Question 1

Which of the following statements about attempts to assign humans to discrete racial categories purportedly based on common ancestry is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are applied to endogamous breeding populations. 
B)  They are based on genotypic rather than phenotypic characteristics. 
C)  They are based on global racial categories that vary little from one society to another. 
D)  They are a recent phenomenon brought on by globalization. 
E)  They are culturally arbitrary, even though most people assume they are based in biology. 
A)  They are applied to endogamous breeding populations. 
B)  They are based on genotypic rather than phenotypic characteristics. 
C)  They are based on global racial categories that vary little from one society to another. 
D)  They are a recent phenomenon brought on by globalization. 
E)  They are culturally arbitrary, even though most people assume they are based in biology.

Question 2

Support or refute this statement: By rejecting the race concept, anthropologists are ignoring obvious human biological variations.

Accepted Answer

The statement is not entirely accurate.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about human skin color is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Skin color varies because of differences in ultraviolet radiation between different regions of the world. 
B)  The amount of melanin in the skin affects the body's production of vitaminD. 
C)  The amount of melanin in the skin affects the body's ability to process lactose. 
D)  Light skin is at a selective advantage outside the tropics because it admits ultraviolet radiation that causes the body to manufacture vitamin D, helping to prevent rickets and osteoporosis. 
E)  Light skin is at a selective disadvantage in the tropics because it is more susceptible to the destruction of the folate that is needed to produce folic acid, which protects against neural tube defects in human embryos. 
A)  Skin color varies because of differences in ultraviolet radiation between different regions of the world. 
B)  The amount of melanin in the skin affects the body's production of vitaminD. 
C)  The amount of melanin in the skin affects the body's ability to process lactose. 
D)  Light skin is at a selective advantage outside the tropics because it admits ultraviolet radiation that causes the body to manufacture vitamin D, helping to prevent rickets and osteoporosis. 
E)  Light skin is at a selective disadvantage in the tropics because it is more susceptible to the destruction of the folate that is needed to produce folic acid, which protects against neural tube defects in human embryos.

Question 4

Traditional racial classification assumed that biological characteristics such as skin color were determined by heredity and remained stable over many generations. We now know that

Accepted Answer

A)  skin color is actually determined throughout child development. 
B)  skin color is determined by sun exposure and the amount of melanin in our diets. 
C)  a biological similarity such as skin color is also the result of natural selection working among different populations that face similar environmental challenges. 
D)  skin color is determined by a single gene that is prone to mutations over many generations. 
E)  a biological similarity such as skin color is always the result of both common ancestry and natural selection. 
A)  skin color is actually determined throughout child development. 
B)  skin color is determined by sun exposure and the amount of melanin in our diets. 
C)  a biological similarity such as skin color is also the result of natural selection working among different populations that face similar environmental challenges. 
D)  skin color is determined by a single gene that is prone to mutations over many generations. 
E)  a biological similarity such as skin color is always the result of both common ancestry and natural selection.

Question 5

What term refers to an organism's evident traits, its "manifest biology"?

Accepted Answer

A)  manifest destiny 
B)  genotype 
C)  biological circumscription 
D)  phenotype 
E)  hereditary inequality 
A)  manifest destiny 
B)  genotype 
C)  biological circumscription 
D)  phenotype 
E)  hereditary inequality

Question 6

The only chance for human racial classification schemes to work is to shift from using phenotypic to genotypic characteristics of human populations.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Recall the mechanisms of genetic evolution discussed in the previous chapter. What is the relationship between gene flow and the existence of clines between human populations?

Accepted Answer

A)  Gene flow increases the genetic isolation of neighboring groups, resulting in discrete populational genetic differences instead of clines. 
B)  There is no relationship between gene flow and clines. 
C)  Gene flow, the exchange of genetic material across populations, results in clines, which are gradual shifts in gene frequencies between neighboring groups. 
D)  Clines accelerate gene flow and genetic change due to chance. 
E)  Gene flow causes abrupt differences in gene frequencies between neighboring groups. 
A)  Gene flow increases the genetic isolation of neighboring groups, resulting in discrete populational genetic differences instead of clines. 
B)  There is no relationship between gene flow and clines. 
C)  Gene flow, the exchange of genetic material across populations, results in clines, which are gradual shifts in gene frequencies between neighboring groups. 
D)  Clines accelerate gene flow and genetic change due to chance. 
E)  Gene flow causes abrupt differences in gene frequencies between neighboring groups.

Question 8

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 9

Which of the following is the best plan of action for a light-skinned woman of childbearing age living in the tropics and concerned about giving birth to a child with neural tube defects (NTDs)?

Accepted Answer

A)  using a tanning booth to give her skin accelerated protection against the sun 
B)  taking vitamin D supplements 
C)  drinking plenty of fluids to boost her body's thermoregulation 
D)  doing nothing, since a woman's chance of giving birth to a child with NTDs is genetically determined 
E)  taking folic acid/folate supplements and protecting herself against the sun with sunscreen, clothing, and shelter 
A)  using a tanning booth to give her skin accelerated protection against the sun 
B)  taking vitamin D supplements 
C)  drinking plenty of fluids to boost her body's thermoregulation 
D)  doing nothing, since a woman's chance of giving birth to a child with NTDs is genetically determined 
E)  taking folic acid/folate supplements and protecting herself against the sun with sunscreen, clothing, and shelter

Question 10

What is the term for a gradual shift in gene frequencies between neighboring populations?

Accepted Answer

A)  cline 
B)  genotype 
C)  phenotype 
D)  cluster 
E)  allele 
A)  cline 
B)  genotype 
C)  phenotype 
D)  cluster 
E)  allele

Question 11

Which of the following statements about the concept of race as applied to humans is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is a discredited concept in biology. 
B)  It is based on the Western science of genetics. 
C)  It is determined by the juxtaposition of alleles. 
D)  It does not include what used to be called subraces, because these are now known as ethnic groups. 
E)  It has been verified by recent fossil finds in the Neanderthal Valley in Germany. 
A)  It is a discredited concept in biology. 
B)  It is based on the Western science of genetics. 
C)  It is determined by the juxtaposition of alleles. 
D)  It does not include what used to be called subraces, because these are now known as ethnic groups. 
E)  It has been verified by recent fossil finds in the Neanderthal Valley in Germany.

Question 12

Bergmann's rule states that average body size tends to

Accepted Answer

A)  decrease at high elevations and increase in low ones. 
B)  increase in cold climates and decrease in hot ones. 
C)  decrease in cold climates and increase in hot ones. 
D)  decrease at low elevations and increase in high ones. 
E)  decrease where the air is thinner and increase where it is thicker. 
A)  decrease at high elevations and increase in low ones. 
B)  increase in cold climates and decrease in hot ones. 
C)  decrease in cold climates and increase in hot ones. 
D)  decrease at low elevations and increase in high ones. 
E)  decrease where the air is thinner and increase where it is thicker.

Question 13

This chapter's discussion of lactose tolerance highlights how genes and phenotypic adaptation can work together to produce human biological diversity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Genes and phenotypic adaptation work together to produce a biochemical difference between human groups in the ability to digest large amounts of milk. This is an adaptive advantage when

Accepted Answer

A)  herding societies shift to a sedentary agricultural lifestyle. 
B)  mothers cannot wean their children from breast milk after they turn one year old. 
C)  other foods are scarce and milk is available, as it is in herding societies. 
D)  there is not enough lactose in the diet. 
E)  lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, is not produced in enough quantities to keep up with dietary intake. 
A)  herding societies shift to a sedentary agricultural lifestyle. 
B)  mothers cannot wean their children from breast milk after they turn one year old. 
C)  other foods are scarce and milk is available, as it is in herding societies. 
D)  there is not enough lactose in the diet. 
E)  lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, is not produced in enough quantities to keep up with dietary intake.

Question 15

Skin color is a simple biological trait that is influenced by one gene and environmental exposure to sunlight.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

This chapter's "Appreciating Diversity" segment describes recent DNA analysis of Australian Aborigines, which revealed that their ancestors branched off from ancestral Europeans and Asians 70,000 to 50,000 years ago. This research indicates

Accepted Answer

A)  Aborigines developed a dark skin color independently from Africans. 
B)  Australian Aborigines are direct descendants of the first modern humans to leave Africa. 
C)  Aboriginal Australians have a more recent population history than Europeans. 
D)  Aborigines maintained regular contact with people from other continents. 
E)  Ancestral Aborigines had cultural but not genetic isolation. 
A)  Aborigines developed a dark skin color independently from Africans. 
B)  Australian Aborigines are direct descendants of the first modern humans to leave Africa. 
C)  Aboriginal Australians have a more recent population history than Europeans. 
D)  Aborigines maintained regular contact with people from other continents. 
E)  Ancestral Aborigines had cultural but not genetic isolation.

Question 17

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 18

There is much greater variation within each of the traditional so-called races than between them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

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)  Smallpox, which appeared after people and animals started living together, has worked as a selective agent against people with sickle-cell anemia. 
B)  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. 
C)  Blood type O will soon become something of the past, since it does not confer an advantage to any disease. 
D)  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. 
E)  Diseases no longer work as powerful selective agents for humans, thanks to the widespread availability of modern medicine. 
A)  Smallpox, which appeared after people and animals started living together, has worked as a selective agent against people with sickle-cell anemia. 
B)  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. 
C)  Blood type O will soon become something of the past, since it does not confer an advantage to any disease. 
D)  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. 
E)  Diseases no longer work as powerful selective agents for humans, thanks to the widespread availability of modern medicine.

Question 20

Why do differences in skin pigmentation exist around the world?

Accepted Answer

Differences in skin pigmentation around

Exam 6: Human Variation and Adaptation

Which of the following statements about attempts to assign humans to discrete racial categories purportedly based on common ancestry is true?

Support or refute this statement: By rejecting the race concept, anthropologists are ignoring obvious human biological variations.

Which of the following statements about human skin color is NOT true?

Traditional racial classification assumed that biological characteristics such as skin color were determined by heredity and remained stable over many generations. We now know that

What term refers to an organism's evident traits, its "manifest biology"?

The only chance for human racial classification schemes to work is to shift from using phenotypic to genotypic characteristics of human populations.

Recall the mechanisms of genetic evolution discussed in the previous chapter. What is the relationship between gene flow and the existence of clines between human populations?

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.

Which of the following is the best plan of action for a light-skinned woman of childbearing age living in the tropics and concerned about giving birth to a child with neural tube defects (NTDs)?

What is the term for a gradual shift in gene frequencies between neighboring populations?

Which of the following statements about the concept of race as applied to humans is true?

Bergmann's rule states that average body size tends to

This chapter's discussion of lactose tolerance highlights how genes and phenotypic adaptation can work together to produce human biological diversity.

Genes and phenotypic adaptation work together to produce a biochemical difference between human groups in the ability to digest large amounts of milk. This is an adaptive advantage when

Skin color is a simple biological trait that is influenced by one gene and environmental exposure to sunlight.

This chapter's "Appreciating Diversity" segment describes recent DNA analysis of Australian Aborigines, which revealed that their ancestors branched off from ancestral Europeans and Asians 70,000 to 50,000 years ago. This research indicates

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.

There is much greater variation within each of the traditional so-called races than between them.

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?

Why do differences in skin pigmentation exist around the world?

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