Deck 22: The Evolution of Primates

Question 1

What distinguishes the gorillas and chimpanzees from the orangutans and gibbons?

A) They live in the trees.
B) They are larger in size.
C) They nurse their young.
D) They have prehensile tails.
E) They walk on their knuckles.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Brachiate primates include which animals?

A) human
B) gibbons
C) gorillas
D) chimpanzees
E) spider monkeys

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Arrange the following going from the earliest to the most recent according to the time they evolved from a common ancestor.
1) New World monkeys
2) Orangutans
3) Humans
4) Gibbons
5) Gorillas

A) 1, 4, 2, 5, 3
B) 1, 2, 4, 3, 5
C) 2, 1, 4, 5, 3
D) 2, 5, 4, 1, 3
E) 3, 5, 2, 4, 1

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following pairs is mismatched?

A) human − hominid
B) gibbon − hominoid
C) gorilla − hominid
D) chimpanzee − anthropoid
E) Old World monkey − anthropoid

Question 5

DNA sequence analyses indicate that the nearest living relatives to humans are:

A) lemurs.
B) gibbons.
C) gorillas.
D) orangutans.
E) chimpanzees.

Question 6

The oldest known anthropoid fossil is ____, found in China and Myanmar.

A) Eosimias
B) Branisella
C) Ardipithecus
D) Dryopithecus
E) Aegyptopithicus

Question 7

Figure 22-1 Refer to the accompanying figure. An important adaptation for all primates resulting from the structure labeled as A is:

A) knuckle walking.
B) bipedal locomotion.
C) clinging to branches of trees.
D) increased diversity in the diet.
E) improved social interactions.

Question 8

Which was the last continent to be inhabited by monkeys?

A) Asia
B) Africa
C) Europe
D) Australia
E) South America

Question 9

The earliest primates were adapted to live in(on):

A) trees
B) deserts
C) swamps
D) grasslands
E) mountain tops

Question 10

Figure 22-2 Refer to the accompanying figure. The common anthropoid ancestor would be found at which position?

A) 13
B) 12
C) 11
D) 10
E) 9

Question 11

Figure 22-2 In the accompanying figure, which groups are representatives of hominoids?

A) 1 and 2
B) 3 and 4
C) 7 and 8
D) 1 through 4
E) 5 through 9

Question 12

Mammals evolved from mammal-like ____ known as therapsids more than 200 mya.

A) fish
B) birds
C) reptiles
D) arthropods
E) amphibians

Question 13

Which hominoids may have given rise to the apes and humans?

A) Pan
B) Pongo
C) Aegyptopithecus
D) Dryopithecines
E) Australopithecus

Question 14

One significant difference between anthropoids and other primates is the size of their:

A) legs.
B) arms.
C) brains.
D) spine.
E) feet.

Question 15

In addition to opposable thumbs, which is another feature of primates adapted to living in a arboreal environment?

A) claws
B) short limbs
C) small brains
D) stereoscopic vision
E) tough epidermal layer

Question 16

How many years ago did the earliest primates arise?

A) ˜200 million years ago
B) ˜125 million years ago
C) ˜56 million years ago
D) ˜22 million years ago
E) ˜12.5 million years ago

Question 17

Figure 22-2 Refer to the accompanying figure. The common hominoid ancestor would be found at which position in the diagram?

A) 13
B) 12
C) 11
D) 10
E) 9

Question 18

The hominoids arose during which time period?

A) Eocene epoch
B) Miocene epoch
C) Pliocene epoch
D) Holocene epoch
E) Pleistocene epoch

Question 19

Figure 22-1 What is the shared primate characteristic depicted in the accompanying figure?

A) claws
B) four grasping digits
C) an opposable thumb
D) a prehensile appendage
E) an enlarged foramen magnum

Question 20

The hominoid genus Pongo includes which animals?

A) gorillas
B) gibbons
C) humans
D) orangutans
E) chimpanzees

Question 21

Which of the following is thought to be most closely related to the anthropoids?

A) lemurs
B) galagos
C) lorises
D) tarsiers
E) marsupials

Question 22

Genetically speaking, humans share roughly what percent of DNA sequences with gorillas?

A) 99%
B) 98%
C) 95%
D) 90%
E) 88%

Question 23

The earliest fossils of anatomically modern H. sapiens in Europe and most parts of Asia date to:

A) ˜2,000 years ago.
B) ˜4,000 years ago.
C) ˜10,000 years ago.
D) ˜40,000 years ago.
E) ˜100,000 years ago.

Question 24

H. floresiensis fossils found on the Indonesian island of Flores have been dubbed "hobbits" by the media because of what feature?

A) They had small brains.
B) They had large feet
C) They were only 1 m tall.
D) They had stone fireplaces.
E) They were found to have lived in trees.

Question 25

DNA analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA from the Y chromosome supports the ____ hypothesis of the origin of the species Homo sapiens .

A) out of Africa
B) Homo genus
C) multiregional
D) multinational
E) Asian focus

Question 26

Who were the first hominins thought to wear clothing, build fires, and live in caves or shelters?

A) Homo habilis
B) Homo sapiens
C) Homo erectus
D) Homo eragaster
E) Homo neanderthalensis

Question 27

Which primates are included within the suborder Prosimii?

A) tarsiers
B) monkeys
C) monkeys and apes
D) lemurs, galagos, and lorises
E) monkeys, apes, and humans

Question 28

Neanderthals appeared how many years ago?

A) ˜800,000
B) ˜600,000
C) ˜300,000
D) ˜250,000
E) ˜100,000

Question 29

What is the key defining characteristic of hominins?

A) language
B) the use of tools
C) opposable thumbs
D) bipedal locomotion
E) loss of supraorbital ridges

Question 30

Which of the following is probably a member of the Archaic humans, appearing around 600,000 years ago?

A) Au. sediba
B) H. habilis
C) H. erectus
D) H. ergaster
E) H. heidelbergensis

Question 31

Which suborder do Tarsiers belong?

A) Prosimii
B) Tarsiformes
C) Ardipithecus
D) Hominoidea
E) Anthropoidea

Question 32

The modern human skull lacks which primate feature?

A) a large cranium
B) supraorbital ridges
C) small canine teeth
D) a foramen magnuma
E) rounded or U-shaped arrangement of teeth

Question 33

Acheulian tools, e.g., hand axes, choppers, borers, and scrapers, are associated with which group of hominins?

A) Homo sapiens
B) Homo habilis
C) Homo erectus
D) Australopithecus sediba
E) Australopithecus africanus

Question 34

You are studying a fossilized primate skull and notice that the foramen magnum is located at the center of the base of the skull. You conclude that the skull belonged to a:

A) gibbon.
B) quadruped.
C) brachiator.
D) bipedal primate.
E) knuckle walker.

Question 35

Which species likely co-existed with Neanderthals?

A) Au. sediba
B) H. habilis
C) H. erectus
D) H. sapiens
E) H. heidelbergensis

Question 36

What is a unique feature of some New World monkeys that Old World Monkeys do not have?

A) long limbs
B) four footed
C) prehensile tail
D) opposable thumb
E) nostrils directed downward

Question 37

Neanderthals were first discovered near and named for the:

A) Neander Bay in Canada.
B) Neander Valley in India.
C) Neander River in Africa.
D) Neander Valley in Germany.
E) Neander Mountains in France.

Question 38

Based upon today's molecular evidence, Homo sapiens appear to have originated from:

A) Europe.
B) Indonesia.
C) East Africa.
D) South Africa.
E) South America.

Question 39

What does fossil evidence show to differentiate Homo erectus from Homo habilis ?

A) H. erectus did not use tools.
B) H. erectus was shorter than H. habilis .
C) H. erectus had a larger brain than H. habilis .
D) H. erectus had more pronounced sexual dimorphism than H. habilis .
E) H. erectus was the first member of the genus Homo without pronounced supraorbital ridges.

Question 40

Mousterian tools were made by which species?

A) H. habilis
B) H. ergaster
C) H. sapiens
D) H antecessor
E) H. neanderthalensis

Question 41

Which skeletal feature did NOT enhance hominin bipedal locomotion?

A) broader pelvis
B) alignment of the toes
C) complex curvature of the spine
D) foreman magnum at the center base of skull
E) foreman magnum at the center rear of skull

Question 42

Homo habilis may have been the first hominin to:

A) bury its dead.
B) use pictorial symbolism.
C) consciously designed tools.
D) use fire for cooking and heating.
E) have well-organized family units.

Question 43

Differentiate between the following terms: primates, anthropoids, hominoids, and hominids.

Question 44

Briefly explain the significance of one of the following fossil primates: Aegyptopithecus , Proconsul , and the Dryopithecines.

Question 45

Paleoanthropological evidence indicates that Australopithecus afarensis probably:

A) used spoken language.
B) constructed simple tools.
C) did not construct tools, but used fire.
D) did not construct tools nor used fire.
E) did not speak, but did use pictorial symbolism.

Question 46

Which is recognized as the most recent stage in the development of human culture?

A) agriculture
B) tool making
C) Industrial Revolution
D) organized societal units
E) hunter-gathering societies

Question 47

The earliest hominin discovered to date, in a dry lake bed in Chad, belongs to which genus?

A) Homo
B) Ardipithecus
C) Sahelanthropus
D) Australopithecus
E) Aegyptopithecus

Question 48

Australopithecus was the first hominin to feature which distinguishing characteristic?

A) bipedalism
B) larger brains
C) shorter arms
D) sexual dimorphism
E) facultative bipedalism

Question 49

Stereoscopic vision lets primates integrate visual information from both eyes simultaneously.
____________________

Question 50

Describe four comparative differences between New World and Old World monkeys.

Question 51

The skeleton nicknamed Lucy is a representative of which hominin?

A) Homo habilis
B) Homo erectus
C) Ardipithecus ramidus
D) Australopithecus africanus
E) Australopithecus afarensis

Question 52

Evidence shows that humans began to cultivate crops from approximately ____ years ago.

A) 200,000
B) 100,000
C) 10,000
D) 2,000
E) 1,000

Question 53

Paleoanthropology is the study of the fossil evidence of primate evolution.
____________________

Question 54

Choose one of the pairs of hominids below and compare them, including their morphology, social development, tool making, etc.
A. Homo habilis and Homo neanderthalensis
B. Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens
C. Ardipithecus ramidus and Australopithecus anamensis
D. Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus africanus

Question 55

Monkeys belong to the primate suborder Prosimi .
____________________

Question 56

Identify and briefly explain the significance of three skeletal and/or skull differences between apes and hominids.

Question 57

Opposable thumbs were an adaptation of primates that enabled them to live in trees . ____________________

Question 58

Identify the three suborders of primates and list one to two representatives of each.

Question 59

You are given a box of bones, which includes a tall narrow pelvis and a foot with non-aligned toes. Which statement can be supported by these bones?

A) The animal could brachiate.
B) The animal was a tree dweller.
C) The animal was an anthropoid.
D) The bones belonged to a bipedal organism.
E) The bones belonged to a quadrupedal organism.

Question 60

The immediate ancestors of the genus Homo belonged to which genus?

A) Pan
B) Pongo
C) Ardipithecus
D) Sahelanthropus
E) Australopithecus

Question 61

In support of the Recent Africa Origin hypothesis, the oldest dated fossils of H. sapiens found in Africa are reliably dated at 100,000 years old.
____________________

Question 62

The cerebrum is more developed in monkeys, apes, and humans compared to other primates.
____________________

Question 63

Explain at least four ways that primates are adapted to an arboreal existence.

Question 64

A comparison of the male and female Australopithecus anamensis body size and canine teeth reveals phenotypic similarities between the two sexes of the same species.
____________________

Question 65

Although the Proconsul fossil has a monkeylike body, it is considered the oldest (20 mya) fossil with hominoid features such as larger canine teeth.
____________________

Question 67

The foramen magnum at the center rear of the skull is an adaptation for bipedalism in hominids.
____________________

Question 68

Human cultural evolution is generally divided into three stages. Explain how each has affected Earth.

Question 69

The first hominin to have enough uniquely human features to be placed in the same genus as modern humans is Homo erectus.
____________________

Question 70

Explain the two opposing hypotheses that currently exist about the origin of modern humans.