Deck 3: What Can the Study of Primates Tell Us About Human Beings

Question 1

Some observers attribute human-like feelings and attitudes to nonhuman primates because these primates closely resemble human beings in outward physical appearance. This practice is called

A) anthropocentrism.
B) anthropomorphism.
C) egocentrism.
D) ethnocentrism.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A biological classification of various kinds of organisms is a(n)

A) taxonomy.
B) grouping.
C) genera.
D) anthropomorphism.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The term used in textbook for physical shape and size of an organism or its body parts is its

A) size.
B) morphology.
C) shape.
D) taxonomy.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Organisms that seem to have developed similar adaptations at a similar level of complexity in similar environments are classified by as being in the same evolutionary

A) clade.
B) grade.
C) taxon.
D) species.

Question 5

Genetic inheritance due to common ancestry is called

A) homology.
B) analogy.
C) natural selection.
D) descent with modification.

Question 6

The circumstances in which two species with very different evolutionary histories develop similar physical features as a result of adapting to a similar environment is known as a(n)

A) homology.
B) homoplasy.
C) natural selection.
D) descent with modification.

Question 7

What a species eats, how it finds mates, raises its young, relates to companions, and protects itself from predators is known the species'

A) home base.
B) lifeway.
C) ecological niche.
D) constructed niche.

Question 8

The sizes, shapes, and number of an animal's teeth are referred to as the animal's

A) buccal capacity.
B) dentition.
C) dental arcade.
D) tooth rows.

Question 9

A tail which is able to grasp an object is considered

A) prehensile.
B) curly.
C) an exaptation.
D) an example of phenotypic plasticity.

Question 10

Primates that are active at night are called

A) diurnal.
B) nocturnal.
C) undergraduates.
D) old-world monkeys.

Question 11

Which of the following terms refers to humans and their immediate ancestors?

A) Hominoid
B) Humanoid
C) Hominin
D) Anthropoid

Question 12

When males and females of the same species show observable phenotypic differences in, for example, size, the species is said to show

A) gender distinctiveness.
B) phenotypic magnitude.
C) sexual differentiation.
D) sexual dimorphism

Question 13

The bones of the head, excluding the jaw, are referred to as the

A) noguineus.
B) mandible.
C) cranium.
D) calvarium.

Question 14

The mandible is the

A) lower jaw.
B) upper jaw.
C) cheekbone.
D) hole at the bottom of the skull.

Question 15

The form of vision in binocular animals which produces depth perception is known as:

A) dual.
B) retrovision.
C) three-dimensional.
D) stereoscopic vision.

Question 16

The specialty in primatology that takes into consideration the welfare not just of primates but also of the ecosystems and human communities with which they are inextricably connected is called

A) paleoprimatology.
B) ecoprimatology.
C) ethnoprimatology.
D) cultural primatology.

Question 17

The bones of an animal's body, not including its head, are called its

A) cranium.
B) postcranial skeleton.
C) holotype.
D) taxon.

Question 18

The first hominoids appeared in

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

Question 19

Western Europeans first learned about African apes in the

A) seventeenth century.
B) eighteenth century.
C) nineteenth century.
D) twentieth century.

Question 20

Haplorhini include

A) tarsiers and anthropoids.
B) primates whose upper lips are not attached to their gums.
C) lorises and anthropoids.
D) reptiles and salamanders.

Question 21

Strepsirrhini include

A) lemurs and lorises.
B) lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers.
C) lorises and tarsiers.
D) tarsiers and New World monkeys.

Question 22

Tarsiers are included with anthropoids in the primate suborder Haplorhini because

A) their upper lips are all attached to their gums by a web of skin.
B) all of them have moist noses.
C) the placenta of tarsiers is similar to the placenta of anthropoids.
D) they are cuter than other species.

Question 23

Among gorillas,

A) only males transfer out of the group in which they were born.
B) only females transfer out of the group in which they were born.
C) both females and males transfer out of the group in which they were born.
D) transfer out of the group in which they were born is random for both sexes.

Question 24

Which of the following primate groups uses sexual behavior to manipulate relationships rather than to increase reproductive rates?

A) Gibbons
B) Gorillas
C) Bonobos
D) Chimpanzees

Question 25

Which of the following features is found in modern lemurs, but NOT in their fossil ancestors?

A) Four premolars
B) A tooth comb
C) Generalized incisors and canines
D) Forward-facing eyes

Question 26

The Fayum Depression in Egypt is a

A) key site for the most complete fossils of plesiadapiforms dating from the Paleocene.
B) key site for fossils showing the appearance of the first anthropoids during the Miocene.
C) rich source of prosimian fossils dating from the Oligocene.
D) rich source of fossil evidence of anthropoidean evolution in the Oligocene.

Question 27

The largest of the Oligocene fossil anthropoids is called

A) Plesiadapis
B) Prosimius
C) Aegyptopithecus zeuxis
D) Proconsul

Question 28

Bilophodont molars are now believed to be

A) found among all apes and human beings.
B) primitive for all Old World anthropoids.
C) later developments among Old World monkeys.
D) uniquely derived traits of New World monkeys.

Question 29

Macaques have the smallest number of species in general of all New World monkeys and have the smallest range of all New World monkeys.

Question 30

Many leading taxonomists have grouped chimpanzees and humans into the same family, Hominidae, because fossil evidence shows that chimpanzees and humans shared a common ancestor 2 million years ago.

Question 31

Adult male gorillas are much larger than females and treat immature gorillas with tolerance.

Question 32

Based on current ethnoprimatological research, humans and other primates have long coexisted successfully in many global settings.

Question 33

Cladists define a species as a group of organisms sharing a set of unique, derived features that sets them apart form all other such groups. This way of defining species exemplifies

A) the biological species concept.
B) the phylogenetic species concept.
C) the phenetic fossil species concept.
D) the Aristotelian species concept.

Question 34

Wings on birds and bats are an example of

A) homoplasy.
B) homology.
C) anagenesis.
D) cladogenesis.

Question 35

Which of the following statements about New World monkeys is correct?

A) New World monkeys are the only clade of anthropoids found on the island of Madagascar.
B) New World monkeys and New World Apes are the only primate clades found in South America.
C) New World monkeys do not have prehensile tails.
D) New World monkeys are the only clade of anthropoids found in Central and South America.

Question 36

Taxonomists have a hard time sorting out the phylogenetic connections among colobines in Africa and Asia because

A) there are very few species to compare.
B) they have a very incomplete fossil record.
C) their genetic data has been very hard to collect.
D) it appears that much hybridization has occurred among them in the past.

Question 37

According to the textbook, which of the following attributes is the hallmark of primate adaptations?

A) Possession of a tail
B) Possession of grasping hands
C) Stereoscopic vision
D) Flexibility

Question 38

Based on current ethnoprimatological research, which primate groups are least threatened by human activities?

A) Chimpanzees and gorillas
B) Macaques and baboons
C) Chimpanzees and baboons
D) All primate groups are equally threatened by human activities; none seem able to coexist with humans or survive in areas disturbed by human settlement.

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT an ancestral characteristic of primates?

A) A collar bone
B) Five digits on hands and feet
C) Plantigrade locomotion
D) Stereoscopic vision

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT an evolutionary trend in the primate order?

A) Reduction in the number of digits on hands and feet
B) Reduction of the projection of the face
C) Reduction in the number of teeth
D) Increase in brain size, relative to body size

Question 41

Which of the following has NOT been offered as an explanation for the anatomical attributes of the earliest primates?

A) Life in the trees
B) Feeding at night on insects at the ends of branches in the lower levels of the tropical forest
C) Switching from insect predation to consumption of edible plant parts
D) Life on the ground

Question 42

Which of the following statements about the fossil record related to the last common ancestor of the African apes and human beings is correct?

A) The fossil record for the period when this split occurred is unusually rich and detailed.
B) Very few African hominoid fossils of any kind from the late Miocene (10-5 mya) or early Pliocene (5-2.5 mya) have been found.
C) More fossils of the ancestors of African apes have been found in the late Miocene (10-5 mya) than from the early Pliocene (5-2.5 mya).
D) The fossil record for the period when this split occurred is recorded in oral histories.

Question 43

Primatologists have an obligation to romanticize primates if they are to understand these animals in their own right.

Question 44

Some biological anthropologists object to classifying chimpanzees and humans into the same family, Hominidae, because they believe that using genetics alone to determine taxonomy ignores important evolutionary information.

Question 45

What are the drawbacks of anthropomorphizing nonhuman primates?

Question 46

Identify three of the evolutionary trends that have appeared in primates, define them, and describe them. Why are they important?

Question 47

What is ethnoprimatology and why is it important?

Question 48

Describe three reasons for the significance of Propliopithecus in the evolutionary history of the primates? Provide examples.

Question 49

Why have paleontologists rejected the parallel evolution interpretation for the relationship between Old World and New World monkeys?

Question 50

Discuss the importance of the Miocene period in the evolution of primates. Pay particular attention to the relevant fossils as well as natural selection pressures during the period.

Question 51

The geological term for a layer of rock and soil is

A) stratum
B) superposition
C) biostratigraphy
D) taxon

Question 52

Relative dating that relies on patterns of fossil distribution in different rock layers is called

A) serial dating
B) blind dating
C) biostratigraphic dating
D) typological dating

Question 53

The dating method based on the assumption that artifacts that look alike must have been made at the same time is called

A) sequencing
B) seriation
C) isotopic dating
D) relative dating

Question 54

Artifacts and structures from a particular time and place in an archaeological site are referred to as

A) assemblages
B) collections
C) seriation
D) sets

Question 55

Some numerical dating methods are based on scientific knowledge about the rate of nuclear decay that transforms one naturally occurring element into another element. These are known as

A) relative dating methods
B) cladistic dating methods
C) isotopic dating methods
D) serial dating methods

Question 56

The dating method that uses tree ring patterns to construct a master sequence that can be used to date wood recovered from archaeological sites is called

A) thermoluminescence
B) electron-spin resonance
C) dendrochronology
D) radiocarbon dating

Question 57

Dating methods that identify a particular object as being older or younger in relation to some other object, and that arrange material evidence in a linear sequence, so that we know what came before what, are called

A) numerical dating methods
B) "layer cake" dating methods
C) relative dating methods
D) allometric dating methods

Question 58

A layer-cake profile of different soil types is exposed when we dig into the earth. Geologists reason that these layers were laid down sequentially, and that layers lower down have to be older than the layers above them. This is called the law of

A) superposition
B) cross-cutting relationships
C) the jungle
D) unconformities

Question 59

Which dating method is accurate for dates from the origin of the earth up to about 100,000 years ago, and is used to date layers of volcanic rock?

A) potassium-argon dating
B) fission-track dating
C) uranium-series dating
D) radiocarbon dating

Question 60

Which dating method is useful for dating the remains of organisms that died as long ago as 30,000 to 40,000 years ago? (A refined version of this method can date organic materials that are up to 55,000 years old.)

A) potassium-argon dating
B) fission-track dating
C) uranium-series dating
D) radiocarbon dating

Question 61

Which dating method can provide dates ranging from a few thousand to a million years ago, measures the number of electrons trapped within a sample, and may prove most helpful in dating specimens of bone and teeth?

A) thermoluminescence
B) electron-spin resonance
C) dendrochronology
D) radiocarbon dating

Question 62

Chris Stringer states that, thanks to the development of a microscopic technique called "laser ablation," it is now possible to use which of the following dating techniques to directly date a tiny area of fossil tooth enamel?

A) thermoluminescence
B) electron-spin resonance
C) dendrochronology
D) radiocarbon dating

Question 63

Paleomagnetism is valuable because it is the only dating method that

A) provides absolute dates for fossil deposits laid down during the crucial period between 500,000 and 50,000 years ago.
B) can provide a time framework that can allow geological, climatological, and evolutionary events to be related on a worldwide scale.
C) provides absolute dates for clay artifacts and objects made from volcanic ash.
D) can date organic remains that fossilized more than 100,000 years ago.

Question 64

The molecular clock is based on the assumption that

A) living organisms have equal amounts of carbon and carbon-14 in their tissues.
B) genetic mutations accumulate at a constant rate.
C) the products of uranium decay tend to solidify, separate out of water, and mix with salts that collect on the bottom of a lake or sea.
D) heating an irradiated substance releases trapped electrons together with a quantity of light directly in proportion to their number.

Question 65

Sometimes old rocks are affected by other geological features, as when molten lava forces its way through fractures in several layers on its way to the surface. The assumption that the intruding features must be younger than the layers of rock on which they intrude is called the law of

A) superposition
B) cross-cutting relationships
C) the land
D) unconformities

Question 66

What role was played by fossils of the one-toed horse when paleoanthropologists tried to assign firm dates to hominid-fossil-bearing layers at the eastern African site of Koobi Fora?

A) The presence the fossils of one-toed horses confirmed that the horses appeared at Koobi Fora over half a million years earlier than they appeared in the Lower Omo Valley, a nearby site.
B) The presence of the fossils at Koobi Fora, but not at Omo, convinced paleoanthropologists that previous biostratigraphy at the two sites was mistaken.
C) The discrepancy between the one-toed horse fossil dates and the potassium-argon date caused paleoanthropologists to reexamine the potassium-argon date for Koobi Fora.
D) The discrepancy between the one-toed horse fossil dates and the potassium-argon date caused paleaoanthropologists to realize that the hominid fossils at Koobi Fora were older than the Omo fossils.

Question 67

Cleaning routines such as ultrafiltration and acid-base-wet oxidation (ABOX) can effectively remove contamination that could yield inaccurate dates produced by which of the following methods?

A) potassium-argon dating
B) fission-track dating
C) uranium-series dating
D) radiocarbon dating

Question 68

Which dating method provides dates between 40,000 and 100,000-300,000 years ago, and enables us to determine the date when ancient pottery fragments were last fired, or when burnt-flint artifacts last were heated?

A) thermoluminescence
B) electron-spin resonance
C) dendrochronology
D) radiocarbon dating

Question 69

Which of the following is a criticism of the molecular clock as a dating technique?

A) The proportion of carbon¹⁴ in the atmosphere may change from one period of prehistory to another.
B) Contamination by sources of uranium other than water may affect the accuracy of the dating method.
C) Its accuracy depends on the accuracy of other chronometric methods used to date the fossil ancestors of one of the species being compared.
D) The molecular clock is unreliable because it dates rocks, NOT organic remains.

Question 70

Describe the difference between relative dating methods and numerical dating methods. What are examples of each? How do paleoanthropologists and archaeologists use these different approaches?

Question 71

Explain the concepts of stratigraphic superposition and the law of crosscutting relationships. When would you use each of these approaches? What would you learn from each of these methods?

Question 72

Compare and contrast the isotopic methods of dating and nonisotopic methods of dating discussed in the text. Using an example of each from text, describe how you would use each method to understand an aspect of human history.

Question 73

Analyze the usefulness of climatic data to paleontologists. Describe examples of how climatic data provide data for answering questions about human history.