Question 1

The dating technique in which proteins are examined under high magnification using polarized light is

Accepted Answer

A) luminescence dating. 
B) electron spin resonance dating. 
C) fission track dating. 
D) amino acid dating. 
A) luminescence dating. 
B) electron spin resonance dating. 
C) fission track dating. 
D) amino acid dating. D

Question 2

Prior to the invention of absolute dating techniques, one of the chemical dating methods useful for establishing the relative age of fossils from a single site was

Accepted Answer

A) fission track dating. 
B) thermoluminescence dating. 
C) electron spinresonance dating. 
D) fluorine dating. 
A) fission track dating. 
B) thermoluminescence dating. 
C) electron spinresonance dating. 
D) fluorine dating. D

Question 3

Why is it critical that paleontologists reconstruct past environments to provide a complete picture of a particular lineage's evolution? Name one way in which paleontologists reconstruct paleoenvironments.

Accepted Answer

Darwin proposed natural selection as the main evolutionary mechanism.He argued that specific traits can be viewed as adaptive, or not, only in the context of environment.The woolly mammoth's dense fur was of great advantage in glacial Europe, for example, but this same trait would have proved fatal in the eastern African savanna where modern African elephants now thrive.Hence it is critical to understand the environment in attempting to understand why some past lineages successfully radiated while others withered to extinction.Methods include the use of oxygen isotope analysis of foraminifera excavated from deep sea cores, analysis of carbon isotopes from ancient soils, and the collection of associated flora and fauna fossils.

Question 4

Which of the following cultural artifacts would provide the most narrowly defined date for the sediments from which it was recovered?

Accepted Answer

A) an early Stone Age chopping tool 
B) a Neolithic ceramic pot 
C) a middle Stone Age point 
D) a late Stone Age cave painting 
A) an early Stone Age chopping tool 
B) a Neolithic ceramic pot 
C) a middle Stone Age point 
D) a late Stone Age cave painting

Question 5

The Danish physician who developed the geologic principle of superposition, according to which rocks (and fossils) higher in a sequence are younger than those buried farther down, was

Accepted Answer

A) Charles Lyell. 
B) Niels Stensen (aka Nicolaus Steno). 
C) William Smith. 
D) James Hutton. 
A) Charles Lyell. 
B) Niels Stensen (aka Nicolaus Steno). 
C) William Smith. 
D) James Hutton.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

A) 14C dating 
B) amino acid dating 
C) 40K/40Ar dating 
D) electron spin resonance dating 
A) 14C dating 
B) amino acid dating 
C) 40K/40Ar dating 
D) electron spin resonance dating

Question 7

One of the only fossil sites in the world that preserves a great deal of evidence for anthropoid evolution during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs is

Accepted Answer

A) Cambria, England. 
B) Zhoukoudian, China. 
C) Fayum, Egypt. 
D) Solnhofen, Germany. 
A) Cambria, England. 
B) Zhoukoudian, China. 
C) Fayum, Egypt. 
D) Solnhofen, Germany.

Question 8

Which of the following is not one of the main methods for reconstructing ancient environments?

Accepted Answer

A) stable carbon isotope analysis of fossils and of soils 
B) 40K/40Ar analysis of lava flows and of ash layers 
C) oxygen isotope analysis of marine microorganisms 
D) faunal analysis of habitat-specific species 
A) stable carbon isotope analysis of fossils and of soils 
B) 40K/40Ar analysis of lava flows and of ash layers 
C) oxygen isotope analysis of marine microorganisms 
D) faunal analysis of habitat-specific species

Question 9

The chart that shows the different time periods in Earth's history and also indicates significant evolutionary events is called the

Accepted Answer

A) temporal display. 
B) geologic time scale. 
C) paleochart. 
D) virtual time machine. 
A) temporal display. 
B) geologic time scale. 
C) paleochart. 
D) virtual time machine.

Question 10

Electron spin resonance dating would be most useful in attempting to date which object?

Accepted Answer

A) a fossilized tooth 
B) an ancient stone artifact 
C) an old lava flow 
D) a limestone cave deposit 
A) a fossilized tooth 
B) an ancient stone artifact 
C) an old lava flow 
D) a limestone cave deposit

Question 11

Variants of elements that differ based on the number of neutrons in the atom's nucleus are called

Accepted Answer

A) isotopes. 
B) sports. 
C) alleles. 
D) races. 
A) isotopes. 
B) sports. 
C) alleles. 
D) races.

Question 12

How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists in testing theories about the timing of significant evolutionary events?

Accepted Answer

In addition to using the fossil record t

Question 13

The first logical step in a sequence of events that leads to the discovery and analysis of primate fossils is the

Accepted Answer

A) naming of the fossils. 
B) recovery of the fossils. 
C) comparison with other fossils. 
D) selection and surveying of potential sites. 
A) naming of the fossils. 
B) recovery of the fossils. 
C) comparison with other fossils. 
D) selection and surveying of potential sites.

Question 14

In an excavation you find the remains of two human skeletons along with the antler of an antelope.How can you attempt to date these skeletons?

Accepted Answer

A) You can take soil samples and analyze the microscopic organisms present to determine a time period. 
B) You can assume the humans ate the antelope and find out when humans in this area began to eat meat. 
C) Since they are all found in a single layer you can use stratigraphy. 
D) You can research the antler bone to find out which species it belongs to and then use faunal dating. 
A) You can take soil samples and analyze the microscopic organisms present to determine a time period. 
B) You can assume the humans ate the antelope and find out when humans in this area began to eat meat. 
C) Since they are all found in a single layer you can use stratigraphy. 
D) You can research the antler bone to find out which species it belongs to and then use faunal dating.

Question 15

The "supercontinent" that existed about 200 mya, from which the modern continents ultimately emerged, is called

Accepted Answer

A) Eurasia. 
B) Afronesia. 
C) Australasia. 
D) Pangaea. 
A) Eurasia. 
B) Afronesia. 
C) Australasia. 
D) Pangaea.

Question 16

As recently as a few hundred years ago, most Westerners thought the earth was about how many years old?

Accepted Answer

A) 60 million 
B) 6 million 
C) 60,000 
D) 6,000 
A) 60 million 
B) 6 million 
C) 60,000 
D) 6,000

Question 17

Fossils are typically recovered within ________ exposures.

Accepted Answer

A) limestone rock 
B) volcanic rock 
C) igneous rock 
D) sedimentary rock 
A) limestone rock 
B) volcanic rock 
C) igneous rock 
D) sedimentary rock

Question 18

With a half-life of 5,730 years, ¹⁴C dating is useful for dating carbon-bearing objects as far back as

Accepted Answer

A) 50,000 years ago. 
B) 500,000 years ago. 
C) 5 mya. 
D) 50 mya. 
A) 50,000 years ago. 
B) 500,000 years ago. 
C) 5 mya. 
D) 50 mya.

Question 19

Which of the following is not an absolute dating method?

Accepted Answer

A) fission track dating 
B) radiocarbon dating 
C) dendrochronology 
D) stratigraphy 
A) fission track dating 
B) radiocarbon dating 
C) dendrochronology 
D) stratigraphy

Question 20

Which of the following is not one of the eras within the Phanerozoic eon?

Accepted Answer

A) Mesozoic 
B) Cenozoic 
C) Protozoic 
D) Paleozoic 
A) Mesozoic 
B) Cenozoic 
C) Protozoic 
D) Paleozoic

The dating technique in which proteins are examined under high magnification using polarized light is

Prior to the invention of absolute dating techniques, one of the chemical dating methods useful for establishing the relative age of fossils from a single site was

Why is it critical that paleontologists reconstruct past environments to provide a complete picture of a particular lineage's evolution? Name one way in which paleontologists reconstruct paleoenvironments.

Which of the following cultural artifacts would provide the most narrowly defined date for the sediments from which it was recovered?

The Danish physician who developed the geologic principle of superposition, according to which rocks (and fossils) higher in a sequence are younger than those buried farther down, was

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

One of the only fossil sites in the world that preserves a great deal of evidence for anthropoid evolution during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs is

Which of the following is not one of the main methods for reconstructing ancient environments?

The chart that shows the different time periods in Earth's history and also indicates significant evolutionary events is called the

Electron spin resonance dating would be most useful in attempting to date which object?

Variants of elements that differ based on the number of neutrons in the atom's nucleus are called

How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists in testing theories about the timing of significant evolutionary events?

The first logical step in a sequence of events that leads to the discovery and analysis of primate fossils is the

In an excavation you find the remains of two human skeletons along with the antler of an antelope.How can you attempt to date these skeletons?

The "supercontinent" that existed about 200 mya, from which the modern continents ultimately emerged, is called

As recently as a few hundred years ago, most Westerners thought the earth was about how many years old?

Fossils are typically recovered within ________ exposures.

With a half-life of 5,730 years, ¹⁴C dating is useful for dating carbon-bearing objects as far back as

Which of the following is not an absolute dating method?

Which of the following is not one of the eras within the Phanerozoic eon?

What Is Physical Anthropology?

Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory

Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation

Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics

Biology in the Present: Living People

Biology in the Present: The Other Living Primates

Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years

Early Hominid Origins and Evolution: the Roots of Humanity

The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People

Our Last 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, and Biology

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Exam 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

The dating technique in which proteins are examined under high magnification using polarized light is

Prior to the invention of absolute dating techniques, one of the chemical dating methods useful for establishing the relative age of fossils from a single site was

Why is it critical that paleontologists reconstruct past environments to provide a complete picture of a particular lineage's evolution? Name one way in which paleontologists reconstruct paleoenvironments.

Which of the following cultural artifacts would provide the most narrowly defined date for the sediments from which it was recovered?

The Danish physician who developed the geologic principle of superposition, according to which rocks (and fossils) higher in a sequence are younger than those buried farther down, was

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

One of the only fossil sites in the world that preserves a great deal of evidence for anthropoid evolution during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs is

Which of the following is not one of the main methods for reconstructing ancient environments?

The chart that shows the different time periods in Earth's history and also indicates significant evolutionary events is called the

Electron spin resonance dating would be most useful in attempting to date which object?

Variants of elements that differ based on the number of neutrons in the atom's nucleus are called

How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists in testing theories about the timing of significant evolutionary events?

The first logical step in a sequence of events that leads to the discovery and analysis of primate fossils is the

In an excavation you find the remains of two human skeletons along with the antler of an antelope.How can you attempt to date these skeletons?

The "supercontinent" that existed about 200 mya, from which the modern continents ultimately emerged, is called

As recently as a few hundred years ago, most Westerners thought the earth was about how many years old?

Fossils are typically recovered within ________ exposures.

With a half-life of 5,730 years, ¹⁴C dating is useful for dating carbon-bearing objects as far back as

Which of the following is not an absolute dating method?

Which of the following is not one of the eras within the Phanerozoic eon?

What Is Physical Anthropology?

Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory

Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation

Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics

Biology in the Present: Living People

Biology in the Present: The Other Living Primates

Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years

Early Hominid Origins and Evolution: the Roots of Humanity

The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People

Our Last 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, and Biology

Filters