Read the passage and answer the following question:

Around 1800 BCE, many of the Mature Harappan sites, such as those in Cholistan, were abandoned, while new settlements emerged in Gujarat, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, indicating a population expansion. The occupied Harappan sites after 1900 BCE witnessed a transformation in material culture, with the disappearance of distinctive Harappan artefacts like weights, seals, and special beads. Writing, long-distance trade, and craft specialization also ceased. There was a decline in the number of materials used and the production of large public structures, along with a deterioration in house construction techniques. These changes suggest a shift towards a rural way of life known as the "Late Harappan" or "successor cultures."

Several explanations have been proposed for these changes, including climatic shifts, deforestation, floods, and alterations in river courses. While some of these factors may have affected specific settlements, they fail to account for the collapse of the entire civilization. It is apparent that a unifying element, possibly the Harappan state, came to an end. This is evidenced by the disappearance of seals, script, distinctive beads, and standardized weight system, and the decline and abandonment of cities. The development of new cities in a completely different region would take more than a millennium to occur on the subcontinent.

Which of the following is not proposed to be one of the reasons for the collapse of the Harappan civilization?
1) Climate change
2) Floods and the change of river course
3) Emergence of a Central Harappan state
4) Deforestation

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

3

The correct answer is Option 3 -3

3) Emergence of a Central Harappan state

Some historians exclaim that the unifying element, probably the Harappan state ceased to exist in the Late Harappan phase because of which the entire civilization came to an end. Hence option 3) Emergence of a Central Harappan state is totally incorrect.

As per the passage:

Several explanations have been proposed for these changes, including climatic shifts, deforestation, floods, and alterations in river courses. While some of these factors may have affected specific settlements, they fail to account for the collapse of the entire civilization. It is apparent that a unifying element, possibly the Harappan state, came to an end. This is evidenced by the disappearance of seals, script, distinctive beads, and standardized weight system, and the decline and abandonment of cities. The development of new cities in a completely different region would take more than a millennium to occur on the subcontinent.