Introduction to Physical Anthropology Exam Review
Course Introduction
Introduction to Physical Anthropology explores the biological and evolutionary foundations of the human species. The course examines key topics such as genetics, human evolution, primate behavior, fossil discoveries, and the physical adaptations of past and present human populations. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining biology, archaeology, and anthropology, students will gain an understanding of how humans have evolved over time and the biological diversity that defines our species today. This course provides a foundational perspective for anyone interested in the scientific study of humanitys physical development and place in the natural world.
Recommended Textbook
Our Origins Discovering Physical Anthropology 2nd Edition by Clark Spencer Larsen
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Page 2
Chapter 1: What Is Physical Anthropology
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Q1) Postcontact Indian children on the Georgia coast:
A)ate less corn than Indian children there before AD 1000.
B)ate more corn than Indian children there before AD 1000.
C)experienced caries more than Indian children there before AD 1000.
D)both B and C
Answer: D
Q2) Charles Darwin:
A)was a theologian during the twentieth century.
B)was an English naturalist in the 1800s.
C)hypothesized about human origins in the 1700s.
D)was a scientist during the Enlightenment.
Answer: B
Q3) How is biocultural anthropology different from cultural anthropology?
A)It combines cultural studies with archaeology.
B)It examines the interaction between genetics and culture in shaping human biology.
C)It is strictly a biological science.
D)It considers culture to be a byproduct of our biological histories.
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory
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Q1) The geneticist who studied the workings of fruit flies' chromosomes was:
A)Charles Darwin.
B)Gregor Mendel.
C)Thomas Hunt Morgan.
D)Thomas Huxley.
Answer: C
Q2) What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?
Answer: Scientists working in geology,paleontology,taxonomy and systematics,demography,and what is now evolutionary biology had shown that the earth is old and has changed over its history;fossils represent remains of once living,sometimes extinct,organisms and provide a record of the history of life;life evolves over time;groups of related species provide insight into evolutionary history;and the number of adults in a population tends to remain the same over time.
Q3) The combined efforts of Rosalind Franklin,James Watson,and Francis Crick helped explain how chromosomes are replicated.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing
Variation
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Q1) Discuss some of the possible medical outcomes of the Human Genome Project.
Answer: As discussed in the text,the mapping of the genome provides insight into human biology and sheds light on our evolutionary history.Genomics has the potential to revolutionize medicine.Genetic tests already exist for more than a thousand genetically based diseases.Such tests rely on finding the location of the gene that causes or leads to a particular disease.For example,osteoporosis is a serious and expensive health problem among older people in the U.S.In this case,genetics researchers have used baboons as a model to connect bone-density losses with genetic relationships.By studying genes held in common by baboons who have suffered bone loss,the researchers have isolated one likely baboon gene equivalent to a human gene on chromosome 11.In identifying a likely genetic link to osteoporosis,this study provides a new pathway for diagnosis and potentially for treatments.
Q2) Prokaryotes first appeared:
A)10,000 years ago.
B)1 mya.
C)3.7 bya.
D)65 mya.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics
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Q1) The vector for transmitting the malarial parasite to humans is:
A)dirty drinking water.
B)mosquitoes.
C)rats.
D)monkeys.
Q2) Which of the following is NOT a genetic disorder that decreases susceptibility to malaria?
A)G6PD deficiency (favism)
B)sickle-cell anemia
C)Huntington's chorea
D)thalassemia
Q3) A study of Darwin's finches after a long period of drought found that all species of finch on one of the islands have developed wide beaks in order to break open seeds.The type of evolution that leads to this phenotype distribution is:
A)directional selection.
B)natural selection.
C)disruptive selection.
D)stabilizing selection.
Q4) Why is the peppered moth an excellent example of directional selection?
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Chapter 5: Biology in the Present: Living People
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Q1) Inherited human adaptations include all of the following EXCEPT:
A)genetic adaptation at the population level.
B)acclimatization.
C)more efficient use of oxygen.
D)none of the above
Q2) Robert 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) When epiphyses fuse to the diaphyses:
A)long bone growth is slowed.
B)full adult height is attained.
C)the adolescent growth spurt begins.
D)is largely determined by the environment.
Q4) 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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Q1) Describe similarities and differences in diet and dentition among prosimians,Old World monkeys and apes.
Q2) Primate females:
A)invest less in their offspring than do many other mammals.
B)give birth to more offspring than do most other mammals.
C)give birth to fewer offspring than do many other mammals.
D)none of the above
Q3) The typical dental formulas of lorises and lemurs is:
A)2 / 1 / 3 / 3.
B)1 / 1 / 3 / 3.
C)2 / 1 / 3 / 2.
D)2 / 1 / 2 / 3.
Q4) The suborder prosimians includes:
A)only nocturnal species.
B)only diurnal species.
C)diurnal and nocturnal galagos.
D)diurnal and nocturnal lemurs.
Q5) Describe distinctive features of primate parenting relative to that of other mammals.
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) Although altruistic behavior benefits others while being a disadvantage to the altruistic individual,it likely exists in primate societies because:
A)altruistic behaviors are not directed randomly but toward related individuals.
B)altruistic behaviors are an example of kin selection.
C)altruistic behaviors are likely to be observed in groups where there is high genetic relatedness among individuals.
D)all of the above
Q2) Food quality is important for feeding success because:
A)high-quality food provides energy and protein that are readily digestible.
B)high-quality food is high in non-digestible cellulose such as that found in mature leaves.
C)not all primates have anatomical adaptations to adjust for differences in food quality.
D)both A and C
Q3) All of the anthropoids live in social groups EXCEPT:
A)tamarins.
B)gibbons.
C)howler monkeys. D)orangutans.
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Chapter 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature
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Q1) The absolute dating technique that emerged as a result of research into constructing the atomic bomb during World War II is:
A)fission track dating.
B)14C dating.
C)40K/40Ar dating.
D)thermoluminescence dating.
Q2) One of the only fossil sites in the world that preserves a great deal of evidence for anthropoid evolution during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs is:
A)Cambria,England.
B)Zhoukoudian,China.
C)Fayum,Egypt.
D)Solnhofen,Germany.
Q3) The earth is about 4.6 billion years old.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Now-fossilized foraminifera with shells enriched in 18O lived during relatively warm periods.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Primate Origins and Evolution: The First 50
Million Years
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Q1) The most likely contender for the common ancestor of all later catarrhines is: A)Oligopithecus.
B)Aegyptopithecus.
C)Parapithecus.
D)Apidium.
Q2) The calcaneus (heel bone)of Eosimias suggests that it may be a very primitive: A)primate.
B)anthropoid.
C)New World monkey.
D)ape.
Q3) Which of the following is NOT true of the Eocene euprimates?
A)They possessed postorbital bars.
B)They had grasping digits on both hands and feet.
C)They were quite large,greater than 20 kg (44 lbs).
D)They had relatively large brains.
Q4) Discuss the reasons why Paleocene-aged plesiadapiforms should or should not be included in the order Primates.
Q5) Given the proliferation of apes during the Miocene,how do scientists explain the comparative rarity of living ape species at present?
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Chapter 10: Early Hominid Origins and Evolution: The Roots of Humanity
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Q1) Describe in detail three theories aiming to explain the adaptive success of bipedal locomotion.
Q2) Evidence indicating that Orrorin tugenensis was bipedal comes mainly from which part of the skeleton?
A)femur (thighbone)
B)skull
C)foot
D)pelvis
Q3) Bipedal locomotion preceded the appearance of large brains during the course of hominid evolution.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Australopithecus garhi has been proposed as an ancestor for Homo mainly because:
A)it had a bigger brain than other australopithecines.
B)it had smaller molar teeth than other australopithecines.
C)it had longer legs relative to arm length than other australopithecines.
D)it was bipedal.
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Q5) Name and briefly describe five key traits of modern humans that the living great apes do not display.
Chapter 11: The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo
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Q1) 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
Q2) 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
Q3) 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.
Q4) Contrast the cranial and dental anatomy and adaptation of Australopithecus robustus as compared to African Homo erectus.
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Chapter 12: The Origins,evolution,and Dispersal of Modern People
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Q1) The Paleoindian skull from Kennewick,in Washington State: A)was recovered from an elaborate burial.
B)represents an early Eskimo population.
C)looks quite different from modern Native Americans' skulls. D)is about 3,000 years old.
Q2) Which modern human population exhibits the greatest genetic diversity today?
A)Native Americans
B)sub-Saharan Africans
C)Aboriginal Australians
D)East Asians
Q3) Partial skulls of two adults and of one child,dating to around 160,000 yBP and exhibiting mostly modern human features,come from:
A)Olduvai Gorge,Tanzania.
B)Herto,Ethiopia.
C)Border Cave,South Africa.
D)Skhul,Israel.
Q4) What "symbolic" behavior is evident in the archeological record and associated with anatomically modern humans in Europe beginning around 35,000 yBP (Upper Paleolithic)?
Page 14
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Q1) The stable forms of carbon used in isotopic analyses to reconstruct diet are 12C and 14C.
A)True B)False
Q2) Abnormal expansion of a bone's diameter as a result of infection is:
A)osteoarthritis.
B)megaosteopathy.
C)periosteal reaction.
D)big bone syndrome.
Q3) Biochemist Richard Marlar provided definitive evidence for cannibalism in Cowboy Wash,Colorado,with the discovery of:
A)cut marks on bones.
B)blood on stone tools.
C)human muscle protein in human coprolites (fossil feces).
D)skulls showing blunt force trauma.
Q4) Improper alignment of the upper and lower dentition is called malocclusion.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Evolution: Today and Tomorrow
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Q1) According to the text,among Ribeirinhos communities in Brazil,involvement in the market economy resulted in:
A)increased levels of malnutrition.
B)adult males becoming more obese than females.
C)adult females becoming more obese than males.
D)none of the above
Q2) Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation at the CCR5 locus that reduces susceptibility to HIV-AIDS infection.The mutation appears:
A)less common in European than in Asian populations.
B)most common in African populations.
C)likely related to increased resistance to smallpox and plague in Europe about 5,000 yBP.
D)none of the above
Q3) Evidence for continued biological evolution in humans and in other organisms includes all of the following EXCEPT:
A)increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant strains of tuberculosis.
B)high frequencies of the sickle-cell trait in malaria-endemic areas.
C)technological solutions for coping with climate change.
D)antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria in hospitals.
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