Deck 1: Introduction to Physical Anthropology

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT generally considered one of the fields of anthropology in the United States?

A)Historical
B)Cultural
C)Linguistics
D)Archaeology
E)Physical

Answer 1

Historical

Question 2

In the United States, anthropology is comprised of _____ major subfields.

A)2
B)7
C)6
D)4
E)1

Answer 2

4

Question 3

During the nineteenth century, the sparks of interest in biological change over time were fanned into flames by the:

A)discovery of Neandertal fossils in the 1800s.
B)publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species .
C)discovery of Australopithecus afarensis in the late 1800s.
D)discovery of the Americas.
E)witch craze period.

Answer 3

publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species .

Question 4

The most important source of data for archaeologists is

A)material culture left by earlier societies.
B)interviews with living people.
C)DNA preserved in fossils.
D)early hominid fossils.
E)human skeletal remains.

Question 5

The population of any city is composed of many subgroups defined by

A)economic status.
B)popularity.
C)intelligence.
D)good looking people.
E)the type of technology used.

Question 6

Cultural behaviors

A)have become less important throughout human evolution.
B)are genetically determined.
C)include only those aspects of human lifestyle that relate to the arts.
D)are NOT genetically determined.
E)are the same in all species.

Question 7

The subdiscipline of anthropology concerned with various aspects of human language is called

A)primatology.
B)linguistic anthropology.
C)ethnology.
D)paleoanthropology.
E)anthropometry.

Question 8

Cultural anthropology

A)was first developed in the seventeenth century.
B)includes the recovery and analysis of material culture from earlier civilizations.
C)focuses solely upon the study of traditional societies.
D)has no practical application in modern society.
E)is the study of patterns of belief and behavior found in modern and historical cultures.

Question 9

Archaeologists obtain information mainly from

A)artifacts.
B)artwork left behind by earlier cultures.
C)books written by early explorers.
D)folk stories passed down from generation to generation.
E)their own interpretation only.

Question 10

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring is called

A)hominidae.
B)a species.
C)a family.
D)a hominin.
E)a mammal.

Question 11

The origins of physical anthropology arose from which two areas of interest among nineteenth-century scientists?

A)The ancestry of modern species and human variation
B)The genetic determinants of behavior and osteology
C)Nonhuman primates and origins of modern species
D)Human variation and osteology
E)Human evolution and nonhuman primates

Question 12

Simply stated, evolution

A)is NOT subject to the same factors that have produced other species.
B)is a change in the physiological traits of an organism.
C)is a change in the genetic makeup of a population.
D)is too controversial and thus invalid.
E)refers only to the appearance of a new species.

Question 13

The term biocultural evolution refers to

A)biological changes in a species over time.
B)changes in human culture from generation to generation.
C)the interaction between biology and culture in human evolution.
D)biological evolution in all species except humans.
E)the general orientation shared by members of a society.

Question 14

Ethnographies

A)focus only on Western European societies.
B)are studies of nonhuman primates.
C)are detailed descriptive studies of human societies.
D)are studies done by archaeologists.
E)involve the study of the human skeleton.

Question 15

At present, the members of the family hominin includes

A)apes.
B)monkeys.
C)all primates.
D)humans.
E)rats

Question 16

Many aspects of our behavior have direct connection to

A)primates.
B)reptiles.
C)birds.
D)insects.
E)mammals.

Question 17

Primate Paleontology is the study of primate

A)behavior.
B)fossil record.
C)anatomy.
D)intelligence.
E)dentition.

Question 18

Linguistic anthropology is the study of

A)human speech and language.
B)evolution of superior languages.
C)origins of language.
D)human speech, language, and evolution of superior languages.
E)human speech, language, and origins of language.

Question 19

The strategy humans developed that helped them to adapt to the natural environment is

A)evolution.
B)culture.
C)biological adaptation.
D)walking on two legs.
E)genetic change.

Question 20

The study of human biology within the framework of human evolution is the domain of

A)cultural anthropology.
B)physical/biological anthropology.
C)primatology.
D)osteology.
E)archaeology.

Question 21

Within biological anthropology, the best example of applied anthropology is

A)cultural anthropology.
B)forensic anthropology.
C)paleoanthropology.
D)archaeology.
E)primatology.

Question 22

Who uses anthropological techniques to assist in crime investigations and to identify skeletal remains in cases of disaster?

A)Paleoanthropologists
B)Primatologists
C)Forensic anthropologists
D)Archeologists
E)Cultural anthropologists

Question 23

In the United States, the focus of anthropology is very narrow and has only two subfields.

Question 24

The study of the primate fossil record is known as

A)osteology.
B)primate anthropology.
C)paleopathology.
D)forensic anthropology.
E)primate paleontology.

Question 25

The goal of the scientific method is to

A)establish the absolute truth.
B)support preconceived notions.
C)generate the most accurate explanations possible.
D)study qualitative data
E)generate only hypotheses.

Question 26

A provisional explanation of a phenomenon is called

A)a theory.
B)a datum.
C)empirical.
D)scientific testing.
E)a hypothesis.

Question 27

Theories are not facts but are

A)tested explanations of facts.
B)ideas scientists have.
C)provisional statements to be further researched.
D)untested hypotheses.
E)absolute truths.

Question 28

The initial step in the scientific method is

A)the formation of a theory.
B)the formation of a hypothesis.
C)to perform an experiment.
D)to publish a scientific article.
E)to collect data and establish facts.

Question 29

Physical anthropology is a scientific discipline concerned only with the biological and behavioral characteristics of humans.

Question 30

A body of knowledge gained through observation and experimentation is called

A)science.
B)hypothesis.
C)data.
D)empirical.
E)theory.

Question 31

The anthropological perspective states that we must

A)focus only on humans.
B)broaden our view point through time and space.
C)include only one field of anthropology.
D)be as ethnocentric as possible.
E)disregard all other fields.

Question 32

The earliest hominins, such as Australopithecus afarensis, manufactured stone tools.

Question 33

Forensic anthropologists

A)study disease and trauma in ancient populations.
B)apply anthropological techniques to legal matters.
C)are primarily concerned with the recovery of material culture remains.
D)examine the relationships between medical treatment and culturally determined views of disease.
E)study nonhuman primates.

Question 34

________ is the branch of osteology that studies the evidence of disease and injury in human skeletal remains from archaeological sites.

A)Forensic anthropology
B)Primatology
C)Anthropometry
D)Paleoanthropology
E)Paleopathology

Question 35

The 3.7-million-year-old footprints of two hominids were discovered in a riverbed in Georgia.

Question 36

The practical use of anthropological theories and methods outside the academic setting is

A)biological anthropology.
B)applied anthropology.
C)cultural anthropology.
D)archaeology.
E)linguistic anthropology.

Question 37

Primatology is the study of

A)human evolution.
B)human skeletal material.
C)skeletal remains at crime scenes.
D)disease in earlier human groups.
E)the biology and behavior of nonhuman primates.

Question 38

The subfield of physical anthropology that is concerned with the study of human evolution as evidenced in the fossil record is

A)osteology.
B)paleoanthropology.
C)anthropometry.
D)ethnography.
E)paleopathology.

Question 39

___________ anthropologists help us to understand relationships between extinct and living species by comparing DNA sequences.

A)DNA
B)Osteological
C)Molecular
D)Cultural
E)Historical

Question 40

Why are physical anthropologists concerned with human variation?

A)It focuses on separating different species.
B)They want to identify the factors that produce variation.
C)They want to prove that race is real.
D)The possibility exists to classify humans ethnically and racially.
E)Physical anthropologists are not concerned with human variation.

Question 41

Explain paleoanthropology and its importance.

Question 42

Explain what a hominin is and give the earliest evidence of hominins in this chapter.

Question 43

Explain how human beings are linked to all other life on earth and why this is important.

Question 44

Physical anthropologists are interested only in the study of biological phenomena and are not interested in the study of culture.

Question 45

Linguistic anthropology is important to the field of physical anthropology because of its insights into the development of language in human evolution.

Question 46

Scientific testing of a hypothesis may take several years but must always include only the original researchers.

Question 47

What can molecular anthropologists tell us about human evolution?

Question 48

Physical anthropologists must understand anatomy in order to assess the structure and function of fossil remains.

Question 49

Explain biocultural evolution.

Question 50

Culture is not genetically passed from one generation to the next; it is learned.

Question 51

What is anthropology? Why are there four subfields in the United States?

Question 52

The purpose of scientific research is to generate more accurate and consistent explanations of phenomena and NOT to establish absolute truths.

Question 53

Describe the subfields of archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology and how they are important to the study of physical anthropology.

Question 54

Explain in a biological sense what adaptation is.

Question 55

Anthropology CANNOT be applied to practical issues outside the university setting.

Question 56

Paleopathology is a major component of bioarchaeology.

Question 57

Humans are a product of the same evolutionary forces that produced all living things.

Question 58

Explain the major research areas in the field of physical/biological anthropology.

Question 59

Explain applied anthropology.

Question 60

Anthropologists strive to be as ethnocentric as possible.

Question 61

What is the anthropological perspective? Why is it important?

Question 62

Explain paleopathology and bioarcheaology.

Question 63

Discuss the role of the scientific method in physical anthropology and the study of evolution.

Question 64

Define anthropology and describe each of the four fields of anthropology and their importance.

Question 65

Explain why theories are neither absolutes nor facts.

Question 66

The predisposition for culture is perhaps the most critical component of human evolutionary history.

Question 67

Explain physical/biological anthropology and all of its areas of specialization.

Question 68

Describe the scientific method and its relevance to human evolution.

Question 69

Explain osteology and its importance to physical anthropology.