Harappan archaeology

Correct answer: A. Different identities may have existed within a shared visual tradition

Explanation: Archaeological interpretation requires reading imagery and inscriptions together rather than treating either feature in isolation. A repeated animal motif may reflect a shared symbolic or artistic convention, whereas varying signs could distinguish individuals, groups, offices, or transactions. Therefore, option A is the most cautious and plausible conclusion. The evidence cannot establish that every seal belonged to one person or that the signs were meaningless.

Correct answer: A. Increasing integration of private and civic infrastructure

Explanation: Changes between construction phases reveal how urban services were reorganised over time. Connecting a household installation to a public drain indicates that domestic water management became linked with a wider civic system, perhaps through planned expansion or improved regulation. Option A is therefore correct. The connection does not show that the house became a temple, that the earlier drain was useless, or that water use ended.

Correct answer: A. Local variation within a shared proportional rule

Explanation: Standardisation can concern a ratio rather than one fixed absolute measurement. If bricks repeatedly follow the same proportional relationship while their length, width, or thickness varies, builders probably shared a technical convention but adapted dimensions to local construction needs. Option A is correct. This pattern does not prove one kiln, eliminate standardisation, or establish that smaller bricks were older.