Prehistoric — Set 2
Indian History · प्रागैतिहासिक काल · Questions 11–20 of 40
The site of Mehrgarh provides the earliest evidence of which crop?
Correct Answer: B. Wheat
• **Mehrgarh** = Balochistan, Pakistan; **earliest Neolithic agricultural settlement** in South Asia (~7000 BCE). • Provides earliest evidence of **wheat and barley** cultivation + cotton + animal domestication (cattle, sheep). • Also: earliest evidence of **dentistry** in South Asia — drill holes found in human teeth from ~7000 BCE. • 💡 Maize = American crop, not India; Rice = Koldihwa (UP Belan Valley); Sugarcane = not Neolithic primary — Wheat = Mehrgarh's earliest crop.
The Jorwe culture belonged to which historical period?
Correct Answer: A. Chalcolithic
• **Jorwe culture** = **Chalcolithic** culture of Maharashtra; named after type-site **Jorwe, Ahmednagar district**. • Flourished **~1400–700 BCE**; major sites: Inamgaon, Daimabad, Nevasa — shows pre-Iron Age village life. • Practiced **burial under house floors** — urns for children, extended burials for adults found at Inamgaon. • 💡 Chalcolithic = copper + stone age; Neolithic = only stone + polished tools; Mesolithic = microliths; Paleolithic = crude tools — Jorwe = Chalcolithic.
The term 'Megalith' refers to which of the following?
Correct Answer: C. Big stone burials
• **Megalith** = **Greek: Mega (big) + Lithos (stone)** — large stone burial structures; associated with **Iron Age (~1000 BCE)**. • Types: **Dolmen** (table-like), **Cairn** (stone heap), **Cist** (box-like), **Menhir** (single standing stone). • In India: mostly in **South India** (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala) and Northeast India. • 💡 Cave paintings = Paleolithic/Mesolithic; Small tools = Microliths (Mesolithic); Copper plates = later historical — Megaliths = big stone burial structures.
Where was the fossil of the 'Narmada Man' found?
Correct Answer: B. Hathnora
• **Narmada Man** = fossil skull found at **Hathnora, Madhya Pradesh** (Narmada river); discovered by Arun Sonakia (1982). • Belongs to **Homo erectus** species; dated to **Middle Pleistocene** (~500,000 years old). • India's **only authenticated Stone Age human fossil** — extremely important for understanding human evolution in South Asia. • 💡 Bhimbetka = rock paintings (no human fossil); Nevasa = Middle Paleolithic culture site; Adamgarh = Mesolithic animal domestication — fossil = Hathnora.
Which site provides early evidence of rice cultivation?
Correct Answer: C. Koldihwa
• **Koldihwa** = Belan Valley, **Uttar Pradesh**; provides **earliest evidence of rice cultivation** in India (~6000 BCE). • Evidence: **rice grain impressions** found inside pottery sherds — the rice was pressed into wet clay while making pots. • Belan Valley shows continuous sequence from **Lower Paleolithic → Mesolithic → Neolithic** — unique in India. • 💡 Bagor = Mesolithic (Rajasthan, Kothari river); Mehrgarh = wheat/barley (Balochistan); Burzahom = pit dwellings — Rice evidence = Koldihwa (Belan Valley, UP).
Which Neolithic site is known for a large number of bone tools?
Correct Answer: C. Chirand
• **Chirand** = **Bihar** (on Ganga river); Neolithic site; only site in India with abundant **bone tools** besides stone tools. • Bone tools made from **deer antlers** — needles, pins, chisels found in large numbers. • Chirand shows occupational sequence: Neolithic → Chalcolithic → historical periods; pottery also found. • 💡 Maski = Neolithic Karnataka; Hallur = Neolithic Karnataka (ash mounds); Piklihal = Karnataka cattle herding — bone tools in large quantities = Chirand (Bihar) only.
'Ash Mounds' are a characteristic feature of Neolithic sites in which region?
Correct Answer: C. South India
• **Ash Mounds** = burnt heaps of **cow dung** — hallmark of **South Indian Neolithic** sites (~3000–1000 BCE). • Famous sites: **Utnur, Kupgal, Piklihal, Hallur, Maski, Brahmagiri** — all in Karnataka/Andhra Pradesh. • Ash mounds indicate **cattle herding economy** — large cattle pens, periodic burning of dung for ritual/hygiene. • 💡 Northeast India = bamboo culture sites; Kashmir = pit dwellings (Burzahom); Western India = Chalcolithic — Ash Mounds = South India Neolithic exclusively.
Which is a major Chalcolithic settlement located in Maharashtra?
Correct Answer: C. Inamgaon
• **Inamgaon** = **Maharashtra** (Pune district, on Ghod river); major **Chalcolithic (Jorwe culture)** settlement. • Shows complex **town planning, trade, and social stratification** — wattle-and-daub houses in planned layout. • Burial customs: **children buried in urns under house floors**; adults in **extended burials** with pottery/ornaments. • 💡 Kayatha = Chalcolithic (MP); Ahar = Chalcolithic (Rajasthan); Gilund = Chalcolithic (Rajasthan) — Maharashtra's major Chalcolithic = Inamgaon.
The Nevasan culture is associated with which period?
Correct Answer: D. Middle Paleolithic
• **Nevasan culture** = **Middle Paleolithic** period; named after **Nevasa** site on Pravara River, Maharashtra. • Tools: **flakes and scrapers** made of **jasper, agate, and chert** — finer than Lower Paleolithic hand axes. • Nevasan = Indian equivalent of Mousterian culture (Neanderthal-era) in Europe — same period, different region. • 💡 Mesolithic = microliths; Upper Paleolithic = blades + Homo sapiens; Lower Paleolithic = hand axes/Acheulian — Nevasan = Middle Paleolithic flake culture.
Traces of ash indicating the use of fire were found in which Paleolithic caves?
Correct Answer: A. Kurnool Caves
• **Kurnool Caves** (Andhra Pradesh) = ash traces found — proves **Paleolithic humans used fire** in India. • Fire use: **cooking food, light in caves, warmth, protection from predators** — revolutionary survival tool. • Fire control also found at Bhimbetka cave shelters; globally, fire use by Homo erectus dates to ~400,000 BCE. • 💡 Ajanta Caves = Buddhist art (1st BCE – 7th CE); Ellora = Hindu/Buddhist/Jain rock temples; Elephanta = Shiva sculptures — Only Kurnool = Paleolithic ash evidence.