How have finds of excavated pavements at Vijayanagara helped archaeol…

The correct answer is Option (1) → They helped identify roads within the city and those leading out from it

Option (1) They helped identify roads within the city and those leading out from it — Correct. Roads were identified by tracing paths through gateways and by finds of pavements. A paved stretch shows where a road once ran.

Option (2) They helped mark the boundary between the sacred centre and the agricultural tract — Incorrect. The agricultural tract was found through archaeology and travellers' accounts of fields and canals. Pavements help trace the line of roads.

Option (3) They helped locate the houses of rich traders in the urban core — Incorrect. The traders' area was suggested by finds of fine Chinese porcelain in the north-eastern corner of the urban core.

Option (4) They helped date the building of the royal centre to the sixteenth century — Incorrect. Pavements helped trace the road network of the city. The dating of the royal centre comes from other evidence.