RAS question
Rangpur, an IVC site in Gujarat, is significant for evidence of which crop?
Correct answer: (A) Rice.
Rangpur, an Indus Valley Civilisation site in Gujarat, is significant for evidence of rice.
Explanation
Rangpur is linked with rice in the context of Indus agriculture. Rice, Oryza sativa, was found there as husks embedded in pottery, making Rangpur one of the early Indus contexts used to discuss rice cultivation. eGyanKosh, Unit 8: River Valley Civilisation places rice at Rangpur and Lothal in eastern Saurashtra, while also explaining that wheat and barley were the main Indus crops and that rice is reported only in some localised places. Rangpur is therefore not a generic wheat-barley site, but a specific reference point for rice evidence within the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Wheat was a major and common Indus crop, while Rangpur's specific significance is evidence of rice.
- (C) Cotton is associated with Mohenjo-daro, while Rangpur is remembered for crop evidence related to rice.
- (D) Barley was widely found at Indus sites and was one of the main crops, while Rangpur's special evidence concerns rice.
Concept
RAS ancient-history preparation requires site-crop associations in Indus Valley Civilisation agriculture. Rangpur matters because it links a Gujarat Harappan site with evidence of rice, unlike the broader wheat-barley pattern.