Primate Biology and Behavior
Exam Materials
Course Introduction
Primate Biology and Behavior explores the evolution, anatomy, physiology, and social behavior of primates, including monkeys, apes, and prosimians. The course examines the diversity of primate species, their ecological adaptations, and the factors that shape their life histories. Emphasis is placed on understanding the evolutionary relationships among primates, as well as their behavioral strategies relating to reproduction, communication, social organization, and survival. Students will analyze both field and laboratory research to gain insights into the role of primates in natural ecosystems and the implications for conservation biology.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Physical Anthropology 9th Edition by Robert Jurmain
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14 Chapters
832 Verified Questions
832 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Physical Anthropology
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Archaeologists
A) primarily recover valuable artifacts
B) are not interested in human behavior
C) study earlier human groups using artifacts and structures as their evidence
D) never work with physical anthropology
E) only examine complex civilizations
Answer: C
Q2) Which of the following is not one of the subfields of anthropology in the United States?
A) Cultural
B) Physical
C) Psychological
D) Archaeology
E) Linguistics
Answer: C
Q3) Anthropology can be applied to practical issues outside the university setting.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Development of Evolutionary Theory
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Sample Questions
Q1) The theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics has recently displaced natural selection as mainstream science's most accepted theory of evolutionary change.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The fact that individuals who possess favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than those who possess less favorable traits is the basis for which theory?
A) uniformitarianism
B) natural selection
C) the inheritance of acquired characteristics
D) catastrophism
E) the fixity of species
Answer: B
Q3) We credit Erasmus Darwin with significantly influencing Charles Darwin's evolutionary thinking.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Biological Basis of Life Connections
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Sample Questions
Q1) The DNA base adenine always pairs with which other DNA base?
A) Guanine
B) Thymine
C) Cytosine
D) Uracil
E) Mitochondria
Answer: B
Q2) Which of the following statements is true of mitosis?
A) The process requires only one cell division to be complete.
B) There are two cell divisions before the process is complete.
C) The result is gamete formation.
D) Crossing-over occurs between homologous chromosomes.
E) Homologous chromosomes come together as pairs.
Answer: A
Q3) Mitochondrial DNA has the same molecular structure and function as nuclear DNA found in the nucleus.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Heredity and Evolution
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Sample Questions
Q1) Explain Mendel's principle of independent assortment.
Q2) Two people both heterozygotes) are able to taste a chemical substance called PTC. The ability to taste PTC is caused by a dominant allele T). The inability to taste PTC is caused by a recessive allele t). What proportion of their children would be expected to have the ability to taste PTC?
A) 3/4
B) 1/2
C) All
D) 1/4
E) 2/3
Q3) What is gene flow defined as?
A) production of new alleles
B) production of new genetic material
C) chance loss of alleles in a population
D) exchange of genes between populations
E) differential reproductive success of individuals
Q4) Discuss the differences between Mendelian and polygenic modes of inheritance. Provide an example of a Mendelian and a polygenic trait.
Q5) Explain Mendel's principle of segregation.
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Chapter 5: Processes of Macroevolution
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the term for the rapid expansion and diversification of groups of organisms into newly available ecological niches?
A) generalization
B) homology
C) parallel evolution
D) adaptive radiation
E) specialization
Q2) The theory that macroevolution proceeds as the result of gradual microevolutionary change
A) is the only explanation of speciation accepted by biologists today
B) is called the theory of punctuated equilibrium
C) has been refuted
D) has been questioned as the exclusive mode of speciation
E) postulates rapid evolutionary change followed by long periods of stasis
Q3) Mammals, in contrast to reptiles,
A) have larger brains
B) are homodont
C) cannot process a wide variety of foods
D) lack fur
E) are ectothermic
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Chapter 6: An Overview of the Primates
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Sample Questions
Q1) The following are characteristics of tarsiers except
A) Restricted to the islands of Southeast Asia
B) Mainly diurnal
C) Insectivore leaping from branch to branch to catch prey
D) Form stable bonds
E) Inhabit wide range of habitats
Q2) Today, where are lorises not found?
A) India
B) Africa
C) Southeast Asia
D) North America
E) Sri Lanka
Q3) The "dental comb" is a specialization found in most of the anthropoid species. A)True
B)False
Q4) Gibbons are said to be adapted for brachiation. What anatomical features do gibbons possess that enable them to carry this out efficiently?
Q5) Discuss the form of locomotion called braciation. Among which primates is it most commonly fund? Why are some called "semibrachiators?" Where are the latter found?
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Chapter 7: Primate Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following have been taught to use sign language?
A) baboons
B) chimpanzees
C) macaques
D) lemurs
E) vervets
Q2) According to the current evidence discussed in the text, which of the following statement is true?
A) Humans are the only species capable of conveying information pertaining to specific components of the external environment.
B) Nonhuman primates can communicate any information except that which pertains to their emotional state.
C) Some nonhuman primates appear to give specific alarm calls that refer to particular categories of predators.
D) Free-ranging monkeys and apes use symbolic language in the same manner as humans.
E) Some monkeys communicate about past and future events by means of symbolic gestures.
Q3) Discuss the tenets of behavioral ecology.
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Primate and Hominin Origins
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Sample Questions
Q1) Sahelanthropus has an unusual combination of characteristics, including
A) a small braincase, huge browridges, small vertical face, and lack of shearing canine/premolar arrangement
B) a large braincase and huge browridges
C) a small braincase and small muscle attachments in the rear of the cranium
D) a small vertical face and small browridges
E) a large vertical face and small browridges
Q2) Some of the late Eocene primates have been found in Asia. A)True
B)False
Q3) Radiometric dating techniques
A) are not based on the phenomenon of radioactive isotope decay rates
B) can be used to determine the absolute age of organic materials
C) include the K/Ar but not carbon-14 methods
D) are a form of stratigraphy
E) are relative dating techniques
Q4) What is the law of superposition, and how is it related to the dating methods discussed in the text?
Q5) Draw your own phylogeny of the hominins discussed in Chapter 8. Explain the logic behind your phylogeny.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: The First Dispersal of the Genus Homo: Homo
Erectus and Contemporaries
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Q1) Why do some researchers consider the Gran Dolina hominids to be a different species from Homo erectus?
Q2) Given the newest dates for the Ngandong Homo erectus material on Java, it is possible that Homo erectus could have existed contemporaneously with Homo sapiens. A)True B)False
Q3) There is some variation among the different geographical groups of the highly successful hominins, but anthropologists debate on how to classify them. Why? What are some of the causes of debate?
Q4) What have scientists been able to ascertain about the Homo erectus lifestyle at Zhoukoudian? Include any disagreements within the scientific community. What is the nature of the evidence?
Q5) The Acheulian biface or "hand axe" is a basic tool of the Acheulian tradition. A)True B)False
Q6) H. erectus was the first species with a cranial capacity approaching H. sapiens. A)True B)False
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Premodern Humans
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Sample Questions
Q1) Genetic evidence suggests that Neandertal DNA is remarkably similar to modern humans.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What is the term for the stone tool technology most often associated with the Neandertals that extended across Europe and North Africa, into the former Soviet Union, Israel, Iran, central Asia and possibly China?
A) Mousterian
B) Middle Paleolithic
C) Early Paleolithic
D) Denisovian
E) Oldowan
Q3) Characterize Mousterian technology, subsistence, settlements, and symbolic behavior.
Q4) Neandertals are a fully separate biological species from modern humans and therefore theoretically incapable of fertilely interbreeding with modern people.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the cranial and postcranial anatomy of Neandertal skeletons.
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Chapter 11: The Origin and Dispersal of Modern Humans
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Q1) Which of the following has not been proposed as a model to explain the origin of modern Homo sapiens?
A) An origin in Africa followed by migration to other areas where indigenous premodern populations were replaced.
B) An origin in Africa followed by migration to other areas where both interbreeding and replacement occurred.
C) Several origins in different areas where modern forms evolved from local populations.
D) Separate origins in Africa and Australia with migrations from both these areas to displace all other populations.
E) A strong influence of modern humans evolving first in Africa that left an imprint on populations throughout the world that is detectable today.
Q2) Describe the remains found in African sites that indicate accomplishments in Upper Paleolithic art and technology.
Q3) Why do most paleoanthropologists agree that several fossil forms, dating back to 100,000 ya, should be included in as fully modern humans?
Q4) Summarize the main points of the various Replacement Models.
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Chapter 12: Human Variation and Adaptation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Sweating
A) is a uniquely human response to heat
B) has no detrimental physiological effects
C) is not an effective means of dissipating heat
D) permits cooling through evaporation
E) is an ability that varies from one human population to another
Q2) What is the false belief that there is a relationship between physical traits and certain behavioral traits such as intelligence and morality?
A) eugenics
B) monogenism
C) polygenism
D) biological determinism
E) homeostasis
Q3) Anders Retzius was the first European scientist to classify humans into races.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What is the adaptive value of dark skin tones in equatorial regions such as Africa? If all humans are ultimately from Africa, what hypotheses might explain why skin tones lightened as humans came to occupy more northern latitudes?
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Chapter 13: Legacies of Human Evolutionary History: Effects
on the Individual
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the consequences of the tremendous changes in the environment, some of which you have seen in your own lifetime?
Q2) The contemporary diet typical of industrialized societies is basically unchanged from preagricultural diets.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The human brain reaches 95 percent of its adult size by what age?
A) 3 years
B) 5 years
C) 10 years
D) 15 years
E) 21 years
Q4) Compare the hypothesized preagricultural diet with the diet consumed by most Americans today.
Q5) What are some of the explanations for the recent trend toward a lower age of menarche?
Q6) Discuss the genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors influencing human growth and development.
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Q7) Define senescence. Discuss one hypothesis that attempts to explain senescence.
Chapter 14: The Human Disconnection
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Q1) The geological record indicates there have been at least _____ mass extinction events in the past 570 million years.
A) 5
B) 100
C) 15
D) 150
E) 1,000
Q2) For most of human history,
A) technology has been complex
B) technology has been simple
C) the rate of culture change was rapid
D) culture change was not effected by climate change
E) human impact on local environments decreased as people began to live in permanent settlements
Q3) Using evolution to solve health problems requires medical researchers have training that includes evolutionary theory.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Give examples of recent proposed goals of the UN to be reached by 2020.
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