The Indus Valley Civilization stands as one of the world’s oldest and most advanced ancient civilizations, known for its well-planned cities, drainage systems, and trade networks. It holds great importance in school curricula and competitive exams alike. Practicing Indus Valley Civilization MCQ questions is a smart way to strengthen your understanding of this topic. These multiple-choice questions help you revise key facts quickly, including important sites like Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, cultural practices, and technological achievements. This article brings you a carefully selected list of MCQs that will support your preparation and improve your accuracy in history-based sections.
Indus Valley Civilization MCQs
Q. The Indus Valley Civilization is also known as:
A) Vedic Civilization
B) Harappan Civilization
C) Aryan Civilization
D) Mauryan Civilization
Answer: B) Harappan Civilization
Q. Which of the following was a prominent city of the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Pataliputra
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Delhi
D) Ujjain
Answer: B) Mohenjo-daro
Q. The script of the Indus Valley Civilization is:
A) Deciphered
B) Similar to Sanskrit
C) Undeciphered
D) Alphabetical
Answer: C) Undeciphered
Q. The main occupation of the people of the Indus Valley Civilization was:
A) Hunting
B) Agriculture
C) Trading
D) Fishing
Answer: B) Agriculture
Q. Which metal was not known to the people of the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Copper
B) Bronze
C) Iron
D) Gold
Answer: C) Iron
Q. The Great Bath was discovered at:
A) Harappa
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Lothal
D) Kalibangan
Answer: B) Mohenjo-daro
Q. Which of the following animals was not depicted on the seals of the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Elephant
B) Rhinoceros
C) Horse
D) Bull
Answer: C) Horse
Q. The Indus Valley Civilization was primarily located in present-day:
A) India and Bangladesh
B) India and Nepal
C) Pakistan and India
D) Afghanistan and India
Answer: C) Pakistan and India
Q. Which of the following sites is located in Gujarat?
A) Lothal
B) Harappa
C) Mohenjo-daro
D) Ropar
Answer: A) Lothal
Q. The Indus Valley Civilization flourished during:
A) 1500–1000 BCE
B) 2600–1900 BCE
C) 500–100 BCE
D) 3200–2600 BCE
Answer: B) 2600–1900 BCE
Q. The streets of the Indus Valley cities were laid out in:
A) Circular patterns
B) Random patterns
C) Grid patterns
D) Zigzag patterns
Answer: C) Grid patterns
Q. Which of the following features was common in Indus Valley houses?
A) Thatched roofs
B) Central courtyards
C) Wooden walls
D) Underground cellars
Answer: B) Central courtyards
Q. The drainage system of the Indus Valley Civilization indicates:
A) Lack of planning
B) Advanced engineering skills
C) Influence of Roman architecture
D) Use of metal pipes
Answer: B) Advanced engineering skills
Q. Which site is known for its dockyard?
A) Harappa
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Lothal
D) Kalibangan
Answer: C) Lothal
Q. The bricks used in the Indus Valley Civilization were:
A) Sun-dried
B) Stone bricks
C) Baked bricks
D) Wooden bricks
Answer: C) Baked bricks
Q. Which of the following sites shows evidence of fire altars?
A) Harappa
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Kalibangan
D) Lothal
Answer: C) Kalibangan
Q. The houses in the Indus Valley Civilization were built with:
A) Stone
B) Wood
C) Mud bricks
D) Baked bricks
Answer: D) Baked bricks
Q. Which site provides evidence of a stadium-like structure?
A) Dholavira
B) Harappa
C) Mohenjo-daro
D) Rakhigarhi
Answer: A) Dholavira
Q. The presence of granaries in the Indus Valley cities indicates:
A) Lack of food storage
B) Advanced agricultural practices
C) Nomadic lifestyle
D) Dependence on hunting
Answer: B) Advanced agricultural practices
Q. Which site shows evidence of a ploughed field?
A) Harappa
B) Kalibangan
C) Mohenjo-daro
D) Lothal
Answer: B) Kalibangan
Q. The ‘Dancing Girl’ bronze statue was found at:
A) Harappa
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Lothal
D) Dholavira
Answer: B) Mohenjo-daro
Q. The Indus Valley people used which metal for making tools?
A) Iron
B) Bronze
C) Aluminum
D) Steel
Answer: B) Bronze
Q. The standard unit of measurement in the Indus Valley Civilization was based on:
A) Cubit
B) Foot
C) Decimal system
D) Metric system
Answer: C) Decimal system
Q. Which material was commonly used for making seals?
A) Granite
B) Steatite
C) Marble
D) Sandstone
Answer: B) Steatite
Q. The Indus Valley people were the first to produce:
A) Silk
B) Cotton
C) Wool
D) Nylon
Answer: B) Cotton
Q. Which of the following artifacts suggests the practice of dentistry in the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Toothbrushes
B) Bow drills
C) Dental floss
D) Toothpaste
Answer: B) Bow drills
Q. The presence of etched carnelian beads indicates:
A) Lack of craftsmanship
B) Advanced bead-making techniques
C) Use of plastic
D) Influence of Chinese culture
Answer: B) Advanced bead-making techniques
Q. Which site is associated with the discovery of an ivory scale?
A) Harappa
B) Lothal
C) Mohenjo-daro
D) Dholavira
Answer: B) Lothal
Q. The Indus Valley Civilization is credited with the invention of:
A) The wheel
B) The plough
C) The flush toilet
D) The compass
Answer: C) The flush toilet
Q. Which of the following was used for writing in the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Palm leaves
B) Birch bark
C) Seals
D) Paper
Answer: C) Seals
Q. The economy of the Indus Valley Civilization was primarily:
A) Industrial
B) Pastoral
C) Agricultural
D) Nomadic
Answer: C) Agricultural
Q. Which of the following indicates trade relations between the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia?
A) Similar pottery styles
B) Discovery of Indus seals in Mesopotamia
C) Shared language
D) Common religious practices
Answer: B) Discovery of Indus seals in Mesopotamia
Q. The dockyard at Lothal suggests that the Indus Valley people:
A) Were isolated
B) Engaged in overseas trade
C) Practiced fishing only
D) Built ships for warfare
Answer: B) Engaged in overseas trade
Q. The weights and measures used in the Indus Valley Civilization were:
A) Inconsistent
B) Standardized
C) Based on the metric system
D) Random
Answer: B) Standardized
Q. Which of the following was a major export item of the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Spices
B) Silk
C) Cotton textiles
D) Tea
Answer: C) Cotton textiles
Q. Which site is known for its bead-making industry?
A) Harappa
B) Lothal
C) Mohenjo-daro
D) Dholavira
Answer: B) Lothal
Q. The discovery of seals with inscriptions suggests that the Indus Valley people:
A) Had a writing system
B) Practiced magic
C) Were illiterate
D) Used coins
Answer: A) Had a writing system
Q. The presence of granaries in the Indus Valley cities indicates:
A) Lack of food storage
B) Large-scale food production and storage
C) No agricultural activity
D) Hunting-based economy
Answer: B) Large-scale food production and storage
Q. Which one of the following tools was primarily used by the people of Indus Valley for measurement?
A) Iron rods
B) Cubic stone weights
C) Wooden planks
D) Bronze sticks
Answer: B) Cubic stone weights
Q. Which of the following is believed to be a port city of the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Harappa
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Lothal
D) Kalibangan
Answer: C) Lothal
Q. The terracotta figurines found at IVC sites mostly represent:
A) Warriors
B) Gods and Goddesses
C) Animals and human forms
D) Royalty
Answer: C) Animals and human forms
Q. Which of these was a characteristic feature of the economy of the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Cash-based transactions
B) Subsistence farming only
C) Trade with distant lands like Mesopotamia
D) Reliance on gold coins
Answer: C) Trade with distant lands like Mesopotamia
Q. Which crop was widely cultivated in the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Rice
B) Wheat and barley
C) Sugarcane
D) Tea
Answer: B) Wheat and barley
Q. Which among the following is NOT an Indus Valley site in India?
A) Lothal
B) Rakhigarhi
C) Mohenjo-daro
D) Dholavira
Answer: C) Mohenjo-daro
Q. Which of the following is considered the largest known Indus Valley site?
A) Harappa
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Kalibangan
D) Rakhigarhi
Answer: D) Rakhigarhi
Q. The script of the Indus Valley Civilization is found mostly on:
A) Pillars
B) Coins
C) Seals
D) Pottery
Answer: C) Seals
Q. Which of these was NOT a characteristic of Indus Valley Civilization religion?
A) Worship of Mother Goddess
B) Fire altars
C) Idol worship of Hindu gods
D) Pashupati seal (proto-Shiva)
Answer: C) Idol worship of Hindu gods
Q. Which material was most commonly used in Indus Valley ornaments?
A) Bronze
B) Iron
C) Semi-precious stones
D) Plastic
Answer: C) Semi-precious stones
Q. Which site provides evidence of the earliest ploughed agricultural field?
A) Kalibangan
B) Lothal
C) Harappa
D) Banawali
Answer: A) Kalibangan
Q. Which of the following is the most distinctive feature of the Harappan civilization?
A) Use of copper tools
B) Town planning and drainage system
C) Fire worship
D) Terracotta toys
Answer: B) Town planning and drainage system
Q. Which seal from the Indus Valley depicts a yogi figure sitting in a meditative posture?
A) Bull seal
B) Unicorn seal
C) Pashupati seal
D) Dancing girl seal
Answer: C) Pashupati seal
Q. Which of these Indus cities is located in Haryana, India?
A) Harappa
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Rakhigarhi
D) Dholavira
Answer: C) Rakhigarhi
Q. What is the primary reason the Indus script remains undeciphered?
A) No bilingual inscription available
B) Written on stone only
C) Very long texts
D) Use of foreign language
Answer: A) No bilingual inscription available
Q. Indus Valley pottery is known for:
A) Plain and undecorated forms
B) Fine wheel-made design and painted motifs
C) Made of porcelain
D) Stone carvings only
Answer: B) Fine wheel-made design and painted motifs
Q. What major natural factor possibly caused the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Earthquake and river course change
B) Volcano eruption
C) Invasion by Aryans
D) Drought due to deforestation
Answer: A) Earthquake and river course change
Q. Which type of government is believed to have existed in the IVC?
A) Monarchy
B) Democracy
C) Theocracy
D) Possibly municipal or central authority
Answer: D) Possibly municipal or central authority
Q. The ‘Great Granary’ was found in which IVC site?
A) Lothal
B) Mohenjo-daro
C) Harappa
D) Kalibangan
Answer: C) Harappa
Q. Which was NOT a feature of Indus Valley burial practices?
A) Brick-lined graves
B) Use of coffins
C) Elaborate tombs
D) Pot burials
Answer: C) Elaborate tombs
Q. Which stone was used to make weights in the Indus Valley Civilization?
A) Granite
B) Limestone
C) Chert
D) Marble
Answer: C) Chert
Q. Which of the following was absent in the Harappan civilization?
A) Wells and drains
B) Temples and palaces
C) Dockyards
D) Granaries
Answer: B) Temples and palaces
Q. Who was the first person to discover Harappa?
A) Alexander Cunningham
B) Daya Ram Sahni
C) R.D. Banerji
D) John Marshall
Answer: B) Daya Ram Sahni
Q. The unicorn motif appears on how many seals in IVC?
A) Rarely
B) About half
C) Only on pottery
D) Never
Answer: B) About half
Q. Which type of metal was extensively used by Harappans?
A) Iron
B) Bronze
C) Zinc
D) Lead
Answer: B) Bronze
Q. Harappan weights were typically in the ratio of:
A) 2:5
B) 1:2
C) 5:10:20
D) 1:2:4:8:16
Answer: D) 1:2:4:8:16
Q. The dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro is made of:
A) Copper
B) Bronze
C) Clay
D) Gold
Answer: B) Bronze
Q. Which animal was most commonly depicted on Harappan seals?
A) Tiger
B) Bull
C) Elephant
D) Goat
Answer: B) Bull
Q. Which of these had a large open area and ceremonial platforms?
A) Kalibangan
B) Harappa
C) Dholavira
D) Rakhigarhi
Answer: C) Dholavira
Q. Which site shows double burial (male and female together)?
A) Mohenjo-daro
B) Harappa
C) Lothal
D) Rakhigarhi
Answer: D) Rakhigarhi
Q. What type of language is believed to be spoken in IVC?
A) Dravidian
B) Sanskrit
C) Aryan
D) Persian
Answer: A) Dravidian
Q. The terracotta figurines were likely used for:
A) Musical instruments
B) Religious rituals and toys
C) Tax collection
D) Farming
Answer: B) Religious rituals and toys
Wrapping Up
To wrap up, mastering the topic of the Indus Valley Civilization is essential for success in various competitive exams. By practicing these Indus Valley Civilization MCQ questions, you not only revise key historical facts but also enhance your ability to recall important details under exam pressure. These questions cover all major aspects of the civilization, from its urban planning to trade and daily life. Consistent practice will improve your confidence and performance in the history section. Make sure to revisit these MCQs regularly as part of your preparation strategy and stay one step ahead in your exam journey.
