Study the following picture and the textual description given below and answer the question. Choose the most appropriate option.
Text material: Wells have been made in many shapes – circular, square, vertical or horizontal – and sizes, and with bricks, stone or terracotta rings. There is a long way from Dholavira’s modest step well to those of classical times, especially in Gujarat and Rajasthan, which are not only engineering marvels but works of art.
We can infer that wells in Gujarat and Rajasthan were:
(a) poorly designed
(b) engineering marvels
(c) works of art
(d) modest
Show Hint
Architecture in ancient India blended utility with beauty—stepwells in Gujarat and Rajasthan are enduring examples of artistic engineering.
The passage highlights the evolution of well architecture from Dholavira’s simpler forms to the more intricate and grand structures found in Gujarat and Rajasthan during classical times. These later wells are described as both “engineering marvels” and “works of art”, indicating not only their structural sophistication but also their aesthetic appeal.
Hence:
Option (b) is correct: They are engineering marvels.
Option (c) is correct: They are also described as works of art.
Option (a) is incorrect: They are explicitly praised, not poorly designed.
Option (d) is incorrect: “Modest” refers to older wells like those in Dholavira, not the ones in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
