Deck 5: Biology in the Present: Living People

Question 1

The long limb measurements of Turkana pastoralists indicate that:

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

Answer 1

the population is on the continuum of variation observed in Allen's rule.

Question 2

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

A) through research indicating that most genetic variation is found among human races.
B) through research indicating that most genetic variation is found across human populations.
C) through the examination of variation in multiple human skull characteristics.
D) through research that examined genetic diversity across different species of mammals.

Answer 2

through research indicating that most genetic variation is found across human populations.

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

categorized skulls into five racial types.

Question 4

Sexual maturation or puberty is marked by:

A) menarche in girls.
B) similar body size in boys and girls.
C) completion of brain growth.
D) adult social roles.

Question 5

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 6

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 7

Which of the following is related to the biological process of homeostasis?

A) senescence
B) Wolff's law
C) osteoporosis
D) adult stage

Question 8

The obesity pandemic is 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 foods even though people still have a high exercise level.

Question 9

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 10

Although Allen's and Bergmann's rules most often explain body shape and morphology, we occasionally see variations from the correct patterns. This 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 11

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 12

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 13

The prenatal stage in humans consists of:

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

Question 14

The postnatal stage includes:

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

Question 15

David Barker's research on poor early health led to the hypothesis that:

A) poor fetal nutrition increases the likelihood of death from stroke.
B) low birth weight is correlated with death from coronary heart disease.
C) small babies are more likely to be underweight as adults.
D) poor health during the fetal period results in the reduced ability to maintain homeostasis.

Question 16

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) is an event largely determined by the environment.

Question 17

Infancy ends:

A) at about 36 months.
B) before deciduous dentition has completely erupted.
C) with completion of brain growth.
D) with weaning, which occurs at the same time across cultures.

Question 18

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 19

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 20

The American economist David Seckler 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 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

Melanin:

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

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

Cultural adaptation:

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

Question 25

A direct approach to the study of homeostasis:

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

Question 26

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

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

Question 27

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 28

The postnatal stage of adolescence includes:

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

Question 29

The maintenance of homeostasis:

A) involves all 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 30

An indirect approach to the study of homeostasis:

A) involves the study of populations in their natural environments.
B) involves all levels of any organism's biology.
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 31

Functional 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) includes both developmental adaptation and acclimatization.

Question 32

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 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

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 endocrine system.
C) accounts for the remodeling of bone when it is under stress.
D) says that bone mass is taken away where it is needed and produced where it is not needed.

Question 35

Sexual dimorphism:

A) refers to the onset of puberty.
B) refers to the difference between male and female behavior.
C) refers to the development of male and female primary characteristics.
D) refers to the difference in physical attributes of males and females.

Question 36

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

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

Question 37

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 38

Natural selection favored alleles for light skin in:

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

Question 39

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 40

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 41

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

Question 42

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 43

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

Question 44

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

Question 45

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

Question 46

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