Question

Evidence for increased cultural capacity in early humans is seen in

a) the sudden appearance of settlements and food raising methods
b) the shift from hunter-gatherer to pastoral social structures
c) changed diets, tools, and increased cooperation
d) the presence of the "culture" gene in mitochondrial DNA

Answer 1

The increased cultural capacity in early humans is evidenced by changed diets, advanced toolmaking, and increased social cooperation, which led to permanent settlements and the foundational structures of civilizations.

Step-by-step explanation:

Evidence for increased cultural capacity in early humans is most accurately cited as c) changed diets, tools, and increased cooperation. This is demonstrated by the shift from nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to the establishment of permanent settlements during the Neolithic Revolution, approximately twelve thousand years ago. The domestication of plants and animals for agriculture enabled the growth of larger populations and necessitated the creation of more sophisticated tools and social structures. Early human settlements like Çatalhöyük and Göbekli Tepe illustrate the development of intricate art and architecture, suggesting the existence of complex social structures and high degrees of cooperation, essential components of cultural capacity. These changes also fostered labor specialization and the beginning of socioeconomic hierarchies, paving the way for the rise of human civilization.