Question

Choose the correct option to fill in the blank.

The Indus Valley Civilization was linked to the __________ region through coastal trade as early as 3000 BCE.

• A. North America
• B. South America
• C. West Asia
• D. South Australia

Hint:

The words coastal trade and the date 3000 BCE are the clue. Pick the region that a boat could reach by staying close to the shore, not one across an ocean.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept:

• Long before modern shipping, trade moved along coasts, so the partner region had to be reachable by sailing close to the shoreline.
• The chapter on the making of a global world opens by showing that Indian trade links are thousands of years old, with an active coastal trade running between the Indus valley and the lands to its west.

Step 1: Recall the textbook statement.
As early as 3000 BCE an active coastal trade linked the Indus valley civilisations with present-day West Asia.

Step 2: Test the two American options.
North America and South America lie across the Atlantic and the Pacific. Sea routes to the Americas were opened only from the late fifteenth century by European sailors. In 3000 BCE no such contact was possible.

Step 3: Test the Australian option.
South Australia is far to the south-east across the open Indian Ocean. Coastal sailing could not reach it, and there is no evidence of Harappan trade in that direction.

Step 4: Confirm why West Asia fits.
West Asia lies just across the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. Harappan seals, beads and weights have been found at sites in that region, which shows the trade was real and regular.

Final Answer: (C) West Asia