Deck 10: From Hominoid to Hominin

Question 1

Orrorin tugenensis is identified as a very likely hominid on the basis of what evidence?

A) Features of the base of the skull
B) Footprints preserved in volcanic ash
C) Features of the femur
D) Features of the spine and ribs

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Orrorin tugenensis

A) was quadripedal.
B) was ancestral to Sahelanthropus tchadensis.
C) is dated to 4 million years ago.
D) lived in a mix of woodland and savanna.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Surprising findings regarding Ardipithecus ramidus include

A) limb proportions like those of modern great apes.
B) specialization for below-branch feeding.
C) limb proportions like those of monkeys.
D) hands that are similar to those of African apes.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

During the late Miocene, Africa

A) became warmer and wetter.
B) had an expansion of dense forests.
C) experienced less rain and was more seasonal.
D) shifted farther north.

Question 5

The oldest hominin is

A) Australopithecus.
B) Sahelanthropus.
C) Zinjanthropus.
D) Pithecanthropus.

Question 6

Fossil candidates for the "first" hominins include

A) Pan, Pongo, Hylobates
B) Sahelanthropus, Orrorin, Ardipithecus
C) Paranthropus, Homo erectus, Homo ergaster
D) Homo heidelbergensis, Neanderthals, Homo sapiens

Question 7

Derived traits that distinguish modern humans from apes include

A) facultative bipedalism.
B) a short juvenile period.
C) a large brain-to-body-size ratio.
D) less body hair.

Question 8

Between 4 and 2 mya we see some of the distinctive features that differentiate hominins from apes. These features include

A) evidence of bipedal locomotion.
B) small posterior teeth.
C) large canines.
D) the loss of a tail.

Question 9

The distribution of cortical bone in the femur

A) is diagnostic of locomotor patterns.
B) can be used to estimate body weight.
C) cannot be measured in fossils.
D) tells you how strong a species was.

Question 10

Compared with the dentition of chimpanzees, Sahelanthropus tchadensis had

A) larger canines.
B) upper canines that are not sharpened against the lower premolar.
C) thinner enamel.
D) larger incisors.

Question 11

Ardipithecus ramidus is apelike in that it had

A) small molars.
B) thick enamel.
C) a forwardly placed foramen magnum.
D) a femur that angles inward.

Question 12

Genetic data indicate that the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees lived between

A) 2 and 1 mya.
B) 4 and 2 mya.
C) 5 and 3 mya.
D) 7 and 5 mya.

Question 13

The transition from hominoid to hominin occurred during a transition

A) from forest to savanna.
B) from savanna to forest.
C) from arboreality to terrestriality.
D) Both a and

Question 14

Among the pre-4-mya fossils that some paleoanthropologists include in the hominin family, ________ is thought to be a biped based on information from a single toe bone.

A) Sahelanthropus tchadensis
B) Ardipithecus kadabba
C) Orrorin tugenensis
D) Ardipithecus ramidus

Question 15

Humans have

A) a femur that descends vertically from the pelvis.
B) a knee joint that is not slanted or angled toward the midline of the body.
C) cortical bone that is evenly distributed around the femur.
D) a divergent big toe.

Question 16

Based on fossil evidence, which feature is thought to have evolved first in hominin evolution, bipedalism or large brains?

A) Bipedalism.
B) Large brains.
C) Both evolved at the same time.
D) This answer cannot be obtained from currently available data.

Question 17

Compared with great apes, Ardipithecus ramidus was characterized by

A) thicker molar enamel and larger canines.
B) thicker molar enamel and smaller canines.
C) thinner molar enamel and larger canines.
D) thinner molar enamel and smaller canines.

Question 18

The cortical bone on the femur of ________ has a humanlike pattern of thickness.

A) Sahelanthropus tchadensis
B) Ardipithecus kadabba
C) Orrorin tugenensis
D) None of the above.

Question 19

The very first hominins date to about

A) 60 million years ago.
B) 6 million years ago.
C) 600,000 years ago.
D) 60,000 years ago.

Question 20

Bipedalism may have evolved because it allowed hominins to

A) keep cool in savanna environments.
B) plant and cultivate food.
C) travel easily in the trees.
D) swim as well as travel on land.

Question 21

Features showing that Australopithecus afarensis is a hominin include

A) a large brain.
B) lack of a tail.
C) bipedalism.
D) thin molar enamel.

Question 22

Bipedalism may have evolved because hominin ancestors were

A) above-branch quadrupeds.
B) below-branch, suspensory primates.
C) vertical clingers and leapers.
D) amphibians.

Question 23

Australopithecus afarensis was

A) sexually dimorphic.
B) a stone-tool manufacturer.
C) monogamous.
D) older than Ardipithecus ramidus.

Question 24

Primitive characteristics that distinguish Australopithecus anamensis from later australopithecines include

A) large canines.
B) a parabolic dental arcade.
C) the shape of the tibia.
D) a sagittal crest.

Question 25

Which of the following bones can provide evidence that a fossil animal was bipedal?

A) Humerus, fingers
B) A hand with an opposable thumb
C) Ear bones (related to balance)
D) Pelvis, femur, skull

Question 26

The Laetoli footprints show that Australopithecus afarensis was

A) an efficient biped compared with humans.
B) an inefficient biped compared with humans.
C) about as equally efficient a biped as humans.
D) not bipedal.

Question 27

It is likely that Australopithecus afarensis

A) matured more slowly than chimpanzees.
B) had a brain size three to four times bigger than those of chimpanzees.
C) made and used stone tools to scavenge meat.
D) lived throughout West, Central, East, and South Africa.

Question 28

A femur from a bipedal primate ________ than that of a quadrupedal primate.

A) has more torque
B) is shorter
C) is angled inward more
D) is angled outward more

Question 29

Bipedalism may have evolved because it allowed hominins to

A) keep warm.
B) sit upright.
C) harvest food from small trees.
D) run.

Question 30

Australopithecus africanus shares which of the following traits with humans?

A) More air pockets in the skull
B) Canines that are less dimorphic
C) More prognathism
D) Height

Question 31

Australopithecines were

A) prehominin apes from the Miocene from which hominins evolved.
B) toothless wonders from the late Cretaceous.
C) bipedal primates.
D) primates with brains larger than hominoids.

Question 32

Australopithecus garhi had a unique fin of bone on its skull known as a

A) Sagittal crest.
B) Sagittal keel.
C) Sagittal mohawk.
D) Sagittal protuberance.

Question 33

The first lower premolar of chimpanzees has ________, the first lower premolar of humans has ________, and Australopithecus afarensis had ________.

A) two equal cusps; no cusps; a small and a large cusp
B) one cusp; no cusps; two equal cusps
C) one cusp; two cusps; no cusp
D) one cusp; two cusps; a small and a large cusp

Question 34

Derived features of Australopithecus afarensis include

A) bipedalism.
B) a large brain.
C) a tail.
D) prognathism.

Question 35

Dental characteristics of hominins, relative to previous species, include

A) thin enamel.
B) thick enamel.
C) a parallel dental arcade.
D) both a and

Question 36

Australopithecus africanus is most similar to which of the following species?

A) Australopithecus afarensis
B) Australopithecus boisei
C) Ardipithecus ramidus
D) Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Question 37

Which of the following skeletal features indicate arboreal adaptations?

A) Long lower limbs
B) Eyes moved toward the side of the head
C) Curved fingers and toes
D) Reliance on the sense of smell

Question 38

The fossil specimen known as "Lucy"

A) is a 3.2-million-year-old australopithecine.
B) is a complete skeleton.
C) was not bipedal.
D) was named after the Peanuts character.

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a feature associated with bipedal locomotion?

A) A femur angled inwards toward the body
B) Arched feet
C) Narrow and long pelvis
D) A foramen magnum positioned more anteriorly (centered under the skull)

Question 40

Features of Australopithecus afarensis that are intermediate between those of apes and humans include

A) the shape of the skull.
B) the size of the canines.
C) the size of the brain.
D) both a and

Question 41

Imagine you have found a skull with an ape-size brain, sagittal crest, very large back teeth, and large cheekbones. Based on this information, this is most likely a specimen of

A) Australopithecus afarensis.
B) a robust australopith.
C) Australopithecus africanus.
D) a modern human.

Question 42

Chemical analysis of robust australopith teeth suggests that these hominins ate

A) only insects.
B) only tough foods.
C) tough foods and meat.
D) only meat.

Question 43

What is the anatomical evidence that early australopithecines were bipedal?

Question 44

Paranthropus robustus

A) was about 4.5 ft. tall and bipedal
B) was not fully bipedal.
C) had very small molars.
D) had very large incisors.

Question 45

Raymond Dart argued that the Taung child was bipedal because it possessed

A) a femur angled toward the midline of the body.
B) an S-shaped spinal column.
C) footprints at Laetoli.
D) a foramen magnum at the bottom of the cranium.

Question 46

The evidence is compelling for either Sahelanthropus or Orrorin to have been most like the first hominin. Pick one, and make your case for why you think so.

Question 47

Compared to the gracile australopiths, the robust australopiths

A) were twice the body size.
B) exhibit a number of derived features of the cranium and teeth.
C) were not appreciably different in any way.
D) have all come from East African sites.

Question 48

The recent discovery of ________ in 2008 sparked controversy regarding its finders' claims that it is the most likely candidate of the ancestors of genus Homo.

A) Australopithecus africanus
B) Australopithecus afarensis
C) Australopithecus sediba
D) Australopithecus ramidus

Question 49

Paranthropus aethiopicus

A) is the most robust of the robust australopithecines.
B) retains many primitive characteristics of Australopithecus afarensis.
C) shares many derived characters with the genus Homo.
D) is the direct ancestor of genus Homo.

Question 50

Compare and contrast the characteristics of Sahelanthropus, Orrorin, and Ardipithecus. What kinds of environments did they live in? How did the environment shape the evolution of their morphology?

Question 51

Australopithecus africanus has derived features not shared with humans. These include

A) a fully bipedal gait.
B) large canines.
C) heavy chewing adaptations.
D) a modified pelvis.

Question 52

Australopithecus africanus's maturation rate was determined by

A) the cranial suture closure.
B) the long bone suture closure.
C) relative tooth eruption.
D) relative nail growth.

Question 53

The skull ________ invalidates the theory that robustness in the skull and teeth was a derived state for the australopithecines.

A) WT 17000
B) OH 15
C) ER 1813
D) ER 1470

Question 54

Despite some confusion at present about hominin phylogeny, which of the following statements is true?

A) Humans evolved from one of the robust australopiths.
B) Humans evolved from one of the australopithecines.
C) Humans evolved from a non-australopithecine ancestor.
D) There is not enough evidence to speculate about human ancestry.

Question 55

Australopithecus africanus matured

A) more slowly than modern humans.
B) at about the same rate as modern humans.
C) more quickly than modern humans.
D) at variable rates, depending on geographic location.

Question 56

A recently discovered early hominin, which dates to 3.5-3.2 mya and has a flat face, is

A) Orrorin tugenensis.
B) Ardipithecus ramidus.
C) Australopithecus afarensis.
D) Kenyanthropus platyops.

Question 57

Which early hominin had molarized premolars and megadont molars for extremely heavy chewing?

A) Paranthropus robustus.
B) Australopithecus afarensis.
C) Paranthropus boisei.
D) Australopithecus africanus.

Question 58

Studies of tooth enamel tell us that

A) C4 plants are woody plants while C3 plants are grasses and sedges.
B) Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus shared a variable diet that may have included animals that fed on C4 plants.
C) chimpanzees feed mainly on C4 plants.
D) Paranthropus boisei ate mostly C3 plants.

Question 59

Evidence that the robust australopithecines ate hard foods includes

A) the browridge.
B) the nuchal crest.
C) flared zygomatics.
D) a small brain.

Question 60

Paranthropus robustus had skull structures specialized for

A) cannibalism.
B) heavy chewing.
C) carnivory.
D) speech.

Question 61

What was the diet of the robust australopiths? What are the anatomical features associated with their diet?

Question 62

Which known member of the genus Australopithecus is most like an ancestor to later australopiths and even of our genus, Homo? Support your suggestion with information about features of the hominins noted in the chapter.

Question 63

Discuss three hypotheses concerning the evolution of bipedalism.

Question 64

Why might there be uncertainties about the relationship of different hominins to each other?