This free Harappan civilisation MCQ test is the first set in our 72nd BPSC practice series. Its 25 questions follow NCERT Class 6 (Our Pasts I) and Class 12 (Themes in Indian History I) and cover the earliest hunter-gatherers, the first farmers and herders, Palaeolithic and Neolithic sites, and the planning of Harappan cities. Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation as soon as you choose an option, and you can work out your score with BPSC-style negative marking at the end. For more practice, see our free BPSC mock test series.
What this test covers: Sources of history and manuscripts, the Narmada valley gatherers, Bhimbetka, Kurnool, Hunsgi and Patne, Mehrgarh, Burzahom and Daojali Hading, the first crops and animals, and the citadel, lower town and Great Bath of the Harappan cities.
Prehistory & Harappan Civilisation
25 questions · NCERT Class 6 & 12 · BPSC prelims pattern
How this test works
Click the option you think is right. It locks, turns green if correct or red if not, and the explanation opens underneath. Your score updates in the bar at the top as you go, and Calculate final score at the bottom gives the full breakdown. Choose (E) Not attempted when you would only be guessing, exactly as you would bubble E on the BPSC OMR sheet.
+1 mark — Correct answer
−1/3 mark — Wrong answer
0 — no penalty — (E) Not attempted, the fifth bubble on every question
−1/3 mark — Row left completely blank in the real exam
Question 19 carries a note where a detail in the question is arguable or the draft key has been corrected.
Sources & early settlements11 questions
1. Which of the following regions and its associated historical agricultural feature is correctly matched?
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Answer: (D) All of the above
NCERT Class 6 (Our Pasts I) notes that wheat and barley were first grown in the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills about 8,000 years ago, rice was first grown north of the Vindhyas, and agriculture came later to the Garo hills. All three pairs are correct.
2. Along the banks of which river did some of the earliest skilled gatherers live for several hundred thousand years?
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Answer: (A) Narmada
The earliest skilled gatherers lived along the Narmada for several hundred thousand years; the Narmada valley is also where the Hathnora hominin fossil was found.
3. On the banks of which rivers did some of the earliest cities flourish about 4,700 years ago?
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Answer: (B) Indus and its tributaries
The Harappan cities on the Indus and its tributaries flourished about 4,700 years ago, the first cities of the subcontinent.
4. In ancient times, what was the area to the south of the Ganga known as?
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Answer: (A) Magadha
The region south of the Ganga was called Magadha, with Rajgriha and later Pataliputra as its capitals. Avanti, Kosala and Vatsa were separate mahajanapadas.
5. Assertion (A): Economic and survival needs were the sole factors that drove ancient people to undertake dangerous journeys across the subcontinent.
Reason (R): Individuals also travelled out of a spirit of adventure, wanting to discover new and exciting places.
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Answer: (D) A is false, but R is true
People moved for work, trade and safety, but the NCERT also stresses that some travelled simply out of a spirit of adventure, so survival needs were not the sole factor. A is false and R is true.
6. Seas and mountains form natural borders around the subcontinent. Even so, people crossed them over centuries. How did this affect local traditions?
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Answer: (D) All of the above
Ideas and practices crossed the natural frontiers: new ways of carving stone, composing music and cooking food were shared over centuries.
7. Consider the following statements:
- The name ‘India’ is derived from the river Indus, referred to as Sindhu in Sanskrit, and was designated by Iranians and Greeks who arrived through the northwest approximately 2,500 years ago.
- The name ‘Bharata’ was originally used for a group of people living in the eastern region of the subcontinent, who are prominently mentioned in the Rigveda.
Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?
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Answer: (C) 2 only
Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: the Bharatas were a group living in the north-west, mentioned in the Rigveda, so only statement 2 is incorrect.
8. The word manuscript comes from the Latin word ‘manu’, which means which of the following?
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Answer: (C) Hand
Manuscript comes from the Latin manu, meaning hand, because manuscripts were written by hand, usually on palm leaf or birch bark.
9. Assertion (A): Manuscripts were predominantly fragile organic records susceptible to biological decay, whereas inscriptions served as durable public monuments.
Reason (R): Inscriptions utilised hard surfaces to permanently broadcast royal authority, while manuscripts captured intellectual and literary traditions in diverse languages.
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Answer: (B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
Both statements are true in themselves, but the second explains the purposes of each record type, not why manuscripts decayed while inscriptions survived. So R is not the correct explanation of A.
10. The ancient Kandahar inscription of Ashoka was inscribed using two different languages and scripts, namely Greek and Aramaic. What was the primary reason for choosing these specific languages for this inscription?
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Answer: (D) These were the languages commonly used and understood by the diverse populations in that frontier region.
Ashoka’s Kandahar edict used Greek and Aramaic because those were the languages people in that frontier region actually read and understood, the same reason other edicts used Prakrit and Brahmi.
11. Assertion (A): All years prior to the traditional birth date of Jesus Christ are labelled with the abbreviation BC and are counted backwards.
Reason (R): Historical chronologies avoid using forward-counting numbers for pre-Christian eras because the exact year of Christ’s birth remains historically indeterminate and constantly shifting.
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Answer: (C) A is true, but R is false
Years before Christ are labelled BC and counted backwards (A is true). R is false: dating conventions are not based on any claim that the year of birth keeps shifting; BC/BCE simply counts back from a fixed reference year.
Stone Age & first farmers12 questions
12. In the context of the Indian Palaeolithic period, at which of the following archaeological sites were large quantities of ostrich eggshells discovered?
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Answer: (B) Patne
At Patne in Maharashtra, Palaeolithic layers yielded large quantities of ostrich eggshells, some made into beads. Kurnool and Hunsgi are known for other finds.
13. In prehistoric terminology, tiny stone tools stuck onto handles of bone or wood to make tools such as saws and sickles during the Mesolithic period are known as:
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Answer: (A) Microliths
Microliths are tiny stone tools of the Mesolithic age, hafted onto bone or wood handles to make saws and sickles. Megaliths are large burial stones of a much later period.
14. Consider the following statements regarding the Palaeolithic site of Hunsgi:
- Most tools at Hunsgi were made from locally available limestone.
- Hunsgi served primarily as a habitation-cum-factory site.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2
Hunsgi in Karnataka was a habitation-cum-factory site where most tools were made from locally available limestone. Both statements are correct.
15. Traces of ash indicating the early human familiarity with and use of fire during the Palaeolithic age have been discovered at which of the following cave sites?
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Answer: (B) Kurnool Caves
Traces of ash in the Kurnool caves (Andhra Pradesh) suggest early humans knew how to use fire. Bhimbetka is famous for rock paintings, not ash deposits.
16. The famous prehistoric rock shelter site of Bhimbetka, known for its natural caves and cave paintings, is situated in present-day:
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Answer: (D) Madhya Pradesh
Bhimbetka, with its natural rock shelters and cave paintings, lies in Madhya Pradesh near Bhopal.
17. Around 12,000 years ago, a major shift towards relatively warmer climatic conditions across the world directly led to which of the following ecological and social developments in the Indian subcontinent?
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Answer: (C) Development of grasslands and a rise in herbivore populations
About 12,000 years ago the climate turned warmer, grasslands developed, and herbivores such as deer, antelope, goat, sheep and cattle multiplied. This encouraged herding and later farming.
18. Which of the following was the very first animal believed to have been tamed by early humans?
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Answer: (B) Wild ancestor of the dog
The wild ancestor of the dog was the first animal to be tamed; sheep, goat and cattle were domesticated later.
19. Match List-I (Neolithic / Early Archaeological Sites) with List-II (Present-day Geographical Location) and select the correct code.
List-I
a. Burzahom
b. Koldihwa
c. Chirand
d. Hallur
a. Burzahom
b. Koldihwa
c. Chirand
d. Hallur
List-II
- Bihar
- Kashmir
- Andhra Pradesh
- Uttar Pradesh
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Answer: (D) a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3
Burzahom is in Kashmir, Koldihwa in Uttar Pradesh and Chirand in Bihar on the Ganga near Chhapra, which gives a-2, b-4, c-1; the intended code is D.
Note: Hallur is in Karnataka, not Andhra Pradesh as the list says; the key follows the question as set.
20. In Burzahom (Kashmir), archaeologists discovered underground living structures with steps leading into them, which provided shelter in cold weather. These structures are known as:
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Answer: (C) Pit-houses
At Burzahom people built pit-houses dug into the ground, with steps leading in, which gave shelter in the Kashmir cold.
21. The early village site of Mehrgarh is located on a fertile plain near which of the following historically important mountain passes leading into Iran?
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Answer: (D) Bolan Pass
Mehrgarh lies in a fertile plain near the Bolan Pass, one of the most important routes into Iran. It is among the earliest villages where wheat, barley, sheep and goats were domesticated.
22. At the Neolithic site of Daojali Hading in the Brahmaputra Valley, a specific green stone tool material was recovered, which scholars believe may have been brought from China. What is this stone called?
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Answer: (B) Jadeite
Daojali Hading in the Brahmaputra valley yielded jadeite, a green stone that may have been brought from China, along with tools of fossil wood and pottery.
23. According to historical records, which were among the earliest crops domesticated by human beings?
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Answer: (B) Wheat and Barley
Wheat and barley were among the earliest domesticated crops, grown about 8,000 years ago in the Sulaiman and Kirthar hills.
Harappan cities2 questions
24. Consider the following statements regarding the physical division of Harappan cities:
- The western part of the city was usually smaller but higher and is described as the Citadel.
- The eastern part was larger but lower and is called the Lower Town.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Answer: (C) Both 1 and 2
Harappan cities typically had a smaller, higher western part called the citadel and a larger, lower eastern part called the lower town. Both statements are correct.
25. The famous ‘Great Bath’, lined with bricks, coated with plaster, and made watertight with natural tar, was excavated at which Harappan site?
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Answer: (C) Mohenjodaro
The Great Bath, with its brick lining, plaster coating and natural tar waterproofing, was excavated at Mohenjodaro.
Your result
Automatic scoring needs JavaScript. Until it runs, tally by hand: score = correct − (wrong ÷ 3).
Finished, or stopping here? This counts every question you have answered so far.
Show the full answer key
1 D · 2 A · 3 B · 4 A · 5 D · 6 D · 7 C · 8 C · 9 B · 10 D · 11 C · 12 B · 13 A · 14 C · 15 B · 16 D · 17 C · 18 B · 19 D · 20 C · 21 D · 22 B · 23 B · 24 C · 25 C
Scoring: +1 correct, −1/3 wrong, 0 for (E) Not attempted, −1/3 for a row left blank in the real exam.
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