Deck 26: Human Evolution

Question 1

Four of the following are typical features of anthropoids.Which one is the exception?  

A) Diurnal
B) Good eyesight
C) Color vision
D) Carnivorous
E) Dry nose

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The most humanlike australopith discovered so far is ____.  

A) Australopithecus afarensis
B) Australopithecus africanus
C) Australopithecus ramidus
D) Australopithecus sediba
E) Australopithecus kadabba

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The conclusion that early hominins were bipedal is based in part on examination of four of the following.Which one is the exception?  

A) Their S-shaped backbone
B) The position of the opening for the spinal cord in the skull
C) Footprints
D) Their jaw shape
E) Length of the femur

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Four of the following are gorilla features.Which one is the exception?  

A) Spinal cord attached at rear of skull
B) C-shaped spine
C) Legs longer than arms
D) Flat foot
E) Opposable big toe

Question 5

What do primates have at their fingertips and ends of their toes,protected by flattened nails?  

A) Proximal digits
B) Cuticles
C) Veins
D) Touch-sensitive pads
E) Matrices

Question 6

Australopiths lived from about 4 million to ____ years ago.  

A) 600,000
B) 1.2 million
C) 1.8 million
D) 2.4 million
E) 3 million

Question 7

Four of the following are modern apes.Which is not a modern ape?  

A) Gibbon
B) New World monkey
C) Chimpanzee
D) Gorilla
E) Orangutan

Question 8

What was the typical height of the Neanderthal male,based on material from multiple fossil remains?  

A) 120 cm
B) 164 cm
C) 148 cm
D) 171 cm
E) 175 cm

Question 9

Genetic testing has revealed that mating between Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis likely took place in ____.  

A) France
B) China
C) Papua New Guinea
D) England
E) the Middle East

Question 10

Four of the following features are important evolutionary advancements in the evolution of the tree-dwelling primates.Which one is the exception?  

A) Grasping hands and feet
B) Depth perception
C) Well-developed sense of smell
D) The ability to see in 3D
E) A large brain relative to body size

Question 11

Hominins evolved when the climate was ____.  

A) wet and hotter
B) wet and cooler
C) dry and hotter
D) dry and cooler
E) similar to today

Question 12

Four of the following statements about Neanderthals are true.Which statement is false?  

A) Neanderthals diverged from modern humans around 500,000 years ago.
B) Neanderthals lived in Europe and the Middle East.
C) Neanderthals are direct ancestors of Homo sapiens.
D) Neanderthals stood upright.
E) Neanderthals have no modern descendants.

Question 13

The hominin evolutionary line diverged from that leading to the great apes about ____ million years ago.  

A) 1.5
B) 2
C) 3
D) 7
E) 13

Question 14

Compared to modern humans,Neanderthals were ____.  

A) skinnier
B) shorter
C) more numerous
D) more widely dispersed
E) small brained

Question 15

Fossil evidence of Neanderthals have been found in the following areas except ______.  

A) the Middle East
B) Europe
C) Asia
D) Siberia
E) Australia

Question 16

The last known population of Neanderthals lived as recently as ____ years ago.  

A) 8,000
B) 18,000
C) 28,000
D) 38,000
E) 48,000

Question 17

Four of the following are features of new world monkeys.Which one is the exception?  

A) Flat face
B) No opposable thumb
C) Widely spaced nostrils
D) Prehensile tail
E) Wet nose

Question 18

Four of the following are features of humans that differentiate us from apes.Which one is the exception?  

A) Bipedalism
B) Large canine teeth
C) Larger brain
D) Little body hair
E) Precision grip

Question 19

Compared with modern humans,Neanderthals had all the following features except:  

A) Tall, thin body
B) Stockier build
C) Thicker bones
D) Bulkier muscles
E) Shorter stature

Question 20

The earliest hominin fossils have been found in ____.  

A) Africa
B) Asia
C) Australia
D) the South Pacific
E) Europe

Question 21

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.includes modern humans and their extinct bipedal relatives.
b.a population of Homo spp. that lived from as recently as 28,000 years ago; tool users and artisans
c.the order that includes animals with freely swiveling limbs, mobile grasping digits, upright body posture, good depth perception, and flat fingernails
d.organisms in a group that includes New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and humans
e.wet-nosed primates
f.informal name for chimpanzee-sized hominins that lived in Africa from 4 million to 1.2 million years ago
g.anthropoids without tails
australopith

Question 22

____ is/are considered to be the ancestor to both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens.  

A) Homo habilis
B) Paranthropus boisei
C) Homo floresiensis
D) Denisovans
E) Homo erectus

Question 23

Four of the following statements about Denisovans are true.Which statement is false?  

A) They are most closely related to Homo neanderthalensis.
B) The first fossils were found in Siberia.
C) Fossils as old as 110,000 years old have been found.
D) The first fossil to be found was a pinky finger.
E) They may be at least 400,000 years old.

Question 24

The primate fossil named Lucy was ____.  

A) a Neanderthal
B) an australopith
C) a Denisovan
D) a prosimian
E) a modern human

Question 25

Smaller teeth and jaws,presence of a chin,thin facial bones,and rounder,higher skull would be a partial description of ____.  

A) Australopithecus robustus gher
B) Australopithecus boisei
C) Homo habilis
D) Homo erectus
E) Homo sapiens

Question 26

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.includes modern humans and their extinct bipedal relatives.
b.a population of Homo spp. that lived from as recently as 28,000 years ago; tool users and artisans
c.the order that includes animals with freely swiveling limbs, mobile grasping digits, upright body posture, good depth perception, and flat fingernails
d.organisms in a group that includes New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and humans
e.wet-nosed primates
f.informal name for chimpanzee-sized hominins that lived in Africa from 4 million to 1.2 million years ago
g.anthropoids without tails
hominoids

Question 27

Four of the following are advantages that led to an evolutionary shift toward bipedalism.Which one is the exception?  

A) It allows for more efficient movement across open ground.
B) It made upright walking more energy efficient.
C) It keeps the body cooler.
D) It allows for better stereoscopic vision.
E) It is easier to scan the horizon for predators.

Question 28

Why might Neanderthals have been more affected by changes in food sources than H.sapiens?  

A) Neanderthals were primarily meat eaters.
B) Neanderthals had no ability to store food.
C) Neanderthals had no tools with which to process food.
D) Neanderthals could digest a limited number of proteins.
E) Neanderthals required a greater number of essential amino acids.

Question 29

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.includes modern humans and their extinct bipedal relatives.
b.a population of Homo spp. that lived from as recently as 28,000 years ago; tool users and artisans
c.the order that includes animals with freely swiveling limbs, mobile grasping digits, upright body posture, good depth perception, and flat fingernails
d.organisms in a group that includes New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and humans
e.wet-nosed primates
f.informal name for chimpanzee-sized hominins that lived in Africa from 4 million to 1.2 million years ago
g.anthropoids without tails
hominins

Question 30

Even though the phylogenetic lineages for hominins are not definitive,four of the following statements describe possibilities.Which is NOT a possibility?  

A) Homo habilis is the likely ancestor of our species.
B) Homo sapiens is the most recent.
C) Australopithecus is probably more ancient than Homo.
D) Homo erectus preceded Homo sapiens.
E) Chimpanzees and bonobos are the closest living relatives to modern humans.

Question 31

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.includes modern humans and their extinct bipedal relatives.
b.a population of Homo spp. that lived from as recently as 28,000 years ago; tool users and artisans
c.the order that includes animals with freely swiveling limbs, mobile grasping digits, upright body posture, good depth perception, and flat fingernails
d.organisms in a group that includes New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and humans
e.wet-nosed primates
f.informal name for chimpanzee-sized hominins that lived in Africa from 4 million to 1.2 million years ago
g.anthropoids without tails
primates

Question 32

Fossil footprints in Tanzania document the passage of a bipedal species ____ million years ago.  

A) 2.4
B) 3.0
C) 3.6
D) 4.2
E) 4.8

Question 33

Which of the following is a hominin?  

A) Chimpanzee
B) Australopithecus
C) Baboon
D) Bonobo
E) Gorilla

Question 34

Which species is considered to be the most ancient?  

A) Homo erectus
B) Australopithecus afarensis
C) Australopithecus sediba
D) Homo sapiens
E) Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Question 35

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.includes modern humans and their extinct bipedal relatives.
b.a population of Homo spp. that lived from as recently as 28,000 years ago; tool users and artisans
c.the order that includes animals with freely swiveling limbs, mobile grasping digits, upright body posture, good depth perception, and flat fingernails
d.organisms in a group that includes New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and humans
e.wet-nosed primates
f.informal name for chimpanzee-sized hominins that lived in Africa from 4 million to 1.2 million years ago
g.anthropoids without tails
Neanderthals

Question 36

Four of the following statements about fossils found on the island of Flores are true.Which one is the exception?  

A) They are shorter than modern humans.
B) They have very small brains.
C) They are 200,000 years old.
D) They have a heavy brow ridge.
E) They have been described to be like "hobbits."

Question 37

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.includes modern humans and their extinct bipedal relatives.
b.a population of Homo spp. that lived from as recently as 28,000 years ago; tool users and artisans
c.the order that includes animals with freely swiveling limbs, mobile grasping digits, upright body posture, good depth perception, and flat fingernails
d.organisms in a group that includes New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and humans
e.wet-nosed primates
f.informal name for chimpanzee-sized hominins that lived in Africa from 4 million to 1.2 million years ago
g.anthropoids without tails
anthropoids

Question 38

The earliest humans primarily used tools to ____.  

A) assist in locomotion
B) provide protection
C) facilitate the processing of food
D) ward off predators
E) construct shelters

Question 39

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.shorter than modern humans, but stood upright; stocky body adapted to colder climates
b.arose in Africa about 2 million years ago; had a significantly larger brain than earlier hominins and a gait similar to modern humans
c.modern humans since 195,000 years ago
d.Lucy; lived about 3.2 million years ago
Australopithecus

Question 40

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.includes modern humans and their extinct bipedal relatives.
b.a population of Homo spp. that lived from as recently as 28,000 years ago; tool users and artisans
c.the order that includes animals with freely swiveling limbs, mobile grasping digits, upright body posture, good depth perception, and flat fingernails
d.organisms in a group that includes New World and Old World monkeys, apes, and humans
e.wet-nosed primates
f.informal name for chimpanzee-sized hominins that lived in Africa from 4 million to 1.2 million years ago
g.anthropoids without tails
Strepsirrhini

Question 41

Select the best choice for the following statements in reference to the four hominids listed below.
a.Homo habilis
b.Homo erectus
c.Homo sapiens
d.Homo neanderthalensis
The only surviving Homo species.

Question 42

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.shorter than modern humans, but stood upright; stocky body adapted to colder climates
b.arose in Africa about 2 million years ago; had a significantly larger brain than earlier hominins and a gait similar to modern humans
c.modern humans since 195,000 years ago
d.Lucy; lived about 3.2 million years ago
Neanderthals

Question 43

Select the best choice for the following statements in reference to the four hominids listed below.
a.Homo habilis
b.Homo erectus
c.Homo sapiens
d.Homo neanderthalensis
The first species found outside of Africa and established a population in the Republic of Georgia.

Question 44

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.shorter than modern humans, but stood upright; stocky body adapted to colder climates
b.arose in Africa about 2 million years ago; had a significantly larger brain than earlier hominins and a gait similar to modern humans
c.modern humans since 195,000 years ago
d.Lucy; lived about 3.2 million years ago
Homo sapiens

Question 45

What group of primates is referred to as "lesser apes," in comparison with larger apes?  

A) Orangutan
B) Gorilla
C) Chimpanzee
D) Monkey
E) Gibbon

Question 46

Which among the following cultural traits is thought to be unique to modern humans?  

A) Tool use and creation
B) Hunting for meat
C) Burial practices
D) Jewelry and adornment practices
E) Spoken language

Question 47

Select the best choice for the following statements in reference to the four hominids listed below.
a.Homo habilis
b.Homo erectus
c.Homo sapiens
d.Homo neanderthalensis
The Neanderthals belong to this species.

Question 48

Choose the one most appropriate answer for each.
a.shorter than modern humans, but stood upright; stocky body adapted to colder climates
b.arose in Africa about 2 million years ago; had a significantly larger brain than earlier hominins and a gait similar to modern humans
c.modern humans since 195,000 years ago
d.Lucy; lived about 3.2 million years ago
Homo erectus

Question 49

Select the best choice for the following statements in reference to the four hominids listed below.
a.Homo habilis
b.Homo erectus
c.Homo sapiens
d.Homo neanderthalensis
Homo species whose fossils were discovered with stone tools in Kenya.

Question 50

Which is the only surviving Asian great ape?  

A) Orangutan
B) Gorilla
C) Chimpanzee
D) Monkey
E) Gibbon

Question 51

What group of evolutionary biologists tends to focus on the differences between fossils,classifying Homo fossils into four or more species?  

A) Bipedalists
B) Splitters
C) Lumpers
D) Hominoids
E) Formulationists