Deck 2: The Peopling of the World, 7,000,000-10,000 B.C.E.

Question 1

The term Holocene refers to which of the following?

A) the era in which humans left Africa and began to colonize the world
B) an era of widespread global cooling taking place approximately 50,000 years ago
C) an era of large-scale global warming occurring approximately 14,000 years ago
D) the era in which humans began to form complex societies

Answer 1

an era of large-scale global warming occurring approximately 14,000 years ago

Question 2

What is the significance of the footprints found at Laetoli?

A) The Laetoli footprints indicate that upright hominins entered the world stage approximately 4,000,000 years ago.
B) The Laetoli footprints indicate that hominin species formed complex societies as long as 4,000,000 years ago.
C) The Laetoli footprints tell us that early hominins were capable of forging simple tools from stone.
D) The Laetoli footprints tell us that early hominins used visual symbols to communicate with one another.

Answer 2

The Laetoli footprints indicate that upright hominins entered the world stage approximately 4,000,000 years ago.

Question 3

Which of the following distinguishes hominins from chimpanzees, gorillas, and apes?

A) Chimpanzees, gorillas, and apes are bipedal, while hominins are not.
B) Hominins are bipedal, while chimpanzees, gorillas, and apes are not.
C) Hominins are capable of communicating with one another, while chimpanzees, gorillas, and apes are not.
D) There are no significant differences between them.

Answer 3

Hominins are bipedal, while chimpanzees, gorillas, and apes are not.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an example of evidence scholars use to make conclusions about early hominins?

A) written records
B) genetic information
C) animal and human fossils
D) tools and artifacts

Question 5

Which of the following best summarizes the limitations surrounding the study of early hominin and human civilization?

A) Early hominins developed differently according to region, and it is therefore difficult to make broad conclusions that apply to all hominin species.
B) Scientists are unable to accurately interpret evidence and are unwilling to make conclusions about early hominins.
C) There is an insufficient number of scientists to study the abundant evidence available about early hominins.
D) Evidence about early hominins is sparse and only allows scientists to make broad conclusions about the development of bipedal species.

Question 6

Which of the following may have been an advantage bipedal hominins had over their non-bipedal counterparts?

A) Bipedal hominins may have been able to see potential enemies over greater distances.
B) Bipedal hominins could outrun non-bipedal creatures over short distances.
C) Bipedal hominins had larger brains than quadrupeds and were able to hunt for food more successfully as a result.
D) Bipedal hominins exposed a larger portion of their bodies to the sun than quadrupeds and were able to stay warmer for longer periods of time as a result.

Question 7

Lucy, Selam, and Ardi are all examples of what?

A) the fossil remains of the earliest Homo sapiens
B) the fossil remains of humankind's direct ancestors
C) the fossil remains of the first known hominin community
D) the fossil remains of early hominin species known as australopithecines

Question 8

The paleolithic era refers to which of the following?

A) the era in which humans began to farm on a large scale
B) the era preceding the introduction of hominin species
C) the era in which hominins began to make and use stone tools
D) the era in which humans began to use written language to communicate with one another

Question 9

What is the significance of Homo habilis?

A) Homo habilis was the first hominin species to form complex societies including social hierarchies and division of labor.
B) Homo habilis is one of the earliest known hominin species to make and use tools fashioned from stone.
C) Homo habilis is the first hominin species to walk upright.
D) Homo habilis is the first known hominin species to use symbolic representations of thoughts and ideas.

Question 10

What does the migration of early hominins such as Homo ergaster and Homo erectus throughout Afroeurasia tell us about these species?

A) They were unable to form sustainable communities, and individuals traveled far afield to hunt alone for food.
B) A great ecological disaster forced these early hominins to find new homes.
C) They were able to adapt to a variety of environmental conditions and likely possessed greater intelligence than earlier hominins.
D) They were unable to cope with the threats of other species and left to seek out safer lands.

Question 11

Which of the following distinguished early hominin species such as Homo erectus from their predecessors?

A) Unlike its predecessors, Homo erectus could function on a much smaller supply of food.
B) Homo erectus had a body more capable of navigating dense forests and thick foliage.
C) Homo erectus mothers gave birth to fully mature offspring, which freed up more time for hunting and gathering.
D) Homo erectus had a significantly larger brain than its predecessors, which enabled it to form small communities and create rudimentary tools from stone.

Question 12

Which of the following best explains why hominins such as Homo erectus and Homo ergaster likely worked together in groups?

A) They were less capable than earlier hominins of hunting and gathering food, and as a result formed groups to enhance their food collecting abilities.
B) They likely gave birth to immature offspring, which required some type of division of labor to allow for mothers to care for their young.
C) They likely experienced emotions and familial bonds similar to those of modern-day humans and formed societies based on these attachments.
D) They likely modeled their behavior on that of their non-bipedal counterparts, who routinely formed complex groups to ensure their survival.

Question 13

What are some possible conclusions we can draw from the discovery of Turkana Boy?

A) Early hominins were quite helpless and were easy prey for larger animals.
B) Early hominins had brains similar in size to our own but did not possess the physical structures to produce language.
C) Though capable hunters and biologically well-adapted to their environments, early hominins possessed limited intelligence and were likely to die young.
D) Early hominins died out because they were unable to work together and frequently murdered members of their own kind.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a likely explanation for why early hominins migrated across vast distances throughout Afroeurasia?

A) The relatively larger sizes of early hominin brains required large quantities of food, which caused groups to roam farther and farther afield in search of sufficient food supplies.
B) The emergence of the more intelligent Homo sapiens drove earlier hominins from their native lands.
C) Climatic shifts created conditions in which early hominins could travel more easily.
D) The discovery of fire by early hominins enabled them to adapt to a wide range of environments.

Question 15

Which of the following species is most similar to Homo sapiens?

A) Neanderthals
B) Homo erectus
C) Homo ergaster
D) australopithecines

Question 16

Contrary to popular belief, Neanderthals

A) are the direct ancestors of humankind.
B) produced language as well as complex works of art and religious rituals.
C) were highly intelligent, were capable of adapting to a host of environments, buried their dead, and cared for the sick.
D) possessed brains far smaller than those of Homo sapiens.

Question 17

The discovery of the Floresians has caused scientists to rethink what traditionally-held belief about early hominins?

A)Hominins with larger brains and presumably more intelligence than Homo sapiens dwelled on the globe until 20,000 B.C.E.
B) Hominins originated in many parts of the globe independently of one another.
C) All hominins descended from a single ancestor.
D) Brain size and intelligence are directly correlated in early hominin species.

Question 18

Which of the following techniques enabled scientists to discover the Denisovan species of hominin?

A) genetic analysis
B) skeletal reconstruction
C) carbon dating
D) analysis of artifacts found at the Denisova Cave

Question 19

Which of the following is a true statement about early Homo sapiens?

A) Homo sapiens likely originated in the Americas.
B) Homo sapiens only began to migrate throughout the world approximately 10,000 years ago.
C) Homo sapiens are the only hominin species to colonize the Americas and Australia.
D) Homo sapiens only migrated to regions already inhabited by other hominin species, such as Neanderthals.

Question 20

Genetic analysis tells us what about the development of Homo sapiens?

A) Modern-day humans can trace their origins to several distinct regions on the globe.
B) All humans living today can trace their ancestry to the continent of Africa.
C) Modern-day Africans often have non-African DNA, indicating that Homo sapiens developed elsewhere.
D) Homo sapiens are less genetically diverse today than they were thousands of years ago.

Question 21

Before humans developed language, they

A) roamed little and tended to remain in a fixed region with a temperate climate.
B) were unable to adapt to climatic extremes.
C) communicated exclusively through pictorial representations.
D) managed to colonize large parts of the African continent.

Question 22

Which of the following best describes the term collective learning?

A) the process by which humans amass and transmit knowledge from generation to generation, enabling rapid adaptation to a host of varying conditions
B) all the knowledge humans have amassed over the last two hundred thousand years
C) the process by which humans communicated with one another before the advent of language
D) the idea that humans learn more effectively in groups than in individual units

Question 23

How was the acquisition of language advantageous for early Homo sapiens?

A) Language allowed Homo sapiens to communicate with one another, where beforehand, they had no means of mutual communication.
B) Language allowed Homo sapiens to communicate with other early hominins.
C) Language ultimately allowed Homo sapiens to adapt to their environment far faster than biology and evolution would permit.
D) Language allowed all Homo sapiens, no matter where they lived, to communicate effectively with one another.

Question 24

The artifacts found at the Blombos Cave tell us what about the development of Homo sapiens?

A) Homo sapiens only developed language after they left Africa and began to people the world.
B) Homo sapiens used language to create intricate tools and objects of decoration while still living on the African continent.
C) Homo sapiens used cave paintings to communicate with one another before they acquired language.
D) Homo sapiens used a complex set of gestures before they acquired language, which enabled them to create sophisticated tools.

Question 25

The discovery of decorative objects such as painted seashells pierced to make beads is significant because it indicates that early Homo sapiens

A) had a complex economic structure.
B) lived in highly stratified societies.
C) crafted objects to communicate with one another before they acquired language.
D) were capable of highly symbolic thought, and likely conveyed the meaning of these decorative objects through language.

Question 26

Which of the following is a possible conclusion to be drawn from the discovery of obsidian glass in sites throughout Africa?

A) Obsidian can be found in abundance across the continent of Africa.
B) Early Homo sapiens exchanged goods and materials with one another across large distances.
C) Obsidian is a particularly durable material and found more readily than other artifacts left behind by early humans.
D) Obsidian was of little value, and early humans regularly discarded it.

Question 27

As early as 115,000 years ago, humans began to migrate from Africa to which of the following regions?

A) Australia
B) Europe
C) Inner Eurasia
D) Southwest Asia

Question 28

Which of the following best summarizes the challenges archaeologists face in reconstructing the early migration patterns of humans out of Africa?

A) Artifacts left by early humans are particularly difficult to date.
B) The geography of the globe was very different during the time of early human migration, and it is difficult for archaeologists to reconstruct the routes early humans took.
C) Archaeologists lack the evidence to trace with precision the routes and timing of migrations out of Africa.
D) Large-scale volcanic eruptions taking place approximately 20,000 years ago destroyed much of the evidence of human migration out of Africa.

Question 29

Which of the following enabled humans to migrate from Southeast Asia to Australia roughly 60,000 years ago?

A) Falling sea levels during an era of global cooling created land bridges between many of the islands of the South Pacific across which humans could trek, ultimately to Australia.
B) Humans developed sophisticated sea vessels capable of easily navigating from the Island Pacific to Australia.
C) Due to continental drift, the continents of Asia and Australia were far closer during early human migration than they are today.
D) Sophisticated political orders compelled early humans to seek out new territories for conquest and colonization.

Question 30

Sahul refers to which of the following?

A) the band of early humans that first colonized Australia
B) a bygone landmass composed of Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania
C) the geological epoch of global cooling that permitted humans to migrate throughout the Island Pacific
D) the branch of hominins that first left Australia

Question 31

Until approximately 200 years ago, Australians lived in virtual isolation from the rest of the world's population. Which of the following best explains this relative isolation?

A) Word spread among Indonesian mariners that Australia was a largely inhospitable landscape.
B) Australian populations were fierce warriors who successfully defended their lands from any and all invaders.
C) Rising sea levels during a period of global warming separated Australia from surrounding land masses.
D) During a period of global cooling, land bridges connecting Australia to the surrounding islands became submerged under impassible glaciers.

Question 32

Though closer to Africa, humans colonized Europe after they colonized more distant Australia. Which of the following is a likely explanation for this lag?

A) The glacial climate of Eurasia during the period of early human migration made these lands inhospitable.
B) Human bodies were biologically better adapted for warmer climates.
C) Humans did not yet have the technological skills to fashion warm clothing and more permanent shelter.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 33

In addition to a period of interglacial warming that occurred approximately 40,000-50,000 years ago, which of the following enabled humans to advance throughout Eurasia?

A) Humans crafted sea vessels capable of making the arduous journey from Southwest Asia to Europe.
B) Humans began to biologically adapt to colder climates in a relatively short amount of time.
C) Humans developed more refined tools and social structures capable of tackling colder climates.
D) Neanderthals died out, freeing up territory throughout Eurasia for humans.

Question 34

Conventional thought maintains that

A) humans entered the Americas via a bygone land bridge connecting Siberia to Alaska.
B) humans entered the Americas through several entry points over a large span of time.
C) earlier hominin species inhabited the Americas before humans arrived.
D) humans likely migrated to the Americas across land bridges from Southeast Asia.

Question 35

Which of the following discoveries has led some anthropologists to believe that humans may have entered the Americas from different points in Asia?

A) artifacts that closely resemble those found in the South Pacific
B) skeletal remains of early humans throughout North and South America
C) linguistic similarities between languages spoken by Native Americans and languages spoken by inhabitants of the Island Pacific
D) remnants of rafts found along the coast of California, resembling those found in Southeast Asia

Question 36

Which of the following describes the controversy over the discovery of Kennewick Man?

A) Kennewick Man challenged the conventionally held belief that humans entered the Americas during a single migration from Siberia to Alaska.
B) Tribal populations wished to ritually bury the remains as a potential ancestor.
C) A federal court ruled in favor of scientists who wanted to study the skeletal remains.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 37

Which of the following best explains the appeal of the coastal theory of human colonization of the Americas?

A) The discovery of boat and raft remnants dating back to approximately 15,000 years ago supports the theory.
B) Humans used sea vessels to colonize the Island Pacific and Australia and were likely to have exhibited similar migration patterns in the Americas.
C) American terrain was particularly difficult to traverse, making coastal migration far more attractive to early humans.
D) Artifacts found throughout the Americas suggest that humans colonized the region rapidly, a feat only possible with coastal migration.

Question 38

Which of the following best summarizes the reasons for human migration throughout much of the globe?

A) Periodic climate change and population growth caused humans to range farther and farther afield in search of adequate food supplies.
B) Unlike earlier hominins, the human brain was inherently curious about the world and compelled early Homo sapiens to explore widely.
C) Early humans had little social organization, and as a result, members of a group often drifted from the larger community in a haphazard and unpredictable fashion.
D) Early humans followed the example of other hominin species, such as the Neanderthals, in their migration patterns.

Question 39

Which of the following best describes the relationship between population growth and early human migration?

A) The two are completely unrelated.
B) Because of their rapid migration, humans almost experienced a period of potential extinction.
C) Population growth compelled humans to constantly seek out new sources of food and forced humans to adapt to a wide range of climates.
D) Migration dramatically slowed the growth of the human population, as different groups lost touch with one another.

Question 40

Which of the following is evidence that humans likely lived alongside other hominin species for a time?

A) Cave art depicting humans hunting alongside Neanderthals has been discovered.
B) Remnants of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA can be found in modern-day humans.
C) Archaeologists have uncovered sites in which human and Denisovan bodies are buried side by side.
D) Early human written records suggest the coexistence of Homo sapiens with other hominin species.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the extinction of Neanderthals?

A) Neanderthal men and women may have hunted together, suggesting a lack of division of labor and a less organized social structure.
B) Neanderthals may have exhibited particularly antisocial behavior, preventing the cooperation of larger groups to collect food and ensure the survival of the greater species.
C) Neanderthals likely interbred with humans on a regular basis and eventually became genetically integrated into the Homo sapiens species.
D) Neanderthals could not compete with the superior toolmaking abilities of Homo sapiens and were pushed onto the fringes of good hunting grounds.

Question 42

How have advancements in our understanding of human genetics and human evolution complicated the concept of race?

A) Analysis of DNA reveals that humans living in different parts of the globe descended from different hominin species.
B) Analysis of human DNA across the globe has revealed that there are dramatic differences in the DNA code of people living in different regions.
C) Genetic analysis has revealed that racial differences between people are biologically significant.
D) DNA analysis has revealed that people of different races are almost genetically identical and that racial differences are simply the result of relatively recent adaptations and random variation.

Question 43

The upper paleolithic era is known for being the era in which

A) humans left Africa and began to colonize the globe.
B) humans began to form more complex societies and engage in higher levels of symbolic communication.
C) humans obtained the power of language from other hominin species.
D) the world's human population experienced a sharp decline and humans almost became extinct.

Question 44

What might the discovery of jewelry worn by early humans suggest about our ancestors?

A) Early Homo sapiens learned the craft of jewelry making from other hominin species such as the Neanderthals.
B) Jewelry was easy to craft and required limited skill on the part of early humans.
C) Early humans drew sharp distinctions between the roles of men and women.
D) Early humans engaged in acts of self-expression and symbolic representation.

Question 45

The discovery of yellow amber in southern Europe originating hundreds of miles to the north tells us what about the upper paleolithic era?

A) Early humans engaged in networks of trade and exchange across significant distances.
B) Amber used to be in abundance in southern Europe, but due to ecological changes is no longer available in that region of the world.
C) Early human bands likely fought one another on a regular basis for valuable goods.
D) Humans developed sophisticated vessels to transport goods early on in their history.

Question 46

Which of the following contributed to the size of human bands during the upper paleolithic period?

A) the male-to-female ratio
B) the presence of other hominin species
C) the type of ecological system in which they dwelled
D) the abundance of tradable goods such as amber and seashells

Question 47

The presence of decorative objects at burial sites dating back as far as 25,000 years ago indicates that

A) early humans feared that removing objects from the dead might arouse the anger of ancestral spirits.
B) certain members of a group held higher status than others, which suggests an organized social structure.
C) such objects held little value for early humans.
D) early humans had complex systems of ownership and strict laws concerning theft.

Question 48

Which of the following best explains why women likely gathered food and remained close to the band's home base while men hunted farther afield before 10,000 B.C.E.?

A) Women were biologically smaller and less capable of hunting game big enough to feed the whole community.
B) Women were viewed as sacred and barred from engaging in acts of murder.
C) The loss of a woman of child-bearing age would negatively impact a community far more than the loss of a single man.
D) Early human societies were largely matriarchal, and women delegated harder tasks such as hunting to men.

Question 49

Which of the following is a consequence of the late ice age of approximately 30,000 years ago?

A) The world's human population dropped dramatically.
B) Several species of large animals went extinct.
C) Neanderthals gained dominance over humans, as their bodies were better equipped to manage colder temperatures.
D) Humans greatly increased their toolmaking abilities as they adapted to the dropping temperatures.

Question 50

The discovery of the site of a complex temple structure at Göbekli Tepe in modern-day Turkey has forced archaeologists to rethink what about early human civilization?

A) when humans first developed language
B) when humans developed highly organized religious beliefs
C) when humans first left the African continent
D) when humans began to engage in organized agriculture

Question 51

Describe some of the techniques scientists use to reconstruct the history of early humans and other early hominin species. How have these techniques changed over time? What are some of the limitations of these techniques?

Question 52

Discuss the controversy over Kennewick Man. What were the arguments of both sides of the debate? Explain some of the potential consequences of the controversy for scientists and cultural leaders alike.

Question 53

Explain the success of Homo sapiens over other early hominins. What characteristics of humans enabled them to thrive where other early hominins eventually went extinct?

Question 54

Discuss the role that language played in the early development of humans. Why did the acquisition of language prove to be such a crucial turning point in the development of humankind? What did language enable early humans to do that other hominins could not?

Question 55

Explain how advances in the field of genetics have greatly enhanced and complicated our understanding of the history of early humans. What has the field of genetics told us about our development that we were previously unable to discern? How has genetics challenged some of the conventional thinking about concepts of race?

Question 56

Discuss how ecological and climatological conditions affected the development of early humans. Describe how early humans adapted to a host of different environments and what humanity's ability to adapt signified for the species.

Question 57

Explain the proliferation of different cultures as humans migrated throughout the world. How did humans grow increasingly different from one another during this time period, and how did they simultaneously form new networks of contact and exchange?