Practice question · Multiple choice
The Neolithic ratchet describes farming as hard to abandon once adopted. What locks a group in?
Hints
- Ask what happens to a group's numbers in the generations after it starts farming.
- Could the enlarged population go back?
Show the answer
C. Population growth: more people than foraging can feed
Why
The trap is demographic. Each step supports more people who then require it, which is why the transition is near-irreversible despite the measured decline in individual health.
Practise The Neolithic Revolution
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