Class 12 History Chapter 1 Most Important Questions | Bricks, Beads And Bones important Questions

In this article on the social class, you will get Class 12 History Chapter 1 Most Important Questions. You can use Bricks, Beads, and Bones important Questions for your CBSE Board exams 2026. Here you will get detailed solutions to important questions for the first chapter of history. You can get the detailed explanation on our YouTube channel.

3 Marker Short Answer Type Class 12 History Chapter 1 Most Important Questions

In this part, I will provide you with short-answer type questions of Class 12 History Chapter 1, the most important questions. 3 marker questions are very important for exams. Class 12 History Chapter 1 Most Important Questions

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Q1. List any three features of the drainage system in the Harappan cities.
Answer:

1. Covered brick drains ran along streets in a planned grid pattern.
2. Each house had a bathroom connected to street drains through a cesspit.
3. Drains were built with removable brick covers for cleaning and had sumps to collect solid waste.

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Q2. Mention three raw materials used in Harappan craft production and their probable sources.
Answer:

1. Lapis lazuli – from Afghanistan (Shortughai).
2. Carnelian – from Bharuch in Gujarat.
3. Copper – from Khetri region in Rajasthan.

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Q3. State any three features of domestic architecture in Mohenjodaro.
Answer:

1. Houses built around a central courtyard with rooms on all sides.
2. Private wells and brick-paved bathrooms connected to drains.
3. Main doors faced away from streets; no ground-level windows facing the road.

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Q4. Give three reasons for the decline of the Harappan civilisation.
Answer:

1. Climatic changes and deforestation.
2. Excessive floods or drying/shifting of rivers.
3. Decline in trade, disappearance of seals and script, and loss of urban planning.

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Q5. State three features of the Great Bath at Mohenjodaro.
Answer:

1. Large rectangular tank surrounded by corridors on all sides.
2. Watertight construction using bricks set on edge and gypsum mortar.
3. Connected to a well for water supply and a large drain for emptying water.

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8 Marker long Answer Type Class 12 History Chapter 1 Most Important Questions

Here are the most important long-answer type questions for Class 12 History Chapter 1. Use this to prepare for long answers. Class 12 History Chapter 1 Most Important Questions

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Q1. Describe the town planning of Mohenjodaro with reference to its layout, drainage, and public buildings.
Answer:

• City layout: Divided into Citadel (higher, smaller) and Lower Town (larger, lower).
• Street planning: Roads in a grid pattern, intersecting at right angles.
• Standardised bricks: Ratio 4:2:1 used everywhere.
• Drainage system: Covered drains along streets, connected to bathrooms in houses via cesspits; sumps for cleaning.
• Domestic architecture: Courtyard houses, brick-paved bathrooms, private wells, staircases.
• Public buildings: Great Bath (ritual bathing), warehouse (storage), other large structures.
• Labour organisation: Massive mobilisation for building platforms and city walls.

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Q2. Discuss the main features of agriculture and subsistence strategies of the Harappans.
Answer:

• Crops grown: Wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, sesame, millets; rice (rare).
• Animal husbandry: Cattle, sheep, goat, buffalo, pig domesticated; wild animals hunted (boar, deer, gharial).
• Ploughing: Oxen used; ploughed fields at Kalibangan with cross furrows for intercropping.
• Tools: Stone blades or metal tools for harvesting.
• Irrigation: Possible use of canals (Shortughai), wells, reservoirs (Dholavira).
• Fishing and fowling: Evidence from bones at sites.
• Trade link: Surplus production possibly used for trade with other regions.

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Q3. Explain the craft production and trade networks of the Harappan civilisation.
Answer:

• Craft production centres: Chanhudaro (beads, shells, seals, weights), Nageshwar & Balakot (shell items).
• Materials used: Carnelian, jasper, steatite, gold, copper, faience, shell, terracotta.
• Bead-making process: Cutting, shaping, polishing, drilling; firing for red carnelian.
• Production indicators: Raw materials, tools, unfinished items, waste found at sites.
• Trade routes: Bullock carts for land routes; rivers and coastal shipping.
• Sources of materials: Lapis lazuli (Afghanistan), copper (Rajasthan, Oman), carnelian (Gujarat), gold (South India).
• Foreign trade: Links with Oman, Bahrain (Dilmun), Mesopotamia (Meluhha).
• Exports: Beads, shells, pottery, cotton textiles.

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Q4. Examine the evidence used by archaeologists to identify social differences in Harappan society.
Answer:

• Burials: Most simple, some with brick-lined pits, jewellery, pottery; no massive wealth like Egyptian tombs.
• Grave goods: Ornaments found with both men and women; copper mirrors in some graves.
• Utilitarian vs luxury items: Common objects – querns, pottery; rare items – faience, gold jewellery.
• Distribution of rare objects: Concentrated in big cities like Mohenjodaro, Harappa; absent in smaller towns.
• Craft specialisation: Centres for bead-making, shell-work indicate skilled artisans.
• Urban planning & standardisation: Suggests some level of organised control.
• Public buildings: Great Bath, warehouses point to community activities and possible elite control.

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Q5. Discuss the discovery of the Harappan civilisation and the changes in archaeological methods used to study it.
Answer:

• Early discoveries: 1875 – Cunningham reported Harappan seal but misdated it.
• Key excavations: Daya Ram Sahni (Harappa, 1921), Rakhal Das Banerji (Mohenjodaro), John Marshall’s 1924 announcement.
• Early methods: Marshall’s horizontal excavation ignored stratigraphy, losing contextual data.
• Later improvements: Wheeler emphasised stratigraphy and military precision in excavations.
• Post-Partition: Indian archaeologists explored new sites (Kalibangan, Lothal, Rakhigarhi, Dholavira).
• Modern techniques: International collaborations, surface surveys, scientific dating, archaeobotany, archaeogenetics.
• Recent research: DNA studies at Rakhigarhi showing genetic continuity with present-day populations.

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