Question 1

Although the first hominins appeared late in the Miocene,most hominin fossils have been dated to

Accepted Answer

A)  20 to 15 m.y.a. 
B)  the Holocene. 
C)  the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. 
D)  the early Miocene. 
E)  400,000 to 300,000 years ago. 
A)  20 to 15 m.y.a. 
B)  the Holocene. 
C)  the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. 
D)  the early Miocene. 
E)  400,000 to 300,000 years ago. C

Question 2

What do the skull,jaws,and teeth of australopithecines indicate?

Accepted Answer

A)  Warfare was commonplace, because we see much evidence of head trauma. 
B)  They were carnivores. 
C)  They used a fairly complex spoken language. 
D)  Their diet was largely vegetarian. 
E)  They were cannibals. 
A)  Warfare was commonplace, because we see much evidence of head trauma. 
B)  They were carnivores. 
C)  They used a fairly complex spoken language. 
D)  Their diet was largely vegetarian. 
E)  They were cannibals. D

Question 3

Which of the following statements about australopithecines is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  They had a greater cranial capacity than Homo erectus. 
B)  They lived in the tropical forest. 
C)  They have been found predominantly in West Africa. 
D)  They were fully bipedal. 
E)  They were primarily carnivores. 
A)  They had a greater cranial capacity than Homo erectus. 
B)  They lived in the tropical forest. 
C)  They have been found predominantly in West Africa. 
D)  They were fully bipedal. 
E)  They were primarily carnivores. D

Question 4

Discuss the significance of Australopithecus sediba.Why do paleoanthropologists debate its place in human evolution? What is unique about this fossil?

Accepted Answer

Australopithecus sediba is a species of

Question 5

Which of the following statements about the so-called "black skull" is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The skull shows evidence of cold-weather adaptations. 
B)  The skull has a sagittal crest. 
C)  The skull combines relatively small overall size with large chewing dentition. 
D)  Some scientists categorize the skull as belonging to a very early hyperrobust australopithecine. 
E)  Some scientists assign the black skull its own species, Au.aethiopicus. 
A)  The skull shows evidence of cold-weather adaptations. 
B)  The skull has a sagittal crest. 
C)  The skull combines relatively small overall size with large chewing dentition. 
D)  Some scientists categorize the skull as belonging to a very early hyperrobust australopithecine. 
E)  Some scientists assign the black skull its own species, Au.aethiopicus.

Question 6

What was the major hominin group that lived from about 4 to 1 m.y.a.?

Accepted Answer

A)  Homo sapiens 
B)  Homo erectus 
C)  Ramapithecus 
D)  Australopithecus 
E)  Dryopithecus 
A)  Homo sapiens 
B)  Homo erectus 
C)  Ramapithecus 
D)  Australopithecus 
E)  Dryopithecus

Question 7

Oldowan tools were made by striking flakes off the sides of cores.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

A characteristic trend in hominin evolution has been an increase in brain size,especially with the advent of the genus Homo.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Orrorin tugenensis and the Toumai specimen are unquestionably hominins.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

All of the following about Ardipithecus kadabba are true EXCEPT that

Accepted Answer

A)  it is recognized as the earliest known hominin, with the Toumai find from Chad, dated to 7-6 m.y.a., and Orrorin tugenensis from Kenya, dated to 6 m.y.a., as possibly even older hominins. 
B)  the kadabba find consists of 11 specimens, including a jaw bone with teeth, hand and foot bones, fragments of arm bones, and a piece of collarbone. 
C)  its bipedalism is still questioned because none of the fossil bones found was a pelvis or a femur. 
D)  it lived during the late Miocene, between 5.8 and 5.5 million years ago. 
E)  its fossils belong to individuals that were apelike in size, anatomy, and habitat. 
A)  it is recognized as the earliest known hominin, with the Toumai find from Chad, dated to 7-6 m.y.a., and Orrorin tugenensis from Kenya, dated to 6 m.y.a., as possibly even older hominins. 
B)  the kadabba find consists of 11 specimens, including a jaw bone with teeth, hand and foot bones, fragments of arm bones, and a piece of collarbone. 
C)  its bipedalism is still questioned because none of the fossil bones found was a pelvis or a femur. 
D)  it lived during the late Miocene, between 5.8 and 5.5 million years ago. 
E)  its fossils belong to individuals that were apelike in size, anatomy, and habitat.

Question 11

Sahelanthropus tchadensis,or Toumai,

Accepted Answer

A)  may be the oldest possible "missing link" between gorillas and Orrorin tugenensis. 
B)  moves scientists close to the time when humans and apes in the Americas diverged from a common ancestor. 
C)  looks more like a chimp than a human, specifically because of the placement of its foramen magnum at the base of its skull, which is farther back than in later hominins. 
D)  may be the oldest possible human ancestor yet found. 
E)  apparently lived in a habitat with scarce animal life and mountain terrain. 
A)  may be the oldest possible "missing link" between gorillas and Orrorin tugenensis. 
B)  moves scientists close to the time when humans and apes in the Americas diverged from a common ancestor. 
C)  looks more like a chimp than a human, specifically because of the placement of its foramen magnum at the base of its skull, which is farther back than in later hominins. 
D)  may be the oldest possible human ancestor yet found. 
E)  apparently lived in a habitat with scarce animal life and mountain terrain.

Question 12

The teeth and skulls of australopithecines suggest that they had a vegetarian diet.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Of the following features belonging to Australopithecus afarensis,which is evidence of its adaptation to bipedal locomotion?

Accepted Answer

A)  the position of its foramen magnum underneath the skull 
B)  the development of an opposable thumb 
C)  the presence of crude stone tools 
D)  its cranial capacity 
E)  its relatively large grinding surfaces on the back teeth, compared to earlier primate fossils 
A)  the position of its foramen magnum underneath the skull 
B)  the development of an opposable thumb 
C)  the presence of crude stone tools 
D)  its cranial capacity 
E)  its relatively large grinding surfaces on the back teeth, compared to earlier primate fossils

Question 14

Robust australopithecines have been found only in East Africa.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Which of the following was a key obstacle that hominins' increase in brain size had to overcome?

Accepted Answer

A)  larger skulls demanding more elastic birth canals, even though the requirements of skeletal development during a woman's lifetime limit the elasticity of birth canals 
B)  the challenges of walking with a head that is too heavy 
C)  overcoming the trend of clumsy locomotion that makes hominins vulnerable to predators 
D)  overcoming the trend of ever more self-sufficient children eager to separate themselves from their mothers 
E)  larger skulls demanding larger birth canals, even though the requirements of upright bipedalism impose limits on the expansion of the human pelvic opening 
A)  larger skulls demanding more elastic birth canals, even though the requirements of skeletal development during a woman's lifetime limit the elasticity of birth canals 
B)  the challenges of walking with a head that is too heavy 
C)  overcoming the trend of clumsy locomotion that makes hominins vulnerable to predators 
D)  overcoming the trend of ever more self-sufficient children eager to separate themselves from their mothers 
E)  larger skulls demanding larger birth canals, even though the requirements of upright bipedalism impose limits on the expansion of the human pelvic opening

Question 16

Although we now know that the various species of Australopithecus discussed in this chapter do not form a distinct subfamily within the order Primates,

Accepted Answer

A)  there are still some creationists who argue that they should form a distinct subfamily. 
B)  the designation australopithecine has stuck in describing them. 
C)  we still use the term australopithecine to honor the legacy of the Leakey family. 
D)  australopithecines certainly do form a distinct tribe. 
E)  some prominent paleoanthropologists are not convinced and have threatened to withdraw from the American Anthropological Association. 
A)  there are still some creationists who argue that they should form a distinct subfamily. 
B)  the designation australopithecine has stuck in describing them. 
C)  we still use the term australopithecine to honor the legacy of the Leakey family. 
D)  australopithecines certainly do form a distinct tribe. 
E)  some prominent paleoanthropologists are not convinced and have threatened to withdraw from the American Anthropological Association.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a location where australopithecine fossils have been found?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ethiopia 
B)  Tanzania 
C)  Kenya 
D)  Gibraltar 
E)  South Africa 
A)  Ethiopia 
B)  Tanzania 
C)  Kenya 
D)  Gibraltar 
E)  South Africa

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT considered a direct ancestor of anatomically modern humans?

Accepted Answer

A)  Australopithecus afarensis 
B)  Homo habilis 
C)  Homo erectus 
D)  Australopithecus boisei 
E)  Australopithecus africanus 
A)  Australopithecus afarensis 
B)  Homo habilis 
C)  Homo erectus 
D)  Australopithecus boisei 
E)  Australopithecus africanus

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT discussed in this chapter as a probable cause of the anatomical variety found in the australopithecine fossils?

Accepted Answer

A)  the long time span within which they existed 
B)  differences in natural selective forces operating in specific environments 
C)  the poor condition of the fossils 
D)  age and sex differences 
E)  random genetic drift 
A)  the long time span within which they existed 
B)  differences in natural selective forces operating in specific environments 
C)  the poor condition of the fossils 
D)  age and sex differences 
E)  random genetic drift

Question 20

What factors were critical in the evolution of bipedalism? How do they illustrate the close relationship between biology and culture? How does the discovery of Lucy's "baby" contribute to the understanding of this relationship?

Accepted Answer

The evolution of bipedalism was influenc

Exam 8: Early Hominins

Although the first hominins appeared late in the Miocene,most hominin fossils have been dated to

What do the skull,jaws,and teeth of australopithecines indicate?

Which of the following statements about australopithecines is true?

Discuss the significance of Australopithecus sediba.Why do paleoanthropologists debate its place in human evolution? What is unique about this fossil?

Which of the following statements about the so-called "black skull" is NOT true?

What was the major hominin group that lived from about 4 to 1 m.y.a.?

Oldowan tools were made by striking flakes off the sides of cores.

A characteristic trend in hominin evolution has been an increase in brain size,especially with the advent of the genus Homo.

Orrorin tugenensis and the Toumai specimen are unquestionably hominins.

All of the following about Ardipithecus kadabba are true EXCEPT that

Sahelanthropus tchadensis,or Toumai,

The teeth and skulls of australopithecines suggest that they had a vegetarian diet.

Of the following features belonging to Australopithecus afarensis,which is evidence of its adaptation to bipedal locomotion?

Robust australopithecines have been found only in East Africa.

Which of the following was a key obstacle that hominins' increase in brain size had to overcome?

Although we now know that the various species of Australopithecus discussed in this chapter do not form a distinct subfamily within the order Primates,

Which of the following is NOT a location where australopithecine fossils have been found?

Which of the following is NOT considered a direct ancestor of anatomically modern humans?

Which of the following is NOT discussed in this chapter as a probable cause of the anatomical variety found in the australopithecine fossils?

What factors were critical in the evolution of bipedalism? How do they illustrate the close relationship between biology and culture? How does the discovery of Lucy's "baby" contribute to the understanding of this relationship?

What Is Anthropology

Culture

Applying Anthropology

Doing Archaeology and Biological Anthropology

Evolution and Genetics

Human Variation and Adaptation

The Primates

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