Bihar Board Class 12 Arts History · Ch 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones: The Harappan Civilisation

Topics in this test

Difficulty: 3 easy · 8 medium · 19 hard

Sample questions with answers

The first 5 questions of this free test.

1. Q1. The uniformity of bricks, weights and settlement planning across Harappan sites led scholars to debate chiefly which of the following questions?

   • A. Whether the civilisation was older than Egypt or Mesopotamia
   • B. Whether the people grew wheat or only barley
   • C. Whether the script was pictographic or alphabetic
   • D. Whether there were many rulers, a single state, or no rulers at all
   Solution

   Such uniformity raised the debate over whether the Harappans were governed by many rulers, a single state, or no rulers at all.

2. Q2. An archaeologist finds, within a single Lower Town house, a central courtyard, a bathroom, and traces of a second storey, with a brick-covered drain running outside beside a 6-metre-wide street. Which feature of Harappan planning does this best illustrate?

   • A. A fortified Citadel meant only for rulers
   • B. A planned residential layout with an organised drainage system
   • C. A ritual bathing complex like the Great Bath
   • D. A granary used for storing surplus grain
   Solution

   Houses built around a central courtyard with bathrooms and sometimes two storeys, plus covered drains beside wide (4–10 m) streets, show the Harappans' carefully planned residential layout and drainage.

3. Q3. Match the material with its typical use as given in the chapter: (a) Chert (b) Carnelian — with (1) making weights (2) making reddish beads.

   • A. (a)-(2), (b)-(2)
   • B. (a)-(1), (b)-(1)
   • C. (a)-(1), (b)-(2)
   • D. (a)-(2), (b)-(1)
   Solution

   The text says weights were made of chert, while carnelian is a reddish stone used for beads.

4. Q4. Identify the 'odd one out' among the following in the context of the Harappan Civilisation.

   • A. Dholavira
   • B. Lothal
   • C. Chanhudaro
   • D. Nageshwar
   Solution

   Chanhudaro, Lothal and Dholavira are craft-producing settlements, while Nageshwar is named as a source of shell (raw material), so it is the odd one.

5. Q5. Assertion (A): Archaeologists reconstruct the Harappan Civilisation mainly from material remains like bricks, beads and bones. Reason (R): The Harappan script, though having about 375–400 signs, remains undeciphered. Choose the correct option.

   • A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
   • B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
   • C. A is false but R is true
   • D. A is true but R is false
   Solution

   Because the pictographic script cannot be read, scholars must rely on material evidence — so R correctly explains A.

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