wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Topic 3 Prehistory Test

Total questions: 41

Worksheet time: 21mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Why is it difficult for historians to know exact facts and dates about prehistory?
a)
The Ice Age destroyed all of the artifacts left behind by early hominids.
b)
There are no written records of what happened during this time period.
c)
It is impossible to determine if the land bridge theory is true.
2.
Which group of people studies prehistory based upon what earlier people left behind?
a)
archaeologists
b)
geneticists
c)
linguists
3.
What is the difference between an artifact and a fossil?
a)
An artifact’s age can only be determined by relative dating, while a fossil’s age can only be determined by absolute dating.
b)
An artifact is an object made by humans, while a fossil is the remains of something that was once alive.
c)
A fossil’s age can only be determined by relative dating, while an artifact’s age can only be determined by absolute dating.
4.
The oldest human fossils ever discovered indicate that humans originally lived on what continent?
a)
Africa
b)
Asia
c)
Australia
5.
List the appearance of the major hominids in chronological order.
a)
Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Neanderthals, Homo sapiens
b)
Australopithecus, Neanderthals, Homo sapiens, Homo erectus, Homo habilis
c)
Homo habilis, Australopithecus, Neanderthals, Homo erectus, Homo sapiens
6.
Which types of tools did early humans create during prehistory?
a)
shovels made of copper
b)
hand axes made of stone
c)
wheelbarrows made of bronze and wood
7.
List the three eras, or time periods, of the Stone Ages in chronological order.
a)
Mesolithic Era, Paleolithic Era, Neolithic Era
b)
Neolithic Era, Paleolithic Era, Mesolithic Era
c)
Paleolithic Era, Mesolithic Era, Neolithic Era
8.
List the order in which early humans migrated to each continent, excluding Antarctica. Use the map below to help you.
a)
Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America
b)
Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, South America
c)
Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North America, South America
9.
Which statement about early human migration is FALSE?
a)
People migrated because there were long periods of warming and cooling average temperatures.
b)
People migrated because there were changing landscapes such as the growth and shrinking of forests, grasslands, and deserts.
c)
People migrated because they wanted to find new lands and build their own countries.
10.
How did some early humans successfully migrate from Asia to North America?
a)
They swam the short distance between the two continents.
b)
They walked across a land bridge after glaciers lowered sea levels.
c)
They floated on chunks of ice and hopped across glaciers.
11.
Which of the following did early humans domesticate during prehistory?
a)
pigs
b)
rocks
c)
technology
12.
Why did many early humans eventually stop living as hunter-gatherers?
a)
They began farming to increase their food supply.
b)
They created languages so they could share knowledge with each other.
c)
They drew cave paintings of animals to replace animal sacrifices.
13.
True or False: The world population, infectious diseases, and social inequality all increased as a result of the Agricultural Revolution.
a)
True
b)
False
14.
All human beings alive today are part of which group?
a)
Homo habilis
b)
Homo neanderthalensis
c)
Homo sapiens
15.
Which of the following statements accurately describes how the physical characteristics of hominids changed over time?
a)
Hominids’ increasing height allowed them to more effectively climb trees.
b)
Hominids' appearance gradually shifted from looking like apes to modern humans.
c)
Hominids’ increasing brain size required protein from woolly mammoths.
16.
Which of the following statements accurately describes how the intellectual characteristics of hominids changed over time?
a)
Hominids realized they could completely stop eating wild plants after they learned how to hunt large animals.
b)
Hominids were able to create more advanced tools and technology to survive in their environment.
c)
Hominids became unintelligent cave people who grunted at each other for an extended time period, which included the Neanderthals.
17.
What is the name of the Iceman?
a)
Lucy
b)
Maël
c)
Ötzi
18.
What have researchers learned about prehistory after studying the Iceman?
a)
They learned about the materials used to make mummies in Ancient Egypt.
b)
They learned about the transition from stone to copper weapons in Europe.
c)
They learned about the tools that early humans used to farm during the Ice Ages.
19.
True or False: Early humans lived as hunter-gatherers, controlled fire, communicated with language, and made cave paintings during the Paleolithic Era.
a)
True
b)
False
20.
True or False: Early humans started living as farmers, forming communities, and building stone monuments called megaliths during the Mesolithic Era.
a)
True
b)
False
21.
What historical event marked the transition between the Paleolithic Era and the Neolithic Era?
a)
Agricultural Revolution
b)
Ice Ages
c)
Stone Ages
22.
Which of the following statements best describes a land bridge?
a)
A mountain range beside a body of water.
b)
A strip of Earth’s surface connecting two continents.
c)
A strip of coast along a rocky shore.
23.
Why did early humans almost go extinct at one point during prehistory?
a)
asteroid impact
b)
climate change
c)
global pandemic
24.
Which number best estimates the amount of time it took early humans to migrate around the world?
a)
1,000 years
b)
10,000 years
c)
100,000 years
25.
Which location would have provided early humans with the best chance for survival?
a)
desert
b)
mountain
c)
river
26.
True or False: Early humans were more likely to survive alone than in groups because they could get more food and complete more tasks without depending on other people.
a)
True
b)
False
27.
How did the Agricultural Revolution change the lives of early humans?
a)
Many people grew cash crops that helped them make a lot of money.
b)
Many people settled down in one place and built permanent homes.
c)
Many people stopped trading since everyone grew their own food.
28.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

“wise man” and the group including modern-day humans, which is believed to be the first hominid to develop language

a)

Hominids

b)

Homo sapiens

c)

Hunter-Gatherers

d)

Nomads

e)

Society

29.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

people without a permanent home, either individually or as a community, who move from place to place

a)

Hominids

b)

Homo sapiens

c)

Hunter-Gatherers

d)

Nomads

e)

Society

30.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

people who hunt animals and gather wild plants to acquire food

a)

Hominids

b)

Homo sapiens

c)

Hunter-Gatherers

d)

Nomads

e)

Society

31.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

people without a permanent home, either individually or as a community, who move from place to place

a)

Hominids

b)

Homo sapiens

c)

Hunter-Gatherers

d)

Nomads

e)

Society

32.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

group of people living together within a community

a)

Hominids

b)

Homo sapiens

c)

Hunter-Gatherers

d)

Nomads

e)

Society

33.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

early relatives to modern-day humans

a)

Hominids

b)

Homo sapiens

c)

Hunter-Gatherers

d)

Nomads

e)

Society

34.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

time period before written records

a)

Anthropology

b)

Ice Ages

c)

Prehistory

d)

Stone Ages

35.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

period of time where humans invented and primarily used stone tools

a)

Anthropology

b)

Ice Ages

c)

Prehistory

d)

Stone Ages

36.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

study of humans and their development, including human culture and human behavior

a)

Anthropology

b)

Ice Ages

c)

Prehistory

d)

Stone Ages

37.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

time periods with consistently freezing temperatures throughout the world

a)

Anthropology

b)

Ice Ages

c)

Prehistory

d)

Stone Ages

38.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

large-scale shift from hunting/gathering to farming, which allowed humans to produce large quantities of food

a)

Agricultural Revolution

b)

Bering Strait

c)

Domestication

d)

Migration

39.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

movement from one location to another, in order to establish a new permanent settlement

a)

Agricultural Revolution

b)

Bering Strait

c)

Domestication

d)

Migration

40.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

narrow passage of water located between Russia and Alaska, where it is believed that humans crossed a frozen land bridge from Asia to North America during the Ice Ages

a)

Agricultural Revolution

b)

Bering Strait

c)

Domestication

d)

Migration

41.

Match each definition with the appropriate vocabulary word.

planting foods and breeding animals that are useful for humans

a)

Agricultural Revolution

b)

Bering Strait

c)

Domestication

d)

Migration