Course Introduction
Biological Anthropology
Exam Solutions
Biological Anthropology explores the biological and evolutionary aspects of the human species, focusing on human origins, genetic diversity, adaptation, and primatology. The course examines the fossil record, comparative anatomy, and evolutionary theory to understand how humans evolved, highlighting the relationships and differences between humans and other primates. Students also study human variation in the context of genetics, environment, and culture, gaining insights into the factors that shape human biology and behavior across time and space.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Physical Anthropology Discovering Our Origins 2nd Edition by Clark Spencer Larsen
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13 Chapters
678 Verified Questions
678 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: What Is Physical Anthropology?
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Sample Questions
Q1) An archaeological field school is announced in your anthropology course.The description says that you will be able to travel to Belize to learn about the lives of the ancient Mayans.What do you expect to learn during this field school?
A)the species of nonhuman primate that occupy this region
B)how current populations of immigrants have changed local dialects
C)how to excavate and study material culture
D)how to socially navigate life in a Central American setting
Answer: C
Q2) Physical anthropology as a discipline is concerned with
A)skeletal pathology.
B)primate behavior.
C)fossilized human remains.
D)all of the above.
Answer: D
Q3) Current evidence indicates that the earliest hominids lived in Africa ________ .
A)1 to 3 million years ago.
B)60 to 65 million years ago.
C)10 to 15 million years ago.
D)5.2 to 5.8 million years ago.
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory
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Sample Questions
Q1) Mendel's plant hybridization experiments demonstrated that A)inherited traits from each parent blended together in the offspring.
B)DNA was the molecule carrying the genetic code.
C)peas were a poor choice for understanding basic hereditary principles.
D)traits inherited from each parent remained distinct in the offspring.
Answer: D
Q2) Which of the following is true?
A)Organisms classified in two different biological orders can still belong to the same genus.
B)Organisms classified as two different species can still belong to the same genus.
C)Organisms classified in two different families can still belong to the same genus.
D)Organisms classified in two different kingdoms can still belong to the same genus.
Answer: B
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4
Chapter 3: Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing
Variation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Homologous chromosomes
A)are genetically identical.
B)carry genetic information that influences the same trait.
C)are inherited only from the mother.
D)are members of different pairs.
Answer: B
Q2) Hoxgenes
A)appear to function in similar ways across diverse groups of organisms.
B)function only in fruit flies.
C)control which amino acids get plugged into polypeptide chains.
D)control the development of language in humans.
Answer: A
Q3) Down syndrome can occur
A)as a result of translocation during mitosis.
B)because of nondisjunction, which yields an extra chromosome.
C)most frequently in the offspring of women under the age of 40.
D)all of the above.
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics
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Sample Questions
Q1) The type of selection that favored progressively larger brain size in human evolution is
A)natural selection.
B)directional selection.
C)stabilizing selection.
D)disruptive selection.
Q2) When geneticists talk about the gene pool, they refer specifically to variation at a genetic A)chromosome.
B)nucleus.
C)address. D)locus.
Q3) Transposable elements are DNA sequences that A)are not coded to produce proteins.
B)contain numerous point mutations.
C)occur only on the X and Y chromosomes. D)insert themselves into other parts of the genome.
Q4) Why is the incidence of sickle-cell anemia an excellent example of a "balanced polymorphism," in which two or more alleles are maintained by natural selection in a population?
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Chapter 5: Biology in the Present: Living People
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Q1) Relative to people with a history of living in temperate climates, the Inuit and other cold-adapted populations
A)have lower basal metabolic rate.
B)consume more carbohydrates.
C)reduce peripheral body temperatures to maintain core temperatures.
D)none of the above.
Q2) R.C.Lewontin found that human "races" have no taxonomic significance.He demonstrated this
A)through research indicating that most genetic variation is found among human races.
B)through research indicating that most genetic variation is found across human populations.
C)through the examination of variation in multiple human skull characteristics.
D)through research that examined genetic diversity across different species of mammals.
Q3) Infancy ends
A)at 36 months.
B)before deciduous dentition has completely erupted.
C)with completion of brain growth.
D)with weaning, which occurs at the same time across cultures.
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Biology in the Present: The Other Living Primates
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Q1) Relative to body size, primate brain size
A)is proportional to human brain size.
B)is more or less the same in large and small primates.
C)is smaller than in other large mammals.
D)is larger among humans than among other primates.
Q2) Tarsiers are unique among prosimians because they
A)are diurnal.
B)are vertical clingers and leapers.
C)have a fovea.
D)have a prehensile tail.
Q3) Relative to other primates, prosimian adaptations include
A)an enlarged olfactory bulb and enlarged scent glands.
B)larger brains.
C)reduced number of teeth.
D)smaller eye orbits.
Q4) Describe distinctive features of primate parenting relative to that of other mammals.
Q5) Discuss at least three features of the skeleton that differ between (bipedal) humans and (quadrupedal) apes.
Q6) Discuss anatomical characteristics that relate to primates' arboreal adaptation.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture
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Q1) Researchers have shown that male primates most often compete for mates while female primates compete for other resources.This illustrates
A)that reproduction places different demands on males and females in terms of energy expenditures, resulting in varying reproductive strategies.
B)that reproduction has similar energetic demands for both sexes, so males and females respond accordingly.
C)that primates do not vary in their ability to respond to differing energetic requirements.
D)none of the above.
Q2) Sociality among primates is likely the result of which of the following selective pressures?
A)predation
B)niche competition
C)adaptive radiation
D)habitat
Q3) Describe the range of primate residence patterns.Relate social grouping to food and reproduction.
Q4) Why are primates social?
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Chapter 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature
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Q1) Ocean-dwelling microorganisms called foraminifera are important in evolutionary studies mainly because
A)the chemical composition of their shells records past temperatures.
B)they can be dated using uranium series methods.
C)primates use them as a key food source.
D)they are strong indicators of past changes in the earth's magnetic polarity.
Q2) At a site in the American Southwest, you find only a single ceramic pot in association with an individual within a burial.You can use the pot to date the burial based on A)biostratigraphic dating, because there may be animal remains inside the pot.
B)cultural dating, since the pot must be specific to a known culture and time period.
C)radiopotassium dating of the material used to make the pot.
D)fission track dating of the pot itself.
Q3) Why is it critical that paleontologists reconstruct past environments to provide a complete picture of a particular lineage's evolution? Name one way in which paleontologists reconstruct paleoenvironments.
Q4) How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists in testing theories about the timing of significant evolutionary events?
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Chapter 9: Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years
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Q1) Primitive Old World monkeys from the mid to late Miocene of Africa are members of which family?
A)Propliopithecidae
B)Proconsulidae
C)Victoriapithecidae
D)Dryopithecidae
Q2) Early fossil primates from the Eocene would most likely have shared their habitat with A)rodents.
B)trilobites.
C)kangaroos.
D)dinosaurs.
Q3) The dental formula of all known fossil and living catarrhines is
A)2/1/3/3.
B)2/1/2/3.
C)2/1/2.
D)2/1/3/2.
Q4) Discuss the reasons why Paleocene-aged plesiadapiforms should or should not be included in the order Primates.
11
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Chapter 10: Early Hominid Origins and Evolution: the Roots of Humanity
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Q1) Which of the following is not considered a robust australopithecine?
A)Australopithecus boisei
B)Australopithecus anamensis
C)Australopithecus aethiopicus
D)Australopithecus robustus
Q2) Among living nonhuman primates, which is Homo sapiens' closest relative?
A)baboon
B)gorilla
C)orangutan
D)chimpanzee
Q3) The only early hominid that lacks the thick enamel coating on its teeth typical of other hominids is
A)Australopithecus.
B)Sahelanthropus.
C)Ardipithecus.
D)Orrorin.
Q4) Imagine you are a paleontologist working in the field and you come across a skeleton of what you think might be an early hominid.What skeletal features would you look for to demonstrate that the creature walked bipedally?
Page 12
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Chapter 11: The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo
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Q1) What does the Nariokotome Boy skeleton suggest to scientists?
A)that Homo erectus had short arms and long legs
B)that Homo erectus lived in cold climates
C)that modern human growth patterns were already present in Homo erectus
D)that this species acted exactly like modern humans
Q2) 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.
Q3) 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.
Q4) Discuss the fossil and archaeological evidence for the varying importance of scavenging and hunting among Homo habilis and Homo erectus.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People
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Q1) The Neandertals are last recorded in the fossil record about A)250,000 yBP.
B)100,000 yBP.
C)75,000 yBP.
D)30,000 yBP.
Q2) The majority of Neandertal fossils have been found in A)India.
B)Europe.
C)northern Africa.
D)southeast Asia.
Q3) From where was the archaic cranium, the Narmada skull, recovered?
A)Africa
B)North America
C)the Indian subcontinent
D)Asia
Q4) Using evidence from well-known sites such as Shanidar, Iraq, and Krapina, Croatia, describe the life of a Neandertal group living in Europe during the last "Ice Age."
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Chapter 13: Our Last 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, and
Biology
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Q1) Based on the archaeological record from various areas, what was the initial effect of agriculture on height?
A)Height decreased.
B)Height increased.
C)Height became more variable within the population.
D)Height stayed the same.
Q2) Which of the following is not an infectious disease?
A)AIDS
B)tuberculosis
C)Ebola
D)diabetes
Q3) The first animal to be domesticated during the Neolithic was the A)dog.
B)cat.
C)cow.
D)goat.
Q4) What main change in subsistence defines the Neolithic period? Name three geographic regions where Neolithic lifeways appeared independently.
Page 15
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