In the study of human history, which development is widely regarded by historians as a crucial stage in describing the progress from prehistoric life towards organised civilisation?

Introduction / Context:
Historians divide the long story of humanity into broad phases such as prehistory and history. A very important question is which development marks a crucial stage in this progress and allows scholars to describe and reconstruct civilisation in detail. This question asks you to identify which innovation is considered by historians as a key milestone for describing the progress of civilisation, rather than simply surviving as early humans.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on what historians use to describe and understand civilisation, not only on survival skills.
• The listed developments include fire, agriculture, writing, the internet and stone tools.
• Only one option corresponds to the standard historical marker used to separate prehistory from recorded history.

Concept / Approach:
In history writing, there is a widely used distinction between prehistory and history. Prehistory refers to the time before written records, when we rely mainly on archaeology. History, in the strict sense, begins when a society develops writing and leaves behind documents, inscriptions and other written sources. Agriculture and fire are earlier and extremely important for human survival and settlement, but for historians who describe and reconstruct the progress of civilisation, writing is the decisive turning point because it leaves a continuous record.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that historians define history as the period for which written records are available. Step 2: Understand that before writing, knowledge of human life depends mainly on tools, bones and ruins, which limit detail. Step 3: Recognise that once writing appears, agreements, laws, myths, trade, politics and daily life can be recorded. Step 4: Compare the options and identify which one explicitly refers to writing systems. Step 5: Select option A, since it fits the historian view of a crucial stage that allows detailed description of civilisation.

Verification / Alternative check:
A simple way to verify is to remember that school textbooks often say that prehistory ends and history begins with the invention of writing. They may mention cuneiform in Mesopotamia or hieroglyphics in Egypt as classic examples of early writing that allow historians to describe political events, social structures and religious ideas. This confirms that writing is the key stage from the historian perspective.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, the discovery of fire, was critical for survival and early human development but occurred long before complex civilisations and written records. Option C, agriculture, helped create settled life and is another huge step, yet historians still classify early farming societies without writing as prehistoric. Option D, the internet, is a very recent technological advance and not the defining stage of civilisation as a whole. Option E refers to early stone tools which belong to very ancient times and do not provide rich descriptive records of civilisation.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes choose agriculture or fire because they sound fundamental to human life. While that is true, the question is framed from the viewpoint of historians who describe the progress of civilisation through recorded evidence. Another pitfall is to be attracted by modern sounding terms like internet and ignore the time scale of civilisation. Always pay attention to how the discipline of history defines its key stages.

Final Answer:
Historians regard the development of writing systems that allowed events and ideas to be recorded as a crucial stage in describing the progress of civilisation.