    A. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

    1. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are now in
      ✅ (b) Pakistan
    2. The famous ‘Great Bath’ is in
      ✅ (c) Mohenjo-Daro
    3. A waterproofing material applied on bricks:
      ✅ (a) natural bitumen
    4. City with six large reservoirs:
      ✅ (c) Dholavira
    5. They gave much importance to water management:
      ✅ (d) Dholavira

    B. True or False:

    1. The Harappans had separate areas for bathing in their homes.
      ✅ True
    2. The largest reservoir was in Kalibangan, measuring 73 m long.
      ❌ False (It was in Dholavira)
    3. People at Mohenjo-Daro were the first in Eurasia to grow cotton.
      ✅ True
    4. There was no money at that time as we have today.
      ✅ True
    5. In Harappan cities, quality of construction varied with house size.
      ❌ False (Construction quality was uniform)

    C. Fill in the blanks:

    1. Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were the two important cities of the Indus Valley civilisation.
    2. There was a high density of sites in the Sarasvati basin.
    3. Lothal is in the present-day state of Gujarat.
    4. Goods to be transported were stored in large structures called warehouses.
    5. Most Harappan cities were surrounded by fortifications.

    D. Match the following:

    Cities and States:

    CityState
    Dholavira(a) Gujarat
    Rakhigarhi(b) Haryana
    Ganweriwala(d) Cholistan
    Lothal(a) Gujarat
    Kalibangan(c) Rajasthan
    Banawali(b) Haryana

    E. Very Short Answer Questions:

    1. Define the following:
      • Fortification: A massive wall surrounding a settlement or city, generally for protection.
      • Elite: The higher social classes such as rulers, priests, and officials.
      • Reservoir: A place, natural or artificial, where water is collected and stored.
    2. What were the warehouses used for?
      Warehouses were used to store goods to be transported.
    3. Which two distinct parts did Harappan cities have?
      The upper town (for elites) and lower town (for common people).
    4. How was construction quality the same for all houses?
      Both large and small houses were made with the same quality of baked bricks.
    5. What crops did Harappans grow?
      Barley, wheat, millets, pulses, vegetables, and cotton.

    F. Short Answer Questions:

    1. How did the Indus Civilisation decline?
      Due to climate change and drying up of Sarasvati River, leading to agricultural failure and city abandonment.
    2. How were Harappan cities planned?
      With wide, straight streets, drainage systems, and zones like upper and lower towns.
    3. How did people in other regions draw water?
      From ponds, reservoirs, or nearby streams.
    4. Why did Harappans settle near rivers?
      For water, fertile soil for farming, and transportation/trade.
    5. Name crops grown by Harappans.
      Wheat, barley, millets, pulses, vegetables, and cotton.
    6. How do we know Harappan diet was diverse?
      Scientific tests on pots found remains of dairy, turmeric, ginger, banana, etc.

    G. Long Answer Questions:

    1. Why is the Great Bath a matter of debate?
      Some archaeologists think it was for religious rituals, others think for royalty. No written records confirm either.
    2. How do we know Harappans valued water management?
      Cities had wells, reservoirs, drains, and homes had separate bathing areas.
    3. What does presence of animal and fish bones show?
      That Harappans ate meat and fish, suggesting non-vegetarian diet and fishing practices.

    H. Assertion and Reasoning:

    1. Assertion: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro grew along the Indus and its tributaries.
      Reason: Rivers were the main source of water and irrigation.
      ✅ (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation.
    2. Assertion: The term ‘Valley’ is obsolete in ‘Indus Valley civilisation’.
      Reason: The civilisation extended beyond the Indus region.
      ✅ (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation.

    4Aug, 2025
    Chapter 6 -The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation

    Worksheet -14 PP Publication

    A. Tick the correct option (MCQs):

    1. One of the oldest civilisations in the world is
      (a) Indus
      (b) Harappan
      (c) Indus-Sarasvati
      (d) All of these ✅
    2. The river Sarasvati is first mentioned in the
      (a) Ramayana
      (b) Mahabharata
      (c) Rig Veda ✅
      (d) Vishnu Purana
    3. The river worshipped both as a goddess and as a river flowing ‘from the mountain to the sea’:
      (a) Beas
      (b) Indus
      (c) Ghaggar
      (d) Sarasvati ✅
    4. Lothal and Dholavira were discovered in
      (a) Punjab
      (b) Haryana
      (c) Rajasthan
      (d) Gujarat ✅
    5. Which of the following characteristics of a civilisation is the most fundamental one?
      (a) Government and administration
      (b) Cultural ideas/crafts
      (c) Trade
      (d) Agriculture ✅

    B. True or False:

    1. The inhabitants of the Indus Valley civilisation are called Harappans.
      True ✅
    2. The river Sarasvati later dried or disappeared.
      True ✅
    3. Mohenjo-Daro is in Haryana (India).
      False ❌ (It is in Pakistan)
    4. The Mesopotamian civilisation began in 3000 BCE.
      False ❌ (It began around 6000 years ago — ~4000 BCE)
    5. The Indus Valley civilisation extended much beyond the Indus region.
      True ✅

    C. Fill in the blanks:

    1. Towns and cities grew along Indus and its tributaries.
    2. The Indus civilisation is also called the ‘First Urbanisation’ of India.
    3. The term civilisation is used for an advanced stage of human societies.
    4. Harappan was the earliest civilisation of the Indian Subcontinent.
    5. River Sarasvati was first mentioned in the Rig Veda.

    D. Match Column A with Column B:

    Column AColumn B
    1. A river that flows into a larger river(d) Tributary
    2. A technique to extract metal from its ore.(e) Metallurgy
    3. Enough to feed not only just the villages(a) A productive agriculture
    4. Town planning(c) Urbanisation
    5. Flows during the rainy season(b) Seasonal

    E. Match cities with modern regions:

    CityModern Region
    1. Mohenjo-Daro(e) Sindh
    2. Dholavira(c) Gujarat
    3. Harappa(b) Punjab
    4. Rakhigarhi(a) Haryana
    5. Kalibangan(d) Rajasthan

    F. Very Short Answer Questions:

    1. Define the following terms: (a) Metallurgy: The technique of extracting metals from nature, purifying or combining them, and studying their properties. (b) Civilisation: An advanced stage of human society with urbanism, administration, agriculture, writing, culture, and trade.
    2. Which river is worshipped as a goddess?
      Sarasvati River
    3. Name the two important cities which grew along the Indus and its tributaries.
      Harappa and Mohenjo-daro

    G. Short Answer Questions:

    1. Give the course of the river Sarasvati.
      The Sarasvati River flowed from the foothills of the Himalayas through Haryana, Punjab, parts of Rajasthan, and Gujarat. It is now known as the Ghaggar in India and Hakra in Pakistan.
    2. What is urbanism?
      Urbanism refers to the planning and development of cities, including town planning, drainage, water supply, and infrastructure.
    3. Write down the main tributaries of the Indus. Important cities grew along these rivers. Why?
      The main tributaries include the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. Cities grew along them due to fertile soil, water for agriculture, and ease of transport and trade.
    4. What are the two main reasons for developing different forms of writing?
      To keep records and to communicate — especially for trade and administration.
    5. What do you understand by the term ‘a productive agriculture’?
      Agriculture that produces enough surplus to feed not only villages but also cities.

    H. Long Answer Questions:

    1. What characteristics should a civilisation have? Explain them.
      A civilisation should have:
      • Some form of government and administration
      • Urban planning and cities
      • A productive agriculture
      • Trade (internal and external)
      • A writing system
      • Crafts and industries
      • Cultural expressions like art, literature, and architecture
    2. How can you say that all these characteristics are present in most societies in the world today?
      Today’s societies have governments, cities with infrastructure, written languages, varied trades, agriculture supporting urban life, and vibrant cultural traditions — all rooted in ancient civilisational traits.

    I. Assertion and Reasoning:

    1. Assertion: Today the inhabitants of Indus civilisation are called Harappans.
      Reason: The city of Harappa was the first of this civilisation to be excavated, way back in 1920–21.
      Answer: (a) Both Assertion and Reason are true, and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion. ✅
    2. Assertion: The plains of Punjab and Sindh are favourable to agriculture.
      Reason: These plains could only feed the villages.
      Answer: (c) Assertion is true, but Reason is false. ✅