Deck 11: The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

Question 1

There is a well-documented fossil record of Homo erectus occupation in Europe before 1.5 million yBP.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Homo rudolfensis is most similar in overall morphology to:

A)Homo erectus.
B)Homo sapiens.
C)Homo habilis.
D)Australopithecus robustus.

Answer 2

Homo habilis.

Question 3

Homo habilis is characterized by:

A)long,modern legs.
B)short legs.
C)striding gait.
D)both A and C

Answer 3

short legs.

Question 4

Relative to australopithecines,Homo habilis is characterized by:

A)a smaller face.
B)a bigger brain.
C)a rounder and larger skull.
D)all of the above

Question 5

Homo habilis likely spent appreciable time in the trees.

Question 6

Fossil evidence for the earliest members of the genus Homo have been found from:

A)0.5-present.
B)2.5-1.0 mya.
C)4.0-3.0 mya.
D)none of the above

Question 7

Eugène Dubois was unique among major evolutionists in the nineteenth century in that he sought to test hypotheses about early human ancestors with:

A)fossil evidence.
B)comparative anatomy.
C)genetics.
D)archaeological remains.

Question 8

Australopithecus garhi has been proposed as a likely ancestor for Homo habilis.

Question 9

The Zhoukoudian fossils belonged to the species Homo habilis.

Question 10

The fossil record now contains important transitional forms between apes and humans that conform to expectations about what the earliest hominids would have looked like.

Question 11

Evidence from the Nariokotome Boy suggests that modern human growth patterns were already present in Homo erectus.

Question 12

Homo habilis used Acheulian hand axes.

Question 13

Homo erectus had long legs as compared to earlier hominids.

Question 14

Anatomical evidence from fossilized hand bones suggests that the precision grips needed to make and use stone tools was present:

A)only in Homo erectus.
B)only in Homo habilis.
C)in Homo habilis and some australopithecines.
D)in all australopithecine and Homo species.

Question 15

Eugène Dubois found fossils of this species in Southeast Asia:

A)Australopithecus afarensis.
B)Homo sapiens.
C)Homo habilis.
D)Homo erectus.

Question 16

Modern human traits including increasing brain size and dependence on material culture first show up in:

A)Homo erectus.
B)Homo sapiens.
C)Neandertals.
D)Homo habilis.

Question 17

Unlike Darwin,Ernst Haeckel believed that humans first evolved in:

A)Africa.
B)South America.
C)Asia.
D)Haeckel didn't believe in evolution.

Question 18

Brain enlargement in the genus Homo,coupled with a reduction of chewing muscles,is correlated with a growing reliance on tools.

Question 19

A major shift by Homo habilis to new environments was characterized by:

A)dietary shift.
B)tool use for obtaining and processing food.
C)big game hunting.
D)use of marine resources.

Question 20

Homo habilis had controlled use of fire.

Question 21

Relative to Oldowan tools,Acheulean stone tools:

A)had a narrower range of functions.
B)used fewer raw materials.
C)were characterized by fewer tool types.
D)required more learning and skill to produce.

Question 22

Analysis of Homo erectus teeth found at Zhoukoudian suggests that controlled use of fire allowed this species to:

A)ward off predators.
B)expand into more temperate environments.
C)make foods easier to chew.
D)none of the above

Question 23

Homo erectus fossils date to:

A)3-1 mya.
B)2.5 mya-500,000 yBP.
C)1.8 mya-300,000 yBP.
D)1.2 mya-800,000 yBP.

Question 24

The Acheulean complex:

A)emerged around 2.5 mya.
B)is used to describe simple pebble tools.
C)emerged around 1.5 mya.
D)is characteristic of Homo habilis.

Question 25

Relative to earlier hominids,later Homo erectus from 500,000 yBP had:

A)a smaller brain.
B)larger teeth.
C)a bigger sagittal keel.
D)a larger brain.

Question 26

Dmanisi hominids from the Republic of Georgia are dated to:

A)1.0 mya.
B)800,000 yBP.
C)1.7 mya.
D)2.5 mya.

Question 27

Homo erectus skulls:

A)are long,low,and wide at the base.
B)have thick bones.
C)have large browridges.
D)all of the above

Question 28

The Nariokotome hominid from Lake Turkana (H.erectus)is characterized by:

A)shorter arms and longer legs than those of earlier hominids.
B)retention of an australopithecine-like body plan.
C)longer legs than later hominids.
D)a mix of arboreal and bipedal adaptations.

Question 29

Increased body size in Homo erectus relative to earlier hominids is most likely related to:

A)stone-tool use that facilitated root and tuber processing.
B)increased protein in the diet.
C)larger teeth that permitted better food processing.
D)none of the above

Question 30

The many stone tools,fragmentary animal bones,and teeth found at Gran Dolina,Spain,indicate that hominids there:

A)processed and consumed animals and other hominids.
B)did not differ appreciably from earlier Asian Homo erectus.
C)were similar to later Homo sapiens.
D)none of the above

Question 31

Effective and regular access to high-quality protein likely required:

A)expanded brain size.
B)complex tool technologies.
C)social means of obtaining animals as food sources daily.
D)all of the above

Question 32

Fossil evidence of cut marks made with stone tools at early hominid sites suggests that:

A)meat eating started only with the appearance of Homo erectus and stone tools.
B)big game hunting was the most common way early hominids obtained meat.
C)meat eating started before Homo erectus but increased with more advanced technology.
D)none of the above

Question 33

Classic Homo erectus cranial features include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)thick cranial bones.
B)large browridges.
C)rounded skull.
D)sagittal keel.

Question 34

Relative to earlier hominids,Homo erectus is marked by:

A)a large increase in body size.
B)decreased cranial capacity.
C)both A and B
D)none of the above

Question 35

Gran Dolina adult hominids were similar to later Homo sapiens in their:

A)ability to produce art.
B)large cranial capacity.
C)wide nasal apertures.
D)none of the above

Question 36

The earliest fossil evidence of Homo erectus in Western Europe dates to about:

A)1.7 mya.
B)1.2 mya.
C)500,000 yBP.
D)800,000 yBP.

Question 37

Physical anthropologists estimate that on average,Homo erectus:

A)was more than 70% taller than Homo habilis.
B)was similar in size to australopithecines.
C)was tall,with males about 5'9'' and females about 5'3''.
D)none of the above

Question 38

Homo erectus was first discovered by:

A)Louis Leakey.
B)Richard Leakey.
C)Eugène Dubois.
D)Ernst Haeckel.

Question 39

Reconstruction of habitats at sites that existed in southern and eastern Africa 2.5 mya suggests:

A)the spread of C3 plants.
B)reduction both in habitat types and in dietary diversity.
C)a more frequent use of tools for the digging and processing of roots and tubers.
D)none of the above

Question 40

Homo erectus from Sangiran,Java,dates to:

A)800,000 yBP.
B)1.2-1.0 mya.
C)1.8-1.6 mya.
D)2.2-2.0 mya.

Question 41

Homo erectus's cranial capacity:

A)is always less than 1,000 cc.
B)is always more than 800 cc.
C)ranges from 650 cc to 1,200 cc.
D)ranges from 900 cc to 1,200 cc.

Question 42

Greater body size and facial gracility documented in Homo erectus are likely related to:

A)changes in tool technology and increasing access to meat and other proteins.
B)the natural continuation of previous trends documented in hominid fossils,similar to great brain size.
C)the global climate,as these trends are characteristic of a cooler climate.
D)none of the above

Question 43

The controlled use of fire by hominids:

A)decreased the amount of food energy available in the hominid diet.
B)has been shown to contribute little to the digestive process of hominids.
C)limited the expansion of hominids into certain environments,such as dry grasslands.
D)contributed to geographical expansion and food production techniques in positive ways.

Question 44

Two contemporaneous species,such as Homo erectus and Australopithecus robustus,are likely to vary in dental,anatomical,and ecological characteristics because:

A)two similar species cannot fill similar ecological roles (niches)at the same time.
B)different ecological or dietary adaptations result in the success of each species.
C)if they had all of the same characteristics,they would likely be classified as the same genus and species.
D)both A and B

Question 45

The Daka Member,Ethiopia is a prime example of:

A)the utility of material culture to manipulate the environment.
B)the importance of environmental reconstruction for better understanding of hominid fossils.
C)how fire affected digestion in early hominids.
D)all of the above

Question 46

Contrast the cranial and dental anatomy and adaptation of Australopithecus robustus as compared to African Homo erectus.

Question 47

Discuss the fossil and archaeological evidence for the varying importance of scavenging and hunting among Homo habilis and Homo erectus.

Question 48

A sagittal keel:

A)is characteristic of Homo habilis.
B)is characteristic of Homo erectus.
C)is characteristic of Homo sapiens.
D)is found only in australopithecines.

Question 49

Homo erectus has been argued to be the first hominid to successfully migrate out of Africa.Characterize the biology and culture of H.erectus that led to its success relative to earlier hominids.

Question 50

Describe Homo erectus's cranial and postcranial anatomical characteristics.How is this species significantly different from earlier hominids?

Question 51

Hominid fossils indicate which of the following differences between Homo habilis and Homo erectus?

A)H.habilis shows a reduction in the size of the face relative to the brain case.
B)H.erectus shows a reduction in the size of the face relative to the brain case.
C)H.habilis generally has a greater brain capacity than H.erectus.
D)H.erectus generally has a smaller brain capacity than H.habilis.

Question 52

Homo erectus evolved all of the following key traits that paved the way for the emergence of Homo sapiens EXCEPT:

A)hunting.
B)symbolic behavior.
C)successful dispersal across large areas.
D)increasing dependence on the use of culture for survival.

Question 53

According to the text,the first hominid to migrate out of Africa was:

A)Australopithecus.
B)Homo habilis.
C)Homo erectus.
D)Neandertals.

Question 54

Evidence of cannibalism among early hominids is found at:

A)Zhoukoudian,China.
B)Gran Dolina,Spain.
C)Olduvai Gorge,Kenya.
D)Sangiran,Java.

Question 55

Characterize the fossil evidence of Homo habilis,and describe the anatomical and behavioral characteristics of Homo habilis that pave the way for Homo sapiens' evolution.