Course Introduction
Physical Anthropology
Question Bank
Physical Anthropology is the scientific study of human biology within the framework of evolution, focusing on the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their related non-human primates, and their extinct ancestors. This course explores topics such as human evolution, the fossil record, genetics, primatology, human variation, and adaptation to different environments. Students will investigate how humans have evolved physically and how biological factors interact with culture over time, gaining an understanding of both the similarities and differences that exist within the human species.
Recommended Textbook
Our Origins Discovering Physical Anthropology 2nd Edition by Clark Spencer Larsen
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14 Chapters
763 Verified Questions
763 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: What Is Physical Anthropology
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Sample Questions
Q1) Your friend Susan explains to you that she recently saw a televised debate regarding the presence of material culture in nonhuman animals.Susan agreed with the individual who claimed that objects used to manipulate environments were one of the defining characteristics of humans.When asked what your opinion is as an anthropologist,you say:
A)Material culture is an important characteristic of only human culture,as it allows us to live and survive in diverse environments.
B)While material culture is important for humans,it has recently been argued to be present in chimpanzee societies.
C)Material culture doesn't exist until the Dark Ages.
D)Material culture is an important characteristic for all mammals.
Answer: B
Q2) Forensic anthropology differs from biocultural anthropology in which of the following ways?
A)applies anthropological techniques to modern crime scenes and disasters
B)is the study of trauma in ancient populations
C)examines the relationship between biological and cultural evolution
D)is the study of nonhuman primates
Answer: A
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory
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Sample Questions
Q1) How is the concept of catastrophism different from the concept of uniformitarianism?
A)Catastrophism is the idea that the shape of the earth's surface gradually shifts over time.
B)Catastrophism is only the result of human-induced changes.
C)Unlike uniformitarianism,catastrophism is the result of a single event.
D)none of the above
Answer: C
Q2) James Hutton is associated with:
A)adaptation.
B)catastrophism.
C)uniformitarianism.
D)principles of heredity.
Answer: C
Q3) Mutation is the only source of new genetic material.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing
Variation
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Sample Questions
Q1) DNA replication takes place only during the production of new gametes.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) A doctor finds that the mammary glands of a woman are not functioning due to a genetic abnormality that influences the structural design of the thoracic cavity.This is likely:
A)the result of a mutation on the sex chromosomes.
B)the result of a mutation on a Hox gene.
C)the result of a mutation in HSV-1.
D)none of the above
Answer: B
Q3) DNA is important for protein synthesis because:
A)it is biological code for the production of hormones and enzymes.
B)it serves as a template for protein production.
C)it provides the code to produce structural proteins.
D)all of the above
Answer: D
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Chapter 4: Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics
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Sample Questions
Q1) The ABO and MN blood-type frequencies of the Dunkers differ significantly from those of current American and German populations due to:
A)genetic drift.
B)natural selection.
C)gene flow.
D)mutation.
Q2) 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.
Q3) Mutations to which cells are most likely to have significant evolutionary consequences?
A)sex cells (gametes)
B)red blood cells
C)skin pigment cells
D)brain cells
Q4) Reproductive isolation is key to the development of individual species.
A)True
B)False
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Biology in the Present: Living People
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Sample Questions
Q1) The postnatal stage in humans consists of:
A)the neonatal period.
B)the neonatal period through the end of lactation.
C)infancy,childhood,juvenile period,puberty,adolescence,and adulthood.
D)the neonatal period,infancy,juvenile period,puberty,and adolescence.
Q2) While conducting a study on hypoxia among individuals living in the Peruvian Andes you have been able to show that individuals in the population have likely suffered hypoxia and/or resided there for long periods of time.You know this because:
A)individuals in your sample have a smaller chest cavity than do individuals who live in the village at the base of the mountains.
B)individuals who moved to the region as children have greater lung volumes than individuals who moved to the area as adults.
C)individuals in the population had very low red blood cell counts.
D)none of the above
Q3) Vasodilation is the expansion of blood vessels near the body's surface in response to excessive cold.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Biology in the Present: The Other Living Primates
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Q1) A feature unique only 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.
Q2) The typical catarrhine dental formula is:
A)1 / 1 / 2 / 3.
B)2 / 1 / 3 / 3.
C)2 / 1 / 2 / 3.
D)3 / 1 / 2 / 3.
Q3) Primates are flexible and not particularly vulnerable to habitat change and hunting.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Sagittal crests are pronounced in some primates with highly developed masticatory muscles.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Compare and contrast both the anatomy and the special senses of prosimians and anthropoids.
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Chapter 7: Primate Sociality, social Behavior, and Culture
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Sample Questions
Q1) All of the anthropoids live in social groups EXCEPT: A)tamarins.
B)gibbons.
C)howler monkeys.
D)orangutans.
Q2) Certain primate vocalizations have been found to possess structural elements similar to those observed in human language:
A)through the discovery of the potential use of affixation by species of arboreal monkey.
B)through the discovery that nonhuman primates continue to produce new sounds throughout the course of life.
C)through the discovery that all primate vocalizations are referential.
D)none of the above
Q3) Grooming relationships reinforce social structures and cement social bonds. A)True
B)False
Q4) Altruistic behavior occurs when both individuals benefit from the behavior. A)True
B)False
Q5) Why are primates social?
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Chapter 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature
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Q1) The absolute dating method that involves counting the annual rings visible in the cross-section of a tree is called:
A)fission track dating.
B)arborchronology.
C)luminescence dating.
D)dendrochronology.
Q2) Which of the following is NOT one of the eras within the Phanerozoic eon?
A)Mesozoic
B)Cenozoic
C)Protozoic
D)Paleozoic
Q3) The significant drying up of the Mediterranean Basin at the end of the Oligocene epoch was probably due to:
A)an intense period of global warming.
B)the African Plate rotating away from the Eurasian Plate.
C)the appearance of huge ice sheets in Antarctica.
D)the formation of the Alps.
Q4) C4 plants are associated with open grasslands typical of tropical savannahs.
A)True
B)False
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Primate Origins and Evolution: The First 50
Million Years
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Q1) The skeleton of most Miocene apes was more like that of living monkeys than like that of living apes.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Sivapithecus is widely recognized as an ancestral member of which ape lineage?
A)gorilla
B)orangutan
C)chimpanzee
D)gibbon
Q3) Gigantopithecus,the largest primate that ever lived,weighed approximately:
A)3 kg
B)30 kg
C)300 kg
D)3,000 kg
Q4) Miocene victoriapithecids are considered primitive ancestors of all living New World monkeys.
A)True
B)False
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Q5) Discuss the reasons why Paleocene-aged plesiadapiforms should or should not be included in the order Primates.
Chapter 10: Early Hominid Origins and Evolution: The Roots of Humanity
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Q1) The first hominids appeared in Africa about 2-3 mya.
A)True
B)False
Q2) All the early hominids from Africa older than 2 million years possessed small brains,the size of apes'.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In 1959,Louis Leakey described the first specimen of Australopithecus ever discovered.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The discovery and scrutiny surrounding Eoanthropus dawsoni is an excellent example of the utility of:
A)flourine analysis to detect teeth that have been physically altered.
B)using preconceived ideas of human evolutionary patterns to identify potential hominid species.
C)the scientific method as a way of continually challenging existing data and theory. D)only using fossils from African field sites to address human evolution.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo
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Q1) 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.
Q2) Homo erectus had long legs as compared to earlier hominids.
A)True
B)False
Q3) 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.
Q4) Homo rudolfensis is most similar in overall morphology to:
A)Homo erectus.
B)Homo sapiens.
C)Homo habilis.
D)Australopithecus robustus.
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Chapter 12: The Origins,evolution,and Dispersal of Modern People
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Sample Questions
Q1) Shovel-shaped incisors are one of the most distinctive features of people from:
A)East Asia and the Americas.
B)South Africa.
C)Australia.
D)India.
Q2) To test hypotheses regarding modern human origins,it is important to clearly define what we mean by "modern human." What anatomical features are typically used to contrast modern humans' physical appearance with that of similar hominids?
Q3) 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."
Q4) Some Neandertal skulls have cranial capacities that are larger than those of the average modern human.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The two traditional models of modern human origins are out-of-Africa and multiregional continuity.Briefly describe the main tenets of these,and then discuss how the more recent assimilation model differs from each.
Page 14
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Q1) Evidence from China indicates that rice and grapes were fermented for wine as early as 8,000 yBP.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The archeological period between the end of the Upper Paleolithic but prior to the domestication of plants and animals is called the Mesolithic.
A)True
B)False
Q3) All of the following regions provide archaeological evidence for local plant domestication EXCEPT:
A)eastern North America.
B)southwestern Asia.
C)China.
D)Australia.
Q4) Until about 10,000 yBP,humans acquired virtually all their food through foraging.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Evolution: Today and Tomorrow
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Sample Questions
Q1) All adults experience age-related bone loss after about age:
A)40.
B)50.
C)60.
D)30.
Q2) The epidemiologist who proposed the hygiene hypothesis found that:
A)hay fever and eczema were less frequent in families with more children.
B)allergies were more common in families with more children.
C)reduced exposure to infectious agents protected against the development of allergies.
D)dander from domestic animals caused allergies.
Q3) Compare and contrast the causes and effects of global warming during the Eocene with those occurring today.
Q4) Pale skin has recently been linked to both a genetic mutation and selection in:
A)ancient Asian populations.
B)ancient African populations.
C)relatively recent European farming populations.
D)ancient European populations.
Q5) Discuss how the forces of evolution operate on human populations today.
Q6) Are we still evolving? What will human biology look like in the future?
Page 16
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