Question 1

What is one of the probable explanations of the extinction of the later australopithecines?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were eventually unsuccessful in competing for available resources with early populations of Homo. 
B)  The broad-spectrum revolution was not adaptive. 
C)  They had no social organization. 
D)  They were a short-lived transitional stage between apes and humans. 
E)  They are relatively unimportant to the study of human evolution. 
A)  They were eventually unsuccessful in competing for available resources with early populations of Homo. 
B)  The broad-spectrum revolution was not adaptive. 
C)  They had no social organization. 
D)  They were a short-lived transitional stage between apes and humans. 
E)  They are relatively unimportant to the study of human evolution.

Question 2

Bipedalism has traditionally been viewed as an adaptation to open grassland or savanna country,although Ardipithecus lived in a humid woodland habitat.Perhaps bipedalism developed in the woodlands but became even more adaptive in a savanna habitat.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

All of the following about Au.garhi are true EXCEPT that it

Accepted Answer

A)  was discovered in 1999 in Ethiopia, along with traces of animal butchery. 
B)  adds a new potential ancestor to the human family tree. 
C)  made pebble tools around 2.6 m.y.a., challenging the long-held belief that Homo habilis was the first toolmaking human ancestor. 
D)  displaces Lucy as the most complete skeletal fossil specimen found so far. 
E)  provides evidence that the thigh bone (femur) had elongated by 2.5 million years ago, a million years before the forearm shortened, to create our current limb proportions. 
A)  was discovered in 1999 in Ethiopia, along with traces of animal butchery. 
B)  adds a new potential ancestor to the human family tree. 
C)  made pebble tools around 2.6 m.y.a., challenging the long-held belief that Homo habilis was the first toolmaking human ancestor. 
D)  displaces Lucy as the most complete skeletal fossil specimen found so far. 
E)  provides evidence that the thigh bone (femur) had elongated by 2.5 million years ago, a million years before the forearm shortened, to create our current limb proportions.

Question 4

Which of the following is/are evidence of robust australopithecines' adaptation to eating hard-shelled seeds and grasses?

Accepted Answer

A)  the presence of very large molars and a sagittal crest on the top of the skull 
B)  fine finger bones and a large mandible 
C)  massive fossilized temporalis muscles 
D)  bipedalism, providing the mobility necessary to gather food in open grasslands 
E)  a small but flexible masseter muscle and an enlarged occipital bun 
A)  the presence of very large molars and a sagittal crest on the top of the skull 
B)  fine finger bones and a large mandible 
C)  massive fossilized temporalis muscles 
D)  bipedalism, providing the mobility necessary to gather food in open grasslands 
E)  a small but flexible masseter muscle and an enlarged occipital bun

Question 5

Fossils of Australopithecus afarensis are particularly significant because

Accepted Answer

A)  they show that humans evolved in Asia rather than Africa. 
B)  they are the oldest hominin fossils yet found in the New World. 
C)  Au. afarensis remains are the oldest to be found in association with evidence of both stone tools and fire use. 
D)  they comprise the first fossil evidence to confirm that bipedalism preceded the evolution of a humanlike brain. 
E)  they show that the gracile australopithecines were not hominins after all. 
A)  they show that humans evolved in Asia rather than Africa. 
B)  they are the oldest hominin fossils yet found in the New World. 
C)  Au. afarensis remains are the oldest to be found in association with evidence of both stone tools and fire use. 
D)  they comprise the first fossil evidence to confirm that bipedalism preceded the evolution of a humanlike brain. 
E)  they show that the gracile australopithecines were not hominins after all.

Question 6

The discovery of Sahelanthropus tchadensis (Toumai)indicates that early hominid evolution was not confined to East Africa's Rift Valley.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

When did the split between the later australopithecines and the ancestors of Homo take place-when they became productively isolated from the later australopithecines?

Accepted Answer

A)  some 6 million years ago 
B)  when Australopithecus garhi discovered fire 
C)  they never split 
D)  some 4 million years ago 
E)  sometime between 3 and 2 m.y.a. 
A)  some 6 million years ago 
B)  when Australopithecus garhi discovered fire 
C)  they never split 
D)  some 4 million years ago 
E)  sometime between 3 and 2 m.y.a.

Question 8

Bipedalism,considered a key defining characteristic that differentiated early hominins from other apes,

Accepted Answer

A)  may have evolved as a result of anatomical changes caused by stone tool manufacturing. 
B)  evolved as a result of anatomical changes caused by an increase in brain size. 
C)  perhaps developed in the woodlands but became even more adaptive in a savanna habitat. 
D)  resulted in greater exposure to heat stress because on two feet, hominins spent increasingly more time in the open grasslands. 
E)  was accompanied by a sharp increase in hominins' climbing abilities. 
A)  may have evolved as a result of anatomical changes caused by stone tool manufacturing. 
B)  evolved as a result of anatomical changes caused by an increase in brain size. 
C)  perhaps developed in the woodlands but became even more adaptive in a savanna habitat. 
D)  resulted in greater exposure to heat stress because on two feet, hominins spent increasingly more time in the open grasslands. 
E)  was accompanied by a sharp increase in hominins' climbing abilities.

Question 9

What is the most important difference between Australopithecus afarensis and the modern apes?

Accepted Answer

A)  Au. afarensis had increased cranial capacity. 
B)  Au. afarensis had better color vision than apes. 
C)  Au. afarensis had a narrow chest, whereas living apes have a barrel chest. 
D)  Au. afarensis had lost its prehensile tail. 
E)  Au. afarensis was bipedal. 
A)  Au. afarensis had increased cranial capacity. 
B)  Au. afarensis had better color vision than apes. 
C)  Au. afarensis had a narrow chest, whereas living apes have a barrel chest. 
D)  Au. afarensis had lost its prehensile tail. 
E)  Au. afarensis was bipedal.

Question 10

In trying to determine whether a fossil is a human ancestor,we should always look for traits that make us human today.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

One of the reasons the discovery of the specimen Au.garhi and other materials in its site is important is that it provided evidence that large mammals were being butchered with early stone tool technologies,which suggests the onset of a dietary revolution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The cranial features of Australopithecus afarensis were poorly adapted to chewing,grinding,and crushing.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

In 2009,a newly reported Ardipithecus find-a fairly complete skeleton of A.ramidus-dubbed Ardi (4.4 m.y.a.)

Accepted Answer

A) replaces Lucy (3.2 m.y.a.)as the earliest known hominin skeleton. 
B) lived in a dry savanna habitat. 
C) stood about a foot shorter and weighed half as much as Lucy. 
D) is the new undisputed oldest hominin fossil. 
E) is the ancestor of Homo but not australopithecines. 
A) replaces Lucy (3.2 m.y.a.)as the earliest known hominin skeleton. 
B) lived in a dry savanna habitat. 
C) stood about a foot shorter and weighed half as much as Lucy. 
D) is the new undisputed oldest hominin fossil. 
E) is the ancestor of Homo but not australopithecines.

Question 14

All of the following are true about the recent discovery of the world's oldest child,dubbed "Lucy's baby," EXCEPT that

Accepted Answer

A)  she is a member of Australopithecus afarensis, a species many anthropologists consider ancestral to humans. 
B)  the 3.3-million-year-old fossilized toddler was uncovered in northern Ethiopia. 
C)  her remains, which are amazingly complete, include a remarkably well-preserved skull, milk teeth, tiny fingers, a torso, a foot, and a kneecap. 
D)  the fossil suggests that the child died because her brain, which appears to have been larger than an average chimp brain at that age, was too large for her slowly developing skull. 
E)  the fossil supports the theory that Au. afarensis walked upright on two legs but still retained an apelike upper body, including two complete shoulder blades similar to a gorilla's, so it could have been better at climbing than are humans. 
A)  she is a member of Australopithecus afarensis, a species many anthropologists consider ancestral to humans. 
B)  the 3.3-million-year-old fossilized toddler was uncovered in northern Ethiopia. 
C)  her remains, which are amazingly complete, include a remarkably well-preserved skull, milk teeth, tiny fingers, a torso, a foot, and a kneecap. 
D)  the fossil suggests that the child died because her brain, which appears to have been larger than an average chimp brain at that age, was too large for her slowly developing skull. 
E)  the fossil supports the theory that Au. afarensis walked upright on two legs but still retained an apelike upper body, including two complete shoulder blades similar to a gorilla's, so it could have been better at climbing than are humans.

Question 15

The dentition of Australopithecus afarensis exhibits some similarities to the dentition of modern chimpanzees.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Discuss the place of Ardipithecus kadabba,Ardipithecus ramidus,and Australopithecus anamensis in hominin evolution,considering the current dates associated with both species.

Accepted Answer

Ardipithecus kadabba, Ardipithecus ramid

Question 17

Australopithecus had at least seven species,

Accepted Answer

A)  Au. anamensis, Au. afarensis, Au. kenyanthropus, Au. kadabba, Au. garhi, Au. robustus, and Au. sediba. 
B)  Au. anamensis, Au. afarensis, Au. africanus, Au. garhi, Au. robustus, Au. boisei, and Au. sediba. 
C)  all discovered and named by the Leakey family. 
D)  all discovered in Africa except Au. boisei. 
E)  but only five of them have been confirmed to be bipedal, thus putting into question that all australopithecines were hominins. 
A)  Au. anamensis, Au. afarensis, Au. kenyanthropus, Au. kadabba, Au. garhi, Au. robustus, and Au. sediba. 
B)  Au. anamensis, Au. afarensis, Au. africanus, Au. garhi, Au. robustus, Au. boisei, and Au. sediba. 
C)  all discovered and named by the Leakey family. 
D)  all discovered in Africa except Au. boisei. 
E)  but only five of them have been confirmed to be bipedal, thus putting into question that all australopithecines were hominins.

Question 18

Postcranial material from Ardipithecus,the earliest widely accepted hominin genus (5.8-4.4 m.y.a.),indicates a capacity-albeit an imperfect one-for upright bipedal locomotion.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Oldowan pebble tools

Accepted Answer

A)  were found at the same site and stratigraphic layer as the Ardipithecus kadabba fossils, dramatically pushing back in time the onset of stone tool use to the late Miocene. 
B)  contain evidence that they were used on fellow hominins, providing the earliest evidence of human warfare and cannibalism. 
C)  include elaborate axes and spears. 
D)  were also used to decorate burial sites, suggesting very early symbolic thought. 
E)  represent the oldest formally recognized stone tools. 
A)  were found at the same site and stratigraphic layer as the Ardipithecus kadabba fossils, dramatically pushing back in time the onset of stone tool use to the late Miocene. 
B)  contain evidence that they were used on fellow hominins, providing the earliest evidence of human warfare and cannibalism. 
C)  include elaborate axes and spears. 
D)  were also used to decorate burial sites, suggesting very early symbolic thought. 
E)  represent the oldest formally recognized stone tools.

Question 20

What is the term for the bony protuberance found on top of the skulls of robust australopithecines?

Accepted Answer

A)  temporalis 
B)  sagittal crest 
C)  masseter 
D)  foramen magnum 
E)  ischium 
A)  temporalis 
B)  sagittal crest 
C)  masseter 
D)  foramen magnum 
E)  ischium

Exam 8: Early Hominins

What is one of the probable explanations of the extinction of the later australopithecines?

Bipedalism has traditionally been viewed as an adaptation to open grassland or savanna country,although Ardipithecus lived in a humid woodland habitat.Perhaps bipedalism developed in the woodlands but became even more adaptive in a savanna habitat.

All of the following about Au.garhi are true EXCEPT that it

Which of the following is/are evidence of robust australopithecines' adaptation to eating hard-shelled seeds and grasses?

Fossils of Australopithecus afarensis are particularly significant because

The discovery of Sahelanthropus tchadensis (Toumai)indicates that early hominid evolution was not confined to East Africa's Rift Valley.

When did the split between the later australopithecines and the ancestors of Homo take place-when they became productively isolated from the later australopithecines?

Bipedalism,considered a key defining characteristic that differentiated early hominins from other apes,

What is the most important difference between Australopithecus afarensis and the modern apes?

In trying to determine whether a fossil is a human ancestor,we should always look for traits that make us human today.

One of the reasons the discovery of the specimen Au.garhi and other materials in its site is important is that it provided evidence that large mammals were being butchered with early stone tool technologies,which suggests the onset of a dietary revolution.

The cranial features of Australopithecus afarensis were poorly adapted to chewing,grinding,and crushing.

In 2009,a newly reported Ardipithecus find-a fairly complete skeleton of A.ramidus-dubbed Ardi (4.4 m.y.a.)

All of the following are true about the recent discovery of the world's oldest child,dubbed "Lucy's baby," EXCEPT that

The dentition of Australopithecus afarensis exhibits some similarities to the dentition of modern chimpanzees.

Discuss the place of Ardipithecus kadabba,Ardipithecus ramidus,and Australopithecus anamensis in hominin evolution,considering the current dates associated with both species.

Australopithecus had at least seven species,

Postcranial material from Ardipithecus,the earliest widely accepted hominin genus (5.8-4.4 m.y.a.),indicates a capacity-albeit an imperfect one-for upright bipedal locomotion.

Oldowan pebble tools

What is the term for the bony protuberance found on top of the skulls of robust australopithecines?

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