Indus Valley Civilization MCQ Questions and Answers
URBAN PLANNING & ARCHITECTURE
1. Which feature best exemplifies the advanced drainage planning of the Indus Valley cities?
A) Open sewers connected to streets
B) Randomly placed soak pits
C) Covered drains with regular inspection holes
D) Single outlet channels for entire neighborhoods
Answer: C
2. The Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro was likely used for:
A) Storing surplus water for irrigation
B) Ritual bathing and ceremonial purposes
C) Swimming competitions
D) Domestic washing and laundry
Answer: B
3. The standardization of brick sizes in the Indus cities primarily indicates:
A) Religious uniformity
B) Lack of individuality
C) Centralized control and urban planning
D) Varied local traditions
Answer: C
4. The evidence of street grids and right-angle intersections in IVC reflects:
A) Ritual design concepts
B) Planned urban layouts with civic engineering principles
C) Unplanned growth
D) Symbolic cosmological beliefs
Answer: B
5. Which city was divided into a “Citadel” and a “Lower Town”?
A) Dholavira
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Lothal
D) Chanhudaro
Answer: B
6. The unique feature of Dholavira’s town planning was:
A) The Great Bath
B) Dockyard
C) Water reservoirs and an internal drainage system
D) Underground granary
Answer: C
7. What does the term “Citadel” in Indus context refer to?
A) Royal residence
B) Fortified elevated area for public structures
C) Religious temple complex
D) Storage for grains
Answer: B
8. The presence of public wells in IVC suggests:
A) Ritual worship of water
B) Equitable access to clean water for all inhabitants
C) Use for irrigation
D) Private property system
Answer: B
9. The IVC houses were typically built with:
A) Baked bricks of uniform proportion
B) Unfired clay blocks
C) Wooden logs
D) Stone slabs
Answer: A
10. Which site shows the earliest evidence of water conservation in the subcontinent?
A) Mohenjo-daro
B) Kalibangan
C) Dholavira
D) Rakhigarhi
Answer: C
11. Which evidence suggests that Indus people valued privacy?
A) Absence of windows
B) Private baths and walled courtyards in houses
C) Lack of streetlights
D) Closed granaries
Answer: B
12. The alignment of Harappan streets along cardinal directions implies:
A) Artistic preference
B) Influence from Mesopotamia
C) Astronomical awareness and precision planning
D) Accidental arrangement
Answer: C
13. Which site shows evidence of multi-roomed public granaries?
A) Harappa
B) Chanhudaro
C) Dholavira
D) Banawali
Answer: A
14. The concept of sanitation in IVC was demonstrated through:
A) Surface drainage
B) Underground, covered drains connected to every house
C) Open disposal pits
D) Communal bathing only
Answer: B
15. Which architectural feature was absent in Indus cities?
A) Grid planning
B) Wells
C) Temples or palaces
D) Granaries
Answer: C
SOCIETY, RELIGION & CULTURE
16. The terracotta figurine commonly known as the “Mother Goddess” represents:
A) Queen of Mohenjo-daro
B) Fertility cult and nature worship
C) War deity
D) Ancestral spirit
Answer: B
17. The “Pashupati seal” is associated with:
A) Solar worship
B) Proto-Shiva or Lord of Animals
C) Fire god
D) Priest-king
Answer: B
18. Which evidence points to the non-existence of monarchy in IVC?
A) Large fortresses
B) Absence of royal burials and palaces
C) Huge statues
D) Weapons of war
Answer: B
19. The practice of fire altars found at Kalibangan suggests:
A) Metalworking sites
B) Religious rituals involving fire
C) Cooking areas
D) Burial rituals
Answer: B
20. The “Priest-King” sculpture from Mohenjo-daro is made of:
A) Basalt
B) Terracotta
C) Steatite
D) Limestone
Answer: C
21. Which tree was considered sacred by the Indus people?
A) Peepal
B) Peepal (Ficus religiosa)
C) Banyan
D) Neem
Answer: B
22. Which animal frequently appears in Indus religious motifs but was not domesticated?
A) Elephant
B) Bull
C) Unicorn
D) Goat
Answer: C
23. What does the burial practice at Lothal indicate about belief systems?
A) Animal sacrifice
B) Faith in life after death
C) Matriarchal society
D) Idol worship
Answer: B
24. Evidence of dancing figurines from Mohenjo-daro indicates:
A) War celebrations
B) Royal entertainment
C) Cultural emphasis on art and music
D) Religious dance rituals only
Answer: C
25. The beard and headband of the “Priest-King” symbolize:
A) Warrior identity
B) High ritual or political status
C) Agricultural leader
D) Tribal chief
Answer: B
26. Which deity’s worship later merged with Hinduism most directly?
A) Proto-Shiva
B) Indra
C) Agni
D) Vishnu
Answer: A
27. The presence of phallic and female symbols in IVC suggests:
A) Political propaganda
B) Worship of fertility and regeneration
C) Early astrology
D) Ritual punishment
Answer: B
28. Which artifact shows evidence of fashion and ornamentation?
A) Bronze spear
B) Dancing girl figurine with bangles
C) Terracotta toy cart
D) Seals
Answer: B
29. The absence of temples suggests that the IVC religion was:
A) Organized
B) Personal and nature-based
C) Monotheistic
D) Militaristic
Answer: B
30. What was the likely status of women in IVC society?
A) Inferior to men
B) Possibly respected due to fertility cults
C) Isolated from rituals
D) Unknown due to lack of texts
Answer: B
TRADE, ECONOMY & AGRICULTURE
31. The dockyard at Lothal proves:
A) Religious activity
B) Maritime trade with foreign regions
C) Fishermen colony
D) Defense purpose
Answer: B
32. The principal crops of Indus Valley farmers included:
A) Wheat and barley
B) Rice and sugarcane
C) Maize and jowar
D) Cotton and tea
Answer: A
33. Which site shows the earliest evidence of cotton cultivation in the world?
A) Mohenjo-daro
B) Harappa
C) Dholavira
D) Kalibangan
Answer: A
34. Which raw material was imported from Afghanistan?
A) Gold
B) Lapis lazuli
C) Copper
D) Tin
Answer: B
35. Which Harappan site is known for bead-making industry?
A) Mohenjo-daro
B) Chanhudaro
C) Kalibangan
D) Lothal
Answer: B
36. The granaries in Indus cities indicate:
A) Temple storage
B) State-level control over surplus grain
C) Personal storage
D) Ritual usage
Answer: B
37. The discovery of Mesopotamian seals in IVC sites proves:
A) Conflict between regions
B) Long-distance trade relations
C) Migration of people
D) Religious exchange
Answer: B
38. The standard Harappan weights were made of:
A) Gold
B) Iron
C) Chert and stone cubes
D) Terracotta
Answer: C
39. The binary system of weights indicates:
A) Mathematical ignorance
B) Scientific precision and uniform trade
C) Unofficial trade
D) Magical belief
Answer: B
40. Evidence of fishhooks and nets indicates:
A) War weapons
B) Fishing as an economic activity
C) Ornament use
D) Ritual offerings
Answer: B
41. The trade route between IVC and Mesopotamia was likely via:
A) Khyber Pass
B) Persian Gulf
C) Suez Canal
D) Indus delta
Answer: B
42. The Harappan seals with boat motifs signify:
A) Religious symbols
B) Maritime commercial activity
C) Decorative art
D) Navigation beliefs
Answer: B
43. The term “Meluhha” in Mesopotamian records refers to:
A) Egypt
B) Indus Valley Civilization
C) China
D) Persia
Answer: B
44. The presence of silver ornaments in IVC suggests:
A) Trade with Iran
B) Local mining
C) Egyptian import
D) None
Answer: A
45. Which animal evidence suggests use in agriculture?
A) Camel
B) Bullock
C) Elephant
D) Goat
Answer: B
ART, CRAFT & TECHNOLOGY
46. The famous “Dancing Girl” of Mohenjo-daro is made of:
A) Terracotta
B) Stone
C) Bronze
D) Copper
Answer: C
47. The “Dancing Girl” represents mastery over which metal technique?
A) Cold hammering
B) Lost-wax casting (cire perdue)
C) Mold casting
D) Embossing
Answer: B
48. Which site is known for its large-scale bead manufacturing workshops?
A) Kalibangan
B) Chanhudaro
C) Dholavira
D) Lothal
Answer: B
49. What was the primary purpose of seals in the Indus Civilization?
A) Decoration
B) Magical charms
C) Identification and trade authentication
D) Religious offerings
Answer: C
50. The Harappan terracotta figurines mostly depict:
A) Men with weapons
B) Women, animals, and carts
C) Abstract art
D) Kings and soldiers
Answer: B
51. The use of faience in IVC indicates:
A) Trade with Africa
B) Religious use
C) Knowledge of artificial material production
D) Stone carving tradition
Answer: C
52. The precision of bead drilling in IVC shows:
A) Artistic laziness
B) Use of advanced micro-tool technology
C) Manual pounding
D) Unsystematic crafting
Answer: B
53. Harappan bronze figurines were mostly created using:
A) Copper-tin alloy
B) Copper-tin alloy (bronze)
C) Zinc-lead alloy
D) Iron-nickel alloy
Answer: B
54. Which site yielded a stone sculpture of a male torso resembling Greek art?
A) Harappa
B) Harappa (red sandstone torso)
C) Dholavira
D) Banawali
Answer: B
55. The depiction of animals on seals without humans signifies:
A) Worship of animals
B) Symbolic or clan-based identities
C) Lack of human interest
D) Foreign influence
Answer: B
56. The discovery of toys and carts indicates:
A) Royal entertainment
B) High craftsmanship and leisure culture
C) Military activity
D) Export goods only
Answer: B
57. The most common animal motif on Harappan seals is:
A) Tiger
B) Elephant
C) Unicorn bull
D) Buffalo
Answer: C
58. The wheel used in pottery production was made of:
A) Stone
B) Wood (fast wheel type)
C) Clay
D) Copper
Answer: B
59. The discovery of shell bangles at Mohenjo-daro suggests:
A) Inland trade only
B) Coastal connections and skilled craftsmanship
C) Lack of ornaments
D) Ritual usage
Answer: B
60. Harappan craftsmanship is best reflected through:
A) Masonry
B) Metallurgy, bead-making, and seal carving
C) Textile weaving
D) Wall paintings
Answer: B
SCRIPT, LANGUAGE & SEALS
61. The Indus script is written in which form?
A) Left to right
B) Right to left (boustrophedon pattern in some)
C) Vertical
D) Random pattern
Answer: B
62. The total number of distinct symbols in Indus script is approximately:
A) 100
B) 300
C) 400–600
D) 1000
Answer: C
63. The undeciphered nature of Indus script is mainly due to:
A) Foreign language
B) Short inscriptions and lack of bilingual text
C) Poor preservation
D) Lost writing tools
Answer: B
64. Most Indus inscriptions were found on:
A) Cave walls
B) Seals and sealings
C) Pottery walls
D) Stone pillars
Answer: B
65. The “unicorn seal” is unique because:
A) It depicts a mythical creature
B) It appears on most seals with standard motifs
C) It contains no script
D) It was made of gold
Answer: B
66. The probable purpose of seals was:
A) Decorative symbols
B) To mark ownership or goods in trade
C) Royal commands
D) Religious texts
Answer: B
67. The seals discovered from Mesopotamia bearing Indus signs indicate:
A) War between regions
B) Trade contact between the two civilizations
C) Religious exchange
D) Migration
Answer: B
68. Which material was most commonly used for seals?
A) Bronze
B) Terracotta
C) Steatite (soft stone)
D) Iron
Answer: C
69. The absence of long inscriptions indicates that:
A) IVC had no script
B) Writing was primarily used for trade or administration
C) Religious purposes only
D) Literacy was universal
Answer: B
70. Scholars believe the Indus script might represent:
A) Sanskrit
B) Logosyllabic or pictographic language system
C) Latin-like alphabet
D) Egyptian hieroglyphics
Answer: B
POLITICAL SYSTEM & ADMINISTRATION
71. The uniformity of weights and measures indicates:
A) Diverse local governance
B) Centralized administrative control
C) Religious dominance
D) Economic inequality
Answer: B
72. Evidence of town planning and standardization suggests:
A) Random growth
B) Strong civic authority and regulation
C) Tribal anarchy
D) Lack of coordination
Answer: B
73. The absence of monumental palaces or temples implies:
A) Foreign rule
B) Possible egalitarian or collective governance
C) Economic decline
D) Unskilled labor
Answer: B
74. The use of standardized brick ratios shows:
A) Artistic design
B) Governmental control over construction norms
C) Foreign influence
D) Absence of local builders
Answer: B
75. The Great Granary of Harappa might have been managed by:
A) Individual merchants
B) Civic authorities or councils
C) Religious heads
D) Farmers’ guilds
Answer: B
76. Which term best describes the Harappan political structure?
A) Kingdom
B) Empire
C) City-state or oligarchic system
D) Confederation
Answer: C
77. Which evidence shows the existence of taxation or organized economy?
A) Agricultural fields
B) Standard weights and seals
C) Seaports
D) Pots and jars
Answer: B
78. The fortifications around cities like Harappa indicate:
A) Military rule
B) Protection from floods or defense
C) Ritual isolation
D) None
Answer: B
79. The widespread use of uniform measures across regions indicates:
A) Religious uniformity
B) Central supervision and economic integration
C) Competition among cities
D) Isolation of towns
Answer: B
80. The lack of evidence of armies or weapons suggests:
A) Peaceful and trade-based governance
B) Tribal warfare
C) Constant invasion
D) Religious dominance
Answer: A
DECLINE & LEGACY
81. Which factor likely caused the decline of the Indus Civilization?
A) Epidemic only
B) Combination of climate change and river shifts
C) Massive wars
D) External conquest by Persians
Answer: B
82. Which river’s shifting is believed to have affected major IVC centers?
A) Ghaggar-Hakra (Saraswati)
B) Yamuna
C) Brahmaputra
D) Chambal
Answer: A
83. The drying up of rivers led primarily to:
A) Trade expansion
B) Agricultural decline and migration
C) Religious reforms
D) Emergence of new capitals
Answer: B
84. Which archaeological evidence suggests sudden abandonment of cities?
A) Growth of vegetation
B) Unburied skeletons and unfinished constructions
C) Temples destroyed
D) Granaries full
Answer: B
85. Which theory of decline is least supported by evidence?
A) Flood hypothesis
B) Aryan invasion theory
C) River shift hypothesis
D) Climatic change theory
Answer: B
86. Post-Harappan rural cultures are known as:
A) Painted Grey Ware
B) Late Harappan cultures
C) Chalcolithic
D) Copper Hoard cultures
Answer: B
87. The legacy of IVC is visible in:
A) Persian art
B) Urban design and drainage systems of later Indian cities
C) Greek architecture
D) Mauryan pillars
Answer: B
88. Which element continued into later Indian culture?
A) Script
B) Sacred symbols like swastika and peepal
C) Palatial buildings
D) Animal worship only
Answer: B
89. The continuity between Harappan and later Indian traditions shows:
A) Sudden cultural break
B) Gradual transformation rather than abrupt end
C) Replacement by invaders
D) Total disappearance
Answer: B
90. The decline of trade with Mesopotamia coincides with:
A) Collapse of Harappan port cities
B) Rise of Egypt
C) Aryan migration
D) Persian invasion
Answer: A
MISCELLANEOUS & ANALYTICAL QUESTIONS
91. Which of the following best describes Harappan civilization?
A) Agricultural only
B) Religious empire
C) Urban, commercial, and technologically advanced
D) Tribal federation
Answer: C
92. What distinguishes Harappan culture from Mesopotamian?
A) Use of copper
B) Lack of monumental temples and ziggurats
C) Absence of agriculture
D) Use of chariots
Answer: B
93. The Harappans can be regarded as pioneers in:
A) Systematic town planning
B) Iron metallurgy
C) Stone architecture
D) Naval warfare
Answer: A
94. Which of the following sites was located in modern-day India?
A) Harappa
B) Lothal
C) Mohenjo-daro
D) Sutkagendor
Answer: B
95. The similarity of artifacts from different sites proves:
A) Local diversity
B) Cultural uniformity across the civilization
C) Foreign domination
D) Random production
Answer: B
96. The discovery of multiple figurines of bulls suggests:
A) Mythical worship only
B) Agricultural symbolism and economic importance
C) Royal emblem
D) Foreign influence
Answer: B
97. Which evidence refutes the notion of a purely agricultural economy?
A) Fields
B) Dockyards and trade seals
C) Pottery
D) Fire altars
Answer: B
98. Harappan weights show which mathematical knowledge?
A) Addition
B) Binary and decimal systems
C) Geometry only
D) Astrology
Answer: B
99. Which among the following best defines Harappan art?
A) Religious and monumental
B) Functional, realistic, and technically skilled
C) Abstract
D) Symbolic only
Answer: B
100. The true significance of the Indus Valley Civilization lies in:
A) Military conquest
B) Religious dominance
C) Foundation of India’s urban tradition and civic sense
D) Isolation from the world
Answer: C