Deck 7: Origins of the Genus Homo

Question 1

What is the most significant statement about the "Nariokotome Boy" fossil?

A)It is the only specimen of H.sapiens found in Asia.
B)It is one of the most complete H.erectus skeletons ever found.
C)It is the most complete H.ergaster skeleton ever found in China.
D)It is a transitional skeleton that shows characteristics of both H.habilis and H.erectus.
E)It is the first H.erectus fossil ever found.

Answer 1

It is one of the most complete H.erectus skeletons ever found.

Question 2

There is disagreement among scientists about the designation of species.They are often aligned as being "lumpers" or "splitters" in regards to fossil evidence.As presented in your text,all of the following are considered alternate fossil names for the same evidence except:

A)H.erectus.
B)H.ergaster.
C)H.habilis.
D)H.antecessor.
E)H.heidelbergensis.

Answer 2

H.habilis.

Question 3

Experimental archaeology is best described as:

A)excavating test pits throughout an occupation site in order to test for the boundaries of settlement.
B)recreating DNA from ancient humans through polymerase chain reaction and testing evolutionary relationships.
C)recreating ancient lifeways by modern paleoanthropologists in order to better understand the past.
D)using both paleolithic methods and modern methods to reconstruct tools and study the brain capacity of early humans.
E)excavating sites in geographic conditions similar to what would have existed for our earliest human ancestors.

Answer 3

recreating ancient lifeways by modern paleoanthropologists in order to better understand the past.

Question 4

Microscopic analysis of cut marks on bones reveals that the earliest members of the genus Homo were actually what kind of scavenger?

A)Primary scavenger
B)Secondary scavenger
C)Tertiary scavenger
D)Opportunistic scavenger
E)They were not scavengers;they were hunters.

Question 5

The standardized,teardrop-shaped hand axe was characteristic of which tool tradition?

A)Oldowan
B)Mousterian
C)Levallois
D)Acheulean
E)Upper Paleolithic

Question 6

What cultural biases entered into the paleoanthropological record surrounding Homo habilis?

A)Assumption that tool-making was important to early human ancestors
B)Allowing only male paleoanthropologists to work with understanding and recreating the process of making early tools
C)Assumption that men,women,and children lived as a family in society
D)Assumption that women were gatherers and provided most of the daily caloric intake,while men stayed at home caring for the young
E)Assumption that among our earliest ancestors the women stayed at home tending young and the men were hunters

Question 7

Since its discovery in 1887 by Eugene Dubois,which of the following has now been assigned to the species Homo erectus?

A)Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
B)Kenyanthropus erectus
C)Australopithecus africanus
D)Pithecanthropus erectus
E)Pithecanthropus sahilensis

Question 8

During what historical period did scientists misplace the fossils of "Peking Man" (Chinese H.erectus)?

A)Battle of Iwo Jima
B)Occupation of San Juan Hill
C)Japanese occupation of China during WWII
D)Chinese occupation of Japan during WWII
E)German occupation of France during WWI

Question 9

Percussion method of tool manufacture is a form of technology that is associated with all of the following except:

A)marked the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic.
B)utilized fossils.
C)was evidenced in Oldowan tool tradition.
D)made possible the butchering of meat from scavenged carcasses.
E)used sharp-edged flakes from stones.

Question 10

Up until about 1.8 million years ago,the only home of bipedal primates was Africa.However,after that time,humans began to spread into China,Western Europe,Georgia,India,and Java.Which species was the first to migrate out of Africa?

A)Neandertal
B)Australopithecus anamensis
C)Homo habilis
D)Homo erectus
E)Homo sapiens

Question 11

Which the following is the best way to determine the human age of a fossil specimen?

A)Pelvic area
B)Length of the jawbone
C)Molar teeth
D)Foot size
E)Size of eye sockets

Question 12

All of the following strongly contributed to the development of larger brains in hominids except:

A)bipedalism.
B)increasing vegetarian diet.
C)development of tool-making skills.
D)increased reproductive success.
E)increasing amounts of leisure time.

Question 13

Which of the following sites best illustrates the ability of H.erectus to organize socially to hunt for large animals?

A)Zhoukoudian,China
B)Dmanisi,Georgia
C)Torralba,Spain
D)Laetoli,Tanzania
E)Lake Turkana,Kenya

Question 14

All of the following evidence challenges the "Man the Hunter" theory except:

A)the natural hunting ability of humankind and the gendered division of labor that we see today in human societies.
B)lack of artifacts in the earliest archaeological record to support controlled fire and weaponry.
C)evidence of tooth marks from large predators on early human remains.
D)physical imbalance and inequality of small hominids and large predators.
E)evidence that large predators still threaten contemporary human populations.

Question 15

From its appearance about 2.5 million years ago,the genus Homo began a course of brain expansion through variational change that continued until about how many years ago?

A)1 million years
B)500,00 years
C)200,000 years
D)40,000 years
E)10,000 years

Question 16

Which scientist was instrumental in establishing the "Man the Hunter" scenario that argues that humans emerged as "killer ape-men"?

A)Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
B)Raymond Dart
C)Mary Leakey
D)Don Johansson
E)Davidson Black

Question 17

All of the following statements are true of cooking food except:

A)it makes certain vitamins,minerals,and proteins more digestible.
B)it kills parasites and makes food safer.
C)it makes starches more digestible.
D)it increased the food resources available to early humans.
E)it led to an increase in the size of the human stomach.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about the population of H.florensis is not correct?

A)It was an island-dwelling dwarf hominid species.
B)The hominid fossils there show very clear transition from H.erectus to H.sapiens.
C)It has archaeological evidence of 800,000-year-old stone tools.
D)It can be reached only by water navigation.
E)The hominid fossils on Flores date from 13,000 to 73,000 years ago.

Question 19

All of the following are evidence that early humans were not large game hunters except:

A)kill sites do not contain evidence of the whole animal carcass.
B)kill sites show evidence of occupation by both H.habilis and large carnivorous animals.
C)bones with markings show that other animals ate the meat before humans began to process it.
D)large bone accumulations at single sites indicate long use patterns.
E)bones themselves are broken up so that people could get at marrow and also use the bone as a tool.

Question 20

What event was a major turning point in better understanding the subsistence roles of men and women in early human societies?

A)The development of experimental archaeology that allowed paleoanthropology to test more than one theory at a time
B)The ability of male paleoanthropologists to recreate examples of early human foraging lifestyles and gather evidence of different gender roles
C)The work of cultural anthropologists in studying modern foragers and projecting ethnographic analogies back onto our early foraging beginnings
D)The development of female physical anthropologists who introduced a more balanced perspective into the scientific record
E)The introduction of new forms of data collection that allowed scientists to find actual evidence of female foraging abilities in the fossil record

Question 21

Which of the following is an incorrect statement about speech and language capabilities of Neandertal?

A)The hypoglossal canal was much larger than what we find in contemporary humans.
B)The vocal tract was adequate for speech.
C)Neandertals had the neural development necessary for spoken language.
D)Features are evident that allow the increased breath control required for speech.
E)The larynx is identical to that of a modern human.

Question 22

One of the first Neandertals was discovered:

A)by Eugene Dubois in 1908.
B)in the Neander Valley in 1856.
C)in the cave of Zhoukoudian in 1936.
D)in South Africa by Raymond Dart.
E)in the Fayum Depression during the Oligocene.

Question 23

The sexual division of labor that we find today among foragers is based on biological constraints.

Question 24

__________________ is superior in almost every way to materials normally used to make modern-day scalpels.

A)Obsidian
B)Slate
C)Quartz
D)Steel
E)Shale

Question 25

The greater depth of deposits at Mousterian sites implies that Mousterian people:

A)spent very little time at any one place.
B)were less mobile.
C)collected debris in middens.
D)had large tool deposits and specialized in tool-making.
E)were farmers.

Question 26

The Mousterian tool kits contained a much greater variety of tool types than the previous traditions and allowed users to do all of the following except:

A)intensify their utilization of food resources.
B)increase the quality of clothing.
C)increase the availability of clothing.
D)increase the quality of shelter.
E)make fire.

Question 27

Sites in Europe and Africa that date roughly between 400,000 and 200,000 years ago contain only parts of one or a very few individuals.The one exception is in northern Spain,where the remains of at least 28 individuals of both sexes -juveniles as well as adults-were deliberately dumped by their contemporaries into a deep cave shaft know today as:

A)El Valle de las Lagrimas.
B)Sima de los Huevos.
C)Sima de los Huesos.
D)Cueva de Zhoukoudian.
E)Cueva de las Manos.

Question 28

The name given to a group of archaic H.sapiens from southern Siberia dated to between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago is:

A)Sibero-Neandertals.
B)Aegyptopithecus.
C)Ramapithecus.
D)Denisovans.
E)Sivapithecus.

Question 29

In hominids,the hypoglossal canal indicates the ability to:

A)chew food thoroughly.
B)communicate through a series of grunts.
C)make tongue movements necessary for human speech.
D)stand upright and fully bipedal.
E)digest food completely.

Question 30

The remains of a partially blind amputee discovered in Shanidar Cave in Iraq,and the remains of a man crippled by arthritis at La Chapelle,suggest that Neandertals:

A)had more accidents than modern peoples.
B)were genetically inferior.
C)were the discarded wanderers of more developed peoples.
D)were productive enough to support handicapped individuals.
E)ate foods that were too rich for them.

Question 31

Which technique of making tools involves the preparation of a striking platform at one end of a specially prepared core,after which three or four long,triangular flakes are detached,leaving a nodule shaped like a tortoise shell?

A)Oldowan
B)Acheulian
C)Paleoindian
D)Levalloisian
E)Mousterian

Question 32

The Mousterian tool tradition is found in Europe,southwestern Asia,and North Africa between:

A)200,000 and 300,000 years ago.
B)40,000 and 125,000 years ago.
C)40,000 and 10,000 years ago.
D)500,000 and 1 million years ago.
E)1.2 million and 4 million years ago.

Question 33

Which scientist argues that "classic" Neandertal features such as sloping foreheads,bunlike appearance at the back of the skull,and distinctively small mastoid processes are commonly present in medieval skulls from Denmark and Norway dated at 10,000 years ago?

A)Jennifer Thompson of the University of Nevada,Las Vegas
B)C.Loring Brace of the University of Michigan
C)Barry Hewlett of Washington State University
D)Jose Cuellar of San Francisco State University
E)Don Johansson of University of Arizona

Question 34

The typical Neandertal tool-making industry is called:

A)Oldowan.
B)Levalloisian.
C)Acheulian.
D)Mousterian.
E)Aurignacian.

Question 35

Taking place around 200,000 years ago in Africa,a technological breakthrough called__________________required the affixing of small stone bifaces and flakes in handles of wood to make improved spears and knives.

A)gluing
B)smelting
C)hafting
D)wrapping
E)grooving

Question 36

The massive,dense foot and leg bones typical of Neandertals of Europe and southwestern Asia are suggestive of:

A)adaptation to a cold arctic climate.
B)high levels of strength and endurance.
C)large levels of food consumption.
D)robust muscles in the shoulder and arm.
E)high levels of ritual activity.

Question 37

Skulls found at Steinheim and Swanscombe have larger brains than H.erectus;the skull at Sale is small but looks modern from the back.Jaws from Morocco and France combine H.erectus and European Neandertal characteristics.The skulls are more robust than modern H.sapiens,and their maximum breadth is lower on the skull.The dates for these skulls are between:

A)200,000 and 400,000 years ago.
B)500,000 and 1 million years ago.
C)2.9 and 3.2 million years ago.
D)3.0 and 5.5 million years ago.
E)10,000 years ago.

Question 38

The hypoglossal canal in its near-modern large size was seen in fossil skulls dated to:

A)500,000 years ago.
B)1 million years ago.
C)30,000 years ago.
D)4 million years ago.
E)200,000 years ago.

Question 39

You are a paleoanthropologist excavating a site in southwestern Asia.You come across several bodies buried in graves.Their brains are at least the size of modern humans.Their front teeth are large and worn down from use,the facial projection of their noses and teeth form a kind of prow,and both sexes are muscular and robust.At the back of the skull is a bony mass for the attachment of powerful neck muscles.You decide that they are:

A)H.erectus.
B)A.boisei.
C)Cro-Magnon.
D)Neandertal.
E)modern H.sapiens.

Question 40

Which pigment source was commonly used about 130,000 years ago and is considered indicative of ritual activity according to many archaeologists?

A)Benne
B)Henna
C)Ochre
D)Indigo
E)Blood

Question 41

At Zhoukoudian,there is a trail of H.erectus footprints.

Question 42

The Neandertal's average cranial capacity was larger than that of contemporary H.sapiens.

Question 43

Larger hominid brains required parallel improvements in diet.

Question 44

Modern-day humans do have wild predators that threaten them.

Question 45

Obsidian is 500 times sharper than a razor blade.

Question 46

The most recent H.erectus fossils possess a more derived appearance,while the older fossils are more reminiscent of H.habilis.

Question 47

Neandertals used manganese dioxide as a pigment source.

Question 48

The Acheulean tool tradition focuses on very specialized hunting flakes.

Question 49

Remains of H.erectus have been found only on three continents: Europe,Asia,and Africa.

Question 50

The fossil record does provide evidence for the evolution of language.

Question 51

Hafting tools begins around the time of the Mousterian tradition.

Question 52

The majority of the H.erectus fossils from China are younger than those of Indonesia.

Question 53

The transition from Middle Paleolithic to Upper Paleolithic occurred about 40,000 years ago.

Question 54

Recent theories suggest that the reduction of sexual dimorphism that is evident in H.erectus may be due to the increase in female size to accommodate larger-brained infants.

Question 55

The cranial capacity of late H.erectus is 47% bigger than that of the earlier forms.

Question 56

Humans may have developed large brains as an accidental byproduct of jaw-size reduction.

Question 57

Denisovans were local descendants of H.erectus who may have interbred with Neandertals.

Question 58

The Neandertals were once believed to be direct ancestors to contemporary peoples.

Question 59

Archaeologists have ascertained that early Homo was a tertiary scavenger based on microscopic analyses of cut marks on bones.

Question 60

What was the Levalloisian technique,and what advantages did it offer toolmakers?

Question 61

How has the approach of "lumpers" and "splitters" varied in our understanding of H.erectus?

Question 62

What evidence is there in the fossil record that would indicate Neandertal culture had become more than barely adequate to ensure survival?

Question 63

What does Neandertal's expanded thoracic vertebral canal,a feature it shares with modern humans,but not the earlier H.erectus,suggest?

Question 64

Describe the Acheulian tool tradition,and discuss the cultural advances that accompanied this new tool tradition.

Question 65

What is the Oldowan tool tradition,and how were the tools constructed?

Question 66

What are the general physical characteristics of H.erectus,and how do they vary from Africa to Asia?

Question 67

Were early hominids (H.habilis)hunters or scavengers? Present the evidence and discuss.

Question 68

Describe a typical Mousterian tool kit.

Question 69

What are some misconceptions scientists have about the appearance of the Neandertal?

Question 70

Compare and contrast the Levalloisian and Mousterian tool traditions.

Question 71

What conclusions can be drawn from the evidence of the Middle Paleolithic and the relationship among culture,skulls,and modern humans?

Question 72

What evidence was found at the Olduvai Gorge and why is it important?

Question 73

What is the "Neandertal problem"? What are some alternative theories concerning the fate of the Neandertal?

Question 74

What evidence is used for the argument of archaic H.sapiens?

Question 75

What is the role of experimental archaeology in our understanding of the earliest hominids?

Question 76

What is the relationship between brain size and diet? Discuss the evidence of H.erectus.

Question 77

What is the "Man the Hunter" theory,and how did it affect paleoanthropological interpretations?

Question 78

What does the hypoglossal canal refer to,and why is it important to the study of human evolution?

Question 79

What evidence supports the idea that the Neandertal had spoken language?

Question 80

Describe one example of cultural bias in the field of paleoanthropology.How can researchers prevent this?