Ans: A

Exp:

The Neolithic Age in India was around 7,000 B.C. to 1,000 B.C. It was the third and last part of the Stone Age. 

Main features: 

• The Neolithic Age is mainly characterised by the development of settled agriculture and the domestication of animals. Hence, statement 2 is correct 

•  They use tools and weapons made of polished stones, a major character of this age. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

• Major crops: Ragi, horse gram, cotton, rice, wheat, and barley. 
• Tools used: The people used microlithic blades and tools made of polished stones and bones. They used axes, adzes, chisels, and celts.
• Pottery first appeared in this age and included grey ware, black burnished ware, and mat-impressed ware.
• The Neolithic Age is significant for its Megalithic architecture.
• Significant Neolithic settlements: Mehrgarh (located in Balochistan, Pakistan), Burzahom (Kashmir), Gufkral (Kashmir), Chirand (Bihar), and Utnur (Andhra Pradesh).
• The oldest Neolithic settlement in the Indian Subcontinent was Mehrgarh which is located in Balochistan, a province of Pakistan.

Environmental changes initiated into the Mesolithic age and Iron tools in agriculture started in the later Vedic period.

Ans: B

Exp:

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Excavations of the Paleolithic site are found in the Kurnool Caves , Hunsgi, Bhimbetka etc.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Desalpar Gunthli is a village and site belonging to Indus Valley civilisation located at Kutch District, Gujarat. Bhimbetka, Mahadaha, Sarai Nahar Rai, Adamgarh etc .are some of Mesolithic sites.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: NEOLITHIC AGE [8000 BC – 4000 BC],Mehrgarh (Pakistan), Burzahom, Chirand, Brahmagiri, Daojali Hading, Koldihwa and Maski etc. are some of the sites.

Daojali Hading is a neolithic site in the Dima Hasao District of Assam, India. Excavated in 1961-63 by a team led by M C Goswami and T C Sharma,[3] it is the first stratified neolithic site discovered in Northeast India.

Ans: B

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Indus Valley Civilisation produced a lot of artefacts and art forms. Indus Valley art forms emerged during the second half of the third millennium BCE (i.e., from 2500 BC onwards). Archaeologists from the Harappan sites have discovered thousands of seals. Most of the seals were made of steatite, which is a kind of soft stone. The standard Harappan seal was square in shape with a 2X2 dimension. A few of them were also made of terracotta, gold, agate, chert, ivory and faience.

Statement 2 is incorrect: All the seals have pictures of animals or sometimes human figures with something written in a pictographic script (which is yet to be deciphered). Chiefly, the animals represented are tigers, elephants, bulls, bison, goats and so on. Most of the seals have been written on both sides. The writings are in the Kharosthi style (right to left). Some seals have mathematical images and must have been used for educational purposes. The most famous seal is the Pashupati Seal of the Harappan civilisation from Mohenjo Daro. It is a seal with a figure seated cross-legged in the centre with animals around: an elephant and a tiger to the right of the figure and a rhino and a buffalo to its left.

Statement 3 is correct: The seals were believed to be used for commercial purposes. A few seals were also carried as amulets, perhaps as a kind of identity card.

Ans: B

Exp:

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Rakhigarhi is an archaeological site located in Hisar district (Haryana), in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain. Rakhigarhi is the largest Harappan site in the Indian subcontinent. The site was excavated by Amarendra Nath of ASI.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Kalibangan is in the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, which is located near the banks of the river Ghaggar. The excavations at Kalibangan were begun by B.B. Lal and B.K. Thapar in 1960.

The major archaeological findings in Kalibangan are:

• Seven fire altars.
• Decorated bricks.
• Plowed field surface.
• Wheels of a toy cart.
• Mesopotamian cylindrical seal.

Pair 3 is correctly matched: Daimabad is an abandoned settlement and an Indus Valley Civilization archaeological site in Maharashtra, India, on the left bank of the Pravara River, a tributary of the Godavari River. In 1958, B.P. Bopardikar found Daimabad. The bronze sculpture of a man riding a chariot driven by bulls known as the Daimabad man is one of the most important findings at the site.

Ans: B

Exp:

Pair 1 is incorrect: Rupar is an archaeological site located in the Indian state of Punjab, not in Sind, Pakistan. It’s situated along the banks of the Sutlej River. Rupar is known for its association with the Indus Valley Civilization, and various artifacts and structures from that ancient civilization have been discovered at this site.

Pair 2 is incorrect: Kot Diji is situated in the Sindh region of Pakistan, not in Punjab. It is an essential archaeological site related to the Indus Valley Civilization. Kot Diji is particularly famous for the discovery of the Kot Diji pottery, which is a distinctive type of pottery associated with this period.

Pair 3 is correct: Banawali is located in Haryana, India. It is an important archaeological site associated with the Indus Valley Civilization. Excavations at Banawali have unearthed various artifacts, including pottery, seals, and structures dating back to the time of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Pair 4 is correct:  Surkotada is correctly located in Gujarat, India. It is indeed an Indus Valley Civilization site. Surkotada is known for its fortified structures and the discovery of various artifacts, including pottery, seals, and other objects from the Indus Valley period.