History · General Awareness

Early Human and Prehistoric Cultures

1,700 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 history buildings, paintings and books man's lifestyle in a society our life in society tracing changes through a thousand years

The period with written records is known as _________.

  1. Pre-historic period

  2. Historic period

  3. Medieval period

  4. Paleolithic period
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Historic period begins with the advent of writing. The period before the advent of writing is known as prehistory. In India, writing was introduced during the Harappan period, however the script is yet to be deciphered. Therefore, the period is termed as proto-historic period.

Multiple choice biology habits and habitats of some important animals behavioural science ethology animal behaviour

Mark the correct statement :

  1. The skull of baby chimpenzee is more like adult chimpenzee skull than adult human skull

  2. Firstly hominid features were revealed by homohabilis

  3. First human like being hominids are Australopithecus

  4. Domestication came before human settlements
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The skull of a baby chimpanzee is more similar to an adult chimpanzee's skull than an adult human's skull due to different growth trajectories and cranial development patterns.

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

The people of the Chalcolithic phase used different type of pottery, one of which is called black and red seems to have been widely prevalent from nearly ________________.

  1. 2000 BC onwards

  2. 3000 BC onwards

  3. 500 BC onwards

  4. 1000 BC onwards
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Chalcolithic period, or Copper Age, was an era of transition between the stone tool-using farmers of the Neolithic and the metal-obsessed civilizations of the Bronze Age. The Copper Age was really a phenomenon of the eastern Mediterranean regions, and occurred from roughly 3500 to 2000 BCE. The people of the chalcolithic phase used different types of pottery, one of which is called black-and-red and seems to have been widely prevalent from nearly 2000 B.C. onwards. It was thrown on wheel and occasionally painted with white linear designs. Hence, Option A is correct. In India, it spanned around 2000 BC to 700 BC. Hence, 3000 BC is prior to the chalcolithic phase in India, 500 BC is post-chalcolithic phase, 1000 BC falls within the chalcolithic phase, hence, incorrect. 

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

The period between 2 million years to 12,000 years  is called __________.

  1. New Stone Age

  2. Middle Stone Age

  3. Chalcolithic Age

  4. Old Stone Age
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The age which prevailed 2 million years ago is the oldest age and is called the Old Stone Age, and it stretched over a period of 12,000 years. This long duration has been classified into three stages is - the Early, Middle and Late Old Stone Ages. 

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

The Stone age is divided into _____, ______ and _________ ages.

  1. Micro, Middle and Big

  2. Early, Middle and Late

  3. Late, Middle and New

  4. Old, New and Late
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Stone Age is traditionally divided into three periods based on the development of stone tool technology: the Paleolithic (Early), Mesolithic (Middle), and Neolithic (Late/New) ages.

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

The stone implements of the Middle Stone Age are called ________.

  1. Big stone tools

  2. Delicate stone tools

  3. Decorated tools

  4. Sharp stone tools
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The period from 12,000 years to around 10,000 years is called the Middle Stone Age. The implements of this period are generally very small and hence they are called delicate stone implements. Man used to fashion handles from delicate stone for weapons made from bone and wood. He used those implements as axes and saws. These types of tools are also known as micro wears.

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

The places where the stone age people prepared their stone implements are thought to be  ________ sites.

  1. Industrial

  2. Agricultural

  3. Hunting

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

There are many sites in which stone tool remains have been found. Most of these sites have been discovered along the banks of rivers and lakes. Furthermore, since stone implements were essential for the survival of people of that age, they chose areas abundant with the raw material which could fulfill their needs. Areas, where people used stones to create various implements, have been thought to be industrial sites or factory sites.

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

Which of the following age can be termed as 'the age of hunters' ?

  1. Paleolithic age

  2. Mesolithic age

  3. Neolithic age

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

The Paleolithic lasted from 2.6 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago. The word Palaeolithic derives from the Greek: palaios (old) and lithikos (relating to or composed of stone), means 'old age of the stone'. It is also more generally associated with the cultures and lifestyles of the hunter-gatherers who produced stone tools.

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

Arrange the Pre-historical eras in chronological order. Select the correct order from the first era to the last.

  1. Iron age, Bronze age, Copper age, Stone age

  2. Stone age, Bronze age, Copper age, Iron age

  3. Stone age, Copper age, Bronze age, Iron age

  4. Stone age, Copper age, Iron age, Bronze age
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation
Stone age - An ancient time when people made tools from stone;  lasted roughly 3.4 million years
Copper age - An era of transition between the stone tool-using farmers of the Neolithic and the metal-obsessed civilizations of the Bronze Age; roughly from 3500 to 2300 BCE.
Bronze age - A time period when people made tools from an alloy called bronze; time period varies with regions.
Iron age -  Replaced bronze in most implements and weapons;  Iron technology was developed; time period varies with regions.
Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

Which of the following is true regarding the Paleolithic age?

  1. The Palaeolithic humans hunted collectively

  2. The stronger among the group led the group

  3. There was no gender difference in hunting

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Paleolithic Era is significant because people established the process of hunting-gathering, which has supported humans for the majority of their existence on earth. The Paleolithic Era also involved the development of simple tools, including the hand ax, and tool-making industries

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

What kind of information we get from cave paintings?

  1. Evidence for planning of hunting ground and prey by early humans

  2. Early humans collectively engaged in recreational activities

  3. Dexterity of early humans

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
Cave painting is significant because it was what people in prehistoric times did in order to record history and culture.
As it provides all the information about -
1. Dexterity of early humans
2. Early humans collectively engaged in recreational activities
3. Evidence for the planning of hunting ground and prey by early humans.
Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

The pre-historic man used _______ as axes to chop down trees and cut them up into logs.

  1. Stone

  2. Wood

  3. Bones

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

The period before the discovery of the art of writing is called the Prehistoric age. This is so because we do not find evidence of the linguistic development or the use of scripts. In this age, man was a nomad and indulged in hunting and food-gathering. Archaeologists have discovered few tools created and used by these people. Probably they used tools made of stone, wood and bones. Among these, only tools made of stone have survived today, providing us the sources for study. Pre historic man used stone tools to cut wooden logs.

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

In Chalcolithic age, In addition to the stone tools, the people of this period made _______ as well.

  1. iron tools

  2. copper tools

  3. bronze tools

  4. silver tools
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Chalcolithic age was a transition period from the Stone Age (Neolithic) to Metal Age. The first metal to be used was copper. It was used with the stone for making pins and simple implements.The transition is thought to have taken place gradually in the late 7th millennium BCE. It is also called Stone-Copper age.

Multiple choice social studies early human life pre-historic india beginning of human life early man: the stone age

How was man in nomadic stage?

  1. Stable

  2. Secure

  3. Both A and B

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

Man has moved from a nomadic stage to a settled social life. A stable and secure community life is necessary for the development of the individual as well as society. In the nomadic stage, man did not have this stability and security. They were continuously on move in search of food and shelter from wild animals and other predators.