Prehistoric — Set 1

Correct Answer: C. Robert Bruce Foote

• **Robert Bruce Foote** = 'Father of Indian Prehistory'; discovered first Paleolithic tool (hand axe) in **1863**. • Found at **Pallavaram, near Chennai (then Madras)**, Tamil Nadu — this site is called the 'Madrasian Culture' site. • Foote was a **Geological Survey of India** officer; also found tools at Attirampakkam and other sites. • 💡 James Princep = deciphered Brahmi script; John Marshall = IVC discovery; Cunningham = first ASI DG — Foote = Indian Prehistory Father.

Correct Answer: D. Nature of stone tools

• **Stone tools** = basis for dividing Paleolithic into **Lower, Middle, Upper** phases — tool refinement marks each shift. • Lower = crude **hand axes (Acheulian)**; Middle = **flakes and scrapers (Mousterian/Nevasan)**; Upper = **blades and burins**. • Climate also changed — Lower (warmer), Middle (cooling), Upper (Ice Age peak) — tools adapted to environment. • 💡 Housing = no permanent shelters yet; Burial = not primary division basis; Pottery = invented in Neolithic — Tools are the correct answer.

Correct Answer: B. Microliths

• **Microliths** = tiny stone tools (<5 cm), hallmark of **Mesolithic Age** (~10,000–4,000 BCE in India). • Made from **flint, chert, jasper**; hafted on wood/bone handles as **composite tools** — arrows, spear tips, sickles. • Found at sites: **Langhnaj (Gujarat), Bagor (Rajasthan), Bhimbetka (MP), Adamgarh (MP)**. • 💡 Macroliths = large stone tools (Paleolithic); Monoliths = single large stones; Megaliths = large burial stones — Microliths = tiny Mesolithic tools.

Correct Answer: A. Adamgarh

• **Adamgarh** (Madhya Pradesh) = earliest evidence of **animal domestication** in India; also has rock paintings. • **Bagor** (Rajasthan, Kothari river) = second key Mesolithic site with animal domestication + largest Mesolithic site. • Domesticated animals: **cattle, sheep, goat, pig** — transition from pure hunting to herding/pastoralism. • 💡 Lothal = IVC port site; Burzahom = Neolithic pit dwellings; Kalibangan = IVC ploughed field — Adamgarh = Mesolithic animal domestication.

Correct Answer: D. Beginning of Agriculture

• **Beginning of Agriculture** = defining characteristic of **Neolithic Age** (New Stone Age, ~7000–3000 BCE). • 'Neolithic Revolution' — humans shifted from nomadic food-gathering to **settled food-production** (farming). • Led to: **permanent villages, animal domestication, pottery invention, polished tools** — foundation of civilization. • 💡 Urbanization = Bronze/Chalcolithic age achievement; Cave Paintings = Mesolithic/Paleolithic; Iron = much later; Agriculture = Neolithic defining feature.

Correct Answer: D. Copper

• **Copper** = first metal used by humans in India; discovery ushered in the **Chalcolithic Age** (Copper-Stone Age). • Chalcolithic = **Greek: Chalcos (copper) + Lithos (stone)** — both materials used simultaneously. • Iron came much later: **~1000 BCE** (with Painted Grey Ware, PGW culture) — associated with later Vedic period. • 💡 Tin = used only to make bronze (copper + tin); Bronze = an alloy, not a pure metal found first; Iron = late Vedic — Copper = first pure metal used.

Correct Answer: A. Chalcolithic

• **OCP (Ochre Coloured Pottery)** = associated with **Chalcolithic culture** of upper Ganga valley (Western UP, Haryana). • Pottery is reddish-orange (ochre) coloured; found at Hastinapur, Atranjikhera — pre-Iron Age layers. • OCP people used **copper hoards** (copper celts, swords, axes) — shows metal culture without iron. • 💡 Neolithic = polished stone tools + simple pottery; Paleolithic = no pottery; Mesolithic = no pottery — OCP = Chalcolithic culture.

Correct Answer: D. Madhya Pradesh

• **Bhimbetka** = Raisen district, **Madhya Pradesh**; **UNESCO World Heritage Site** (2003); discovered by V.S. Wakankar (1958). • Over **700 rock shelters**; paintings span **Paleolithic → Mesolithic → Neolithic → historical periods** — India's longest art record. • Paintings show: **animals (bison, tiger, deer), hunting scenes, dancing, community rituals** — in red, white, green, yellow. • 💡 UP = different sites; Gujarat = Lothal/IVC sites; Rajasthan = Bagor/Mesolithic — Bhimbetka rock shelters = Madhya Pradesh only.

Correct Answer: B. Upper Paleolithic

• **Homo sapiens (modern humans)** = appeared during **Upper Paleolithic** (~40,000–10,000 years ago). • Upper Paleolithic = last stage of Old Stone Age; characterized by **blade tools, bone needles, cave art** globally. • Homo sapiens replaced **Homo erectus** (Lower/Middle Paleolithic) and **Homo neanderthalensis** (Middle Paleolithic). • 💡 Middle Paleolithic = Homo neanderthalensis; Lower Paleolithic = Homo erectus; Chalcolithic = much later metal age — Upper Paleolithic = Homo sapiens.

Correct Answer: C. Burzahom

• **Burzahom** = Kashmir (near Srinagar); Neolithic site famous for **pit dwellings** (underground homes dug into earth). • Pits were circular, 4–5 feet deep — dug to escape harsh **Himalayan winters**; steps cut for entry/exit. • Also unique: **dog buried with human master** in a grave; large hunting scenes painted on pot sherds. • 💡 Koldihwa = rice evidence (UP); Chirand = bone tools (Bihar); Mehrgarh = wheat + cotton (Balochistan) — pit dwellings = Burzahom (Kashmir).