Deck 1: Introduction: What Is Biological Anthropology

Question 1

Forensic anthropologists study __________.

A) the bones of ancient primates
B) ancient hominins
C) the identification of skeletal remains and the means by which individuals have died
D) how cultural practices influence the spread of infectious diseases

Answer 1

the identification of skeletal remains and the means by which individuals have died

Question 2

A hominin is

A) an ape-like primate that walks on two legs
B) a non-human animal
C) an example of a "paradigm"
D) none of these

Answer 2

an ape-like primate that walks on two legs

Question 3

A scientist is examining an ancient skeleton for signs of vitamin deficiency. The scientist is engaging in

A) paleopathology
B) cultural resource management
C) ethnology
D) none of these

Answer 3

paleopathology

Question 4

According to biological anthropology, humans are primates and are the products of millions of years of evolution by natural selection.

Question 5

A scientist is carefully excavating a fossil hominin. She is participating in which discipline?

A) osteology
B) paleoanthropology
C) paleopathology
D) ethnography

Question 6

Because the bones of the body develop along with other tissues such as muscles and tendons, it is necessary to study the interrelationship of the skeleton and its surrounding tissue. This study is known as __________.

A) paleopathology
B) forensic anthropology
C) human biology
D) skeletal biology

Question 7

The biological anthropologist most likely to be investigating at a crime scene is a(n) __________.

A) human biologist
B) molecular anthropologist
C) forensic anthropologist
D) osteologist

Question 8

may use their expertise in human variation in body form to help ascertain the ethnic affinities of skeletons.

A) Osteologists
B) Nutritional anthropologists
C) Molecular anthropologists
D) Archaeologists

Question 9

The pace of discovery of new fossil hominins has accelerated. The text states that this may be attributed to

A) regional political changes
B) the better training excavators are receiving
C) better pay for paleoanthropologists
D) all of these

Question 10

Skeletal biology is the study the human skeleton in relation to __________.

A) diet
B) other tissues such as muscles and tendons
C) cultural practices such as medicine
D) pathology

Question 11

Which of the following typifies the work of an osteologist?

A) a scientist who studies the relationship of culture, medicine, and evolution
B) a researcher livening amongst Lowland Gorillas
C) a scientist piecing together tiny fragments of a skeleton
D) a scientist researching the cultures of living peoples

Question 12

The study of the skeleton is know as __________.

A) Forensic anthropology
B) Biocultural anthropology
C) Molecular anthropology
D) Osteology

Question 13

Regional political changes and an increased number of researchers are the main reasons for the recent increase in paleoanthropological discoveries.

Question 14

Jane Goodall's field study of chimpanzees is a prime example of __________.

A) osteology
B) ethnography
C) primatology
D) none of these

Question 15

From the perspective of biological theory, humans are

A) not like all other biological species
B) unrelated to primates
C) the product of the same long process of adaptation as all other biological species
D) much like all other biological species, but did not result from evolutionary processes

Question 16

A paleopathologist studies ancient skeletons for signs of __________.

A) trauma
B) nutritional deficiencies
C) epidemics
D) all of these

Question 17

You would contact a paleopathologist if the skeleton you just found __________.

A) seemed to have recently suffered from a blow to the head
B) may have signs of infectious disease
C) may be that of an extinct hominin
D) may be that of a non-human primate

Question 18

Biological anthropologists employ a unifying set of biological principles to discuss how our species came to be the way it is today. This set of principles is known as __________.

A) biological anthropology
B) forensics
C) ethnography
D) evolution

Question 19

A is most likely to participate in a police investigation.

A) primatologist
B) osteologist
C) paleoanthropologist
D) forensic anthropologist

Question 20

A paleoanthropologist is likely to study __________.

A) detailed measurements of the human body in all its forms
B) disease in ancient human populations
C) the interrelationship of diet, culture, and evolution
D) the fossil remains of humankind and its ancestors

Question 21

Biocultural anthropologists study __________.

A) hominin evolution
B) the relationship of the skeleton with its surrounding tissue
C) human variation
D) the interplay of biological and cultural factors

Question 22

Which of the following is a reason primatologists study non-human primates?

A) to learn about human evolution
B) to learn about their patterns of behavior
C) to learn about the anatomy and physiology of extinct primates
D) all of these

Question 23

When was physical anthropology established as an academic discipline?

A) the second half of the nineteenth century
B) the mid twentieth century
C) the first half of the eighteenth century
D) the late twentieth century

Question 24

Which of the following may NOT be labeled a type of human biology?

A) nutritional anthropology
B) biomedical anthropology
C) molecular anthropology
D) forensic anthropology

Question 25

Which of the following is most likely to study the effects of urbanization, pollution, and health?

A) osteologists
B) molecular anthropologists
C) biomedical anthropologists
D) paleoanthropologists

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT an element of the neo-Darwinian synthesis?

A) the use of newly introduced dating techniques
B) a new focus on primate behavior and ecology
C) a new focus on human races as pigeonholed categories
D) the use of molecular genetics to reconstruct biological histories

Question 27

Today, anthropologists study human anatomic and genetic variation __________.

A) to learn about ancient human migrations and the peopling of the world
B) because it teaches us about the supremacy of certain human races
C) because traits such as skin color and skull shape offer clues about intelligence and potential for achievement
D) all of these

Question 28

The main architect of the "new physical anthropology" was __________.

A) Sherwood Washburn
B) Charles Darwin
C) Galen
D) none of these

Question 29

__________ seeks to understand the genetic differences and similarities between humans and non-human primates.

A) Molecular anthropology
B) Primatology
C) Anthropometry
D) none of these

Question 30

Culture can be defined as the sum total of of a group of people.

A) learned traditions
B) genetically inherited behaviors
C) universal taboos
D) biological traits

Question 31

Which of the following best defines anthropology?

A) the study of non-human primates, their anatomy, and their evolution.
B) the study of ancient humans
C) a study of humanity focusing on its biological and genetic aspects
D) the study of humankind in all its forms

Question 32

The neo-Darwinian synthesis emerged by the __________.

A) second half of the nineteenth century
B) mid twentieth century
C) first half of the eighteenth century
D) late seventeenth century

Question 33

Nutritional anthropologists study the interrelationship of __________.

A) disease, evolution, and culture
B) diet, culture, and evolution
C) environment, genetics, and adaptation
D) culture, evolution, and non-human primate eating habits

Question 34

Anthropology is unique is its __________.

A) focus on biology
B) focus on race and disease
C) cultural and biological perspective
D) social focus

Question 35

The study of human adaptation focuses on __________.

A) the interrelationship of culture, nutrition, and illness
B) physiological adjustments to the Earth's physical environments
C) the variations between primates
D) the many ways human populations culturally adapt to the environment

Question 36

Culture is learned.

Question 37

Biomedical anthropologists study the influence of on the spread of infectious disease.

A) primate anatomy
B) extreme environmental conditions
C) cultural practices
D) the skeleton

Question 38

Which of the following does NOT fall under the discipline of human biology?

A) nutritional anthropology
B) the study of human variation
C) forensic anthropology
D) biocultural anthropology

Question 39

One place primatologists often find jobs are at conservation agencies.

Question 40

The earliest physical anthropologists focused mostly on __________.

A) primate evolution
B) anthropometry and craniometry
C) the behavioral studies of non-human primates
D) ecology and genetics

Question 41

Biology produced culture, but culture does not influence biology.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT a subfield of anthropology?

A) biological anthropology
B) linguistic anthropology
C) biocultural anthropology
D) archaeology

Question 43

Ethnology is considered a subfield of __________.

A) anthropology
B) linguistic anthropology
C) archaeology
D) cultural anthropology

Question 44

__________ is perhaps the major human endeavor.

A) Language
B) Communication
C) Culture
D) Reproduction.

Question 45

Which of the following could be defined as an effort to understand the workings of another culture by comparing it to the culture of the investigator?

A) cultural resource preservation
B) ethnography
C) sociology
D) linguistic anthropology

Question 46

The majority of anthropologists in the United States are __________.

A) cultural anthropologists
B) biological anthropologists
C) applied anthropologists
D) none of these

Question 47

Today, biological anthropologists tend to focus their work in remote regions of the globe.

Question 48

Which of the following is most likely to be conducted by a cultural anthropologist?

A) a study of gorilla behavior
B) a comparison of wedding rituals
C) a study of ancient artifacts
D) an analysis of hominin fossils

Question 49

Which of the following is a subfield of anthropology?

A) forensic anthropology
B) molecular anthropology
C) linguistic anthropology
D) ethnology

Question 50

The artifacts and implements of our daily lives are collectively referred to as __________.

A) ethnological culture
B) material culture
C) cultural resource preservation
D) culture

Question 51

Cultural anthropology is the study of __________.

A) human societies in a cross-cultural perspective
B) the form and function of language
C) cultures that did not leave any recorded written history
D) how people used to live

Question 52

Which of the following archaeologist is most likely to be at the excavation of a two million year old site?

A) salvage archaeologist
B) prehistoric archaeologist
C) historical archaeologist
D) text-aided archaeologist

Question 53

__________ is sometimes considered a fifth anthropological subfield.

A) Archaeology
B) Molecular biochemistry
C) Economic anthropology
D) Applied anthropology

Question 54

Linguistic anthropologists study __________.

A) language use
B) the role that language plays in shaping culture
C) the roots of human language
D) all of these

Question 55

Some forms of cultural anthropology overlap with the humanities more so than the social sciences.

Question 56

Which of the following is NOT likely to be studied by an archaeologist?

A) ancient tools
B) the buildings left behind by an ancient civilization
C) the languages of the past
D) past climatic conditions

Question 57

An anthropologist studying past cultures through the investigation of artifacts is belongs to which subfield?

A) applied anthropology
B) descriptive linguistics
C) biocultural anthropology
D) archaeology

Question 58

Ethnologists differ from sociologists in the extent to which they immerse themselves in the human lives they are studying.

Question 59

__________ anthropology is the study of humans as biological organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework.

A) Physical
B) Biological
C) Molecular
D) Osteological

Question 60

Biocultural anthropology recognizes that __________.

A) culture has no influence on biology
B) biology cannot influence culture
C) culture is purely biological
D) culture can influence biology

Question 61

What is cultural anthropology? Citing at least three cultural anthropology subfields, explain the sorts of things cultural anthropologists study.

Question 62

Why is language so important to anthropologists? Describe the various research areas for linguistic anthropologists.

Question 63

Define anthropology. Describe the various subfields of anthropology. Using examples from each, explain what they have all have in common.

Question 64

What is archaeology? Citing examples form least three types of archaeology, explain the sorts of things archaeologists study.

Question 65

Discuss the scope of biological anthropology using three related disciplines as examples. What do these related disciplines have in common? How do they differ?

Question 66

Provide a brief discussion of the roots of modern biological anthropology. Explain the specific contribution of Sherwood Washburn.