NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 6 MCQs – The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation

The chapter describes civilisation through several connected features, including administration, urban planning, crafts, trade, writing and productive agriculture. Together, these indicate a more complex society in which people perform different tasks and organise shared activities.

Metallurgy includes techniques for extracting metals, purifying or combining them, and studying their properties. It helped early societies produce tools, ornaments and other objects. The chapter includes it among technologies associated with developing civilisation.

The timeline places the Indus-Sarasvatī civilisation at about 2600 to 1900 BCE. These dates describe its major urban phase in the chapter. Its development was part of the early growth of civilisations in different regions.

The name Harappan comes from Harappa, the first city of this civilisation to be excavated. The chapter also uses Indus and Indus-Sarasvatī. Different names highlight the discovery history or geographical spread of the same civilisation.

Urbanisation refers to the growth of towns and cities. The chapter calls the Harappan development the First Urbanisation of India. Villages expanded into towns, and increasing trade and exchanges supported the emergence of larger cities.

Dholavira is an important Harappan site in Gujarat. The chapter describes its planned streets, stone foundations and reservoirs. It is one of the discoveries showing that the civilisation extended well beyond the area around the Indus.

Rakhigarhi is a major Harappan site in Haryana. The chapter places it among the important settlements of the wider civilisation. Its location helps show why the civilisation should not be thought of as confined to one river valley.

The larger Harappan cities were built according to careful plans. Their wide streets were often oriented towards the cardinal directions. Such arrangements suggest organised urban development and attention to the movement and needs of residents.

A fortification is a massive wall surrounding a settlement or city, generally for protection. The chapter says many Harappan cities appear to have had such walls. They were among the important features of these planned settlements.

The chapter’s caption explains that Dholavira had three distinct zones. Other cities are commonly described through upper and lower towns. This difference reminds us that Harappan cities shared features without being identical in every detail.

The Great Bath is at Mohenjo-daro. It was carefully built with bricks and waterproofing materials, and could be emptied through a drain. Its construction is well known, but its exact purpose remains a matter of interpretation.

The builders used waterproofing materials such as natural bitumen over carefully laid bricks. This helped the Great Bath hold water. The tank also had arrangements for draining it and refilling it with freshwater when needed.

Many homes had separate bathing areas connected to larger drains, often running beneath streets. These carried wastewater away. The chapter uses this arrangement to show the importance Harappans gave to water management and cleanliness.

A reservoir is a large natural or artificial place for storing water. Dholavira had several large reservoirs, including ones built with stone or cut into rock. They helped collect and distribute water within the settlement.

Archaeological evidence shows that Harappans grew wheat, barley, some millets and sometimes rice, along with pulses and vegetables. Their agricultural variety helped support settlements. Villages supplied produce needed by people living in cities.

The Harappans grew cotton and wove it into cloth. The chapter identifies them as the first people in Eurasia to grow this crop. Cotton cultivation therefore connects their agriculture with weaving and the production of useful goods.

Carnelian is a reddish semiprecious stone found mainly in Gujarat in the chapter’s account. Harappan craftspeople made beads from it and developed techniques to drill and decorate them. These ornaments also formed part of their trade.

Adding tin to copper produces bronze, which is harder than copper. The Harappans used bronze for tools, vessels and figurines. This example shows their knowledge of combining materials to obtain useful properties for different objects.

Lothal in Gujarat had a large basin described in the chapter as a dockyard. It was connected with receiving and sending boats carrying goods. This example supports the importance of maritime trade in Harappan life.

Harappan seals often carry a few writing signs along with animal figures. The chapter explains that this writing system has not yet been understood. We must therefore avoid treating imagined translations as established historical knowledge.

The chapter explains that cities depended on agricultural produce from rural settlements. Farmers supplied food needed by urban residents, including craftspeople and traders. This relationship shows how different parts of the civilisation supported one another.

Drilling hard beads so a string could pass through them required skill and suitable techniques. The chapter describes such work in carnelian ornaments. It illustrates specialised crafts that supported both daily life and trade.

The chapter shows a Harappan ivory comb found on the coast of Oman. An object from one civilisation found far away provides evidence of wider connections. It supports the discussion of exchanges using land, rivers and sea routes.

Scientific examination of cooking pots can identify traces of substances once kept or cooked inside. The chapter mentions dairy products, turmeric, ginger and banana remains. Such evidence adds detail to our knowledge of Harappan diets.

Building and maintaining drains and reservoirs required coordinated labour and planning. The chapter invites learners to think about local administration from this evidence. However, it does not provide certain answers about every official or payment arrangement.

The chapter discusses several interpretations of the Great Bath and stresses the lack of written evidence explaining its purpose. Calling one interpretation certain goes beyond the available evidence. Archaeological remains can leave important questions unanswered.

The statuette is often called Priest King, but the chapter explicitly says its identity is unknown. A familiar modern label is therefore not proof of who the person was or what role that person held.

The chapter links a drier climate with difficulties in agriculture. If villages produced less food, cities depending on them could face shortages. This connection shows how changes in climate can affect the wider organisation of society.

The chapter explains that people spread into smaller rural settlements as urban life declined. Much of their culture and technology survived and was passed on. The end of major cities therefore did not erase all earlier knowledge.

The chapter includes gamesboards, toys and a terracotta whistle among excavated objects. These suggest activities intended for enjoyment by adults or children. They help us see daily life beyond agriculture, trade and construction alone.