SSC GD 2025 PYQ — Question 30

SSC GD Const 2025 (English) - 10 Feb 2025 - Shift 3 • General Awareness • Q30

The period when we find environmental changes, beginning about 12,000 years ago till about 10,000 years ago, is called:

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A

Explanation

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. Mesolithic.

  • The Mesolithic period, also called the Middle Stone Age, spanned roughly from 12,000 to 10,000 years ago, serving as a bridge between the Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) and the Neolithic (New Stone Age).
  • This period coincided with the end of the last Ice Age, bringing about a warmer climate and environmental changes that influenced human lifestyles.
  • A defining feature of the Mesolithic was the use of microliths—small, sharp, and finely crafted stone tools often mounted on wood or bone to create spears, arrows, and sickles.
  • People lived a semi-nomadic life, relying on hunting, fishing, and gathering, while also experimenting with early agriculture and domestication of animals.
  • Thus, the Mesolithic period reflects a crucial stage of adaptation and transition, paving the way for settled farming communities of the Neolithic Age.

Other Options:

  • Palaeolithic Period (Old Stone Age): ~2.5 million years ago to 10,000 BCE.
  • Microliths: Microliths were small, geometrically shaped stone tools used during the Mesolithic period.

  • Neolithic Period: The Neolithic period (New Stone Age) followed the Mesolithic, beginning around 10,000 BCE.