Home › PYQs › Environment › All questions › 1985 · Dinosaurs and man
UPSC Prelims 1985 · Environment · Species Watch
Which of the following statements about "Dinosaurs" is/are correct?
- (a) The early man was a contemporary of Dinosaurs
- (b) Man appeared first after the Dinosaurs became extinct
- (c) The Dinosaurs became extinct about six million years before the appearance of the first man on the earth
- (d) The Dinosaurs became extinct about 200 million years before the first man appeared on the earth
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Man appeared first after the Dinosaurs became extinct
Dinosaurs died out ~66 million years ago; the first humans appeared only ~2–3 million years ago — long after.
The idea
Put the two dates side by side. The dinosaurs died out about 66 million years ago. The human genus appeared about 2 to 3 million years ago. Between them lie more than 60 million years, during which mammals took over.
About 230 million years ago: dinosaurs appear → 66 million years ago: an asteroid strike ends them → Mammals spread and grow large → About 2.5 million years ago: first humans
Why the others are wrong
(a) Cartoons show cavemen with dinosaurs; in reality they never met.
(c) The gap is about 60+ million years, not 6 million.
(d) The gap is about 60+ million years, not 200 million. Dinosaurs first appeared about 230 million years ago.
The trap
(d) sounds precise. Check it: Dinosaurs first appeared about 230 million years ago and died out about 66 million years ago.
Also know
The asteroid struck near Chicxulub in Mexico. Huge volcanic eruptions in India at about the same time, which built the Deccan Traps, are thought to have added to the crisis.
🔒 Dinosaurs: ~230–66 million years ago (asteroid, Chicxulub). Humans (Homo): ~2.5 million years ago.