6. Stone Age : Stone Tools
Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Five Environmental Studies Part 2.
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(a) That period, of which the tools that we find are mainly made from stone, is called the Stone Age.
(Copper Age, Iron Age, Stone Age)
(b) Gangapur near Nashik is a well-known Old Stone Age site in Maharashtra.
(Gangapur, Sinnar, Chandwad)
- (a) Rajasthan - Bagor
- (b) Madhya Pradesh - Bhimbetka
- (c) Gujarat - Langhnaj
- (d) Maharashtra - Bijapur — Odd pair
Reason: Bagor, Bhimbetka and Langhnaj are all Middle Stone Age sites in the states they are paired with. Bijapur, however, is in Karnataka, not Maharashtra. The well-known Middle Stone Age site in Maharashtra is Patane in Jalgaon district.
(a) How did man use the percussion technique?
Man used the percussion technique by beating or striking one large pebble against another to obtain stone flakes. This technique was used to shape tools in the Old Stone Age.
(b) What revolution was brought about by Homo sapiens in the tool-making technique?
Homo sapiens brought about a revolution by devising a technique to obtain long and narrow blades of stone. From these long blades, he made various implements like the knife, scraper, borer, and chisel. He also began to use ivory and rare stones of the quartz variety for making tools and other articles.
| Period | Tool-making Technique & Features |
|---|---|
| Old Stone Age (Palaeolithic Age) | Tools were made using the percussion technique (striking pebbles to obtain flakes). Early tools like choppers were crude and had only one sharp edge. Later, Homo erectus made proportionate and symmetrical tools like the hand-axe and cleaver. Homo sapiens later developed long, narrow blades to make knives, scrapers, and chisels. |
| Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic Age) | Tools became lightweight and durable, suited for hunting, fishing, and harvesting. Minute stone blades called 'microliths' were removed from a 'fluted core'. These microliths were fixed onto bone or wooden handles to make arrows, knives, and sickles. |
| New Stone Age (Neolithic Age) | A completely new technique was developed where stone tools were polished to give them a smooth and shiny finish. Polished stone axes are a hallmark of this period. |
- (a) Mixer
- (b) Flour mill
- (c) Juicer
Answer: (b) Flour mill
Map Activity: Mark the following regions on a physical outline map of India:
(a) A site of the Old Stone Age in Maharashtra: Mark Gangapur (near Nashik on the banks of Godavari) or Chirki-Nevasa (in the Pravara basin).
(b) A river basin with New Stone Age sites: Mark the Ganga river basin in Northern India.
(c) A site of the Middle Stone Age in Madhya Pradesh: Mark Bhimbetka.
Visit various industries in your locality and collect information about the tools used there. Make a chart by classifying those tools.
(Students are expected to perform this observation and classification activity locally.)