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Class 6 History & Civics — Harappan cities and their water

Describe how a Harappan city was laid out, tell the upper town from the lower, and follow the wells, drains and reservoirs that made such cities possible.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

A Harappan city from above.

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  1. 1. Wall
  2. 2. Street
  3. 3. Houses
  4. 4. Tank

Streets crossing each other at right angles, blocks of buildings between them, a wall running round the whole thing, and a water tank in one corner. The houses differ in size — but the chapter's point is that they were built to the same quality whatever their size.

  1. 1.The chapter explains what it means by the elite of a Harappan city. Who does it mean?

    • a) The craftspeople who made ornaments and tools
    • b) The farmers whose surplus fed the city
    • c) The traders who handled goods from distant regions
    • d) The higher layers of society — rulers, officials, administrators and often priests

  2. 2.Which city does the chapter name as having three distinct zones rather than two?

    • a) Lothal
    • b) Dholavira
    • c) Mohenjo-daro
    • d) Harappa

  3. 3.Where did the drains of a Harappan city generally run?

    • a) Around the outside of the city wall
    • b) Through the upper town alone
    • c) Along the middle of the streets, in the open
    • d) Below the streets

  4. 4.Sort what is known about the Great Bath from what is still argued over.

    Groups: Known from the remains · Still a matter of debate

    • It was waterproofed with natural bitumen
    • Whether it was a tank used for religious rituals
    • It measured about 12 by 7 metres
    • Whether it was a bath for the royal family
    • Small rooms surrounded it, one holding a well

  5. 5.The Harappan cities' wide streets were often lined up with the four main compass directions. What is the word for those four — north, south, east and west — that the chapter uses?

  6. 6.At Dholavira at least six large reservoirs were built with stones or cut into the rock. What connected most of them?

    • a) Open channels running down the main street
    • b) Underground drains, for efficient water harvesting and distribution
    • c) A single well at the centre of the city
    • d) Clay pipes laid along the top of the city wall

  7. 7.What does the chapter say about the quality of construction in these cities?

    • a) It was best in the upper town and poorer in the lower
    • b) It varied from street to street
    • c) It was the same for small and big houses
    • d) It improved as the cities grew older

  8. 8.Match each part of a Harappan city to what the chapter says about it.

    • upper town
    • lower town
    • where common people lived
    • where the local elite probably lived

Answer key — Class 6 History & Civics — Harappan cities and their water

  1. 1. d) The higher layers of society — rulers, officials, administrators and often priests
  2. 2. b) Dholavira
  3. 3. d) Below the streets
  4. 4. It measured about 12 by 7 metres → Known from the remains; It was waterproofed with natural bitumen → Known from the remains; Small rooms surrounded it, one holding a well → Known from the remains; Whether it was a bath for the royal family → Still a matter of debate; Whether it was a tank used for religious rituals → Still a matter of debate
  5. 5.
    • cardinal
    • the cardinal directions
    • cardinal directions
  6. 6. b) Underground drains, for efficient water harvesting and distribution
  7. 7. c) It was the same for small and big houses
  8. 8. upper town → where the local elite probably lived; lower town → where common people lived