Deck 10: Human Biological Diversity in Context

Question 1

Differences in human skin "color are caused by

A) the amount of carotene in the skin.
B) the amount of Vitamin D in the skin.
C) the amount of melanin in the skin.
D) the distribution of melanin in the skin.

Answer 1

the distribution of melanin in the skin.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the levels used in this chapter to describe patterns of human variation?

A) variations over time
B) variations between populations within regions
C) variations within single populations
D) variations across major geographic regions

Answer 2

variations over time

Question 3

The most overemphasized and misunderstood aspect of human variation is

A) cranial capacity.
B) adaptation.
C) skin color.
D) robustness.

Answer 3

skin color.

Question 4

In low levels, ultraviolet light assists in the production of

A) Vitamin A.
B) Vitamin D.
C) vitamin E.
D) carotene.

Question 5

In the sense that it is normally used in the United States today, "race is all of the following EXCEPT

A) a socially constructed notion.
B) a biological reality.
C) a cultural category.
D) a concept arising from our history and other circumstances.

Question 6

Sexual dimorphism between males and females in human populations is about

A) 9 percent.
B) 11 percent.
C) 13 percent.
D) 15 percent.

Question 7

The ____________ is the ratio of arm length to leg length.

A) intermembral index
B) body mass index
C) cormic index
D) encephalization index

Question 8

The ____________ is a measurement of weight over squared height.

A) intermembral index
B) body mass index
C) cormic index
D) cephalic index

Question 9

The ____________ is the ratio of sitting height to standing height.

A) intermembral index
B) body mass index
C) cormic index
D) cranial index

Question 10

Although the number of melanocytes does not vary significantly from one person to another

A) the density of melanin varies.
B) the ability to efficiently distribute melanin to the epidermis varies.
C) the amount of melanin in the skin varies.
D) the amount of pigmentation in the skin varies.

Question 11

As a result of the patterns and processes that have shaped humanity from our most distant ancestors to our current form, modern humans have

A) extremely low levels of interpopulational genetic diversity.
B) very high levels of morphological variation.
C) Both A and B are correct.
D) Neither A nor B is correct.

Question 12

The density and distribution of melanin causes

A) different levels of light reflection in the skin.
B) different levels of light absorption in the skin.
C) Both A and B are correct.
D) Neither A nor B is correct.

Question 13

The relationship between melanin density and ultraviolet light

A) is the basis of variation in human skin absorbance.
B) is the basis of variation in human skin reflectance.
C) Both A and B are correct.
D) Neither A nor B is correct.

Question 14

Modern humans' average body mass varies by as much as

A) 40 percent.
B) 45 percent.
C) 50 percent.
D) 55 percent.

Question 15

The width of the human body at the pelvis varies by about ____________ across our species.

A) 20 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 35 percent

Question 16

Although the amount of variation in current human body types may seem significant, it is

A) small compared to the variation seen in the early hominins and the earlier members of the genus Homo.
B) about equal to the variation seen in the early hominins and the earlier members of the genus Homo.
C) small compared to the variation seen in the early hominins and about equal to the variation seen in the earlier members of the genus Homo.
D) about equal to the variation seen in the early hominins and small compared to the variation seen in the earlier members of the genus Homo.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT true regarding current skin color parameters?

A) They are set by natural selection.
B) They are distributed by gene flow.
C) They are not modified by cultural patterns.
D) They are modified by gene flow.

Question 18

The human brain reached its current size about ____________ years ago.

A) 100,000 to 200,000
B) 200,000 to 300,000
C) 300,000 to 400,000
D) 400,000 to 500,000

Question 19

Modern techniques used to categorize human skulls can involve as many as ____ different measurements.

A) 10
B) 30
C) 50
D) 100

Question 20

The vast majority of the variation in skull morphology is

A) between regions.
B) between populations.
C) within populations.
D) within families.

Question 21

Compared to males, females have all of the following traits EXCEPT

A) a wider pelvis.
B) smaller mastoids.
C) more broadly flared and outward ilia.
D) on average, a lower jaw angle.

Question 22

Compared to males, females have all of the following traits EXCEPT

A) fewer overall cranial muscle markings.
B) a greater subpubic angle.
C) a less vertical forehead.
D) less pronounced browridges.

Question 23

The species-wide distribution of the A, B, and O alleles in human blood is approximately

A) 52.5 percent O, 33.5 percent A, and 16 percent B.
B) 57.5 percent O, 23.5 percent A, and 19 percent B.
C) 52.5 percent O, 26.5 percent A, and 21 percent B.
D) 62.5 percent O, 21.5 percent A, and 16 percent B.

Question 24

Across the human genome, between ____________ of genetic variation is found within populations.

A) 73 and 97 percent
B) 81 and 92 percent
C) 83 and 97 percent
D) 78 and 92 percent

Question 25

There is ____________ genetic divergence among African populations as among non-African populations.

A) nearly twice as much
B) approximately the same rate of
C) nearly half as much
D) nearly one-fourth as much

Question 26

The way in which humans relate to the environment and other organisms within it is referred to as our

A) adaptation capacity.
B) niche.
C) assimilation quotient.
D) adaptation quotient.

Question 27

Eugenics is all of the following EXCEPT

A) the study of genetics with the notion of improving human biology.
B) the study of genetics with the notion of improving biological potential.
C) the study of the human genome and where it went "wrong."
D) often associated with erroneous assumptions about the relationship of behavior and genes.

Question 28

In environments where organisms are stressed by cold, mammals tend to have which of the following?

A) decreased body mass relative to body surface area
B) increased body mass relative to body surface area
C) decreased body mass and increased body surface area
D) increased body mass and increased body surface area

Question 29

In environments where organisms are stressed by heat, mammals tend to have which of the following?

A) decreased body mass relative to body surface area
B) increased body mass and increased body surface area
C) decreased body mass and increased body surface area
D) increased body mass and decreased body surface area

Question 30

Fst is a

A) statistical measurement of the fraction of variation found within samples.
B) statistical measurement of the fraction of variation found between samples.
C) measurement of how closely related individuals are within a population.
D) measurement of how closely related individuals are between populations.

Question 31

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A) Disease probably does not play an important role in human evolution.
B) Some populations have higher allele frequencies for certain genetic disorders.
C) Some populations may be more susceptible to some disorders than other populations.
D) Through disease patterns, human cultural modification of the environment can alter the patterns and contexts of natural selection.

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT true regarding balanced polymorphisms?

A) Selection favors a heterozygotic state for a given locus.
B) Both the recessive and the dominant alleles are maintained in a population.
C) Only nondeleterious alleles in the homozygous state are maintained.
D) Deleterious alleles in the homozygous state are maintained.

Question 33

Nearly _____ percent of the genetic variation in the species Homo sapiens sapiens is found in each H.s.s. population.

A) 65
B) 75
C) 85
D) 95

Question 34

The scientific concept of "race includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) a population within a species that has measurable, defining biological characteristics.
B) a group of populations within a species that has measurable, defining biological characteristics.
C) an Fst of at least .25 relative to other populations in the species.
D) an Fst of at least .50 relative to other species.

Question 35

The overall genetic Fst for our species is approximately

A) .07.
B) .17.
C) .27.
D) .37.

Question 36

A socially constructed concept of race may include all of the following EXCEPT

A) a set of cultural or ethnic factors.
B) obscured/hidden morphological traits.
C) kin reflectance.
D) cranial structure.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is the MOST truthful?

A) There is evidence from morphological and cultural measures that supports the division of modern humans into subspecies.
B) There is evidence from historical and genetic measures that supports the division of modern humans into subspecies.
C) There is no evidence from any cultural or historical measures that supports the division of modern humans into biological races or subspecies.
D) There is no evidence from any morphological or genetic measures that supports the division of modern humans into subspecies.

Question 38

A distribution wherein biological traits vary in a specific pattern across geography is called a

A) Fst.
B) cline.
C) geographical dimorphism.
D) cormic distribution.

Question 39

According to the text, all of the following are main factors that contribute to the use of "race categories EXCEPT

A) the history of colonial expansion.
B) Linnaean classification.
C) the eugenics movement.
D) mating patterns.

Question 40

Melanin occurs in which of the following two forms?

A) white and black
B) black and brown
C) brown and red
D) red and white

Question 41

Aside from the extreme ends of the height spectrum, the human species exhibits about a ____ percent variation in height overall.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 15
D) 20

Question 42

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A) Humans vary more than most similarly-sized mammals in size.
B) Humans vary more than most similarly-sized mammals in body shape.
C) Humans vary more than most similarly-sized mammals in genetic patterns.
D) Human females follow the general pattern of subcutaneous fat for mammals.

Question 43

Taking into account variation in stature and body shape across the globe, the variation in the size of a fully functional, normal human brain ranges between

A) 850 and 1500 cc.
B) 900 and 1600 cc.
C) 1000 and 2000 cc.
D) 1200 and 2000 cc.

Question 44

According to the text, human body size and shape are determined in large part by all of the following EXCEPT

A) natural selection.
B) culture.
C) gene flow.
D) nutrition.

Question 45

Simple measures of cranial shape yield a(n)

A) cranial index.
B) encephalization index.
C) encephalization quotient.
D) cephalic index.

Question 46

Describe how humans vary in external morphology. In your answer, be sure to give two examples of how humans vary in at least three specific morphological features such as size, shape, color, etc.

Question 47

Discuss how humans vary genetically. In your answer, be sure to integrate at least four of the following key concepts/words the human genome project, the amount of genetic variation between populations, the amount of genetic variation within populations, genetic variation among African populations, Fst, white-tailed deer or chimpanzee population variation, the Recent African Origin model, and/or the Multiple Dispersal model.

Question 48

Elaborate on how the biocultural approach can explain patterns of variation in humans. Your answer should integrate at least three of the following terms: natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift, and genetic mutation.

Question 49

Explain how we know that there are no races, or biological subspecies, in modern humans. In your answer, be sure to compare/contrast scientific concepts of race and socially constructed concepts of race, and to use three of the following terms: subspecies, Fst, genetic data, craniometric data, skin reflectance, and patterns of disease.

Question 50

Give at least three supported examples of why we continue to use simplistic racial categories for humanity when we know they are not accurate.