With reference to the Harappan seals, identify the correct statements…

With reference to the Harappan seals, identify the correct statements:

(A) They probably contain the name and title of the owner.

(B) Most inscriptions are short, the longest containing about 26 signs.

(C) Scholars have also suggested that the ‘motifs’ (generally religious symbols) conveyed a meaning to those who could read.

(D) The script was written from right to left.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (D) only

(A) They probably contain the name and title of the owner. Correct. Harappan seals usually have a line of writing, probably containing the name and title of the owner.

(B) Most inscriptions are short, the longest containing about 26 signs. Correct. The inscriptions are short, the longest with about 26 signs. The script has too many signs, between 375 and 400, to be alphabetical, and it remains undeciphered.

(C) Scholars have also suggested that the ‘motifs’ (generally religious symbols) conveyed a meaning to those who could read. Incorrect. The motif on a seal is generally an animal, not a religious symbol, and scholars suggest that it conveyed a meaning to those who could not read. Two changes have turned a true line false.

(D) The script was written from right to left. Correct. Some seals show wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left, as if the engraver began from the right and then ran out of space.

NCERT (2025-26): “7.2 An enigmatic script … Harappan seals usually have a line of writing, probably containing the name and title of the owner. Scholars have also suggested that the motif (generally an animal) conveyed a meaning to those who could not read. Most inscriptions are short, the longest containing about 26 signs. Although the script remains undeciphered to date, it was evidently not alphabetical (where each sign stands for a vowel or a consonant) as it has just too many signs – somewhere between 375 and 400. It is apparent that the script was written from right to left as some seals show a wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left, as if the engraver began working from the right and then ran out of space.…”