CLASS XII HISTORY THEME 1 BRICKS BEADS AND BONES QUESTION BANK

CLASS XII

HISTORY

QUESTION BANK THEME -1

BRICKS, BEADS, BONES-THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

1.     To what extent had the Harappa people established trade relations beyond the subcontinent? Explain (4)

2.     Identify the two main features of the Harappan script. (2)

3.     Examine the evidences used by historians to reconstruct religious beliefs and practices of Harappan period. (4)

      4. How have archaeologists used evidence from material remains to piece together  parts of a fascinating Harappa history? Explain                                                     (4)

5.     Describe the trade relations of the Harappans with West Asia.                 (4)

6.     Discuss the functions that may have been performed by rulers in Harappan Society.4

7.     Explain the socio-economic differences in Harappann Society that archeological finds seem to suggest.

8.     Source Based Question:

•       What are the two types of querns?                                                     1
•       What materials were these querns made of?                                      2
•       Why are they described as "curry stones"?                                        1
•        Explain the two ways of classifying finds of excavations.                2   
•        Explain any two ways in which the archeologists classify finds and one way they determine the function?                                                               2                                                              

9. On the basis of artifacts how can you trace the agricultural development in Harappan civilization?                                                                                           4

10.   Explain important features of Harappan town planning.                 4

11.   Source based Question:

• · What did the Rigveda mention about pur? (2)
• ·  According to Wheeler what did excavations show? (2)
• ·  What do you conclude about the destruction of this civilization and why? (3)
• Who 4.was R.E.M. Wheeler? (1)

1    12.            Describe some distinctive features of the Harappan culture.  (4)

1    13.            How have archaeologists used evidence from material remains to piece together parts of a fascinating Harappa history? Explain                                       (4)

Answer Points:

1    14.    The problems of archaeological interpretation are perhaps most evident in attempts to reconstruct the religious practices of Harappa”. Give suitable arguments in support of your answer.                                                                             4

Value Points for the answer:  
                                                                       

15.             To what extent had the Harappa people established trade relations beyond the subcontinent? Explain (4)

16.              How can you say that the Harappan culture was an urban one.     (4)

Ans.          We can say that the Harappan culture was an urban one, due to the following reasons:

• ·        The cities were well planned and thickly populated.
• ·        The roads were straight and wide.
• ·        The houses were made of burnt bricks and contained more than one storey.
• ·        Every house had a well and a bathroom.
• ·        The drainage system was excellent with house drains emptying into street drains.
• ·        The citadel of Harappa had public buildings
• ·        Lothal was a dockyard and important trading centre.
• ·        After the decline of the Harappan culture, town planning was forgotten and there was absence of city life for about thousands of years.

17.      Write a note on the agricultural technology of Harappans.                        (4)
Ans. Agriculture was the chief occupation of the Harappans. The prevalence of agriculture is indicated by finds of grains. But it is more difficult to reconstruct actual agricultural practices. Archaeologists have found evidence of ploughed field at Kalibangan. Representations on seals and terracotta sculpture indicate that the bull was known, and archaeologist extrapolate from this that oxen were used for ploughing. Terracotta models of the plough have been found at sites in Cholistan and at Banawali. The field had two sets of furrows at right angles to each other, suggesting that two different crops were grown together. Most Harappan sites are located in semi-arid lands, where irrigation was probably required for agriculture. Traces of canals have been found at the Harappan site of Shortughai in Afghanistan. It is also likely that water drawn from wells was used for irrigation. Besides, water reservoirs found in Dholavira may have been used to store water for irrigation.

1               18.         Discuss how archaeologists reconstruct the past.                                      (8)

Ans.      1. Material evidences, allows archaeologists to better reconstruct Harappan life.                 This material could be pottery, tools, ornaments, household objects, etc.

2. Recovering artefacts is just the beginning of the archaeological enterprise. Archaeologists then classify their finds.

3. The second, and more complicated, is in terms of function: archaeologists have to decide whether, for instance, an artefact is a tool or an ornament, or both, or something meant for ritual use.

4. An understanding of the function of an artefact is often shaped by its resemblance with present-day things - beads, querns, stone blades and pots are obvious examples.

5.Archaeologists also try to identify the function of an artefact by investigating the context in which it was found

6. The problems of archaeological interpretation are perhaps most evident in attempts to reconstruct religious practices.

7. Attempts have also been made to reconstruct religious beliefs and practices by examining seals, some of which seem to depict ritual scenes. Others, with plant motifs, are thought to indicate nature worship.

8. Many reconstructions of Harappan religion are made on the assumption that              later traditions provide parallels with earlier ones. This is because archaeologists            often move from the known to the unknown, that is, from the present to the past.

9. Remains of crops, saddle querns or pit are studied to identify food.

10.Archaelogists observe the different layers of site and try to find out different              things which give picture of socio-economic conditions, religions and cultural                 life of the past people.

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