Deck 12: The Origins,evolution,and Dispersal of Modern People

Question 1

The Neandertals are last recorded in the fossil record about:

A)250,000 yBP.
B)100,000 yBP.
C)75,000 yBP.
D)30,000 yBP.

Answer 1

30,000 yBP.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Neandertals buried their dead.
B)Neandertals were hunters and gatherers.
C)Neandertals were cold-adapted people.
D)Neandertal brains were notably smaller than those of modern humans.

Answer 2

Neandertal brains were notably smaller than those of modern humans.

Question 3

Broken Hill,Dali,and Atapuerca are Old World sites that contain the remains of:

A)Homo erectus.
B)modern Homo sapiens.
C)archaic Homo sapiens.
D)Neandertals.

Answer 3

archaic Homo sapiens.

Question 4

In the early twentieth century,Marcellin Boule's reconstruction of the La Chapelle-aux-Saints Neandertal skeleton led many scientists to believe that these hominids were almost indistinguishable from modern people.

Question 5

In terms of mtDNA,Neandertals differ more from modern humans than any one modern group differs from any other.

Question 6

Anatomically modern humans are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT:

A)a lightly built (gracile)postcranial skeleton.
B)tiny or nonexistent browridges.
C)average cranial capacity of 750 cc.
D)a "globular" brain case.

Question 7

Fossil remains of archaic Homo sapiens:

A)occur only in Europe and Asia.
B)show a mixture of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens traits.
C)are dated to the late Pliocene.
D)are often found with Oldowan stone tools.

Question 8

Only a single archaic cranium,the Narmada skull,has been recovered from the entire Indian subcontinent.

Question 9

Which of the following statements concerning Homo sapiens is FALSE?

A)The oldest Homo sapiens fossils are close to 200,000 years old.
B)The earliest Homo sapiens fossils are associated with cave art and other symbolic archeological remains.
C)Molecular studies demonstrate that Homo sapiens are all fairly similar genetically.
D)This is the only hominid species with a well-defined chin.

Question 10

Some archaic Homo sapiens specimens resemble Homo erectus in having:

A)employed finely made blade technology.
B)a well-defined chin.
C)cranial capacity in excess of 1,400 cc.
D)a long,low cranial shape.

Question 11

Stress markers in the teeth that reflect growth disruption due to poor diets or to poor health are called dental hypoplasias.

Question 12

Archaic Homo sapiens are the first hominids to have expanded beyond Africa into other parts of the Old World.

Question 13

Analyses of modern human genetic variation suggest that Homo sapiens evolved approximately:

A)50,000 yBP.
B)200,000 yBP.
C)750,000 yBP.
D)1,000,000 yBP.

Question 14

Neandertal sites in what is now Israel (e.g.,Kebara and Amud)clearly predate sites in the same region containing modern-looking hominids (e.g.,Skhul and Qafzeh).

Question 15

Archaic Homo sapiens display several primitive features found in geologically older hominids (e.g.,Homo erectus).

Question 16

The first non-modern human fossil to be discovered and recognized as such was the:

A)Taung Baby from South Africa.
B)Homo erectus skull from Java.
C)Neandertal skull from Germany.
D)Cro-Magnon skull from France.

Question 17

Anthropologist Chris Ruff's research has shown that adaptation to heat and to cold is strongly related to overall height,not to body width.

Question 18

Some Neandertal skulls have cranial capacities that are larger than those of the average modern human.

Question 19

The majority of Neandertal fossils have been found in:

A)India.
B)Europe.
C)northern Africa.
D)Southeast Asia.

Question 20

The Neandertal record begins in Eastern Europe-at the site in Krapina,Croatia-about 130,000 yBP.

Question 21

The archeological period in Europe starting about 35,000 yBP,marked by a great increase in technology and various kinds of art,is called the:

A)later Stone Age.
B)Upper Paleolithic period.
C)Neolithic period.
D)Eurocentric period.

Question 22

The earliest well-dated remains of a modern-looking human in east Asia comes in the form of a 41,000-year-old partial skeleton from:

A)Tianyuan Cave,China.
B)Zhoukoudian,China.
C)Ngandong,Java.
D)Liang Bua,Flores.

Question 23

Heavy wear on Neandertals' incisor teeth has led some scientists to conclude that Neandertals used their front teeth:

A)as a kind of third hand for gripping materials.
B)for hunting and killing small animals.
C)for shaping the cutting edges of stone blades.
D)for gouging trees to extract sap.

Question 24

All of the following sites contain hominid fossils displaying stone tool cut marks EXCEPT:

A)Gran Dolina,Spain.
B)Krapina,Croatia.
C)Herto,Ethiopia.
D)Klasies River Mouth,South Africa.

Question 25

The best fossil evidence to suggest that Neandertals could produce a language like that of modern humans comes from which bone(s)collected at Kebara,Israel?

A)the cervical (neck)vertebrae
B)the mandible
C)the ribs
D)the hyoid

Question 26

The hominid skeleton (LB1)recovered from the Indonesian island of Flores:

A)has a very small brain,less than 400 cc.
B)lived there about 18,000 yBP.
C)stood about three feet tall in life.
D)all of the above

Question 27

This type of stone tool traditionally marks the transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic.

A)cleaver
B)chopper
C)flake
D)blade

Question 28

The significance of the child's skeleton from Lagar Velho,Portugal,is that it:

A)is over 100,000 years old.
B)shows Neandertal and modern human features.
C)clearly represents an intentional burial.
D)is associated with a variety of animal bones.

Question 29

According to the out-of-Africa model,the transition from archaic to modern Homo sapiens:

A)occurred in several areas simultaneously.
B)occurred only once,in Africa.
C)began in Asia.
D)took place about 500,000 years ago.

Question 30

Which model of modern human origins would predict the likely discovery of modern/archaic hybrid fossils?

A)out-of-Africa
B)multiregional continuity
C)assimilation
D)None of these models would predict such a discovery.

Question 31

Anatomically,modern humans were found in all of the following sites EXCEPT:

A)Shanidar,Iraq.
B)Cro-Magnon,France.
C)Qafzeh,Israel.
D)Omo,Ethiopia.

Question 32

Which modern human population exhibits the greatest genetic diversity today?

A)Native Americans
B)sub-Saharan Africans
C)Aboriginal Australians
D)East Asians

Question 33

The middle Pleistocene archaic Homo sapiens is credited with inventing:

A)prepared core "points" that may have been hafted to spear shafts.
B)the Acheulean tradition.
C)cave art.
D)the alphabet.

Question 34

Human beings first arrived in the Americas approximately:

A)50,000 yBP.
B)25,000 yBP.
C)15,000 yBP.
D)5,000 yBP.

Question 35

Middle Paleolithic prepared-core stone tools,usually associated with Neandertals,are called the:

A)Mousterian.
B)Gravettian.
C)Solutrean.
D)Acheulean.

Question 36

Damage to Neandertal skeletons often occurs in bones from the upper body,mimicking injuries often seen in modern day:

A)rodeo riders.
B)construction workers.
C)body builders.
D)university professors.

Question 37

Burial of the dead with elaborate grave goods is attributed to:

A)Homo neanderthalensis.
B)Homo sapiens.
C)Homo erectus.
D)both A and B

Question 38

The first European Upper Paleolithic site where anatomically modern human fossils were discovered was:

A)Atapuerca,Spain.
B)Mauer,Germany.
C)Petralona,Greece.
D)Cro-Magnon,France.

Question 39

Partial skulls of two adults and of one child,dating to around 160,000 yBP and exhibiting mostly modern human features,come from:

A)Olduvai Gorge,Tanzania.
B)Herto,Ethiopia.
C)Border Cave,South Africa.
D)Skhul,Israel.

Question 40

All of the following traits suggest cold adaptation for Neandertals EXCEPT:

A)a narrow nasal aperture.
B)short limbs.
C)a wide torso.
D)a projecting mid-face.

Question 41

While on an archaeological dig in Europe,you find a stone tool that is rounded on one side and flakes have been removed from the other side,giving it the appearance of a tortoise shell.This is likely to be:

A)a prepared core typically of prehistoric modern humans that inhabited this region.
B)an example of the Levallois technique of Homo erectus.
C)a completed tool that is similar to those you have seen from the Solutrean toolkit.
D)none of the above

Question 42

The Australian site where surprisingly robust 9,000-13,000-year-old human skulls were found is:

A)Kow Swamp.
B)Lake Mungo.
C)Melbourne.
D)Tasmania.

Question 43

Shovel-shaped incisors are one of the most distinctive features of people from:

A)East Asia and the Americas.
B)South Africa.
C)Australia.
D)India.

Question 44

Using evidence from well-known sites such as Shanidar,Iraq,and Krapina,Croatia,describe the life of a Neandertal group living in Europe during the last "Ice Age."

Question 45

The great genetic diversity documented in individuals from sub-Saharan Africa is thought to have resulted from:

A)the accumulation of genetic mutations over the last 10 years.
B)small breeding population maintaining genetic diversity.
C)the accumulations of genetic mutations over time.
D)random chance.

Question 46

The two traditional models of modern human origins are out-of-Africa and multiregional continuity.Briefly describe the main tenets of these,and then discuss how the more recent assimilation model differs from each.

Question 47

To test hypotheses regarding modern human origins,it is important to clearly define what we mean by "modern human." What anatomical features are typically used to contrast modern humans' physical appearance with that of similar hominids?

Question 48

What "symbolic" behavior is evident in the archeological record and associated with anatomically modern humans in Europe beginning around 35,000 yBP (Upper Paleolithic)?

Question 49

Allen's and Bergmann's rules predict anatomical adaptations to environments in mammals.These results are evident in:

A)the limb and trunk proportions of Neandertals.
B)the limb and trunk proportions of modern human populations.
C)the limb and trunk proportions of most mammals.
D)all of the above

Question 50

The distinctive fluted spear points used by early Native Americans (Paleoindians)to hunt large-bodied Ice Age mammals are:

A)Mousterian points.
B)Solutrean blades.
C)Levallois flakes.
D)Folsom points.

Question 51

According to John Relethford,the most likely reason for modern-looking people to have migrated out of Africa during the late Pleistocene was:

A)disease.
B)loss of food supply.
C)climate change.
D)rapid population growth.

Question 52

The Paleoindian skull from Kennewick,in Washington State:

A)was recovered from an elaborate burial.
B)represents an early Eskimo population.
C)looks quite different from modern Native Americans' skulls.
D)is about 3,000 years old.

Question 53

After conducting genetic analysis of a newly found fossil of an early modern Homo sapiens,you find that several nucleotide sequences are the same as those documented in Neandertals.You know that this:

A)suggests that the only possible explanation for the origins of modern humans is the out-of-Africa theory.
B)can be used as evidence to support both the out-of-Africa model and assimilation models for modern human origins.
C)is evidence that supports assimilation and multiregional evolution models for modern human evolution.
D)provides evidence that none of the working models of modern human origins are appropriate based on the gene flow documented in these results.

Question 54

Homo erectus and Homo sapiens are two widely recognized hominid species.In contrast,the hominids that are younger than most H.erectus fossils but older than the majority of H.sapiens fossils have been loosely categorized as "archaic" Homo sapiens.Why have these fossils not been given a distinct species name,and why do they remain so difficult to classify formally?

Question 55

A hominid fossil with a long,low skull,projecting face and occipital bone,and large nasal aperture is likely:

A)to be classified as having modern characteristics.
B)to be classified as having vestigial characteristics.
C)to be classified as having archaic characteristics.
D)to be classified as having apelike characteristics.