Question 1

Cultural dating can be used to date
A) ceramics.
B) bones and teeth.
C) shells.
D) trilobite evolution.

Accepted Answer

Cultural dating is used to date artifacts like ceramics, which are associated with human activity and cultural development.

Question 2

Analysis of stable carbon isotopes in ________ can provide information on ancient diet.
A) shell
B) cloth
C) bones and teeth
D) wood

Accepted Answer

Stable carbon isotopes in bones and teeth can reflect the types of plants consumed, providing insights into ancient diets.

Question 3

Which dating method would be MOST appropriate for establishing the age of a volcanic ash layer from an early hominid site in eastern Africa?
A) carbon 14 dating
B) amino acid dating
C) potassium-argon dating
D) electron spin resonance dating

Accepted Answer

Potassium-argon dating is most appropriate for dating volcanic ash layers, as it is used to date materials that are millions of years old, which is suitable for early hominid sites.

Question 4

Stratigraphic correlation is
A) matching strata by chemical composition and color from several sites across distances.
B) correlating stratigraphic markers in one location.
C) matching stratigraphy from known sites only.
D) dating through the use of a chronometric method.

Accepted Answer

Stratigraphic correlation involves matching strata by characteristics such as chemical composition and color across different sites to establish a chronological sequence.

Question 5

An index fossil is
A) a fossil found in a particular site.
B) the ideal specimen of that species to which all later descriptions must refer.
C) a fossil used to categorize a stratigraphic layer.
D) the type specimen of a species.

Accepted Answer

Index fossils are used to define and identify geological periods and are found in specific stratigraphic layers, helping to date the layers.

Question 6

Some of the best information on climate history over the last several million years is based on the study of
A) amino acids.
B) foraminifera.
C) radioisotopes.
D) dendrochronology.

Accepted Answer

Foraminifera, a type of single-celled marine organism, have hard shells that accumulate in ocean sediments over time. By studying the ratios of oxygen isotopes in these shells, scientists can determine past ocean temperatures and even reconstruct global climate patterns over millions of years.

Question 7

Based on the molecular clock, geneticists believe the split between chimps and hominins occurred ________ mya.
A) 10-12
B) 8-10
C) 6-8
D) 4-6

Accepted Answer

The answer of Based on the molecular clock, geneticists believe...

Question 8

A mummy is discovered whose tomb includes cloth, food, and other organic remains.What dating method would MOST likely be used to date the tomb?
A) biostratigraphy
B) carbon 14
C) dendrochronology
D) electron spin resonance

Accepted Answer

Carbon 14 dating is most suitable for dating organic remains, such as cloth and food, up to about 50,000 years old.

Question 9

Paleontologists find a fossil ape with long arms.What type of environment can they infer it inhabited?
A) savanna
B) woodland
C) grassland
D) swamp

Accepted Answer

Long arms in apes are typically associated with brachiation, which is a form of arboreal locomotion. This suggests the ape likely inhabited a woodland environment where trees were abundant for swinging and climbing.

Question 10

Paleosols and fauna in the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia show that the earliest hominins lived in ________ settings.
A) wooded
B) unwooded grassland
C) marshy
D) desert

Accepted Answer

The Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia, where some of the earliest hominins have been discovered, shows evidence of wooded settings through the study of paleosols (ancient soils) and fossilized fauna. This suggests that these early human ancestors lived in environments that had significant tree cover, rather than open grasslands, marshes, or deserts.

Question 11

A hearth is discovered with bone fragments in it.What method might be used to date the bone?
A) dendrochronology
B) electron spin resonance
C) fission track
D) amino acid

Accepted Answer

The answer of A hearth is discovered with bone fragments...

Question 12

The molecular clock has been useful to determine the phylogenetic relationships of species based on the assumption that
A) a species lineage accumulates genetic differences over time at a constant rate.
B) only some species are genetically related.
C) DNA is preserved unchanged over long periods of time.
D) species adapt at specific rates.

Accepted Answer

The molecular clock hypothesis assumes that genetic mutations accumulate at a relatively constant rate over time, allowing scientists to estimate the time of divergence between species by comparing genetic differences.

Question 13

Coinciding with the appearance of early hominins about 5-10 mya, the climate was
A) increasingly wet and rainy.
B) increasingly hot and humid.
C) increasingly dry and seasonal.
D) less temperate.

Accepted Answer

The climate during the time of early hominins became increasingly dry and seasonal, which led to the expansion of savannas and grasslands, influencing hominin evolution.

Question 14

During the Holocene, artifacts like ________ began to appear.
A) bones and teeth
B) ceramics
C) shells
D) wooden objects

Accepted Answer

During the Holocene, which began around 11,700 years ago, humans started to develop agriculture and settled communities, leading to the creation of ceramics for storage and cooking.

Question 15

In the 1600s, Nicolaus Steno proposed
A) the principle of uniformitarianism.
B) taphonomy.
C) the law of stratigraphy.
D) the law of superposition.

Accepted Answer

Nicolaus Steno proposed the law of superposition, which states that in any sequence of undisturbed sedimentary rocks, the oldest layers are at the bottom and the youngest are at the top.

Question 16

For dating hominin fossils that go back four million years, what dating methods might be used?
A) electron spin resonance
B) thermoluminescence
C) amino acid method
D) both electron spin resonance and thermoluminescence

Accepted Answer

Electron spin resonance and thermoluminescence are both suitable for dating hominin fossils that are millions of years old, as they can date materials like tooth enamel and sediments associated with fossils.

Question 17

What is the MOST important variable in reconstructing ancient climate?
A) weather
B) sea levels
C) temperature estimated using any of several methods
D) isotope ratios

Accepted Answer

Temperature estimated using various methods is crucial for reconstructing ancient climate as it directly reflects past climate conditions and influences other variables like sea levels and isotope ratios.

Question 18

Fluorine dating is an example of what type of dating method?
A) chronometric
B) nonrelative
C) chemical
D) genetic

Accepted Answer

Fluorine dating is a chemical dating method that measures the amount of fluorine absorbed by bones from the surrounding soil to determine their relative age.

Question 19

A wooden tomb is discovered with a well-preserved mummy inside.Which of the following methods could be used to date the tomb MOST accurately?
A) superposition
B) electron spin resonance
C) thermoluminescence
D) dendrochronology

Accepted Answer

Dendrochronology is the most accurate method for dating wooden objects, as it involves analyzing tree ring patterns to determine the exact year the wood was formed.

Question 20

Scientists can determine the type of plant consumed based on
A) carbon 14.
B) radioisotopes.
C) index fossils.
D) carbon 13 and carbon 12.

Accepted Answer

The ratio of carbon 13 to carbon 12 isotopes in plant remains can indicate the type of photosynthetic pathway a plant used, helping scientists identify the type of plant consumed.

Quiz 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

Cultural dating can be used to date

Analysis of stable carbon isotopes in ________ can provide information on ancient diet.

Which dating method would be MOST appropriate for establishing the age of a volcanic ash layer from an early hominid site in eastern Africa?

Stratigraphic correlation is

An index fossil is

Some of the best information on climate history over the last several million years is based on the study of

Based on the molecular clock, geneticists believe the split between chimps and hominins occurred ________ mya.

A mummy is discovered whose tomb includes cloth, food, and other organic remains.What dating method would MOST likely be used to date the tomb?

Paleontologists find a fossil ape with long arms.What type of environment can they infer it inhabited?

Paleosols and fauna in the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia show that the earliest hominins lived in ________ settings.

A hearth is discovered with bone fragments in it.What method might be used to date the bone?

The molecular clock has been useful to determine the phylogenetic relationships of species based on the assumption that

Coinciding with the appearance of early hominins about 5-10 mya, the climate was

During the Holocene, artifacts like ________ began to appear.

In the 1600s, Nicolaus Steno proposed

For dating hominin fossils that go back four million years, what dating methods might be used?

What is the MOST important variable in reconstructing ancient climate?

Fluorine dating is an example of what type of dating method?

A wooden tomb is discovered with a well-preserved mummy inside.Which of the following methods could be used to date the tomb MOST accurately?

Scientists can determine the type of plant consumed based on