Deck 21: Evolution of Humans

Question 1

From a genetic standpoint,which primates have the closest relationship to humans?

A)gorillas
B)gibbons
C)chimpanzees
D)orangutans
E)old world monkeys

Answer 1

C
Explanation: Both chimpanzees and humans have recently been determined to be hominins on the basis of molecular data.

Question 2

Which statement reverses a trend seen during primate evolution?

A)It is associated with an increased age of sexual maturity.
B)It is associated with an extended life.
C)It is associated with multiple offspring from every pregnancy.
D)It is associated with a lengthy gestation perioD.
E)It is associated with an extended period of juvenile dependency.

Answer 2

C
Explanation: Reduced reproductive rate resulted in a smaller number of offspring--typically one per pregnancy--instead of multiple offspring.

Question 3

Which of the following early Homo species first evolved in Africa and then migrated into Europe and Asia?

A)Homo ergaster
B)Homo anamensis
C)Homo sapien
D)Homo habilis
E)Homo neandertalensis

Answer 3

A
Explanation: Homo ergaster first appeared in Africa but then migrated into Europe and Asia sometime between 2 MYA and 1 MYA.

Question 4

Which of the following hominins are modern day humans?

A)Homo habilis
B)Neandertals
C)Homo ergaster
D)Homo erectus
E)Cro-Magnons

Question 5

Which statement would have first driven the evolution of bipedalism in hominids?

A)It can lead to spinal strain.
B)It can lead to backaches.
C)It allowed hominids to see farther.
D)It evolved before hominids had left the trees.
E)It frees up hands for tool usE.

Question 6

Which of the following is an Old World monkey?

A)Ring-tailed lemur
B)Rhesus monkey
C)Chimpanzee
D)Tarsier
E)Capuchin monkey

Question 7

The term mosaic evolution is best described by which of the following?

A)The same species evolve in different parts of the world.
B)Different body parts evolve at different rates.
C)Different species hybridize to form a new species.
D)One species evolves into two or more species.
E)Different species evolve at different rates.

Question 8

Culture can be defined as passing human activities and products on to successive generations.

Question 9

Which of the following paleontologists was the first to unearth Homo erectus bones?

A)Max Planck
B)Raymond Dart
C)Donald Johansen
D)Stephen Stanley
E)Eugene Dubois

Question 10

Which of the following is the oldest hominin fossil?

A)Ardipithecus ramidus
B)Australopithecus anamensis
C)Australopithecus afarensis
D)Ardipithicus ramidus
E)Australopithecus africanus

Question 11

Many paleontologists believe that Australopithecus africanus is a direct ancestor to the genus Homo.A.afarensis is usually considered more directly related to early Homo than are the South African species of Australopithecus.

Question 12

If you were writing a research paper on the most recent common ancestor for all apes and humans,you would be writing about which of the following?

A)Proconsul
B)Dryopithecines
C)Prosimians
D)Australopithecines
E)Ardipithecines

Question 13

The genus Homo evolved from which of the following genera?

A)Ardipithicus
B)Aethiopicus
C)Australopithecus
D)Pan
E)Anamensis

Question 14

Primate fossils similar to monkeys have been found in Africa,and date back to about

A)5 million years ago.
B)10 million years ago.
C)20 million years ago.
D)45 million years ago.
E)95 million years ago.

Question 15

Which characteristic would be found in a primate which travels on all four limbs?

A)The spine exits from center of the skull.
B)The femurs angle inward.
C)The spine has an S-shaped curve.
D)The foot has an arch.
E)The pelvis is long and narrow.

Question 16

If you were studying early members of the genus Homo,you would know that the fact which relates only to more primitive primates is which?

A)There is no evidence of tool use.
B)They appeared about 2 million years ago.
C)Their brains were 600 cc or larger.
D)Their jaw resembles that of modern humans.
E)Their teeth resemble that of modern humans.

Question 17

Which primate trait is least important for arboreal life?

A)Reduced reproductive rates
B)Complex brains
C)Binocular vision
D)Mobile limbs
E)Bipedalism

Question 18

While digging in East Africa in a layer of sediment which dates back to 4.4 million years ago,you find an early hominin fossil about the size of a chimpanzee.Based on the place and the time you could conclude that it is an

A)Australopithecus ergaster.
B)Australopithecus boisei.
C)Australopithecus africanus.
D)Ardipithecus ramidus.
E)Homo ergaster.

Question 19

Which trait would be very surprising to find in a chimpanzee?

A)mobile limbs
B)complex brains
C)a tail
D)grasping hands
E)reduced reproductive rates

Question 20

Which of the following is a term associated with the body form of some australopithecines?

A)arboreal
B)erectus
C)habilis
D)ergaster
E)gracile

Question 21

One benefit of language among Cro-Magnons was

A)increased social cohesion.
B)increased creativity.
C)increased leisure time.
D)increased longevity.
E)increased food production.

Question 22

Why do researchers studying the migration history of the human population use mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)to trace migration patterns?

A)mtDNA is inherited from both of an individual's parents.
B)mtDNA has occasional harmless mutations which eventually appear in almost all individuals in a population and are carried with them during migration.
C)mtDNA does not undergo mutations.
D)mtDNA is not carried by migrating members of a population.
E)mtDNA inheritance in humans proves the bottleneck effect.

Question 23

Lemurs are prosimian primates.

Question 24

Lighter skin in some ethnic groups probably is an adaptation for the production of more vitamin A where UV is less intense.

Question 25

The famous early hominin of the species Australopithecus africanus is known as

A)Lucy.
B)Sally.
C)Sheila.
D)Eve.
E)Ruth.

Question 26

Which is not an ethnic characteristic that represents an adaptation to environmental conditions?

A)Darker skin to protect against UV.
B)Bulkier build to conserve body heat.
C)Lighter skin to promote vitamin D production.
D)Slender build to cool the body.
E)Level of intelligencE.

Question 27

An ape-like trait of Australopithecus is

A)a small brain.
B)erect posture.
C)tool use.
D)language.
E)hairlessness.

Question 28

Which specific epithet is used within the genus Australopithecus rather than in Homo?

A)afarensis
B)habilis
C)erectus
D)sapiens
E)floresiensis

Question 29

Which statement applies only to ancestors of about the Neandertals,but not Neandertals?

A)They are classified in the same genus as our own species.
B)Their bones were shorter and thicker than those of modern humans.
C)They are ancestral to modern humans.
D)They appear to have been culturally advanceD.
E)They lived in Europe and Asia during the last Ice AgE.

Question 30

Human migration patterns start in Africa.

Question 31

Orangutans are examples of

A)Asian apes.
B)African apes.
C)New World monkeys.
D)Old World monkeys.
E)hominins.

Question 32

Neandertals lived mainly in Africa.

Question 33

Modern humans are hybrids of Cro-Magnons and Neandertals.

Question 34

Homo erectus was a hunter-gatherer.

Question 35

Before agriculture arose,members of species of Homo would have been

A)scavenger-gatherers.
B)fisher-farmers.
C)hunter-farmers.
D)fisher-gatherers.
E)hunter-gatherers.

Question 36

If you were a paleontologist studying the model of human evolution which proposes that modern humans evolved in Asia,Africa,and Europe,you would be studying

A)the multiregional community model.
B)the mosaic model.
C)the assimilation model.
D)the biocultural model.
E)the replacement model.

Question 37

Which statement about human ethnic groups is most inaccurate?

A)Most genetic variation occurs among different ethnic groups,not within them.
B)A comparative study of mitochondrial DNA shows that the differences among human populations are consistent with their having a common ancestor no more than a million years ago.
C)The variation among modern human populations is considerably less than among archaic human populations 250,000 years ago.
D)Among social scientists some suggest that ethnicity is a purely cultural phenomenon based on shared customs;others prefer the explanation that ethnic groups have arisen due to a sense of kinship based on a group's biological heritage.
E)Biologists suggest that because modern human populations were once isolated from one another in different environments,phenotypic and genotypic variations are now noticeable;therefore people have different ethnicities.

Question 38

Based on the structure of hominin bodies,they can be called either gracile or robust.

Question 39

The dependency of humans on agriculture is generally thought to have coincided with the development of bronze tools which occurred

A)90,000 years before the present.
B)45,000 years before the present.
C)10,000 years before the present.
D)4,500 years before the present.
E)1,000 years before the present.

Question 40

Agriculture arose among the Neandertals due to the greater amount of food available.

Question 41

Which is the closest relative of lemurs?

A)chimpanzees
B)tarsiers
C)bonobos
D)gibbons
E)gorillas

Question 42

The improvement in visual acuity in primates over time has led to stereoscopic vision with good depth perception.

Question 43

One characteristic of primate evolution is decreasing brain size over time.

Question 44

Baboons are examples of

A)Asian apes.
B)African apes.
C)New World monkeys.
D)Old World monkeys.
E)prosimians.

Question 45

Capuchin monkeys are anthropoids.

Question 46

Orangutans are examples of

A)Asian apes.
B)African apes.
C)New World monkeys.
D)Old World monkeys.
E)prosimians.

Question 47

One characteristic of primate evolution is reduced reproductive rate.

Question 48

Proconsul is a link between

A)monkeys and apes.
B)gibbons and apes.
C)gibbons and gorillas.
D)chimpanzees and gorillas.
E)gorillas and humans.

Question 49

Which is the closest relative of humans?

A)chimpanzees
B)tarsiers
C)lemurs
D)gibbons
E)gorillas