Match List-I with List-II and choose the correct answer using the code given below the lists. List-I (Archaeological site): (A) Nevasa, (B) Isampur, (C) Didwana, (D) Gudiyam cave. List-II (Present location): (1) Rajasthan, (2) Tamil Nadu, (3) Maharashtra, (4) Karnataka.
- (a)A-(3), B-(2), C-(4), D-(1)
- (b)A-(4), B-(3), C-(1), D-(2)
- (c)A-(3), B-(4), C-(1), D-(2)
- (d)A-(3), B-(4), C-(2), D-(1)
Correct — C (A-(3), B-(4), C-(1), D-(2)). Nevasa lies on the Pravara river in Maharashtra — a classic Middle Palaeolithic type-site that was later also a Chalcolithic settlement. Isampur is in the Hunsgi–Baichbal valley of Karnataka, a Lower Palaeolithic (Acheulian) stone-tool locality. Didwana is a Palaeolithic site beside the Didwana salt lake in the Thar belt of Rajasthan. Gudiyam (Gudiyam cave) is a Palaeolithic cave site near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. So the correct pairing is Nevasa–Maharashtra, Isampur–Karnataka, Didwana–Rajasthan and Gudiyam–Tamil Nadu, which is option (c).
- (a)A-(3), B-(2), C-(4), D-(1) — Nevasa–Maharashtra is right, but this wrongly puts Isampur in Tamil Nadu (it is in Karnataka), Didwana in Karnataka (it is in Rajasthan) and Gudiyam in Rajasthan (it is in Tamil Nadu).
- (b)A-(4), B-(3), C-(1), D-(2) — This swaps the first two: it places Nevasa in Karnataka (it is in Maharashtra) and Isampur in Maharashtra (it is in Karnataka). Only Didwana–Rajasthan and Gudiyam–Tamil Nadu are correct here.
- (d)A-(3), B-(4), C-(2), D-(1) — Nevasa and Isampur are matched correctly, but the last two are swapped: Didwana is placed in Tamil Nadu (it is in Rajasthan) and Gudiyam in Rajasthan (it is in Tamil Nadu).
India's Stone Age is mapped through a network of Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age) and later prehistoric sites spread across the modern states. Each site named here is a well-documented prehistoric locality: Nevasa (Maharashtra), Isampur (Karnataka), Didwana (Rajasthan) and Gudiyam cave (Tamil Nadu). Matching them tests whether a student can place lesser-known excavated sites in their present-day state.
The safe way to crack the match is to anchor the two sites you are most likely to know. Didwana is firmly tied to Rajasthan's Thar/salt-lake country, and Nevasa is a famous Maharashtra prehistoric-to-Chalcolithic site; fixing those two immediately points to option (c) and rules out the swaps in the other options.
- Nevasa (Maharashtra) — a Middle Palaeolithic type-site on the Pravara river, later a Chalcolithic (Jorwe) settlement.
- Isampur (Karnataka) — a Lower Palaeolithic/Acheulian tool-making locality in the Hunsgi–Baichbal valley.
- Didwana (Rajasthan) — a Palaeolithic site in the Thar belt, beside the Didwana salt lake.
- Gudiyam cave (Tamil Nadu) — a Palaeolithic cave site near Chennai.
The correct mapping is A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2 — option (c).
- Confusing similarly obscure site names and swapping their states
- 'Didwana' is also a Rajasthan saline lake (a different topic from this Palaeolithic site)
UPPSC/UPSC test prehistory through 'match the archaeological/Stone Age site with its present state (or river)' list-matching.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The prehistoric and Chalcolithic site of Nevasa, on the Pravara river, is located in which state?
- (a)Rajasthan
- (b)Maharashtra
- (c)Karnataka
- (d)Tamil Nadu
Answer(b) Maharashtra — Nevasa lies in the Ahmednagar region on the Pravara river.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Bhimbetka rock shelters, an important Palaeolithic and Mesolithic site, are located in which state?
- (a)Madhya Pradesh
- (b)Maharashtra
- (c)Rajasthan
- (d)Karnataka
Answer(a) Madhya Pradesh — Bhimbetka is a UNESCO World Heritage prehistoric site near Bhopal.