Choose the correct statements about the Harappan script.
(A) It is deciphered.
(B) It has few signs.
(C) It has 20 signs.
(D) It was written from right to left.
(E) It has been found on seals, copper tools, tablets, etc.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (D) and (E) only
(A) It is deciphered. Incorrect. The Harappan script remains undeciphered to date.
(B) It has few signs. Incorrect. The script has just too many signs, which is why it was evidently not alphabetical.
(C) It has 20 signs. Incorrect. It has somewhere between 375 and 400 signs. Even the longest inscription contains about 26 signs.
(D) It was written from right to left. Correct. Some seals show a wider spacing on the right and cramping on the left, as if the engraver began from the right and then ran out of space.
(E) It has been found on seals, copper tools, tablets, etc. Correct. Writing has been found on seals, copper tools, rims of jars, copper and terracotta tablets, jewellery, bone rods and even an ancient signboard.
NCERT (2026-27): “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. Consider the variety of objects on which writing has been found: seals, copper tools, rims of jars, copper and terracotta tablets, jewellery, bone rods, even an ancient signboard!…” |