Indus Valley Civilization — UPSC Prelims Previous Year Questions
7 questions from UPSC CSE Prelims GS Paper 1 on Indus Valley Civilization (Ancient History). Spanning from 2001 to 2026. Practice with show/hide answers.
Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) repeatedly intrigues UPSC, with seven questions asked between 2001 and 2025. The Prelims paper checks candidates’ grasp over site distribution, material culture and chronology rather than speculative theories. You may be asked to match sites like Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Banawali or Daimabad with their present-day states, identify features of town planning such as the ‘L’ shaped house drains, or pick true statements about weights, seals, terracotta figurines and dockyards. UPSC also loves carbon-14 date ranges, decipherment status of the script, and ‘firsts’—first ploughed field at Kalibangan, first dock at Lothal. Environmental reasons for decline, evidence of agriculture, cotton, and trade with Mesopotamia have formed multi-statement questions. Mastering updated excavation data and map practice remain key.
Q: Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan towns :
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.
Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above statements ?
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.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Q: Which one of the following ancient towns is well-known for its elaborate system of water harvesting and management where a series of bunds created check-dams and canals carried the water to connected reservoirs?
Q: Which of the following characterizes/characterize the people of Indus Civilization?
1. They possessed great palaces and temples.
2. They worshipped both male and female deities.
3. They employed horse-drawn chariots in warfare.
Select the correct statement/statements using the codes given below.
Q: Regarding the Indus Valley Civilization, consider the following statements :
1. It was predominantly a secular civilization and the religious element, though present, did not dominate the scene.
2. During this period, cotton was used for manufacturing textiles in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Q: Match List I (Ancient site) with List II (Archaeological finding) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List I (Ancient site)
A. Lothal
B. Kalibangan
C. Dholavira
D. ——— (site with Banawali inscription)
List II (Archaeological finding)
1. Ploughed field
2. Dockyard
3. Terracotta replica of a plough
4. An inscription comprising ten large-sized signs of the Banawali Harappan script
Codes:
What mapping strategy helps in matching Harappan sites with modern Indian states in the exam?▼
Plot a northwest-to-southwest diagonal on blank India maps during revision: Harappa-Punjab (Pakistan), Rakhigarhi-Haryana, Kalibangan-Rajasthan, Dholavira-Gujarat, Daimabad-Maharashtra. Visual rehearsal solidifies state-site pairs, enabling quick elimination when UPSC shuffles locations.
Are speculative theories about the Indus script necessary for Prelims?▼
Not usually. UPSC sticks to factual consensus: the script remains undeciphered, is logo-syllabic, read right-to-left (most inscriptions), and appears on seals, copper tablets and pottery. Detailed linguistic debates or Dravidian/Indo-Aryan hypotheses have not featured in past Prelims.
