History · General Awareness

Early Human and Prehistoric Cultures

1,788 Questions

Early human and prehistoric cultures focus on the lifestyle and evolution of humans before written records. This includes the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras, focusing on inventions, agriculture, and migration patterns. These questions are a core part of ancient history in civil services exams.

Paleolithic eraNeolithic revolutionEarly human migrationInvention of agriculturePrehistoric social structuresMesolithic societies

Early Human and Prehistoric Cultures Questions

Multiple choice

In Indus Valley civilization tools were mostly made of

  1. Copper and Iron

  2. Copper and Bronze

  3. Copper and Silver

  4. Bronze and Iron
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The people of the Indus Valley Civilization primarily used copper and bronze to manufacture their tools, weapons, and household items, as they had mastered the smelting and casting of these metals.

Multiple choice

The Harappan culture lasted for around

  1. 1000 years

  2. 2000 years

  3. 5000 years

  4. 10000 years
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The mature phase of the Harappan culture is generally dated to have lasted for approximately 700 to 800 years, though the broader civilization spanned about 1000 years in its peak period.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is not true about Indus Valley Civilization?

  1. Barter system was there

  2. There was well-knit external and internal trade

  3. Cotton fabrics were quite common

  4. Ornaments were worn only by women
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Archaeological evidence shows that both men and women in the Indus Valley Civilization wore various types of ornaments, such as necklaces, bangles, and rings, making the claim that only women wore them false.

Multiple choice

The new group of people settled near Alaska because

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows:

THE FIRST FOOTSTEPS Long, long ago, when the world was colder than you could think, a large part of today’s seawater was still locked in sheets of rugged white ice that covered parts of the continents. The sea levels then were hundreds of metres below those today. There were stretches of usable land that later went under the oceans. One of these, a fifteen hundred kilometre wide land strip called Beringia, which bridged the Bering Sea and linked America to Asia. Beringia was a chilling treeless land lying knee-deep in lush green grasses and soft vines and plants. It attracted herds of large plant-eating animals along with their predators including early humans. It was at that time, between 30 000 to 34 000 years ago, that the first groups of brave hunters from Asia, unknowingly crossed over to America following the herds of game. They neither knew nor cared that they had discovered a new continent. They hunted and stayed close to the big animal herds, as their ancestors had done for countless generations. They strayed into Alaska across Beringia and settled near the pastures where the herds settled down. It would take these Native Americans thousands of years more to move farther south.

  1. their ancestors had settled there too

  2. they were not brave enough to move farther south

  3. the herds of animals settled their and they followed them blindly

  4. their main interest was in the herds of animals settled there
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Because that's where the herds of animals that they were hunting had settled. “They strayed into Alaska across Beringia and settled near the pastures where the herds settled down”.

Multiple choice

Directions: Fill in the blanks.

In order to survive the challenges they found in ______ environments, human ancestors had to be ______ changing circumstances.

  1. dynamic, adaptable to

  2. hospitable, impervious to

  3. improving, resistant to

  4. stagnant, untroubled by

  5. dangerous, cynical about
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

"Improving" and "hospitable" do not fit with 'challenges' here. So, 2 and 3 are eliminated. Only 'adaptable to' fits with 'changing circumstances' in the 2nd blank. So, option 1 is the correct answer. Moreover, 'dynamic' means characterized by constant change, activity or progress. So, it fits the best with 'changing circumstances'.

Multiple choice

The main occupation of the earliest Mesolithic people was: I. Agriculture II Hunting and food gathering III Fishing IV Domestication of animals

  1. II and IV

  2. III and IV

  3. I and II

  4. II and III
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The main occupation of the earliest Mesolithic people was hunting, food gathering and fishing. These early hunters concentrated their activities like fishing and food gathering on waterways, foraging on the shores of the sea, lakes and rivers.  

Multiple choice

The Indus Valley Civilisation belongs to the

  1. Metal Age

  2. Old Stone Age

  3. Prehistoric Age

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Indus Valley Civilization is categorized as a Bronze Age civilization, which falls under the broader Metal Age, as they extensively used copper and bronze tools.

Multiple choice

Which of the following does not describe the activities of the man as mentioned in the passage?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question.

The pre-historic man preferred this area as three of his primary needs — water, raw material for tool making and game in the thick jungles, were available here in plenty. Mr. Sharma found sites on top of hills where huge boulders have been cut flat. These flat rocks were found in a round formation. Probably they sat on these and there was a fire in the middle. It was also a site where the tools were made. It was like a national pastime. They made tools to throw at animals. There was little chance of killing them with one tool. Mr. Sharma says there are strong chances of finding fossils in the area.

  1. Hunting animals

  2. Lighting fires

  3. Cutting stones

  4. Cultivating land

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Land cultivation is not mentioned.

Multiple choice

Mr. Sharma is most probably working as

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question.

The pre-historic man preferred this area as three of his primary needs — water, raw material for tool making and game in the thick jungles, were available here in plenty. Mr. Sharma found sites on top of hills where huge boulders have been cut flat. These flat rocks were found in a round formation. Probably they sat on these and there was a fire in the middle. It was also a site where the tools were made. It was like a national pastime. They made tools to throw at animals. There was little chance of killing them with one tool. Mr. Sharma says there are strong chances of finding fossils in the area.

  1. a Civil Engineer

  2. a Geographer

  3. an Archaeologist

  4. a Tourist officer
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

He is working on historical sites, thus it can be assumed that he is an archeologist.

Multiple choice

Directions: Identify the incorrect sentence or sentences.

A. The question of when man starting cooking his food has not been answered by anthropologists with any definiteness. B. There has not been sufficient rain this year. C. The first railway line in the USA was built nearly two hundred years ago. D. The Neanderthals appeared in Europe during third interglacial period.

  1. A and B

  2. B and C

  3. C and D

  4. A and D

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In sentence (A), present perfect tense is used. So, instead of “starting”, we should use “started” (third form of verb). In sentence (D), the article "the" should be used before ordinal number "third".