Chapter 4: Human Evolution
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following statements is considered to be true?
A. human biology has changed more than human culture
B. human culture has changed more than human biology
C. human culture and biology change at differing rates
D. human culture and biology change at standard, similar rates
ANS: C TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 75
2. Which of the following is not a goal for anthropologists?
A. to develop a heroic narrative story of human evolution
B. to discover which human ancestors were the first to walk on two legs
C. to understand why human ancestors developed large brains
D. to study human tool use through time
ANS: A TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 75
3. Which kind of biological evidence is most often used to
account for change in human species?
A. size and shape of pelvis
B. length of spinal column
C. size and shape of the skull
D. existence of a brain
ANS: C TYPE: Factual
PG: 75
4. Which of the following statements is most accurate?
A. primates have cultural and biological evolution to ensure
biological success
B. because of culture, humans have progressed much further
biologically than other animals
C. humans are more biologically successful than other animals
D. each species follows a distinctive evolutionary course to ensure
biological success
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 76
5. When did the first mammals appear?
A. about 40 million years ago
B. approximately 65 million years ago
C. over 500 million years ago
D. over 200 million years ago
ANS: D TYPE: Factual
PG: 76
6. What is continental drift?
A. slow, gradual migration of the earth's surface due to the earth's rotation
B. movement of the continents due to catastrophic events
C. movement of the earth's surface over time due to magnetic north
D. movement of the earth's surface over time due to plate tectonics
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 76
7. When did diurnal anthropoids first appear?
A. about 40 million years ago
B. approximately 65 million years ago
C. over 500 million years ago
D. over 200 million years ago
ANS: A TYPE: Factual
PG: 77
8. When did Old and New World anthropoid species first diverge?
A. more than 200 million years ago
B. approximately 65 million years ago
C. less than 23 million years ago
D. about 40 million years ago
ANS: D TYPE: Factual
PG: 77
9. What continents were joined in the supercontinent of Laurasia?
A. North America, Asia, and Europe
B. Asia, Europe, and Africa
C. Africa, North America, and Asia
D. North and South America, Africa, and Asia
ANS: A TYPE: Applied
PG: 77
10. Which geological time period began about 23 million years ago?
A. Oligocene
B. Eocene
C. Pliocene
D. Miocene
ANS: D TYPE: Factual
PG: 77
11. What significant event occurred during the Miocene?
A. the first diurnal anthropoids appeared
B. dinosaurs became extinct, allowing hominoids to appear
C. hominoids appeared and spread into North America
D. hominoids appeared in Eurasia and Africa
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 77
12. Scientists date the split between human ancestors and the
ancestors of African apes between:
A. 10 and 15 million years ago
B. 5 and 2 million years ago
C. 8 and 5 million years ago
D. 9 and 6 million years ago
ANS: C TYPE: Factual
PG: 78
13. What evidence is used for a hominoid fossil to be
definitively classified as part of the human evolutionary line?
A. bipedalism
B. upright spinal column
C. large skull
D. forward-projecting eyes
ANS: A TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 78
14. For a hominoid fossil to be definitively classified as part
of the human evolutionary line there must be certain evidence of:
A. bipedalism
B. an elongated skeletal frame
C. a large brain
D. meat-eating
ANS: A TYPE: Factual
PG: 78
15. What is bipedalism?
A. a special form of locomotion on two feet
B. having two lobes in the skull
C. the separation of Homo erectus from Homo sapiens
D. the relationship between two species of apes
ANS: A TYPE: Factual
PG: 78
16. On a human skull, how is the foramen magnum positioned in
order to demonstrate bipedalism?
A. it is opened at an angle so that the spinal cord emerges almost
horizontally
B. it is primarily positioned on the right of the skull to
indicate right-handedness
C. it is lower and positioned more forward on the skull
D. it is positioned on top of the skull
ANS: C TYPE: Applied
PG: 79
17. Which of the following is not an accurate depiction of the
australopithecines?
A. females were larger than males
B. their brain size was comparable per body size to the modern African apes
C. they were quite muscular
D. they were not as large or tall as modern-day humans
ANS: A TYPE: Applied
PG: 79
18. What was significant about the Laetoli site in Tanzania?
A. it was where the earliest human ancestors were found 7 million years ago
B. it was the site where the earliest biped was excavated in 1978
C. it was the site where volcanic ash preserved the remains of 36
human beings
D. it was the site where foot impressions of a biped were preserved
from 3.6 million years ago
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 80
19. How does the spinal column differ between an adult human and
a chimpanzee?
A. the chimpanzee spine is straight, while the human spine has one long curve
B. the human spine is straight, while the chimpanzee spine is curved
C. a chimpanzee spine has a series of convex and concave curves
D. a human spine has a series of convex and concave curves
ANS: D TYPE: Factual
PG: 79-80
20. Which of the following hominids is believed to be the first
toolmaker as evidenced by the current fossil record?
A. Homo habilis
B. Homo erectus
C. Homo sapiens
D. australopithecines
ANS: A TYPE: Applied
PG: 80
21. Which of the following is not found characteristically in bipeds?
A. balanced skull
B. curved spine
C. arched feet
D. opposable big toe
ANS: D TYPE: Applied
PG: 80
22. Why does your textbook classify early human ancestors using
the genus "australopithecines"?
A. this was a transitional species in the fossil record
B. scientists have found very few specimens and are not sure if
this is a category
C. there is little diversity in this group of human ancestors
D. it is unclear exactly how many species exist
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 81
23. The earliest definite australopithecine fossils date back:
A. 3.6 million years
B. 4.3 million years
C. 23 million years
D. 2.4 million years
ANS: B TYPE: Factual
PG: 81
24. Which of the following is not an advantage of bipedalism among humans?
A. an ability to use free hands for carrying objects and making tools
B. an increased exposure to ultraviolet sun radiation
C. an ability to walk efficiently and for longer distances
D. more visual acuity over distances
ANS: B TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 81
25. Which of the following countries in Africa has not yielded
australopithecine fossils?
A. Egypt
B. Chad
C. South Africa
D. Ethiopia
ANS: A TYPE: Factual
PG: 81
26. Bipedalism confers each of the following advantages over
quadrupeds except:
A. make and use tools
B. walk distances with less exhaustion
C. stand taller per body size
D. run faster
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 80
27. Which australopithecine subsisted more on meat than the other?
A. gracile australopithecines
B. robust australopithecines
C. savannah australopithecines
D. Australopithecus ethiopeansis
ANS: A TYPE: Applied
PG: 82
28. What did our early human ancestors use to consume meat?
A. razor sharp teeth
B. cooking pots
C. flaked stone tools
D. our early ancestors did not consume meat
ANS: C TYPE: Applied
PG: 82
29. The earliest discovered human tools are dated at about:
A. 4.4 million years
B. 1.0 million years ago
C. 7.5 million years ago
D. 2.6 million years ago
ANS: D TYPE: Factual
PG: 82
30. The Oldowan tool tradition is primarily associated with what
group of early human ancestors?
A. Homo habilis
B. australopithecines
C. Homo erectus
D. Homo sapiens
ANS: A TYPE: Factual
PG: 82
31. In which geological epoch did Homo sapiens first emerge?
A. Oligocene
B. Pliocene
C. Pleistocene
D. Miocene
ANS: C TYPE: Factual
PG: 82
32. Based on current evidence, Homo erectus first appeared in:
A. Europe, about 2 million years ago
B. Laurasia, about 4 million years ago
C. Africa, about 1 million years ago
D. Africa, about 2 million years ago
ANS: D TYPE: Factual
PG: 83
33. What is the primary problem with the "Man the Hunter" theory
of human evolution from the 1960s and 70s?
A. the tools that humans had available prior to modern history were
not effective in killing large-game animals
B. in most contemporary cultures it is women who do large-game hunting
C. it diminishes or ignores the contributions that women have made
to human evolution
D. there were no animals that humans would have been capable of
killing in Africa at the time of early human history
ANS: C TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 83
34. While all of the following may have been critical to the
development of an expanding brain; which of the following would have
contributed most directly to brain growth?
A. the migration into colder and less known areas placing a premium
on learning
B. a genetic mutation resulting in a smaller jawbone and smaller
facial muscles
C. the detoxification of foods, allowing humans to live to
significantly older ages
D. the ability to conquer predators, allowing humans higher meat
consumption levels
ANS: B TYPE: Applied
PG: 84
35. Which of the following statements about punctuated
equilibria and Darwinian gradualism is best supported by the fossil
record?
A. neither model clearly explains the changes we see in the fossil record
B. Darwinian gradualism is most supported in the fossil record
C. punctuated equilibria is most supported within the fossil record
D. both models of evolutionary change are in evidence in the record
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 84
36. Which of the following played a more significant role in the
further brain development of early human ancestors?
A. longer femora
B. smaller jaw muscles
C. smaller and more compact pelvis
D. a higher foot arch
ANS: B TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 84
37. Which of the following best illustrates human childbirth?
A. human infants today are much less likely to die during
childbirth because the birth canal is significantly larger than it was
200,000 years ago
B. human infants are much more susceptible to death during
childbirth now that human heads are comparatively larger
C. biological evolution is completely dependent on cultural practices
D. cultural beliefs and practices mark every aspect of birth
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 84
38. Homo erectus placed a new emphasis on:
A. larger tools
B. smaller tools
C. more multi-purpose tools
D. pebble tools
ANS: B TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 86
39. Remains in southern Africa suggest that Homo erectus may
have learned to use fire by:
A. 2 million years ago
B. 1 million years ago
C. 750,000 years ago
D. 500,000 years ago
ANS: B TYPE: Factual
PG: 86
40. Which hominid was the first believed to use fire?
A. Homo erectus
B. Homo habilis
C. Neandertals
D. anatomically modern humans
ANS: A TYPE: Factual
PG: 86
41. All of the following are advantages associated with cooking
food except:
A. it kills parasites and makes foods healthier
B. it detoxifies foods
C. it softens food and makes it easier to chew
D. it makes most foods less nutritious
ANS: D TYPE: Applied
PG: 86
42. All of the following advantages are conferred by obsidian except:
A. it allows a surgeon greater control over cutting
B. it can be made sharper than conventional sources for blades
C. it is harder than conventional sources for blades
D. it is always very difficult to obtain
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 87
43. What tool did Irven DeVore fashion for his own surgery?
A. a diamond scalpel
B. a pebble tool
C. a steel blade
D. an obsidian scalpel
ANS: D TYPE: Applied
PG: 87
44. The development of handedness is associated most directly with:
A. bipedalism
B. language abilities
C. use of fire
D. stone tools
ANS: B TYPE: Applied
PG: 88
45. Neandertals disappeared between:
A. 40,000 and 30,000 years ago
B. 75,000 and 50,000 years ago
C. 20,000 and 15,000 years ago
D. 5,000 and 10,000 years ago
ANS: A TYPE: Factual
PG: 90
46. Which species has been called the "end product of a long
period of evolution on a comparatively small island where
environmental conditions placed small body size at a selective
advantage"?
A. Homo erectus
B. Homo habilis
C. Homo antecessor
D. Homo floresiensis
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 90
47. Which of the following best represents Mousterian tools?
A. digging sticks
B. smaller flake tools in a variety of forms
C. pebble tools and microliths
D. large hand axes and few other forms
ANS: B TYPE: Applied
PG: 90
48. The Mousterian tool tradition is associated with each of the
following except:
A. regional specialization
B. the development of a burin
C. pressure-flaking
D. the development of the earliest hand axe
ANS: D TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 90
49. Around 30,000 years ago in Europe:
A. features associated with the African ape lineage of humans disappeared
B. anatomically modern humans had the last biological transition
C. features associated with Neandertal begin disappearing from the
fossil record
D. archaic Homo sapiens sapiens first emerged
ANS: C TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 90
50. The Mousterian tool tradition industries of Europe and
Southwestern Asia date to:
A. 10,000-20,000 years ago
B. 40,000-125,000 years ago
C. 1 to 2 million years ago
D. the Upper Paleolithic Period
ANS: B TYPE: Factual
PG: 90
51. By what time period had the human brain reached it relative
modern size?
A. about 100,000 years ago
B. about 20,000 years ago
C. about 200,000 years ago
D. about 10,000 years ago
ANS: C TYPE: Factual
PG: 91
52. Which hypothesis argues that Homo sapiens originated through
simultaneous transition throughout the inhabited world?
A. recent African origins hypothesis
B. multiregional hypothesis
C. both the multiregional and the recent African origins hypotheses
D. neither hypothesis argues this
ANS: B TYPE: Factual
PG: 93
53. Which hypothesis argues that Neandertals were simply a
regional variation of anatomically modern humans?
A. multiregional hypothesis
B. recent Africa origins hypothesis
C. Eve hypothesis
D. out of Africa hypothesis
ANS: A TYPE: Applied
PG: 93
54. Which hypothesis argues that humans originated in Africa some
2 million years ago and that ancient populations throughout the globe
are all ancestors of modern humans with unity of a single species
maintained through gene flow?
A. multiregional hypothesis
B. Eve hypothesis
C. recent African origins hypothesis
D. out of Africa hypothesis
ANS: A TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 93
55. What fossil evidence was recovered in 1997 in Ethiopia and
used to argue the veracity of the recent African origins hypothesis?
A. Homo floresiensis
B. Homo antecessor
C. Homo sapiens neandertalensis
D. Homo sapiens idaltu
ANS: D TYPE: Applied
PG: 94
True/False
56. Scientific investigation is self-correcting.
ANS: True TYPE: Factual
PG: 76
57. North America and Europe were joined once into a
supercontinent known as Laurasia.
ANS: True TYPE: Factual
PG: 77
58. Anthropologists have not fully resolved which human
ancestors were the first to walk on two legs.
ANS: True TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 78
59. Genetic studies have confirmed that the African apes are our
closest living relatives.
ANS: True TYPE: Factual
PG: 78
60. A normal human spine contains only one slight curve inward
at the waist.
ANS: False TYPE: Applied
PG: 80
61. Increased meat consumption by our early human ancestors was
important for human evolution.
ANS: True TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 82
62. Humans sometimes scavenged food, but they were not known as
tertiary scavengers.
ANS: False TYPE: Factual
PG: 83
63. The evolution from australopithecine to Homo habilis is
known to have occurred very gradually.
ANS: False TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 84
64. Homo habilis is believed to have been overwhelmingly right-handed.
ANS: True TYPE: Factual
PG: 88
65. The Neandertals inhabited Europe and Africa from
approximately 125,000 to 30,000 years ago.
ANS: False TYPE: Factual
PG: 88
66. Neandertals were anatomically different from modern humans.
ANS: True TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 88-89
67. Homo sapiens is a homogenous species.
ANS: False TYPE: Factual
PG: 90
68. Humans are more evolutionarily advanced than other animals.
ANS: False TYPE: Factual
PG: 90
69. The 32,000 year-old images of Chavet Cave in France are
associated with the Upper Paleolithic.
ANS: True TYPE: Factual
PG: 92
70. In Europe, Neandertals and anatomically modern humans
co-existed for about 10,000 years.
ANS: True TYPE: Factual
PG: 94
71. Discoverers of Homo sapiens idaltu have used this fossil
evidence to argue that Neandertal is part of the direct line of Homo
sapiens sapiens.
ANS: False TYPE: Factual
PG: 94
72. Without isolation, gene flow tends to keep populations from
differentiating into distinct species.
ANS: True TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 95
73. The integrating effects of gene flow have become so powerful
that dramatic regional variations for suites of traits no longer
exist.
ANS: True TYPE: Factual
PG: 95
Fill in the Blank
74. _______________ change depends upon heritable traits.
ANS: Biological TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 75
75. _______________ separates humans from other evolving animals.
ANS: Culture TYPE: Factual
PG: 76
76. Continental drift is explained by the theory of ___________________.
ANS: plate tectonics TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 76-77
77. For a hominoid fossil to be definitively classified as human
there must be evidence of ______________.
ANS: bipedalism TYPE: Factual
PG: 78
78. The _____________________ is an opening in the base of the
skull found in vertebrates.
ANS: foramen magnum TYPE: Applied
PG: 79
79. Bipedalism is considered to be most adaptive in geographical
areas known as _______________.
ANS: savannahs TYPE: Factual
PG: 80
80. "Lucy" is an example of one of the species of _______________.
ANS: australopithecine (Australopithecus) TYPE: Applied
PG: 81
81. The earliest human stone tool tradition was the _______________.
ANS: Oldowan TYPE: Factual
PG: 82
82. The first members of the genus Homo appeared around
_______________ million years ago.
ANS: 2.5 TYPE: Factual
PG: 82
83. Homo erectus emerged during the _______________ Epoch.
ANS: Pleistocene TYPE: Factual
PG: 85
84. Paleontologists who place more or less similar-looking
fossils specimens together in more inclusive groups are called
_______________.
ANS: lumpers TYPE: Applied
PG: 88
85. Paleontologists who interpret minor difference as evidence
of distinctive biological species are called _______________.
ANS: splitters TYPE: Applied
PG: 88
86. ________________ is the most controversial ancient member of
the genus Homo.
ANS: Neandertal TYPE: Conceptual
PG: 88-89
87. Neandertals are associated with the _______________ Tool tradition.
ANS: Mousterian TYPE: Factual
PG: 90
88. During the ______________________ the tool industry was
characterized by long slim blades and an explosion of creative
symbolic forms.
ANS: Upper Paleolithic TYPE: Applied
PG: 92
89. The _______________ is a stone tool with chisel-like edges.
ANS: burin TYPE: Factual
PG: 92
90. The Recent African Origins Hypothesis is also called the
_______________ Hypothesis.
ANS: Out of Africa (or Eve) TYPE: Factual
PG: 94
Short Answer
91. What causes our understanding of human evolutionary history to change?
ANS: Each new discovery contributes information that must
be added to our understanding and sometimes causes us to need to
reconfigure our understanding.
PG: 75
TYPE: Conceptual
92. Why do some primatologists call the Miocene the "golden age
of the hominoids"?
ANS: During this period the fossil apes migrated out of Africa and into Eurasia.
PG: 77-78
TYPE: Applied
93. How can paleontologists tell whether two sets of bones
represent the same or different species?
ANS: Through the use of genetic and biochemical data, along with
observations of living groups of species, paleontologists approximate
an answer.
PG: 78
TYPE: Conceptual
94. How is bipedalism "written upon the human body"?
ANS: It affects the shape of the skull, position of the foramen
magnum, the position and locking joint of the knee, the shape of the
pelvis, the curvature of the spine, and the shape and construction of
the feet.
PG: 79-80
TYPE: Applied
95. Why does the shape of the pelvis vary between bipeds and other apes?
ANS: The biped pelvis is shorter and wider than that of other apes to
provide structural support.
PG: 80
TYPE: Conceptual
96. What advantages did bipedalism confer on our early human
ancestors in the savannah environment?
ANS: It allowed them to cover long distances without tiring, to carry
food in freed hands, to carry food to infants, to wield sticks and
make tools, to be exposed to less solar radiation, and to better see
predators.
PG: 80-81
TYPE: Conceptual
97. Compare and contrast the robust with the gracile australopithecines.
ANS: The robust are larger and were primarily vegetable-eaters, have
back tooth dominance, larger chewing muscles, and modifications on the
skull for large facial muscles. The gracile had a more delicate
chewing apparatus and ate more meat.
PG: 81-82
TYPE: Applied
98. Describe the Oldowan Tool Tradition.
ANS: It was the first tool industry, associated with Homo habilis,
marked the beginning of the Lower Paleolithic, and involved the
production of flakes and choppers struck from a core.
PG: 82
TYPE: Factual
99. What advantages did humans gain with the control of fire?
ANS: Fire allowed them warmth to migrate northward, ability to cook,
soften, and de-parasitize food, and extended light.
PG: 86
TYPE: Applied
100. How do "lumpers" differ from "splitters"?
ANS: "Lumpers" tend to place more or less similar-looking fossil
specimens together in more inclusive groups - they tolerate a great
deal of diversity in the group. "Splitters" focus on the variation in
the fossil record as evidence of distinctive species and tend to argue
the existence of a greater number of species.
PG: 88
TYPE: Conceptual
101. Give at least 3 examples of the cultural explosion that
occurred beginning about 40,000 years ago and is associated with
anatomically modern peoples.
ANS: Examples may include cave wall paintings, development of
prominent blade tools and specialty tools such as the burin and
atlatl, carvings, pendants, and figurines.
PG: 92
TYPE: Applied
102. Describe the two different hypotheses associated with the
modern human origins debate.
ANS: The Multiregional Hypothesis argues that modern humans originated
through a process of simultaneous local transition from Homo erectus
to Homo sapiens throughout the inhabited world, while the Recent
African Origins Hypothesis argues that all modern people are derived
from a single population of archaic Homo sapiens who migrated out of
Africa after 100,000 years ago, replacing all other archaic forms due
to their superior cultural abilities.
PG: 93-94
TYPE: Applied
Essay
103. Whether Homo habilis represents the first species that used
tools is still debated. It is argued that earlier tools could have
been produced using organic materials, not the stone that
characterized the tools of H. habilis. Examine the likelihood of
whether or not perishable organic tools could have been produced by
species that preceded H. habilis. You may want to consider some of
the tools used by contemporary band level societies to support your
argument.
ANS: Will vary
104. The emergence of Homo occurred in the Paleolithic; however,
the Upper Paleolithic marked a significant transition in the human
fossil record. Discuss this transition in greater detail and why this
period proved such an important departure from earlier Homo existence.
ANS: Will vary
105. The interpretation of art is often an open one. However,
during the Upper Paleolithic there was an explosion in artwork (for
example, carvings, pendants, sculptures, cave art, etc.). What are
some of the major arguments put forth that attempt to explain the
'meaning' behind these artistic expressions? What do you think?
ANS: Will vary
106. There has been an enormous amount of controversy surrounding
whether Neandertals are a direct part of the Homo sapiens sapiens
line. Why do you think this type of enigma generates such controversy?
How would our story be different with Neandertals as "one of our
direct ancestors" versus Neandertals as "a separate, indirect
species"?
ANS: Will vary
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