Indus Valley Civilization (1924, India) — Questions and answers
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What big discovery did Sir John Marshall announce in London in 1924?
Choices
- A) A new type of animal.
- B) A lost civilization in the Indus River basin. ✓
- C) A secret meeting of scholars.
- D) A plan for a new railway.
Answer: B) A lost civilization in the Indus River basin.
From page 1
What did railway engineers accidentally do with ancient bricks near Harappa in 1856?
Choices
- A) They built new houses for the village.
- B) They studied them carefully for history.
- C) They used them to build parts of a railway. ✓
- D) They put them back into the mounds.
Answer: C) They used them to build parts of a railway.
From page 2
Who started the first big digs at Harappa in 1920, uncovering parts of an ancient city?
Choices
- A) Sir John Marshall
- B) Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni ✓
- C) Alexander Cunningham
- D) Rakhal Das Banerji
Answer: B) Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni
From page 3
What made Rakhal Das Banerji think the city he found was connected to Harappa?
Choices
- A) He found a map that showed both cities.
- B) The city had beautiful flowers like Harappa.
- C) The ancient tools and pottery were identical to those from Harappa. ✓
- D) He heard stories from local people about it.
Answer: C) The ancient tools and pottery were identical to those from Harappa.
From page 4
What is the biggest mystery about the seals and tablets found in the Indus Valley Civilization?
Choices
- A) Where they were made.
- B) What animals they show.
- C) Why they are still shiny.
- D) Their script has never been understood or read. ✓
Answer: D) Their script has never been understood or read.
From page 6
What controversial idea did Sir Mortimer Wheeler suggest caused the Indus Valley Civilization to decline?
Choices
- A) That people moved away because of too much rain.
- B) That a big earthquake destroyed the cities.
- C) That invading Indo-Aryans violently overthrew the cities. ✓
- D) That everyone just decided to leave.
Answer: C) That invading Indo-Aryans violently overthrew the cities.
From page 7
What is not a widely accepted reason for the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization among scholars today?
Choices
- A) Shifts in river courses or prolonged droughts.
- B) Tectonic uplifts causing floods.
- C) A massive, violent invasion by Indo-Aryans. ✓
- D) Social disintegration or disease.
Answer: C) A massive, violent invasion by Indo-Aryans.
From page 8
How did the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization change what people thought about ancient Indian history?
Choices
- A) It showed that Indian civilization started much later than believed.
- B) It proved that no one lived in India before 1924.
- C) It showed a sophisticated urban culture existed over a thousand years earlier than previously thought. ✓
- D) It confirmed that the Vedic period was the very first civilization.
Answer: C) It showed a sophisticated urban culture existed over a thousand years earlier than previously thought.
From page 9
Why is the Indus Valley Civilization considered the least understood of the three early cradles of civilization?
Choices
- A) Because its cities were very small.
- B) Because its script has not been deciphered. ✓
- C) Because it was discovered last.
- D) Because no one studies it anymore.
Answer: B) Because its script has not been deciphered.
From page 10