Deck 7: Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Question 1

Sexual selection is best defined as

A) the physical competition for access to females.
B) the competition for resources to access females.
C) natural selection in one sex caused by a trait's attractiveness to members of the
Opposite sex.
D) selection of males by females on the basis of disposition, physical appearance, and hierarchical position.

Answer 1

natural selection in one sex caused by a trait's attractiveness to members of the
Opposite sex.

Question 2

Primate societies are complexly organized.This means

A) several species of primates coexist socially.
B) that within any primate group, individuals representing different kinships, ranks, ages, and sexes often form alliances.
C) some primate societies are male only.
D) some primate societies are female only.

Answer 2

that within any primate group, individuals representing different kinships, ranks, ages, and sexes often form alliances.

Question 3

Anthropologist Karen Strier estimated that in primates, foraging takes up about

A) 10% of waking hours, because primates are so efficient.
B) 90% of waking hours, because primates eat such low-quality food.
C) 50% or more of waking hours.
D) 25% of waking hours.

Answer 3

50% or more of waking hours.

Question 4

In primates, male and female reproductive strategies are

A) similar.
B) shaped directly by sexual competition in both sexes.
C) shaped directly by food acquisition strategies in both sexes.
D) shaped by resource competition in females and sexual competition in males.

Question 5

Primatologists

A) explore the relationships between specific social behaviors and reproductive fitness.
B) study only physical aspect of primates.
C) study cultural anthropology.
D) know nothing of primate bones.

Question 6

Quality, in reference to food, refers to the

A) location of food sources.
B) ability to acquire food.
C) storage of food for future consumption.
D) amount of energy and protein a food provides.

Question 7

Altruistic behavior

A) is that which benefits others while causing a disadvantage to the individual.
B) occurs only between primates that are unrelated.
C) is not a beneficial evolutionary adaptation.
D) is not an advantage of cooperation within a society.

Question 8

Jane Goodall is one of the world's most famous scientists.Which of the following did she accomplish as a primatologist?

A) She established a long-term research project at Gombe, Tanzania, which focused on chimpanzees, and discovered that they use tools such as twigs.
B) She studied and translated the vocalizations of monkeys in Botswana, with her colleagues Cheney and Seyfarth.
C) She researched chimpanzee violence, hunting, and predation at a site in Uganda, comparing their patterns of aggression to those of humans.
D) She deciphered language-like abilities in the chimpanzee known as Nim Chimpsky, teaching him American Sign Language.

Question 9

Kin selection refers to

A) nonaltruistic behavior toward other members of the kin group.
B) altruistic behavior that increases the donor's inclusive fitness.
C) altruistic behavior that promotes kin-like bonding among nonkin.
D) behavior that increases only the donor's fitness.

Question 10

Polyandrous

A) refers to a social group that includes one reproductively active female and several adult males and their offspring.
B) refers to a social group that includes one female and several males.
C) means "many offspring."
D) refers to a social group that includes one adult male and several adult females and their offspring.

Question 11

Polygynous

A) means "many marriages."
B) means "many offspring."
C) refers to a social group that includes one female and several males.
D) refers to a social group that includes one adult male, several adult females, and their offspring.

Question 12

Many primate societies are complex and involve their members forming alliances.How can these alliances be formed?

A) by rank, age, and kinship
B) by relative age, which is affected by "baby booms"
C) only by rank
D) primarily by species and subspecies

Question 13

Monogamous refers to

A) a social group that is dominated by a single sex.
B) a social group that includes an adult male, an adult female, and their offspring.
C) primates that live exclusively as a nuclear family.
D) a primate social group that includes an adult male and several adult females with their offspring.

Question 14

Grooming involves

A) the development of alliances between females only.
B) the development of alliances between males only.
C) bonding between individuals of the same rank, picking through the skin and hair of another individual.
D) bonding between two members of a social group, calming or appeasing the primate being groomed if he or she has a higher dominance.

Question 15

Diversity in primate societies means that primates

A) express themselves socially through a wide range of behaviors.
B) encompass a variety of species with similar behaviors.
C) can be classified into particular species exhibiting one type of behavior.
D) are just as diverse in their behavior as are humans.

Question 16

Natural selection generally favors behaviors that

A) increase body size.
B) increase brain size.
C) limit population size.
D) enhance survival and reproduction.

Question 17

Sexual dimorphism

A) refers to the mating rites of primates.
B) concerns differences in traits such as body size and canine size.
C) refers primarily to male and female social hierarchy.
D) is the study of sexual intercourse between primates.

Question 18

Sexual dimorphism

A) relates to sexual courtship rituals in primates.
B) is the study of sexual intercourse between primates.
C) tends to be lower than in groups where males disperse and compete with unrelated males.
D) determines male and female social hierarchy.

Question 19

One group of primates has a body size dimorphism index of about 1.3 and a relative canine size index of about 1.3.For gorillas, these numbers are about 1.6 and 1.4.For gibbons, these numbers are close to 1.What is the MOST likely group composition of the observed group of primates?

A) single male
B) monogamous pair
C) multimale
D) solitary

Question 20

Three key factors that contribute to a female primate's success at feeding are

A) speed, agility, and strength.
B) source, quantity, and safety.
C) quality, distribution, and availability of food.
D) cooperation, altruism, and quantity for sharing.

Question 21

An adult male and female gibbon that are similar in size demonstrate the lack of sexual dimorphism

A) due to the polygamous social structure in gibbons.
B) as the result of unequal access to resources within their environment.
C) due to decreased competition for mates in a monogamous social structure.
D) that is unrelated to social structure in gibbons.

Question 22

Which of the following is a rare primate residence pattern found only in orangutans and a few strepsirhines?

A) one male, multifemale
B) one female, multimale
C) multimale, multifemale
D) solitary

Question 23

Availability of food for primates

A) is dependent upon kin selection.
B) can be highly variable, depending on season and rainfall.
C) is determined primarily by the alpha male.
D) is restricted to individuals high up in the dominance hierarchy.

Question 24

Variation in predator-specific vocalizations in the monkeys of the Tai Forest includes

A) stress calls between kin only.
B) mating calls between dominant primates only.
C) two different alarm calls indicating another group of chimpanzees or humans.
D) two different loud alarm calls in response to predators, aerial and terrestrial.

Question 25

Vocalization in chimp groups

A) occurs only to communicate a food source.
B) exists only among those high up in the dominance hierarchy.
C) sounds like howls and growls.
D) is unique to specific groups or regions.

Question 26

The study of primate vocal communication

A) has been used to understand the language evolution of all primates.
B) has resulted in chimps and gorillas demonstrating an ability to speak.
C) can give us insights into the selective pressures that may have shaped the evolution of language.
D) demonstrates that gossip is not exclusively human.

Question 27

One of the most important rain forest predators, attacking a wide range of different primates, is the monkey-eating eagle.We know this because

A) hundreds of primate bones have been found in eagle nests, allowing the study of which primates eagles prefer to hunt.
B) all forest primates have an identical alarm call that means, essentially, "Eagle!"
C) large forest eagles have markings that make them look like monkeys, so they can get very close to their intended prey.
D) in captivity, when presented with a monkey versus other possible food, the eagles almost always go for the monkey.

Question 28

Vocalizations enable primates to

A) communicate as humans do.
B) solve distressing situations among primate groups.
C) name resources and monitor the social group.
D) communicate, but only between members of the same hierarchy.

Question 29

Distribution, in reference to food, means the

A) location of food across the landscape.
B) distribution of primates in a primate group as they forage for food.
C) distribution of food among primates in a group.
D) adjustment in size of a feeding group.

Question 30

What is special about primate societies and social behavior?

A) They are not diverse.
B) They welcome newcomers as humans do.
C) They are highly diverse.
D) They share and cooperate as humans do not.

Question 31

Monogamous behavior is characteristic of which of these primate species?

A) baboon
B) gibbon
C) orangutan
D) chimpanzee

Question 32

Male reproductive strategies emphasize

A) competition between males for access to reproductive-age females.
B) avoiding risk-taking behavior.
C) avoiding violence against competitors for female access.
D) engaging in care of young.

Question 33

Why are primates social in the long term?

A) to reduce stress, promote longevity, and enhance reproductive success
B) to increase relationships between kin for the improvement of the society
C) to emphasize care of the young
D) to develop support for females to increase fecundity

Question 34

How do primates communicate?

A) through a system of adaptation that varies among social groups
B) through the use of symbols
C) through speech learned from primatologists
D) through vocalization and nonvocal gestures that serve a range of functions and contexts

Question 35

All-male groups of nonhuman primates

A) are often polyandrous, before females join other existing groups.
B) often exist together with multimale, multifemale groups.
C) become permanent groups with rigid ranking systems.
D) do not exist in the wild.

Question 36

Why are primates social in the short term?

A) to increase female fecundity in dominant females only
B) to increase interaction between sexually mature males and females
C) to establish social relationships to prevent attacks from predators
D) to share food sources

Question 37

Chimpanzee communication involves different combinations of sounds, such as

A) screams, gnashing, and hissing.
B) grunts, pants, and hoots.
C) howling, hoots, and high-pitched screams.
D) pants, coos, and gurgles.

Question 38

Predator-specific vocalizations in Diana monkeys vary based on

A) the type of predator and the predator's attack strategy.
B) conditioning in the lab by primatologists.
C) emotional impulses produced randomly and involuntarily.
D) individual factors, as in humans.

Question 39

Female reproductive strategies emphasize

A) bonding with the dominant male monogamously.
B) having one birth per year.
C) having twin births every year.
D) caring for young and ensuring access to food.

Question 40

How do primates acquire food?

A) through cooperation among kin groups, mostly by hunting
B) through a wide variety of food-foraging strategies
C) through a limited set of highly specialized foraging strategies
D) through the use of highly developed material culture

Question 41

Describe the range of primate residence patterns.Relate social grouping to food and reproduction.

Question 42

Polyandrous residence patterns represent

A) a social grouping that includes multiple adult males and females.
B) one of the most common patterns in prosimians and Old World monkeys.
C) a social grouping in which males cooperate in parenting activities.
D) a social grouping that includes one male and multiple females.

Question 43

Primate communication can be compared to human communication in that

A) primate communication is very simple and across all the species consists of only a handful of "meaningful" sounds; this is entirely different from human language.
B) although some primates have the ability to transmit meaning from one individual to another, this always happens within a species, never between species; this is similar to humans, since humans do not really understand other animals either.
C) many primates make sounds that seem to be labels for things, like specific food items or specific predators, but primate communication lacks nuance or complexity of any kind; this is unlike human language.
D) for at least some Old World monkeys and apes, communication seems to be very context dependent, and specific sounds can have different meanings by making small changes; this is like human language.

Question 44

Describe some examples of learned behavior and cultural traditions among primates.

Question 45

The higher the social rank of a female primate the

A) lower her access to resources and the lower the survival rate of her offspring.
B) lower her access to resources and the greater the survival rate of her offspring.
C) greater her access to resources, which results in lower birth rates.
D) greater her access to resources, which results in higher birth rates.

Question 46

Male primates most often compete for mates while female primates compete for other resources, demonstrating that

A) reproduction places different energy demands on males and females, resulting in different reproductive strategies.
B) reproduction has similar energy demands for both sexes, so males and females respond accordingly.
C) primates do not vary in their abilities to respond to differing energy requirements.
D) males acquire resources to ensure the survival of their offspring.

Question 47

Sociality among primates is likely the result of which of the following selective pressures?

A) predation
B) niche competition
C) adaptive radiation
D) habitat

Question 48

What key feature of chimpanzee tool use have anthropologists identified?

A) Although chimpanzees are intelligent, their ability to use tools is so advanced that it is assumed that a large part of that ability is genetic.
B) Chimpanzees, being very intelligent, learn to modify and use tools in the wild, but active teaching of the young by adults seems to be only found in humans; chimpanzees do not do this.
C) Even though chimpanzees independently learn to use tools across Africa, the exact kind of tool and its use almost never varies from place to place; all chimpanzee groups have the same three or four tools.
D) Chimpanzees are highly intelligent; mothers have been seen teaching their young to use tools; which tools are used and for what purposes varies from location to location.

Question 49

Male primates compete for access to females and to maintain social groupings through all of the following social strategies EXCEPT

A) infanticide.
B) vocalizing through loud territorial calls.
C) fighting to maintain dominance of a one-male, multifemale group.
D) forming long-term cooperative relationships with multiple females.

Question 50

What have scientists learned about the function of primate vocalizations and how they relate to the evolution of human language?

Question 51

Compare and contrast male and female primates in terms of reproductive strategies and competition.

Question 52

Why are primates social?

Question 53

Altruistic behavior benefits others while being a disadvantage to the altruistic individual.Which of the following reasons does NOT explain why it exists in primate societies?

A) Altruistic behavior is not directed randomly but toward related individuals.
B) Altruistic behavior is an example of kin selection.
C) Altruistic behavior is likely to be observed in groups where there is high genetic relatedness among individuals.
D) Altruistic behavior is the random effect of living in a complex social species.