Indus Valley Civilization Practice Set: Site-by-Site MCQ Challenge
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Table of Contents
A site-by-site Indus Valley Civilization practice set for SSC exams — 30 questions covering Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Lothal, Dholavira, and every other commonly asked site, with answers.
Indus Valley Civilization questions in SSC exams are almost always site-specific — asking which site had a dockyard, which had the Great Bath, or who discovered a particular site. This practice set goes site-by-site through every Indus Valley location commonly asked about, covering discoverers, locations, and unique features.
How to Remember Site-Specific Facts
Create a simple table in your own notes with columns for Site Name, River, Present-day State/Country, Discoverer, and Unique Feature — this visual grouping makes site-specific recall far easier than reading scattered facts.
| No. | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who discovered Harappa in 1921? | Daya Ram Sahni |
| 2 | Harappa is situated on the bank of which river? | River Ravi (in present-day Punjab, Pakistan) |
| 3 | Who discovered Mohenjo-daro in 1922? | R. D. Banerji |
| 4 | Mohenjo-daro is situated on the bank of which river? | River Indus (in present-day Sindh, Pakistan) |
| 5 | What does "Mohenjo-daro" mean? | "Mound of the Dead" |
| 6 | Which famous structure, believed to be used for ritual bathing, was found at Mohenjo-daro? | The Great Bath |
| 7 | The famous bronze "Dancing Girl" statue was found at which site? | Mohenjo-daro |
| 8 | Which Indus Valley site is famous for its dockyard? | Lothal |
| 9 | Lothal is located in which present-day Indian state? | Gujarat |
| 10 | Who discovered Lothal? | S. R. Rao (in 1954) |
| 11 | Which site is known for its sophisticated water conservation systems and a famous signboard? | Dholavira |
| 12 | Dholavira is located in which district of Gujarat? | Kutch |
| 13 | Which Indus Valley site is located on the Ghaggar river and is famous for evidence of a ploughed field? | Kalibangan |
| 14 | Kalibangan is located in which present-day Indian state? | Rajasthan |
| 15 | Which is one of the largest known Indus Valley sites, located in Haryana? | Rakhigarhi |
| 16 | Which site in Haryana is notable for its unique radial (fan-shaped) street pattern? | Banawali |
| 17 | Which Indus Valley site provided evidence of horse bones? | Surkotada |
| 18 | Surkotada is located in which present-day Indian state? | Gujarat |
| 19 | Which Indus site is unique for not having a citadel/fortified area? | Chanhudaro |
| 20 | Chanhudaro was known as a centre for making which craft item? | Beads (a bead-making factory) |
| 21 | Which was the first Indus Valley site to be excavated in independent India? | Ropar (Rupnagar), Punjab |
| 22 | Which is the easternmost site of the Indus Valley Civilization? | Alamgirpur (on the Hindon river, Uttar Pradesh) |
| 23 | Which is the westernmost site of the Indus Valley Civilization? | Sutkagendor (near the Pakistan-Iran border) |
| 24 | Which is the northernmost site of the Indus Valley Civilization? | Manda (in Jammu & Kashmir) |
| 25 | Which is the southernmost site of the Indus Valley Civilization? | Daimabad (in Maharashtra) |
| 26 | The Indus Valley Civilization is also known by which other name, after its most important site? | The Harappan Civilization |
| 27 | What was the main occupation of the people of the Indus Valley Civilization? | Agriculture and trade |
| 28 | Which metal were the people of the Indus Valley Civilization familiar with, giving the era its name (Bronze Age)? | Bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) |
| 29 | The Great Granary, one of the largest structures, was found at which site? | Mohenjo-daro (a similar granary complex was also found at Harappa) |
| 30 | Which script, still undeciphered, was used by the Indus Valley people? | The Indus script (Harappan script) |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which Indus Valley site is famous for its dockyard?
Lothal, located in present-day Gujarat, is famous for its dockyard and was discovered by S. R. Rao in 1954.
2. Who discovered Mohenjo-daro?
R. D. Banerji discovered Mohenjo-daro in 1922; it is located on the bank of the Indus river in present-day Sindh, Pakistan.
3. Which Indus site had no citadel?
Chanhudaro is unique among major Indus Valley sites for not having a citadel or fortified area.
4. Which is the largest Indus Valley site discovered so far?
Rakhigarhi, located in Haryana, is considered one of the largest known Indus Valley Civilization sites.
5. What script did the Indus Valley Civilization use?
The Indus Valley people used the Indus script (Harappan script), which remains undeciphered to this day.
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Rahul is a senior SSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CGL, CHSL and MTS exams. He writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.
