Deck 11: The First Dispersal of the Genus Homo: Homo Erectus and Contemporaries

Question 1

As indicated by the East African specimens, Homo erectus was sexually

A)dimorphic.
B)inactive.
C)oriented.
D)amorphic.
E)precocious.

Answer 1

dimorphic.

Question 2

Sometime close to 2 mya something decisive occurred in human evolution; for the first time, h ominins expanded widely out of

A)Europe.
B)America.
C)Africa.
D)Asia.
E)Atlantis.

Answer 2

Africa.

Question 3

The Gona pelvis is very different from the Nariokotome pelvis and is unusual for its considerable

A)weight.
B)height.
C)depth.
D)tightness.
E)width.

Answer 3

width.

Question 4

More than 100,000 artifacts have been recovered from this vast site, which was occupied intermittently for many thousands of years.

A)Budokan county
B)Hexian county
C)Lantian county
D)Zhoukoudian
E)Yunxian county

Question 5

The Dmanisi findings suggest that the first hominins to leave Africa carried with them a typical African ____________stone culture.

A)Oldowan
B)Acheulian
C)Chuntaro
D)Monrovian
E)Oldwoman

Question 6

The other sites from Ethiopia have yielded Homo erectus fossils, the most noteworthy coming from

A)Gona and Daka.
B)East Turkana and West Turkana.
C)Nakuru and Nairobi.
D)Shambe and Rumbek.
E)Kona and Hilo.

Question 7

Of the sites listed below, which one is the Homo erectus site that provides the longest record of habitation?

A)Trinil
B)Swartkrans
C)Zhoukoudian
D)West Turkana
E)Laetoli

Question 8

There is nearly universal agreement that the hominins found outside of Africa are all members of the genus

A)Plesiomorphus.
B)Cladisticus.
C)Phylogeneticus.
D)Homo.
E)Hetero.

Question 9

Analysis of the stone artifacts from Zhoukoudian indicate that the tools from

A)the later stages are large and crudely made.
B)the earliest stages are made from flint and fine-grained quartz.
C)all stages are identical to each other.
D)the later stages are heavier and larger than the previous stage.
E)the later stages are small and the tool materials are of better quality than the previous stages.

Question 10

Evidence from Zhoukoudian suggests that Homo erectus

A)lived there continuously for over 250,000 years.
B)were settled agriculturalists.
C)intermittently occupied the area.
D)built wooden structures.
E)kept domesticated animals.

Question 11

The discoveries of what we now refer to as Homo erectus go back to the _____ century.

A)seventeenth
B)sixteenth
C)nineteenth
D)twentieth
E)eighteenth

Question 12

Fossil remains of 40 or more Homo erectus individuals and thousands of artifacts have been found at

A)Sangiran.
B)Zhoukoudian.
C)Olduvai.
D)Trinil.
E)Lantian.

Question 13

All the early hominins were restricted to

A)Africa.
B)Asia.
C)Europe.
D)Antarctica.
E)America.

Question 14

The earliest of the East African Homo erectus fossils come from

A)Easter Island.
B)East Texas.
C)East Turkey.
D)East Turkana.
E)East Texarcana.

Question 15

The early Homo species for which we have the most evidence, both physically and culturally, is called

A)Homo geneous.
B)Homo rudolfensis.
C)Homo australopithecus.
D)Homo tensus.
E)Homo erectus.

Question 16

All the original Homo erectus fossils discovered at Zhoukoudian during the 1920s and 1930s

A)are now housed in a museum in Beijing.
B)disappeared during World War II.
C)are kept in a small museum near Zhoukoudian.
D)were destroyed in a fire in the 1970s.
E)are available for study at Cambridge University.

Question 17

Homo erectus projecting nuchal torus is located directly at the back of the

A)skull.
B)femur.
C)tibia.
D)omoplate.
E)hand.

Question 18

Which type of tools are characterized by a large proportion of bifacial elements?

A)Dmanisi
B)Oldowan
C)Acheulian
D)Australian
E)Zhoukoudian

Question 19

One aspect in which Asian H. erectus differ from East African H. erectus is that fossils found in Asia have ______________ cranial bones.

A)well preserved
B)fragile
C)thin
D)thick
E)fragmented

Question 20

Although Homo erectus differs in several respects from both early Homo and Homo sapiens , the most obvious feature is

A)femur size.
B)arm size.
C)cranial size.
D)feet size.
E)height.

Question 21

The recent discovery at the Gona area in Africa

A)dates to 700,000 years ago.
B)is the first H. erectus female pelvis found.
C)includes the remains of over 40 individuals.
D)shows signs of cannibalism.
E)shows signs of contraception.

Question 22

Bernard Wood has suggested that the name Homo __________be used for the African remains and that Homo erectus be reserved solely for the Asian material.

A)habilis
B)ergaster
C)sapiens
D)heidelbergensis
E)neanderthalensis

Question 23

The Asian crania from Java and China share many similar features, which could be explained by____________ migration from Java to China perhaps around 1 mya.

A)Homo australopithecus
B)Homo robustus
C)Homo neanderthalensis
D)Homo sapiens
E)Homo erectus

Question 24

Evidence for animal butchering is

A)lacking in Homo erectus sites.
B)found only in African Homo erectus sites.
C)found only in Asian Homo erectus sites.
D)widespread in Homo erectus sites.
E)found only at Dmanisi.

Question 25

Which of the following sites is NOT in China?

A)Yunxian
B)Hexian
C)Latian
D)Zhoukoudian
E)Dmanisi

Question 26

Dated to ______________, Lantian is older than Zhoukoudian

A)115 bya
B)115 mya
C)1.5 kya
D)1.15 mya
E)1.15 kya

Question 27

The term Homo ergaster

A)is sometimes used to refer to African Homo erectus specimens.
B)is sometimes used to refer to Asian Homo erectus specimens.
C)is fully accepted by all paleoanthropologists.
D)was initially proposed by Eugene Dubois.
E)is sometimes used to refer to American Homo americanopithecus .

Question 28

Homo erectus is the first hominin for which we have evidence of wide geographical dispersion.

Question 29

The fossil remains from Dmanisi indicate that

A)large brains were required to migrate out of Africa.
B)complex stone tools were required to migrate out of Africa.
C)large brains were NOT required to migrate out of Africa.
D)large brains were required in order to survive.
E)large brains were required to do homework.

Question 30

The Acheulian tool industry is NOT found in

A)Africa.
B)western Europe.
C)southwest Asia.
D)Southern China.
E)America.

Question 31

The Dmanisi site is located in

A)Olduvai.
B)West Turkana.
C)Java.
D)Republic of Georgia.
E)West Texarkana.

Question 32

The most complete Homo erectus skeleton found to date

A)is properly known as WT 15000.
B)was discovered at West Texarkana.
C)is that of an 8-year-old female.
D)was discovered at west Somalia.
E)is properly known as the "missing link."

Question 33

The Nariokotome Homo erectus specimen

A)was discovered at Olduvai Gorge.
B)is estimated to have been about 65 years old at death.
C)is a young female.
D)would have reached an adult height of around 5.3 feet.
E)was a pigmy.

Question 34

For now, the most comprehensive analyses indicate that the recently discovered hominin species H. floresiensis evolved on the island of

A)Hawaii.
B)Easter Island.
C)Java.
D)Guam.
E)Flores.

Question 35

The discovery of fossils now referred to as Homo erectus began in the nineteenth century.

Question 36

The fossil remains from Dmanisi

A)are essentially indistinguishable from modern Homo sapiens .
B)bear some similarities to early Homo specimens from Africa.
C)bear some similarities to Homo neanderthalensis specimens.
D)have cranial capacities that exceed 1,500 cubic centimeters.
E)bear some similarities to Homo heidelbergensis specimens.

Question 37

The almost complete skeleton of a male Homo erectus with an approximate age at death of 8 years was found at

A)Olduvai.
B)Lantian.
C)West Turkana.
D)Zhoukoudian.
E)Trinil.

Question 38

One of the more important regions outside of the Zhoukoudian, regarding paleoanthropological sites, is

A)Yunxian county.
B)Linxian county.
C)Xindian county.
D)Gandu county.
E)Xigu county.

Question 39

Of the hominin sites listed below, which one has the best preserved fossil material for Homo erectus in Europe?

A)Gran Dolina (Atapuerca)
B)Ceprano
C)Ubeidiya
D)Boxgrove
E)London

Question 40

Bifacially flaked tools characterize the _______ stone tool industry.

A)Oldowan
B)Acheulian
C)Shewlian
D)Osteodontokeratic
E)Craftsmanian

Question 41

Describe and compare the characteristics of the fossil evidence found at the Dmanisi site with those found in Africa.

Question 42

Is there any evidence to suggest that Homo erectus evolved outside of Africa?

Question 43

Describe the fossil evidence found in Spain, and cite differences and similarities with other fossils found in other European countries.

Question 44

Homo erectus was considerably smaller than earlier members of the genus Homo .

Question 45

Compare the cranium and brain size of Homo erectus to that of modern Homo sapiens .

Question 46

New evidence from Zhoukoudian Cave has substantiated the long-held notion that Homo erectus used controlled fire.

Question 47

The Dmanisi hominins reveal that Europeans still had small brains and were also still using Oldowan-style tools.

Question 48

Most anthropologists agree that Zhoukoudian Cave was a hearth and a home to Homo erectus.

Question 49

Despite numerous excavations, the only early stone tools that have been found in China are those from Zhoukoudian.

Question 50

The Acheulian biface or "hand axe" is a basic tool of the Acheulian tradition.

Question 51

One clear technological trend evident in the Middle Pleistocene archaeological record is that early bifaces are elegant-appearing pear-shaped implements, whereas later bifaces are cruder with deep flake-removal scars.

Question 52

Is there any evidence to suggest the Zhoukoudian was NOT a hominin habitation site?

Question 53

Although Zhoukoudian is the most famous Homo erectus site in China, there are other sites. Name two of these sites, and give their dates.

Question 54

The Asian Homo erectus crania from both China and Java are so different from each other that most researchers have suggested that they be separated into two different species.

Question 55

Review the history of Homo erectus discoveries in Java and China (specifically Zhoukoudian).

Question 56

Given the newest dates for the Ngandong Homo erectus material on Java, it is possible that Homo erectus could have existed contemporaneously with Homo sapiens .

Question 57

An analysis of the WT 15000 specimen suggests it would only have been about 4 feet tall at maturity.

Question 58

The discovery from Daka (Ethiopia)of a young African specimen with Asian traits strengthens the separate-species interpretation of H. ergaster.

Question 59

The new species found on the island of Flores was initially thought to be a contemporary of Homo sapiens.

Question 60

Most Homo erectus specimens have a sagittal keel running along the midline of the skull.

Question 61

Describe the Acheulian tools, and cite the main differences with Oldowan industry.

Question 62

Describe the findings on the island of Flores, and give examples of how this new species differed from other Homo species.

Question 63

What suggestions have been made regarding the hunting capabilities of Homo erectus ?  How have these views changed in recent years and why?  Discuss the limitations of these types of archaeological inferences.

Question 64

Compare the cranial capacity, cranial and postcranial morphology, stature, and cultural behavior (including the types of stone tools they used)of Homo erectus to that of earlier hominins, including early Homo .

Question 65

What have scientists been able to ascertain about the Homo erectus lifestyle at Zhoukoudian? Be sure to include any disagreements within the scientific community. What is the nature of the evidence?

Question 66

Discuss the recently published early dates for Homo erectus in Java and their implication for the evolution and dispersal of Homo erectus .

Question 67

Give an overview of the first dispersal of Homo erectus throughout Europe and Asia.

Question 68

Cite three important fossil discoveries in Africa, and give details of the findings.

Question 69

Describe the differences between the Homo erectus remains from East Africa and the Javanese and Chinese fossils.

Question 70

Describe the main characteristics of WT 15000.

Question 71

Describe the Chinese tools from Middle Pleistocene sites.

Question 72

Describe the findings at Zhoukoudian Cave, and state the different interpretations given by scientists.

Question 73

Discuss the fossil finds at Dmanisi in terms of their morphology and in terms of the information they provide about the dispersal of hominins out of Africa.