Question
Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns:
Which of the following inferences can be drawn?
I
There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels.
II
Weights and measurement scales, complete with graduations, have been discovered.
III
There are houses built in large part with baked bricks, around relatively spacious courtyards, with their own wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms.
Inferences to Evaluate
1
Statement I suggests that spinning was a laborious activity done at home.
2
Statement II suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed.
3
Statement III suggests the emergence of a common property system.
A1 and 2 only
B2 and 3 only
C1 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
⚠️ The UPSC Trap — Read Carefully
The most tempting wrong answer is (D) all three or (B) 2 and 3. The critical word in Statement III is
“their OWN wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms.”
Each household having its own well and own bathing platform is actually evidence of PRIVATE ownership — not a common property system. A common property system would mean people sharing resources (like a community well or public bath for the whole neighbourhood). The fact that each house has its own individual well is the opposite — it points to private household property.
UPSC is testing whether you can distinguish between what the archaeological evidence actually shows versus what it does not show.
Each household having its own well and own bathing platform is actually evidence of PRIVATE ownership — not a common property system. A common property system would mean people sharing resources (like a community well or public bath for the whole neighbourhood). The fact that each house has its own individual well is the opposite — it points to private household property.
UPSC is testing whether you can distinguish between what the archaeological evidence actually shows versus what it does not show.
Each Inference — Detailed Analysis
1
“Spinning was a laborious activity done at home”
What is a spindle whorl? A small disc or flywheel attached to a hand spindle (drop spindle) — used to twist raw fibres (cotton/wool) into thread by hand. Found in large numbers across Harappan households in Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and other sites, including expensive faience versions as well as cheap pottery and shell ones.
Finding: Wide occurrence of spindle-whorls, absence of spinning wheels
✓ Valid Inference
Why does absence of spinning wheel matter? The spinning wheel was introduced to India much later — during the medieval period. Without it, Harappans had no mechanical aid. Hand-spinning with a drop spindle is extremely time-consuming and repetitive — genuinely laborious. It was done at home, as confirmed by the domestic context of the finds (inside houses, not in workshops).
Verdict: ✓ Inference 1 is a valid conclusion from Statement I.
✓ What this correctly tells us
Harappan women (and men) spun thread at home using hand spindles. No mechanical spinning device existed yet. The activity was therefore manual and time-consuming — laborious domestic work.
2
“Suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed”
What were Harappan weights like? Made of a stone called chert (generally cubical). They followed a sophisticated dual system:
Finding: Weights and measurement scales with complete graduations
✓ Valid Inference
• Lower denominations: Binary progression — 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32… up to 12,800
• Higher denominations: Decimal progression — 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 units
• One unit = ~0.871 grams (close to the English Imperial grain)
What makes this “scientific”? Standardised weights across thousands of square kilometres — from Harappa to Lothal — show a centralised, mathematically precise measurement system. Metal scale pans have also been found. Graduated measuring rods (scales) with precise subdivisions demonstrate systematic quantitative knowledge — the hallmark of scientific thinking.
Verdict: ✓ Inference 2 is a valid conclusion from Statement II.
✓ What this correctly tells us
The standardised, graduated weights and scales show the Harappans had advanced scientific and mathematical knowledge — they could measure weight, volume and length precisely across a vast civilisation.
3
“Suggests the emergence of a common property system” — ✗ WRONG
Why is this inference wrong? The key phrase in Statement III is “their OWN wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms.”
Finding: Baked brick houses with own courtyards, wells, bathing platforms
✗ Invalid Inference
Each household having its own individual well and own bathing platform is the textbook definition of PRIVATE property — not common or shared property.
What would “common property” look like? It would mean shared community wells, public bathing ghats used by everyone, communal spaces — like the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro (which IS a common structure). But that is a different finding from Statement III, which specifically says each house has its own.
What does Statement III actually suggest? The large, spacious, well-appointed houses with individual amenities suggest individual household wealth and prosperity, an upper-class residential area, and evidence of private ownership by individual families.
Verdict: ✗ Inference 3 is INVALID — the finding supports PRIVATE property, not common property.
✗ What Statement III actually suggests
Houses with their own wells and own bathing platforms = private household property. Each family owned its own amenities. This points to individual/family ownership — the opposite of a common property system.
Harappan Civilisation — Key Archaeological Facts
| Finding | What It Shows |
| Spindle whorls (in houses) | Spinning cotton/wool was a common domestic activity — laborious hand work, no mechanical aid |
| Absence of spinning wheel | Spinning wheel introduced much later (medieval period) — Harappan spinning was entirely manual |
| Standardised weights (chert) | Advanced scientific measurement — binary + decimal system; precise standardisation across the civilisation |
| Metal scale pans | Trade and commerce required precise weighing — sophisticated economic system |
| Baked brick houses (own wells) | Private household ownership — each family had individual amenities (NOT common/shared resources) |
| Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro | THIS is the common/public structure — shared ritual bathing facility (Citadel area) |
| ~700 wells in Mohenjo-daro | Mix of private household wells + public/street wells — some accessible to passers-by |
| Grid-pattern streets + drainage | Centralised urban planning — evidence of city-level governance or authority |
| Standardised brick ratio (1:2:4) | Same ratio across all Harappan sites — remarkable uniformity suggesting strong planning authority |
| Source | NCERT Class 12 History Ch.1 — Bricks, Beads and Bones; Upinder Singh History of Ancient India |
UPSC Prelims — Has Harappan Inference Been Asked Before?
UPSC Prelims (Various years)
Multiple questions on Harappan weights: “Exchanges were regulated by a precise system of weights, usually made of chert. Lower denominations were binary (1,2,4,8…) while higher followed decimal system.” — Tested knowledge of Harappan measurement science.
Answer: Binary system for lower + Decimal for higher denominations
UPSC Prelims (Various years)
Questions on Harappan spinning: “It is evident from the discovery of a large number of spindles and spindle whorls in the houses that spinning of cotton and wool was very common.” — Direct archaeological evidence tested.
Answer: Spinning of cotton and wool was common domestic activity
NCERT Source (Class 12)
The question is sourced almost verbatim from NCERT Class 12 History Chapter 1 — “Bricks, Beads and Bones: The Harappan Civilisation.” The descriptions of houses, wells, bathing platforms, spindle whorls, and weights all appear in this chapter.
Primary source: NCERT Class 12 History Ch.1 — must-read for every UPSC aspirant
UPSC Prelims 2026 ← THIS QUESTION
New format: UPSC gave archaeological FINDINGS and asked which INFERENCE is valid. Tests analytical reasoning — not just factual recall. Inference 3 is the deliberate trap: “common property” when the evidence actually shows “private property.”
Answer: (A) 1 and 2 only — Inference 3 is logically invalid
Memory Trick — Never Forget This
🧠 Remember It This Way
Spindle whorls = LABOUR at HOME — no spinning wheel = pure hand work = laborious. Found IN houses = domestic activity. Inference 1 ✓ valid.
Weights with graduations = SCIENCE — binary + decimal systems, standardised across thousands of km, precise to sub-gram levels = advanced scientific knowledge. Inference 2 ✓ valid.
OWN well + OWN courtyard = PRIVATE, not common! — If it said “shared wells” or “community bathhouse,” that would suggest common property. “Their own” = each family owns its own = private property. Inference 3 ✗ invalid.
Great Bath vs Private Well: Great Bath (Citadel) = common/public. Individual household wells = private. Don’t confuse the two. UPSC is testing whether you notice the word “their own” in Statement III.
UPSC inference question rule: The inference must follow logically from the given statement — not be a stretch, not be the opposite, and not import outside knowledge. Statement III says “own” → inference must be about individual/private ownership → “common property” contradicts the word “own.”
