Deck 5: Biology in the Present: Living People

Question 1

R.C.Lewontin found that human "races" have no taxonomic significance.He demonstrated this through:

A)research indicating that most genetic variation is found among human races.
B)research indicating that race categories accounted for a very small percentage of variation found across human populations.
C)the examination of variation in multiple human skull characteristics.
D)research that examined genetic diversity across different species of mammals.

Answer 1

research indicating that race categories accounted for a very small percentage of variation found across human populations.

Question 2

The obesity pandemic is primarily due to:

A)the increased ability to produce and consume inexpensive, high-fat foods.
B)a lack of physical exercise.
C)a combination of lower calories and more exercise.
D)the production of high-calorie, low-fat foods even though people still have a high exercise level.

Answer 2

the increased ability to produce and consume inexpensive, high-fat foods.

Question 3

The postnatal stage includes:

A)the first, second, and third trimesters.
B)menarche and senescence.
C)the growth or development of the deciduous teeth, motor skills, and cognitive abilities.
D)the human growth cycle from the embryo stage.

Answer 3

the growth or development of the deciduous teeth, motor skills, and cognitive abilities.

Question 4

The prenatal stage in humans is divided into:

A)trimesters.
B)the neonatal period versus after the end of lactation.
C)infancy, childhood, the juvenile period, puberty, adolescence, and adulthood.
D)the neonatal period, infancy, the juvenile period, puberty, and adolescence.

Question 5

Children living at high altitudes develop a larger chest cavity by adulthood than children living at lower altitudes.This is an example of:

A)environmental adaptations that occur at the individual level.
B)acclimatization at the individual level.
C)developmental adaptations that occur at the level of the individual during critical life stages.
D)inheritance of increases in lung volume by high-altitude populations.

Question 6

Genetic adaptation:

A)occurs at the population level via natural selection.
B)occurs at the individual level during childhood.
C)occurs at the individual level throughout an individual's lifetime.
D)involves using material culture to make living possible in certain settings.

Question 7

A cline:

A)is continuous variation that follows a continuum.
B)is variation that falls into discrete categories.
C)describes the pattern of occurrence of trisomy 18.
D)was used to describe human variation as early as the Renaissance.

Question 8

Stressors during the prenatal stage include:

A)a vegetarian diet of greens, fruits, and dairy products.
B)smoking, alcohol, and drugs.
C)heavy exercise like running and swimming.
D)lack of exercise.

Question 9

Multiple biological traits:

A)do not lead to clear-cut racial classifications.
B)are race specific.
C)help with biological profiling.
D)do not exist in humans.

Question 10

Sexual maturation or puberty is marked by:

A)menarche in girls.
B)similar body size in boys and girls.
C)a short-term rapid increase in brain growth.
D)adult social roles.

Question 11

Although Allen's and Bergmann's rules often explain body shape and morphology, we occasionally see variations from the correct patterns.This sometimes indicates that:

A)the long-term association between body shape and climate is an example of acclimatization.
B)body shape and morphology do not reflect both evolutionary and developmental processes.
C)the association between body shape and morphology does respond to environmental stressors.
D)the association between body shape, morphology, and the environment is not a result of natural selection.

Question 12

The American economist David Seckler incorrectly hypothesized that:

A)growth accelerates and decelerates according to various life stages.
B)undernourished populations experience accelerated growth and development.
C)there is a relationship between genes and the environment.
D)shortness in height is an adaptation to reduced food supplies.

Question 13

C.Loring Brace argued that the race concept:

A)was first used by Marco Polo as he recorded huge amounts of information during his travels in Asia.
B)has been present throughout human history.
C)can be traced to the Renaissance, when seafaring travelers observed differences between people from distant lands.
D)originated in ancient Egypt.

Question 14

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach:

A)discovered the existence of three races.
B)categorized skulls into five racial types.
C)used blood types and skin colors to create a racial taxonomy for humans.
D)showed that skull shape changed over time.

Question 15

Franz Boas:

A)was a strong supporter of the race concept.
B)created racial categories based on living populations in the United States.
C)showed that U.S.-born children had the same head shapes as their immigrant parents.
D)showed that U.S.-born children had different head shapes than their immigrant parents.

Question 16

Infancy:

A)runs from the second month after birth to the end of lactation, usually by the end of the third year.
B)runs from three to seven years, generally postweaning.
C)is also called the "neonatal" period.
D)includes three months before birth and three months after birth.

Question 17

Which of the following biological processes involves a reduction in homeostasis?

A)senescence
B)Wolff's law
C)prenatal development
D)adult stage of development

Question 18

Allen's rule indicates that humans will have:

A)larger lungs in hot environments and smaller lungs in cold environments.
B)smaller bodies in cold environments and larger bodies in hot environments.
C)longer limbs in hot environments and shorter limbs in cold environments.
D)taller bodies in cold environments and shorter bodies in hot environments.

Question 19

The long limb measurements of Turkana pastoralists indicate that the population:

A)is on the continuum of variation observed in Allen's rule.
B)represents the variability that results from Wolff's law of skeletal replacement.
C)has body proportions that are not well adapted to warmer climates.
D)is well adapted for life at high latitudes, as Allen's rule predicts for pastoralist populations.

Question 20

When epiphyses fuse to the diaphyses:

A)long bone growth is slowed.
B)full adult height is attained.
C)the adolescent growth spurt begins.
D)the diaphyses continue to grow but the epiphyses stop growing.

Question 21

Developmental (or ontogenetic) adaptation:

A)occurs at the individual level throughout an individual's lifetime.
B)occurs at the individual level during childhood.
C)involves using material culture to make living possible in certain settings.
D)occurs at the population level via natural selection.

Question 22

Homeostasis may be studied indirectly by:

A)observing living populations as they engage in various activities in various settings.
B)experimentally manipulating or replicating environmental conditions and observing human responses.
C)identifying the genome of a given population of humans.
D)observing differences in such measures as body temperature across human groups.

Question 23

Hypoxia has been shown to be an agent of natural selection in that Tibetan women:

A)at high altitudes had fewer surviving children.
B)with alleles for high oxygen saturation in their hemoglobin had more surviving children.
C)with alleles for high oxygen saturation in their hemoglobin had fewer surviving children.
D)have poor nutrition.

Question 24

For women with very low body weight, high amounts of exercise can result in:

A)increased female fertility.
B)increased ovarian function.
C)a reduced ability to conceive relative to women who do not exercise.
D)higher rates of conception than in women who do not exercise.

Question 25

Homeostasis may be studied directly by:

A)observing living populations as they engage in various activities in various settings.
B)experimentally manipulating or replicating environmental conditions and observing human responses.
C)identifying the genome of a given population of humans.
D)observing differences in such measures as body temperature across human groups.

Question 26

The maintenance of homeostasis:

A)is a key feature of most levels of any organism's biology.
B)involves the study of populations in their natural environments.
C)involves using material culture to make living possible in certain settings.
D)involves the replication of environmental conditions and human responses to those conditions.

Question 27

Functional adaptations:

A)are important population-level genetic changes.
B)occur at the individual level only during childhood.
C)involve using material culture to make living possible in certain settings.
D)are biological adjustments within an individual's lifetime, including developmental adaptations and acclimatization.

Question 28

Melanin:

A)is advantageous because it provides protection from solar radiation.
B)is a chemical that decreases the possibility of a tan.
C)occurs at high rates in individuals with light skin tone.
D)develops more with age.

Question 29

Relative to people with a history of living in temperate climates, the Inuit and other cold-adapted populations:

A)have lower BMRs.
B)consume more carbohydrates.
C)reduce peripheral body temperatures to maintain core temperatures.
D)have short limbs and large bodies.

Question 30

Sexual dimorphism refers to the:

A)onset of menarche.
B)reduction in bone growth rate with the fusion of epiphyses.
C)difference in sexual characteristics before versus after puberty.
D)difference in physical attributes of males and females.

Question 31

Dark skin (a result of increased melanin production in equatorial peoples) is likely a response to ultraviolet radiation, because UV radiation can cause:

A)skin cancer.
B)hypoxia.
C)rickets.
D)hypothermia.

Question 32

Natural selection favored alleles for light skin in:

A)Africa.
B)Europe.
C)South America.
D)Australia.

Question 33

Rickets is the result of:

A)a lack of vitamin D.
B)a lack of melanin.
C)high UV exposure.
D)severe air pollution.

Question 34

Adolescence includes:

A)stability in physiology, behavior, and cognition.
B)a decline in function of tissue and many organs.
C)eruption of dentition and increased brain growth.
D)the development of secondary sex characteristics and interest in adult social, sexual, and economic behaviors.

Question 35

Is race a valid, biologically meaningful concept? Why or why not?

Question 36

Acclimatization:

A)occurs at the individual level throughout an individual's lifetime.
B)occurs at the individual level during childhood.
C)involves using material culture to make living possible in certain settings.
D)occurs at the population level via natural selection.

Question 37

Wolff's law:

A)is the principle that the lengths of limb bones are related to environmental conditions.
B)applies to the maintenance of the entire endocrine system.
C)states that after puberty there will be almost no further remodeling of bone when it is under stress.
D)refers to the homeostatic balance leading to bone mass being produced where it is needed and removed where it is not needed.

Question 38

Which is a major contributor to the success of our species?

A)high fecundity
B)body variation
C)human adaptability
D)skin tone variation

Question 39

Cultural adaptation:

A)occurs at the population level via natural selection.
B)occurs at the individual level during childhood.
C)involves using material culture or learned practices to make living possible in certain settings.
D)usually occurs in adults, not children.

Question 40

In the days races were thought to be valid, static categories, Friedrich Blumenbach categorized humans into the following races:

A)Negroids, Caucasoids, and Mongoloids.
B)Mongoloids, Negroids, Inuit, and Caucasoids.
C)Mongoloids, Malays, Ethiopians, American Indians, and Caucasoids.
D)Mongoloids, Negroids, Malays, Europeans, and Caucasoids.

Question 41

Discuss the origins of racism.Include early scientists and their views on human variation.

Question 42

Discuss the obesity pandemic.Include current studies that demonstrate likely causes.

Question 43

Discuss Allen's and Bergmann's rules and how they affect human variation.Include the forces of evolution discussed in previous chapters to support your essay.

Question 44

How does human life history (prenatal stage, infancy, childhood, juvenile stage, adolescence, adulthood, old age) determine the interaction between genes and environment?

Question 45

Discuss how natural selection has likely influenced the evolution of skin color in humans.