Deck 20: The Evolution of Human Beings

Question 1

The modern species most closely related to the humans, based on similarities of DNA, is the:

A) chimpanzee.
B) orangutan.
C) gorilla.
D) lemur.

Answer 1

chimpanzee.

Question 2

The human species first appeared in the:

A) Tertiary.
B) Pleistocene.
C) Mesozoic.
D) Cretaceous.

Answer 2

Pleistocene.

Question 3

The hominid genus that is the direct ancestor to Homo is:

A) Ergaster.
B) Australopithecus.
C) Ardipithecus.
D) Neanderthal.

Answer 3

Australopithecus.

Question 4

DNA analysis recently showed that ________ is probably a separate species from Homo sapiens.

A) Homo erectus
B) Neanderthal
C) Australopithecus
D) Cro Magnon

Question 5

Our species, Homo sapiens, has been in existence for approximately how many years?

A) 1,000,000
B) 100,000
C) 10,000,000
D) 100,000,000

Question 6

Which statement is consistent with the scientific evidence about the genus Homo?

A) Evolutionary relationships among various species of Homo are well understood.
B) It excludes Neanderthals.
C) It originated in Africa.
D) It is the only group of organism that walks on two legs.

Question 7

According to current scientific evidence, which kind of primate is most closely related to humans?

A) Australopithecus
B) orangutan
C) chimpanzee
D) Ardipithecus

Question 8

Fossil hominids represent a continuum toward modern humans. Which of the following was least human-like and most ape-like?

A) Homo habilis
B) Homo ergaster
C) Homo neanderthalensis
D) Australopithecus africanus

Question 9

Refer to the figure above and then answer the question that follows.

-Anthropologists may not agree with the conclusions implied by the arrangement of species in the figure above. What is the main reason for that disagreement?

A) There is too much competition among anthropologists to interpret fossil evidence.
B) There is not enough fossil evidence to form solid conclusions.
C) Museums are keeping their fossils from public view.
D) There are not enough scientists to study all of the fossils available for study.

Question 10

The famous Neanderthal fossil was first discovered in which country?

A) America
B) Italy
C) France
D) Germany

Question 11

How many species are currently classified within the Hominini?

A) 2
B) 4
C) 25
D) 300

Question 12

What is the scientific name for the genus of hominin that gave rise to the genus Homo?

A) Paranthropus
B) Australopithecus
C) Kenyanthropus
D) Ardipithecus

Question 13

How long ago did Sahelanthropus tchadensis, the presumed ancestor of all hominins, appear?

A) 6,000 years ago
B) 50,000 years ago
C) 1 million years ago
D) over 6 million years ago

Question 14

Why have anthropologists been unable to identify the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees?

A) The question is too difficult for a ready answer.
B) This species never existed.
C) There are fossils that provide conflicting evidence about this question.
D) There are no fossils of this species to study.

Question 15

How long have human-like (hominin) species been present on Earth?

A) 6,000 years
B) 1 million years
C) 2 million years
D) over 6 million years

Question 16

Where in the world did the essential evolutionary changes occur that led to humans?

A) Africa
B) Europe
C) Asia
D) Australia

Question 17

Refer to the figure above and then answer the question that follows.

-Which part of Africa witnessed the development of the hominin group?

A) north Africa
B) south Africa
C) east Africa
D) west Africa

Question 18

Bipedalism is a characteristic usually found in:

A) Australopithecines.
B) hominins.
C) orangutans.
D) monkeys.

Question 19

One of the differences between the Australopithecine called "Lucy and modern humans is that:

A) Lucy had six fingers on her hands.
B) Lucy had grasping feet.
C) Lucy was not bipedal.
D) Lucy was taller that modern humans.

Question 20

A very famous fossil named "Lucy by her discoverer was unearthed in Ethiopia in the 1970s. To which species of hominin does Lucy belong?

A) Homo habilis
B) Homo ergaster
C) Homo africanus
D) Australopithecus afarensis

Question 21

One of the big differences between the Australopithecines and their ancestors was:

A) a large difference in vision.
B) the ability to walk upright.
C) the ability to make tools.
D) the ability to speak.

Question 22

Fossil evidence suggests that a single species formed the division point between modern humans and Homo erectus. Which species was that?

A) Homo neanderthalensis
B) Homo heidelbergensis
C) Homo floresiensis
D) Homo ergaster

Question 23

About 2 million years ago, hominins left Africa and migrated to another locale, where they continue to evolve. That new locale was:

A) Australia.
B) South America.
C) Asia.
D) North America.

Question 24

Scientists are engaged in a new investigation to sequence the genome of which extinct hominin?

A) Homo erectus
B) Homo heidelbergensis
C) Homo ergaster
D) Homo neanderthalensis

Question 25

Scientists have discovered a gene, named the FOXP2 gene, that is associated with a certain behavior in modern humans. They are look for this same gene in fragments of DNA from Neanderthals. What behavior is associated with the gene FOXP2?

A) bipedalism
B) the opposable thumb
C) speech
D) sharp vision

Question 26

Modern humans and Neanderthals lived together in Europe for thousands of years. We did not evolve from Neanderthals but probably shared a common ancestor. In common terms, this would allow us to think about the Neanderthals as:

A) cousins.
B) friends.
C) sisters and brothers.
D) not related.

Question 27

The first tool-making hominin was Homo ergaster.