_______ focuses on the study of skeletal remains from archaeological sites.
a. osteology
b. bioarchaeology
c. paleopathology
d. forensic anthropology
e. primate paleontology
A polytypic species
a. is one that has no phenotypic variability
b. has never been observed in nature
c. is one composed of local populations that differ from one another with regard to the
expression of no more than three traits
d. is one composed of local populations that differ from one another with regard to the
expression of one or more traits
e. is composed of widely dispersed populations
Some assumptions about the hunting capabilities of premodern humans have been
challenged by an interesting archaeological find at Schningen. What did they find?
a. a bow and arrow
b. wood spears
c. 4000 nodules from which spear points were struck
d. Use of fire
e. large flakes struck using the Levallois technique
What is the range for estimated cranial capacities for Homo erectus?
a. 400 to 800 cubic centimeters
b. 700 to 1,250 cubic centimeters
c. 1,000 to 2,000 cubic centimeters
d. 1,250 to 1,600 cubic centimeters
e. 300 to 750 cubic centimeters
Which statement concerning polygenic traits is not true?
a. They are governed by more than one genetic locus.
b. Their expression is often influenced by genetic/environmental interactions.
c. The alleles have an additive effect on the phenotype.
d. They are continuous traits
e. The most frequently discussed are skin, hair and eye color.
Explain how traditionally held views prevented wide acceptance of evolutionary
theories in 19th century Europe and America. Give a specific example.
Answer:Will vary
Which of the following does NOT represent a New World domesticate?
a. maize
b. barley
c. potatoes
d. peanuts
e. quinoa
Which statement(s) best describe the nature of domestication and cultivation in the
southwest United States?
a. When compared to eastern North America it represents an independent center of
domestication.
b. It did not include crops such as maize and beans.
c. The earliest domesticates included barley.
d. Reliance on domesticated products failed to support increased populations.
e. One regional tradition developed as a result.
The vast majority of countries and their leaders
a. agree that global climate change is not a very serious and urgent problem.
b. agree that scientists have been mistaken in their interpretations of the severity of
climate change.
c. agree that global climate change is a very serious and urgent problem.
d. disagree as to whether greenhouse gasses contribute to climate change.
e. disagree as to the future of the coal industry.
Mounting as an expression of dominance in baboons is believed to also serve to
a. indicate sexual preference
b. defuse tense situations
c. indicate aggression
d. indicate a threat
e. submission
By the year 1800, the Industrial Revolution was well under way and there were about
__________persons per square mile; two centuries later there were __________persons
per square mile.
a. 250; 500
b. 30; 10
c. 7; 24
d. 10; 1000
e. 18; 105
The decline of Sumerian civilization may be linked to:
a. constant competition between city-states
b. agricultural use of fertilizers
c. the presence of a prolonged drought in Mesopotamia
d. lack of competition among internal agencies
e. military stagnation
Evidence of Premodern Homo sapiens crania that show possible evidence of
cannibalism in the form of cut marks is represented at
a. Broken Hill
b. Tabun
c. Bodo
d. La Chapelle
e. Swanscombe
The Neandertal site in Croatia that has produced hominin remains showing the full suite
of classic Neandertal morphology is
a. La Chapelle-aux-Saints
b. Krapina
c. Shanidar
d. Arago Cave
e. Broken Hill
By the 17th century, some scientists were beginning to break with long-held traditions
and sought to investigate _______.
a. natural phenomena
b. the supernatural forces that created life
c. the structure of the DNA molecule
d. how genetic mutations occur
e. fertility rates
Taphonomy is defined as:
a. the precise temporal and spatial relationship between artifacts and features
b. the study of hominin locomotion
c. the study of how bones and other materials become buried and preserved as part of
the archaeological record
d. the study of past environment
e. establishing chronological relationships within a site
Sweating
a. is a uniquely human response to heat
b. has no detrimental physiological effects
c. is not an effective means of dissipating heat
d. permits cooling through evaporation
e. is an ability that varies from one human population to another
A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring is called
a. Hominidae
b. a species
c. a family
d. a hominid
e. a populace
Which of the following is the most common means of site survey?
a. aerial photos
b. satellite imagery
c. ground penetrating radar
d. pedestrian fieldwork
e. remote sensing
Which of the following types of evidence of hominin behavior are most likely available
for study?
a. cognitive aspects
b. economic components
c. political aspects
d. material culture
e. social structure
Which of the following is a justification for conducting archaeological excavation?
a. to determine that all the 2,000 year old sites that exist were laid down 2.000 years
ago.
b. most professional attitudes toward excavations have remained the same for over two
centuries.
c. most information cannot be provided through site survey
d. excavation is not destructive
e. data is needed about specific important questions or sites are threatened with
destruction
In Old World monkeys, the swelling and changes in the color of the skin surrounding
the female’s genital area
a. is a sign of aggression
b. indicates a diseased state
c. is an indication of estrus
d. serves as a visual cue of a female’s readiness to become aggressive
e. is also found in New World monkeys.
The Miocene hominoids
a. were distributed over much of the New World
b. were all members of the same species
c. displayed little to no morphological variation
d. were all about the size of a house cat
e. evidenced the “golden age of hominoids”
Upper Paleolithic stone tools were found at the French Neandertal site of St. Csaire,
dated to _______ years ago.
a. 75,000
b. 50,000
c. 100,000
d. 35,000
e. 65,000
African sites evidencing Neandertal fossils include
a. Olduvai Gorge
b. Broken Hill
c. Laetoli
d. Tabun
e. Shanidar Cave
What are disease-causing organisms such as bacteria and viruses called?
a. pathogens
b. vectors
c. pandemics
d. endemics.
e. antigens
What is the term for the philosophy of “race improvement” through the forced
sterilization of some groups and the encouraged reproduction of others?
a. eugenics
b. genetics
c. monogenism
d. polygenism
e. polytpyic
Who was responsible for popularizing eugenics among 19th century Europeans?
a. Charles Darwin
b. Francis Galton
c. Georges Cuvier
d. Charles Lyell
e. Thomas Jefferson
What is the average cranial capacity of H. erectus?
a. the same as for early Homo
b. approximately 900 cubic centimeters
c. the same as that for modern humans
d. the same as for Australopithecus
e. approximately 700 cubic centimeters
In formulating his theory of natural selection, Darwin did not
a. recognize the importance of biological variation within a population
b. apply his knowledge of domesticated species to undomesticated ones
c. appreciate the fact that population size is limited by availability of food
d. wonder if he had enough supportive data
e. claim that favorable variations would tend to be destroyed, unfavorable ones be
preserved.
Chinese paleoanthropologists argue that Asian premodern human fossils evidence both
earlier and later characteristics. The more ancestral traits include
a. very large cranial capacities
b. a sagittal ridge
c. less flattened nasal bones
d. thin walls of the braincase
e. features that unquestionably substantiate that anatomically modern migrants from
Africa displaced local populations
How does the concept of symbiosis apply to discussions of plant and animal
domestication? Describe a significant connection between human culture and a
particular plant or animal species to illustrate the idea of symbiosis.
Answer:Will vary
Discuss the tenets of behavioral ecology.
Answer:Will vary
How do foraging and food collecting compare and contrast as subsistence strategies?
What are some implications for each with regard to other cultural consequences: group
size, mobility, exchange, effect on natural species, etc.?
Answer:Will vary
Do you think apes have language? Discuss some of the questions that have been raised
and what research has demonstrated.
Answer:Will vary
Explain the difference between generalized and specialized characteristics. What are
examples of each in terms of the adaptive potential?
Answer:Will vary
Describe what is known about Middle Pleistocene culture. Include information about
technology, settlement, and subsistence.
Answer:Will vary
Define the term “adaptive radiation” and why it is important to the principle of
evolution.
Answer:Will vary
Discuss the mechanics of walking on two legs in terms of four anatomical
characteristics of a biped.
Answer:Will vary
Why is paleoanthropology considered to be a multi-disciplinary field of study?
Answer:Will vary
Describe the cranial and postcranial anatomy of Neandertal skeletons.
Answer:Will vary
What traits best distinguish Homo habilis from the australopiths?
Answer:Will vary
Briefly differentiate between archaeology and cultural anthropology.
Answer:Will vary
Discuss the role of the scientific method in physical anthropology.
Answer:Will vary
Gibbons are said to be adapted for brachiation. What anatomical features do gibbons
possess that enable them to carry this out efficiently?
Answer:Will vary
List the differences between the cranium and brain size of Homo erectus and modern
Homo sapiens.
Answer:Will vary
What are some of the characteristics of early civilizations that were enumerated by V.
Gordon Childe? Why are trait lists such as Childe’s generally ineffective in explaining
the origin of civilizations?
Answer:Will vary