Cave Painting Quiz - Test Your Knowledge On Stone Age Cave Art - Ideal For Primary Schools
Updated: Jul 24
Alright, painters! Brushes at the ready! It's time to test your knowledge on Stone Age Cave Painting:
Question 1:
The Maltravieso, La Pasiega and Ardales caves in Spain have some of the oldest cave paintings ever found. How old are they?
a. Around 5,000 years old
b. Around 36,000 years old
c. Around 64,000 years old
Question 2:
Which of the following things would Stone Age people make paint out of? (Select all that apply):
a. Rocks
b. Lipstick
c. Charcoal
d. Coffee
e. Animal blood
f. Berries
g. Peanut Butter
Question 3:
True or false - Stone Age people mixed their paint ingredients with their own spit to make the paint.
a. True
b. False
Question 4:
What could you use to make a paint brush in the Stone Age?
a. Your mum’s hair brush
b. The hair from a wild horse
c. The nylon bristles from a toilet brush
Question 5:
True or false – In the Stone Age, the only way to paint the cave walls was by using a tool (like a paint brush) to paint with.
a. True
b. False
Question 6:
When cave painting, what could you use a hollowed-out bone for?
a. Use it like a straw to blow paint through the bone onto the wall
b. Use the sharp end of the bone to scratch your name into the stone wall
c. Look through the bone like a telescope to view your paintings better
Question 7:
What do the oldest cave paintings often show?
a. The outlines of faces
b. The outlines of feet
c. The outlines of hands
Question 8:
What other things are often shown in cave paintings?
a. Cars and aeroplanes
b. Humans and animals
c. Emoji’s and GIF’s
Question 9:
Which of the following theories could explain why Stone Age people might have done cave paintings? (Select all that apply):
a. To share hunting tips
b. To warn their friends about dangers
c. To make their home look nice
d. To show off about an awesome hunt
e. To keep themselves from getting bored
f. To magically make a herd of Woolly Mammoths turn up nearby
Question 10:
What are the most popular colours of paint used in cave paintings?
a. Red and black
b. Purple and pink
c. Green and blue
Answers:
Alright everyone, brushes down. Let's see how well you did. Check your answers below:
Question 1:
The Maltravieso, La Pasiega and Ardales caves in Spain have some of the oldest cave paintings ever found. How old are they?
a. Around 5,000 years old
b. Around 36,000 years old
c. Around 64,000 years old
In 2018, historians discovered that these cave paintings are the oldest ever found at a whopping 64,000 years old. This is 14,000 years older than cave paintings in Indonesia that were originally thought to be the oldest. Not only that, this really old artwork was painted 20,000 years before Homo Sapiens (that’s us, human beings) arrived in Spain. So these paintings must have been made by Neanderthals.
Question 2:
Which of the following things would Stone Age people make paint out of? (Select all that apply):
a. Rocks
b. Lipstick
c. Charcoal
d. Coffee
e. Animal blood
f. Berries
g. Peanut Butter
It’s best to use any natural items than can be ground down to a powder or melted to a paste. Stone Age people would have used different coloured rocks for a variety of colours. Using animal blood or berries were a good way of making dark red paint. Unfortunately there was no such thing as Stone Age lipstick, coffee or peanut butter! Find out more here.
Question 3:
True or false - Stone Age people mixed their paint ingredients with their own spit to make the paint.
a. True
b. False
The best way to mix powdered rock into a paste is by adding some liquid. Sure, you could pop down to the local river to get yourself some water. But what’s the point of that when your body is already around 70% water? Just use some spit! It’s quicker and easier. Some historians believe Stone Age people even used their own wee to mix with their paints!
Question 4:
What could you use to make a paint brush in the Stone Age?
a. Your mum’s hair brush
b. The hair from a wild horse
c. The nylon bristles from a toilet brush
Animal hair has a whole bunch of very helpful uses in the Stone Age. You can make the fur into a warm set of clothing or even use it as a tent to keep you sheltered. But when it comes to Stone Age cave painting, there’s no better material to use for a paint brush than animal hair.
Question 5:
True or false – In the Stone Age, the only way to paint the cave walls was by using a tool (like a paint brush) to paint with.
a. True
b. False
Stone Age people weren’t held back by their lack of tools and equipment when it came to cave painting. If you didn’t have a paint brush you could apply your paint using your fingertips (or even your whole hand in some cases!). You could even press your fingers into soft rock to make marks called finger fluting.
Question 6:
When cave painting, what could you use a hollowed-out bone for?
a. Use it like a straw to blow paint through the bone onto the wall
b. Use the sharp end of the bone to scratch your name into the stone wall
c. Look through the bone like a telescope to view your paintings better
Stone Age people would suck all that paint up into their mouths (after making sure it’s not got someone’s spit or wee in it, first!!), then put the bone to their lips and blow the paint through the bone to spray it onto the wall.
Also, on a side note, historians have found caves where Stone Age people carved images into the wall (instead of painting them). But these markings were likely made with some kind of flint rather than bone.
Question 7:
What do the oldest cave paintings often show?
a. The outlines of faces
b. The outlines of feet
c. The outlines of hands
Remember how Stone Age people used that hollowed-out bone to spray paint onto the walls? They also used their own hands as stencils. They would place their hand on the wall and spray the paint over their hand. When they took their hand away, the paint on the wall would show the outline of their hand!
Question 8:
What other things are often shown in cave paintings?
a. Cars and aeroplanes
b. Humans and animals
c. Emoji’s and GIF’s
Cave paintings show all parts of Stone Age life such as humans hunting and farming. They also show artwork of a variety of Stone Age animals including cave lions, cave bears, woolly mammoths, woolly rhinos, horses, bison, deer and more. Find out more here.
Question 9:
Which of the following theories could explain why Stone Age people might have done cave paintings? (Select all that apply):
a. To share hunting tips
b. To warn their friends about dangers
c. To make their home look nice
d. To show off about an awesome hunt
e. To keep themselves from getting bored
f. To magically make a herd of Woolly Mammoths turn up nearby
That’s right, all of them! Stone Age people may have done cave paintings to communicate ideas, make some sort of magic happen, make their home look nice or even just for fun! Find out more here.
Question 10:
What are the most popular colours of paint used in cave paintings?
a. Red and black
b. Purple and pink
c. Green and blue
Paint made from rocks such as red hematite and black charcoal are the most frequently used at cave painting sites around the world. Other popular colours include browns, yellows and whites because these colours would have been the easiest to make from natural materials.
