Chapter 4. Biological Evolution and Early Human Evidence

Which statement best describes the phrase "survival of the fittest"?

It is a phrase that Herbert Spencer first used to promote social Darwinism.

Why is the term biological anthropology preferred over the term physical anthropology?

The term physical anthropology became associated with scientific racism.

The term _______ refers to all species considered to be in direct lineage to modern humans, while the term _____________ refers to all present and extinct great apes.

hominins; hominids

Which of the following best defines biological anthropology?

the exploration of human biological variation and their evolutionary past

What is the correct expression of the scientific name for the monarch butterfly?

Danaus plexippus [ITALICIZED]

What are the two main primate groups?

Strepsirrhine and Haplorrhine

Which of these occurs when two populations of the same species become isolated from one another due to a geographic barrier?

allopatric speciation

Which of the following is not considered a subfield of biological anthropology?

cultural anthropology

Which of the following considers both physical and molecular evidence to formulate hypotheses on the evolutionary relationship of species?

phylogenetics

Mendelian inheritance explains some 5,000 human traits. Most genetic expressions, however, are not the result of Mendelian heredity but rather are_______________.

polygenic traits

What is the observable expression of physical traits called?

a phenotype

How was the natural world viewed by most Europeans before the 19th century?

as a static hierarchy that included God, angels, humans, and other life forms

Darwin's theory of evolution has been __________________ by molecular and genetic science.

supported and strengthened

What is French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck best known for?

the theory of macroevolution