Read the following statements carefully: Statement 1 : The seals of the Harappan culture were made using locally found steatite. Statement 2 : These seals often feature animal motifs and undeciphered script symbols. Which of the following is/are correct?
- (a)Only S1
- (b)Only S2
- (c)Both S1 and S2 are correct
- (d)Neither S1 nor S2 is correct
Answer
Why
Correct — C. Both statements match the NCERT account of Harappan seals.
Statement 1: the seals were cut from steatite, a soft stone that is easy to carve. NCERT names sources of it inside the Harappan zone, in south Rajasthan and north Gujarat, near Lothal.
Statement 2: NCERT says such seals often carry animal motifs and signs from a script that remains undeciphered. Both hold: option (c).
Why the others are wrong
- (a)Only S1 — It drops a true statement. NCERT says Harappan seals often carry animal motifs and signs of a script still undeciphered, so statement 2 holds as well.
- (b)Only S2 — It drops a true statement. The seals were cut from steatite, and NCERT places its sources inside the Harappan zone, in south Rajasthan and north Gujarat.
- (d)Neither S1 nor S2 is correct — Both statements are textbook facts: steatite was the usual seal stone, and animal motifs with undeciphered signs are what the seals typically show.
Concept
The seal is the signature Harappan artefact. Many are small square tablets of steatite, carved with an animal, often a unicorn-like beast, above a short line of script signs.
A seal was pressed into wet clay on the knot of a tied bag to make a sealing. That is why archaeologists link seals to trade and long-distance communication.
'Locally found' is loose wording. NCERT lists steatite among raw materials the Harappans obtained from particular regions, south Rajasthan and north Gujarat. The key reads 'local' as within the Harappan world, not a quarry beside every city.
Key facts
- Harappan seals were usually made of steatite, a soft stone.
- NCERT names south Rajasthan and north Gujarat as steatite sources near Lothal.
- The Harappan script on the seals has not been deciphered.
- Seals were pressed on wet clay to make sealings that secured goods in transit.
Study next
Common traps
- Rejecting statement 1 over the word 'locally': NCERT's steatite sources lie inside the Harappan region.
- Assuming the seal inscriptions have been read: the script remains undeciphered.
Here two textbook facts about one artefact are paired. Harappan culture is also tested at 26 Sep 2025, 12:30, GA Q.11, which asks for the statement that is NOT true.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.