NCET 2026 History Chapter 1 Most Important Questions
Which of the following materials was primarily used to manufacture the distinctive Harappan seals? a) Chert b) Carnelian c) Steatite d) Faience
The “Mature Harappan” phase is defined by which specific time bracket? a) 6000 BCE – 2600 BCE b) 2600 BCE – 1900 BCE c) 1900 BCE – 1300 BCE d) 3300 BCE – 1700 BCE
According to the text, which of these is the most distinctive artefact of the Indus Valley Civilisation? a) The Copper Mirror b) The Harappan Seal c) The Priest-King Statue d) The Dancing Girl
Archaeologists have found evidence of a ploughed field at which site? a) Banawali b) Dholavira c) Kalibangan d) Lothal
The presence of two sets of furrows at right angles in Kalibangan suggests: a) Advanced irrigation techniques b) Two different crops were grown together c) The use of heavy iron ploughs d) Seasonal migration of farmers
Traces of canals have been found at which far-flung Harappan site? a) Shortughai in Afghanistan b) Sutkagendor in Baluchistan c) Manda in Jammu d) Alamgirpur in Uttar Pradesh
The term “Saddle Querns” refers to tools used primarily for: a) Pottery shaping b) Grinding cereals c) Weighing beads d) Metal forging
Which archaeologist noted that the Harappan drainage system was “the most complete ancient system as yet discovered”? a) Alexander Cunningham b) John Marshall c) Ernest Mackay d) R.E.M. Wheeler+1
The Citadel at Mohenjodaro was physically separated from the Lower Town because: a) It was meant for the priestly class only b) It was built on a different river bank c) It was walled d) It was reserved for foreign traders
The standardized ratio of Harappan bricks (Length : Breadth : Height) was: a) 2 : 2 : 1 b) 4 : 2 : 1 c) 3 : 2 : 1 d) 4 : 3 : 2
In Harappan domestic architecture, why were there no windows in the walls at ground level? a) To keep the houses cool b) Due to structural weakness of mud bricks c) A concern for privacy d) To prevent flood water from entering
The “Great Bath” was made watertight using a mortar of: a) Bitumen b) Lime and sand c) Gypsum d) Mud and straw
Which of the following was NOT a major Harappan city according to the text’s list of five? a) Dholavira b) Rakhigarhi c) Lothal d) Ganweriwala
What strategy do archaeologists use to identify if an object was a “luxury”? a) If it was found in the Citadel b) If it is made from costly, non-local materials c) If it has a script engraved on it d) If it was found in a royal burial
Little pots of “faience” were considered precious because: a) They were made of gold and silica b) They were used to store medicine c) They were difficult to make d) They were imported from Mesopotamia
Chanhudaro was a tiny settlement almost exclusively devoted to: a) Agriculture b) Military defense c) Craft production d) Religious rituals
Which site was a specialized centre for making shell objects like bangles and inlay? a) Nageshwar b) Banawali c) Kot Diji d) Mitathal
The red colour of carnelian was obtained by: a) Soaking it in vegetable dyes b) Firing the yellowish raw material c) Polishing it with copper tools d) Natural weathering
What is the best indicator for archaeologists to identify a craft work centre? a) Presence of finished seals b) Waste material like stone chips c) Proximity to a river d) Size of the house
Lapis lazuli, a highly valued blue stone, was procured from: a) Lothal b) Khetri c) Shortughai d) South India
The Khetri region of Rajasthan was an important source for: a) Gold b) Shell c) Copper d) Steatite
Mesopotamian texts refer to the Harappan region as: a) Magan b) Dilmun c) Meluhha d) Turan
The “haja-bird” mentioned in Mesopotamian myths is often identified by archaeologists as the: a) Falcon b) Peacock c) Sparrow d) Duck
Harappan script is described as “enigmatic” because: a) It was written from left to right b) It was purely alphabetical c) It remains undeciphered d) It only contains 10 signs
The Harappan script was written in which direction? a) Left to Right b) Top to Bottom c) Right to Left d) Boustrophedon (alternating directions)
Harappan weights were usually made of which stone? a) Jasper b) Chert c) Quartz d) Carnelian
The lower denominations of Harappan weights followed a ______ system. a) Decimal b) Binary c) Hexadecimal d) Roman
Who was the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)? a) John Marshall b) R.E.M. Wheeler c) Alexander Cunningham d) Daya Ram Sahni
What was Cunningham’s main confusion regarding Harappa? a) He thought the site was a Buddhist monastery b) He tried to place it within the time-frame of the first cities in the Ganga valley c) He believed it was a Mesopotamian colony d) He thought the seals were modern fakes
The study of layers in an archaeological mound is called: a) Epigraphy b) Stratigraphy c) Palaeography d) Numismatics
In 1924, who announced the discovery of a new civilization in the Indus Valley to the world? a) R.E.M. Wheeler b) Alexander Cunningham c) John Marshall d) Rakhal Das Banerji
What was the major flaw in John Marshall’s excavation technique? a) He used only local labourers b) He ignored stratigraphy and excavated along horizontal units c) He did not document his finds d) He focused only on the Citadel
Who rectified the mechanical digging problem by following the stratigraphy of the mound? a) S.R. Rao b) R.E.M. Wheeler c) B.B. Lal d) M.R. Mughal
Terracotta figurines of heavily jewelled women are often interpreted as: a) Royal Princesses b) Dancing Girls c) Mother Goddesses d) Foreign merchants
The “proto-Shiva” seal depicts a figure in a yogic posture surrounded by: a) Fire altars b) Geometric signs c) Animals d) Worshippers
Which site has provided evidence of “Fire Altars”? a) Mohenjodaro b) Harappa c) Kalibangan d) Chanhudaro
What does the absence of traces in a layer of a mound indicate in stratigraphy? a) Prosperity b) Abandonment or desertion c) Flood activity d) New construction
The “Dholavira Signboard” is an example of writing found on: a) Perishable wood b) A large stone slab/signboard c) Copper tablets d) Pottery rims
Why do archaeologists use “present-day analogies” for artefacts? a) To date the objects accurately b) To understand the potential function of ancient artefacts c) To prove that Harappan culture survived unchanged d) To make their reports more interesting+1
Which animal bone found at Harappan sites indicates that the animal was likely domesticated? a) Boar b) Gharial c) Cattle d) Deer
Archaeogenetics research at Rakhigarhi suggests that: a) Harappans were immigrants from Iran b) Harappans are the indigenous people of the region c) The civilization was destroyed by an Aryan invasion d) There was a complete genetic break 5000 years ago
The “Late Harappan” cultures are characterized by: a) Expansion of long-distance trade b) A rural way of life and disappearance of distinctive artefacts c) The use of standardized bricks d) Large public structures+1
Which of these was NOT a suggested cause for the decline of the Harappan civilization? a) Deforestation b) Climate change c) Shift in the Earth’s axis d) Overuse of the landscape
What evidence supports the theory of contact between Oman and the Harappan region? a) Mesopotamian myths b) Traces of nickel in both copper artefacts c) Identical pottery styles d) Shared scripts
“Hoards” in the context of Harappan archaeology refer to: a) Large groups of workers b) Objects kept carefully inside containers, often for reuse c) Abandoned grain silos d) Piles of waste material
The “Priest-King” statue was named so because archaeologists found parallels in: a) Egyptian history b) Mesopotamian history c) Chinese history d) Greek history
Which site shows a Citadel that was NOT walled off but built at a height? a) Dholavira b) Lothal c) Harappa d) Mohenjodaro
Harappan sites were strategically located near the sources of which material in Gujarat? a) Copper b) Carnelian d) Gold d) Lapis Lazuli
“BP” in dating terminology stands for: a) Before Period b) Before Present c) British Period d) Biblical Phase
The biggest Harappan city currently identified, covering 550 hectares, is: a) Mohenjodaro b) Harappa c) Rakhigarhi d) Dholavira
| Q | Ans | Q | Ans | Q | Ans | Q | Ans | Q | Ans |
| 1 | c | 11 | c | 21 | c | 31 | c | 41 | b |
| 2 | b | 12 | c | 22 | c | 32 | b | 42 | b |
| 3 | b | 13 | c | 23 | b | 33 | b | 43 | c |
| 4 | c | 14 | b | 24 | c | 34 | c | 44 | b |
| 5 | b | 15 | c | 25 | c | 35 | c | 45 | b |
| 6 | a | 16 | c | 26 | b | 36 | c | 46 | b |
| 7 | b | 17 | a | 27 | b | 37 | b | 47 | b |
| 8 | c | 18 | b | 28 | c | 38 | b | 48 | b |
| 9 | c | 19 | b | 29 | b | 39 | b | 49 | b |
| 10 | b | 20 | c | 30 | b | 40 | c | 50 | c |
