Life in the City Class 11 – Concept, MCQs & Notes PDF

Topic covered: Life in the City class 11 notes and MCQs questions: Writing and City Life (All single detail notes are exam-oriented).

We have discussed in-depth and exam-oriented pointers that can be asked in the board exam of class 11th about “Life in the City“ from the NCERT history notes for class 11th chapter 1 Writing and City Life.

Download the NCERT History for Class 11th Chapter 1 Writing and City Life Notes PDF

Chapter 1 of Class 11 History, Writing and City Life, takes you into the early world of Mesopotamia, where writing first appeared, and cities began to shape human life in new ways. Students often find the connection between trade, administration, and the development of writing a bit overwhelming, so these notes break everything into clear, story-like sections. You’ll understand how cities grew, why records became essential, and how everyday life looked in the earliest civilisations. If you want a simple, exam-friendly guide, you can download the NCERT History for Class 11th Chapter 1 Writing and City Life Notes PDF and revise with ease.

Life in the City

1. Emergence of a Ruling Elite:

• A small elite group controlled most of the wealth.
• Evidence of this inequality is seen in the luxurious grave goods found in royal burials at Ur.
• Items buried with kings and queens included jewellery, gold vessels, musical instruments decorated with shell and lapis lazuli, and ceremonial gold daggers.

2. Family Structure in Mesopotamia:

• Legal texts show that the nuclear family was the norm.
• Married sons often continued to live with their parents.
• The father served as the head of the family.

3. Marriage Practices:

• Marriage began with a public declaration of willingness from both sides.
• The bride’s parents had to consent to the marriage.
• The groom’s family gave a gift to the bride’s family.
• During the wedding, both families exchanged gifts, ate together, and made temple offerings.
• The bride received her share of inheritance when the mother-in-law came to take her to the groom’s house.

4. Inheritance Rules:

• Sons inherited the father’s house, herds, and fields.
• The bride received a portion of her father’s property before leaving for her new home.

5. Urban Layout of Ur:

• Ur’s ordinary houses were excavated in the 1930s.
• Streets were narrow and winding, preventing wheeled carts from reaching many homes.
• Supplies like grain and firewood were delivered using donkeys.
• The irregular layout and narrow lanes reflect a lack of town planning.

6. Drainage and Water Management:

• Ur did not have street drains like Mohenjo-daro.
• Drains and clay pipes were found inside house courtyards.
• House roofs sloped inward, and rainwater was directed through pipes into inner courtyard sumps.
• This helped prevent streets from becoming too slushy during rains.

7. Waste Disposal and Rising Street Levels:

• Residents commonly swept household waste into the streets.
• Accumulated refuse caused street levels to rise over time.
• House thresholds were repeatedly raised to prevent mud from entering homes.

8. Lighting and Privacy:

• Rooms received light from doors opening into the courtyard, not windows.
• This design also helped maintain family privacy.

9. Superstitions Related to Houses:

• Omen tablets recorded beliefs such as:
  • A raised threshold brought wealth.
  • A door not facing another house was considered lucky.
  • A main door opening outward meant the wife would trouble her husband.

10. Burial Practices at Ur:

• Ur had a town cemetery with graves of both royalty and commoners.
• Some individuals were buried under the floors of ordinary houses.

Summary of Life in the City

A small ruling elite in Mesopotamia controlled most of the wealth, as evidenced by the rich grave goods found in the royal burials at Ur. Ordinary life is known from legal texts, which show that the nuclear family was common and the father headed the household. Marriage involved parental consent, gift exchange, a shared meal, temple offerings, and the bride receiving her inheritance upon leaving for her husband’s home. The sons inherited the father’s property.

Excavations at Ur reveal narrow winding streets, no town planning, and no street drains. Houses had inward-sloping roofs and courtyard drains to manage rainwater. Waste was thrown into the streets, raising street levels and forcing houses to raise their thresholds. Homes opened into courtyards for light and privacy. Omen tablets mention superstitions about house layouts. Ur had a cemetery for all classes, though some people were buried under house floors.

Next & Previous Topics of NCERT/CBSE History Class 11 Chapter 1: Writing and City Life

MCQs on NCERT History Class 11 Chapter 1 Topic – Life in the City Class 11 Notes

Here are the top exam-oriented MCQ-type questions on “Life in the City Class 11 Notes” that you should prepare for your CBSE or state board exams:

Question 1. The emergence of a ruling elite in Mesopotamia is most clearly shown by

a) Palace walls
b) Royal jewellery and rich grave goods
c) Temple taxes
d) Trade routes

Answer: b

Question 2. The richest archaeological finds related to kings and queens were discovered in

a) Nippur
b) Uruk
c) Ur
d) Kish

Answer: c

Question 3. The luxurious items found in royal graves at Ur included

a) Bronze coins
b) Painted pottery
c) Gold vessels and lapis lazuli inlays
d) Copper helmets

Answer: c

Question 4. According to Mesopotamian legal texts, the common family structure was

a) Joint family
b) Clan-based family
c) Nuclear family
d) Matrilineal family

Answer: c

Question 5. In Mesopotamian households, the head of the family was

a) The eldest woman
b) The eldest son
c) The father
d) The priest

Answer: c

Question 6. In marriage customs, consent was given primarily by

a) Priests
b) Bride’s parents
c) Village chief
d) Groom’s siblings

Answer: b

Question 7. Before marriage, the groom’s family gave

a) Land
b) Clothing
c) A gift to the bride’s family
d) A written contract to the king

Answer: c

Question 8. During the wedding ceremony, both families

a) Wrote agreements on clay tablets
b) Exchanged gifts, ate together, and made temple offerings
c) Travelled to another city
d) Invited the king

Answer: b

Question 9. The bride received her share of the inheritance from

a) Her husband
b) Her priest
c) Her father
d) The temple

Answer: c

Question 10. The father’s property – house, herds, fields – was inherited by

a) Only the eldest son
b) Daughters
c) All sons
d) Priests

Answer: c

Question 11. Ur was excavated systematically during the

a) 1870s
b) 1890s
c) 1930s
d) 1960s

Answer: c

Question 12. Narrow and winding streets in Ur show that

a) The city had strict planning
b) Wheeled carts could not reach most houses
c) Roads were paved
d) Houses were built on platforms

Answer: b

Question 13. Goods such as grain and firewood reached houses mainly via

a) Boats
b) Donkey-back
c) Ox carts
d) Human labour

Answer: b

Question 14. The absence of straight roads and regular house plots indicates

a) Foreign invasion
b) No town planning
c) Complex zoning rules
d) High population density

Answer: b

Question 15. Unlike Mohenjo-daro, the town of Ur had

a) Covered street drains
b) No drainage system
c) Drains only inside houses
d) Underground sewers

Answer: c

Question 16. Rainwater in Ur was channelled

a) Into the streets
b) Into large lakes
c) Into sumps in inner courtyards
d) Directly underground

Answer: c

Question 17. One reason for directing rainwater inward was

a) Roofs were flat
b) To avoid flooding the streets
c) To clean the courtyards
d) To store drinking water

Answer: b

Question 18. Household refuse in Ur was typically

a) Burned
b) Buried in pits
c) Sold to farmers
d) Swept into the streets

Answer: d

Question 19. Street levels in Ur rose over time because

a) Frequent construction
b) Dust storms
c) Accumulated refuse
d) Regular flooding

Answer: c

Question 20. As street levels rose, house thresholds had to be

a) Painted
b) Widened
c) Lowered
d) Raised

Answer: d

Question 21. Light entered most houses in Ur through

a) Windows
b) Roof openings
c) Doorways opening into courtyards
d) Skylights

Answer: c

Question 22. Using courtyard doorways for ventilation helped maintain

a) Luxury
b) Privacy for families
c) Control by rulers
d) Trade activity

Answer: b

Question 23. According to omen tablets, a raised threshold meant

a) Bad luck
b) Good health
c) Wealth
d) Flood danger

Answer: c

Question 24. A front door not facing another house was considered

a) Lucky
b) A sign of poverty
c) A safety rule
d) A religious requirement

Answer: a

Question 25. If the main wooden door opened outward, it was believed that

a) The house would collapse
b) The wife would trouble her husband
c) A ghost would enter
d) The family would lose money

Answer: b

Question 26. The town cemetery at Ur contained

a) Only royal graves
b) Only commoner graves
c) Graves of both royalty and commoners
d) Only soldiers

Answer: c

Question 27. Some individuals were also buried

a) In public squares
b) On rooftops
c) Under house floors
d) Inside temples

Answer: c