Indus Cities: Planning, Trade & Unanswered Questions — Drills · Grade 9 Social Studies

Chapter: Ancient Cities, States & Citizenship

What these drills covers

By the end of Indus Cities: Planning, Trade & Unanswered Questions you should be able to:

4 questions, written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: context, evidence, interpretation, standardization, inference.

Problem 1

Why does a planned city not prove rule by a single king?
Answer and explanation

Planning does not identify a political constitution. A council, ruler, neighborhood institution, or combination could coordinate work. Compare buildings, distribution of resources, and regional patterns before selecting among those possibilities.

Problem 2

What can standardized weights suggest without proving a modern money system?
Answer and explanation

Standardization can facilitate exchange, but a similar weight does not prove a modern currency or a unified tax system. Identify what the object measures and compare archaeological contexts. Trade can pass through intermediaries and local networks.

Problem 3

How should a proposed translation of an Indus seal be evaluated?
Answer and explanation

Do not invent speeches, laws, or religious identities as though they were translated Indus records. Separate a hypothesis from a decipherment accepted through reproducible evidence. Material evidence remains useful even when written meanings are unresolved.

Problem 4

Why is abandonment of some large cities not proof that a whole people disappeared?
Answer and explanation

Urban contraction does not mean every inhabitant or practice vanished. Compare site-specific dates, later settlements, and material continuities. A regional change can have several interacting causes and different local outcomes.

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