Deck 10: Hominin Origins in Africa

Question 1

What makes afarensis a hominin?

A)Efficient bipedalism
B)Large brain
C)Tool-making ability
D)Hybrid characteristics (half human, half ape)
E)Complex language ability

Answer 1

Efficient bipedalism

Question 2

Which is true about A. sediba ?

A)It was found in East Africa .
B)It dates at least to 3.9 mya.
C)It shows a mix of Australopithecus and Homo features.
D)It has a small brain at 320 cm³.
E)It was mainly a carnivore.

Answer 2

It shows a mix of Australopithecus and Homo features.

Question 3

The hominin fossils from Laetoli and Hadar are classified by most researchers as

A)Australopithecus africanus.
B)Homo afarensis.
C)Homo habilis.
D)Australopithecus robustus.
E)Australopithecus afarensis .

Answer 3

Australopithecus afarensis .

Question 4

Which is NOT true for the recent hominin from Woranso-Mille?

A)The partial skeleton included a partial foot.
B)It dated to about 3.4 mya.
C)It shows a divergent opposable toe and other ape-like features.
D)Scientists have assigned it its own species name.
E)It shows there were two lineages of A. afarensis.

Question 5

The late Miocene remains of various possible hominins, assigned to the genus Ardipithecus , were discovered

A)at Hadar.
B)at Laetoli.
C)in South Africa.
D)in the Middle Awash.
E)in the Olduvai Gorge.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT the form of locomotion shown by hominins?

A)Habitual bipedalism
B)Obligate bipedalism
C)Knuckle walking
D)Brachiating
E)Flying

Question 7

A sagittal crest is

A)only present in some nonhuman primates.
B)a characteristic of some A. afarensis species.
C)a raised ridge of bone running along the midline of the cranium for the attachment of muscles.
D)not present in any hominin fossils.
E)only found in humans today.

Question 8

Sahelanthropus has an unusual combination of characteristics, including a

A)small braincase and huge browridges.
B)large braincase and huge browridges.
C)small braincase and small muscle attachments in the rear of the cranium.
D)small vertical face and small browridges.
E)large face and small dentition.

Question 9

Sahelanthropus was discovered in

A)South Africa.
B)East Africa.
C)the Rift Valley.
D)Central Africa.
E)Asia.

Question 10

The fossil skeleton known as "Lucy" belongs to the species

A)africanus.
B)aethiopicus.
C)habilis.
D)boisei .
E)afarensis .

Question 11

The oldest possible hominin found to date has been given the genus name

A)Australopithecus.
B)Sahelanthropus.
C)Zinjanthropus.
D)Ardipithecus.
E)Orrorin.

Question 12

Australopithecus afarensis

A)includes the Taung child and Ardi.
B)is the oldest hominin discovered to date.
C)is the smallest least-studied collection of early hominins.
D)is only found in South Africa.
E)includes Lucy and a 3-year-old hominin from Dikika.

Question 13

An important new find of a mostly complete child skeleton belonging to an Australopithecus afarensis was announced in 2006 coming from which site?

A)Laetoli
B)Hadar
C)Dikika
D)Taung
E)Olduvai

Question 14

The earliest fossils identifiable as hominins were all from:

A)North America.
B)Australia.
C)Africa.
D)Asia.
E)Europe.

Question 15

Recently discovered remains from the Tugen Hills, dated to about 6 million years ago have been placed in the genus

A)Sahelanthropus.
B)Australopithecus .
C)Paranthropus.
D)Ardipithecus .
E)Orrorin .

Question 16

Which is NOT true about Ardi?

A)Its brain size is between 700-730 cm³ .
B)It is more than a 50 percent complete skeleton.
C)It weighed about 110 lbs and measured about 4 ft.
D)It was found in Aramis.
E)It was studied for about 15 years.

Question 17

The oldest Paranthropus fossil

A)dated to 1.8 mya.
B)was discovered at Hadar.
C)is nicknamed the "black skull."
D)was a 50 percent complete skeleton.
E)was in the form of foot remains.

Question 18

Which of the following hominins has the most primitive (ancestral)traits?

A)Homo habilis
B)Australopithecus africanus
C)Australopithecus robustus
D)Australopithecus boisei
E)Australopithecus afarensis

Question 19

The most important fossils of foot structuring of early hominins come from

A)Sterkfontein.
B)Laetoli.
C)West Turkana.
D)East Turkana.
E)Fayum.

Question 20

Anatomical changes in hominins that are indicative of habitual bipedal locomotion include

A)feet with opposable big toes for grasping.
B)shortening and broadening of the pelvis.
C)increased length of arms relative to legs.
D)increased length of the spine.
E)pronounced sagittal crest.

Question 21

The earliest appearance of genus Homo in East Africa may date prior to

A)1 mya .
B)1.8 mya .
C)2 mya .
D)3 mya .
E)2.5 mya .

Question 22

One of the most significant skeletal modifications due to the shift to bipedalism includes several structural changes in the foot.

Question 23

Regarding the fossil material termed "early Homo, " Leakey guessed was our ancestor

A)some scholars think there may actually be more than one species present.
B)there is definitely only one species.
C)it is certain that one species, Homo habilis , evolved directly into Homo sapiens .
D)all the individuals appear to be about the same size.
E)there is almost no anatomical variation among in these specimens.

Question 24

Which is the first step to fossil research?

A)Assigning taxonomic name
B)Selecting a site and surveying it
C)Excavating and recovering fossils
D)Comparing fossil variation
E)Cleaning and preparing fossils

Question 25

Which is NOT true of early hominin species?

A)They had restricted ranges.
B)They were partially tied to arboreal habitats.
C)They had a trend to increase body size.
D)They could easily become separated from others.
E)They show an accelerated developmental pattern.

Question 26

Habitual locomotion is seen only in hominins.

Question 27

The taxonomic designation Raymond Dart assigned to the Taung fossil was

A)Australopithecus boisei.
B)Australopithecus afarensis .
C)Australopithecus africanus .
D)Homo habilis .
E)Australopithecus robustus .

Question 28

Most early hominin fossils were restricted to central, South, and East Africa.

Question 29

Australopithecus africanus was also large-toothed but not as extremely so as

A)Paranthropus.
B)Homo habilis.
C)Homo sapians.
D)A. sediba.
E)A. afarensis

Question 30

The most immediately obvious feature distinguishing ________ from the australopiths is cranial size

A)A. afarensis
B)Aegyptopithecus
C)Homo Habilis
D)A. aftricanus
E)Ardipithecus

Question 31

The earliest hominin discovery from Africa and the world was done in

A)East Africa.
B)the 1920s.
C)the 1800s.
D)Egypt.
E)the 1960s.

Question 32

The task of interpreting early hominin evolution

A)is still not complete.
B)does not require a chronological framework.
C)does not require assigning taxonomic names to fossil materials.
D)contains millions of full skeletons.
E)is a fairly simple one.

Question 33

Where did Leakey and his team find the remains of Homo habilis ?

A)Lake Turkana
B)Olduvai Gorge
C)Dikika in Ethiopia
D)Hadar
E)Taung

Question 34

The first person to describe and classify an australopithicus fossil was

A)Robert Broom.
B)Donald Johanson.
C)Raymond Dart.
D)Mary Leakey.
E)Louis Leakey.

Question 35

Even though the cranial capacity estimates of Australipiths are within the range of most modern great apes, their brains were

A)more encephalized.
B)much smaller.
C)more limited.
D)impossible to measure.
E)more suited for complex language.

Question 36

The "Taung baby" and other Australopithecus africanus

A)were small brained.
B)had small teeth.
C)were found in North Africa.
D)dated to approximately 1.8 mya.
E)were probably not bipedal.

Question 37

Except for the footprints at Laetoli, there is no evidence of early hominin foot structure.

Question 38

Which characteristics of A. sediba resemble Homo ?

A)Short fingers and brain reorganization
B)Omnivorous diet
C)Big brains
D)Reduced dentition
E)Long arms and short legs

Question 39

The earliest hominins have varied combinations of features. For example, Sahelanthropus has

A)a very small brain size.
B)chimpanzee-looking teeth.
C)long limbs for bipedalism.
D)large complex brain.
E)reduced spine.

Question 40

By using the designation Homo habilis, Louis Leakey was implying all of these EXCEPT

A)there were at least two hominin lineages present at Olduvai Gorge.
B)the Homo lineage was distinct from the australopiths.
C)that Homo habilis was our ancestor.
D)Homo habilis was not a hominin.
E)a revision of the classification was necessary.

Question 41

Describe the Australopiths and their chracteristics, providing examples of each species from the text.

Question 42

What is the fossil evidence for bipedal locomotion in the early hominins?

Question 43

Most paleoanthropologists were initially reluctant to accept H. habilis as a valid species distinct from all australopiths.

Question 44

Discuss the recent discovery of A. afarensis at Dikika and its importance.

Question 45

Including Lucy, several hundred Homo habilis fossils have been found in Olduvai.

Question 46

The best evidence for the origins of the  genus Homo  comes from East Africa.

Question 47

A 2.3 million year old Australopithecus africanus child skeleton was found at Dikika.

Question 48

The fossil assigned to the genus and species Sahelanthropus tchadensis is universally agreed to be a hominin.

Question 49

Paleoanthropologists estimate at least six genera among the early African fossils.

Question 50

Explain why evidence of bipedal locomotion is so important in the study of fossil hominins, and describe the basic mechanics of bipedal locomotion.

Question 51

Describe the evidence of "Lucy" and the importance of this find to the study of hominin evolution.

Question 52

Most of the early African hominins appear to have been partially tied to arboreal habitats.

Question 53

Describe the find of Sahelanthropus and its characteristics.

Question 54

The honing complex is typical of hominins.

Question 55

Where and when were the fossils assigned to Homo habilis found? Give examples of these finds and their importance to the study of hominin evolution.

Question 56

Discuss what specific features indicate adaptation to bipedal locomotion, giving examples of morphological changes in hominins.

Question 57

Describe the discovery of Ardipithecus and its characteristics and importance. Give examples.

Question 58

Paranthropus specimens have a sagittal crest on the top of the skull.

Question 59

The first step in interpreting hominin evolutionary patterns is excavating sites and recovering fossil hominins.

Question 60

According to Tim White and colleagues, Ardipithecus was a competent biped.

Question 61

Discuss the importance of the recent A. afarensis skeleton and foot found at Woranso-Mille.

Question 62

Describe the genus Paranthropus and its species. Give examples from the textbook.

Question 63

Explain the complexity of finding and interpreting hominin remains. List the various steps necessary for interpreting hominin evolutionary patterns.

Question 64

Discuss the adaptive patterns of early African hominins from the data we currently have.

Question 65

Give an overview of the adaptive patterns of early African hominins, including an explanation of the features that indicate adaptation to bipedal locomotion and which fossil hominins display these features.

Question 66

Explain the importance of the recent discovery of a possible transitional Australopith, A. sediba.

Question 67

Using the information from the previous question, construct your own Plio-Pleistocene hominin phylogeny. Defend your phylogeny.

Question 68

Describe the discoveries and characteristics of A. africanus. Why was their discovery important?

Question 69

Describe the three major groups of early hominins discussed in this chapter. Specifically, compare and contrast earliest hominins and explain why (or why not)you think they are hominins.