Question 1

Analysis of Homo erectus teeth found at Zhoukoudian suggests that controlled use of fire allowed this species to

Accepted Answer

Controlled use of fire by Homo erectus likely made foods easier to chew by cooking them, which would soften the food and make it more digestible.

Question 2

Physical anthropologists estimate that, on average, Homo erectus

Accepted Answer

Physical anthropologists estimate that Homo erectus was tall, with males about 5'9" and females about 5'3". Therefore, option C is the correct answer. Option A is not correct as Homo erectus was not 70% taller than Homo habilis. Option B is not correct as Homo erectus was not similar in size to australopithecines. Option D is not correct as option C is the correct answer.

Question 3

Fossil evidence of cutmarks made with stone tools at early hominid sites suggests that

Accepted Answer

Fossil evidence shows that cutmarks made with stone tools were found at early hominid sites, indicating that meat eating started before the appearance of Homo erectus. As technology advanced and hominids developed better tools, it's likely that meat consumption increased. However, there is no evidence to suggest that big game hunting was the most common way early hominids obtained meat, as they may have also scavenged or hunted smaller prey.

Question 4

Relative to earlier hominids, later Homo erectus from 500,000 yBP had

Accepted Answer

Later Homo erectus from 500,000 yBP had a larger brain compared to the earlier hominids. This increase in brain size is considered to be a major evolutionary change that allowed Homo erectus to innovate and adapt to changing environments.

Question 5

Homo erectus fossils date to

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus fossils are generally dated to the period between 1.8 million years ago and 300,000 years ago, making option C the correct choice. Option A is too broad a range and includes the earliest hominids, while option B and D are too narrow and exclude some known Homo erectus specimens.

Question 6

Gran Dolina adult hominids were similar to later Homo sapiens in their

Accepted Answer

The answer of Gran Dolina adult hominids were similar to...

Question 7

The Acheulean complex

Accepted Answer

The Acheulean complex emerged around 1.5 million years ago during the Lower Paleolithic period. This complex is characterized by the production of more advanced stone tools, such as handaxes and cleavers, compared to the simple pebble tools of the earlier Oldowan complex. The Acheulean complex is associated with early Homo erectus and later hominins, but not with Homo habilis.

Question 8

Classic Homo erectus cranial features include all of the following except

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus had a long, low skull with a pentagonal shape and sloping forehead. The other features, including thick cranial bones, large browridges, and sagittal keel, are all classic features of Homo erectus cranial morphology.

Question 9

The earliest fossil evidence of Homo erectus in Western Europe dates to about

Accepted Answer

The answer of The earliest fossil evidence of Homo erectus...

Question 10

Relative to Oldowan tools, Acheulean stone tools

Accepted Answer

Acheulean stone tools were more complex and required more skill to produce than Oldowan tools. Acheulean tools included hand axes, cleavers, and picks, which had a range of functions and required more planning and design than the simple choppers and flakes of Oldowan technology. Acheulean tools also used a wider variety of raw materials.

Question 11

The Nariokotome hominid (Homo erectus) from Lake Turkana is characterized by

Accepted Answer

The Nariokotome hominid, also known as the Turkana Boy, is characterized by a body plan with shorter arms and longer legs, which is more similar to modern humans and different from earlier hominids like australopithecines.

Question 12

Homo erectus from Sangiran, Java, dates to

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus from Sangiran, Java, dates to 1.8-1.6 mya, based on fossil evidence and dating techniques.

Question 13

Effective and regular access to high-quality protein likely required

Accepted Answer

All of the above factors are likely required for effective and regular access to high-quality protein. Expanded brain size may have been necessary to develop the cognitive abilities to create and use tools for hunting and butchering animals. Complex tool technologies would have been necessary to effectively kill, transport, and process animal carcasses for consumption. Social means of obtaining animals as food sources daily may have been necessary for efficient hunting and sharing of resources within a community.

Question 14

Homo erectus was first discovered by

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus was first discovered by Dutch physician and anatomist Eugène Dubois in 1891 in Java, Indonesia.

Question 15

Homo erectus's cranial capacity

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus's cranial capacity ranges from 650 cc to 1,200 cc, making option C the best choice. The other options are incorrect as they provide inaccurate or incomplete information about the cranial capacity of Homo erectus.

Question 16

Dmanisi hominids from the Republic of Georgia are dated to

Accepted Answer

The Dmanisi hominids from the Republic of Georgia are dated to approximately 1.8 million years ago.

Question 17

Relative to earlier hominids, Homo erectus is marked by

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus is marked by a large increase in body size compared to earlier hominids.

Question 18

Homo erectus skulls

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus skulls are characterized by being long, low, and wide at the base, thick-boned, and having large browridges.

Question 19

The many stone tools, fragmentary animal bones, and teeth found at Gran Dolina, Spain, indicate that hominids there

Accepted Answer

The presence of stone tools, fragmentary animal bones, and teeth suggests that the hominids at Gran Dolina processed and consumed animals, potentially including other hominids. This indicates a level of advanced behavior and tool use that is not seen in earlier Homo erectus populations in Asia. It is unclear whether these hominids were identical to later Homo sapiens.

Question 20

Increased body size in Homo erectus relative to earlier hominids is most likely related to

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus had access to larger game animals, which likely provided a higher proportion of protein in their diet compared to earlier hominids. This increase in protein could have contributed to the evolution of their larger body size. Stone-tool use and larger teeth may have facilitated food processing, but these factors alone do not fully explain the increase in body size.

Quiz 11: The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo