The earliest members of the Australopithecine genus date to:
A.7 million y.a.
B.5 million y.a.
C.4.2 million y.a.
D.3.7 million y.a.
E.2.5 million y.a.
The key artifacts in the Oldowan tool tradition are:
A.chopper tools
B.manuports
C.flake tools
D.handaxes
E.hammerstones
Social stratification is defined as:
A.any hierarchical social system
B.the existence of TRUE social classes
C.the presence of a hereditary ruling class
D.all of the above
E.only B and C
As a group, primates tend to be:
A.highly specialized
B.generalized
C.lacking in derived features
D.primitive
E.narrow in terms of dietary preferences
The “classic,” and misleading, image of Neandertals was based on a reconstruction of a
skeleton from which site?
A.Moula-Gercy
B.La Chapelle-aux-Saints
C.St. Csaire
D.Vindija
E.the original Neandertal site
Cladistics typically employs what type of traits to discern evolutionary relationships?
A.ancestral
B.derived
C.homoplasies
D.analogies
E.interspecific
Which of the following characteristics would likely serve to limit the potential for
divergence in a species?
A.an abundance of open econiches
B.the presence of numerous ancestral traits
C.specialized adaptations
D.the presence of a generalized adaptive pattern
E.all of these
Which of the following does NOT represent an explanation for the diversity of Middle
Paleolithic stone tool technologies?
A.They may reflect the availability of stone raw material.
B.They were the product of different cultures.
C.They represent different tasks performed at sites.
D.they represent significant regional differences in cognitive abilities.
E.All of the above are explanations for Middle Paleolithic technological diversity.
Which of the following best describes that nature of Late Stone Age artwork in Africa?
A.Venus figurines are common after 20,000 y.a.
B.personal adornment appears as early as 38,000 y.a.
C.rock art appears as early as 28,000 y.a.
D.all of the above
E.only B and C
Wallace’s development of the theory of evolution through natural selection was
influenced by:
A.his work as a naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle
B.his upper class upbringing in the home of intellectually curious parents
C.collecting plant and animal specimens on the Malay Peninsula
D.observing fossil species in South America
E.his work as a livestock breeder in England
Using all four limbs to support the body during movement is:
A.bipedalism
B.vertical clinging and leaping
C.quadrupedalism
D.semi-brachiation
E.brachiation
Which of the following can result in breeding isolates?
A.social factors
B.environmental factors
C.genetic distance
D.all of the above
E.only A and B
What archaeological feature associated with the development of agriculture has been
interpreted as indicative of the development of economically and socially cohesive
communities in the Near East?
A.compounds of small round shelters
B.storage facilities
C.multiroom rectangular houses
D.communal burial sites
E.communal agricultural fields
The Mesozoic era is characterized by:
A.the evolution of the first TRUE primates
B.the appearance of the first vertebrates
C.the dominance of reptiles on land
D.the initial formation of Pangaea
E.a series of glacial/interglacial periods
Early Australopiths exhibit which characteristic features?
A.sectorial premolars
B.parallel tooth row
C.small canines
D.all of the above
E.only A and B
When were the first stone tools manufactured?
A.7 mya
B.2.6 mya
C.500,000 years ago
D.1.5 mya
E.5 mya
Differences in the physical characteristics of male and female members of a species is
known as:
A.sexual dimorphism
B.interspecies variability
C.species specific phenotypic characteristics
D.homoplasy
E.individual variation
Mitochondrial DNA is:
A.inherited from both parents
B.does not appear to have any known function
C.directs the conversion of energy within cells
D.inherited only from the father
E.not associated with any known genetic disorder
Seriation uses what principle to determine the ages of materials?
A.patterned changes in material culture
B.material similarity
C.faunal correlation
D.the principle of superposition
E.all of these
DNA analysis of Neandertal skeletons from central Asia have resulted in what
conclusions?
A.They are part of a distinctive Neandertal lineage.
B.They are quite similar to modern humans.
C.They are divergent from Neandertals in W. Europe.
D.all of the above
E.both A and B
The term evolution refers to:
A.changes in the genetic makeup of a population from one generation to the next
B.the appearance of a new species
C.ongoing biological processes that include genetic changes within populations and the
appearance of new species
D.all of the above
E.only A and B
The site of Star Carr was used for what activity?
A.gathering of shell fish
B.seasonal hunting camp
C.building mounds and earthworks
D.whale hunting
E.none of these
The decline of Sumerian civilization may be linked to:
A.constant competition between city-states
B.destruction of agricultural fertility due to irrigation
C.the presence of a prolonged drought in Mesopotamia
D.all of the above
E.only A and B
What factor was the primary change that altered the adaptive patterns of the peppered
moths?
A.an increase in mean annual temperature
B.an decrease in the average rainfall
C.an change in the quantity of coal dust and soot
D.the introduction of a new prey species
E.the extinction of the primary food of the caterpillars
Which of the following represents the primary change in Acheulian technology?
A.the development of a flake tool technology
B.the ability to make and control fire
C.the development of hafting technology
D.the extensive use of bone and antler as a raw material
E.the adoption of soft materials for flaking the stone
According to the Complete Replacement Model, interbreeding between
contemporaneous modern African and non-African hominins after 200,000 years ago is
unlikely because:
A.the African populations were the result of a speciation event
B.geographic barriers prevent gene flow
C.modern African forms likely did not leave Africa
D.the groups were behaviorally isolated
E.none of these
What do archaeologists assume is the source of the organization and structure of the
archaeological record?
A.past human behavior
B.geologic processes
C.stratigraphic succession
D.primary contexts
E.home-based foraging
Which of the following primarily differentiates anthropology from other academic
disciplines?
A.focus on modern humans
B.holistic perspective
C.emphasis on biological evolution
D.use of scientific method
E.all of these
The development of the Egyptian civilization may be linked to influence from what
other early civilization?
A.Mesopotamia
B.Hierakonpolis
C.Harrappa
D.Nubia
E.Mohenjo-Daro
Issar and Zohar have argued that what factor was likely responsible for the development
of early civilization in the Near East?
A.need to construct and maintain irrigation systems
B.periods of colder and dryer climatic conditions
C.need for a communal flood defense system
D.population growth and nucleation
E.the development of a religious hierarchy
During which geological epoch did the divergence of hominoids from the rest of the
anthropoids probably occur?
A.Miocene
B.Paleocene
C.Oligocene
D.Eocene
E.Pliocene
Which of the following statements about the end of the Classic Period Maya civilization
is INCORRECT?
A.It marks a decline in population size and social complexity of all Maya groups.
B.It is primarily felt in the lowland areas.
C.It is associated with the end of palace and temple construction.
D.It may be linked to political instability.
E.Stelae were no longer produced.