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UPSC CSE Prelims 2026 · GS Paper I · Question 8 · Prehistory & the Harappan civilisation

हड़प्पा नगरों में पुरातात्विक खोजों के बारे में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए : I. घरों में तकली…

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, General Studies Paper I, Question 8 — Prehistory & the Harappan civilisation.

Prelims 2026 · Q8

Prehistory & the Harappan civilisation Medium Provisional key

हड़प्पा नगरों में पुरातात्विक खोजों के बारे में निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :

I. घरों में तकली की प्रचुर उपलब्धता है किंतु चरखे अनुपलब्ध हैं।

II. अंशांकित बाट और मापन पैमानों की खोज हुई है।

III. अपेक्षाकृत रूप से विस्तृत प्रांगण के चारों ओर, अधिकतर पकी हुई ईंटों से निर्मित घर मिले हैं, जिनके अपने कुएँ हैं, स्नान करने के चबूतरे हैं, और बड़े कमरे हैं।

उपर्युक्त कथनों से निम्नलिखित में से कौन-से निष्कर्ष निकाले जा सकते हैं ?

  1. 1.कथन I संकेत करता है कि कताई घर पर किया जाने वाला एक श्रम-साध्य कार्य था।
  2. 2.कथन II हड़प्पा के लोगों में वैज्ञानिक ज्ञान के प्रसार की ओर संकेत करता है।
  3. 3.कथन III साझी संपत्ति व्यवस्था के उद्भव की ओर संकेत करता है।

नीचे दिए गए कूट का प्रयोग कर उत्तर चुनिए :

Read this question in English

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:

(a) 1 and 2 only · (b) 2 and 3 only · (c) 1 and 3 only · (d) 1, 2 and 3

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (a) केवल 1 और 2

Spindle-whorls in ordinary houses with no spinning wheels point to slow hand-spinning done within the household. Standard weights and graduated scales show precise, mathematical measurement. But large, well-appointed private houses with their own wells and baths show private wealth and inequality, not common property.

  • ✓ 1. A spindle-whorl is the weight on a hand spindle. Finding them in homes, with no spinning wheel anywhere, means thread was spun by hand at home, a slow and labour-heavy task.
  • ✓ 2. Harappan weights followed a fixed system, binary for small units and decimal for large ones, and scales carried graduations; this reflects real knowledge of measurement and arithmetic.
  • ✗ 3. Houses with their own courtyards, wells and bathrooms belonged to individual households. Big houses beside small ones point to private property and social differences, not a common property system.

Remember · Harappan evidence: domestic hand-spinning (spindle-whorls), standard binary-decimal weights, private houses with own bathrooms and wells.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2026, Q8 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/prelims/2026/q8

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