Deck 14: Evolution: Today and Tomorrow

Question 1

Approximately _________ of urban populations reside in slums without access to basic sanitation.

A) 10%
B) 75%
C) 40%
D) 25%

Answer 1

25%

Question 2

About _________of the world's population lives in cities.

A) 25%
B) 90%
C) 75%
D) 50%

Answer 2

50%

Question 3

Of the 7.1 billion people living in the world today, nearly_________ suffer from malnutrition.

A) 1 billion
B) 3 million
C) 6 million
D) 10 million

Answer 3

1 billion

Question 4

Physical anthropologist John Hawks and colleagues suggest that evolution is speeding up as population size continues to _________ and _________are introduced.

A) rise; parasites
B) mushroom; new mutations
C) decrease; ancestral traits
D) maintain its current stasis; no new genes

Question 5

The health effects of industrialization include:

A) a decrease in asthma.
B) an increase in environmental pollutants.
C) a decrease in processed and refined foods in the diet.
D) a reduction in poverty.

Question 6

As glaciers and ice caps melt_________ and _________ will occur.

A) flooding of low-lying areas; loss of millions of acres of habitable land
B) more fresh water will be released; increases in agriculture and population sustainability
C) ocean temperatures will increase; species die off
D) both a. and c.

Question 7

Biological evolution in humans and in other organisms is evidenced by:

A) increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant strains of tuberculosis.
B) low frequencies of the sickle-cell trait in malaria-endemic areas.
C) basic solutions for coping with climate change.
D) antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in hospitals.

Question 8

Researchers have discovered a genetic _________likely related to increased resistance to smallpox and plague in Europe about 5,000 years ago that reduces susceptibility to_________.

A) anomaly; smallpox
B) trait; sickle-cell
C) mutation; HIV infection
D) locus; HIV infection

Question 9

Human activities that have contributed to greenhouse gases include:

A) burning of fossil fuels.
B) use of solar power.
C) deforestation.
D) both a. and c.

Question 10

Barry Popkin found that owing to_________ and _________, obesity levels in many parts of the developing world now match that of the United States.

A) increased levels of malnutrition; poverty
B) obese adult males; their role as leaders of the family diet
C) obese adult females; their role as food preparers
D) dietary change; reduced physical activity

Question 11

Human life expectancy in the United States has:

A) increased since 1900, due largely to improvements in medicine and in sanitation.
B) decreased since 1900, because of fast food and sedentary lifestyles.
C) not been affected by nutrition.
D) decreased since 1900, due to a rise in infectious disease.

Question 12

The increase in the average temperature of the atmosphere and sea due to human activity is referred to as:

A) one of the many climate fluctuations in Earth's history.
B) global warming.
C) the effects from a change in Earth's gravitational pull.
D) the solar flares on the Sun.

Question 13

Hip fractures in older adults are:

A) more common in modern societies than in previous ones.
B) related to decreased longevity.
C) related to vision degeneration over time.
D) the result of a more active lifestyle.

Question 14

Exposure to microbes early in life can _________ the immune system.

A) protect
B) harm
C) depress
D) stimulate

Question 15

Where industrialization is occurring_________ , while where there is no industrialization, _________.

A) infections and allergies are on the rise; infections and allergies are less developed
B) obesity is reduced; malnutrition does not exist
C) infections and allergies are less developed; infections and allergies are on the rise
D) infections don't exist; allergies are more prevalent

Question 16

Human populations living in areas of endemic malaria have a selective advantage if they carry:

A) the allele for sickle-cell anemia.
B) the H2 haplotype.
C) the D32 mutation.
D) smallpox.

Question 17

Climate scientists predict that shifting patterns of precipitation and increasing dryness in areas like the American Southwest and Midwest will result in:

A) increase in the thickness of the polar ice caps.
B) decreases in human population density.
C) dramatic increases in species extinction rates.
D) a reduction of agricultural production and therefore a reduced food supply.

Question 18

Stable isotopic analysis of oxygen from ice cores dating to the Holocene indicates that:

A) the last 50 yBP were the coldest period in the last 700,000 yBP.
B) the last 50 yBP were the warmest period in the last 9,000 yBP.
C) the last 50,000 yBP have been the warmest on record.
D) the last 100,000 yBP have been the warmest on record.

Question 19

The nutrition transition refers to:

A) shifts to higher-protein diets.
B) shifts to higher-fat, higher-carbohydrate diets.
C) shifts to lower-fat, lower-carbohydrate diets.
D) shifts in diet due to climate change.

Question 20

One of the most significant items of scientific evidence for global climate change is:

A) the 85% reduction in the size of ice fields atop Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania.
B) a 2°F increase in global temperatures during the last 200 years.
C) the decrease of sea levels by 12 cm during the last 100 years.
D) increased precipitation in the Gobi desert.

Question 21

Discuss how the process of globalization affects human biocultural variation today.

Question 22

Discuss which forces of evolution are currently affecting human evolution. Also, consider how these forces are influenced by human intervention and global warming.

Question 23

After conducting stable-isotope analysis of an ice core you record a high level of ¹⁸O at a particular layer. This suggests that:

A) the climate at this time was cold.
B) the climate at this time was warm.
C) the climate at this time was dry.
D) the climate at this time was humid.

Question 24

The H2 haplotype on chromosome 17 occurs in about 21% of European women. Natural selection is strongly implicated because:

A) H2 women are infertile.
B) H2 women have 3.5% more children than do non-H2 women.
C) H2 women have 25% more children than do non-H2 women.
D) H2 women suffer from high rates of tuberculosis.

Question 25

A publication in the year 2020 reports on the results of autopsies of elderly people in three cultures. Of individuals in the study, 90% showed signs of osteoporotic fractures and osteoporosis. The researchers suggest that in these cultures:

A) longevity of individuals is decreasing.
B) longevity of individuals is increasing.
C) fewer dairy products were consumed than by individuals in other cultures, leading to bone conditions.
D) interpersonal violence leading to the fractures was more common.

Question 26

Compare the causes and effects of global warming during the Eocene with those occurring today. Consider specific species and their habitats.

Question 27

Abundant evidence indicates:

A) that humans are no longer evolving.
B) that humans continue to evolve.
C) that human evolution is not affected by changes in the environment .
D) none of the above

Question 28

Population increase creates many new hosts for infectious diseases, and _________ translates to _________.

A) more organisms; more hosts
B) more viruses; more victims
C) more hosts; more organisms
D) more victims; more death

Question 29

Some technology has negatively influenced the world, including:

A) the technology associated with sustainability.
B) the burning of fossil fuels.
C) the use of solar energy.
D) the production of energy-saving appliances.

Question 30

The global warming that naturally occurred during the Eocene resulted in the rise of the primate order; the global warming that is taking place today will likely have negative impacts for humans, such as:

A) changes in crop production as a result of decreased precipitation.
B) extinction of certain species unrelated to habitat loss.
C) lower sea levels, resulting in the addition of coastal lands on multiple continents.
D) none of the above

Question 31

After the 1960s, children in rural Oaxaca developed shorter, rounder heads and narrower faces. This is likely related to:

A) increased intelligence.
B) higher amounts of protein in the diet.
C) softer, more processed corn and other foods.
D) none of the above

Question 32

Luca Cavalli-Sforza hypothesizes that skin color change came late because:

A) people used rudimentary umbrellas.
B) earlier populations had ready access to vitamin D from the foods they ate.
C) the Sun was not as powerful as it is today.
D) people were still migrating from a cold cloudy environment to a sunny environment.

Question 33

What are the human biological consequences of global climate change and population increase?

Question 34

The incidence of diabetes has increased in adults by _________ in the last decade.

A) 20%
B) 50%
C) 75%
D) 90%

Question 35

A common basis for adaptation to changing circumstances in humans is:

A) biological.
B) genetic.
C) technological.
D) none of the above

Question 36

Both genetic mutation and selection have recently been linked to the development of pale skin in:

A) ancient Asian populations.
B) ancient African populations.
C) relatively recent European farming populations.
D) ancient European populations.

Question 37

The melting of glaciers and the polar ice caps poses a devastating threat of potential flooding for low-lying areas. Scientists predict that a sea level rise of_________would inundate areas such as the delta regions of Africa and Asia, peninsular Florida, Bangladesh, and most major coastal cities.

A) 10 meters
B) 4-6 millimeters
C) 4-6 meters
D) none of the above

Question 38

Global warming is the result of anthropogenic interference, which is:

A) evolution in action.
B) nothing new.
C) nonhuman.
D) human.