Question

Read the following statements regarding ancient towns in India and choose the correct option.

1. Most of the ancient towns developed as religious or cultural centres.
2. Some of the ancient towns developed at the time of Indus Valley Civilisation.
3. Some of them are as old as 2000 years and even more.
4. Some examples of ancient towns are Varanasi, Lucknow, Pondicherry, etc.

• A. Only I, II and IV are correct.
• B. Only I, II and III are correct.
• C. Only I, III and IV are correct.
• D. Only II, III and IV are correct.

Hint:

Check each statement on its own. Lucknow and Pondicherry are not ancient towns, so statement IV is false.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Recall about ancient towns:
India has a long urban tradition. Many towns trace their origin to ancient times, and most grew as religious or cultural centres.

Step 2: Check statement I:
Towns such as Varanasi and Prayagraj grew around temples, pilgrimage and learning. So most ancient towns were religious or cultural centres. Statement I is TRUE.

Step 3: Check statement II:
The earliest towns of India belong to the Indus Valley Civilisation, such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. Statement II is TRUE.

Step 4: Check statement III:
Several ancient towns, such as Varanasi, have been settled for 2000 years or more. Statement III is TRUE.

Step 5: Check statement IV:
Varanasi is an ancient town. But Lucknow is a medieval town and Pondicherry is a modern colonial town. So the list is wrong. Statement IV is FALSE.

Step 6: Choose the option:
Statements I, II and III are correct. This is option (B).
Options (A), (C) and (D) all include statement IV, which is false, so they are wrong.

Final Answer:
Only statements I, II and III are correct.
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