Deck 10: Evolution of the Early Hominids

Question 1

The early ancestors of the modern tarsiers and maybe the anthropoids as well are probably the

A)Omomyidae.
B)Adapidae.
C)Plesiadapiformes.
D)Hominidae.

Answer 1

Omomyidae.

Question 2

The site called the Fayum,in Egypt,has yielded primate fossils from which of the following dates?

A)65-55 million years ago
B)40-25 million years ago
C)6-5 million years ago
D)500,000-250,000 years ago

Answer 2

40-25 million years ago

Question 3

The early primates known as the Adapidae are thought to be ancestral to

A)lemurs and lorises.
B)tarsiers.
C)monkeys.
D)apes and hominids.

Answer 3

lemurs and lorises.

Question 4

Which is the best explanation for the origin of the New World monkeys?

A)They evolved from New World prosimians.
B)They had a completely separate evolution from the primates of the Old World.
C)They are not at all closely related to the primates that gave rise to humans.
D)They descended from monkeys who "rafted" to South America from Africa.

Question 5

The earliest primate like fossils date to

A)prior to 65 million years ago.
B)55 million years ago.
C)5 million years ago.
D)250,000 years ago.

Question 6

The site called the Fayum,in Egypt,has yielded primate fossils of which general category?

A)prosimians
B)monkeylike primates
C)apes
D)early hominids

Question 7

Aegyptopithecus is probably ancestral to

A)lemurs and lorises.
B)tarsiers.
C)New World monkeys.
D)the Old World anthropoid primates.

Question 8

Which dental trait is a characteristic of only apes and hominids?

A)smaller number of teeth than New World primates
B)large molars
C)Y-5 cusp pattern on some molars
D)long,pointy canine teeth

Question 9

The Eosimiidae may be ancestral to

A)Adapidae.
B)Omomyidae.
C)anthropoids.
D)lemurs and lorises.

Question 10

The fossil ape genus that is thought by some to be ancestral to modern orangutans is

A)Sivapithecus.
B)Gigantopithecus.
C)Ouranopithecus.
D)Aegyptopithecus.

Question 11

The earliest ape fossils are classified as apes mostly because of their

A)teeth.
B)upright posture.
C)brain size.
D)large body size.

Question 12

As the anthropoid primates expanded their range and evolved,they

A)bred with the prosimians.
B)brought about the extinction of all the prosimians.
C)wiped out the prosimians through direct competition.
D)pushed the prosimians into marginal areas.

Question 13

The first undisputed primate fossils date to

A)65 million years ago.
B)55 million years ago.
C)5 million years ago.
D)250,000 years ago.

Question 14

Much of our knowledge of the evolution of the Old World monkeys comes from a single site in

A)South Africa.
B)Egypt.
C)Europe.
D)Southeast Asia.

Question 15

The first undisputed primate fossils were found in what is now

A)Africa.
B)East Asia.
C)South and Central America.
D)Europe and North America.

Question 16

The early primates known as the Omomyidae may be ancestral to

A)lemurs and lorises.
B)Southeast Asian "flying lemurs."
C)tarsiers and anthropoids.
D)the Adapidae.

Question 17

The earliest primate like fossils were found in what is now

A)Europe.
B)Africa.
C)North America.
D)Asia.

Question 18

The early ancestors of the modern prosimian lemurs and lorises are probably the

A)Plesiadapiformes.
B)Omomyidae.
C)Adapidae.
D)Hominidae.

Question 19

Apes appear in the fossil record

A)65 million years ago.
B)55 million years ago.
C)23 million years ago.
D)5 or 6 million years ago.

Question 20

The earliest probable ancestor of all modern anthropoid primates is

A)Omomyidae.
B)Prosimii.
C)Aegyptopithecus.
D)Adaptidae.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a suggested scenario for the environmental conditions under which bipedalism was first selected for among the earliest hominins?

A)a temperature decrease that shrank the forests and produced savannas
B)formation of the Rift Valley that isolated our ancestors on the savannas
C)a "mosaic" environment of forests and open plains
D)glacial advances creating a cold climate on the open plains

Question 22

Latest evidence indicates that bipedal locomotion may have first evolved

A)on the open savannas of Africa.
B)on the floor of the Rift Valley.
C)on the coastal plains of South Africa.
D)in the mixed forest/open plains of East Africa.

Question 23

The foramen magnum ("large hole" in Latin)is

A)a large excavation pit at a fossil site.
B)the hole through the middle of the pelvic bones.
C)the hole in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord extends.
D)another name for the eye opening.

Question 24

Which hominid genus may be defined as the small-brained robust hominid with a grassland vegetable diet?

A)Australopithecus
B)Paranthropus
C)Sivapithecus
D)Homo

Question 25

The famous fossil known as "Lucy" belongs to which hominid species?

A)Australopithecus anamensis
B)Australopithecus afarensis
C)Ardipithecus ramidus
D)Paranthropus aethiopicus

Question 26

Which hominid genus may be defined as the small-brained gracile hominid with a mixed vegetarian diet?

A)Australopithecus
B)Paranthropus
C)Sivapithecus
D)Homo

Question 27

The fossil ape genus that is thought by some to have given rise to the legends of the "abominable snowman" of the Himalayas is

A)Sivapithecus.
B)Gigantopithecus.
C)Ouranopithecus.
D)Aegyptopithecus.

Question 28

The most recently named possible hominid species is

A)Australopithecus anamensis.
B)Sahelanthropus tchadensis.
C)Ardipithecus ramidus.
D)Paranthropus aethiopicus.

Question 29

The evolution of bipedal locomotion has traditionally been associated with what environment?

A)the African savannas
B)the rainforests of central Africa
C)the woodlands of east Africa
D)the temperate forests of Europe and northern Asia

Question 30

The earliest possible hominid fossils found so far are called

A)Ardipithecus ramidus.
B)Australopithecus afarensis.
C)Sahelanthropus tchadensis.
D)Paranthropus aethiopicus.

Question 31

According to the text,all the following are recognized hominid genera EXCEPT

A)Australopithecus.
B)Paranthropus.
C)Sivapithecus.
D)Homo.

Question 32

Which of these proposed hominid genera may be the most apelike?

A)Ardipithecus
B)Australopithecus
C)Paranthropus
D)Homo

Question 33

The split between hominids and apes took place in

A)Africa.
B)Southeast Asia.
C)China.
D)Europe.

Question 34

Which of the following has NOT been proposed as an advantage of the evolution of bipedalism?

A)ability to walk and carry things at the same time
B)by elevating the head,gives a better view
C)helps keep the body cooler
D)is a more energy efficient,faster way of sprinting

Question 35

The earliest possible hominid fossils found so far,Sahelanthropus tchadensis,are how old?

A)55 million years
B)23 million years
C)12 to 15 million years
D)7 to 6 million years

Question 36

Kenyanthorpus platyops is how old?

A)12 to 15 million years
B)4.4 million years
C)3.5 million years
D)6 million years

Question 37

The first early hominid fossil,found in 1925,was considered a member of the human family because

A)its face was similar to a modern human's.
B)its braincase was large.
C)its canine teeth were long and large.
D)its foramen magnum was positioned like that of bipeds.

Question 38

Hominids split from the apes

A)55 million years ago.
B)23 million years ago.
C)12 to 15 million years ago.
D)5 to 6 million years ago.

Question 39

Which hominid genus may be defined as the large-brained omnivorous hominid?

A)Australopithecus
B)Paranthropus
C)Sivapithecus
D)Homo

Question 40

Orrorin tugenensis is

A)the earliest hominid.
B)the best direct ancestor of modern humans.
C)a still debatable hominid fossil.
D)an ancestor of Australopithecus and Paranthropus.

Question 41

The skull representing Paranthropus aethiopicus is popularly called

A)Lucy.
B)The Black Skull.
C)Nutcracker Man.
D)Zinjanthropus.

Question 42

Compared to other hominid skulls,which of the following is NOT true of the Black Skull?

A)It has the smallest adult brain.
B)It has the largest body.
C)It has the largest sagittal crest.
D)It has the most prognathous face.

Question 43

Lucy and the other members of Australopithecus afarensis are considered hominids because

A)they have brains larger than the average ape's.
B)their teeth are completely modern.
C)their body proportions are like those of modern humans.
D)they were habitual bipeds.

Question 44

Recent analyses shows that bipedalism in the hominids:

A)is the same for all species of hominids.
B)was more efficient in early hominids.
C)is more efficient for endurance running in Homo.
D)is found in no other type of primate.

Question 45

Genus Paranthropus differs from genus Australopithecus in which feature?

A)body size
B)brain size
C)continent on which they were found
D)robusticity of the chewing areas of the skull

Question 46

The most likely explanation for the extinction of the small-brained hominids and the survival of Homo,the large-brained hominin is

A)Homo wiped out the other hominins.
B)the other hominins were killed off in another mass extinction.
C)Homo brought in new diseases that killed off the others.
D)Homo out-competed the others for limited space and resources.

Question 47

Comparison of wear patterns on the teeth of Australopithecus and Paranthropus show which of the following about the diets of these genera?

A)They were both carnivores.
B)They were both vegetarians with the same basic food sources.
C)They were both omnivores.
D)They were both vegetarians with different plant food sources.

Question 48

Direct evidence of bipedal locomotion was found in the form of footprints in volcanic ash in Tanzania.How old are they?

A)5 million years
B)4.4 million years
C)3.7 million years
D)2.5 million years

Question 49

What is robust about the robust early hominins?

A)their body size
B)their brain size
C)features related to chewing
D)the muscle attachments on their arms and legs

Question 50

The fossils of Australopithecus afarensis have been described as "bipedal apes." What's most apelike about them?

A)their locomotion
B)their brain size
C)their flat faces
D)their short canine teeth

Question 51

"Lucy" is a particularly remarkable fossil because

A)she is a female.
B)she is the oldest hominin fossil.
C)she is almost 40% complete even though over 3 million years old.
D)she has a large brain.

Question 52

The author suggests that perhaps the only sure indication of a member of Family Hominidae is:

A)bipedalism.
B)enlargement of the brain.
C)modern dentition.
D)stone tools.