Deck 6: Biology in the Present: the Other Living Primates

Question 1

The genetic classification for apes and humans:

A) includes three subfamilies within hominids: pongines, gorillines, and hominines.
B) uses the term "hominid" to describe only humans and their ancestors.
C) divides hominoids into hylobatids, pongids, and hominids.
D) includes tarsiers, lemurs, and lorises.

Answer 1

includes three subfamilies within hominids: pongines, gorillines, and hominines.

Question 2

The suborder prosimians includes:

A) New World and Old World monkeys.
B) lemurs, lorises, galagos, and tarsiers.
C) great apes and lesser apes.
D) lemurs, lorises, and galagos.

Answer 2

lemurs, lorises, galagos, and tarsiers.

Question 3

The dental pattern of Old World higher primates is:

A) 2-1-2-3.
B) 2-1-3-3.
C) 2-2-2-3.
D) 2-2-3-3.

Answer 3

2-1-2-3.

Question 4

Low, rounded cusps indicate a diet of:

A) fruit.
B) meat.
C) insects.
D) leaves.

Question 5

Prehensile tails:

A) are present in catarrhine primates.
B) are present in most primates.
C) are present only in some platyrrhines.
D) are made strictly of muscle.

Question 6

Anthropoids include:

A) monkeys, apes, and humans.
B) African and Asian apes.
C) tarsiers, monkeys, and apes.
D) lemurs, lorises, galagos, and tarsiers.

Question 7

Modern primates are characterized by arboreal adaptations, including:

A) opposable thumbs.
B) a precision grip.
C) short digits.
D) an expanded reliance on sense of smell.

Question 8

Relative to other primates, prosimian adaptations include:

A) an enlarged olfactory bulb and enlarged scent glands.
B) a larger brain.
C) a reduced number of teeth.
D) smaller eye orbits.

Question 9

Arboreal adaptation is:

A) adaptation to life in the trees.
B) the ability to brachiate.
C) adaptation to life in the savannah.
D) the ability to move on four limbs.

Question 10

Which of the following are prosimians?

A) baboons
B) gibbons
C) lemurs
D) tamarins

Question 11

Colobine primates:

A) are mostly frugivorous.
B) are usually terrestrial.
C) have specialized digestive anatomy for eating leaves.
D) are referred to as "cheek pouch" monkeys.

Question 12

In class your professor shows you an MRI scan of a primate brain. The professor points out the relatively large size of the olfactory bulb beneath the frontal lobe. This suggests to you that:

A) this primate exhibits a derived trait for an enhanced sense of smell, since this trait is not commonly observed in mammal species.
B) this is a species of anthropoid because it has an increased reliance on vision.
C) this primate must be a species of prosimian, as that suborder of primates still relies heavily on the sense of smell for many aspects of daily life.
D) this species is nocturnal.

Question 13

Living lemurs are found only in:

A) Asia.
B) Africa.
C) South America.
D) Madagascar.

Question 14

High, pointed crowns indicate a diet of:

A) fruit.
B) leaves.
C) meat.
D) insects.

Question 15

Primate females:

A) invest less in their offspring than do many other mammals.
B) give birth to more offspring than do most other mammals.
C) give birth to fewer offspring than do many other mammals.
D) give birth to twins regularly.

Question 16

In your primate anatomy lab you are shown the mandible (lower jawbone) of a species of primate. While looking at the teeth you notice a large space between the canine and first premolar. In your lab book you note:

A) that this is likely the lower jaw of a human, due to the potential presence of a canine-premolar honing complex.
B) that this may be a species of Old World monkey or ape, as the space in the teeth of the mandible suggests the presence of a canine-premolar honing complex.
C) that this is likely the lower jaw of a human, given the presence of a nonhoning chewing complex.
D) that this may be a species of Old World monkey or ape, as the space in the teeth suggests the presence of a nonhoning chewing complex.

Question 17

The suborder prosimians includes:

A) only nocturnal species.
B) only diurnal species.
C) diurnal and nocturnal galagos.
D) diurnal and nocturnal lemurs.

Question 18

The two suborders of primates are:

A) platyrrhine and catarrhine.
B) prosimians and anthropoids.
C) pongidae and hominidae.
D) tarsiers and anthropoids.

Question 19

Anthropoids differ from prosimians in that they:

A) have more teeth.
B) have better color vision.
C) are less dimorphic sexually.
D) have a smaller brain relative to body size.

Question 20

While at the zoo you see an exhibit with a small group of primates and notice they have wet, snout-like noses. This indicates:

A) a species of prosimian, because they retain the rhinarium not found in other mammal species.
B) a species of anthropoid primate, because they retain the rhinarium commonly found in other mammal species.
C) a species of platyrrhine primate, because their nostrils do not point downward.
D) A species of strepsirhini that retain a rhinarium found only in prosimian primates.

Question 21

Among all primates humans have:

A) the largest olfactory bulb.
B) the greatest sense of hearing.
C) the most developed vision.
D) the most elaborate connections between different regions of the brain.

Question 22

Among all primates, humans have:

A) the largest body relative to other animals.
B) the greatest level of biological adaptability.
C) the largest body size.
D) the largest brain relative to body size.

Question 23

Relative to body size, primate brain size:

A) is proportional to human brain size.
B) is more or less the same in large and small primates.
C) is smaller than in other large mammals.
D) is larger among great apes than among other primates.

Question 24

Which of the following were identified by Sir William le Gros Clark as tendencies of primates?

A) the presence of a rhinarium and an opposable thumb
B) increased mobility, arboreal adaptation, and brachiation
C) arboreal adaptation, parental investment, and the presence of dietary plasticity
D) the presence of a rhinarium, forward-facing eyes, and increased parental care

Question 25

Dietary plasticity in primates refers to:

A) eating a wide variety of foods.
B) diversity of diets over time.
C) diets composed of a variety of red meats.
D) diets composed of a variety of fruits.

Question 26

African monkeys, including Miss Waldron's red colobus, are:

A) among the most endangered animals due to human exploitation of resources.
B) a healthy population living in a subtropical environment.
C) not highly adaptable to changing environments but do well in zoos.
D) among the most endangered animal species due to disease.

Question 27

Strepsirhines have a special lower incisor called:

A) a bilophodont.
B) a two-ridge tooth.
C) a diastema.
D) a tooth comb.

Question 28

A skull with a foramen magnum positioned at the back belongs to:

A) an individual that is fully bipedal, such as a human.
B) an individual that is fully quadrupedal, such as a dog.
C) an individual that is fully quadrupedal, such as a human.
D) none of the above (this trait is observed only in prosimians)

Question 29

The Y-5 molar morphology is present in:

A) colobus monkeys.
B) chimpanzees.
C) lemurs.
D) howler monkeys.

Question 30

The reintroduction project of lemurs on St. Catherines Island provided more evidence of:

A) the fact that lemurs should never be reintroduced to the island of Madagascar.
B) the fact that the reintroduction programs are quite simple and can likely be carried out in any circumstance.
C) the fact that primates exhibit remarkable levels of adaptability under many circumstances.
D) the fact that primates are not able to survive outside their natural geographic habitats.

Question 31

The rhinarium is present in:

A) baboons.
B) gorillas.
C) ring-tail lemurs.
D) howler monkeys.

Question 32

The typical catarrhine dental formula is:

A) 1 / 1 / 2 / 3.
B) 2 / 1 / 3 / 3.
C) 2 / 1 / 2 / 3.
D) 3 / 1 / 2 / 3.

Question 33

Primates have long growth and development periods because:

A) they take longer to develop to sexual maturity.
B) on average they are larger bodied than nonprimates.
C) they have higher intelligence and larger brains relative to other animals.
D) the areas of the brain associated with smell and hearing are expanded in primates.

Question 34

The cladistic approach to primate classification is:

A) based on the use of anatomical and genetic evidence to establish ancestral lines.
B) based on personal observation of phenotypes only.
C) also called the gradistic method of classification.
D) based on levels of anatomical complexity, without consideration of ancestor-descendent relationships.

Question 35

While observing primates at the zoo, you notice that the particular monkey you are watching uses its hands, feet, and tail to move throughout the trees in its enclosure. This is most likely:

A) an Old World monkey, because many of these species have a tail with grasping abilities similar to those observed in nonhuman primate hands and feet.
B) a lesser ape, because many of these species have a tail with grasping abilities similar to those observed in nonhuman primate hands and feet.
C) a New World monkey, because these are the only monkeys that live in trees.
D) a New World monkey, because many of these species have a tail with grasping abilities similar to those observed in nonhuman primate hands and feet.

Question 36

The cladistic primate classification includes:

A) anthropods and haplorhines.
B) hominoids and chordata.
C) strepsirhines and haplorhines.
D) pongidae and omomyidae.

Question 37

The typical dental formula of lorises and lemurs is:

A) 2 / 1 / 3 / 3.
B) 1 / 1 / 3 / 3.
C) 2 / 1 / 3 / 2.
D) 2 / 1 / 2 / 3.

Question 38

Preadaptation is:

A) the series of small adaptations that precedes the more observable adaptation.
B) the use of an anatomical feature in a way unrelated to the feature's original function.
C) the use of an anatomical feature in the way it was originally intended.
D) a phenomenon that occurs before natural selection can occur.

Question 39

Old World monkeys have:

A) Y-5 molars.
B) two sets of molars.
C) bilophodont molars.
D) one-inch molars.

Question 40

A feature unique to human teeth and human ancestors' teeth is:

A) the presence of a canine-premolar honing complex.
B) a canine that shows no wear on any surface.
C) the Y-5 cusp pattern.
D) a canine that shows wear on the tip.

Question 41

Discuss the primate parental investment in terms of success in natural selection. What are the most important aspects of primate parenting and what is their value to socialization?

Question 42

Brachiation refers to

A) using the forelimbs to move from tree limb to tree limb.
B) quadrupedal locomotion including the use of a tail.
C) clinging and leaping locomotion in an arboreal environment.
D) bipedality in nonhumans.

Question 43

Catarrhines' nostrils are:

A) far apart and face sideways.
B) close together and face downward.
C) large due to their heightened sense of smell.
D) wide and include a large nasal sinus.

Question 44

Phylogeny refers to:

A) evolutionary relationships that are based on shared characteristics including physical traits, genetics, and behavior.
B) the fundamental anatomical features in primates that reflect their high degree of diversity.
C) primates' ability to get around in trees using an unusually wide range of motions involving the limbs and trunk.
D) a set of behaviors and anatomical characteristics that is unique to mammals adapted to life in the trees.

Question 45

Strepsirhines have:

A) a wet nose, a snout, downward-facing nostrils, and longer hind limbs than forelimbs.
B) a snout, downward-facing nostrils, and longer forelimbs than hind limbs.
C) a wet nose, a snout, a tooth comb, and a grooming claw.
D) a tooth comb, a grooming claw, and ischial callosities.

Question 46

Discuss the diversity of the dentition among primates. Pay particular attention to how form follows function with regard to dental morphology and diet.

Question 47

Primates are characterized by:

A) forward-facing eyes, varied diet, and nonviolent behavior.
B) arboreal adaptation, dietary plasticity, and male dominance.
C) docility, toolmaking, and parental investment.
D) arboreal adaptation, dietary plasticity, and parental investment.

Question 48

Discuss the anatomical differences between prosimians and anthropoids. How do these anatomical differences influence behavior and socialization among the respective primate groups?

Question 49

Discuss the anatomical differences of the skeleton between (bipedal) humans and (quadrupedal) apes.

Question 50

Evaluate and explain the evidence for the phylogenetic relationship between humans and other primates.

Question 51

The variation in living primates provides models for understanding:

A) the uses of anatomical and genetic evidence.
B) morphology, behavior, and adaptation in the evolutionary past.
C) alternative forms of classification.
D) levels of anatomical complexity.

Question 52

Describe the arboreal adaptation of primates and include specific anatomical characteristics.