Explanation
- A
a water bag made of leather pulled over a pulley
A leather bag over a pulley. That is the mot / charsa neighbourhood, not araghatta as keyed.
- B
a large wheel with earthen pots tied to the outer ends of its spokes
A large wheel with earthen pots on the outer ends of its spokes. That is the official identification of araghatta (the Persian-wheel type noria).
- C
a larger earthen pot driven by bullocks
A large earthen pot driven by bullocks. Not the wheel-and-pots machine.
- D
a large water bucket pulled up by rope directly by hand
A bucket pulled up by hand. The coaching trap if you read araghatta as a simple well-bucket.
Summary. Official Set A key is (b). Araghatta in the Indian irrigation record is the pot-garland wheel: a large wheel, pots on the rim, turned to lift water — the Persian-wheel picture. A leather bag on a pulley, a bullock-pot, or a hand bucket are neighbouring lift devices, not the official letter here.
Same topic · past papers
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2026 · Q10 · General Studies · 2 marks
Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period: I. Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punjab and Haryana plains having underground water levels reasonably close to the surface. II. Draught-animal power was employed to draw up water out of the wells. Which of the following information support/supports the above statements? 1. There is evidence in the Rigveda of the use of ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) to draw up water. 2. Mention has been made in the Rigveda of the use of implements like parashu/kulisha (axe) and datra/sreni (sickle). 3. There is a history of the use of ox, even before the Rigveda, for ploughing the land and pulling the carts -
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