Important Questions Test: On The Trail Of The Earliest People - UPSC MCQ

The cultural period of the Stone Age that began about 2.5 to 2 million years ago, marked by the earliest use of tools made of chipped stone. The Paleolithic Period ended at different times in different parts of the world, generally around 10,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East. Also called Old Stone Age.

(i) In 9000 BC begin an intermediate stage in stone age culture, which is called the Mesolithic age which lasted till 4000 BC. This phase intervened as a transitional phase between the Palaeolithic age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age.

(ii) Climate change around 9000 BC brought about changes in fauna and flora and made it possible for human beings to move to new areas. Since then there have not been any major changes in climatic conditions.

(iii) The characteristic tools of the Mesolithic age are Microliths

(iv) The Mesolithic people lived on hunting, fishing and food gathering; at a later stage they also domesticated animals.

The word "Earliest" itself defines the period of time when fire was not discovered. Without fire earliest man could not boil rice. Rice is obtained from cultivation , at the mean time there was no cultivation, earliest man didn't have any idea about cultivation. Talking about wheat, it too obtained from cultivation and as I mentioned above there was no cultivation in early life. And water, by only drinking water no one can survive even early man. There was only food from nature is fruit, which can be consumed directly from the tree, can be eaten raw. Since the earliest man were born, they were surviving only on fruits. Afterwards they discovered fire and then they started cultivation. They kept shifting place to place until they got settled at a particular place.

Paleolithic or Old Stone Age: from the first production of stone artefacts, about 2.5 million years ago, to the end of the last Ice Age, about 9,600 BCE. This is the longest Stone Age period.

Early humans primarily lived in a) caves. Caves provided shelter and protection from the elements and predators. Over time, early humans began to build huts or simple dwellings, often near resources like rivers or forests, but initially, caves were a common and natural place to live.

Therefore,Correct Answer - Option A

The Mesolithic Age was a transitional phase between the Paleolithic Age and the Neolithic Age. The people of this age lived on hunting, fishing, and food gathering; later on they also domesticated animals.

Since there are traces of ashes , this suggests that the early humans had discovered fire.

The early humans were always on the move because they had no means to grow food and needed to search for food, water and shelter. They were nomads and had to hunt wild animals and gather fruits, nuts and seeds in order to survive.

The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site in central India that spans the prehistoric paleolithic and mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period. It exhibits the earliest traces of human life on the Indian subcontinent and evidence of Stone Age starting at the site in Acheulian times. It is located in the Raisen District in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

The Stone Age, whose origin coincides with the discovery of the oldest known stone tools, which have been dated to some 3.3 million years ago, is usually divided into three separate periods—Paleolithic Period, Mesolithic Period, and Neolithic Period.

Major changes in the climate of the world with a shift to relatively warm conditions were noticed around 12,000 years ago. As a result, grasslands developed in many regions.

The earliest people hunted, gathered plant produce, made stone tools, and painted on cave walls. Some of them lived in the open air sites while some of them took shelter in the caves. In these caves we find the remains of their life in the forms of paintings on the cave walls they left behind.

Fire making, fire lighting or fire craft is the process of starting a fire artificially. It requires completing the fire triangle, usually by heating the tinder above its autoignition temperature. When two stones are stricken together there is friction between the stone which causes heat and ultimately spark.

Hunter gatherers are never settled , they keep on moving in search of food and adequate means to sustain lives.

The term 'Lithic' is derived from the ancient Greek word for 'Rock' (lithos / stone) used in the last fourth century BCE by the scholar Theopharastus. The term 'Lithic' now used as a meaning of small rock artifact, most often chipped or ground stone, came into common use less than eight decades ago.

Early humans wore animal skin, fur and plant leave and bark to cover up and protect their skin from the chafing and to sustain against weather conditions like winters and summer and rain. The primary objective of clothing was protection, and they were least bothered about the modesty and adornment values of clothing. Hence correct answer is option (A)

The period where man had lived on this earth for several hundred years before he learned the art of writing is called Pre-historic period.

Prehistory is the period that begins with the appearance of the human being, about five million years ago, and finishes with the invention of writing, about 6,000 years ago. It is a long period divided into three stages: the Palaeolithic Age, the NeolithicAge and the Metal Age.

Primitive men used to live at the riverside because of many reasons such as :
1. To quench their thirst - As all living beings has the requirement of water to live. They did not have the reservoirs or any other sources available at that time. so they meet out their requirements by the river.
2. Animals come to drink water - As early men were mostly known as skilled gatherers or hunters they primitively live on hunting as their basic source of food. So, it was known fact that the easiest way to get their food was by hunting; when animals come to riverside in search of water.
3. Could catch fish - This is also an important aspect that even catching fish as their food was one of the activities by which they were fulfilling their primary necessities.

Wood was one of early man's most valuable and important raw materials. It furnished him with shelter, heat and a range of tools and weapons necessary for his survival.

In prehistoric art, the term "cave painting" encompasses any parietal art which involves the application of colour pigments on the walls, floors or ceilings of ancient rock shelters. A monochrome cave painting is a picture made with only one colour (usually black). The correct answer is option (B).