Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
Lothal in Gujarat has a large brick-lined basin widely interpreted as a dockyard, suggesting trade links possibly reaching Mesopotamia. Kalibangan (Rajasthan) is instead known for a ploughed field and fire altars, Dholavira (Kutch, Gujarat) for its sophisticated water management system and a large signboard inscription, and Banawali (Haryana) for a toy plough and barley.
- Statement 1: Dholavira, a Harappan city in Kutch, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
- Statement 2: Evidence of a ploughed field has been found at Kalibangan.
Statement 1 is correct — Dholavira, located on Khadir Bet island in the Rann of Kutch, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2021. Statement 2 is correct — Kalibangan (Hanumangarh, Rajasthan) shows a ploughed field with criss-cross furrows, among the earliest such evidence in the world.
Pair (c) is incorrectly matched — Banawali is in Fatehabad district, Haryana, not Punjab. The other pairs are correct: Rakhigarhi (Hisar, Haryana) is among the largest Harappan sites in India, Kalibangan lies on the dried bed of the Ghaggar in Rajasthan, and Lothal lies near the Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat.
- Assertion (A): Mohenjo-daro had a well-planned covered drainage system.
- Reason (R): Mohenjo-daro is located on the banks of the Ravi river.
A is correct — Mohenjo-daro had covered drains along its streets, connected to house drains, making it one of the most advanced urban drainage systems of the ancient world. R is incorrect — Mohenjo-daro lies on the Indus in Sindh, while Harappa is the site on the Ravi in Punjab. Swapping the rivers of these two sites is a frequent trap.
- Harappa was excavated by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921.
- Mohenjo-daro was excavated by R.D. Banerji in 1922.
- The bronze “Dancing Girl” figurine was found at Mohenjo-daro.
- The Harappan Civilisation belongs to the Bronze Age.
All four statements are correct. Harappa was the first site excavated, by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921, and the civilisation is named after it, while R.D. Banerji excavated Mohenjo-daro in 1922. The bronze Dancing Girl, made by the lost-wax technique, was found at Mohenjo-daro. It was a Bronze Age civilisation — iron was unknown to the Harappans.
