Question 1

What does the positioning of the toe indicated by the arrow in this figure suggest about the owner of this fossil hominid foot?

Accepted Answer

A) This hominid most likely always traveled on four feet. 
B) This hominid most likely spent all of its time swinging in the trees. 
C) This hominid traveled mostly on four feet but also spent a great deal of time swinging in the trees. 
D) This hominid probably walked upright on two feet and may have spent time in trees. 
A) This hominid most likely always traveled on four feet. 
B) This hominid most likely spent all of its time swinging in the trees. 
C) This hominid traveled mostly on four feet but also spent a great deal of time swinging in the trees. 
D) This hominid probably walked upright on two feet and may have spent time in trees. D

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the source of your mitochondrial DNA?

Accepted Answer

A) All of my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my mother. 
B) All of my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my father. 
C) Half of my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my mother and half from my father. 
D) Seventy-five percent of my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my mother and 25 percent was inherited from my father. 
A) All of my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my mother. 
B) All of my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my father. 
C) Half of my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my mother and half from my father. 
D) Seventy-five percent of my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my mother and 25 percent was inherited from my father. A

Question 3

In 2010,Dr.Svante Pääbo published research indicating that all modern ethnic groups,other than Africans,carry traces of Neanderthal DNA in their nuclear genomes.His earlier work indicated no overlap between Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA and that of Homo sapiens.Which of the following is NOT a likely possible hypothesis that could be supported by this information?

Accepted Answer

A) The shared nuclear DNA could be a remnant of DNA from a common ancestor shared by Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. 
B) The shared nuclear DNA could be the result of interbreeding between male Neanderthals and female Homo sapiens. 
C) The shared nuclear DNA could be a remnant of DNA from Homo erectus,one of the most recent species since Australopithecus. 
D) The shared nuclear DNA is definitely the result of interbreeding between female Neanderthals and male humans. 
A) The shared nuclear DNA could be a remnant of DNA from a common ancestor shared by Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. 
B) The shared nuclear DNA could be the result of interbreeding between male Neanderthals and female Homo sapiens. 
C) The shared nuclear DNA could be a remnant of DNA from Homo erectus,one of the most recent species since Australopithecus. 
D) The shared nuclear DNA is definitely the result of interbreeding between female Neanderthals and male humans. D

Question 4

Sperm provide

Accepted Answer

A) both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA to the offspring cell. 
B) only nuclear DNA to the offspring cell. 
C) only mitochondrial DNA to the offspring cell. 
D) no DNA to the offspring cell. 
A) both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA to the offspring cell. 
B) only nuclear DNA to the offspring cell. 
C) only mitochondrial DNA to the offspring cell. 
D) no DNA to the offspring cell.

Question 5

The development of upright posture in hominins is likely

Accepted Answer

A) an adaptation for living on the ground instead of in the trees. 
B) an adaptation for living on land instead of on the water. 
C) an adaptation for no longer needing to carry tools. 
D) an adaptation for having no functional knees. 
A) an adaptation for living on the ground instead of in the trees. 
B) an adaptation for living on land instead of on the water. 
C) an adaptation for no longer needing to carry tools. 
D) an adaptation for having no functional knees.

Question 6

When a group of organisms like Homo erectus expands to take on new ecological roles forming new species of hominins who are able to live in a broad range of new environments,that group is said to have undergone ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When a group of organisms like Homo...

Question 7

Using this hominin evolutionary tree,indicate roughly when DNA from Neanderthals would have been introduced to the human genome if that Neanderthal DNA was a remnant from a common hominin ancestor.Support your answer by indicating which hominin would be the most likely candidate as the ancestor.

Accepted Answer

If the Neanderthal DNA present in the hu

Question 8

Which of the following anatomical changes was NOT likely a contributor to the development of full bipedalism in hominins?

Accepted Answer

A) restructuring of the pelvis 
B) loss of opposable big toes 
C) a change in the angle of knee joints that support body weight 
D) having no arch in the foot 
A) restructuring of the pelvis 
B) loss of opposable big toes 
C) a change in the angle of knee joints that support body weight 
D) having no arch in the foot

Question 9

You are a researcher excavating a site in a cave in Israel.There are many layers of sediment and primitive artifacts (flint tools for cutting and scraping)from ancestral Homo species within the cave.As you work your way deeper and deeper through the layers,you notice that artifacts in the deeper layers (laid before 350,000 years ago)do not show any signs of having been exposed to fire.Artifacts in layers less than 350 tya show rapidly increasing evidence of exposure to fire.Your colleagues working in nearby caves and caves scattered around the eastern Mediterranean Sea have found similar evidence dating in the same time frames.The evidence is also consistent with that of European sites.What does this suggest about the use of fire by ancestral humans?

Accepted Answer

A) Ancestral humans who had migrated to areas around the eastern Mediterranean Sea and Europe very likely learned to control and use fire around the same time (about 300,000 to 350,000 years ago),and they became increasingly good at it. 
B) Ancestral humans (about 200,000 years ago)were simply using fire they obtained from lightning-sparked wildfires;they did not make or maintain their own fires. 
C) Ancestral humans could not have migrated into climates cooler than those found in Africa until about 150,000 years ago because they had not yet figured out how to use fire before that time. 
D) The hominins occupying the caves,making and using fire must have been modern Homo sapiens because no other human ancestors were still surviving 300-350 tya and no other human ancestors were ever able to use fire. 
A) Ancestral humans who had migrated to areas around the eastern Mediterranean Sea and Europe very likely learned to control and use fire around the same time (about 300,000 to 350,000 years ago),and they became increasingly good at it. 
B) Ancestral humans (about 200,000 years ago)were simply using fire they obtained from lightning-sparked wildfires;they did not make or maintain their own fires. 
C) Ancestral humans could not have migrated into climates cooler than those found in Africa until about 150,000 years ago because they had not yet figured out how to use fire before that time. 
D) The hominins occupying the caves,making and using fire must have been modern Homo sapiens because no other human ancestors were still surviving 300-350 tya and no other human ancestors were ever able to use fire.

Question 10

According to this evolutionary tree,when did hominins branch away from the other apes?

Accepted Answer

A) 35 mya 
B) 12-16 mya 
C) 7-8 mya 
D) 5-7 mya 
A) 35 mya 
B) 12-16 mya 
C) 7-8 mya 
D) 5-7 mya

Question 11

Which of the following groupings of animals are most closely related to each other?

Accepted Answer

A) starfish,butterflies,lizards 
B) frogs,goldfish,birds 
C) bats,kangaroos,elephants 
D) lemurs,chimps,humans 
A) starfish,butterflies,lizards 
B) frogs,goldfish,birds 
C) bats,kangaroos,elephants 
D) lemurs,chimps,humans

Question 12

Would a hominin evolutionary tree look thin and spindly or full and bushy?

Accepted Answer

A) The hominin evolutionary tree would look full and bushy because it would have started about 6 mya with multiple branched branches throughout the millennia. 
B) The hominin evolutionary tree would look thin and spindly because it started about 6 mya and followed a straight linear progression from Sahalenthropus tchadensis to Homo sapiens. 
C) The hominin evolutionary tree would look full and bushy because is started only 2 mya and has many branches between Homo habilis to Homo sapiens. 
D) The hominin evolutionary tree would look thin and spindly because it started only 2 mya and followed a straight linear progression from Homo rudolfensis to Homo sapiens. 
A) The hominin evolutionary tree would look full and bushy because it would have started about 6 mya with multiple branched branches throughout the millennia. 
B) The hominin evolutionary tree would look thin and spindly because it started about 6 mya and followed a straight linear progression from Sahalenthropus tchadensis to Homo sapiens. 
C) The hominin evolutionary tree would look full and bushy because is started only 2 mya and has many branches between Homo habilis to Homo sapiens. 
D) The hominin evolutionary tree would look thin and spindly because it started only 2 mya and followed a straight linear progression from Homo rudolfensis to Homo sapiens.

Question 13

Which of the following categories of the Linnaean hierarchy would include the broadest range of related organisms?

Accepted Answer

A) species 
B) phylum 
C) family 
D) genus 
A) species 
B) phylum 
C) family 
D) genus

Question 14

Which of the following best describes the source of your nuclear DNA?

Accepted Answer

A) All of my nuclear DNA was inherited from my mother. 
B) All of my nuclear DNA was inherited from my father. 
C) Half of my nuclear DNA was inherited from my mother and half from my father. 
D) Seventy-five percent of my nuclear DNA was inherited from my father and 25 percent from my mother. 
A) All of my nuclear DNA was inherited from my mother. 
B) All of my nuclear DNA was inherited from my father. 
C) Half of my nuclear DNA was inherited from my mother and half from my father. 
D) Seventy-five percent of my nuclear DNA was inherited from my father and 25 percent from my mother.

Question 15

Members of the "human" branch of the ape family,including modern humans as well as our extinct relatives,are properly referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Members of the "human" branch of the...

Question 16

You are relaxing on the veranda of your beachfront rental on the Gulf of Mexico when you notice a small (about 5 inches long),green quadruped clinging to the ceiling.As it begins to run down the wall,you catch it and notice that it is covered with dry scales,has a long tail,and specialized toe pads that allow it to stick to surfaces.This animal most likely belongs to which class?

Accepted Answer

A) Mammalia 
B) Amphibia 
C) Reptilia 
D) Osteichthyes 
A) Mammalia 
B) Amphibia 
C) Reptilia 
D) Osteichthyes

Question 17

If evidence indicates that Homo erectus and Homo habilis used stone tools and may have been able to use fire,which of the following is also likely?

Accepted Answer

A) Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis also used stone tools and probably used fire. 
B) Orrorin tugenensis and Ardipithecus kadabba not only used stone tools,they also made fire. 
C) Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis definitely used stone tools and could make fire. 
D) Sahalenthropus tchadensis and Ardipithecus ramidus used stone tools and could make fire. 
A) Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis also used stone tools and probably used fire. 
B) Orrorin tugenensis and Ardipithecus kadabba not only used stone tools,they also made fire. 
C) Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis definitely used stone tools and could make fire. 
D) Sahalenthropus tchadensis and Ardipithecus ramidus used stone tools and could make fire.

Question 18

If your mitochondrial DNA was sequenced and compared to the sequence of mitochondrial DNA isolated from your mother's paternal grandmother (the mother of your mom's dad)would you expect to see a significant match to yours and why?

Accepted Answer

A) No,there would not be a significant match because my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my mom who inherited it from her mom. 
B) No,there would not be a significant match because my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my dad who inherited it from his mom. 
C) Yes,there would be a significant match because I inherited my mitochondrial DNA from my dad who inherited it from his mom. 
D) Yes,there would be a significant match because I inherited my mitochondrial DNA from my mom who inherited from her dad. 
A) No,there would not be a significant match because my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my mom who inherited it from her mom. 
B) No,there would not be a significant match because my mitochondrial DNA was inherited from my dad who inherited it from his mom. 
C) Yes,there would be a significant match because I inherited my mitochondrial DNA from my dad who inherited it from his mom. 
D) Yes,there would be a significant match because I inherited my mitochondrial DNA from my mom who inherited from her dad.

Question 19

Fossilized hominin bones have been found in Germany along with some tools and evidence of charred and fossilized bones from large animals dating to about 350,000 years ago.The hominin bones bear resemblance to both Homo erectus and Homo sapiens.Which of the following is the most likely possible identity of these fossils?

Accepted Answer

A) Australopithecus anamensis 
B) Homo habilis 
C) Paranthropus boisei 
D) archaic Homo sapiens 
A) Australopithecus anamensis 
B) Homo habilis 
C) Paranthropus boisei 
D) archaic Homo sapiens

Question 20

Match the following levels of human classification with the appropriate levels of the Linnaean hierarchy.
-Class

Accepted Answer

A) Homo 
B) Primates 
C) Chordata 
D) Homo sapiens 
E) Mammalia
F)Animalia
G)Hominidae 
A) Homo 
B) Primates 
C) Chordata 
D) Homo sapiens 
E) Mammalia
F)Animalia
G)Hominidae

What does the positioning of the toe indicated by the arrow in this figure suggest about the owner of this fossil hominid foot?

Which of the following best describes the source of your mitochondrial DNA?

Sperm provide

The development of upright posture in hominins is likely

When a group of organisms like Homo erectus expands to take on new ecological roles forming new species of hominins who are able to live in a broad range of new environments,that group is said to have undergone ________.

Using this hominin evolutionary tree,indicate roughly when DNA from Neanderthals would have been introduced to the human genome if that Neanderthal DNA was a remnant from a common hominin ancestor.Support your answer by indicating which hominin would be the most likely candidate as the ancestor.

Which of the following anatomical changes was NOT likely a contributor to the development of full bipedalism in hominins?

According to this evolutionary tree,when did hominins branch away from the other apes?

Which of the following groupings of animals are most closely related to each other?

Would a hominin evolutionary tree look thin and spindly or full and bushy?

Which of the following categories of the Linnaean hierarchy would include the broadest range of related organisms?

Which of the following best describes the source of your nuclear DNA?

Members of the "human" branch of the ape family,including modern humans as well as our extinct relatives,are properly referred to as ________.

If evidence indicates that Homo erectus and Homo habilis used stone tools and may have been able to use fire,which of the following is also likely?

If your mitochondrial DNA was sequenced and compared to the sequence of mitochondrial DNA isolated from your mother's paternal grandmother (the mother of your mom's dad)would you expect to see a significant match to yours and why?

Match the following levels of human classification with the appropriate levels of the Linnaean hierarchy. -Class

The Nature of Science

Chemistry of Life

Life Is Cellular

How Cells Work

Cell Division

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes and Human Genetics

What Genes Are

How Genes Work

Evidence for Evolution

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Adaptation and Species

The History of Life

General Principles of Ecology

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Exam 14: Human Evolution

What does the positioning of the toe indicated by the arrow in this figure suggest about the owner of this fossil hominid foot?

Which of the following best describes the source of your mitochondrial DNA?

Sperm provide

The development of upright posture in hominins is likely

When a group of organisms like Homo erectus expands to take on new ecological roles forming new species of hominins who are able to live in a broad range of new environments,that group is said to have undergone ________.

Using this hominin evolutionary tree,indicate roughly when DNA from Neanderthals would have been introduced to the human genome if that Neanderthal DNA was a remnant from a common hominin ancestor.Support your answer by indicating which hominin would be the most likely candidate as the ancestor.

Which of the following anatomical changes was NOT likely a contributor to the development of full bipedalism in hominins?

According to this evolutionary tree,when did hominins branch away from the other apes?

Which of the following groupings of animals are most closely related to each other?

Would a hominin evolutionary tree look thin and spindly or full and bushy?

Which of the following categories of the Linnaean hierarchy would include the broadest range of related organisms?

Which of the following best describes the source of your nuclear DNA?

Members of the "human" branch of the ape family,including modern humans as well as our extinct relatives,are properly referred to as ________.

If evidence indicates that Homo erectus and Homo habilis used stone tools and may have been able to use fire,which of the following is also likely?

If your mitochondrial DNA was sequenced and compared to the sequence of mitochondrial DNA isolated from your mother's paternal grandmother (the mother of your mom's dad)would you expect to see a significant match to yours and why?

Match the following levels of human classification with the appropriate levels of the Linnaean hierarchy. -Class

The Nature of Science

Chemistry of Life

Life Is Cellular

How Cells Work

Cell Division

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes and Human Genetics

What Genes Are

How Genes Work

Evidence for Evolution

Mechanisms of Evolution

Adaptation and Species

The History of Life

General Principles of Ecology

Growth of Populations

Communities of Organisms

Ecosystems

Applying the Science

Filters