Question 1

Biological races have been scientifically discredited in their application not just to humans but to all living species.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Genetic evolution involves changes in gene frequencies between generations within a given breeding population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Native Australians are closer genetically to tropical Africans than they are to Asians.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The theory of creationism argues that all the species present today were created as natural selection selected the fittest individuals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Human biological differences are evident only to individuals who wrongfully sustain the validity of human races.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

In the case of skin color, natural selection is no longer active today, thanks to human cultural adaptations that confer an advantage no matter the skin color or environment one lives in.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

For natural selection to work on a particular population,

Accepted Answer

A)  the environment must remain constant. 
B)  there must be genotypic diversity but phenotypic homogeneity. 
C)  the members must have a sufficiently long life span. 
D)  there must be variety within that population. 
E)  the members must have a strong will to survive. 
A)  the environment must remain constant. 
B)  there must be genotypic diversity but phenotypic homogeneity. 
C)  the members must have a sufficiently long life span. 
D)  there must be variety within that population. 
E)  the members must have a strong will to survive.

Question 8

Directional selection works to reduce genetic variation by removing maladaptive traits from the gene pool.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

The example of the sickle-cell allele demonstrates a key aspect of evolution through natural selection, in that

Accepted Answer

A)  human populations in the tropics are the most susceptible to random changes caused by natural selection. 
B)  adaptation and fitness are in relation to specific environments; traits are not universally adaptive or maladaptive. 
C)  adaptation and fitness are in relation to the individual organism, not the general population. 
D)  although natural selection usually acts upon the phenotype, it can sometimes act upon the genotype. 
E)  natural selection increases the variety in a population upon which subsequent natural selective processes can act. 
A)  human populations in the tropics are the most susceptible to random changes caused by natural selection. 
B)  adaptation and fitness are in relation to specific environments; traits are not universally adaptive or maladaptive. 
C)  adaptation and fitness are in relation to the individual organism, not the general population. 
D)  although natural selection usually acts upon the phenotype, it can sometimes act upon the genotype. 
E)  natural selection increases the variety in a population upon which subsequent natural selective processes can act.

Question 10

Which of the following is the best example of how diseases have been powerful selective agents for humans, particularly before the arrival of modern medicine?

Accepted Answer

A)  Blood type A individuals are more prone to stomach and cervical cancer. Since these diseases usually occur after reproduction has ended, they are particularly powerful agents in adaptation and evolution through natural selection. 
B)  Smallpox, which appeared after people and animals started living together, has worked as a selective agent for people with blood types B and O who have an ability to produce antibodies against smallpox. 
C)  Diseases no longer work as powerful selective agents for humans, thanks to the widespread availability of modern medicine. 
D)  Blood type O will soon become something of the past, since it does not confer an advantage to any disease. 
E)  Smallpox, which appeared after people and animals started living together, has worked as a selective agent against people with sickle-cell anemia. 
A)  Blood type A individuals are more prone to stomach and cervical cancer. Since these diseases usually occur after reproduction has ended, they are particularly powerful agents in adaptation and evolution through natural selection. 
B)  Smallpox, which appeared after people and animals started living together, has worked as a selective agent for people with blood types B and O who have an ability to produce antibodies against smallpox. 
C)  Diseases no longer work as powerful selective agents for humans, thanks to the widespread availability of modern medicine. 
D)  Blood type O will soon become something of the past, since it does not confer an advantage to any disease. 
E)  Smallpox, which appeared after people and animals started living together, has worked as a selective agent against people with sickle-cell anemia.

Question 11

The inheritance of acquired characteristics is central to Darwin's theory of evolution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Higher amounts of melanin in the skin inhibit the body's ability to manufacture vitamin D. This confers an adaptive advantage in environments with excessive sun exposure.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Gregor Mendel's work with hereditary traits of pea plants

Accepted Answer

A)  confirmed the paint-pot theory of inheritance. 
B)  led to the formulation of the law of independent assortment. 
C)  proved that natural selection operates on genotypes. 
D)  was the basis for Darwin's theory of evolution. 
E)  discredited the phenomenon of balanced polymorphism. 
A)  confirmed the paint-pot theory of inheritance. 
B)  led to the formulation of the law of independent assortment. 
C)  proved that natural selection operates on genotypes. 
D)  was the basis for Darwin's theory of evolution. 
E)  discredited the phenomenon of balanced polymorphism.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about the HbS allele is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is found in higher gene frequencies in regions where malaria is endemic. 
B)  In areas where malaria has been reduced through drainage and insecticides, its frequency declines. 
C)  It causes sickle-cell anemia in homozygous individuals. 
D)  Heterozygous individuals have an increased immunity to malaria. 
E)  Homozygous individuals usually develop fatal cases of dysentery. 
A)  It is found in higher gene frequencies in regions where malaria is endemic. 
B)  In areas where malaria has been reduced through drainage and insecticides, its frequency declines. 
C)  It causes sickle-cell anemia in homozygous individuals. 
D)  Heterozygous individuals have an increased immunity to malaria. 
E)  Homozygous individuals usually develop fatal cases of dysentery.

Question 15

The explanations given in this chapter for the differences in and distribution of skin color in populations around the world are examples of

Accepted Answer

A)  explanatory approaches to human biological diversity. 
B)  how having a political interest in justifying racial policies interferes with objective science. 
C)  the social construction of so-called scientific categories. 
D)  attempts at classifying human groups into clines. 
E)  punctuated equilibrium. 
A)  explanatory approaches to human biological diversity. 
B)  how having a political interest in justifying racial policies interferes with objective science. 
C)  the social construction of so-called scientific categories. 
D)  attempts at classifying human groups into clines. 
E)  punctuated equilibrium.

Question 16

The indigenous communities in the tropical regions of the Americas are not as dark skinned as populations living in other tropical regions, because the dense vegetation in this continent blocks out much of the sunlight.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Which of the following does NOT seek to explain the origin of species by referring to an outside agent?

Accepted Answer

A)  extraterrestrial seeding 
B)  evolution 
C)  catastrophism 
D)  intelligent design 
E)  creationism 
A)  extraterrestrial seeding 
B)  evolution 
C)  catastrophism 
D)  intelligent design 
E)  creationism

Question 18

Humanity (Homo sapiens) lacks distinct races because human populations have not been isolated enough from one another to develop into discrete groups.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Why are genetics and evolution so important to anthropology?

Accepted Answer

A)  They determine the clear distinction between biological and cultural forces acting through human history. 
B)  They help anthropologists document and explain human biological diversity. 
C)  They provide the key to understanding the rate of environmental change throughout human history. 
D)  They define humans' position at the top of the hierarchy of biological diversity. 
E)  They give anthropology some credibility as a scientific field. 
A)  They determine the clear distinction between biological and cultural forces acting through human history. 
B)  They help anthropologists document and explain human biological diversity. 
C)  They provide the key to understanding the rate of environmental change throughout human history. 
D)  They define humans' position at the top of the hierarchy of biological diversity. 
E)  They give anthropology some credibility as a scientific field.

Question 20

This chapter describes the case of giraffes' long necks to illustrate how natural selection works on variety within a population. This explanation contrasts with the incorrect alternative of the inheritance of acquired characteristics, which suggests that

Accepted Answer

A)  in each generation, individual giraffes mate with giraffes having longer necks because they are better at getting food, and their offspring's neck size results in an average of the parents' neck sizes. 
B)  the presence of variety among a population works against the advantages of natural selection. 
C)  a need for a longer neck activates the long-neck gene throughout development. 
D)  in each generation, individual giraffes strain their necks to reach food just a bit higher, and that this straining somehow modifies their genetic material. 
E)  natural selection works on the genotype, not the phenotype. 
A)  in each generation, individual giraffes mate with giraffes having longer necks because they are better at getting food, and their offspring's neck size results in an average of the parents' neck sizes. 
B)  the presence of variety among a population works against the advantages of natural selection. 
C)  a need for a longer neck activates the long-neck gene throughout development. 
D)  in each generation, individual giraffes strain their necks to reach food just a bit higher, and that this straining somehow modifies their genetic material. 
E)  natural selection works on the genotype, not the phenotype.

Biological races have been scientifically discredited in their application not just to humans but to all living species.

Genetic evolution involves changes in gene frequencies between generations within a given breeding population.

Native Australians are closer genetically to tropical Africans than they are to Asians.

The theory of creationism argues that all the species present today were created as natural selection selected the fittest individuals.

Human biological differences are evident only to individuals who wrongfully sustain the validity of human races.

In the case of skin color, natural selection is no longer active today, thanks to human cultural adaptations that confer an advantage no matter the skin color or environment one lives in.

For natural selection to work on a particular population,

Directional selection works to reduce genetic variation by removing maladaptive traits from the gene pool.

The example of the sickle-cell allele demonstrates a key aspect of evolution through natural selection, in that

Which of the following is the best example of how diseases have been powerful selective agents for humans, particularly before the arrival of modern medicine?

The inheritance of acquired characteristics is central to Darwin's theory of evolution.

Higher amounts of melanin in the skin inhibit the body's ability to manufacture vitamin D. This confers an adaptive advantage in environments with excessive sun exposure.

Gregor Mendel's work with hereditary traits of pea plants

Which of the following statements about the Hb^S allele is FALSE?

The explanations given in this chapter for the differences in and distribution of skin color in populations around the world are examples of

The indigenous communities in the tropical regions of the Americas are not as dark skinned as populations living in other tropical regions, because the dense vegetation in this continent blocks out much of the sunlight.

Which of the following does NOT seek to explain the origin of species by referring to an outside agent?

Humanity (Homo sapiens) lacks distinct races because human populations have not been isolated enough from one another to develop into discrete groups.

Why are genetics and evolution so important to anthropology?

This chapter describes the case of giraffes' long necks to illustrate how natural selection works on variety within a population. This explanation contrasts with the incorrect alternative of the inheritance of acquired characteristics, which suggests that

What Is Anthropology

Culture

Doing Anthropology

The Primates

Early Hominins

The Genus Homo

The First Farmers

The First Cities and States

Language and Communication

Making a Living

Political Systems

Families, Kinship, and Marriage

Gender

Religion

Ethnicity and Race

Applying Anthropology

The World System, Colonialism, and Inequality

Anthropologys Role in a Globalizing World

Filters

Exam 4: Evolution, Genetics, and Human Variation

Biological races have been scientifically discredited in their application not just to humans but to all living species.

Genetic evolution involves changes in gene frequencies between generations within a given breeding population.

Native Australians are closer genetically to tropical Africans than they are to Asians.

The theory of creationism argues that all the species present today were created as natural selection selected the fittest individuals.

Human biological differences are evident only to individuals who wrongfully sustain the validity of human races.

In the case of skin color, natural selection is no longer active today, thanks to human cultural adaptations that confer an advantage no matter the skin color or environment one lives in.

For natural selection to work on a particular population,

Directional selection works to reduce genetic variation by removing maladaptive traits from the gene pool.

The example of the sickle-cell allele demonstrates a key aspect of evolution through natural selection, in that

Which of the following is the best example of how diseases have been powerful selective agents for humans, particularly before the arrival of modern medicine?

The inheritance of acquired characteristics is central to Darwin's theory of evolution.

Higher amounts of melanin in the skin inhibit the body's ability to manufacture vitamin D. This confers an adaptive advantage in environments with excessive sun exposure.

Gregor Mendel's work with hereditary traits of pea plants

Which of the following statements about the HbS allele is FALSE?

The explanations given in this chapter for the differences in and distribution of skin color in populations around the world are examples of

The indigenous communities in the tropical regions of the Americas are not as dark skinned as populations living in other tropical regions, because the dense vegetation in this continent blocks out much of the sunlight.

Which of the following does NOT seek to explain the origin of species by referring to an outside agent?

Humanity (Homo sapiens) lacks distinct races because human populations have not been isolated enough from one another to develop into discrete groups.

Why are genetics and evolution so important to anthropology?

This chapter describes the case of giraffes' long necks to illustrate how natural selection works on variety within a population. This explanation contrasts with the incorrect alternative of the inheritance of acquired characteristics, which suggests that

What Is Anthropology

Culture

Doing Anthropology

The Primates

Early Hominins

The Genus Homo

The First Farmers

The First Cities and States

Language and Communication

Making a Living

Political Systems

Families, Kinship, and Marriage

Gender

Religion

Ethnicity and Race

Applying Anthropology

The World System, Colonialism, and Inequality

Anthropologys Role in a Globalizing World

Filters

Which of the following statements about the Hb^S allele is FALSE?