Deck 1: The Dry Bones Speak

Question 1

The skull nicknamed "Toumai" dates to at least ________ years ago.

A) 2.5 million
B) 3.75 million
C) 100,000
D) 1.5

Answer 1

2.5 million

Question 2

Which of these is a fixed social group,usually prevented from marrying with different groups?

A) myth
B) caste
C) tribe
D) clan

Answer 2

caste

Question 3

The hominid footprints from Tanzania indicate that hominids walked upright from around ________ years ago.

A) 3.5 million
B) 275,000
C) 5.2 million
D) 2.75 million

Answer 3

3.5 million

Question 4

The author of On the Origin of Species was ________.

A) Charles Darwin
B) Alfred Russel Wallace
C) Louis Leakey
D) Michel Brunet

Question 5

Which of these was first colonized between 1 and 1000 C.E.?

A) the Philippines
B) Micronesia
C) Sumatra
D) Hawaii

Question 6

Modern humans belong to what species?

A) Homo habilis
B) Homo erectus
C) Homo sapiens
D) Ardipithecus ramidus

Question 7

Charles Darwin is best known for his work on ________.

A) paleoanthropology
B) history
C) botany
D) evolution

Question 8

Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey are best known for their work in ________.

A) Indonesia
B) Europe
C) China
D) Tanzania

Question 9

Which of these appeared last?

A) Homo habilis
B) Homo sapiens
C) Homo erectus
D) Australopithecus africanus

Question 10

Modern humans are ________ percent the same as chimpanzees.

A) 91
B) 83
C) 79
D) 97

Question 11

In dating human remains,thermoluminescence uses ________.

A) skulls
B) burned flints
C) butchered bones
D) volcanic rock

Question 12

The oldest human remains in the Americas were found in ________.

A) Mexico
B) Chile
C) Canada
D) Alaska

Question 13

Southeast Asia was peopled around ________ years ago.

A) 50,000
B) 1 million
C) 3000
D) 150,000

Question 14

The "out-of-Africa" camp in the debate over Homo erectus concerns ________.

A) whether or not Homo erectus evolved into Homo sapiens
B) whether or not Homos erectus first emerged in Africa
C) where Homo sapiens evolved
D) the relationship between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens

Question 15

Which of these was first found in Indonesia and is referred to as Java Man?

A) Homo erectus
B) Pithecanthropus erectus
C) Australopithecus africanus
D) Homo sapiens

Question 16

Teleology concerns the study of ________.

A) human evolution
B) ethical human behavior
C) the gods
D) final causes or purposes

Question 17

Homo sapiens sapiens are also known as ________.

A) Neanderthal man
B) Java man
C) modern humans
D) Lucy

Question 18

Which of these was the Akkadian god that created the human race?

A) Tiamat
B) Purusha
C) Marduk
D) Apsu

Question 19

The opposite of "normal science" is ________.

A) a paradigm shift
B) empirical science
C) traditional science
D) a scientific discovery

Question 20

Which of these lived from about two million to 100,000 years ago?

A) Ardipithecus ramidus
B) Homo sapiens sapiens
C) Homo erectus
D) Homo sapiens

Question 21

The discovery of Java Man had what impact on our understanding of human history?

A) Java Man proved the "out-of-Africa" theory.
B) Java Man proved that Homo sapiens developed from Homo erectus.
C) The discovery of Java Man sparked the search for human origins.
D) The find made it clear that hominids developed in different world regions.

Question 22

The theory of evolution developed by Darwin is a prime example of ________.

A) paradigm shift
B) normal science
C) mythmaking
D) teleology

Question 23

To understand human evolution,DNA is useful because it can be ________.

A) read to understand what an individual looked like
B) used to create clones
C) compared to other DNA
D) reproduced in laboratories

Question 24

The Chauvet caves are best known for their ________.

A) butchered human bones
B) murals
C) musical instruments
D) inclusion of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens bones

Question 25

In the Middle East,the first animals were domesticated around ________ years ago.

A) 150,000
B) 10,000
C) 3000
D) 1.5 million

Question 26

The Levallois technique accompanied the emergence of what hominid?

A) Homo erectus
B) Homo neanderthalensis
C) Homo sapiens
D) Homo habilis

Question 27

Darwin developed his ideas about natural selection primarily by what method?

A) study of DNA
B) paleoanthropology
C) close comparison of related species
D) study of the brain capacities of human species

Question 28

The species names for examples of the genus Homo are usually given based on ________.

A) appearance
B) abilities
C) where they were first discovered
D) their discoverers

Question 29

The first cave paintings date to around ________ years ago.

A) 85,000
B) 5000
C) 15,000
D) 40,000

Question 30

Like all hominid remains,the skull of "Toumai" ________.

A) came from a bipedal individual
B) has characteristics of humans and apes
C) is earlier than the skull of "Lucy"
D) shows the ability to speak

Question 31

Which of these statements about humans and hominids is correct?

A) All hominids are humans.
B) Most hominids are humans.
C) All humans are hominids.
D) Hominids are similar to humans.

Question 32

The Enuma Elish is an example of a ________.

A) myth
B) law code
C) chronology
D) chronicle

Question 33

Which of these was closest to Homo sapiens?

A) Australopithecus afarensis
B) Homo erectus
C) Ardipithecus ramidus
D) Toumai

Question 34

The figure "Alternate reconstructions from Neanderthal skull" illustrates ________.

A) the variety of Neanderthal skulls discovered
B) hostility to different notions of human evolution
C) the challenge of interpreting skeletal evidence
D) proof of Darwin's theory of evolution

Question 35

Historians are most likely to use myths to ________.

A) learn about prehistoric events
B) explain how archaic societies developed
C) understand how societies viewed themselves
D) trace early warfare

Question 36

If the multiregionalists (and not the out-of Africa supporters)are correct,________.

A) Homo sapiens evolved from Homo neanderthalensis
B) Homo erectus evolved into Homo sapiens
C) human evolution has been slow and gradual
D) Homo erectus evolved into modern humans in China

Question 37

Looking at the map "Human ancestors," which of these has been found across Eurasia?

A) Australopithecus
B) Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
C) Homo habilis
D) Homo sapiens (modern)

Question 38

Hunter-gatherer bands probably numbered around ________ individuals.

A) 25
B) 10
C) 75
D) 55

Question 39

The discovery of "Lucy" was significant because the skeleton showed that ________.

A) hominids developed into Homo sapiens in Africa
B) the out-of-Africa theory was incorrect
C) hominids emerged much earlier than previous thought
D) hominids have much in common with modern humans

Question 40

Studying hominids helps paleoanthropologist understand ________.

A) human evolution
B) the relationship between different Homo species
C) the shift to agriculture
D) how hunting developed

Question 41

What are the key considerations for paleoanthropologists in using skeletal remains?

Question 42

Compared to Homo sapiens,Homo sapiens sapiens represent ________.

A) a subspecies
B) a new species
C) hominids
D) a backward step

Question 43

Unlike Darwin's theory of evolution,myths ________.

A) have no factual basis
B) seek to explain the past
C) concern human origins
D) concern teleology

Question 44

Normal science develops by ________.

A) giant leaps
B) small stages
C) constantly incorporating scientific revolutions
D) rejecting challenges to accepted models

Question 45

What were to key factors that probably drove human migration in prehistory? How did they work to influence human migration? Did they work together or push humans in different directions?

Question 46

Which of these is a clearly proven fact?

A) Homo sapiens out-competed other species for food.
B) Different species of hominids sometimes mated.
C) Homo sapiens killed off hominid competitors.
D) Homo erectus evolved into Homo sapiens just once, in Africa.

Question 47

The ice ages of 90,000-10,000 years ago impacted ________.

A) northern climates
B) tropical climates
C) the entire globe
D) Asia and Europe

Question 48

Compare two dating methods used to understand human prehistory.What are the advantages and disadvantages of these methods?

Question 49

Unlike Homo sapiens Homo habilis,it is clear that Homo sapiens Homo habilis ________.

A) walked upright
B) evolved in Africa
C) used tools
D) was related to hominids

Question 50

Potassium-argon dating is most likely to be useful for dating ________.

A) Homo sapiens
B) the earliest hominids
C) the shift from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens
D) the shift to agriculture

Question 51

The map "The colonization of the Pacific" indicates that the Pacific was peopled ________.

A) by about 50,000 B.C.E.
B) directly from China
C) in three distinct waves
D) from the Hawaiian Islands

Question 52

The first colonization of Southeast Asia,unlike colonization of the Pacific islands ________.

A) occurred by land
B) was colonized from Asia
C) occurred rapidly
D) was part of the same general movement of peoples

Question 53

Identify one major question still unanswered about human evolution.Is this likely to be answered soon? Why or why not?

Question 54

Which of these questions is hardest for historians to answer when considering ancient artworks?

A) What creatures did these artworks represent?
B) What did these artworks mean to their creators?
C) How were these artworks made?
D) What materials were used to make these artworks?

Question 55

Compare the use of two types of source materials (such as myths or skeletal remains)and consider how historians would use each to understand the past.Consider also the kinds of information these sources don't tell us.