RAS question
The Paleolithic Age in India is primarily divided into:
Correct answer: (A) Lower, Middle and Upper Paleolithic.
The Paleolithic Age in India is primarily divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Paleolithic phases.
Explanation
The division is chronological and technological: Indian prehistory treats the Paleolithic as Lower, Middle and Upper Paleolithic. Each phase has a typical tool tradition: Lower Paleolithic with handaxes and cleavers, Middle Paleolithic with flakes and scrapers, and Upper Paleolithic with blades and burins. Britannica Kids supports the same three-part framework, noting that the Paleolithic Period is often divided into Lower, Middle and Upper parts, while also cautioning that rigid date boundaries vary because technologies spread unevenly across regions. Lower, Middle and Upper Paleolithic form the precise classification, while the span of roughly 5 lakh to 10,000 BCE gives the broad Indian chronological frame.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Acheulian is a Lower Paleolithic tool tradition, while Neolithic is not one of the three Paleolithic subdivisions.
- (C) Stone and Metal Age is a broad age-based contrast, not the accepted internal division of the Paleolithic period.
- (D) Early and Late Paleolithic omits the Middle Paleolithic, which is a core part of the standard three-part division.
Concept
Basic Stone Age periodisation is part of Ancient Indian History. RAS repeats it because tool traditions and prehistoric phases are foundational for reading archaeological culture sequences.