Final answer:
Paleolithic people were nomadic, moving regularly in search of food as hunter-gatherers. Permanent settlements began with the Neolithic Revolution, when humans transitioned to agriculture.
Step-by-step explanation:
Paleolithic people were nomadic because they followed animal migrations and vegetation cycles, which caused them to move from place to place. The term 'nomadic' refers to people who regularly move from one area to another rather than living in one location permanently. This lifestyle was essential for survival during the Paleolithic era as it was based on hunting and gathering, with no settled agriculture to rely on for food. Hunter-gatherers would consume what they could find or hunt in their immediate environment and once those resources were depleted, they would move to a new area to find more sustenance.
Early human societies did not establish permanent residences until the Neolithic Revolution, when the transition to an agricultural way of life began. This shift allowed for the cultivation of crops and domestication of animals, which in turn led to the development of permanent settlements and civilization as we know it.