The story of human evolution begins with ancestral primates. About 15 million years ago (mya), two early primates called Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus lived. Both were hairy and walked like apes (gorillas and chimpanzees), but Ramapithecus was more man-like while Dryopithecus was more ape-like. Memory hook: "R for Ramapithecus = R for more human-Related; D for Dryopithecus = D for Down on all fours, more ape." The human lineage moved forward in Africa, not Australia.
Ancestral primates Dryopithecus (more ape-like) and Ramapithecus (more man-like) at ~15 mya, both walking like apes, leading to Australopithecus (~2 mya, Africa) and then the genus Homo.
Your doubts, answered
Was Dryopithecus or Ramapithecus more man-like?
Ramapithecus was more man-like. Dryopithecus was more ape-like. Both lived about 15 million years ago. Remember: R (Ramapithecus) = more human-Related. This exact point is a favourite NEET trap, so read it carefully.
Did Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus walk like humans?
No. NCERT clearly says both Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were hairy and walked like gorillas and chimpanzees (that is, like apes), NOT like men. Being 'more man-like' refers to features, not an upright human walk. NEET has tested this false statement directly.
When did Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus live?
About 15 million years ago (15 mya). These are the ancestral primates that come at the very start of the human evolution timeline, before Australopithecus (about 2 mya) and the genus Homo.
Where did the first ancestors of man arise?
The primate ancestors and later Australopithecines lived in the East African grasslands. Modern Homo sapiens also arose in Africa and then moved across the continents. A common NEET trap says humans arose in Australia, which is wrong. The answer is always Africa.
Is Ramapithecus a direct ancestor of humans?
For NEET, treat Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus as ancestral primates on the line leading toward man (Ramapithecus being more man-like). Do not over-think modern debates; stick to the NCERT statement: about 15 mya, more man-like = Ramapithecus, more ape-like = Dryopithecus.
⚠️ The NEET trap ✗ Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus (about 15 mya) walked upright like men. ✓ Both were hairy and walked like gorillas and chimpanzees (apes). Ramapithecus was only more man-like in features, not in walking. 🧠 'More man-like' does NOT mean 'walked like man'. NEET separates features (Ramapithecus more man-like) from gait (both walked like apes) to catch you.
Real NEET questions
2019
Which of the following statements is correct about the origin and evolution of men?
A · Agriculture came around 50,000 years back.
B · The Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus primates existing 15 million years ago, walked like men.
C · Homo habilis probably ate meat.
D · Neanderthal men lived in Asia between 1,00,000 and 40,000 years back. ✓
Solution: NCERT states the Neanderthal man lived in the near east and central Asia between 1,00,000 and 40,000 years back, so (D) is correct. The others are false: agriculture came around 10,000 years back (not 50,000); Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus walked like gorillas and chimpanzees, not like men; and Homo habilis probably did not eat meat. Note how option (B) is the classic ancestral-primate trap.
Solved Evolution NEET PYQs
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
Ancestral primates are the early primate forms, mainly Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus, that lived about 15 million years ago at the start of the human evolution line. They were hairy and walked like apes.
Which is more man-like, Dryopithecus or Ramapithecus?
Ramapithecus was more man-like. Dryopithecus was more ape-like. Both lived about 15 mya.
Where did modern humans first arise?
Modern Homo sapiens arose in Africa and then moved across the continents. Not in Australia (a common NEET trap).
What comes after the ancestral primates in the sequence?
After Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus (~15 mya) came Australopithecus (about 2 mya) in the East African grasslands, then the genus Homo (Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and so on).
