Deck 1: What Is Physical Anthropology

Question 1

Darwin's observation that bipedalism frees the hand to hold objects led him to hypothesize that tool use was an important selective pressure on bipedalism.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A recent news article reports on findings from a dig in Mesopotamia.The researchers report that skeletal populations indicate a decline in stature and likely overall health at this period in time.This reminds you of another study you have read about,the populations of St.Catherines Island.What could be the reasons for the changes in skeletons?

A)Health and stature declined with a transition to hunting and gathering.
B)Health and stature declined with the adoption of agriculture.
C)Health and stature declined with the Industrial Revolution.
D)Health and stature declined by an outbreak of an avian virus.

Answer 2

Health and stature declined with the adoption of agriculture.

Question 3

Margaret Mead was an early physical anthropologist who worked in Papua New Guinea.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Physical anthropology does NOT include:

A)archaeology.
B)linguistics.
C)forensics.
D)genetics.

Question 5

Physical anthropologists assisted with the identification of victims at New York's World Trade Center after 9/11.

Question 6

Physical anthropology:

A)consists of primatology and linguistics.
B)is the study of human antiquities.
C)relies on the scientific method.
D)all of the above

Question 7

Anthropology includes the study of:

A)the use and social context of language.
B)fossil humans and their closest relatives.
C)prehistoric societies and artifacts.
D)all of the above

Question 8

Current evidence indicates that the earliest hominids lived in Africa 1-3 mya.

Question 9

Morphology refers to physical shape and appearance.

Question 10

In the scientific method,theories can be considered "hunches" or best guesses.

Question 11

The scientific method:

A)relies on making hunches about the natural world.
B)involves empirical data collection and hypothesis testing.
C)is used to support preconceived notions or theories.
D)seeks to establish the absolute scientific truth.

Question 12

You and a friend are discussing declaring a major.While you have made your decision,your friend is still unable to decide.When you ask him what his interests are,he says that he doesn't really have any but is considering being an anthropologist because he heard they get to travel to exciting places.You agree but tell him that anthropology also includes studying which of the following:

A)the use and social context of language
B)the study of prehistoric reptiles
C)the impacts of climate change on water availability
D)all of the above

Question 13

Recent studies have refuted Darwin's hypothesis that the earliest hominids originated in grasslands.

Question 14

Human beings depend on culture for survival.

Question 15

Observations of living primates inform our efforts to understand our evolutionary past.

Question 16

An archaeological field school is announced in your anthropology course.The description says that you will be able to travel to Belize to learn about the lives of the ancient Mayans.What do you expect to learn during this field school?

A)the species of nonhuman primate that occupy this region
B)how current populations of immigrants have changed local dialects
C)how to excavate and study material culture
D)how to socially navigate life in a Central American setting

Question 17

Archaeology is:

A)the study of human evolution.
B)largely devoted to recovering artifacts and building museum collections.
C)the study of the behavior and material culture of past human societies.
D)the study of the evolution of language.

Question 18

A hypothesis:

A)is equivalent to a theory.
B)is an attempt to explain observations and predict future scientific results.
C)is a statement concerning scientific facts.
D)cannot be refuted by future investigations.

Question 19

The hypothesis that the origin of human bipedalism was linked to a shift from life in the trees to life on the ground in the grasslands of Africa:

A)has been upheld by subsequent scientific data on human origins.
B)was developed in consultation with genetic and fossil evidence.
C)has been rejected recently subsequent to new fossil evidence.
D)has become a scientific law.

Question 20

Physical anthropology includes the study of linguistic variation as it relates to climate.

Question 21

Physical anthropology as a discipline is concerned with:

A)skeletal pathology.
B)primate behavior.
C)fossilized human remains.
D)all of the above

Question 22

Forensic anthropologists:

A)focus their work on skeletal analysis of individuals.
B)study skeletal remains from past human populations.
C)study the evolution of human skeletal traits.
D)do not work outside academia.

Question 23

Margaret Mead was:

A)a physical anthropologist who studied short stature among people in Papua New Guinea.
B)an early cultural anthropologist who worked in Papua New Guinea.
C)an early linguist who worked on the evolution of language.
D)none of the above

Question 24

Forensic anthropology differs from biocultural anthropology in which of the following ways?

A)applies anthropological techniques to modern crime scenes and disasters
B)is the study of trauma in ancient populations
C)examines the relationship between biological and cultural evolution
D)is the study of nonhuman primates

Question 25

Bipedalism is considered one of the hallmarks of hominid evolution because:

A)it was the first evolutionary development that clearly distinguished us from other animals.
B)it was possible only after the advent of simple material culture.
C)it followed brain expansion in human evolution.
D)it allowed hominids to come out of the trees and make tools 10 mya.

Question 26

Chimpanzees in the wild have been observed to do all of the following EXCEPT:

A)use two rocks as a hammer and anvil to crack open nuts.
B)teach their offspring how to flake stone tools.
C)use stick tools to scoop termites from nests.
D)encourage tool-using behavior in their offspring.

Question 27

How is biocultural anthropology different from cultural anthropology?

A)It combines cultural studies with archaeology.
B)It examines the interaction between genetics and culture in shaping human biology.
C)It is strictly a biological science.
D)It considers culture to be a byproduct of our biological histories.

Question 28

Franz Boas:

A)had an early influence on Darwin's theory of natural selection.
B)considered environment and biology insignificant in the study of human cultures.
C)curiously never conducted his own fieldwork.
D)united within American anthropology the study of culture,language,and biology.

Question 29

In your lab quiz you are provided with a hominid skull and asked to describe its unique characteristics and what they may tell you about the behavior of the individual.You notice that the gap typically seen between the canine and the third premolar on the lower jaw of living ape species is not present.On your answer sheet you note the following:

A)This individual most likely uses its teeth in dominance displays.
B)The teeth of this individual are adapted for processing plant and animal foods that require shredding.
C)This hominid skull belongs to an individual dated after the development of tools for food processing.
D)none of the above

Question 30

Charles Darwin:

A)was a theologian during the twentieth century.
B)was an English naturalist in the 1800s.
C)hypothesized about human origins in the 1700s.
D)was a scientist during the Enlightenment.

Question 31

How is culture defined?

A)Culture is genetically determined and therefore does not change.
B)Culture is too vague to be important for physical anthropologists.
C)Culture is a learned behavior transmitted from person to person.
D)Culture is the same worldwide and does not need to be studied.

Question 32

The earliest stone tools discovered to date,including the tools from Gona River in the Afar,Ethiopia,are dated at:

A)4 mya.
B)1.5 mya.
C)6 mya.
D)2.6 mya.

Question 33

How is a theory different from a hypothesis?

A)Unlike a theory,a hypothesis explains observations and cannot be refuted by new evidence.
B)A theory is an explanation based upon controversial facts.
C)A theory is an explanation relying on careful examination and testing of evidence.
D)A theory has been less thoroughly tested than a hypothesis.

Question 34

How are modern humans distinguished from their earliest ancestors?

A)their appearance 6 mya along with bipedalism
B)the presence of habitual bipedalism and adaptations for arboreal living
C)the use of tools
D)hunting,speech,and dependence on domesticated foods

Question 35

You are walking through a forest in the Central African Republic and you notice a twig that has had its bark removed and is stuck in a hole in a termite mound.The twig is an example of:

A)material culture
B)tool use
C)learned behavior
D)all of the above

Question 36

You are on a paleoanthropological dig in Ethiopia.You and your team uncover fossilized finger and toe bones.You notice that while these bones are not as curved as modern-day ape bones,they are not as straight as modern-day human bones.These bones are slightly curved.What kind of environment did this individual live in?

A)grassland
B)desert
C)forested areas
D)tundra

Question 37

Your friend Susan explains to you that she recently saw a televised debate regarding the presence of material culture in nonhuman animals.Susan agreed with the individual who claimed that objects used to manipulate environments were one of the defining characteristics of humans.When asked what your opinion is as an anthropologist,you say:

A)Material culture is an important characteristic of only human culture,as it allows us to live and survive in diverse environments.
B)While material culture is important for humans,it has recently been argued to be present in chimpanzee societies.
C)Material culture doesn't exist until the Dark Ages.
D)Material culture is an important characteristic for all mammals.

Question 38

A family friend tells you that she just completed a summer internship where she helped law enforcement to identify human remains using dental records,x-rays,and other indices of gender,height,and ethnicity.She is most likely to be studying:

A)biocultural anthropology
B)primatology
C)forensic anthropology
D)paleontology

Question 39

Your professor passes around a skull and tells you that you can tell this individual lived after hominids began making and using tools for food processing.How can you tell?

A)striations on the teeth
B)pitting in the mandible
C)presence of a chin
D)a nonhoning canine

Question 40

Primatologists record a new series of owl monkey vocalizations in the wild.After rigorous analysis and playback experiments they determine that the sounds could not be argued to represent a language because they are random,unrelated,and elicit no response from other individuals.The primatologists determine this because they know that language is:

A)a set of symbols that refer to things other than themselves.
B)used by wild chimpanzees to transfer knowledge between individuals and generations.
C)representative of all forms of primate communication.
D)all of the above

Question 41

Discuss how Franz Boas contributed to the development of anthropological inquiry in the United States.

Question 42

Physical anthropologists might examine:

A)brain biology.
B)molecular structure of diseases.
C)primate growth and development.
D)all of the above

Question 43

What is physical anthropology? Discuss the various branches of physical (or biological)anthropology.

Question 44

While your mother is at the bookstore looking for something new to read,she mentions that she is interested in learning more about what her daughter is currently writing,an ethnography.The clerk asks for a more detailed description of an ethnography,so your mother phones you asking for more information.Your response includes which of the following?

A)what physical anthropologists produce
B)a description of observations about living human cultures
C)a description of observations about ancient prehistoric cultures
D)a description of behavioral observations of nonhuman primates

Question 45

You spend a year of your life living with and studying crab fishermen.At the end of this time you document everything that you have learned.This is called a(n):

A)ethogram.
B)ethnography.
C)biography.
D)thesis.

Question 46

What is anthropology? What are the four branches of anthropology?

Question 47

When you enter your classroom you find a paper that a student has left behind from a previous class.You want to return it to the correct department's lost and found so you read a few of the questions.The topics of the questions center around the study of humankind from multiple perspectives and time periods including Mayan temples,coming-of-age rituals in the South Pacific,and human skulls from South Africa.The paper should most likely be returned to which of the following departments?

A)sociology
B)entomology
C)anthropology
D)religious studies

Question 48

Discuss the six key attributes that make humans unique relative to other species.

Question 49

Science is considered self-correcting because:

A)theories can be modified or replaced in response to new findings.
B)hypotheses are built on meticulous observation.
C)hypothesis-testing can result in rejection of previous hypotheses.
D)all of the above

Question 50

Discuss how physical anthropologists use the scientific method.

Question 51

Just before the arrival of the Spanish on St.Catherines Island,people there:

A)were primarily fishermen.
B)were hunter-gatherers.
C)became the first farmers of the region.
D)none of the above

Question 52

Postcontact Indian children on the Georgia coast:

A)ate less corn than Indian children there before AD 1000.
B)ate more corn than Indian children there before AD 1000.
C)experienced caries more than Indian children there before AD 1000.
D)both B and C

Question 53

An online news story suggests a connection between a chemical dye found in foods and the development of mouth ulcers.As a budding young scientist,you refer to the journal in which the original research was published to see whether or not the research followed the scientific method.You are looking for which of the following four requirements?

A)design an experiment,state the hypothesis,collect data from a previous experiment,then test your hypothesis
B)determine problem,develop a hypothesis,collect data from observations,and test your hypothesis
C)identify the problem,create a theory,publish your findings,and finally test your hypothesis
D)both A and C

Question 54

You overhear a debate among anthropology graduate students regarding whether or not anthropology should be categorized as a biological or social science.You have learned in your introductory courses that it is both.Why is it both?

A)Anthropology consists of empirical observations in the laboratory setting.
B)Anthropologists study culture only through the written works of other cultures.
C)Anthropologists study biology within the context of culture and behavior.
D)none of the above