Anthropology- Module 6: chapter 8 and 9 questions
The earliest member of the genus Homo, dated to 2.8 m.y.a., was found in
Ethiopia
Among the anatomical contrasts that distinguish H. erectus from modern humans are
a large brow ridge. thicker skull bones.
What does the term Paleolithic mean?
Old Stone Age
This human ancestral species, ______, might date as far back as 1.9 million years ago (m.y.a.) and continued to exist until about 500,000 years ago.
Homo erectus
The species named ______, discovered in Indonesia, had a cranial capacity smaller than that of a chimpanzee.
Homo floresiensis
Which statement best describes the general shape of the pelvis and spine of Australopithecus?
The australopith pelvis is shorter and bowl shaped, and the spine is curved, similar to that of humans.
Which statement best describes the cranial capacities of Homo sapiens and the australopiths?
The average cranial capacity of Homo sapiens is 1,350 cm3 and the cranial capacity of the australopiths ranges from 430 to 540 cm3.
which of the following statements about the diet of afarensis is true?
It was mainly vegetarian
Significant Australopithecus afarensis discoveries have been made in
Laetoli, Tanzania, and Hadar, Ethiopia.
A fossil discovery known as "Lucy's Baby" was found in northern Ethiopia. Which statement best describes this specimen?
The toddler bones date to about 3.3 m.y.a. and, compared to Lucy, includes more skull and skeletal material.
The Oldowan chopper was
a by-product of flaking.
What is a sagittal crest?
a ridge on the top of the skull where large chewing muscles attach, found in species such as Paranthropus boisei
What does the abbreviation AMH mean?
anatomically modern humans
The most notable aspect of the Nariokotome boy fossil was its
height
fossilized remains indicate that Orrorin lived in what kind of environment?
wooded
How is Homo erectus is like modern humans?
Both share a similar height and body shape.
Archaeological evidence of intentionally made fire has been found in Israel dating back almost 800,000 B.P. and in Spain dating back 800,000 B.P. Based on these dates, which human ancestral species would most likely have been the first to master fire?
Homo erectus or Homo heidelbergensis
Which of the following species was a miniature hominin that lived on an Indonesian island until at least 60,000 B.P.?
Homo floresiensis
What ability set apart Homo erectus from Homo habilis and Au. boisei?
Hunting ability
The first representative of Homo habilis was found at
Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.
What is the cranial capacity (brain size) of Australopithecus afarensis?
430 cm3
What was the cranial capacity of Au. afarensis?
430 cm3, close to the size of an average chimp
A significant amount of fossil evidence has been found that relates to the ancestral hominin species Australopithecus afarensis. Which statement best describes the amount of fossil specimens found?
One site studied yielded about two dozen specimens; another site yielded fossil specimens representing 35-65 individuals.
Why were the "underground astronauts" who excavated H. naledi remains from the Rising Star cave all young, slender women?
Only such a body type could navigate the narrow passages leading to the fossils.
How does the brain size or cranial capacity of the australopiths compare with Homo sapiens and chimps?
The australopiths' brain size was only slightly larger than that of chimps and was roughly one-third the size of Homo sapiens' brain.
Which of the following statements best describes the cranial capacity (brain size) of Homo erectus compared with the australopithecine average?
The average cranial capacity of H. erectus at about 1,000 cm3 was double the size of the australopiths.
The species name of the skull known as KNM-ER 1470, which may be as old at 2.4 m.y.a. and features an unusual combination of a large brain (775 cm3) and very large molars, is
Homo rudolfensis.
How do the discoveries at Dmanisi compare to the Nariokotome boy?
There are notable skull similarities
How old is the human ancestor known as Sahelanthropus tchadensis?
6 to 7 million years old
The oldest Homo habilis and Homo erectus fossils can be found on which continent?
Africa
H. erectus remains have been found at which places?
Africa Java
The early hominin species Ardipithecus had bipedal anatomy but still retained which characteristic of apelike anatomy?
Ardipithecus had a divergent big toe, like an ape's, and her feet lacked the archlike structure of later hominin feet.
Which statement best describes some important characteristics of Ardipithecus?
Ardipithecus had a transitional pelvis and lived in a woodland forest environment.
The fossil known as "Lucy" is a partial skeleton of a bipedal walker. A more recently discovered fossil skeleton predates "Lucy" by more than a million years and is an even earlier bipedal walker. What is the name of this earlier species? Multiple choice question.
Ardipithecus ramidus
What is the name of the hominin skeleton that was discovered in 2009 and dates to 4.4 million years ago?
Ardipithecus ramidus
Which statement best describes the sexual dimorphism of Australopithecus afarensis?
The weight of adult males was likely twice that of the females.
Which statement most accurately describes the teeth of Australopithecus afarensis?
Au. afarensis had pointed premolars that are somewhat similar to an ape's.
What does it mean when scientists say that there was a high degree of sexual dimorphism in Australopithecus afarensis? Multiple choice question.
Au. afarensis males were taller and heavier than the females.
In the evolutionary sequence of hominins, which probably came first; Australopithecus afarensis or robust australopithecus?
Australopithecus afarensis
In 1924, Raymond Dart identified the skull of a child belonging to a new ancestral species from a quarry in Taung, South Africa. What was the name he gave to this new species?
Australopithecus africanus
What was the species name given to the famous "Taung child" discovery, and which anatomist named it?
Australopithecus africanus; Raymond Dart
Which of the following statements best describes the time period during which Homo habilis and Homo erectus overlapped?
The species overlapped between 1.9 m.y.a. and 1.4 m.y.a., but after that only Homo erectus endured to perhaps 5 m.y.a. (or 500,000 years ago).
Which of the following is true of similarities and differences of the anatomical features of Au. afarensis with those of apes and humans?
The teeth and skulls were more apelike, while the pelvis and leg bones were more humanlike.
The location of which opening at the bottom the skull of an ape or human ancestor indicates whether the species was bipedal or quadrupedal?
foramen magnum
The search for ____ is the most probable explanation for hominins to expand their home ranges.
meat
Which dating technique was used to establish that the age of the volcanic ash at the Laetoli site was 3.6 million years old?
potassium-argon (K/A) dating
Lucy's arms suggest
significant time spent in trees.
In 1891 the fossil find called "Java man" made ______ famous as one of the first scientists to identify a "missing link" between apes and humans.
Eugene Dubois
Hunting was an important cultural behavior marking a significant step for a human ancestor. Which ancestral species does the fossil record indicate was the earliest habitual hunter?
Homo erectus
The Acheulean hand ax, associated with the species ______, represents a type of tool that requires a mental template in the mind of the maker, a significant advance in human evolution.
Homo erectus
The human ancestral species ______ is associated with the cave site in China known as Zhoukoudian, which contained hearths and a large amount of tools, animals bones, and the fossilized remains of more than 40 individuals.
Homo erectus
Which human ancestral species was the first to migrate out of Africa?
Homo erectus
Which of the following ancestral human species had an average cranial capacity of around 900 cm3?
Homo erectus
Which of the following human ancestral species is associated with the tool type known as Acheulean?
Homo erectus
With a cranial capacity of 600 to 700 cubic centimeters (cm3), which of the following species was initially identified as the first tool maker and as the first member of the genus Homo?
Homo habilis
Of Ardipithecus and Australopithecus, which genus was probably the ancestor?
Ardipithecus was probably ancestral to Australopithecus.
Which statement best describes the anatomy and characteristic movement of the possibly ancestral species known as Orrorin, which dates to about 6 million years ago?
The thigh bone suggests bipedal walking, and the upper arm bone suggests tree-climbing skills.
What is the species name of the oldest fossil child, known as "Lucy's Baby"?
Australopithecus afarensis
Which statement best describes the fossils belonging to the genus Ardipithecus and how they relate to the genus Australopithecus?
There are more than 100 fossil specimens enabling scientists to suggest that Ardipithecus was a plausible ancestor of Australopithecus.
A new species of hominin was discovered in 1999 in Ethiopia that may have used stone tools to butcher animals earlier than any human ancestral species had been thought to use them. What was the name given to this early tool user from 2.5-2.6 million years ago?
Australopithecus garhi
Which of the following statements best describes the behavior of Homo floresiensis?
This small-brained species hunted elephants, made tools with small blades mounted on wooden shafts, and controlled fire.
The species Homo erectus is associated with which of the following important archaeological sites?
Zhoukoudian
How did the Acheulean toolmaking tradition get its name?
a French town
What evidence of bipedalism was discovered at a famous site in Laetoli, Tanzania?
a trail of ancient footprints preserved in volcanic ash
The fossil of the flat-faced "man" that was discovered in 1999 by Maeve Leakey's research team and represented a new branch of the early human family tree was named
Kenyanthropus platyops.
The species known as Homo habilis was first discovered and identified by which famous team of paleoanthropologists in 1960?
L. S. B. and Mary Leakey
Fossil finds from Dmanisi, Georgia, dating to 1.8-1.7 million years ago (m.y.a.) are significant because they
are the earliest known ancestral hominin fossils found outside Africa.
Which statement best describes the brain size (cranial capacity) of Australopithecus afarensis?
au. afarensis had a brain size of 430 cm3, only slightly bigger than the average chimp brain size.
Which ability of Homo erectus provided the best protection against cave predators?
control of fire
The position of the foramen magnum in australopiths is centered under the base of the skull, which indicates that Australopithecus
could move bipedally.
What is the name for the simple stone tools dating to about 1.8 million years ago that were first discovered by L. S. B. and Mary Leakey?
Oldowan tools
Which of the following statements is true about the skeletons of Homo erectus and modern humans?
The skeleton of H. erectus (below the head) was similar to that of modern humans.
What is the best explanation of why Homo erectus expanded out of Africa into Europe and Asia?
They were following the animals they hunted for meat
The genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus are both part of what hominin group?
australopiths
The single-most important humanlike characteristic that set apart early hominins from ape ancestors was
biedamlism
In human evolution, the shape of the pelvis changed to accommodate two conflicting requirements. Which statement best reflects the nature of the change in the pelvis?
Humanlike birth canals had to accommodate larger skulls, but the demands of bipedalism restricted the size that the pelvic opening could be.
Which of the following statements about kenyanthropus playtops are true?
It is dated to 3.5 million years ago. It provides evidence that at least two hominin lingeages existed at the same time The fossil find was made in northern Kenya
Which of the following is true of a meat-rich diet?
It led to territorial expansion among hominins
What is the foramen magnum and why is it important?
It is the hole through which the spinal cord attaches to the brain; its placement on the skull indicates whether or not a creature was bipedal.
the earliest stone tools, dated to 3.3 m.y.a., were discovered in
Kenya
What physical characteristic of Homo erectus allowed it to hunt longer distances?
longer legs
What is the term for a body type that is more stocky and rugged?
robust
Which of the following paleoanthropologists made Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania famous by discovering and naming the first Homo habilis?
L. S. B. and Mary Leakey
Where, in 1986, did Tim White discover an important specimen of Homo habilis (OH62) identified as female?
Olduvai
Which of the following hominins had an anatomical feature called a sagittal crest?
Paranthropus boisei Paranthropus robustus
What is the name of the possible human ancestor that was discovered in Chad (Central Africa) and dates to 6-7 million years ago?
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Which statement best describes the famous fossil find known as "Lucy"?
The Lucy skeleton, which is 40% complete, is that of a female hominin and has been dated to about 3.3 m.y.a.
The teeth of early hominins such as Australopithecus afarensis have been carefully analyzed to see if they are more like those of apes or humans. Which statement best describes the differences?
The canines of Au. afarensis are larger than those of humans and extend beyond the other teeth.
What important information regarding Homo erectus was revealed by the fossil find known as the Nariokotome boy?
The find suggested that the boy as an adult might have reached a height of six feet
Both Au. africanus and Paranthropus probably descended from
Au. afarensis
What do the teeth and jaws of Australopithecus afarensis suggest about its diet?
The large back teeth and thick lower jaw (mandible) suggest the ability to chew and process hard, brittle foods.
H. rudolfensis overlapped in time with which of the following hominins?
H. habilis H. erectus
Key hominin fossil discoveries announced in 2015 included
a jaw fragment found in Ethiopia, dating to 2.8 m.y.a., that appears to be the earliest known member of the genus Homo. finds at South Africa's Rising Star cave of more than 1,500 bones, which have been assigned to the species H. naledi.
Which of the following are characteristics of H. naledi?
a small brainapelike shoulders adapted to climbingcurved fingers on an otherwise humanlike hand
What does the name Homo habilis mean?
able man
True or false: Our knowledge of Au. afarensis is based on fewer than 10 fossil specimens representing only 2 individuals discovered at Laetoli and Hadar.
false
How were Oldowan stone tools likely used? Multiple choice question.
for breaking open bones for marrow, and for digging up roots and insects to eat
The name for the place in the skull where the spinal cord enters the brain is called the ______, and its placement in the species named :Toumai: or sahelanthropus shows it was a bipedal walker.
foramen magnum
South African australopiths can be divided into two major groups based on bone structure. To which group does Australopithecus africanus belong? Multiple choice question.
gracile
Heavily enameled teeth suggest that the Au. anamensis diet likely may have included
hard, abrasive foods.
Which of the following is true about Au. anamensis?
it was a bipedal hominin from northern Kenya.
Some _____ hominins evolved into a groups known collectively as australopiths.
miocene
The stone tools that date to about 1.8 million years ago are called _______ pebble tools
oldowan
Bipedalism traditionally h as been viewed as an adaptation to
open grassland savanna country
Which of the following are likely social changes associated with a diet reliant on meat?
pair bonding a gender-based division of labor increased male investment in children
Acheulean tools were part of which of the following tool making traditions?
paleolithic
The Kanjera site provides the earliest, and very complete, evidence for
persistent reliance on meat within the hominin diet.
The brain size or cranial capacity of Australopithecus afarensis was only
slightly larger than the average chimpanzee brain size.
What trait of the fossil remains found in the Liang Bua cave led paleoanthropologists to assign a new species, H. floresiensis?
small stature
What was the physical location of the three important early hominin discoveries of 2015?
Africa
How did natural selection find a balance between upright bidepalism's need for larger-brained babies and the limits of expanding the human pelvic opening?
the birth of children whose brains and skulls grow dramatically after birth
Which of the following was the reason why Eugene Dubois went to the Indonesian island of Java?
to find a transitional form between apes and humans
Which of the following traits appeared first in human evolution, setting human ancestors apart from ape ancestors?
upright bipedalism
The structure of the pelvic, hip, leg, and foot bones of Au. Afarensis suggests
upright bipedalism.
The discovery of an early form of hominin called Ardipithecus revealed that bipedalism may have first appeared in which type of habitat? Multiple choice question.
woodland or rainforest habitat
