Question 1

The earliest hominin traces

Accepted Answer

A)  date to the beginning of the Miocene 
B)  are primarily full skeletons 
C)  are primarily dental and cranial pieces 
D)  date to the Eocene 
E)  are merely shattered bones impossible to identify 
A)  date to the beginning of the Miocene 
B)  are primarily full skeletons 
C)  are primarily dental and cranial pieces 
D)  date to the Eocene 
E)  are merely shattered bones impossible to identify C

Question 2

Dating methods indicating that something is older or more recent than something else

Accepted Answer

A)  are called chronometric dating methods 
B)  are called absolute dating methods 
C)  include the K/Ar method 
D)  never require stratigraphic information 
E)  are called relative dating methods 
A)  are called chronometric dating methods 
B)  are called absolute dating methods 
C)  include the K/Ar method 
D)  never require stratigraphic information 
E)  are called relative dating methods E

Question 3

Australopithecus afarensis specimens from Laetoli and Hadar are

Accepted Answer

A)  the largest well-studied collection of early hominins 
B)  the oldest hominins discovered to date 
C)  the smallest least-studied collection of early hominins 
D)  only found in South Africa 
E)  forms of H. habilis 
A)  the largest well-studied collection of early hominins 
B)  the oldest hominins discovered to date 
C)  the smallest least-studied collection of early hominins 
D)  only found in South Africa 
E)  forms of H. habilis A

Question 4

The term hominin refers to a distinction made at what taxonomic level?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tribe 
B)  Genus 
C)  Species 
D)  Subfamily 
E)  Genera 
A)  Tribe 
B)  Genus 
C)  Species 
D)  Subfamily 
E)  Genera

Question 5

What is the contribution of investigations at Olduvai Gorge to paleoanthropological research?

Accepted Answer

Olduvai Gorge, located in the Great Rift

Question 6

Relative dating techniques

Accepted Answer

A)  can provide exact dates of fossil material 
B)  are always accurate to within 500 years 
C)  are based on the radioactive decay of unstable isotopes 
D)  include biostratigraphy 
E)  rely upon stable isotopes 
A)  can provide exact dates of fossil material 
B)  are always accurate to within 500 years 
C)  are based on the radioactive decay of unstable isotopes 
D)  include biostratigraphy 
E)  rely upon stable isotopes

Question 7

The current evidence indicates that hominins possessed all the major structural changes necessary for bipedalism by 4 million years ago

Accepted Answer

A)  5 to 7 million years ago 
B)  8 to 10 million years ago 
C)  3 to 4 million years ago 
A)  5 to 7 million years ago 
B)  8 to 10 million years ago 
C)  3 to 4 million years ago

Question 8

Some of the late Eocene primates have been found in Asia.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Define the term mosaic evolution. List three different anatomical or behavioral hominid traits that demonstrate the nature of mosaic evolution.

Accepted Answer

Mosaic evolution refers to the concept t

Question 10

Carbon-14 dating is a relative dating method used to date rocks and minerals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following is not a chromometric dating method?

Accepted Answer

A)  C-14 
B)  K-Ar 
C)  Fluorine dating 
D)  Thermoluminescence 
E)  stratigraphy 
A)  C-14 
B)  K-Ar 
C)  Fluorine dating 
D)  Thermoluminescence 
E)  stratigraphy

Question 12

Radiometric dating techniques

Accepted Answer

A)  are not based on the phenomenon of radioactive isotope decay rates 
B)  can be used to determine the absolute age of organic materials 
C)  include the K/Ar but not carbon-14 methods 
D)  are a form of stratigraphy 
E)  are relative dating techniques 
A)  are not based on the phenomenon of radioactive isotope decay rates 
B)  can be used to determine the absolute age of organic materials 
C)  include the K/Ar but not carbon-14 methods 
D)  are a form of stratigraphy 
E)  are relative dating techniques

Question 13

Except for some early Homo individuals, there is very little in the way of an evolutionary trend in increased body size or of marked greater encephalization.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

The terms Sivapithecus, Proconsul, and Dryopithecus¸ applied to different groups of Miocene hominoids, refer to a distinction made at what taxonomic level?

Accepted Answer

A)  species 
B)  genus 
C)  subfamily 
D)  family 
E)  order 
A)  species 
B)  genus 
C)  subfamily 
D)  family 
E)  order

Question 15

Which of the following would be best suited to the carbon-14 dating technique?

Accepted Answer

A)  materials more than 100,000 years old 
B)  volcanic rock 
C)  sedimentary rock 
D)  metals 
E)  certain organic materials less than 75,000 years old 
A)  materials more than 100,000 years old 
B)  volcanic rock 
C)  sedimentary rock 
D)  metals 
E)  certain organic materials less than 75,000 years old

Question 16

If an isotope has a half-life of 4 billion years, then in 4 billion years what will happen?

Accepted Answer

A)  All of the original amount will have decayed. 
B)  A quarter of the original amount will still remain. 
C)  Half of the original amount will still be present. 
D)  All of the original amount will still be present. 
E)  The original amount will have doubled. 
A)  All of the original amount will have decayed. 
B)  A quarter of the original amount will still remain. 
C)  Half of the original amount will still be present. 
D)  All of the original amount will still be present. 
E)  The original amount will have doubled.

Question 17

Although excavations at Olduvai Gorge have yielded abundant archaeological traces, no hominin remains have ever been found there.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

You are a paleoanthropologist planning an excavation at a new hominin site in East Africa that is dated to about 2 mya. What fossil hominin species might you expect to find? What anatomical traits might you use to assign them to specific existing taxa?

Accepted Answer

As a paleoanthropologist planning an exc

Question 19

Anatomical changes in hominins indicative of habitual bipedal locomotion include

Accepted Answer

A)  feet with opposable big toes for grasping 
B)  shortening and broadening of the pelvis 
C)  increased length of arms relative to legs 
D)  increased length of the spine 
E)  increased length of pelvis 
A)  feet with opposable big toes for grasping 
B)  shortening and broadening of the pelvis 
C)  increased length of arms relative to legs 
D)  increased length of the spine 
E)  increased length of pelvis

Question 20

When did the initial hominid divergence from the African hominoids most likely occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  during the late Miocene 
B)  during the early Miocene 
C)  as late as 1 mya 
D)  3 mya 
E)  20 to 30 kya 
A)  during the late Miocene 
B)  during the early Miocene 
C)  as late as 1 mya 
D)  3 mya 
E)  20 to 30 kya

The earliest hominin traces

Dating methods indicating that something is older or more recent than something else

Australopithecus afarensis specimens from Laetoli and Hadar are

The term hominin refers to a distinction made at what taxonomic level?

What is the contribution of investigations at Olduvai Gorge to paleoanthropological research?

Relative dating techniques

The current evidence indicates that hominins possessed all the major structural changes necessary for bipedalism by 4 million years ago

Some of the late Eocene primates have been found in Asia.

Define the term mosaic evolution. List three different anatomical or behavioral hominid traits that demonstrate the nature of mosaic evolution.

Carbon-14 dating is a relative dating method used to date rocks and minerals.

Which of the following is not a chromometric dating method?

Radiometric dating techniques

Except for some early Homo individuals, there is very little in the way of an evolutionary trend in increased body size or of marked greater encephalization.

The terms Sivapithecus, Proconsul, and Dryopithecus¸ applied to different groups of Miocene hominoids, refer to a distinction made at what taxonomic level?

Which of the following would be best suited to the carbon-14 dating technique?

If an isotope has a half-life of 4 billion years, then in 4 billion years what will happen?

Although excavations at Olduvai Gorge have yielded abundant archaeological traces, no hominin remains have ever been found there.

You are a paleoanthropologist planning an excavation at a new hominin site in East Africa that is dated to about 2 mya. What fossil hominin species might you expect to find? What anatomical traits might you use to assign them to specific existing taxa?

Anatomical changes in hominins indicative of habitual bipedal locomotion include

When did the initial hominid divergence from the African hominoids most likely occur?

Introduction to Anthropology

Heredity and Evolution

The Development of Evolutionary Theory

Modern Human Variation and Adaptation

Macroevolution: Processes of Vertebrate and Mammalian Evolution

An Overview of the Primates

Primate Behavior

Understanding the Past: Archaeological and Paleoanthropological Methods

The First Dispersal of the Genus Homo: Homo Erectus and Contemporaries

Premodern Humans

The Origin and Dispersal of Modern Humans

Early Holocene Hunters and Gatherers

Food Production

The First Civilizations

Conclusion

Filters

Exam 9: Hominin Origins

The earliest hominin traces

Dating methods indicating that something is older or more recent than something else

Australopithecus afarensis specimens from Laetoli and Hadar are

The term hominin refers to a distinction made at what taxonomic level?

What is the contribution of investigations at Olduvai Gorge to paleoanthropological research?

Relative dating techniques

The current evidence indicates that hominins possessed all the major structural changes necessary for bipedalism by 4 million years ago

Some of the late Eocene primates have been found in Asia.

Define the term mosaic evolution. List three different anatomical or behavioral hominid traits that demonstrate the nature of mosaic evolution.

Carbon-14 dating is a relative dating method used to date rocks and minerals.

Which of the following is not a chromometric dating method?

Radiometric dating techniques

Except for some early Homo individuals, there is very little in the way of an evolutionary trend in increased body size or of marked greater encephalization.

The terms Sivapithecus, Proconsul, and Dryopithecus¸ applied to different groups of Miocene hominoids, refer to a distinction made at what taxonomic level?

Which of the following would be best suited to the carbon-14 dating technique?

If an isotope has a half-life of 4 billion years, then in 4 billion years what will happen?

Although excavations at Olduvai Gorge have yielded abundant archaeological traces, no hominin remains have ever been found there.

You are a paleoanthropologist planning an excavation at a new hominin site in East Africa that is dated to about 2 mya. What fossil hominin species might you expect to find? What anatomical traits might you use to assign them to specific existing taxa?

Anatomical changes in hominins indicative of habitual bipedal locomotion include

When did the initial hominid divergence from the African hominoids most likely occur?

Introduction to Anthropology

Heredity and Evolution

The Development of Evolutionary Theory

Modern Human Variation and Adaptation

Macroevolution: Processes of Vertebrate and Mammalian Evolution

An Overview of the Primates

Primate Behavior

Understanding the Past: Archaeological and Paleoanthropological Methods

The First Dispersal of the Genus Homo: Homo Erectus and Contemporaries

Premodern Humans

The Origin and Dispersal of Modern Humans

Early Holocene Hunters and Gatherers

Food Production

The First Civilizations

Conclusion

Filters