Deck 16: Legacies of Human Evolutionary History: Effects on the Human Life Course

Question 1

For humans, approximately what percent of adult brain size is completed by the time of birth?

A)10 percent
B)25 percent
C)50 percent
D)75 percent
E)100 percent

Answer 1

25 percent

Question 2

A woman who never becomes pregnant may have as many as _____ cycles between menarche and menopause.

A)200
B)400
C)1,000
D)600
E)100

Answer 2

400

Question 3

Two hormones that are important in growth and development include _____ and growth hormone.

A)insulin
B)cortisol
C)pancreas
D)hypothalamus
E)melanin

Answer 3

cortisol

Question 4

Nutrients needed for growth, development, and body maintenance include all EXCEPT

A)alcohol.
B)proteins.
C)carbohydrates.
D)lipids.
E)vitamins and minerals.

Question 5

The human preagricultural diet was

A)high in fats and low in carbohydrates.
B)high in fats and animal proteins.
C)low in fats and high in animal proteins.
D)low in complex carbohydrates and calcium.
E)high in fat and sodium.

Question 6

Great apes and women in foraging societies nurse their infants for approximately how many years?

A)1-2
B)2-3
C)3-4
D)5-6
E)6-7

Question 7

The "new" foods types that came along with agriculture and animal domestication include all EXCEPT

A)dairy products.
B)wheat.
C)fruits.
D)barley.
E)rice.

Question 8

Though it may give a rise in status in non-Western societies, _____ is viewed negatively in the West.

A)menarche
B)menopause
C)adolescence
D)life cycle
E)homosexuality

Question 9

Our evolved biology may not be matched well with our contemporary lives, resulting in ______ than compared to our recent ancestors.

A)better health and longer lives
B)poorer health and shorter lives
C)poorer health but longer lives
D)better health but shorter lives
E)no change in health or life span

Question 10

The instructions that determine which genes are expressed in cells and how they are expressed are called

A)menarche.
B)menopause.
C)senescence.
D)pleiotropic.
E)epigenome.

Question 11

Which of these does NOT reflect the interaction of environment and genes?

A)Intelligence
B)Body shape
C)Growth
D)Height
E)Albinism

Question 12

Origin of food production

A)began approximately 5,000 ya.
B)slowed down the pace of cultural change.
C)began approximately 10,000 ya.
D)has caused biological change to be accelerated.
E)has caused technological advances to stop.

Question 13

Which field studies changes in phenotype that are not related to DNA?

A)Epigenetics
B)Epigenomes
C)Evolutionary medicine
D)Life history
E)Bioarchaeology

Question 14

Human babies are about ____ of their mother's size at birth.

A)6 percent
B)8 percent
C)3 percent
D)10 percent
E)5 percent

Question 15

The disorder that is clearly linked to dietary and lifestyle behaviors, such as decreased activity levels and an increased consumption of fats and refined carbohydrates, is

A)HIV.
B)SIV.
C)malaria.
D)smallpox.
E)diabetes.

Question 16

The crush of billions of people almost completely dependent on cereal grains mean millions face all of the following EXCEPT

A)obesity.
B)malnutrition.
C)undernutrition.
D)starvation.
E)food inequality.

Question 17

Life history theory

A)seeks to answer why humans evolved as bipeds.
B)does NOT have an evolutionary perspective.
C)seeks to understand the impact of natural selection on life cycles.
D)explores only sexual dimorphism.
E)begins with the premise that there is only a certain amount of energy available for growth, maintenance of life, and reproduction.

Question 18

A female's first menstruation is known as

A)menopause.
B)menarche.
C)andropause.
D)adrenarche.
E)cyclopause.

Question 19

All of the following are endocrine glands responsible for producing hormones in the body EXCEPT the

A)thyroid.
B)ovaries.
C)pituitary.
D)sweat glands.
E)testes.

Question 20

In humans, there is a second major growth spurt after birth that occurs during

A)old age.
B)infancy.
C)adolescence.
D)juvenile stage.
E)conception.

Question 21

In humans, growth begins at conception and ends at weaning.

Question 22

The decline in physiological function usually associated with aging is called

A)menarche.
B)menopause.
C)senescence.
D)puberty.
E)epigenome .

Question 23

The time between weaning and puberty is called

A)infancy.
B)adolescence.
C)childhood.
D)menarche.
E)senescence.

Question 24

Whether we will become a different species in the future

A)is not a question we can easily answer.
B)is a question that anthropologists have considered.
C)is certain; we will all have big heads, big eyes, and four fingers on each hand.
D)does not depend on the future course of evolution.
E)is almost certain to occur in 100 years.

Question 25

Why do human females have such a long period during which they can no longer reproduce?

A)Women lack libido in comparison to men.
B)Women are biologically "programmed" to live 12-15 years beyond the birth of their child.
C)Women need men to keep their infants fed.
D)Women are not attractive after reproductive age.
E)Women are more aggressive after reproductive age.

Question 26

Changes in telomere length have also been implicated in

A)cancers.
B)weight gain.
C)stunt stature.
D)blindness.
E)weight loss.

Question 27

Due to AIDS, many African nations have seen life expectancy drop to the low

A)20s.
B)30s.
C)40s.
D)50s.
E)60s.

Question 28

_______ genes have multiple effects at different times in the life span or under different conditions.

A)Ontogenetic
B)Telomere
C)Pleiotropic
D)Hidden
E)Dominant

Question 29

One hypothesis that proposes to explain senescence notes that cells that divide throughout the life course have shortened DNA sequences at the end of the chromosomes. This is referred to as the ______ hypothesis.

A)hadromere
B)carsonomere
C)telomere
D)intron
E)grandmother

Question 30

For most women in the world, menopause begins around the age of

A)50.
B)35.
C)40.
D)25.
E)65.

Question 31

Nutrition has an effect ONLY on the prenatal period of the human life cycle.

Question 32

At birth, the human brain is only about 50 percent of its adult size.

Question 33

Infancy is the period of nursing, and in humans it typically lasts about

A)4 years.
B)3 years.
C)6 months.
D)1 year.
E)2 years.

Question 34

Biological change occurs fast, whereas cultural change tends to be slow.

Question 35

In the United States, the primary determinant of health and nutrition is socioeconomic status.

Question 36

The "grandmother hypothesis" proposes to explain the

A)age of onset of menopause.
B)age of puberty for males.
C)age of onset of menarche.
D)existence of menarche.
E)love for grandmothers universally.

Question 37

What is the estimated maximum life span for humans?

A)50 yrs.
B)80 yrs.
C)35 yrs.
D)100 yrs.
E)120 yrs.

Question 38

Before the AIDS epidemic in Africa, Zimbabweans had a life expectancy of 61 years. But by 2000, this figure dropped to

A)35.
B)45.
C)60.
D)55.
E)40.

Question 39

Human milk is extremely low in fats and

A)carbohydrates.
B)minerals.
C)vitamins.
D)protein.
E)glucose.

Question 40

In some societies, old age is often correlated with all of the following EXCEPT

A)wisdom.
B)knowledge.
C)independence.
D)new freedoms.
E)higher status.

Question 41

Describe the life history theory and its function in human evolution.

Question 42

Socioeconomic and political concerns have no effects on our species today.

Question 43

What are the effects of biocultural evolution on the individual?

Question 44

Anticancer mechanisms operating in early life may have opposite effects in later life.

Question 45

One of the leading causes of death in the United States is infectious disease.

Question 46

Describe the life cycles of pregnancy, birth, and infancy.

Question 47

The contemporary diet typical of industrialized societies is basically unchanged from preagricultural diets.

Question 48

Early life events have no impact on the age of menopause.

Question 49

The maximum life span potential, estimated to be about 120 years, has probably not changed in the last several thousand years.

Question 50

Throughout the world, men have higher life expectancies than women.

Question 51

Explain how diet and nutrition can impact human growth at every stage of the life cycle.

Question 52

Explain the way in which genes affect growth and development through their effects on hormones.

Question 53

Explain how the biological and behavioral characteristics that in the past contributed to adaptation may be maladaptive today and give examples.

Question 54

How did the development of agriculture and animal domestication  affect human health?

Question 55

Both nutritional deficiencies and excesses can cause health problems and interfere with childhood growth.

Question 56

Human infants born today can survive and grow without breast milk.

Question 57

Lifestyle factors, such as smoking and diet, are far more important than the effects of genes on the aging process.

Question 58

Describe and contrast human diet prior to 10,000 ya and today. Discuss its effects on humans.

Question 59

Describe epigenomes and their effect on growth and development in humans. Give examples.

Question 60

One of the most significant legacies from our evolutionary history is our biological and behavioral flexibility.

Question 61

Discuss the three proposals for why humans age.

Question 62

Explain how we are still evolving and adapting in today's modern age.

Question 63

Define senescence, and discuss one of the hypotheses that attempt to explain it.

Question 64

Explain menopause and the theories for its possible function in female humans.

Question 65

Explain the proposal that human biology that evolved under dietary conditions of the past may be mismatched with the foods we consume today, resulting in a number of diseases and disorders such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.

Question 66

Why do human females have such a long period of time during which they can no longer reproduce?

Question 67

Explain the nutritional effects on growth, development, and later-life health.

Question 68

Compare the environmental conditions under which humans evolved with the environments in which we live today.

Question 69

Discuss the life cycle of childhood and the reasons why it is unusually long in humans.

Question 70

Explain the onset of reproductive functioning in humans.

Question 71

Explain and give examples of the importance and benefits of breastfeeding in humans.