Deck 6: Early Hominids in Africa: Australopithecus and Homo Habilis

Question 1

Brachiation is the kind of locomotion where apes swing arm over arm in trees.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Specialization in locomotion shows up in both the ape and human lineages about 8 myr ago.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Humans have two more bones than any modern ape species.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Between 4 and 2 myr ago, hominid evolution was entirely in Africa.

Question 5

Bipedalism defines hominid status.

Question 6

The foramen magnum position changed from the middle of the rear of the skull in a quadruped to near the back of the base of the skull in a biped.

Question 7

The term "facultative bipedalism" refers to a transitional period when early hominids used trees as often as the ground.

Question 8

The reason why freeing hands for tool making is not regarded as a likely generator for bipedalism is because tools don't show up in the archaeological record for several million years after bipedalism.

Question 9

"Super sweating" had to evolve before bipedal hominids could be successful.

Question 10

Early hominids still showed large canines and diastema like hominoids.

Question 11

Logic suggests that loss of body hair occurred when hominids left Africa for areas with less sun.

Question 12

There may have been as many as 20 or as few as 5 hominid species in existence during the last 6 myr.

Question 13

Experts predict more species of hominids were in existence during later than during earlier days.

Question 14

Lumpers tend to prefer the phenetic model of hominid evolution and splitters prefer the cladistic model.

Question 15

Australopithecine and Neandertal fossils were found before Homo erectus, giving erectus a "before and after" morphology to fit into.

Question 16

Only Africa has given up any australopithecine fossils.

Question 17

All australopithecines had small chins.

Question 18

Mary Leakey found 2 to 3 sets of hominid footprints at Laetoli.

Question 19

The first Australopithecus africanus fossil was contentious as a hominid partly because it was a young child.

Question 20

The large muscles that connect the lower jaw to the crest at the top of the skull in all robust australopithecines is likely connected to their diet.

Question 21

The Black Skull's large crest and big teeth are probably adaptations to its diet of tough seeds and nuts.

Question 22

The first member of the genus Homo is Homo erectus.

Question 23

The Last Common Ancestor can be characterized as likely showing all of the following traits EXCEPT

A) generalized in locomotion
B) equally adept in trees and on the ground
C) quadrupedal
D) specialized on the ground as weight bearing knuckle walkers

Question 24

Which hominid trait came first?

A) bipedalism
B) large brain
C) U-shaped dental arch
D) hairlessness

Question 25

What happened to the spine when some quadruped group evolved to bipeds?

A) it got shorter
B) it got longer
C) it evolved two curves
D) two more vertebrae evolved in the neck area

Question 26

Of the following, which best describes a hominid's foot? It is a

A) grasping organ
B) walking platform
C) flexible hand
D) long toed hand

Question 27

What new form of thermoregulation had to evolve before bipedal hominids could be successful?

A) warm bloodedness
B) sweating
C) vasioconstriction
D) more blood to head

Question 28

Yves Coppens "East Side Story" concerning hominid bipedalism includes all of the following points EXCEPT

A) hominids and chimpanzees evolved on the east side, leaving gorillas on the west
B) plate tectonics resulted in the Rift Valley about 8 myr ago
C) two distinct ecological regions, humid and forested versus dry and open areas, were present
D) the LCA roamed freely on both sides of the Rift Valley

Question 29

Generally, early hominids had all of the following tooth and dental arch similarities EXCEPT

A) a U-shaped dental arch
B) large front and molar teeth
C) small canines
D) little or no diastema

Question 30

When the first australopithecine was discovered in 1925, most experts dismissed it as possibly being in our lineage because

A) it looked more like a gorilla than a hominid
B) it looked so different from any other fossil considered to be in our lineage
C) its date was too close to modern times for there to have been enough time for the necessary changes
D) the Churches (Catholic and Anglican) were anti evolution at that time

Question 31

Where are australopithecine sites clustered?

A) along the Rift Valley in East Africa
B) South African cave sites
C) randomly in all areas of East and South Africa
D) both A and B are correct

Question 32

South African paleontologists date their australopithecine finds by

A) finding fossils sandwiched between K-Ar dated layers
B) cross dating fauna to East African sites where K-Ar is possible
C) 14 C, as these very early fossils fall just into the dating range
D) thermoluminesence (TL or ESR) as the bones and teeth require

Question 33

A description of any or all of the australopithecines would include all of the following traits EXCEPT

A) a large and jutting jaw
B) a large face
C) a small chin
D) an average cc of 500

Question 34

The Laetoli footprint trail is comprised of

A) 2 to 3 adults with fully bipedal gait
B) one human footprint, the rest being large animals
C) single hunter stalking an impala
D) an entire band walking bipedally

Question 35

The first A. africanus from Taung (South Africa) was found in 1924 and given only cautious endorsement as a hominid for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) all early hominids were found in Asia, not Africa
B) it showed no definite signs of being bipedal
C) Piltdown with its large cranial capacity was still regarded as the ideal type
D) there was still general skepticism about evolution in general

Question 36

A. robustus and A. boisei have many morphological similarities to each other and differ from other australopithecines that likely result from

A) diet
B) locomotion
C) cranial capacity
D) A and B are correct

Question 37

The Black Skull is regarded as "super robust" among the australopithecines because it has the most/biggest amount in all of the following traits EXCEPT

A) cranial capacity
B) s aggital crest
C) prognathous face
D) dished-in face

Question 38

The last ancestral group to the genus Homo is likely to have been

A) A. africanus
B) A. habilis
C) Kenyapithecs
D) A. garhi

Question 39

H. habilis has been characterized cranially and postcranially. Cranially, it resembles the genus Homo; postcranially

A) it also looks like Homo
B) it resembles the australopithecines
C) it is a mosaic of Homo and Australopithecus
D) it kept traits suggesting arboreal forays for food

Question 40

In characterizing the genus Homo (early and late), you'd include all of the following traits EXCEPT

A) no crests on the skull
B) smaller jaws and molars than the australopithecines.
C) absence of large and flaring zygomatic arches
D) larger face than the australopithecines at least relative to its brain case size

Question 41

Describe bipedal walking from a motionless state to walking. What actually happens?

Question 42

What happens to knees from the quadrupedal to bipedal position? Draw a picture of pelvis to knee to feet for both.

Question 43

What role does a new kind of thermoregulation play in the hypothesis that bipedalism evolved to take advantage of small patchy food resources?

Question 44

Discuss Coppen's evidence for his hypothesis "the East Side Story" of hominid bipedalism.

Question 45

Discuss the Laetoli footprints: how old are they and of what importance are they?

Question 46

Discuss several reasons why the first Australopithecus africanus (Taung) was not fully accepted by scientists as being in our lineage.

Question 47

What do scientists think happened to the australopithecines (other than the fact that they became extinct)?

Question 48

Start with the skull and go to the toes, describing the major changes that took place between quadrupedalism to bipedalism in hominid anatomy.

Question 49

Discuss two of the early hypotheses concerning the origin of bipedalism along with a critique of why they are not likely the cause (but may be an effect) of bipedalism.

Question 50

Discuss the bioenergetic/thermodynamics hypothesis of bipedalism, using environmental context of 8 and 6 myr ago.

Question 51

Contrast the gracile and robust australopithecines. What are the basic anatomical differences and what was the likely cause of those differences?