Deck 16: Conclusions: Who Are We

Question 1

Making and using tools is not unique to hominids/humans but found in at least three other primate species.

Answer 1

Indeed, the use of tools is not exclusive to hominids (members of the human family tree, including extinct species closely related to humans) but has been observed in several other primate species. This behavior demonstrates a level of intelligence and problem-solving ability that was once thought to be uniquely human. Here are three primate species known to make and use tools:
1. **Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)**: Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives and have been observed using a variety of tools in the wild. They use sticks to fish for termites or ants, use stones to crack open nuts, and even shape leaves to create sponges for drinking water. Their tool use varies by region, indicating a form of cultural diversity where different groups of chimpanzees have developed unique tool-using behaviors.
2. **Bonobos (Pan paniscus)**: Bonobos, also closely related to humans, have been seen using branches to create a makeshift bridge or ladder to cross water or reach food. They also use sticks to probe for food and use leaves as cover from rain or as napkins to clean themselves.
3. **Capuchin monkeys (Cebus spp.)**: Capuchin monkeys, particularly those in the genus Sapajus, are known for their use of stone tools. They have been observed using rocks to crack open nuts and seeds in a methodical way that requires skill and precision. Capuchins have also been seen using sticks to dig, probe for food, and even as weapons to defend against predators or to assert dominance.
These examples show that the ability to use and create tools is more widespread among primates than previously thought. It suggests that the cognitive abilities required for such behaviors have evolved multiple times within the primate lineage. This challenges the notion that tool use is a defining characteristic of human evolution and highlights the complex cognitive abilities of other primate species.

Question 2

Speech probably evolved from language in a single event.

Answer 2

No Answer

Question 3

The authors of this book conclude there is no single factor that made humans human.

Answer 3

No Answer

Question 4

Bipedalism occurred in stages, not in one single event.

Question 5

Early hominids and chimpanzees probably had the same brain size.

Question 6

Bipedalism, dentition, and brain size evolution all can be seen as chronologically concordant.

Question 7

The sequence of stone tools is: chopper, core and flake, blade.

Question 8

Your authors conclude the word "inheritance" should be used only in connection with biological evolution.

Question 9

Biological change is slow because it adheres to Mendelian genetics but cultural change can be fast because it is Lamarckian in mode.

Question 10

The authors of this book conclude there are enough similarities between biological and cultural evolution to call them as a single unit "biocultural evolution."

Question 11

What made humans human?

A) bipedalism
B) big brains and intelligence
C) tool manufacturing
D) all of the above

Question 12

Intelligence helped make us human. What kind of problems did more intelligence allow us to solve?

A) coping with predators
B) general cognitive ability
C) coping with environmental change
D) getting better quality food

Question 13

Compare the evolution of bipedalism, dentition, and brain size, and the conclusion is that

A) bipedalism changed earliest, but in steps
B) bipedalism and dentition changed together and in one single event
C) they all evolved at different times and as separate events
D) bipedalism and dentition evolved independently, but as single events; brain size was an ongoing process

Question 14

Chronologically, which came last?

A) cave paintings
B) small sculpted animals
C) Venus statuettes
D) jewelry

Question 15

Which similarity/ies is/are there between biological and cultural change? Both

A) depend on contingency
B) can be said to be inherited
C) have similar rates of change
D) A and B are correct

Question 16

All of the following show important differences between biological evolution and culture change EXCEPT

A) conscious choice of change or not
B) number of individuals involved
C) blending of traits
D) contingency principle

Question 17

The biggest problem to the future of our species likely resides in

A) overpopulation
B) technology "taking over"
C) cell phones
D) HIV and other virulent diseases

Question 18

Encapsulating the world's demography at the beginning of the new millennium, you would claim all of the following EXCEPT

A) less than 1/3 are "white"
B) less than 1/3 are Christian
C) 60% are female
D) Asians make up the largest percentage

Question 19

Discuss your author's conclusions that what made humans human was not a single factor nor did it happen all at the same time.

Question 20

Discuss the evolution of bipedalism, brain size, and dentition relative to their chronological concordance or disconcordance.

Question 21

Discuss tool technology, basic economy, social organization, and art relative to their chronological concordance or disconcordance.

Question 22

Though there are more differences than similarities between the processes of biological and cultural change, discuss the two basic similarities: inheritance and contingency.

Question 23

Compare biological evolution and culture change relative to the mechanisms/causes of change: mutations/inventions, selection, flow, and drift.

Question 24

Discuss the differences between biological and cultural change other than the mechanisms/causes of change.