Physical Anthropology
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
Physical Anthropology is the scientific study of human biological diversity, evolution, and adaptation. This course examines the origins and development of the human species by exploring genetics, fossil records, primatology, and human variation in contemporary populations. Key topics include evolutionary theory, the biology and behavior of primates, fossil evidence for human evolution, and the ways in which humans adapt to their environments. Through lectures, hands-on activities, and readings, students gain insight into the biological aspects of what it means to be human and how these characteristics have been shaped over time by both natural and cultural factors.
Recommended Textbook
Physical Anthropology 11th Edition by Philip L Stein
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Chapter 1: Investigating the Nature of Humankind
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Sample Questions
Q1) Charles Lyell
A)principle of use and disuse
B)"lightning stones" considered to be artifacts
C)natural selection
D)uniformitarianism
Answer: D
Q2) The concept of uniformitarianism states that:
A)the human genome is uniform throughout the world
B)the basis skeletal structure of the primates show much uniformity
C)the mechanism of heredity is uniform throughout the animal kingdom
D)the physical laws of nature are uniform throughout time
Answer: D
Q3) The practical application of anthropological knowledge to real-world concerns is called:
A)academic anthropology
B)lived anthropology
C)applied anthropology
D)realistic anthropology
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: The Study of Heredity
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Sample Questions
Q1) prophase
A)interim period
B)chromatids pulled to opposite poles
C)chromosomes become visible
D)spindle develops
E)new nuclear membrane forms
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following statements about meiosis is correct?
A)meiosis takes place only in the testes and the ovaries
B)the chromosome number is cut in half
C)there are two cycles of division
D)all of the above are correct
Answer: D
Q3) segregation
A)having the same alleles of the same gene
B)the inheritance patterns of differing traits are independent of one another
C)in the production of sex cells,the paired hereditary units separate into different sex cells
D)bred only with the same kind and shows the same trait over many generations
Answer: C
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Chapter 3: The Modern Study of Human Genetics
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Q1) Chromosomal abnormalities:
A)never occur
B)occur only when there is an abnormal number of chromosomes
C)may be the result of breaks in the chromosome
D)are not a significant source of miscarriages
Answer: C
Q2) Important differences among red blood cells were discovered by:
A)Gregor Mendel
B)Karl Landsteiner
C)James Watson
D)Francis Galton
Answer: B
Q3) Hemophilia is due to the presence of an allele on:
A)the X chromosome
B)the Y chromosome
C)an autosome
D)none of the above
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Population Genetics
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Q1) If the frequency of a recessive allele is 0.7,it follows that the frequency of the dominant allele would be:
A)0.30
B)0.40
C)0.60
D)0.90
Q2) Genetic equilibrium refers to:
A)a population with equal amounts of dominant and recessive alleles
B)a situation in which there is no change in the frequency of alleles in a population
C)individuals who are the most fit in a population
D)a population in which matings are completely random
Q3) If in a population 25 percent are nontasters (tt),the frequency of the recessive allele would be:
A)0.05
B)0.10
C)0.25
D)0.50
Q4) In genetic terms,what is a population? How can the phenotype and genotype of a population be described?
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Chapter 5: Natural Selection and the Origin of Species
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Q1) A selective agent places __________on certain individuals in the population.
A)selective advantage
B)selective pressure
C)differential pressure
D)differential advantage
Q2) Preadaptation:
A)refers to the potential to adapt to a new niche
B)refers to the need to adapt to a new niche
C)would more often characterize an ecologically specialized species as opposed to a generalized one
D)is not important to species that remain within one locality
Q3) Because inclusive fitness refers to altruistic acts that benefit relatives,it is sometimes called:
A)altruistic selection
B)genetic determinism
C)relative selection
D)kin selection
Q4) How does natural selection act upon a population to change gene frequencies?
Q5) Explain the differences between natural selection,sexual selection,and kin selection.
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Chapter 6: Peoples Place in Nature
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Sample Questions
Q1) The first jaws evolved from:
A)gill bars
B)vertebral spines
C)pectoral girdle
D)none of the above
Q2) In the name Presbytis entellus,Presbytis is the name of the:
A)species
B)family
C)subspecies
D)genus
Q3) kingdom
A)Primates
B)Mammalia
C)Chordata
D)Animalia
E)Vertebrata
Q4) analogy
A)similarities in the bones of the forearms in many vertebrates
B)similarities between the Tasmanian wolf and a North American wolf
C)similarities between the wings of a bat and the wings of a fly
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Chapter 7: The Living Primates
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Q1) lemurs and lorises
A)Prosimii
B)Anthropoidea
Q2) Knuckle-walking is characteristic of the:
A)lemur
B)baboon
C)chimpanzee
D)gibbon
Q3) ischial callosities
A)Cercopithecidae
B)Lemuridae
C)Ponginae
D)Cebidae
E)Gorillinae
Q4) Many of the shared derived features of primates are related to:
A)movement in arboreal habitats
B)swimming in aquatic habitats
C)running in terrestrial habitats
D)none of the above
Q5) Why are so many species of nonhuman primates on the verge of extinction?
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Comparative Studies: Anatomy and Genetics
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Sample Questions
Q1) The zygomatic arch refers to the:
A)cheekbone
B)bony socket that surrounds the eye
C)flange for the attachment of neck muscles
D)eardrum
Q2) When looking at a human,which of the following appeared earliest in evolutionary history?
A)large brain
B)lumbar curve
C)fingernails
D)closed eye socket
Q3) In contrast to ape canine teeth,human canine teeth:
A)do not show sexual dimorphism
B)are not accompanied by a diastema
C)erupt before the second and third molars
D)all of the above
Q4) brachiation
A)legs longer than arms
B)arms longer than legs
C)arms and legs nearly the same length
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Chapter 9: Onhuman Primate Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) Primatologists study primate behavior in:
A)natural populations
B)zoo populations
C)provisioned populations
D)all of the above
Q2) When a gibbon reaches about six years of age:
A)both males and females leave the group
B)he or she becomes integrated as an adult member of the group
C)males become integrated into the group but females leave
D)females become integrated into the group but males leave
Q3) play behavior
A)behavior involving fights,threats,and fleeing
B)intense,repetitive physical activity
C)pseudo-sexual behavior between males
Q4) In describing chimpanzee social organization,a gathering refers to a(n):
A)hunting party
B)unit consisting of a male,female,and young
C)group that contains more than half of the individuals of the community
D)all-male group
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Chapter 10: Human Behavior in Perspective
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Q1) In terms of mating activities,humans differ from other primates in that:
A)humans do not practice mother-son mating
B)human groups are inbreeding
C)human females are potentially receptive at all times
D)humans show external signs of estrus
Q2) The earliest farming dates to about:
A)36,000 years ago
B)28,000 years ago
C)18,000 years ago
D)13,000 years ago
Q3) Studies of primates have shown that:
A)only humans display any signs of cultural behavior
B)only humans are capable of learning from experience
C)a and b
D)monkeys and apes display the beginning aspects of culture
Q4) The term protoculture refers to:
A)the cultural activities of children
B)the earliest evidence of culture found in prehistoric human societies
C)simple cultural activities found in monkey and ape societies
D)innate behaviors commonly found in all mammals
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Chapter 11: The Record of the Past
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Q1) species
A)a group of organisms defined by their ability to interbreed
B)a group of organisms defined by arbitrary divisions of an evolutionary line
C)a group of organisms defined in terms of morphological variation
Q2) Sedimentation rates:
A)vary depending on environmental conditions
B)are uniform throughout time and are therefore the best means for absolute dating
C)can change,causing unconformities
D)a and c
Q3) Paleocene
A)most recent period of geologic time
B)most recent era of geologic time
C)oldest epoch of most recent era
D)time of most recent series of ice ages
Q4) Dendrochronology refers to:
A)carbon dating
B)tree-ring dating
C)dental dating
D)fluoride dating
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Chapter 12: The Early Primate Fossil Record and the Origins of the
Hominins
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Q1) What are some of the features of the infraorder Parapithecoidea? What are some of the features of this taxon and some representative genera?
Q2) Darwinius is a well-preserved fossil from:
A)China
B)East Africa
C)Europe
D)North America
Q3) The hominoids most likely evolved from the:
A)propliopithecids
B)parapithecids
C)pithecids
D)cercopithecoids
Q4) Orrorin tugenensis dates to around:
A)1 million B.P.
B)3 million B.P.
C)4 million B.P.
D)6 million B.P.
Q5) What are the major differences between the Adapidae and Omomyidae?
Page 14
Q6) What are the earliest anthropoid fossils? Where have they been found and how old are they?
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Chapter 13: The Early Hominins
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Q1) The skeleton of the human hand differs from that of the chimpanzee hand in that the human hand is characterized by:
A)tactile pads and nails
B)an opposable thumb
C)three more muscles in the thumb
D)all of the above
Q2) The australopithecine foorprints at Laetoli were formed when australopithecines:
A)walked on cooling lava flows
B)walked on wet volcanic ash
C)escaped from a tar pit
D)wore shoes
Q3) Specific anatomical adaptations for a tough,fibrous diet include:
A)thickened tooth enamel
B)large molars and premolars
C)flared zygomatic arches
D)all of the above
Q4) What ideas exist on the use of tools by Paranthropus? What evidence is there?
Q5) What evidence exists that sheds light on the locomotor behavior of Australopithecus? How would you describe this behavior?
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Chapter 14: Early Species of the Genus Homo
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Q1) oldest Homo erectus from Europe
A)from Java
B)H.habilis
C)"Turkana Boy"
D)from Georgia
E)2.4-million-year-old fossil from Kenya
Q2) Neandertals have been found in:
A)Yugoslavia
B)Russia
C)Israel
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
Q3) The motor hypothesis of language suggests that the initial event that led to the modern motor capacity for language was the:
A)evolution of erect bipedalism
B)ability to manufacture stone tools
C)shift to hunting from scavenging
D)ability to use a precision grip
Q4) Some people see the beginnings of many cultural behaviors with the Neandertals.What are some of these behaviors?
Page 17
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Chapter 15: The Evolution of Homo Sapiens
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Q1) well-developed brow ridges
A)Neandertals
B)modern humans
Q2) People in the Upper Paleolithic:
A)were most likely scavengers
B)practiced cooperative hunting
C)used projectile technology
D)b and c
Q3) Beringia:
A)may have been 2,000 kilometers wide
B)connects Europe to Asia
C)refers to a group of islands in the Pacific
D)is an area around Berlin where numerous fossils have been found
Q4) What are the two general ideas about the origin of Homo sapiens? Give some of the evidence for each.
Q5) The "Mitochondrial Eve" hypothesis traces all modern populations back to:
A)Africa,200,000 years ago
B)Africa,500,000 years ago
C)Europe,100,000 years ago
D)Asia,200,000 years ago
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Chapter 16: The Biology of Modern Homo Sapiens
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Q1) In desert habitats the most significant method of ridding the body of excess heat is:
A)evaporation
B)convection
C)radiation
D)conduction
Q2) Which of the following is an example of a secondary sexual characteristic?
A)development of facial hair in the male
B)deepening of the voice in the male
C)increase in the width of the hips in the female
D)all of the above
Q3) Differences between the male and female human skeletons include:
A)male bones are thicker and stronger than female bones
B)the female pelvis is adapted for childbearing
C)areas where muscles attach to bone show that males are more adapted to lifting and throwing
D)all of the above
Q4) Describe the process of aging.Do people in different areas of the world age differently?
Q5) Describe how bones grow.What is meant by bone age?
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Chapter 17: The Analysis of Human Variation
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Q1) The selective pressure acting on the ABO blood system may be that people with blood types O and B are resistant to:
A)sickle-cell anemia
B)phenylketonuria
C)smallpox
D)tuberculosis
Q2) Albinism is common among the Hopi because:
A)Native Americans carry the albino allele at higher rates
B)being albino conferred a selective advantage against smallpox
C)of Hopi cultural practices that favored albinos
D)none of the above
Q3) Scientific classifications are:
A)ends in themselves
B)means of discovering relationships
C)derived from empirical studies
D)b and c
E)all of the above
Q4) Some researchers believe that the concept of race as applied to humans is more of a social concept than a biological one.Explain this point of view.
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Chapter 18: The Modern World
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Q1) As of 2013 it is estimated that the total number of nuclear warheads in the world is about ______:
A)300
B)3,000
C)19,000
D)90,000
Q2) The dependence on mechanization to produce products and render services is called:
A)urbanization
B)industrialism
C)the Iron Age
D)civilization
Q3) zymotics
A)a molecule
B)acid rain
C)some destroyed,but thousands remain
D)affect the endocrine system
E)might be gone by 2035
Q4) Through the study of paleopathology,what have anthropologists been able to figure out about the Neandertals?
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