Deck 7: Early Hominin Evolution

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT one of the families into which the living hominoids are divided in traditional taxonomy?

A) Hominoidea
B) Hylobatidae
C) Pongidae
D) Hominidae

Answer 1

Hominoidea

Question 2

The pongids consist of

A) the Asian genus Pan and the African genera Gorilla and Pongo.
B) the Asian genus Pongo and the African genera Gorilla and Pan.
C) the African genus Gorilla and the Asian genera Pongo and Pan.
D) the African genus Pongo and the Asian genera Gorilla and Pan.

Answer 2

the Asian genus Pongo and the African genera Gorilla and Pan.

Question 3

Hominins have larger canine teeth than do

A) other members of the family Hominidae.
B) other members of the subfamily Homininae.
C) Both A and B are correct.
D) Neither A nor B is correct.

Answer 3

Neither A nor B is correct.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a physical trait shared by all hominins?

A) large canine teeth
B) a forward-placed foramen magnum
C) a dramatically reduced (or no) shearing complex
D) modifications in the pelvic girdle and lower limbs

Question 5

Fossil evidence of hominins before about 2 million years ago is found only in

A) Europe.
B) Asia.
C) Africa.
D) North America.

Question 6

The hominoid forms that look most like the hominins are

A) Afropithecus, Kenyapithecus, and Samburupithecus.
B) Ouranopithecus and Pierolapithecus.
C) Both A and B are correct.
D) Neither A nor B is correct.

Question 7

The Rift Valley is in

A) East Africa.
B) West Africa.
C) North Africa.
D) South Africa.

Question 8

The Aramis site along the Awash River is in

A) Tanzania.
B) Kenya.
C) Ethiopia.
D) Egypt.

Question 9

North and South America became connected during the _____________ epoch.

A) Miocene
B) Pliocene
C) Pleistocene
D) Holocene

Question 10

After a remarkable fossil find in the summer of 2001, the original Aramis fossils were renamed

A) Orrorin tugenensis primarus.
B) Sahelanthropus tchadensis kadabba.
C) Australopithecus primarus.
D) Ardipithecus ramidus ramidus.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of late Miocene hominoids?

A) large canine teeth
B) thick molar enamel
C) substantial facial prognathism
D) a flat cranial base

Question 12

_____________ is the best-known early hominin.

A) Australopithecus anamensis
B) Australopithecus afarensis
C) Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba
D) Ardipithecus ramidus ramidus

Question 13

_____________ exhibited a sectorial premolar and both sexual and canine dimorphism.

A) Australopithecus anamensis
B) Australopithecus afarensis
C) Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba
D) Ardipithecus ramidus ramidus

Question 14

Postcranially, _____________ is somewhat different from earlier hominin forms.

A) Australopithecus anamensis
B) Australopithecus afarensis
C) Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba
D) Ardipithecus ramidus ramidus

Question 15

The species, Australopithecus bahrelghazali, was established as a result of

A) the finding of a single mandible fossil at the Koro Toro site.
B) subtle differentiations in fossil findings at the Aramis site.
C) pronounced differentiations in fossil findings at the Aramis site.
D) subtle differentiations in fossil findings at the Kanapoi and Allia Bay sites.

Question 16

The Pliocene epoch was characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

A) higher sea levels.
B) a significant change in the assemblages of animals across different areas of the planet.
C) climatic changes that led to geological events that affected wide areas.
D) a colder climate than the Miocene.

Question 17

Before 1995, the Aramis fossils were placed in the genus

A) Orrorin.
B) Sahelanthropus.
C) Australopithecus.
D) Ardipithecus.

Question 18

All of the following is true about Piltdown Man EXCEPT

A) he was proven to be a fake in 1953.
B) he was discovered in England in 1911.
C) he was thought to be the missing link between apes and humans.
D) he had a pronounced chin.

Question 19

The real difference between early human ancestors and apes is

A) a cranium large enough to accommodate a larger brain.
B) a chin.
C) bipedality.
D) significant canine dimorphism.

Question 20

Bipedal anatomy includes a set of anatomical adaptations that allows an organism to

A) use its hind limbs for primary support.
B) exhibit a locomotor pattern on the ground, in trees, or a mix of the two.
C) Both A and B are correct.
D) Neither A nor B is correct.

Question 21

The anatomical adaptations of bipedal anatomy are

A) all primates.
B) monkeys, apes, and humans only.
C) apes and humans only.
D) humans only.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT true about the traditional taxonomy of the hominoids that lived in Eastern and Southern Africa between 5 and 2 million years ago?

A) They were referred to as hominids.
B) They were considered to be part of the human lineage.
C) They were considered to be our oldest ancestors.
D) Some of the apes were considered to be younger than the Hominidae.

Question 23

Which of the following is true regarding current knowledge of morphological and molecular relationships among the living apes and humans?

A) Gorillas and humans are more similar, and thus more closely related, to one another than either is to chimpanzees and orangutans.
B) Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans are more similar, and thus more closely related, to one another than any of them is to humans.
C) Chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans are more similar, and thus more closely related, to one another than any of them is to the orangutan.
D) Gorillas and chimpanzees are more similar, and thus more closely related, to one another than either is to orangutans and humans.

Question 24

The traditional classification of humans as hominids, with chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans lumped together as pongids

A) is supported by the discoveries of Australopithecus afarensis and Ardipithecus ramidus.
B) is supported by the discoveries of Ardipithecus ramidus and Australopithecus bahrelghazali.
C) is an accurate reflection of evolutionary histories.
D) is not an accurate reflection of evolutionary histories.

Question 25

While most of the unique physical traits shared by hominins were developed by about 5 million years ago, the large brain that characterizes modern hominins developed

A) less than 10,000 thousand years ago.
B) about 2 million years ago.
C) about 3 million years ago.
D) about 4 million years ago.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT one of the main theories for the origins of bipedality discussed in your text?

A) The benefits of reduced weight bearing in the upper body favored bipedality.
B) Bipedality is derived from a foraging pattern favoring upright reaching.
C) Visual surveillance favored bipedality.
D) The benefits of long-distance walking favored bipedality.

Question 27

All of the following are characteristics of Orrorin tugenensis EXCEPT

A) thick molar enamel.
B) relatively large and apelike canines.
C) small chin.
D) femur heads indicating bipedality.

Question 28

A shearing complex is

A) a condition in which the upper second premolar is somewhat sharpened or flattened from rubbing against the lower canine as the mouth closes.
B) a condition in which the upper first premolar is somewhat sharpened or flattened from rubbing against the lower canine as the mouth closes.
C) a condition in which the lower second premolar is somewhat sharpened or flattened from rubbing against the upper canine as the mouth closes.
D) a condition in which the lower first premolar is somewhat sharpened or flattened from rubbing against the upper canine as the mouth closes.

Question 29

Humans are classified as all of the following EXCEPT

A) Homo.
B) Homoninae.
C) Homininae.
D) Hominini.

Question 30

Australopithecus afarensis fossils have been found in areas that were primarily

A) forested and grassland.
B) grassland and savanna.
C) savanna and woodland.
D) woodland and forested.

Question 31

All of the following are characteristics of Ardipithecus ramidus EXCEPT

A) large canine teeth.
B) a flat cranial base.
C) thick molar enamel.
D) facial prognathism.

Question 32

Which of the following does NOT precede/come before Australopithecus?

A) Orrorin tugenensis
B) Sahelanthropus tchadensis
C) Kenyanthropus platyops
D) Ardipithecus ramidus ramidus

Question 33

Prognathism means that

A) the jaw projects beyond the upper parts of the face.
B) the jaw does not project beyond the upper parts of the face.
C) the forehead projects beyond the upper parts of the face.
D) the forehead does not project beyond the upper parts of the face.

Question 34

The placement of the taxonomic level "tribe falls under

A) superfamily and just above family.
B) family and just above subfamily.
C) subfamily and just above genus.
D) genus and just above species.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of hominins?

A) molars with thin enamel
B) the presence of mastoid processes
C) temporal origins forward on cranium
D) a parabolic dental arcade

Question 36

Over the last several million years, the Rift Valley has been characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

A) ice sheets.
B) active volcanoes.
C) earthquakes.
D) mountain building.

Question 37

From the fossil evidence so far, which of the following is most likely the earliest human ancestor?

A) Australopithecus anamensis
B) Australopithecus bahrelghazali
C) Orrorin tugenensis
D) Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Question 38

Canine dimorphism is

A) a difference between the size of the upper (larger) and lower (smaller) canines.
B) a difference between the size of the upper (smaller) and lower (larger) canines.
C) a difference in the size of the canine teeth between species.
D) a difference in the size of the canine teeth between the sexes.

Question 39

The hominins of the Middle and Late Pliocene exhibited all of the following traits EXCEPT

A) large molars.
B) thick enameled molars.
C) sexual monomorphism.
D) bipedality.

Question 40

Tooth rows in modern humans are

A) parallel.
B) slightly divergent from one another.
C) slightly convergent.
D) uneven.

Question 41

Fossil pollens and other fossil remains associated with the fossil finds of Ardipithecus suggest that it lived in a _____________ environment.

A) forested or grassland
B) grassland or savanna
C) savanna or woodland
D) woodland or forested

Question 42

All of the following are characteristics of Sahelanthropus tchadensis EXCEPT

A) relatively small canines.
B) relatively thick enamel on the molars.
C) prominent brow ridges.
D) a large brain case.

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT one of the main theories for the origins of bipedality discussed in your text?

A) Bipedality is beneficial for carrying objects.
B) The benefits of long-distance running favored bipedality.
C) Male provisioning and female infant-carrying resulted in bipedality.
D) Bipedality confers benefits in thermoregulation.

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a postcranial characteristic of hominins?

A) angled femur
B) double-arched foot
C) abductable hallux
D) wide flaring iliac blades

Question 45

A tooth that exhibits side-to-side compression due to its role as a shearing surface for another tooth is called a

A) sectorial molar.
B) sectorial premolar.
C) compacted molar.
D) compacted premolar.

Question 46

Discuss the discovery and controversy surrounding Piltdown Man. Name two traits that link Piltdown Man to apes and two traits that link Piltdown Man to humans.

Question 47

Describe the Rift Valley and include the following information; where it is, how large it is, what its characteristics are, and why it's important.

Question 48

Name and describe the function of four characteristics of hominins.

Question 49

Describe the life of early hominins. In your answer, be sure to explain where early hominins lived (including the habitat and climate), what they ate, details of tool use, and what their social life was like.

Question 50

Name and discuss three of the theories/selective pressures that could have favored the move from a generalized hominoid quadruped to a sometimes biped to a full terrestrial biped in the hominin lineage. When discussing the theories of bipedality, be sure to state whether or not the theory is plausible and why.