Question 1

Discuss the steps of the scientific method.

Accepted Answer

The scientific method includes an observation, development of a hypothesis, experimentation, data collection, and conclusions. Data are used to test hypotheses, possible explanations for the processes under study, by observing and then rejecting or accepting the hypotheses. After observations are collected, scientists develop a theory, which is an explanation, not just a description, of phenomena.

Question 2

An archaeological field school is announced in your anthropology course. The description says that you will be able to travel to Belize to learn about the lives of the ancient Mayans. What do you expect to learn during this field school?

Accepted Answer

A)   what species of nonhuman primate occupies this region
B)   how current populations of immigrants have changed local dialects
C)   how to excavate and study material culture
D)   how to socially navigate life in a Central American setting C

Question 3

Physical anthropology as a discipline is NOT concerned with:

Accepted Answer

A)   skeletal pathology.
B)   primate behavior.
C)   fossilized nonprimate remains.
D)   human evolution C

Question 4

Human production of stone or lithic tools is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A)   linguistic comprehension.
B)   subsistence strategies.
C)   material culture.
D)   ideology.

Question 5

Bipedalism in primates means:

Accepted Answer

A)   walking on two feet.
B)   walking on four feet.
C)   walking using two legs and a tail.
D)   swinging from branch to branch.

Question 6

The results of a disadvantaged social environment include:

Accepted Answer

A)   poor health, reduced height, and shortened life expectancy.
B)   poor speech and excessive eating habits.
C)   poor reading comprehension.
D)   inability to think critically and develop long-term planning.

Question 7

How is biocultural anthropology different from cultural anthropology?

Accepted Answer

A)   It combines cultural studies with archaeology.
B)   It examines the interaction between biology and culture in shaping human biology.
C)   It is strictly a biological science.
D)   It considers culture to be a byproduct of our biological histories.

Question 8

Franz Boas:

Accepted Answer

A)   had an early influence on Darwin's theory of natural selection.
B)   considered environment and biology insignificant in the study of human cultures.
C)   never conducted his own fieldwork, curiously.
D)   united the study of culture, language, and biology within American anthropology.

Question 9

What makes it possible for humans to accumulate an amazing amount of information over long periods of time?

Accepted Answer

A)   social learning
B)   television
C)   social media
D)   mimicry

Question 10

The two concepts that best explain physical anthropology are that:

Accepted Answer

A)   your biological makeup defines who you are and your personality comes from your environment.
B)   every person is a product of evolutionary history and each of us is the product of our own individual life histories.
C)   you are what your genes make you and your environment has no effect.
D)   You are what your environment makes you and your genes have no effect.

Question 11

The biological profile of an individual includes their:

Accepted Answer

A)   age, sex, height, and biological ancestry.
B)   sex, weight, personal history, and age.
C)   biological ancestry, sex, and skin color.
D)   skin, hair, and eye color.

Question 12

Forensic anthropologists:

Accepted Answer

A)   focus their work on skeletal analysis of individuals.
B)   study skeletal remains from past human populations.
C)   study the evolution of human skeletal traits.
D)   do not work outside academia.

Question 13

Discuss the value of the scientific method in our society.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the value of the scientific method...

Question 14

Archaeology is:

Accepted Answer

A)   the study of human evolution.
B)   largely devoted to recovering artifacts and building museum collections.
C)   the study of the behavior and material culture of past human societies.
D)   the study of the evolution of language.

Question 15

What makes us human?

Accepted Answer

A)   physiology, culture, and planning
B)   biology, culture, and religion
C)   physiology, behavior, and religion
D)   biology, culture, and behavior

Question 16

The hypothesis that the origin of human bipedalism was linked to a shift from life in the trees to life on the ground in the grasslands of Africa:

Accepted Answer

A)   has been upheld by subsequent scientific data on human origins.
B)   was developed in consultation with genetic and fossil evidence.
C)   has been rejected recently subsequent to new fossil evidence.
D)   has become a scientific law.

Question 17

Provide an imaginary example of the proper use of the scientific method.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Provide an imaginary example of the proper...

Question 18

Anthropology views humans as both:

Accepted Answer

A)   primates and religious beings.
B)   primates, religious, and cultural beings.
C)   biological and cultural beings.
D)   cultural and religious beings.

Question 19

Discuss the difference between a hypothesis and a theory. Why is the distinction important?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the difference between a hypothesis and...

Question 20

Bipedalism is considered one of the hallmarks of hominid evolution because:

Accepted Answer

A)   it was the first evolutionary development that distinguished humans from other animals.
B)   it was possible only after the advent of simple material culture.
C)   it followed brain expansion in human evolution.
D)   it allowed hominids to come out of the trees and make tools 10 mya.

Exam 1: What Is Physical Anthropology