Question 1

How does the concept of race used by anthropologists today differ from the concept used by early biologists?

Accepted Answer

The concept of race used by anthropologists today differs from the concept used by early biologists in several key ways.

Early biologists often used the concept of race to categorize and rank different human populations based on physical characteristics such as skin color, facial features, and body shape. This led to the development of the idea that certain races were inherently superior or inferior to others, and that these differences were rooted in biology and genetics. This concept of race was often used to justify colonialism, slavery, and other forms of discrimination and oppression.

In contrast, anthropologists today recognize that the concept of race is not based in biology, but is instead a social and cultural construct. They understand that the physical differences between human populations are the result of adaptation to different environments, and do not reflect any inherent superiority or inferiority. Anthropologists also emphasize the importance of understanding the cultural, historical, and social factors that shape people's identities and experiences, rather than reducing them to biological categories.

Furthermore, anthropologists today recognize the fluidity and complexity of human populations, and reject the idea that people can be neatly categorized into distinct racial groups. They emphasize the diversity and interconnectedness of human societies, and seek to understand the ways in which different groups have interacted and influenced each other throughout history.

Overall, the concept of race used by anthropologists today is much more nuanced and socially informed than the concept used by early biologists, and is grounded in an understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of human diversity.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

Physical features cluster into discrete genetic units.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 4

Biologists have rejected the idea of three great races (white, black, and yellow) largely because it fails to account for Native Americans.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

East Asians who have migrated recently from India and Pakistan to northern areas of the United Kingdom have a higher incidence of rickets and osteoporosis than the general British population. This illustrates that

Accepted Answer

A)  natural selection continues today. 
B)  genetic adaptation of environmental stressors can occur within one generation. 
C)  cultural adaptation provides effective shortcuts to the genetically disadvantaged in a foreign environment. 
D)  because of global warming, the lack of sunlight that people are exposed to in these northern regions is made up for by the intensity of the sunlight. 
E)  natural selection's role in determining skin color is a thing of the past, relevant only prior to the sixteenth century when massive populational migrations altered the geographic distribution of dark-skinned people. 
A)  natural selection continues today. 
B)  genetic adaptation of environmental stressors can occur within one generation. 
C)  cultural adaptation provides effective shortcuts to the genetically disadvantaged in a foreign environment. 
D)  because of global warming, the lack of sunlight that people are exposed to in these northern regions is made up for by the intensity of the sunlight. 
E)  natural selection's role in determining skin color is a thing of the past, relevant only prior to the sixteenth century when massive populational migrations altered the geographic distribution of dark-skinned people.

Question 6

The Columbian exchange was a crucial early form of globalization, which led to the exchange of people, products, and pathogens between the Old and New Worlds. How does globalization remain an important component in the modern spread of disease? What are some present-day examples? How have humans adapted to the negative consequences of globalization?

Accepted Answer

Globalization remains an important compo

Question 7

One of the selective advantages of dark skin color in the tropics is that it reduces the susceptibility to folate destruction and therefore diminishes the likelihood of neural tube defects among human embryos. Folate is also necessary in men in order to maintain normal sperm production.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Populations living at high altitudes have all developed similar biological and cultural adaptations to hypoxic conditions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Historically, scientists have approached the study of human biological diversity in two main ways: racial classification (now largely abandoned) versus the current explanatory approach, which focuses on understanding specific differences.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

An examination of racial taxonomies from around the world would indicate that

Accepted Answer

A)  all cultures classify races similarly. 
B)  the classification of racial types is an arbitrary and culturally specific process. 
C)  classifying racial types can best be done by considering only phenotypic traits. 
D)  classifying racial types can best be done by considering only genotype. 
E)  the best classification of racial types considers genotype as well as phenotype. 
A)  all cultures classify races similarly. 
B)  the classification of racial types is an arbitrary and culturally specific process. 
C)  classifying racial types can best be done by considering only phenotypic traits. 
D)  classifying racial types can best be done by considering only genotype. 
E)  the best classification of racial types considers genotype as well as phenotype.

Question 11

How has contemporary work in genomics helped scientists address questions of human biological diversity?

Accepted Answer

Contemporary work in genomics has greatl

Question 12

Allen's rule states that protruding body parts grow shorter as temperature increases.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

In theory, a biological race is a geographically isolated subdivision of a species. Humanity (Homo sapiens) lacks such races because

Accepted Answer

A)  although humans exhibit biological differences, these are only skin deep. 
B)  human populations have experienced a type of controlled breeding distinct from that of dogs and roses. 
C)  human populations have not been isolated enough from one another to develop such discrete groups. 
D)  they are politically incorrect. 
E)  humans are less genetically predictable than animals and plants susceptible to domestication. 
A)  although humans exhibit biological differences, these are only skin deep. 
B)  human populations have experienced a type of controlled breeding distinct from that of dogs and roses. 
C)  human populations have not been isolated enough from one another to develop such discrete groups. 
D)  they are politically incorrect. 
E)  humans are less genetically predictable than animals and plants susceptible to domestication.

Question 14

Populations in equatorial Africa and Papua New Guinea are phenotypically similar. They are both dark skinned, with similar hair and facial features. How would a typical racial model explain these similarities? How would evolutionary biology's explanation differ? Which model does a better job of explaining such data?

Accepted Answer

A typical racial model would explain the

Question 15

What is the difference between phenotypic adaptation and genetic adaptation? What role does each play in human evolution?

Accepted Answer

Phenotypic adaptation and genetic adapta

Question 16

Phenotypic similarities and differences always have a genetic basis.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Rickets is caused by an overabundance of vitamin D in the body.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

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

Question 19

According to Thomson's nose rule, longer noses are more adaptive to colder climates than shorter ones.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

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

Exam 6: Human Variation and Adaptation

How does the concept of race used by anthropologists today differ from the concept used by early biologists?

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

Physical features cluster into discrete genetic units.

Biologists have rejected the idea of three great races (white, black, and yellow) largely because it fails to account for Native Americans.

East Asians who have migrated recently from India and Pakistan to northern areas of the United Kingdom have a higher incidence of rickets and osteoporosis than the general British population. This illustrates that

One of the selective advantages of dark skin color in the tropics is that it reduces the susceptibility to folate destruction and therefore diminishes the likelihood of neural tube defects among human embryos. Folate is also necessary in men in order to maintain normal sperm production.

Populations living at high altitudes have all developed similar biological and cultural adaptations to hypoxic conditions.

Historically, scientists have approached the study of human biological diversity in two main ways: racial classification (now largely abandoned) versus the current explanatory approach, which focuses on understanding specific differences.

An examination of racial taxonomies from around the world would indicate that

How has contemporary work in genomics helped scientists address questions of human biological diversity?

Allen's rule states that protruding body parts grow shorter as temperature increases.

In theory, a biological race is a geographically isolated subdivision of a species. Humanity (Homo sapiens) lacks such races because

What is the difference between phenotypic adaptation and genetic adaptation? What role does each play in human evolution?

Phenotypic similarities and differences always have a genetic basis.

Rickets is caused by an overabundance of vitamin D in the body.

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

According to Thomson's nose rule, longer noses are more adaptive to colder climates than shorter ones.

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

What Is Anthropology

Culture

Applying Anthropology

Doing Archaeology and Biological Anthropology

Evolution and Genetics

The Primates

Early Hominins

Archaic Homo

The Origin and Spread of Modern Humans

The First Farmers

The First Cities and States

Method and Theory in Cultural Anthropology

Language and Communication

Ethnicity and Race

Making a Living

Political Systems

Gender

Families, Kinship, and Descent

Marriage

Religion

Arts, Media, and Sports

The World System and Colonialism

Anthropologys Role in a Globalizing World

Filters