Chapter 1 Before History MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. The earth came into existence around a. five hundred million years ago. b. one billion years ago. c. four to five billion years ago. d. ten billion years ago. e. twenty-seven billion years ago. 2. The term prehistory refers to the period before a. writing. b. the first hominid. c. the appearance of Homo sapiens. d. 1000 B.C.E. e. the work of the Greek historian Herodotus. 3. From the period four million to one million years ago, which of the following flourished in east Africa? a. Homo sapiens sapiens b. Homo erectus c. Neandertal peoples d. Homo sapiens e. Australopithecus 4. Which of the following statements about Australopithecus is NOT true? a. They produced cleavers and hand axes.