CBSE Class 6 Social Science The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation Worksheet Set 03

Fill in the Blanks

Question. Harappa was the first city excavated that relates to the __________ civilization.
Answer: Harappan
Explanation: Because Harappa was the very first ancient settlement uncovered, scientists named the entire civilization after it.

Question. The __________ River is now identified as a seasonal river that flows only during the rainy season.
Answer: Sarasvati
Explanation: Long ago, the Sarasvati was a huge river with lots of water, but today it fills up only when heavy rains fall.

Question. Fresh water and __________ soil were available around settlements.
Answer: fertile
Explanation: People built their homes near rivers because the soft, rich river dirt made it super easy to grow lots of tasty crops.

Question. The town of _________ is the earliest city discovered in India.
Answer: Harappa
Explanation: Finding Harappa over a hundred years ago proved that ancient India had advanced, brick-built cities thousands of years ago.

Question. The Harappans were the earliest in Eurasia to produce __________.
Answer: cotton
Explanation: Harappan farmers discovered how to harvest cotton bolls to weave lightweight fabric, perfect for hot weather.

Question. The Harappan culture is also known as the _________ civilization.
Answer: Indus-Sarasvati (or Sindhu-Sarasvati)
Explanation: Many of their ancient towns lined the banks of both the great Indus and Sarasvati rivers.

Question. The Sarasvati River is now known as Ghaggar in India and __________ in Pakistan.
Answer: Hakra
Explanation: The old river course carries the name Ghaggar in India and Hakra in Pakistan.

True or False

Question. The term “Indus Valley Civilisation” is no longer uniquely applied because the civilisation extended beyond the Indus region.
Answer: True
Explanation: Many settlements spread into Gujarat, Haryana, and Rajasthan away from the Indus river.

Question. The Harappan civilisation was distinguished by its lack of urban planning.
Answer: False
Explanation: Harappa is famous for having some of the world's best town planning.

Question. The Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro was a massive tank for storing drinking water.
Answer: False
Explanation: It was an elaborate ritual bath, while clean drinking water came from nearby wells.

Question. Harappan cities had a consistent construction style, regardless of the size of the house.
Answer: True
Explanation: Homes were built using the same standard baked brick shapes and neat layouts.

Question. The Sarasvati river is described in the Rigveda as both a goddess and a river.
Answer: True
Explanation: Ancient hymns celebrated Sarasvati as a purifying river and a wise goddess.

Questions / Short Question Answers

Question. Why are the people of this civilisation called 'Harappans' today?
Answer: The inhabitants of this civilisation are called 'Harappans' today because the city of Harappa (today in Pakistan's Punjab) was the first of this civilisation to be excavated, way back in 1920-21, over a century ago.
Explanation: Historians name an entire civilization after the very first site discovered by archaeologists.

Question. How do we know about the food of the Harappans?
Answer: Archaeological findings like remains of grains (wheat, barley), animal and fish bones, and scientific analysis of pottery showing traces of dairy, turmeric, and ginger reveal their diet.
Explanation: Scientists tested tiny leftovers stuck inside old clay cooking pots and found traces of milk, spices, and burnt grains.

Question. How did the Harappan civilisation contribute to the advancement of metallurgy?
Answer: The Harappan civilisation made significant advances in metallurgy, particularly in the crafting of tools and ornaments from copper, bronze and other metals. They developed techniques for casting and alloying metals, which were used to produce a variety of objects including tools, weapons and jewellery. This expertise in metallurgy not only facilitated their daily life but also played a role in trade, as metal goods were likely exchanged with neighbouring regions.
Explanation: Metallurgy means working with metal. Harappans mixed melted copper with tin to make strong bronze for tools, pots, and statues.

Question. Name one of the two main causes currently agreed upon for the decline of the Harappan civilization.
Answer: Climatic change (or the drying up of the Sarasvati River).
Explanation: When the climate grew dry and the main river dried up, people could not grow food to feed the big cities anymore.

Question. Why was the city of Dholavira distinctive in its town planning compared to other Harappan cities?
Answer: Dholavira was unique as it had three distinct zones instead of the usual two, and foundations of most buildings were made with stone.
Explanation: While most Harappan cities had two brick sections, Dholavira was divided into three grand walled areas built largely with stone.

Question. What is called as the – Earliest Urbanisation of India?
Answer: From about 3500 BCE, in the region of modern Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan, villages grew into towns, and with increasing trade and other exchanges, those towns further grew into cities. This transition happened around 2600 BCE. Archaeologists have given several names to one of the oldest Civilisation of the world such as ‘Indus’, ‘Harappan’, ‘Indus-Sarasvati’ or ‘Sindhu- Sarasvati’ Civilisation and its inhabitants are called ‘Harappans’. This development is also known as the ‘First Urbanisation of India’.
Explanation: Urbanisation means people building and living in cities. This was the very first time in Indian history that villages grew into large, organized brick cities.

Question. Imagine you cook a meal in a Harappan house. What dish or dishes would you make?
Answer: Based on the information, following dishes could be prepared in a Harappa house:
• Dal and rice
• Fish
• Meat
• Chapati and vegetables
• Curd
• Pudding
Explanation: Harappans ate healthy meals very similar to ours today, including flatbreads, lentils, vegetables, fish, and dairy curd.

Question. What evidence suggests that Harappans engaged in seafaring trade?
Answer: The location of many Harappan settlements in coastal regions and the discovery of a large dockyard at Lothal strongly suggest intensive maritime trade activities.
Explanation: At Lothal in Gujarat, archaeologists found a giant brick pool where ships could dock safely to load and unload goods.

Question. In what ways did the Harappan civilisation show advanced knowledge in water management?
Answer: The Harappan civilisation exhibited advanced knowledge in water management through their intricate systems of wells, reservoirs and drainage. Cities like Mohenjo-daro had a well-planned drainage system where wastewater was channelled away from homes into large brick-lined sewers.
Explanation: Houses had private bathrooms that connected straight into brick drains running beneath street surfaces to keep cities clean.

Question. Why does the civilisation studied in this chapter have multiple names? Discuss their significance.
Answer: The civilisation in this chapter has several names based on the areas where it was discovered and settled. Each name has its own significance. Some of them are as follows:
• Indus: The civilisation was settled mostly near the fertile plains of the river Indus and its tributaries.
• Harappan: The civilisation was named Harappan because the very first site of this civilisation was discovered in Harappa city.
• Indus-Sarswati or Sindhu- Saraswati: The name was given based on the widespread expanse of the civilisation over the vast fertile plains of Indus and Saraswati rivers.
Explanation: It has different names because some scholars name it after the rivers where people settled, while others name it after Harappa, the first town found.

Question. What kind of implements did Harappans use for farming, and what were they made of?
Answer: Harappans used tools like the plough for farming. Clay models of ploughs have been found, suggesting wooden ploughs were likely used in actual farming.
Explanation: Archaeologists found small toy clay ploughs, showing that farmers used real wooden ploughs pulled by bulls to turn the soil.

Question. Around what year BCE did the Indus-Sarasvati civilization start to decline?
Answer: Around 1900 BCE.
Explanation: About 3,900 years ago, life in these big brick towns began winding down as people gradually moved away.

Question. Explain the architectural elements and the rituals which were offered in the Great Bath.
Answer: The architectural features of Great Bath are:
• It is a special tank, which was lined with bricks, coated with water proofing material called bitumen.
• There were steps leading down to it from two sides, while there were rooms on all sides.
• The ritual offered in Great Bath was that people took a dip in the tank on special occasions.
Explanation: It was a large brick tank sealed with black tar so water wouldn't leak out, used for taking holy dips during special ceremonies.

Question. Looking at the objects given in the chapter. Can you make out what activities or aspects of life were essential for the Harappans?
Answer: Based on the objects given in the chapters, following activities might be important for the Harappans:
• Jewellery making
• Pottery
• Sculpting
• Dancing
• Seal making
Explanation: The clay pots, beads, statues, and carved seals show that Harappans enjoyed creating beautiful items and loved music and art.

Question. How were the wide streets in larger Harappan cities often arranged?
Answer: The wide streets in larger Harappan cities were often planned and oriented to the cardinal directions (North, South, East, West).
Explanation: City planners laid out straight avenues running North-South and East-West, like a grid on graph paper, to help wind cool the homes.

Question. What evidence suggests that the Harappan civilisation participated in trade and with whom did they likely trade?
Answer: Evidence of trade in the Harappan civilisation comes from the discovery of standardised weights and measures, seals and artefacts made from materials not native to the region, such as lapis lazuli and marine shells. These items suggest a wide trade network, possibly extending to Mesopotamia, Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. The presence of Harappan seals in Mesopotamian cities further supports the idea that the Harappans engaged in long-distance trade, exchanging goods like textiles, beads and crafts.
Explanation: Harappan carved seals and weights have been dug up in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), proving merchants sailed across the sea to trade.

Question. What evidence suggests that the Harappans paid great attention to water management and hygiene?
Answer: Evidence includes individual bathrooms in houses, extensive networks of covered drains, numerous wells, and large, well-constructed reservoirs for water storage and harvesting.
Explanation: Almost every brick house had its own bathroom, and clean wells and covered gutters kept dirty water away from living areas.

Question. How can you say that the Harappan, Indus or Indus-Sarasvati Civilisation, was indeed extraordinary in many ways?
Answer: We can say that the Harappan, Indus or Indus-Sarasvati Civilisation, was indeed remarkable in many ways because:
1. The differences between the rich and the poor was not glaring.
2. Also the Harappan societal scenario was not that of ‘exploitation’, but of mutual ‘accommodation’.
Explanation: People in Harappan cities lived in comfort together, without extreme differences between wealthy rulers and ordinary citizens.