Chapter 4 — Early Humans and Beginning of Civilisation
Advanced-Level Test | English Medium
Test Instructions
Total Questions: 50
Read each question carefully.
Questions cover the entire chapter.
Special focus is given to chronology, concepts,
archaeological evidence and comparison.
Answer all questions unless instructed otherwise.
Section A — Multiple Choice Questions
Questions 1–10
1. Which statement best explains why the earliest stone tools
cannot be confidently attributed to one particular hominin species?
A. Stone tools were invented only after writing.
B. Several hominin species lived in overlapping periods.
C. Stone tools were made only by Homo sapiens.
D. Archaeologists have found no early stone tools.
2. Which sequence correctly represents the conventional
archaeological sequence?
A. Neolithic → Mesolithic → Palaeolithic → Bronze Age
B. Palaeolithic → Mesolithic → Neolithic → Chalcolithic
C. Mesolithic → Palaeolithic → Neolithic → Bronze Age
D. Bronze Age → Neolithic → Chalcolithic → Palaeolithic
3. Which technological tradition is most strongly associated
with handaxes and cleavers?
A. Oldowan
B. Acheulean
C. Microlithic
D. Cuneiform
4. The most important economic transformation associated
with the Neolithic was:
A. Beginning of long-distance sea travel
B. Development of writing
C. Adoption of food production and domestication
D. Construction of pyramids
5. Bronze is primarily an alloy of:
A. Iron and carbon
B. Copper and tin
C. Gold and silver
D. Copper and iron
6. Which feature is most characteristic of Harappan
urban planning?
A. Monumental pyramids
B. Ziggurats
C. Planned streets and drainage systems
D. Oracle bones
7. Which Mesopotamian writing system used wedge-shaped
impressions on clay tablets?
A. Hieroglyphs
B. Cuneiform
C. Brahmi
D. Oracle script
8. What was the primary religious character of a ziggurat?
A. Royal tomb
B. Military fort
C. Monumental religious structure
D. Market building
9. Which evidence is especially important for understanding
early Shang China?
A. Harappan seals
B. Oracle Bone inscriptions
C. Egyptian pyramids
D. Roman coins
10. Which civilisation is most directly associated with
the Nile River?
A. Harappan
B. Mesopotamian
C. Egyptian
D. Shang
Section B — Passage-Based Questions
Questions 11–15
Passage:
Archaeological evidence suggests that human societies changed
gradually over thousands of generations. Early communities depended
largely on hunting, gathering and other forms of food collection.
Stone tools became increasingly diverse. Later, in several regions,
people began cultivating plants and domesticating animals. Settled
communities developed, food could be stored, and craft activities
became more specialised. Eventually, some settlements grew into
cities with organised streets, buildings, drainage systems and
long-distance trade networks.
11. Which major transition is described in the passage?
A. From agriculture to hunting
B. From mobile hunter-gatherers towards food production and
settled life
C. From cities to temporary camps
D. From writing to oral traditions
12. Why was food storage important for settled communities?
A. It eliminated agriculture.
B. It helped communities manage seasonal variation and surplus.
C. It prevented craft production.
D. It ended trade.
13. Which development most directly contributed to
craft specialisation?
A. Increasingly settled communities and surplus production
B. Complete abandonment of agriculture
C. Disappearance of trade
D. Reduction in population
14. Which civilisation in this chapter provides strong
archaeological evidence for planned drainage?
A. Harappan
B. Egyptian
C. Shang
D. Roman
15. What is the best historical lesson of the passage?
A. Civilisation appeared suddenly.
B. Technological and economic changes accumulated gradually.
22. Arrange the following technological developments
from earlier to later in broad archaeological terms:
1. Acheulean handaxes
2. Early simple stone tools
3. Neolithic polished tools
4. Bronze technology
A. 2 → 1 → 3 → 4
B. 1 → 2 → 4 → 3
C. 3 → 2 → 1 → 4
D. 4 → 3 → 2 → 1
23. Arrange the following broad developments in the
most appropriate sequence:
1. Urban civilisation
2. Hunting and gathering
3. Agriculture and domestication
4. Permanent settlements
A. 2 → 3 → 4 → 1
B. 3 → 2 → 1 → 4
C. 4 → 3 → 2 → 1
D. 1 → 4 → 3 → 2
Section E — Statement-Based Questions
Questions 24–28
24. Consider the following statements:
1. The Harappan script has been conclusively deciphered.
2. Harappan cities show evidence of drainage systems.
3. Standardised weights and bricks suggest considerable
standardisation.
A. Only 1 is correct
B. Only 2 is correct
C. Only 2 and 3 are correct
D. All three are correct
25. Consider the following statements about the Neolithic:
1. Agriculture became increasingly important.
2. Animal domestication expanded.
3. All humans everywhere became farmers at exactly the same time.
A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
26. Which statements correctly describe Mesopotamia?
1. It lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
2. Sumerian city-states developed there.
3. Cuneiform writing developed there.
A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
27. Which statements correctly describe ancient Egypt?
1. The Nile was central to agriculture.
2. Pharaohs held major political and religious authority.
3. Pyramids were mainly royal funerary monuments.
A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
28. Which statements are correct about early Shang China?
1. Bronze technology was highly developed.
2. Oracle Bone inscriptions provide important evidence.
3. The Shang had no political organisation.
A. 1 only
B. 1 and 2 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. All three
Section F — Assertion and Reason
Questions 29–32
29. Assertion (A):
The Harappan civilisation is known for sophisticated urban
planning.
Reason (R):
Many Harappan settlements had organised streets, drainage systems
and standardised construction materials.
A. Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.
B. Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A.
C. A is true, but R is false.
D. A is false, but R is true.
30. Assertion (A):
Agriculture was an important turning point in human history.
Reason (R):
Food production could support more permanent settlements and
population growth.
A. Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.
B. Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A.
C. A is true, but R is false.
D. A is false, but R is true.
31. Assertion (A):
Cuneiform was developed in ancient Mesopotamia.
Reason (R):
Mesopotamian societies needed systems for recording economic
and administrative information.
A. Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.
B. Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A.
C. A is true, but R is false.
D. A is false, but R is true.
32. Assertion (A):
The Harappan political system is completely understood.
Reason (R):
The Harappan script has not yet been conclusively deciphered.
A. Both A and R are true.
B. Both A and R are false.
C. A is true, R is false.
D. A is false, R is true.
Section G — Source-Based Questions
Questions 33–35
Source:
A settlement contains large quantities of baked bricks, carefully
planned streets, covered and open drains, wells, craft-production
areas and evidence of long-distance exchange. Small seals bearing
short inscriptions have also been found. The writing system on the
seals remains undeciphered.
33. Which civilisation is most likely represented by
this archaeological evidence?
A. Harappan
B. Egyptian
C. Shang
D. Roman
34. Which feature in the source is particularly characteristic
of Harappan urbanism?
A. Covered drainage
B. Pyramids
C. Oracle bones
D. Ziggurats
35. Why is the undeciphered script significant for historians?
A. It means archaeology has no value.
B. It limits direct access to the civilisation's written records.
C. It proves that the Harappans had no language.
D. It proves that seals were only decorative.
Section H — Short Answer Questions
Questions 36–42
36. What is meant by the term hominin?
37. Why is Homo erectus important in human evolutionary history?
38. What was the importance of the Acheulean tool tradition?
39. What were microliths and why were they useful?
40. Explain two major changes associated with the Neolithic Age.
41. Why is the Harappan drainage system considered significant?
42. What was the importance of cuneiform writing in Mesopotamia?
Section I — Analytical Questions
Questions 43–46
43. Explain how the development of agriculture changed
human settlement patterns.
44. Explain why archaeologists must be cautious when
connecting particular stone tools with particular human species.
45. Compare the political organisation of the Harappan
and Mesopotamian civilisations.
46. Explain the importance of rivers in the development
of Mesopotamian, Egyptian and early Chinese civilisations.
Section J — Long Answer Questions
Questions 47–50
47. Describe the major stages of human evolution from
Australopithecus to Homo sapiens. Include approximate dates,
major geographical regions and important technological developments.
48. Explain the transition from the Palaeolithic Age
through the Mesolithic to the Neolithic Age. Discuss changes in
technology, economy, settlement and society.
49. Discuss the major features of the Harappan Civilisation
with special reference to town planning, drainage, houses,
agriculture, trade, script and political organisation.
50. Compare the Harappan, Mesopotamian, Egyptian and early
Chinese civilisations on the basis of geography, political
organisation, economy, writing, technology, religion and
architecture.