Deck 3: African Exodus

Question 1

The Matuyam/Bruhes boundary is the name given to what event?

A) The beginning of the Great Ice Age.
B) The change in the earth's magnetic field.
C) The modern configuration of the earth's continents.
D) The retreat of the ice shelves over the Northern Hemisphere.

Answer 1

The change in the earth's magnetic field.

Question 2

Homo erectus fossil finds in Asia have been dated to how long ago?

A) 2 mya.
B) 1.8 mya.
C) 1.5 mya.
D) The date is disputed.

Answer 2

1.8 mya.

Question 3

The domestication of fire allowed early humans to accomplish which of the following?

A) The cooking of food for higher calorie content.
B) The migration into temperate climate zones.
C) Additional protection against animal predators.
D) All of these.

Answer 3

All of these.

Question 4

As early humans moved into new areas, they invariable settled near which features?

A) Lakes and rivers.
B) Migratory routes of animals.
C) Mountain caves.
D) Beaches and oceans.

Question 5

The earliest known wooden throwing spears, found in Schoningen, Germany, date from how many years ago?

A) 700,000 years ago.
B) 400,000 years ago.
C) 650,000 years ago.
D) 125,000 years ago.

Question 6

Hunting and killing large herbivores (e.g., elephants) would have required group cooperation and communication among Homo erectus. Evidence for this may exist at …

A) Boxgrove.
B) Trinil.
C) Koobi For a.
D) Torralba.

Question 7

Bamboo artifacts are ideal for people who eat …

A) bears and deer.
B) freshwater fish.
C) fruits and nuts.
D) monkeys, rats, lizards, and snakes.

Question 8

What do anthropologists believe the early humans developed about 250,000 years ago to handle increasing complex social information?

A) Counting systems.
B) Language.
C) Hierarchical groupings.
D) All of these.

Question 9

A major archeological site for Homo heidelbergensis, the last common ancestor of the Neanderthals, was located in what part of Europe?

A) Atapuerca, Spain.
B) Neander Valley, Germany.
C) Schoningen, Germany.
D) Le Moustier, France.

Question 10

How long ago did Neanderthals disappear from the archaeological record?

A) 110,000 years ago.
B) 50,000 years ago.
C) 10,000 years ago.
D) 30,000 years ago.

Question 11

Neanderthal populations knew their environments. This allowed them to …

A) hunt at will.
B) never lack for food.
C) store food and maximize meat resources.
D) follow the migrating herds.

Question 12

Who were the first human populations to leave archaeological evidence of a complex cultural system that included a belief in an afterworld?

A) Homo neanderthalensis.
B) Homo erectus.
C) Homo ergaster.
D) Homo sapiens.

Question 13

What is (are) the main difference(s) that separated modern humans from Neanderthals?

A) Intellectual and physical powers.
B) Flint knapping.
C) Larger brain.
D) All of these.

Question 14

Archaeological evidence from Herto supports the appearance of modern humans no later than how many years ago?

A) 200,000 years ago.
B) 157,000 years ago.
C) 107,000 years ago.
D) 90,000 years ago.

Question 15

Mitochondrial DNA studies were able to confirm which of the following statements?

A) Neanderthals evolved into modern humans.
B) All modern humans share a common ancestor.
C) Modern humans originated from Eurasia.
D) All of these.

Question 16

Modern humans can be distinguished from earlier predecessors by which features?

A) Art and religion.
B) Expert toolmaking.
C) Fluent speech.
D) All of these.

Question 17

Most authorities believe that Homo sapiens had …

A) an African origin.
B) multiregional origins.
C) a European origin.
D) All of these.

Question 18

Homo sapiens relied on …

A) much more sophisticated tool technology than that of their predecessors.
B) religion to guide them to better hunting grounds.
C) language and other cognitive skills to develop better and better hunting techniques.
D) Neanderthals in Europe for directing them to better hunting grounds.

Question 19

What are some of the reasons why Homo erectusmay have spread from tropical Africa into more temperate Asia and Europe?

Question 20

How did the domestication of fire help early prehistoric humans?

Question 21

Discuss and evaluate the evidence for the early use of bamboo in tropical Asia and explain why, if African species used similar materials, these artifacts have not been found.

Question 22

What does DNA evidence reveal about relationships between Neanderthals and modern humans? What are the possible reasons why the Neanderthals died out 30,000 years ago?

Question 23

Describe what distinguishes Homo sapiens from their predecessors and pinpoint which hominins first show early signs of these modern human characteristics.