Which one of the following statements about the Harappan script is NOT correct ?
- A.It has about four hundred signs
- B.It was written from right to left
- C.It has been found on bone rods and jewellery
- D.It refers to the people of Meluhha
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is D, It refers to the people of Meluhha. The Harappan script has never been deciphered, so no one can say what it refers to; the name Meluhha comes from Mesopotamian texts, not from Harappan writing.
Mesopotamian records of about 2350 BCE onwards mention trade with a land called Meluhha, and historians think this was the Harappan region, which sent carnelian, lapis lazuli, copper and timber. The script itself is known from short inscriptions, most of them on seals, and is not alphabetic: each sign stood for a word or a syllable.
A is correct as stated, since the script has roughly 375 to 400 signs. B is correct because the spacing of signs shows it was usually written from right to left. C is correct because inscriptions have been found on seals, copper tools, rims of jars, terracotta tablets, jewellery, bone rods and even an old signboard at Dholavira.
Exam tip: Harappan script = about 400 signs, right to left, undeciphered; Meluhha = Mesopotamian name for the Harappan land.
Practice Questions
View allWhich of the following statements about Bodhisattas is/are correct? 1. They were perceived as deeply compassionate beings who accumulated merit through their efforts. 2. They made attempt to attain Nibbana. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Bodhisattas were seen as deeply compassionate beings who gathered merit by their efforts, but they used that merit to help others rather than to attain nibbana for themselves.
Read the full explanation →Tamilakam was the name of the ancient Tamil country that included
- A.present-day Tamil Nadu as well as parts of Sri Lanka
- B.land between present day Tirupati hills and the southernmost tip of peninsula
- C.present-day Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra
- D.present day Kerala, Telangana and Karnataka
Show answer
Sangam literature describes Tamilakam as the land stretching from the Venkatam hills, around Tirupati, in the north to Kumari, the southern tip of the peninsula.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following was Buddha's foster mother?
- A.Purna
- B.Gajalakshmi
- C.Maya
- D.Mahapajapati Gotami
Show answer
Siddhartha's mother, Queen Maya, died a few days after his birth, and her younger sister Mahapajapati Gotami brought him up as her own son.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following pairs of organization and their founders is NOT correctly matched ?
- A.National Liberation Federation : Tej Bahadur Sapru and M. R. Jayakar
- B.Jamiat-ul-Ulama-i-Hind : Maulana Mahmud-al Hasan Shaikh-ul-Hind
- C.Congress Democratic Party : B. G. Tilak
- D.Congress Socialist Party : M. N. Roy
Show answer
The Congress Socialist Party was formed in 1934 by Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Dev and Minoo Masani, not by M. N. Roy.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Parmahansa Mandali was founded in Bengal by Swami Vivekananda 2. Prarthana Samaj was started in Maharashtra with the aim of reforming Hindu religious thought and practice Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
The Paramahansa Mandali was a Maharashtra body, founded in Bombay, not in Bengal by Swami Vivekananda, while the Prarthana Samaj was indeed a Maharashtra reform movement.
Read the full explanation →