Consider the following statements about the archaeological findings in Harappan “towns”:
I. There is wide occurrence of spindle-whorls in the houses but absence of spinning wheels.
II. Weights and measurement scales, complete with graduations have been discovered.
III. There are houses built in large part with baked bricks, around relatively spacious courtyards, with their own wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms.
Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above statements?
1. Statement I suggests that spinning was a laborious activity done at home.
2. Statement II suggests the extent of the scientific knowledge that the Harappans possessed.
3. Statement III suggests the emergence of a common property system. [UPSC CSP 2026, GS Paper I]A.1 and 2 onlyB.2 and 3 onlyC.1 and 3 onlyD.1, 2 and 3

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Accepted Answer

1 and 2 only. Answer: 1 and 2 onlyInferences 1 and 2 hold up. Spindle-whorls turn up in huge numbers across Harappan houses, but the spinning wheel wasn't invented until medieval India. Without it, spinning had to be done by hand with a drop spindle, a slow, repetitive task done at home — exactly what Statement I implies.Weights and graduated measurement scales, made from chert, shell, ivory, and metal, show a standardised binary-decimal system. That level of precision reflects real scientific and mathematical knowledge, supporting Inference 2.Inference 3 doesn't hold. Houses with their own private wells, bathing platforms, and large rooms point to individual households controlling their own resources and space — the opposite of a common property system. That kind of household-level differentiation actually suggests private property and some degree of social stratification, not collective ownership.Related: ArtnCulture0175 — Weights and Measures of the Indus Valley Civilization · ArtnCulture0049 — Indus Valley Town Planning: Grids, Drains, and the Great BathNo direct pre-exam current-affairs hook was found for this topic.From: UPSC CSP 2026 — General Studies Paper I (Full Question Paper)

Harappan houses, weights, and the private-property inference

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