Deck 5: How Does the Evolutionary Study of Human Variation Undermine Notions of Biological Race

Question 1

The subfield of evolutionary studies that devotes attention to short-term evolutionary changes is

A) macroevolution.
B) microevolution.
C) modern synthesis.
D) natural selection.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The subfield of evolutionary studies that focuses on long-term evolutionary changes is

A) macroevolution.
B) microevolution.
C) modern synthesis.
D) natural selection.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The concept that defines a species as a reproductive community of populations (reproductively isolated from others) that occupies a specific niche in nature is the

A) breeding group concept.
B) phylogenetic species concept.
C) phenetic fossil species concept.
D) biological species concept.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The concept that defines a species on the basis of a set of unique features (morphological or genetic) that distinguish its members from other, related species is called the

A) breeding group concept.
B) phylogenetic species concept.
C) phenetic fossil species concept.
D) biological species concept.

Question 5

The concept that defines a fossil species based on the degrees of morphological difference that can be calculated between living species is called the

A) breeding group concept.
B) phylogenetic species concept.
C) phenetic fossil species concept.
D) biological species concept.

Question 6

All of the genes in the bodies of all members of a given species or population make up a

A) gene pool.
B) genotype.
C) gene frequency.
D) gene flow.

Question 7

The field that focuses on the study of short-term evolutionary change in a given species is known as

A) genetics.
B) macrogenetics.
C) microgenetics.
D) population genetics.

Question 8

Which of the following is used to describe alleles that come in a range of different forms?

A) Clines
B) Genetic variation
C) Gene frequency
D) Polymorphous

Question 9

The distribution of skin pigmentation from the poles to the equator forms a

A) cline.
B) chwartz.
C) kepllin.
D) koan.

Question 10

The creation of a new allele for a gene when the chemistry of the DNA molecule to which it corresponds is suddenly altered is called

A) gene flow.
B) genetic drift.
C) mutation.
D) plasticity.

Question 11

Gene frequencies may be altered if a given population begins to interbreed with another population of the same species. This is known as

A) gene flow.
B) genetic drift.
C) mutation.
D) natural selection.

Question 12

Random changes in gene frequencies from one generation to the next due to a sudden reduction in population size and resulting in the loss of particular alleles is known as

A) gene flow.
B) genetic drift.
C) mutation.
D) natural selection.

Question 13

Today, many biologists and anthropologists agree that the most intense selection pressures our species faces come from

A) the extinctions of other species.
B) global climate change.
C) disease organisms that target the immune system.
D) radiation from outer space.

Question 14

The physiological flexibility that allows organisms to respond to environmental stresses, such as temperature change is called

A) adaptive conjuncture.
B) niche construction.
C) phenotypic plasticity.
D) acclimatization.

Question 15

The mutual shaping of organisms and their environments is known as

A) acclimatization.
B) adaptation.
C) plasticity.
D) pleiotropy.

Question 16

The process by which one species gradually transforms itself into a new species over time is called

A) cladogenesis.
B) phenotypic transformation.
C) phyletic gradualism.
D) punctuated equilibrium.

Question 17

A change in the way the body functions in result to physical stress is called

A) acclimatization.
B) adaptation.
C) plasticity.
D) pleiotropy.

Question 18

The concept of race has not disappeared from contemporary discussions of human variation, and in recent years, discussions that connect race and biology have been revived, referred to as

A) natural selection.
B) macroevolution.
C) molecularization of race.
D) microevolution.

Question 19

Species are normally subdivided into populations that are more or less scattered, that may be separated at one time, but may merge together again, and successfully reproduce, at a later time. This process is called

A) reticulation.
B) speciation.
C) phylogenesis.
D) ontogenesis.

Question 20

"Population thinking" is central to the evolutionary thinking of

A) Linnaeus.
B) Lamarck.
C) Cuvier.
D) Darwin.

Question 21

According to Nadia Abu El-Haj, some biomedical researchers in the United States use racial groups as surrogates for individuals who consider themselves to be members of such groups. Why?

A) If a disease marker shows up in the genomes of some people who are supposed to be in the racial group, then others in the same racial group may be at risk for the disease.
B) People who belong to the same race will have the same basic genetic information and therefore will need to be treated for the same diseases.
C) The biomedical researchers make the mistake of thinking that races exist; therefore, they are making a mistake in their research.
D) They are looking for a way to demonstrate, once and for all, that biological race is real.

Question 22

Clarence Gravlee and his colleagues carried out research in Puerto Rico, attempting to explain why darker skin pigmentation was associated with higher blood pressure. They found that Puerto Ricans with darker skins and higher socioeconomic status actually experienced higher blood pressure than other Puerto Ricans. How did they interpret this finding?

A) They realized that their ways of measuring skin color were inaccurate.
B) Individuals with darker skins and higher socioeconomic status were likely to experience more intense racism, which contributed to higher blood pressure.
C) They realized that their ways of measuring blood pressure were inaccurate.
D) Higher blood pressure does not actually correlate with skin color.

Question 23

A well-known example of a balanced polymorphism is

A) acclimatization response.
B) body shape in cold climates.
C) red hair color.
D) sickle-cell anemia.

Question 24

A situation in which the heterozygous genotype is fitter than either of the homozygous genotypes is called

A) a balanced polymorphism.
B) Bregmann's Rule.
C) hemoglobin A.
D) a natural selection adjustment.

Question 25

When variations in skin color of indigenous populations of the world are plotted on a map,

A) the populations with the darkest pigmentation live furthest from the equator.
B) the populations with the darkest pigmentation live closest to the equator.
C) skin color is randomly distributed throughout the world.
D) indigenous populations have relatively consistent skin color.

Question 26

Much recent research has demonstrated that IQ scores are

A) based on the test-taker's genotype.
B) determined about 60 percent by genes and about 40 percent by the environment.
C) due to random factors such as temperature, noise, or mood, in the test-taking situation.
D) shaped by a range of environmental factors.

Question 27

Recent research shows that when African Americans and European Americans are matched in terms of social class and educational background, the differences in average IQ scores

A) do not change.
B) disappear.
C) increase by 12 points.
D) vary inversely.

Question 28

When scholars use mathematical formulas to predict outcomes of particular kinds of human interactions under different hypothesized conditions, they are using what is (are) called

A) sociobiology.
B) scientific methods.
C) formal models.
D) fieldwork.

Question 29

Denial of the existence of biological race is NOT to deny the existence of human biological or genetic diversity.

Question 30

When Clarence Gravlee and his colleagues carried out research on high blood pressure (or hypertension) in Puerto Rico, they found out that Puerto Ricans with darker skins and higher socioeconomic status experienced higher blood pressure than other Puerto Ricans.

Question 31

Which of the following correctly describes the nesting of the concepts biologists use to organize their understanding of the living world?

A) Organisms made up of populations made up of species
B) Species made up of populations made up of organisms
C) Populations made up of organisms made up of species
D) Species made up of genera made up of phyla

Question 32

Which of the following statements about the concept of "species" is correct?

A) The biological species concept is used by all biologists, whether working with living or fossil organisms.
B) The phylogenetic species concept is used by all biologists, whether working with living or fossil organisms.
C) The phenetic species concept is used by all biologists, whether working with living or fossil organisms.
D) Different biologists, working with living and fossil organisms, have devised different criteria to identify boundaries between species.

Question 33

According to the text, if humanity cannot be divided into a series of genetically distinct units, then

A) the concept of race is biologically meaningless.
B) human races are based on very specific genetic variations.
C) microraces are the only biological possibility.
D) the concept of race must be revised.

Question 34

Following the completion of the Human Genome Project, a new race concept seems to be developing, based on the classification of

A) diseases.
B) genotypes.
C) phenotypes.
D) cells.

Question 35

Controversies such as the one involving BiDil are best understood as

A) attempts to give old racial classifications a new lease on life.
B) evidence that contemporary biomedical research produces only negative consequences.
C) demonstrations that biological differences are a more powerful explanation for health disparities than are social factors.
D) the outcome of various ways in which people struggle to contend with the significance of race in multiple social and biological registers simultaneously, often in contradictory manners.

Question 36

Anthropologist Clarence Gravlee and his colleagues concluded their study on high blood pressure in Puerto Rico by arguing that

A) taking culture seriously may both clarify the consequences of social inequalities and empower future genetic association studies.
B) taking culture into account adds nothing to our understanding of the connection between race and health.
C) culture explains everything about why some groups in Puerto Rico experience higher blood pressure than others.
D) skin color explains everything about why some groups in Puerto Rico experience higher blood pressure than others.

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT one of the four evolutionary processes?

A) Gene flow
B) Genetic drift
C) Mutation
D) Plasticity

Question 38

Assume that in a small population, 15 percent of the people are blue-eyed and have brown hair. Assume further that within this population, there is an adventurous group that wishes to explore the region and settle down in new territory. Of this adventurous group, 87 percent are blue-eyed and have brown hair. When they leave, the gene frequencies in the remaining population will change for blue-eyes and brown hair in the next generation. This is an example of

A) gene flow.
B) genetic drift.
C) mutation.
D) natural selection.

Question 39

When human beings move into an area that seems too cold for them, they can wear clothing, build shelters, or cluster around a fire. These activities can be called

A) adaptation.
B) environmental stress.
C) plasticity.
D) pleiotropy.

Question 40

Which of the following is an example of acclimatization?

A) Overheating
B) Increased lung capacity in people raised at high altitudes
C) Increased male baldness in northern climates
D) Decreased sexual dimorphism

Question 41

Variations in human skin color protect against ultraviolet radiation and impede the destruction of folic acid.

Question 42

Cultural practices have not shaped the levels of pigmentation in human populations.

Question 43

Describe what it means to say that populations form a reproductive community. Use three examples from the text in your response.

Question 44

Using examples from the text, explain the difference between short-term acclimatization and developmental acclimatization.

Question 45

Discuss the role randomness plays in evolution using examples.

Question 46

Discuss the interaction of human cultural practices and biological selection pressures operating on human populations with regard to the sickle-cell genotype.

Question 47

Why do anthropologists reject the idea of biological races?

Question 48

What are the major differences between the phyletic gradualism and punctuated equilibria approaches to interpreting evolution?