[Topic wise IAS Ancient Indian History Question Bank (1979-2015)]: (3) Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley Civilization: Origin, date, extent, characteristics, decline, survival and significance, art and architecture.

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1. Give an appraisal of town planning of the Indus cities and evaluate the various reasons for their decline. [1979, 60m]

2. Discuss the trade, cultural contacts and the extents of the Indus Civilization within and outside India and describe in detail any one of the Indus sites within India. [1980, 60m]

3. Was India civilized before the advent of the Aryans? State briefly the extent and striking features of the earlier civilization, if any. [1982, 20m]

4. How do you account for the decline of the major cities of the Indus Valley Civilization? [1984, 20m]

5. “On circumstantial evidence Indra stands convicted.” Explain, and discuss briefly different views about a sudden end of the Indus Valley civilization. How would you explain the presence of those elements in Indian culture and civilization which are found to have existed in the Indus Valley period? [1986, 60m]

6. “The Indus Civilization had an abrupt end.” Discuss the statement and explain how the Indus Civilization could influence Indian culture in its later history. [1988, 60m]

7.  “The Indus civilization did not have an abrupt appearance.” Discuss the statement. How does the Indus civilization stand, in view of its geographical expansion and chronology, in relations to the Vedic civilization? [1990, 60m]

8. Write a short essay on: “External trade of the Harappans.” [1991, 20m]

9. Write a brief essay on: “The burial customs in the Indus Civilization.” [1993, 20m]

10. Discuss the pattern of trade during the Indus Valley civilization. How far did it affect the nature of contemporary settlements in the Indian sub-continent? [1994, 60m]

11. Write a short essay on:  “The Religion of the Indus Civilization.” [1996, 20m]

12. “The continuity of the Indus Civilization into later ages was not confined to the religious and spiritual fields alone.” Analyse the statement. [1997, 60m]

13. Discuss salient features of the Indus Valley Civilization. Mention important places from where relics of civilization have been recovered so far. Examine causes of its decline. [1999, 60m]

14. Analyze the elements of urban civilization in the Harappan Culture. What factors were responsible for its decline? [2002, 60m]

15. Discuss the distribution and significance of farming cultures outside the Indus system. [2008, 60m]

16. Trace the development of urbanization from the third millennium B.C.E. to 6th century B.C.E. [2011, 60m]

17. Evaluate  the  significance  of  seals  and  sealings  in  the  reconstruction  of  socio-economic and religious life of the Harappan people. [2012, 30m]

18. Discuss  the  water  management  and  its  conservation  planning  in  the  Harappan (Indus-Saraswati) cities. [2013, 20m]

19.  Do you think the Harappan civilization had a diversity of subsistence base? [2014, 15m]

20.  The decline of Harappan civilization was caused by ecological degradation rather than external invasion. Discuss. [2015, 15m]