Deck 10: The First Dispersal of the Genus Homo: Homo Erectus and Contemporaries

Question 1

Homo erectus appeared in East Africa between ___ million years ago.

A) 1.7 and 1.5
B) 2.5 and 2.3
C) 6.0 and 4.0
D) 3 and 1.0
E) 2.0 and 1.8

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Until recently, H. erectus sites outside of Africa all have shown dates later than the earliest finds of species in Africa. This has led paleoanthropologists to assume that

A) the hominins who migrated to Asia and Europe descended from earlier Asian ancestors
B) the sites outside of Africa are misdated
C) the earliest finds in Africa are misdated
D) the hominins who migrated to Asia and Europe descended from earlier African ancestors
E) there is another, heretofore unknown hominin, who is the missing link

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In general, the cranium of Homo erectus

A) has a high vertical forehead
B) is composed of delicate, thin bone
C) has no brow ridges
D) is virtually identical to that of modern humans
E) has a pentagonal shape when viewed from behind

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The Dmanisi site is notable for which of the following

A) Being in North Africa
B) Producing crania remains that are uncharacteristic of H. erectus
C) The crania have relatively large cranial capacities
D) One complete cranium is of an older adult with jawbones that show advance bone loss
E) Crania are not associated with stone tools

Question 5

While many theorists stayed home and debated the merits of natural selection and the likely course of human evolution, this young Dutch anatomist enlisted in the Dutch East Indian Army, having decided to go find evidence of it.

A) Eugene Dubois
B) Franz Weidenreich
C) Louis Leakey
D) Raymond Dart
E) Richard Leakey

Question 6

The cranial remains from Dmanisi are characteristic of all of the following except

A) are easily distinguishable from modern Homo sapiens
B) bear some similarities to early Homo specimens from East Africa
C) bear similarities to australopithecus specimens
D) have very small cranial capacities
E) are different from other hominins outside Africa

Question 7

Homo erectus discoveries from East Africa of firmly dated fossils have established the clear presence by

A) 2.8 mya
B) 1.7 mya
C) 800,000 ya
D) 3.2 mya
E) There are no H. erectus discoveries from East Africa

Question 8

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Several definite Homo erectus fossils have been discovered in France.
B) Earlier Homo erectus populations had a smaller cranial capacity than later populations.
C) Thick cranial and postcranial bones characterize most Homo erectus specimens.
D) Homo erectus appears to have been less encephalized than Homo sapiens.
E) Homo erectus was most likely the first hominid to live outside of Africa.

Question 9

Two forms of evidence help to confirm the hypothesis that H. erectus evolved in Africa. First, all of the earlier hominins come from Africa. Second,

A) well-preserved postcranial elements are scarce at some H. erectus sites.
B) the adult height of the Nariokotome youth would have been about 6 feet.
C) by 1.7 mya there are well-dated fossils of H. erectus at East Turkana, in Kenya, and not long after at other sites in East Africa.
D) postcranial bones look very similar to modern humans.
E) growth pattern of Nariokotome would have been similar to that of modern humans.

Question 10

Thus far, what do the postcranial remains of the Dmanisi hominins indicate?

A) They are indistinguishable from Homo sapiens.
B) They are significantly more robust than other Homo erectus.
C) They are much more similar to modern humans than to Homo erectus.
D) The first hominins to leave Africa were possibly a very early form of H. erectus.
E) They are not bipeds.

Question 11

What is the average cranial capacity of H. erectus?

A) the same as for early Homo
B) approximately 900 cubic centimeters
C) the same as that for modern humans
D) the same as for Australopithecus
E) approximately 700 cubic centimeters

Question 12

Homo erectus differs most distinctly from both early Homo and Homo sapiens in

A) the postcranial skeleton
B) the way they walked
C) height
D) cranial size
E) weight

Question 13

What is the range for estimated cranial capacities for Homo erectus?

A) 400 to 800 cubic centimeters
B) 700 to 1,250 cubic centimeters
C) 1,000 to 2,000 cubic centimeters
D) 1,250 to 1,600 cubic centimeters
E) 300 to 750 cubic centimeters

Question 14

By far the largest collection of Homo erectus remains have been found at

A) Sangiran
B) Zhoukoudian
C) Olduvai
D) Trinil
E) Lantian

Question 15

Thus far, there is agreement that all hominins found outside Africa are members of which genus?

A) Australopithecus
B) Ardipithecus
C) Paranthropus
D) Homo
E) H. erectus

Question 16

The first Chinese H. erectus discoveries were the result of the focus on locating

A) skullcaps and femurs the same size as remains from Trinil
B) individuals contemporaneous with H. sapiens
C) "Dragon bones" used as medicine and aphrodisiacs
D) fossils unhampered by the complex nature of Javanese geology
E) fossils belonging to the late Pleistocene

Question 17

There is a very late surviving H. erectus group in Java that apparently managed to survive there until less than________years ago.

A) 300,000
B) 100,000
C) 1.5 mya
D) 2.0 mya
E) 50,000

Question 18

When compared to large-bodied earlier Homo specimens, Homo erectus relative brain size is

A) about the same
B) much smaller
C) about twice as large
D) about 25 percent as large
E) is unimportant in discussions of hominin development

Question 19

Homo erectus represents a different kind of hominin than the more ancient African predecessors. One of the reasons is

A) H. erectus is a step towards being more ape-like
B) An increased body size and robustness
C) Less encephalization
D) Less variation among different regional populations
E) Less like modern humans

Question 20

Hominin sites in the European regions of Spain and Italy evidence fossil material that is contemporaneous with Homo erectus. They include all of the following except

A) Sima del Elefante
B) Ceprano
C) Hexian County
D) Gran Dolina
E) Atapuerca caves

Question 21

Evidence for animal butchering is

A) lacking in Homo erectus sites
B) found only in African Homo erectus sites
C) found only in Asian Homo erectus sites
D) widespread in Homo erectus sites
E) found only at Dmanisi

Question 22

All archaeologists agree that Homo erectus appears to have been an efficient big game hunter who rarely gathered wild plant foods.

Question 23

The Homo erectus fossils from the Lantian sites in China are dated to______ years old.

A) 300,000
B) 1.52 million
C) 500,000
D) 1.15 million
E) 800,000 to 450,000

Question 24

All analyses have shown that Homo erectus hominins represent a different hominin than their more ancient African predecessors.

Question 25

At Zhoukoudian, there is now thought to be evidence that Homo erectus

A) killed deer and horses
B) knew how to hunt
C) used fire inside the cave
D) lived in the cave
E) were victims of hungry giant hyenas

Question 26

The most complete Homo erectus skeleton found to date is the Nariokotome specimen, which includes

A) facial bones and pelvis
B) facial bones, pelvis and most of the limb bones
C) facial bones, pelvis, most of the limb bones and ribs
D) facial bones, pelvis, most of the limb bones, ribs and vertebrae
E) complete skull, pelvis, most of the limb bones, ribs and vertebrae

Question 27

The term Homo ergaster

A) was suggested to be used to refer to African Homo erectus specimens
B) was suggested to be used to refer to Asian Homo erectus specimens
C) is fully accepted by all paleoanthropologists
D) was initially proposed by Eugene Dubois
E) refers to later H. erectus specimens

Question 28

The mean cranial capacity for Homo erectus is 900 cm3

Question 29

Evidence from Zhoukoudian suggests that Homo erectus

A) lived there continuously for over 250,00 years
B) were settled agriculturalists
C) was a scavenger
D) built wooden structures
E) kept domesticated animals

Question 30

New evidence from Zhoukoudian cave has substantiated the long held notion that Homo erectus used controlled fire.

Question 31

Which of the following sites is in China?

A) Yunxian
B) Atapuerca
C) Nariokotome
D) Gran Dolina
E) Olduvai Gorge

Question 32

Kamaya Kimeu discovered the most complete Homo erectus at Zhoukoudian.

Question 33

Given the newest dates for the Ngandong Homo erectus material on Java, it is possible that Homo erectus could have existed contemporaneously with Homo sapiens.

Question 34

The Homo erectus site in Europe that has given paleoanthropologists a unique look at the first possible Homo erectus travelers from East Africa to Southeast Asia is

A) Zhoukoudian
B) Lantian
C) Ceprano
D) Nariokotome
E) Dmanisi

Question 35

The Homo erectus remains from Africa are dated to _____ years ago.

A) 2.5 to 3.5 million
B) 500,000 to 200,000
C) 800,000
D) 5.5 million
E) 1.7-1 million

Question 36

An analysis of the WT 15000 specimen suggests it would only have been about 4 feet tall at maturity.

Question 37

The Acheulian biface or "hand axe" is a basic tool of the Acheulian tradition.

Question 38

Bifacially flaked tools characterize the _______ stone tool industry.

A) Oldowan
B) Acheulian
C) Shewlian
D) Osteodontokeratic
E) Northern Asian

Question 39

The Nariokotome Homo erectus specimen

A) was discovered at Olduvai Gorge
B) is estimated to have been about 65 years old at death
C) is a young female
D) would have reached an adult height of around 6 feet
E) was destroyed in dating analysis

Question 40

A nuchal torus refers to the projection of bone on the top of the cranium which is very common among Homo erectus.

Question 41

Increased meat consumption is suggested to have led to increased brain and body size in H. erectus and ultimately, geographic expansion. What implication, if any, does this suggest in modern humans?

Question 42

Describe the attributes and important uses of the biface as part of the Acheulian tool kit.

Question 43

The Dmanisi cranial remains show that the very early European specimens had large brains.

Question 44

Although Zhoukoudian is the most famous Homo erectus site in China, there are other sites. Name two of these sites, give their dates and significance to paleoanthropological research.

Question 45

Account for the evidence that suggests the Zhoukoudian was not a hominid habitation site?

Question 46

List the differences between the cranium and brain size of Homo erectus and modern Homo sapiens.

Question 47

H. erectus was the first species with a cranial capacity approaching H. sapiens.

Question 48

It now appears likely that cultural traditions relating to stone tool technology were largely equivalent over the full geographical range of H. erectus and its contemporaries.

Question 49

Why do some researchers consider the Gran Dolina hominids to be a different species from Homo erectus?

Question 50

In a sentence or two explain why the answer to the question, "Where did H. erectus first appear?" is not simple.

Question 51

What have scientists been able to ascertain about the Homo erectus lifestyle at Zhoukoudian? Include any disagreements within the scientific community. What is the nature of the evidence?

Question 52

List the characteristics of Homo erectus discoveries in Java and China.

Question 53

Discuss the differences between Homo erectus remains from East Africa and the Javanese and Chinese fossils.

Question 54

There is some variation among the different geographical groups of the highly successful hominins, but anthropologists debate on how to classify them. Why? What are some of the causes of debate?

Question 55

Discuss the fossil finds at Dmanisi in terms of their morphology and in terms of the information they provide about the dispersal of hominids out of Africa.