Read the passage and answer the questions:
Chanhudaro is a tiny settlement (less than 7 hectares), almost exclusively devoted to craft production, including bead-making, shell-cutting, metal-working, seal-making and weight-making. The variety of materials used to make beads is remarkable: stones like carnelian, jasper, crystal, quartz and steatite; metals like copper, bronze and gold; and shell, faience, and terracotta or burnt clay. Some beads were made of two or more stones, cemented together, some of stone with gold caps. The shapes were numerous – disc-shaped, cylindrical, spherical, barrel-shaped, segmented.
Which of the following Harappan sites does not yield evidence of specialised drills?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Nageshwar
Specialised drills have been found at Chanhudaro, Lothal and Dholavira; Nageshwar is known instead as a centre for making shell objects.
NCERT (2026-27): “5. Finding Out About Craft Production … Archaeologists’ experiments have revealed that the red colour of carnelian was obtained by firing the yellowish raw material and beads at various stages of production. Nodules were chipped into rough shapes, and then finely flaked into the final form. Grinding, polishing and drilling completed the process. Specialised drills have been found at Chanhudaro, Lothal and more recently at Dholavira. If you locate Nageshwar and Balakot on Map 1, you will notice that both settlements are near the coast. These were specialised centres for making shell objects – including bangles, ladles and inlay – which were taken to other settlements. Similarly, it is likely that finished products (such as beads) from Chanhudaro and Lothal were taken to the large urban centres such as Mohenjodaro and Harappa.…” |