Identify the correct statements in relation to the ‘Harappan Civilisation’:
(A) There is evidence that by c.1800 BCE most of the Mature Harappan sites in regions such as Cholistan had been abandoned.
(B) Overall, artefacts and settlements indicate a rural way of life in what are called “Late Harappan” or “successor cultures”.
(C) It appears that a strong unifying element, perhaps the Harappan state, never came to an end.
(D) Simultaneously, there was an expansion of population into new settlements in Gujarat, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (D) only
(A) There is evidence that by c.1800 BCE most of the Mature Harappan sites in regions such as Cholistan had been abandoned. Correct. By about 1800 BCE most Mature Harappan sites in Cholistan had been abandoned, which marks the decline of the cities.
(B) Overall, artefacts and settlements indicate a rural way of life in what are called “Late Harappan” or “successor cultures”. Correct. In the sites that remained, writing, long-distance trade and craft specialisation disappeared and large public buildings were no longer made. The cultures that followed, called Late Harappan or successor cultures, show a rural way of life.
(C) It appears that a strong unifying element, perhaps the Harappan state, never came to an end. Incorrect. The opposite is true: the unifying element, perhaps the Harappan state, came to an end. That is why seals, the script, distinctive beads and pottery and the standard weight system all disappeared together.
(D) Simultaneously, there was an expansion of population into new settlements in Gujarat, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Correct. While old sites were deserted, people moved into new settlements in Gujarat, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.
NCERT (2025-26): “9. The End of the Civilisation … There is evidence that by c. 1800 BCE most of the Mature Harappan sites in regions such as Cholistan had been abandoned. Simultaneously, there was an expansion of population into new settlements in Gujarat,… Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.… Overall, artefacts and settlements indicate a rural way of life in what are called ‘Late Harappan’ or ‘successor cultures’.… Some of these ‘causes’ may hold for certain settlements, but they do not explain the collapse of the entire civilisation. It appears that a strong unifying element, perhaps the Harappan state, came to an end. This is evidenced by the disappearance of seals, the script, distinctive beads and pottery…” |