CBSE Class 6 Social Science Our Past Important Questions Chapter 3 - In The Earliest Cities - Free PDF Download
FAQs on Important Questions for CBSE Class 6 Social Science Our Past Chapter 3 - In The Earliest Cities
1. What are the most important features of houses in Harappan cities that a student should remember for exams?
For your exams based on the CBSE 2025-26 syllabus, it's important to know these key features of Harappan houses:
- Structure: Houses were generally one or two storeys high, built with well-baked bricks that have lasted for thousands of years.
- Layout: Most houses had rooms built around a central courtyard, which was likely used for activities like cooking and weaving.
- Facilities: Many homes had a separate bathing area and some even had their own wells to supply water, showing a focus on privacy and hygiene.
- Privacy: Interestingly, the houses often had no windows facing the main street, which suggests a high value was placed on privacy.
This type of question is often asked for 3 marks.
2. Explain the significance of the 'citadel' and the 'lower town' in Harappan city planning. How is this an expected question for Class 6?
Understanding the city layout is a frequently asked question. Harappan cities were typically divided into two main parts:
- The Citadel: This was the western part of the city, built on a raised platform. It was smaller but higher. Archaeologists believe it housed important public buildings like the Great Bath in Mohenjo-Daro and large granaries. This was likely where the ruling class lived and major ceremonies took place.
- The Lower Town: This was the eastern part, which was much larger but situated at a lower height. This is where the common people, such as craftspeople and merchants, lived and worked in residential buildings.
This division shows a highly organised and stratified society with clear urban planning.
3. Why is the drainage system in the earliest cities considered a major archaeological marvel?
The Harappan drainage system is considered a marvel because of its advanced design, which was unique for its time. Key reasons include:
- Systematic Planning: Every house had drains that connected to the street drains. These smaller drains fed into larger ones, creating an integrated city-wide network.
- Covered Drains: Unlike many other ancient civilizations, the drains were covered with bricks or stone slabs. They also had inspection holes at regular intervals for cleaning.
- Gentle Slopes: The drains were laid out with a gentle slope to ensure that water could flow through them easily.
This system highlights the Harappans' strong emphasis on sanitation and public health, a concept that was incredibly advanced for an ancient civilization.
4. For a short-answer question, who was considered a 'specialist' in Harappan society?
In the context of Chapter 3, a specialist was a person trained to do only one kind of work with great skill. Not everyone could be a specialist. Examples of their work found by archaeologists include cutting stone with precision, polishing beads to make jewellery, and intricately carving seals.
5. How do archaeologists know that the Harappans had long-distance trade? What does this imply?
Archaeologists know about Harappan long-distance trade primarily by analysing the raw materials used to make artefacts. Many finished goods, like seals, beads, and metal tools, were made from materials not available locally. For example:
- Copper was likely brought from present-day Rajasthan and even Oman in West Asia.
- Tin, which was mixed with copper to produce bronze, may have come from present-day Afghanistan and Iran.
- Gold could have come from present-day Karnataka.
This implies that the Harappan civilization had a robust economy with well-established trade routes, connecting them to distant lands and cultures.
6. What were Harappan seals and what were their most probable uses? List any two important functions.
Harappan seals were small, flat, rectangular or square objects, usually made of stone (steatite). They were often engraved with animal figures and signs from a script that has not yet been deciphered. Their two most important functions were likely:
- Trade and Commerce: Seals were probably used to stamp bags or packages of goods. A layer of wet clay would be applied to the knot of a package, and the seal pressed onto it. This seal impression, called a sealing, acted as a mark of quality and ensured that the goods had not been tampered with.
- Identity and Authority: The seals might also have functioned as a form of identification for merchants or as an official stamp of authority for rulers or trade guilds.
7. What are the possible theories historians suggest for the decline of the Harappan civilization? Why is this a HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) question?
This is considered a HOTS question because there is no single, proven answer, requiring students to analyse different possibilities. According to the NCERT syllabus for the 2025-26 session, some leading theories for the decline around 3900 years ago include:
- Environmental Changes: Major shifts in the environment, such as rivers drying up or catastrophic floods, could have destroyed farmlands and cities.
- Deforestation: The large-scale cutting of forests for fuel to bake bricks and smelt copper ore might have led to climate change and desertification.
- Loss of Control: It is also possible that the rulers lost control, leading to social breakdown and the abandonment of cities.
It's important to state that these are all theories, and the exact reason for the end of this great civilization remains a mystery.
