Question 1

Taphonomy is the science that examines the ways in which sediments accumulate in layers.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Systematic survey refers to the archaeological technique of systematically digging through the cultural and natural stratigraphy of an archaeological site.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

What is molecular dating? What is the basic assumption upon which this technique is based? Can you think of other potential applications of this technique beyond those mentioned in the text?

Accepted Answer

Molecular dating is a technique used in ...

Question 4

The most reliable evidence in studying the past is that which is visible to the naked eye. Anything microscopic is too small to be considered reliable.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

In what ways are physical anthropology and archaeology multidisciplinary? Why is this important to know?

Accepted Answer

Physical anthropology and archaeology ar...

Question 6

Palynology is the study of ancient animals through fossil remains.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

NAGPRA dictates the ownership of physical and archaeological remains, and sometimes places anthropologists and indigenous peoples at odds with one another.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

The American Anthropological Association's Code of Ethics is applicable only to research being conducted in the United States.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Electron spin resonance is used to date organic material from archaeological sites.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Under what conditions are fossils most likely to form?

Accepted Answer

A)   acidic soils
B)   geologically inactive regions
C)   regions with lots of scavengers
D)   newly forming sediments
E)   maritime environments

Question 11

The legal and scientific debates that arose after the discovery in 1996 of a skeleton dubbed Kennewick Man illustrates all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)   that sometimes questions of ownership of and access to physical and archaeological remains place anthropologists and indigenous people in opposing camps.
B)   the ineffectiveness of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which has no real legal or political recognition.
C)   the often complicated ethical implications of unearthing human remains and attempting to reconstruct their physical and cultural identities.
D)   the fact that not everyone appreciates anthropology all the time.
E)   that scientific knowledge is not politically or culturally neutral.

Question 12

The so-called Piltdown Man was once considered an unusual and perplexing human ancestor, but it turned out to be the jaw of a young orangutan attached to a Homo sapiens skull. What dating technique exposed the Piltdown fraud?

Accepted Answer

A)   fluorine absorption analysis
B)   potassium-argon
C)   carbon-14
D)   electron spin resonance
E)   thermoluminescence

Question 13

How are fossils formed? Where are they found? How representative is the fossil record?

Accepted Answer

Fossils are formed through a process cal...

Question 14

Dendrochronology is an absolute dating method based on the comparison of tree-ring growth patterns and is also useful

Accepted Answer

A)   in areas with varying environmental patterns.
B)   with any type of tree species.
C)   because it provides information about climatic patterns in specific regions.
D)   because it provides useful information for protecting water sources.
E)   in dating samples of more than 1 million years of age.

Question 15

Experimental archaeologists try to replicate ancient techniques under controlled conditions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Using a novel method of scanning neural activity in people playing games, scientists have discovered that cooperation triggers pleasure centers in the brain. This research suggests that

Accepted Answer

A)   scientists are very close to perfecting a technique to study fossilized human behavior.
B)   anthropologists are correct to argue that the human urge to cooperate has no biological basis.
C)   cooperation is equally valued by all cultures, although within cultures women tend to cooperate more than men.
D)   an experiment's design is of limited value in questions of human evolution.
E)   a neural tendency to cooperate and share would have conferred a survival advantage on our ancestors.

Question 17

Physical anthropology and archaeology both involve multidisciplinary approaches to research.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

All of the following are true about the work of paleoanthropologists EXCEPT that they

Accepted Answer

A)   study human evolution through the fossil record.
B)   do not have to worry about ethical and legal concerns, because they are dealing with the remains of dead humans.
C)   often work in a team with archaeologists.
D)   often work in another country (in the case of U.S. paleoanthropologists)  and are required by the American Anthropological Association's Code of Ethics to establish truly collaborative relations with colleagues in that country.
E)   try to infer the relation between the physical and cultural features of the remains they are examining.

Question 19

Systematic survey and excavation

Accepted Answer

A)   are techniques of the past that have been replaced by remote sensing and digital photography.
B)   are the two major components of fieldwork in molecular anthropology.
C)   are the two major components of fieldwork in archaeology and paleoanthropology.
D)   are techniques that have been discouraged because they lead to negative environmental impacts.
E)   yield better results when the study team is small.

Question 20

Informed consent refers to people's agreement to take part in research after they have been fully informed about its purpose, nature, funding, procedures, and potential impact on them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 4: Doing Archaeology and Biological Anthropology

What is molecular dating? What is the basic assumption upon which this technique is based? Can you think of other potential applications of this technique beyond those mentioned in the text?

Correct AnswerAnswered by ExamLex AIMolecular dating is a technique used in ...View AnswerShow Answer

Physical anthropology and archaeology both involve multidisciplinary approaches to research.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How are fossils formed? Where are they found? How representative is the fossil record?

Correct AnswerAnswered by ExamLex AIFossils are formed through a process cal...View AnswerShow Answer

Systematic survey refers to the archaeological technique of systematically digging through the cultural and natural stratigraphy of an archaeological site.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Taphonomy is the science that examines the ways in which sediments accumulate in layers.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In what ways are physical anthropology and archaeology multidisciplinary? Why is this important to know?

Correct AnswerAnswered by ExamLex AIPhysical anthropology and archaeology ar...View AnswerShow Answer

Electron spin resonance is used to date organic material from archaeological sites.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

NAGPRA dictates the ownership of physical and archaeological remains, and sometimes places anthropologists and indigenous peoples at odds with one another.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The most reliable evidence in studying the past is that which is visible to the naked eye. Anything microscopic is too small to be considered reliable.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Dendrochronology is an absolute dating method based on the comparison of tree-ring growth patterns and is also useful

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Systematic survey and excavation

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The legal and scientific debates that arose after the discovery in 1996 of a skeleton dubbed Kennewick Man illustrates all of the following EXCEPT

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Under what conditions are fossils most likely to form?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The so-called Piltdown Man was once considered an unusual and perplexing human ancestor, but it turned out to be the jaw of a young orangutan attached to a Homo sapiens skull. What dating technique exposed the Piltdown fraud?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The American Anthropological Association's Code of Ethics is applicable only to research being conducted in the United States.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Palynology is the study of ancient animals through fossil remains.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Informed consent refers to people's agreement to take part in research after they have been fully informed about its purpose, nature, funding, procedures, and potential impact on them.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Using a novel method of scanning neural activity in people playing games, scientists have discovered that cooperation triggers pleasure centers in the brain. This research suggests that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Experimental archaeologists try to replicate ancient techniques under controlled conditions.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

All of the following are true about the work of paleoanthropologists EXCEPT that they

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Molecular dating is a technique used in ...
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Fossils are formed through a process cal...
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Physical anthropology and archaeology ar...
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