Deck 5: The Neolithic Revolution the Domestication of Plants and Animals

Question 1

The Mesolithic was known in the Americas as the:​

A)​Middle Stone Age
B)​Neolithic
C)​Paleolithic
D)​Archaic

Answer 1

​Archaic

Question 2

Marshall Sahlins refers to which societies as the original "affluent society"?​

A)​hunting and gathering
B)​horticultural
C)​agricultural
D)​pastoral

Answer 2

​hunting and gathering

Question 3

One of the ways people managed food scarcity during the Paleolithic was by:​

A)​decreasing the variety of food eaten
B)​incorporating less favored food into their diet
C)​devoting themselves to other tasks until food became available
D)​increasing the amount of water they drank

Answer 3

​incorporating less favored food into their diet

Question 4

In what area of the world was the Mesolithic transition less dramatic of a change from the earlier time period?​

A)​Southeast Asia
B)​Northern Africa
C)​Europe
D)​Southwest Asia

Question 5

What did the Natufians do to adapt their subsistence to changing climatic conditions?​

A)​They stayed in place and stored wild grass seeds in plaster-lined pits.
B)​They followed herds of wild cattle, rarely staying in one place for long.
C)​They used plaster to create traps for wild animals and practiced agriculture.
D)​They burned areas to attract wild animals and stored seeds of perennials.

Question 6

The microlith became common throughout the "Old World" during the:​

A)​Paleolithic
B)​Mesolithic
C)​Neolithic
D)​Eolithic

Question 7

What crop tool did the Natufians use prior to the beginnings of domestication?​

A)​plow
B)​sickle
C)​reaper
D)​machete

Question 8

All of the following are associated with plant domestication except:​

A)​loss of delayed seed germination
B)​reduction in distasteful chemical compounds
C)​reduction and loss of protective husks
D)​a more fragile stem and seeds that shatter easily from the stalk

Question 9

Some 35,000 years ago, our ancestors learned that heating clay to high temperatures allowed it to harden substantially. Many years later, using this earlier knowledge, our ancestors invented pottery. Pottery is classified as a:​

A)​primary invention
B)​secondary innovation
C)​primary application
D)​tertiary modification

Question 10

All of the following cultural adaptations are associated with the Paleolithic period except:​

A)​importance of big-game hunting
B)​development of artisan specialties
C)​focus on the collection of wild food sources
D)​mobile lifestyle based on natural food locations

Question 11

The microlith was:​

A)​a pebble tool
B)​a drill
C)​a hammer
D)​a blade

Question 12

Which of the following died out at the time of the Neolithic transition?​

A)​mammoths
B)​musk oxen
C)​reindeer
D)​yaks

Question 13

What is the clearest indicator of difference between a wild and domesticated plant?​

A)​stalk length
B)​lack of husk
C)​shape of edible parts
D)​size of edible parts

Question 14

When did the Neolithic transition begin?​

A)​around 20,000 years ago
B)​around 15,000 years ago
C)​around 15,00 years ago
D)​around 10,000 years ago

Question 15

Who were the Natufians?​

A)​a Neolithic culture in Southeast Asia
B)​a Paleolithic culture in Europe
C)​a Neolithic transition culture in Southwest Asia
D)​a Mesolithic transition culture in Southwest Asia

Question 16

The oasis theory argues that:​

A)​people congregated in fertile and well-watered areas where agriculture had already begun
B)​increased rainfall contributed to the need to begin planting crops and herding in areas that were arid
C)​drought created a need for people to congregate in limited areas and begin collecting grass seed
D)​herding and cultivation began in areas where irrigation could be established

Question 17

The invention of food production occurred in both Mesoamerica and Southwest Asia through:​

A)​independent invention
B)​diffusion
C)​shared invention
D)​imposition

Question 18

What was most significant about the oasis theory?​

A)​It was a scientifically testable explanation for the origins of food production.
B)​It was the first theory that explained the origins of agriculture and herding.
C)​It is the only accurate hypothesis about the origins of food production.
D)​It is the most easily understood hypothesis on the origins of food production.

Question 19

Where is the Fertile Crescent located?​

A)​Central America
B)​Northern Africa
C)​Southeast Europe
D)​Southwest Asia

Question 20

Archaeologists have documented a sharp rise in the number of young male goats killed at a 10,000-year-old site in the Zagros Mountains, Iran. They believe this indicates domestication, as young males:​

A)​were slaughtered and females kept for breeding purposes
B)​were selectively chosen for breeding at a higher rate than females
C)​would not stay in corrals and enclosures as well as females
D)​would interfere in the breeding process of young females

Question 21

Which of the following was one of the earliest domesticates in the Americas?​

A)​wheat
B)​rice
C)​squash
D)​corn

Question 22

All of the following are associated with vegeculture except:​

A)​it involves the cultivation of various cultigens together
B)​it tends to be more stable than seed crop cultivation
C)​it involves planting cuttings rather than seeds
D)​it results in a dramatically altered field, unlike natural vegetation

Question 23

Which of the following is not an accurate statement?​

A)​Food production is not necessarily a more secure means of subsistence than food foraging.
B)​Before food production, some foragers actively managed the resources on which they depended.
C)​The switch from food foraging to food production allowed people to work less in subsistence pursuits.
D)​The switch to food production was not the result of the discovery that seeds grow into plants.

Question 24

Root crop farming is also known as:​

A)​taroculture
B)​vegeculture
C)​horticulture
D)​agriculture

Question 25

Which of the following is not an animal that was first domesticated in the area of modern-day Mexico?​

A)​duck
B)​turkey
C)​dog
D)​bee

Question 26

Fire as a mutagenic agent does all of the following except:​

A)​It changes the genetic structure of a population quickly.
B)​It removes specific individuals from a breeding population.
C)​It augments mutation rates within a species.
D)​It drives away all animals for long periods of time.

Question 27

Pointing has a particular significance to humans and dogs because it expresses:​

A)​joint attention, the ability to share awareness on a visual target
B)​attentive order, the ability to force attention away from one's person
C)​coevolution, as it is something that happens to all human pets
D)​cohabitation, as both humans and dogs seek out pointing as a way of disciplining

Question 28

The domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, is a subspecies of the:​

A)​wolf
B)​coyote
C)​hyena
D)​black bear

Question 29

Wild plant domestication:​

A)​took place independently across the globe
B)​diffused from Mesopotamia to the rest of the world
C)​only took place in Europe
D)​did not happen

Question 30

What two significant crops grown in the world today were first domesticated by American Indians?​

A)​potatoes and maize
B)​wheat and rice
C)​corn and wheat
D)​oats and barley

Question 31

Which of the following is an effective mutagenic agent that could have affected the course toward plant domestication among the Natufians?​

A)​wind
B)​snow
C)​water
D)​fire

Question 32

Which of the following is not a root crop?​

A)​yams
B)​taro
C)​potato
D)​corn

Question 33

The human management of flocks shielded sheep from the effects of:​

A)​natural selection
B)​disease and malnutrition
C)​changing climate
D)​predation by wild animals

Question 34

America's indigenous peoples were the first cultivators of what percentage of the crops grown in the world today?​

A)​10
B)​30
C)​60
D)​80

Question 35

Beginning about 11,000 years ago, the percentage of immature sheep eaten in southwestern Asian highlands increased to approximately what percent?​

A)​75 percent
B)​50 percent
C)​65 percent
D)​90 percent

Question 36

The domestication of sheep resulted in evolutionary changes that created more:​

A)​lean and nutritious meat
B)​reproductive potential within the herd
C)​wool for functional use
D)​tolerance of living near people

Question 37

Which anthropologist suggested the core-fringe-legume pattern?​

A)​Sidney Mintz
B)​V.Gordon Childe
C)​Carl Sauer
D)​Robert Carneiro

Question 38

Which of the following became an ideal type of plant for domestication?​

A)​colonizer plants that grow in disturbed areas
B)​settler plants that grow in well-maintained gardens
C)​sedentary plants that only grow in a specific environment
D)​nomadic plants that only grow under specific climatic conditions

Question 39

Researcher Brian Hare found that dogs and humans both have the unique ability to understand:​

A)​body language
B)​pointing
C)​angry facial gestures
D)​whistling

Question 40

Which of the following is believed to be the earliest plant domesticate in Southeast Asia?​

A)​tea
B)​rice
C)​sugar cane
D)​oats

Question 41

Dwellings during the Neolithic period commonly involved all of the following materials except:​

A)​bricks
B)​wood
C)​stone
D)​iron

Question 42

Which of the following best describes typical Neolithic social structure?​

A)​stratified society, strict division of labor, rise of specialized social roles
B)​relatively egalitarian society, strict division of labor, some specialized social roles
C)​stratified society, minimal division of labor, limited specialized social roles
D)​relatively egalitarian society, minimal division of labor, limited specialized social roles

Question 43

In the early farming community of Jericho, crops could be grown almost continuously because:​

A)​there was a large population to perform the labor
B)​there was a spring and fertile soils from a dried-up glacial lake
C)​there was irrigation available and the river allowed for trade
D)​there was a glacial deposit and a stone quarry for making walls

Question 44

Eighty percent of the world's annual tonnage of all crops today is made up of approximately how many varieties of plant species?​

A)​4
B)​18
C)​12
D)​22

Question 45

Jericho was surrounded by:​

A)​a large moat
B)​massive walls
C)​mountain watchtowers
D)​a natural river

Question 46

Neolithic peoples were the first in human history to wear clothing made of:​

A)​animal skins
B)​woven textiles
C)​vegetable products, such as hemp and linen
D)​polyester fiber

Question 47

Compared to Paleolithic and Mesolithic peoples, those in the Neolithic:​

A)​had more evidence of osteoarthritis
B)​had more robust bones
C)​generally show less wear on the teeth
D)​show more evidence of mechanical stress on the body

Question 48

Domestication:​

A)​decreases productivity and increases instability
B)​increases productivity and increases stability
C)​increases productivity and increases instability
D)​decreases productivity and increases stability

Question 49

The world's oldest shoe was found in a cave complex in southern Armenia dating back 6,100 years ago. What else was found in the same cave complex?​

A)​rice
B)​saddles
C)​leather bags
D)​wine

Question 50

Among which cultural group practicing traditional forms of subsistence would you expect the longest period of breast-feeding?​

A)​Amish agriculturalists
B)​Ju/'hoansi hunters and gatherers
C)​Persian pastoralists
D)​London industrialists

Question 51

When did Neolithic agricultural villages become common in the Americas?​

A)​circa 7,000 years ago
B)​circa 4,500 years ago
C)​circa 2,000 years ago
D)​circa 8,500 years ago

Question 52

Which language group first originated in sub-Saharan Africa and then diffused?​

A)​Swahili
B)​Bantu
C)​Arabic
D)​Slavic

Question 53

Which of the following statements about social structure during the Neolithic is not correct?​

A)​Villages consisted of several households.
B)​Villages were primarily egalitarian.
C)​Kinship groups met social needs beyond the level of the household.
D)​There was a rather well-developed division of labor.

Question 54

The spread of ideas, customs, or practices from one culture to another is called:​

A)​invention
B)​diffusion
C)​primary innovation
D)​secondary innovation

Question 55

In an egalitarian society:​

A)​there are no social differences between people
B)​everyone has the same relative access to resources
C)​there is similar rank among all individuals
D)​power is not held by one specific kinship group

Question 56

The average birth spacing interval for hunters and gatherers is:​

A)​4 to 5 years
B)​3 to 4 years
C)​2 to 3 years
D)​1 to 2 years

Question 57

Which of the following statements is true?​

A)​Food foraging populations tend to have higher rates of fertility compared to farming populations.
B)​Farming populations tend to have higher rates of fertility compared to food foragers.
C)​Food foragers and farming populations have a very similar fertility rate.
D)​Fertility rates for food foragers and farming populations is not currently known.

Question 58

The portal doorway of the archaeological site of Stonehenge is aligned to coincide precisely with:​

A)​sunset at winter solstice
B)​sunrise at winter solstice
C)​sunset at summer solstice
D)​sunrise at summer solstice

Question 59

Which of the following was not associated with the advent of pottery?​

A)​improved storage techniques
B)​development of craft specialization
C)​innovation in tool design
D)​increased nomadism

Question 60

The hunter-gatherer birth spacing interval is primarily the result of:​

A)​high infant mortality rate
B)​nutritional stress
C)​contraceptive practices
D)​breastfeeding and child-rearing techniques

Question 61

The Neolithic period is associated with big-game hunting.​

Question 62

Which of the following diseases has not historically been transmitted by cattle?​

A)​smallpox
B)​measles
C)​tuberculosis
D)​influenza

Question 63

Early Neolithic peoples in the Americas:​

A)​manufactured elaborate pottery by wheel
B)​used looms and hand spindles for textiles
C)​built house structures using planks and stilts
D)​made silk clothing

Question 64

People managed food scarcity during the Paleolithic by incorporating less favored food into their diet and increased the variety of food they ate.​

Question 65

Enamel hypoplasia indicates:​

A)​arrested growth caused by famine
B)​high levels of nutrition
C)​increasing calcium consumption
D)​consumption of soft foods

Question 66

In Baures, Bolivia, anthropologist Clark Erickson found evidence of possible Neolithic food storage in their construction of:​

A)​stone-lined earthen pits
B)​adobe corrals
C)​artificial ponds
D)​elaborately designed pottery

Question 67

Harris lines manifest stress when they show up on:​

A)​teeth
B)​bones
C)​hair follicles
D)​skin

Question 68

In environments that were averse to the development of cultivation, societies tended to become:​

A)​pastoralist
B)​agricultural
C)​horticulturalist
D)​urban

Question 69

When applied to the Neolithic period, the idea of progress:​

A)​explains the overall success of new cultural styles and advance
B)​is culturally specific and only refers to certain aspects of change
C)​is broad and far-ranging and involves cultures worldwide
D)​cannot be applied as there was no cultural progress in any way

Question 70

Which of the following is not an accurate portrayal of agricultural societies and food production?​

A)​They led to an overall increase in length and quality of life.
B)​They involved much higher work levels and an increase in disease.
C)​Agricultural societies had diets of less variety than foragers.
D)​As a result of agriculture, population rate began to rise.

Question 71

During the Neolithic, the earth's environment became substantially colder.​

Question 72

Which form of subsistence involves intensive crop cultivation, use of plows and fertilizers, and possibly irrigation?​

A)​horticulture
B)​pastoralism
C)​agriculture
D)​foraging

Question 73

Agriculture commonly involves use of all of the following except:​

A)​plows
B)​irrigation
C)​fertilizer
D)​digging sticks

Question 74

The ultimate source of all culture change is diffusion.​

Question 75

For the most part, Neolithic crops were selected for:​

A)​higher productivity and storability rather than nutritional value
B)​lower productivity, higher storability, and nutritional value
C)​higher productivity and higher nutritional value rather than storability
D)​lower productivity and more storability and nutritional value

Question 76

Measles were believed to be first transferred to humans from:​

A)​pigs
B)​sheep
C)​cattle
D)​ducks

Question 77

Why is intensive agriculture considered to be a less stable means of subsistence than foraging?​

A)​In general, people do not like to work harder and tend to neglect crops.
B)​It is associated with a lower population.
C)​There is less species diversity in crops.
D)​It always depends much more on stable climatic conditions.

Question 78

Past human activities such as clearing forest, hunting, and gardening result in:​

A)​high biodiversity
B)​low biomass
C)​increased vegetation
D)​increased cultural aptitude

Question 79

What are weirs?​

A)​fish traps
B)​animal snares
C)​housing platforms
D)​type of textile tool

Question 80

Microliths could only be made from flint.​