Option a is the correct answer Statement 1 is correct: The different periods of the Stone Age in India are identified on the basis of the type and technology of stone tools. For example, the Paleolithic period is characterized by the use of simple stone tools, such as hand axes and cleavers. The Mesolithic period is characterized by the use of more sophisticated stone tools, such as microliths. The Neolithic period is characterized by the use of polished stone tools, such as axes and chisels. Statement 2 is incorrect: There are regional variations in the type and technology of stone tools in different periods. For example, the stone tools found in the Indus Valley are different from the stone tools found in the Deccan plateau. Statement 3 is incorrect: Stone Age cultures of different periods did not evolve uniformly in a neat unilinear fashion all over the subcontinent. There were different cultural traditions that developed in different parts of the subcontinent, and these traditions interacted with each other in complex ways.