Pastoralism and Food production MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Pastoralism and Food production - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Ganeshwar.

Key Points

Ganeshwar:

• Location: Sikar district, Rajasthan, India.
  • Copper Metallurgy: Ganeshwar is renowned for the discovery of a vast number of copper artifacts, including tools, weapons, and ornaments.
  • Chalcolithic Period: This site is a significant Chalcolithic settlement known for its copper-using culture during the Chalcolithic era (also known as the Copper Age).
  • Artifacts: The artifacts found at Ganeshwar highlight the advanced state of copper metallurgy, indicating the possibility of local mining and smelting activities.

Additional Information

Banawali:

• Location: Hisar district, Haryana, India.
• Cultural Association: Indus Valley Civilization (Harappan culture).
  • Not specifically a Chalcolithic site but a well-known Harappan settlement.
  • Excavations have revealed complex urban structures, seals, terracotta figurines, and pottery.
  • The importance of Banawali lies in its urban planning and artifacts associated with Harappan civilization rather than copper metallurgy.

Inamgaon:

• Location: Near Pune, Maharashtra, India.
• Cultural Association: Late Jorwe culture of the Deccan Chalcolithic period.
• • Artifacts include pottery, terracotta figurines, and evidence of agricultural tools.
  • Inamgaon has less emphasis on copper artifacts compared to Ganeshwar.
  Noted for agricultural activities, house structures, and burial practices.

Mehrgarh:

• Location: Balochistan, Pakistan, near the Bolan Pass.
• Cultural Association: Neolithic period.
• • Famous for early evidence of farming, animal domestication, and early pottery.
  • Not recognized for copper artifacts, as its significance lies in early farming practices and Neolithic technological advancements
  One of the earliest known agricultural settlements in South Asia.

The correct answer is a tool.

Key Points

• A celt is a tool from the Neolithic period.
• The tools and weapons of the Neolithic Age were better and sharper than the Paleolithic Age.
• A polished stone called a celt was used to make tools.
• Some newly developed tools like sickles, bows, arrows and improved axes were made in the Neolithic Age.​

Important Points

• Salient features of the Neolithic period
  • ​In India, the period occurs between 7,000 B.C. to 1,000 B.C.
  • Development of settled agriculture and the use of tools and weapons made of polished stones.
  • The major crops grown during this period were ragi, horse gram, cotton, rice, wheat, and barley.
  • One of the remarkable achievements of the Neolithic Period was the invention of the wheel.
  • It brought rapid progress in man's life.
  • The wheel was used in horse carts and bullock carts that helped man a lot to carry heavy loads.
  • Therefore, in this period transport became quite easy and quick.
  • The wheel was also used for spinning and weaving.
  • It also helped in pottery.
  • Man-made beautiful pots to keep food grains and store water.

The correct answer is - Mehrgarh

Key Points

• Mehrgarh
  • Mehrgarh is one of the earliest known Neolithic sites in the Indian subcontinent, located in present-day Balochistan, Pakistan.
  • The site dates back to around 7000 BCE and provides significant insights into early farming and pastoralist activities.
  • Mehrgarh has yielded evidence of the earliest farming communities, including the cultivation of wheat and barley, and the domestication of animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats.
  • The site includes a range of artifacts such as pottery, tools made of stone and bone, and ornaments made from shells and turquoise.

Additional Information

• Kholvi
  • Kholvi is not known as an early Neolithic site but is associated with later historical periods, particularly in the context of rock-cut architecture.
• Masaulipattnam
  • Masaulipattnam, also known as Machilipatnam, is a port town in Andhra Pradesh, India, known for its historical significance during the medieval and colonial periods.
  • It is not associated with the Neolithic period but rather with trade and commerce during the later historical periods.
• Kalibangan
  • Kalibangan is an important archaeological site from the Indus Valley Civilization, located in Rajasthan, India.
  • It dates back to the early Harappan period (around 3500 BCE) and provides significant insights into the mature Harappan phase but is not considered an early Neolithic site.

Key Points

• Middle Paleolithic Culture
  • The Middle Paleolithic Culture is also known as the Flake Culture.
  • This period is characterized by the production of flake tools, which are made by striking a small, thin piece off a larger stone core.
  • Flake tools include scrapers, points, and other tools used for cutting and hunting.
  • This culture is associated with Neanderthals in Europe and early modern humans in Africa.
  • Techniques such as the Levallois technique were used to produce these tools.

Additional Information

• Lower Paleolithic Culture
  • This period is marked by the use of crude stone tools, primarily hand axes and cleavers.
  • It is associated with Homo erectus and early human ancestors.
  • The tools were typically made using the core technique, where the core itself was shaped into a tool.
• Upper Paleolithic Culture
  • This period saw the development of more advanced tools, including blades and microliths.
  • There was also a significant increase in the use of bone, antler, and ivory for tool production.
  • Art and symbolic behavior became more prominent during this period.
• Neolithic Culture
  • The Neolithic period is characterized by the development of agriculture and the use of polished stone tools.
  • Permanent settlements and the domestication of animals are key features of this period.
  • This period marks a significant shift from a nomadic lifestyle to a more settled way of life.

The correct answer is - Raisen

Key Points

• Putli Karar
  • Putli Karar is a significant Mesolithic site located in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh.
  • This site has yielded numerous archaeological artifacts such as microliths, which are small stone tools typical of the Mesolithic period.
  • The discoveries at Putli Karar provide valuable insights into the lifestyle and technological advancements of early human societies in the region.

Additional Information

• Satna
  • Satna is known for its rich cultural heritage and is a major industrial city in Madhya Pradesh.
  • It is not known for Mesolithic sites but has other historical sites and temples.
• Balaghat
  • Balaghat is known for its natural beauty and mineral resources, particularly manganese and copper.
  • It does not have significant Mesolithic archaeological sites.
• Shivpuri
  • Shivpuri is known for its historical significance and wildlife sanctuaries.
  • It is not associated with Mesolithic period findings.

The correct answer is (A) - (iv), (B) - (iii), (C) - (ii), (D) - (i).

Key Points

 Here's an explanation for the matching:

A. Burzahom - (iv) Pit Dwelling:

• Burzahom is an archaeological site located in the Kashmir Valley, India.
• It is known for its pit dwellings, which were circular or rectangular in shape and dug into the ground.
• These dwellings were used by the Neolithic people who lived in the area around 3000 BCE.

B. Mahagara - (iii) Rice Cultivation

• Mahagara is an archaeological site located in Uttar Pradesh, India.
• The earliest example of rice cultivation can be found. 

C. Utnoor - (ii) Ash Mound

• Utnoor is an archaeological site located in Telangana, India.
• It is known for its ash mounds, which are large piles of ash and burnt earth that were left behind by the Neolithic people who lived in the area around 2000 BCE.

D. Mehargarh - (i) Earliest Neolithic Site:

• Mehargarh is an archaeological site located in Balochistan, Pakistan.
• It is known for being one of the earliest Neolithic sites in South Asia, dating back to around 7000 BCE.
• Excavations at Mehargarh have revealed evidence of farming, animal domestication, and the manufacture of pottery and other goods, making it an important site for understanding the origins of agriculture and civilization in the region.

The correct answer is a tool.

Key Points

• A celt is a tool from the Neolithic period.
• The tools and weapons of the Neolithic Age were better and sharper than the Paleolithic Age.
• A polished stone called a celt was used to make tools.
• Some newly developed tools like sickles, bows, arrows and improved axes were made in the Neolithic Age.​

Important Points

• Salient features of the Neolithic period
  • ​In India, the period occurs between 7,000 B.C. to 1,000 B.C.
  • Development of settled agriculture and the use of tools and weapons made of polished stones.
  • The major crops grown during this period were ragi, horse gram, cotton, rice, wheat, and barley.
  • One of the remarkable achievements of the Neolithic Period was the invention of the wheel.
  • It brought rapid progress in man's life.
  • The wheel was used in horse carts and bullock carts that helped man a lot to carry heavy loads.
  • Therefore, in this period transport became quite easy and quick.
  • The wheel was also used for spinning and weaving.
  • It also helped in pottery.
  • Man-made beautiful pots to keep food grains and store water.

Inamgaon​:

• Inamgaon is situated near the Ghod river, a tributary of the river Bhima in Maharashtra.
• Inamgaon is the post-Harappan archaeological site in Maharashtra.
• Usually, adults were buried at this site. The dead body was laid straight; with the head facing towards north.
• Remains of wheat, barley, lentils, millets and sesame have been found from the Inamgaon site.
• The Subarnarekha River flows through the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. 
• Mahi river rises in Madhya Pradesh and flows into the Arabian Sea after flowing through the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• It is the river that crosses the tropic of cancer twice.
• The Penna river rises in the Nandi Hills in Karnataka and runs through the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Hallur

• It is situated in Andhra Pradesh and is a Neolithic site. 

• The last phase of the Stone Age is called the Neolithic Age. This phase began about 10,000 years ago. This phase marks a significant change in the life of humans because this is the period when man began farming.

• The tools of the Neolithic Age were much smaller and more refined. Stone was given better shape and some tools were fitted with handles, e.g. spears, axe, sickles, arrows, etc.

Bhimbetka

• The caves of Bhimbetka were discovered in 1957–58 by eminent archaeologist V.S.Wakankar.
• The drawings and paintings can be categorized into seven historical periods. Period I, Upper Palaeolithic; Period II, Mesolithic; and Period III, Chalcolithic. After Period III, there are four successive periods.

Burzahom ​

• The Burzahom is a Neolithic site archaeological site is located in Jammu and Kashmir.

• Archaeological excavations revealed four historically important phases between 3000 BC and 1000 BC.
• The site of Burzahom demonstrated the transition from the subterranean and ground-level housing features of the Neolithic to the mudbrick structures of the Megalithic People.
• The first excavation was an exercise in 1936 at the Burzahom site.
• This site was designated for listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 15 April 2014.

The correct answer is Forests and hills in the northeast.

Key Points

• Dispersed or scattered settlements
  • Dispersed Settlements Dispersed or isolated settlement pattern in India appears in the form of isolated huts or hamlets of few huts in remote jungles, or on small hills with farms or pasture on the slopes.
  • Extreme dispersion of settlement is often caused by the extremely fragmented nature of the terrain and land resource base of habitable areas.
  • Many areas of Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Kerala have this type of settlement.
  • Villages having dispersed or scattered settlements have farmstead scattered over a much wider area.
  • It reflects poor hydrology and land capability.
  • The number of houses per unit area in these types of settlements is very low and there is a wide gap between the houses.
  • Such Rural Settlements are the characteristics of deserts/semi-arid land with poor land capability or regions affected by natural hazards.
  • Such villages are common in:
    • Areas of extreme climate
    • Hilly tracts, Hence, Option 4 is correct.
    • Deserts
    • Thick forests
    • Grasslands
    • Areas of extensive agriculture.
    • Poor agriculture land
  • Areas where farmers need to live on agricultural land rather than distant village settlement
  • The dispersed Rural Settlements are usually of recent age since people are moving away from dense settlements in the search of new spaces.
  • With the development of technology, people have found a way to live in deserts also.
  • Semi-desert regions of Rajasthan, forest lands of North East India, Shiwaliks, Jammu, and Kashmir, and parts of Peninsular India also have dispersed types of settlements.
  • The Western Ghats in the rain shadow area, Leh-Ladhak, Kutchh, and Western Rajasthan has dispersed settlement types

• Arun Sonakia discovered South Asia's first ancient human remains at a place called Hathnora in the Narmada Valley in 1982.
• Narmada Human (Palaeolithic man), initially named Narmada Man, belongs to the category of Homo erectus. It is dated to the late Pleistocene period.
• Homo erectus is believed to have inhabited the planet 1.8 million to 200,000 years ago.
• Late Acheulian tools have been found at Hathnora. The stone tools are as old as 800,000 years and as young as 10,000 years, spanning a large swathe of the stone-age have been discovered from Hathnora.

• Adamgarh is a prehistoric site in the Lower Tawa basin at Hoshangabad. It is a painted rock shelter site contains paintings of the Prehistoric period, done in red and white colours. Few shelters were excavated and remain from the Palaeolithic period to historical period were observed.
• Baghor is a palaeolithic site located at Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. The excavation revealed in-situ remains of macro and micro blades, large scalene Triangles and borers etc. A small artificial stone structure uncovered in the excavation has been described as a shrine.
• Didwana is located in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan. Didwana houses about 301 hand axes dating back to the Middle Pleistocene period. It is believed to be dating back to early Acheulian and very late Acheulian or even early middle Palaeolithic.

Inamgaon

• It is a site on the river Ghod, a tributary of the Bhima. It was occupied between 3600 and 2700 years ago.
• Here, adults were generally buried in the ground, laid out straight, with the head towards the north. Sometimes burials were within the houses.
• Vessels that probably contained food and water were placed with the dead.
• One man was found buried in a large, four-legged clay jar in the courtyard of a five-roomed house (one of the largest houses at the site), in the centre of the settlement.
• This house also had a granary. The body was placed in a cross-legged position.

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Occupations at Inamgaon

• Archaeologists have found seeds of wheat, barley, rice, pulses, millets, peas and sesame.
• Bones of a number of animals, many bearing cut marks that show they may have been used as food, have also been found.
• These include cattle, buffalo, goat, sheep, dog, horse, ass, pig, sambhar, spotted deer, blackbuck, antelope, hare, and mongoose, besides birds, crocodile, turtle, crab and fish. There is evidence that fruits such as ber, amla, jamun, dates and a variety of berries were collected.

The statement "From its very beginning traces of agriculture have been found" is not TRUE.

Important Points

• Bagor site is situated in Rajasthan:
  • Bagor site is an important archaeological site located in the southern part of Rajasthan, India.
  • It is situated in the Bhilwara district, near the town of Mandalgarh.
• For its purely Mesolithic pre-pottery phase we have carbon dates in the range of 5365-3775 BC:
  • The Bagor site has a pre-pottery phase that belongs to the Mesolithic period. Carbon dating of artifacts found at the site has shown that this phase dates back to the period between 5365-3775 BC.
• From its very beginning traces of agriculture have been found:
  • This statement is not true.
  • Although agriculture is present at the Bagor site, it was not present from the beginning.
  • The earliest phase of the site belongs to the Mesolithic period, which is characterized by hunting, gathering, and fishing activities.
  • It was only during the later stages of the Mesolithic period that agriculture began to develop in the region.
• Zbu, ox, sheep, goat and pig were domesticated right from c. 5000 BC:
  • Domestication of animals like Zbu, ox, sheep, goat, and pig happened around c. 5000 BC during the later stages of the Mesolithic period, which was followed by the Neolithic period.
  • The domestication of these animals was a crucial development that marked the beginning of the agricultural revolution in the Indian subcontinent.
  • These animals were used for their meat, milk, and labor, and their domestication led to the development of settled communities and the rise of agriculture-based economies.

The oldest neolithic site in India is Mehargarh.

Mistake PointsThe early important Neolithic sites in India are Bhirana in Haryana from 7570BC-6500BC, and in Mehargarh it was between 6500BC to 5500BC. It is located on the west of the Indus River. Presently Mehrgarh is,  located near the Bolan Pass, a part of the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan, Pakistan. 

Key PointsNeolithic sites in India:

• The Neolithic period began around 10700 to 9400 BC in Tell Qaramel in Northern Syria.
• In South Asia, the date assigned to the Neolithic period is 7000 BC and the earliest example is Mehrgarh Culture.
• Neolithic Revolution or Neolithic Demographic Transition, sometimes called the Agricultural Revolution, was the world’s first historically verifiable revolution in agriculture. 
• There are mainly four groups of Neolithic agriculture-based regions in India as follows:
  • Indus Valley
  • Ganga Valley
  • Western India (including northern Deccan) and
  • Southern Deccan.
• One of the most important Neolithic agricultural settlements in the Indian subcontinent is Mehrgarh.
• It is now considered oldest agricultural settlement in the Indian subcontinent.
• It flourished in the seventh millennium B.C.
• It is located on the Bolan River, a tributary of the Indus, at the eastern edge of the Baluchistan plateau.
• In 1974, Mehrgarh was excavated by the French Archaeologist Jean Francois Jarrige.

Additional Information

• Other important Neolithic sites include Gufkral and Burzahom in Kashmir; Mahgara, Chopani Mando, and Koldihwa in Belan valley in Uttar Pradesh; Chirand in Bihar, etc.
• Belan valley sites have provided the oldest evidence of rice cultivation in any part of the world.
• The people in Burzahom lived in pit dwellings, rather than building houses on the ground.
• In South India, the important Neolithic sites include Kodekal, Utnur, Nagatjunikonda, Palavoy in Andhra Pradesh; Tekkalkolta, Maski, Narsipur, Sangankallu, Hallur, and Brahmagiri in Karnataka; Pariamlpalli in Tamil Nadu etc.

• Cave paintings dating back to approximately 30,000 years. Rock shelters that were home to humans, millennia ago. And a rich flora and fauna surrounding these, indeed, make Bhimbetka a gift to us from our earliest ancestors. The Bhimbetka Rock Shelter has the oldest-known rock art in India, as well as is one of the largest prehistoric complexes to be seen. 
• An archaeological treasure, Bhimbetka has around 243 rock shelters and have earned the honour of UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• These hill ranges are full of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic remains, and they are also full of forests, wild plants, fruits, streams and creeks, thus a perfect place for Stone Age people to live.
• These are having about eight hundred rock shelters, five hundred of which bear paintings. The caves of Bhimbetka were discovered in 1957–58 by eminent archaeologist V.S. Wakankar and later on many more were discovered.
• The themes of paintings found here are of great variety, ranging from mundane events of daily life in those times to sacred and royal images. These include hunting, dancing, music, horse and elephant riders, animal fighting, honey collection, decoration of bodies, and other household scenes.
• The rock art of Bhimbetka has been classified into various groups on the bases of style, technique and superimposition. The drawings and paintings can be categorised into seven historical periods.
• Period I, Upper Palaeolithic; Period II, Mesolithic; and Period III, Chalcolithic. After Period III there are four successive periods. 
• NOTE- We have marked option 1 as the Correct answer. Because paintings from the Palaeolithic period are also found here. Hence, it is the most suited answer. 

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Upper Palaeolithic Period Paintings

• The paintings of the Upper Palaeolithic phase are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures, such as bisons, elephants, tigers, rhinos and boars besides stick-like human figures.
• A few are wash paintings but mostly they are filled with geometric patterns. The green paintings are of dancers and the red ones of hunters.

• During prehistoric times people lived at the following places in the Indian subcontinent.
• People have lived along the banks of this river for several hundred thousand years. Some of the earliest people who lived here were skilled gatherers, — that is, people who gathered their food. They knew about the vast wealth of plants in the surrounding forests, and collected roots, fruits and other forest produce for their food. They also hunted animals.
• Sulaiman and Kirthar hills of the areas where women and men first began to grow crops such as wheat and barley about 8000 years ago. People also began rearing animals like sheep, goat, and cattle, and lived in villages.

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