Concept:Domestication of plants and animals began gradually about 12,000 years ago, marking the shift from mobile hunting-gathering to settled farming communities.
Explanation:Option A: The Mesolithic period is defined by environmental changes starting about 12,000 years ago and lasting until about 10,000 years ago. Saying it began 9,000 years ago is wrong.
Option B: Domestication, the process of cultivating plants and taming animals, started around 12,000 years ago. This pair is correctly matched.
Option C: The earliest settlement at Mehrgarh dates to about 7000 BCE, which is roughly 9,000 to 9,500 years ago, not 18,000 years ago.
Option D: The Neolithic period began around 10,000 years ago, after the Mesolithic. The given range of 12,000–10,000 years ago is incorrect because it includes the Mesolithic.
Only Option B is historically accurate.
Answer:Option B: Beginning of domestication : About 12,000 years ago.