Human Origins Review Questions
Course Introduction
Human Origins explores the biological and cultural evolution of the human species, tracing our lineage from early primates to modern Homo sapiens. The course examines key fossil discoveries, anatomical changes, and genetic evidence that illuminate the processes of natural selection and adaptation. Students will analyze the development of human traits such as bipedalism, tool use, language, and social organization, while considering the environmental and ecological factors that influenced our ancestors. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, archaeology, and paleontology, the course provides a comprehensive understanding of how humans evolved and the significance of our origins.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Physical Anthropology 3rd Edition by Clark Spencer Larsen
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13 Chapters
580 Verified Questions
580 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: What Is Physical Anthropology
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36 Verified Questions
36 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Forensic anthropologists:
A)focus their work on skeletal analysis of individuals.
B)study skeletal remains from past human populations.
C)study the evolution of human skeletal traits.
D)do not work outside academia.
Answer: A
Q2) What are three key attributes related to human uniqueness?
A)eating, sleeping, and watching television
B)increased hunting, speech, and dependence on domesticated food
C)hunting, avoiding predators, and tool making
D)sleeping, hunting, and making clothing
Answer: B
Q3) Before AD 1000, what did the people of St.Catherines Island eat?
A)They ate wild animals, fish, and wild plants.
B)They ate bison and salmon.
C)They were vegetarians and ate wild plants exclusively.
D)They ate mostly fruit.
Answer: A
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3
Chapter 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory
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40 Verified Questions
40 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Darwin drew on information from the following five scientific disciplines:
A)geology, physical anthropology, taxonomy and systematics, demography, and evolutionary biology.
B)geology, paleontology, taxonomy and systematics, geography, and evolutionary biology.
C)geology, paleontology, taxonomy and systematics, demography, and biology.
D)geology, paleontology, taxonomy and systematics, demography, and evolutionary biology.
Answer: D
Q2) What are the classification levels of humans from order to species?
A)Chordata, Mammalia, Haplorhini, Hominoidea, Homo, and sapiens
B)Primates, Haplorhini, Anthropoidea, Catarrhini, Hominoidea, Hominidea, Homininae, Hominine, Homo, and sapiens
C)Primates, Strepsirhini, Catarrhini, Hominoidea, Hominidea, Homo, and sapiens
D)Mammalia, Platyrrhini, Hominioidea, Hominidae, Homo, and sapiens
Answer: B
Q3) Discuss the forces of evolution and their role in evolution.
Answer: Natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift, and mutations are all acceptable answers.
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing
Variation
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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Define polygenic and pleiotropic traits and explain their significance for researchers' efforts to link human genotypes to phenotypes.
Answer: The relationship between most genes and their phenotypes is complex and does not follow simple patterns of Mendelian inheritance (one gene for one trait).Polygenic traits are determined by genes at two or more loci, but the genes cannot be identified individually and the phenotypes are also influenced by environmental factors.In humans, the many polygenic traits include height, skin color, and eye color.Children's skin color and eye color may be very different from their parents'.Pleiotropy refers to the fact that a single allele can have multiple effects and affect more than one trait.The PKU allele affects mental abilities and the coloration of hair and skin.A person who inherits this allele will have the disease phenylketonuria, characterized by a missing enzyme that leads to mental retardation as well as reduced hair and skin pigmentation.One trait can be affected by more than one gene, and each of those genes may also affect several other traits.Most complex traits in humans are polygenic and pleiotropic, complicating our efforts to link genes to phenotypes.
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics
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43 Verified Questions
43 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Spontaneous mutation is the result of:
A)unknown causes.
B)x-rays.
C)toxic chemicals.
D)UV radiation.
Q2) Australian aborigines are an endogamous society.This means that marriage and reproduction take place within the group, leading to:
A)increased genetic diversity through genetic drift.
B)migration without gene flow.
C)more genetic diversity than would be observed in an exogamous society.
D)decreased genetic diversity due to a lack of admixture.
Q3) Which of the evolutionary forces is most likely to decrease variation between populations?
A)gene flow
B)the founder effect
C)mutation
D)natural selection
Q4) Explain how the founder effect can lead to a descendent population that differs greatly from its parent population over a relatively short period of time.
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Chapter 5: Biology in the Present: Living People
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45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Allen's rule indicates that humans will have:
A)larger lungs in hot environments and smaller lungs in cold environments.
B)smaller bodies in cold environments and larger bodies in hot environments.
C)longer limbs in hot environments and shorter limbs in cold environments.
D)taller bodies in cold environments and shorter bodies in hot environments.
Q2) The American economist David Seckler incorrectly hypothesized that:
A)growth accelerates and decelerates according to various life stages.
B)undernourished populations experience accelerated growth and development.
C)there is a relationship between genes and the environment.
D)shortness in height is an adaptation to reduced food supplies.
Q3) Relative to people with a history of living in temperate climates, the Inuit and other cold-adapted populations:
A)have lower BMRs.
B)consume more carbohydrates.
C)reduce peripheral body temperatures to maintain core temperatures.
D)have short limbs and large bodies.
Q4) How does human life history (prenatal stage, infancy, childhood, juvenile stage, adolescence, adulthood, old age) determine the interaction between genes and environment?
Q5) Is race a valid, biologically meaningful concept? Why or why not?
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Chapter 6: Biology in the Present: the Other Living Primates
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53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Low, rounded cusps indicate a diet of:
A)fruit.
B)meat.
C)insects.
D)leaves.
Q2) The dental pattern of Old World higher primates is:
A)2-1-2-3.
B)2-1-3-3.
C)2-2-2-3.
D)2-2-3-3.
Q3) Discuss the primate parental investment in terms of success in natural selection.What are the most important aspects of primate parenting and what is their value to socialization?
Q4) A feature unique to human teeth and human ancestors' teeth is:
A)the presence of a canine-premolar honing complex.
B)a canine that shows no wear on any surface.
C)the Y-5 cusp pattern.
D)a canine that shows wear on the tip.
Q5) Discuss the anatomical differences of the skeleton between (bipedal) humans and (quadrupedal) apes.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture
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46 Verified Questions
46 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Natural selection generally favors behaviors that:
A)increase body size.
B)increase brain size.
C)limit population size.
D)enhance survival and reproduction.
Q2) Male primates compete for access to females and to maintain social groupings through all of the following social strategies EXCEPT: A)infanticide.
B)vocalizing through loud territorial calls.
C)fighting to maintain dominance of a one-male, multifemale group
D)forming long-term cooperative relationships with multiple females.
Q3) Chimpanzee communication involves different combinations of sounds, such as:
A)screams, gnashing, and hissing.
B)grunts, pants, and hoots.
C)howling, hoots, and high-pitched screams.
D)pants, coos, and gurgles.
Q4) Describe some examples of learned behavior and cultural traditions among primates.
Q5) Describe the range of primate residence patterns.Relate social grouping to food and reproduction.
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Chapter 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature
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48 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Coinciding with the appearance of early hominins about 5-10 mya, the climate was:
A)increasingly wet and rainy.
B)increasingly hot and humid.
C)increasingly dry and seasonal.
D)less temperate.
Q2) The English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions was:
A)William Smith.
B)Charles Lyell.
C)Alfred Wallace.
D)Richard Owen.
Q3) Thermoluminescence dating can provide dates when used on which types of materials?
A)sediment, stone, and ceramics
B)bone, wood, and stone
C)bone, shell, and fabric
D)shell, ceramics, and wood
Q4) Why is punctuated equilibrium an important addition to natural selection?
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Chapter 9: Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years
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44 Verified Questions
44 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A species that is adapted to a wide range of environments, climates, and diets is:
A)highly specialized.
B)likely undergoing further evolution.
C)biologically diverse.
D)likely to go extinct.
Q2) Like that of Dryopithecus, a modern gorilla mandible has:
A)sharp, high crests on the teeth.
B)large canines and no diastema.
C)a Y-5 molar pattern and Sinodonty.
D)a Y-5 molar pattern; low, rounded cusps; large canines; and a diastema.
Q3) Which anatomical feature would you expect to find in the fossil remains of a nocturnal species?
A)long legs
B)pointy teeth
C)large eye orbits
D)short fingers and toes
Q4) Why is the Fayum depression in Egypt such an important site for understanding the origin and diversification of anthropoid primates?
Q5) Name and briefly describe the three hypotheses of primate origins.
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Chapter 10: Early Hominin Origins and Evolution: the Roots of Humanity
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47 Verified Questions
47 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The ravine in northern Tanzania where many early hominin fossils have been recovered (often referred to as the "cradle of humankind") is:
A)Lake Turkana.
B)Olduvai Gorge.
C)Swartkrans.
D)Hadar.
Q2) Beginning more than 3 mya, at least two lineages of hominin emerged, one that led to the genus Homo and one that:
A)included the now extinct descendants of Au.afarensis.
B)gave rise to the genus Ardipithecus.
C)was an evolution of other australopithecine lineages.
D)ended with Au.africanus.
Q3) Australopithecus robustus was likely the longest-surviving species of australopithecine in South Africa.It had:
A)a big brain, big teeth, and a big face.
B)large molars, a big face, and a sagittal crest.
C)a large body, large teeth, and a sagittal crest.
D)a big face, large teeth, and a large body.
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Chapter 11: The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Homo erectus was likely the first hominid to successfully migrate to regions beyond Africa.Discuss how the biology and culture of Homo erectus led to its success on three major continents with varying environments.
Q3) The Dmanisi B fossils from the Republic of Georgia are dated to:
A)1.0 mya.
B)800,000 yBP.
C)1.7 mya.
D)2.5 mya.
Q4) Fossil evidence of cutmarks 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
Page 13
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Chapter 12: The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People
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45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A hominid fossil that has a long, low skull, projecting face and occipital bone, and large nasal aperture is likely to be classified as having _______ characteristics.
A)modern
B)australopithecine
C)archaic
D)apelike
Q2) Neandertals' cold-adapted traits include:
A)a narrow nasal aperture.
B)long limbs.
C)a wide torso.
D)a projecting midface.
Q3) Painted perforated shells are evidence that Neandertals:
A)traded with modern humans.
B)used body ornaments.
C)used symbolism.
D)both b.and c.
Q4) Discuss which anatomical traits are used to contrast modern humans' physical appearance with that of similar hominids.Which are derived and which are ancestral? Are these traits biological adaptation, as in the case of Neandertals?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Our Last 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, and
Biology
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Sample Questions
Q1) Agricultural foods eventually shifted nutrition from a generalized diet to one focused on:
A)carbohydrates.
B)high levels of fat.
C)poorer-quality protein.
D)both a.and c.
Q2) Common types of plants exist mostly in areas of the world with temperate climates and they include a range of crops and their wild ancestors such as:
A)rye and rice.
B)sorghum and millet.
C)wheat and barley.
D)both a.and c.
Q3) The human population increase of the Holocene was probably due to:
A)a decrease in disease as a result of sedentism.
B)more effective medical practices.
C)decreased birth spacing.
D)a dramatic increase in nutritional quality as a result of agriculture.
Q4) Discuss how the process of globalization affects human biocultural variation today.
Page 15
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