Class 12 History – Chapter 1: Bricks, Beads and Bones (3-Mark & 8-Mark Questions from CBSE Board exams)

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3-Mark Questions

Q1. Mention three major characteristics of the Harappan civilisation. (Asked in CBSE 2002, 2015, 2021)

• Well-planned urban centres with grid pattern streets and citadel–lower town division.
• Advanced drainage and sanitation systems, including covered drains and private wells.
• Standardized fired bricks, weights, and measures indicating regulated craft and trade.

Q2. Give three features of Harappan town planning. (Asked in CBSE 2004, 2012, 2019)

• Grid pattern layout of streets with main and subsidiary roads.
• Distinct citadel and lower town; planned public buildings and warehouses.
• Well-laid drainage system and use of wells for water supply.

Q3. List three types of Harappan craft production. (Asked in CBSE 2005, 2010, 2020)

• Bead-making using semi-precious stones and faience.
• Pottery production including wheel-made painted ware and storage jars.
• Metallurgy – bronze and copper items, including tools and ornaments.

Q4. State three types of Harappan seals and their probable uses. (Asked in CBSE 2007, 2013, 2018)

• Steatite seals with animal motifs and short inscriptions – likely used for trade and identification.
• Stamp seals for marking goods and administrative purposes.
• Terracotta seals and tokens possibly used for local administrative records.

Q5. Mention three pieces of evidence for Harappan long-distance trade. (Asked in CBSE 2003, 2011, 2017)

• Seal and bead finds in Mesopotamia and Oman indicating interchange of goods.
• Presence of resources like carnelian and lapis from distant regions in Harappan sites.
• Harappan dockyard at Lothal and standardized weights suggesting organized maritime trade.

Q6. Give three distinct features of Harappan religion and burial practices. (Asked in CBSE 2006, 2014, 2022)

• Burials with goods suggest belief in afterlife; variation in burial types.
• Terracotta figurines (mother goddess) indicating fertility cults.
• Lack of large temples; ritual activities may have taken place in domestic or open spaces.

Q7. Mention three agricultural practices of the Harappans. (Asked in CBSE 2008, 2016, 2023)

• Cultivation of wheat and barley; evidence of rice in eastern sites.
• Use of irrigation channels and reservoirs (e.g., at Dholavira) for water management.
• Domestication of cattle, sheep, goat and use of oxen for ploughing.

Q8. State three reasons proposed for the decline of the Harappan civilisation. (Asked in CBSE 2009, 2015, 2024)

• Changes in river courses (e.g., drying of Ghaggar-Hakra) affecting water supply and agriculture.
• Possible climatic changes leading to aridity and reduced agricultural surplus.
• Gradual deurbanisation with breakdown of long-distance trade and local collapses.

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8-Mark Questions (Each with 8 Points)

Q1. Describe the main features of the Harappan civilisation. (Asked in CBSE 2001, 2009, 2016, 2024)

• Extensive urbanisation – large planned towns like Harappa, Mohenjo-daro and Dholavira.
• Advanced town planning – grid pattern streets, citadel and lower town division.
• Sanitation and water management – covered drains, wells and bathing platforms.
• Standardized brick sizes and architectural uniformity across sites.
• Economic base – agriculture (wheat, barley, possibly rice) and pastoralism.
• Craft specialisation – bead-making, metallurgy, pottery and standardized weights.
• Long-distance trade with Mesopotamia, Oman and regions in Iran and Afghanistan.
• Script, seals and administrative practices indicative of non-personal control mechanisms.

Q2. Explain the evidence for trade and craft production in the Harappan civilisation. (Asked in CBSE 2003, 2010, 2017, 2022)

• Bead-making centres (e.g., Harappa, Lothal) producing carnelian and faience beads.
• Standardized weights and measures found across sites indicating regulated trade.
• Presence of seals and seal impressions used to mark goods and control transactions.
• Dockyard and basin at Lothal suggesting maritime trade and port activities.
• Finds of foreign objects and Harappan artefacts in Mesopotamia and Arabian sites.
• Specialised workshops for shell, copper and bronze artefacts pointing to craft organisation.
• Use of long-distance raw material sources like lapis lazuli (Afghanistan) and carnelian (Gujarat).
• Archaeological evidence of markets and craft clusters within urban settlements.

Q3. Discuss the various theories regarding the decline of the Harappan civilisation and evaluate them. (Asked in CBSE 2002, 2011, 2018, 2023)

• Environmental change theory: shifting river courses and aridity led to agricultural failure and settlement abandonment.
• Economic decline: disruption of trade networks reduced surplus and urban sustenance.
• Internal social changes: possible decentralisation of power and localised collapses.
• Disease or epidemic hypotheses have been suggested but lack direct evidence.
• Invasion theories (once popular) lack convincing archaeological support and are largely discounted.
• Multi-causal explanation: a combination of ecological stress, economic disruptions and social reorganisation.
• Evidence from gradual deurbanisation and changing material culture supports a slow decline model.
• Modern research (geomorphology, palaeoclimate) favours climatic and hydrological changes as significant factors.

Q4. Describe the town planning and architecture of Harappan cities with examples. (Asked in CBSE 2005, 2012, 2019, 2021)

• Grid-pattern streets with orthogonal planning in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro.
• Citadel and lower town division – citadel housed public buildings, granaries and elite residences.
• Use of baked (fired) bricks of standardized sizes for construction across sites.
• Advanced drainage – covered drains along streets and house-level wastewater outlets.
• Public buildings like the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro indicating communal ritual/utility structures.
• Large storage facilities and warehouses suggesting organised surplus management.
• Residential houses with courtyards, private wells and bathing platforms.
• Examples: Mohenjo-daro (Great Bath, grid streets), Harappa (granary, modular streets), Dholavira (reservoirs and water management).

Q5. Analyse the social and economic organisation of the Harappan civilisation. (Asked in CBSE 2004, 2013, 2020, 2024)

• Evidence of craft specialisation indicates occupational diversification (bead-makers, potters, metallurgists).
• Standardized weights suggest central regulation of trade and economic transactions.
• Urban settlements with storage and warehouses imply surplus accumulation and redistribution mechanisms.
• Residential differentiation and elite goods (ornaments, seals) point to social hierarchies.
• Lack of monumental palaces or temples suggests power may have been civic or corporate rather than individualised kingship.
• Evidence of long-distance trade and interaction networks enhanced economic complexity.
• Agricultural base with irrigation and water management sustained urban populations.
• Burial practices and material goods illustrate social differentiation and religious practices intertwined with economy.

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