The Prehistoric World — Practice Quiz
A World History cheat sheet for The Prehistoric World — every key formula with its symbols defined — plus a medium-level practice quiz to test recall.
Formulas & key concepts
The Old Stone Age, the long earliest stretch of human prehistory (roughly 2.5 million to 8000 BCE) when people survived by hunting animals and gathering wild plants using chipped stone tools.
Where: Also called the Old Stone Age
An early upright-walking humanlike species, an ancestor or close relative of modern humans, known mainly from fossil bones and footprints.
Where: e.g. australopithecines, Homo habilis, Homo erectus
The modern human species, which fossil evidence shows first appeared in Africa and then migrated to populate every continent.
Where: Latin for 'wise human'
Human-made objects such as tools, weapons, pottery, and jewelry that archaeologists study to reconstruct how prehistoric people lived.
Where: Key evidence for cultures without writing
A people's shared way of life, including their beliefs, skills, tools, and social habits passed from one generation to the next.
The tools and techniques a society develops to meet its needs, from early hand axes and fire to spears and needles.
Where: Fire mastery was a major early advance
The dramatic shift, beginning around 10,000 BCE, from a wandering foraging life to farming crops and raising animals, which allowed permanent settlements.
Where: Also called the Agricultural Revolution
The taming of wild animals and the cultivation of wild plants for human use, the foundation of early agriculture.
Where: Early crops: wheat, barley, rice
An early method of clearing land by cutting down and burning trees and brush, using the ash to enrich the soil for a few seasons of planting.
People who lived by foraging wild food and moved from place to place following herds and seasonal plants, the way of life before farming.
The New Stone Age, when farming villages, polished stone tools, weaving, and pottery appeared, setting the stage for the first cities.
Where: Early towns: Catal Huyuk, Jericho
Prehistoric paintings of animals and hunting scenes on cave walls, among the earliest surviving examples of human artistic and symbolic expression.
Where: Famous site: Lascaux, France
Practice quiz
Which of the following best describes the Paleolithic Age?
- A period characterized by the development of permanent farming villages.
- The Old Stone Age, when people survived by hunting and gathering using chipped stone tools.
- The era when humans first began to domesticate animals and cultivate crops.
- A time marked by the widespread use of polished stone tools and pottery.
Answer: The Old Stone Age, when people survived by hunting and gathering using chipped stone tools.
What term refers to an early upright-walking humanlike species, an ancestor or close relative of modern humans?
- Homo sapiens
- Neolithic farmer
- Hominid
- Hunter-gatherer
Answer: Hominid
The dramatic shift from a wandering foraging life to farming crops and raising animals, beginning around 10,000 BCE, is known as the:
- Paleolithic Era
- Industrial Revolution
- Neolithic Revolution
- Bronze Age
Answer: Neolithic Revolution
Human-made objects such as tools, weapons, pottery, and jewelry that archaeologists study to understand prehistoric life are called:
- Fossils
- Artifacts
- Hominids
- Hieroglyphs
Answer: Artifacts
The modern human species, which fossil evidence shows first appeared in Africa and then migrated to populate every continent, is known by what Latin name?
- Homo habilis
- Homo erectus
- Homo sapiens
- Australopithecus
Answer: Homo sapiens
The process of taming wild animals and cultivating wild plants for human use, forming the foundation of early agriculture, is called:
- Foraging
- Domestication
- Slash-and-burn
- Nomadism
Answer: Domestication
In the context of early human history, what does 'technology' primarily refer to?
- Advanced computer systems for communication.
- The tools and techniques a society develops to meet its needs, from early hand axes and fire to spears and needles.
- Complex writing systems and mathematical calculations.
- Large-scale irrigation systems for agriculture.
Answer: The tools and techniques a society develops to meet its needs, from early hand axes and fire to spears and needles.
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of the Neolithic Age?
- Exclusive reliance on hunting and gathering for survival.
- The use of only chipped stone tools.
- The appearance of farming villages, polished stone tools, weaving, and pottery.
- The absence of any form of artistic expression.
Answer: The appearance of farming villages, polished stone tools, weaving, and pottery.
Before the advent of farming, how did most early humans obtain their food?
- Through organized trade networks with other settlements.
- By domesticating animals and cultivating crops.
- As hunter-gatherers, moving from place to place to find wild food.
- By developing advanced irrigation systems.
Answer: As hunter-gatherers, moving from place to place to find wild food.
Prehistoric paintings of animals and hunting scenes found on cave walls, among the earliest surviving examples of human artistic expression, are known as:
- Early written languages.
- Architectural blueprints.
- Cave Art.
- Agricultural records.
Answer: Cave Art.
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