Question

Which is the most recent in human evolution?
A. Mesolithic
B. Upper palaeolithic
C. Neolithic
D. Middle palaeolithic

Answer 1

Hint: Modern man are believed to have appeared 25000 yrs ago and Neanderthal man is believed to have appeared almost 100000 to 34000 years ago. Neolithic, also called the ‘New Stone Age’ marks the end of cultural evolution or technological development among prehistoric humans.

Complete answer: The Neolithic period or age followed the Paleolithic period, or the age of chipped-stone tools, and preceded the Bronze age, or early period of metal tools. The Neolithic era began when some groups of humans gave up the nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle completely to start farming. It took humans hundreds or maybe thousands of years to fully evolve from the initial life-style of subsisting on wild plants for keeping small gardens, and later having large crop fields. It began about 1200 years ago when farming appeared first in the Epipalaeolithic near east, and later in other parts of the world. This period lasted until the transitional Chalcolithic period from about 6000 years ago. This period was marked by metallurgy that led up to the bronze and iron age. In other places of the world, the Neolithic period lasted even longer. This period is known for domestic crops and animals.
Hence, the correct answer is option C.

Note: It is important to note that many of us think that evolution requires thousands or many years, but biologists realize it can happen fast. Especially in recent times, because of the genomic revolution, researchers can actually track the population-level genetic shifts that mark evolution in action and they're doing it in humans.