RAS question
Which crop was NOT known to the Indus Valley people?
Correct answer: (B) Sugarcane.
Sugarcane was not known to the Indus Valley people, while wheat, barley and cotton were part of Harappan agriculture.
Explanation
The Indus or Harappan economy was agrarian, using the fertile flood plains of the Indus basin and wooden ploughs. The cited INFLIBNET chapter identifies wheat and barley as the main crops and notes that rice evidence comes from Lothal and Rangpur in Gujarat. It also says that excavations have not revealed evidence of sugarcane, while other crops included dates, mustard, sesamum, cotton and leguminous plants such as field peas. This matches the standard exam distinction: the Harappans cultivated several cereals, oilseeds, pulses and cotton, but sugarcane is not part of the securely attested Indus crop list. Therefore, among the options given, sugarcane is the crop not known to the Indus Valley people.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Wheat is not the answer because the source names wheat, along with barley, as one of the main Harappan crops.
- (C) Barley is not the answer because the source treats wheat and barley as the main crops of Harappan agriculture.
- (D) Cotton is not the answer because the source includes cotton among Harappan crops and notes that the Harappans were the first to grow it.
Concept
This tests the agriculture and economic life of the Indus Valley Civilization, especially which crops are archaeologically attested. It recurs in RAS because ancient-history MCQs often ask candidates to separate secure Harappan evidence from later Vedic-period associations.