Question 1

An argument against the validity of evolutionary theory says that there are too few transitional forms representing the gap between any two living species that supposedly share a common ancestor.How do the human evolutionary record and this criticism relate?

Accepted Answer

A)  The fact that there are few transitional fossils in the human fossil record supports the criticism.
B)  Alternative evolutionary theories such as punctuated equilibrium state that we do not expect to see transitional forms in the fossil record.
C)  Almost every species in the pre-modern human fossil record can be regarded as a transitional species between a typical African ape and modern humans.
D)  This is an open question that requires further research to settle.

Question 2

Homo rudolfensis is so morphologically similar to ________ that they may be regarded as the same species.

Accepted Answer

A)  Homo erectus
B)  Homo sapiens
C)  Homo habilis
D)  Australopithecus robustus

Question 3

Australopithecines and Homo habilis were similar to each other in what way?

Accepted Answer

A)  overall body plan and body size
B)  brain size
C)  tooth size
D)  size and robsuticity of the face

Question 4

Some Homo erectus specimens were large and had robust bones while others were:

Accepted Answer

A)  small with robust bones.
B)  tall with robust bones.
C)  gracile.
D)  small with thin bones.

Question 5

What is a central theme of human evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  increasing adaptive flexibility
B)  decreasing cranial capacity
C)  decreasing body size
D)  more robust jaw

Question 6

The Homo erectus fossil from Sangiran,Java,dates to as old as:

Accepted Answer

A)  800,000 yBP.
B)  1.2-1.0 mya.
C)  1.8-1.6 mya.
D)  2.2-2.0 mya.

Question 7

What does fossil evidence of cutmarks made with stone tools at early hominid sites suggest?

Accepted Answer

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)  Violence among hominids was rampant.

Question 8

What features show that Homo erectus walked just like a modern human?

Accepted Answer

A)  long legs and opposable toes
B)  double arches of the feet and an adducted big toe
C)  long arms
D)  a foramen magnum at the base of the skull

Question 9

What does Homo erectus skull morphology include?

Accepted Answer

A)  a short base
B)  thin bones
C)  small browridges
D)  thick bones and large browridges

Question 10

Contrast the cranial and dental anatomy and adaptation of Australopithecus robustus with African Homo erectus.

Accepted Answer

These hominins were contemporaneous for ...

Question 11

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.

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus was the first hominid to di...

Question 12

How did Acheuliean stone tools compare to Oldowan tools?

Accepted Answer

A)  Acheulian stone tools had a narrower range of functions.
B)  Acheulian stone tools used fewer raw materials.
C)  Acheulian tool kits were characterized by fewer tool types.
D)  Acheulian stone tools required more learning and skill to produce.

Question 13

Homo naledi,recently discovered in South Africa,has a sagittal keel,large browridge,thick cranial bones,and reduced tooth size.The brain size is small,close to 500cc. Where might this new species fit in the larger pattern of human evolution in Africa?

Accepted Answer

A)  H.naledi seems most likely a member of the genus Homo;however,its small brain size is regarded as a primitive hominin trait more reminiscent of the australopithecines.
B)  H.naledi sits comfortably at the juncture of Australopithecus and early Homo,since all of its traits seem intermediate between the two.
C)  H.naledi has several traits that do not fit with the genus Homo,including its large browridge and thick cranial bones;however,it must be Homo because it is securely dated to 1 mya.
D)  H.naledi demonstrates the exact mix of traits expected for a new Homo fossil of this time period and this region.

Question 14

To what are greater body size and facial gracility documented in Homo erectus likely related?

Accepted Answer

A)  changes in technology
B)  changes in climate
C)  genetic drift
D)  sexual selection

Question 15

What do all fossils represent?

Accepted Answer

A)  transitions
B)  dead-end species
C)  an inability to adapt to changing local environments over time
D)  a new evolutionary lineage

Question 16

What are some modern human traits that the Nariokotome Boy discovered at Lake Turkana (Homo erectus) showed?

Accepted Answer

A)  shorter arms and longer legs compared with those of earlier hominids
B)  larger brain but retention of an australopithecine-like body plan
C)  longer legs than later hominids
D)  a mix of arboreal and bipedal adaptations

Question 17

What do the marks found by anthropologist Tim White on the Bodo cranium indicate?

Accepted Answer

A)  the earliest example of carnivore toothmarks on a hominin fossil
B)  a pathology associated with poor diet,which may have contributed to this individual's death
C)  the fabrication of the fossil as a hoax,demonstrating that science is ultimately self- correcting
D)  the removal of flesh from the skull by tool-using hominids,either as a ritual or as some form of cannibalism

Question 18

Based on height calculations of Homo erectus fossils,what do physical anthropologists estimate that their average height was?

Accepted Answer

A)  similar to Homo habilis
B)  similar to australopithecines
C)  tall,with males about five feet nine and females about five feet three
D)  tall,with females typically about 15 percent taller than males

Question 19

Homo erectus fossils date to:

Accepted Answer

A)  3-1 mya.
B)  2.5 mya-0.5 mya.
C)  1.8 mya-300,000 mya.
D)  1.2 mya-800,000 mya.

Question 20

What was the original name for Homo erectus?

Accepted Answer

A)  Australopithecus
B)  Pithecanthropus
C)  Paranthropus
D)  Homo rudolfensis

Exam 11: The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

What do all fossils represent?

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Australopithecines and Homo habilis were similar to each other in what way?

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What was the original name for Homo erectus?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How did Acheuliean stone tools compare to Oldowan tools?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is a central theme of human evolution?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What does Homo erectus skull morphology include?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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.

Correct AnswerverifiedHomo erectus was the first hominid to di...View AnswerShow Answer

To what are greater body size and facial gracility documented in Homo erectus likely related?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Homo rudolfensis is so morphologically similar to ________ that they may be regarded as the same species.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What are some modern human traits that the Nariokotome Boy discovered at Lake Turkana (Homo erectus) showed?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Contrast the cranial and dental anatomy and adaptation of Australopithecus robustus with African Homo erectus.

Correct AnswerverifiedThese hominins were contemporaneous for ...View AnswerShow Answer

Homo erectus fossils date to:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An argument against the validity of evolutionary theory says that there are too few transitional forms representing the gap between any two living species that supposedly share a common ancestor.How do the human evolutionary record and this criticism relate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Based on height calculations of Homo erectus fossils,what do physical anthropologists estimate that their average height was?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Homo erectus fossil from Sangiran,Java,dates to as old as:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Some Homo erectus specimens were large and had robust bones while others were:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What do the marks found by anthropologist Tim White on the Bodo cranium indicate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Homo naledi,recently discovered in South Africa,has a sagittal keel,large browridge,thick cranial bones,and reduced tooth size.The brain size is small,close to 500cc. Where might this new species fit in the larger pattern of human evolution in Africa?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What does fossil evidence of cutmarks made with stone tools at early hominid sites suggest?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What features show that Homo erectus walked just like a modern human?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Homo erectus was the first hominid to di...
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These hominins were contemporaneous for ...
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