Which one of the following tribal groups traditionally earns its livelihood mainly through food gathering and hunting activities in very simple environments?

Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to the area of human geography and world cultures. It tests your understanding of traditional economic activities of tribal communities and the way in which different groups make a living from their natural environment. In particular, it focuses on tribes that still depend mainly on food gathering and hunting rather than on settled agriculture or nomadic pastoralism. Knowing such classic examples is a common requirement in competitive exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Four combinations of tribal groups are provided as options.
• Some of these tribes are known as hunters and gatherers, while others are pastoralists or agriculturists.
• We need to identify the single combination in which all listed tribes traditionally survive mainly on hunting and food gathering.

Concept / Approach:
Food gathering and hunting is the oldest and most primitive form of human livelihood. Communities that follow this way of life usually live in small bands, move frequently, and rely on wild plants and animals. The Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, the Pygmies of the equatorial African forests, and the traditional Eskimo or Inuit groups of the Arctic regions are classic textbook examples. In contrast, the Masai and Kirghiz are well known for cattle and livestock herding, and the Boro are associated more with agriculture. So the basic approach is to recall which named tribes are hunter gatherers and then see which option groups them correctly.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the Bushman (San) of southern Africa as a well known hunter and food gathering tribe living in desert and semi desert conditions.Step 2: Recognise the Pygmies of central African rainforests as small statured forest dwellers who remain strongly dependent on hunting, fishing and collection of wild plants.Step 3: Recall that the Eskimo or Inuit people of Arctic regions traditionally hunt seals, fish, and wild animals for food and clothing.Step 4: Note that the Masai of East Africa and the Kirghiz of central Asia are famous pastoral tribes whose economy is based on herding cattle, horses, sheep, or yaks rather than pure gathering and hunting.Step 5: Observe that Boro is linked with settled life and agriculture in South Asia, not with pure hunting and gathering.Step 6: Therefore, only the combination Bushman, Pigmy and Eskimo contains three groups that are all classic examples of food gathering and hunting communities.

Verification / Alternative check:
Human geography textbooks often classify tribes according to their economy: hunters and gatherers, pastoral nomads, shifting cultivators, and settled farmers. Under hunter gatherers, they routinely list the Bushmen (San), Pygmies, and Eskimos or Inuit. The Masai are almost always mentioned under pastoral nomads, while the Kirghiz appear in central Asian nomadic herders, and Boro comes under agricultural groups. Matching these standard classifications with the options confirms that the correct combination is the one in which all three tribes are hunters and gatherers.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Masai, Kirghiz and Boro: Masai and Kirghiz are mainly pastoral, and Boro is linked to agriculture, so this group does not represent pure hunting and gathering.Pigmy, Eskimo and Kirghiz: Two tribes here are hunter gatherers, but the Kirghiz are pastoral nomads, so the combination is not homogeneous.Boro, Bushman and Masai: Bushman are hunters, but Boro and Masai follow agriculture and herding, not classic food gathering and hunting.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes remember each tribe name but forget their economic base, especially when several unfamiliar names appear together. Some may guess that all tribal sounding names must be hunters, which is not correct. Another mistake is to confuse pastoral nomads like the Masai with hunter gatherers because both live in traditional ways. The safest strategy is to memorise a few textbook examples of each livelihood type and then group them correctly when such questions appear.

Final Answer:
The group of tribes that traditionally earn their livelihood mainly through food gathering and hunting is Bushman, Pigmy and Eskimo.