History

In The Earliest Cities

Question:

What could have been the possible reasons behind the end of the Harappan civilization? [V. Imp.]

Answer:

The Harappan civilization suddenly seems to have started to end, around 3900 years ago. People stopped living in many cities. Writing, seals and weights became ‘extinct'. Raw materials were now rarely imported.
Some scholars suggest that this happened due to the drying of rivers. Some others have explained it with deforestation. In some areas there were floods. The floods could have been a reason for the end.
Rulers might also have lost control. Consequently, People abandoned sites in Sind and Punjab and moved to newer, smaller settlements to the east and the south.

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In The Earliest Cities

Q 1.

What was the citadel?

Q 2.

Where did people move to from Sind?

Q 3.

Define raw material.

Q 4.

What were the three mayor categories of people in a Harappan city?

Q 5.

Name two cities which had fire altars.

Q 6.

When and how was the site of Harappa first encountered? [Imp.]

Q 7.

Describe the people of Harappan cities. [V. Imp.]

Q 8.

How do archaeologists know that cloth was used in the Harappan civilization?

Q 9.

Give some important features of the Great Bath. [V. Imp.]

Q 10.

What was the use of the plough? [V. Imp.]

Q 11.

How were bricks laid in houses of Harappan cities?

Q 12.

How old are Harappa cities believed to be?

Q 13.

Do you think that the life of farmers and herders who supplied food to the Harappan cities was different from that of the farmers and herders you read about in chapter 3? Give reasons for your answer.

Q 14.

What were objects in Harappan cities made of?

Q 15.

What could have been the possible reasons behind the end of the Harappan civilization? [V. Imp.]

Q 16.

How do we know that cotton was grown in Mohenjodaro? [V. Imp.]

Q 17.

Who was a specialist' in Harappan context?

Q 18.

Write a short note on the city of Lothal. [V. Imp.]

Q 19.

Name some foreign countries from where raw materials were imported.

Q 20.

Give one point of difference between Dholavira and other Harappan cities.

Q 21.

Describe the two parts of a typical Harappan city. [V. Imp.]

Q 22.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence:
(i) The western part of Harappan cities, which was usually smaller but higher,  has been referred to as the ……………..
(ii) The eastern part of Harappan cities, which was usually larger but lower, has  been referred to as the ……………
(iii) The Great Bath was made water tight with a layer of………………….
(iv) Scribes were people who knew how to ………………
(v) Metals like gold and silver were used to make ……………  and ………….
(vi) Most Harappan seals are made of………………
(vii) Archaeologists have found spindle wheels, made of terracotta and ………………….
(viii) Spindle whorls were used to …………….
(ix) The Harappans got copper from the present day…………………
(x) A tool called……….. was used to dig the earth for turning the soil and planting  seeds.
(xi)…… must have been used by farmers since the region of Harappa did not  receive heavy rainfall.
(xii)Sealings are impressions of seals on ……………

Q 23.

Describe the drains of the cities.   [V. Imp.]

Q 24.

Why were metals, writing, the wheel and the plough important for the Harappans?

Q 25.

Write a short note on farming methods and rearing done by Harappan farmers and herders.

Q 26.

Make a list of all the terracotta toys shown in the lesson. Which do you think children would have enjoyed playing with the most?

Q 27.

Make a list of what the Harappans ate, and put a tick mark against the things you eat today.

Q 28.

Write a short note on the craft practised by Harappan.

Q 29.

Where did the Harappan get the raw materials from?