If fossil species A is consistently recovered from geological deposits beneath layers
containing fossil species B, then A is considered older than B. This relative dating
technique is based on the principle of:
a. superposition.
b. paleomagnetism.
c. fluorine analysis.
d. geolayering.
Darwin observed that adaptations:
a. resulted from supernatural forces.
b. did not vary among Galpagos finches living in different habitats.
c. were physical traits that enhanced survival and reproduction.
d. were peripheral to evolutionary change.
The suborder prosimians includes:
a. New World and Old World monkeys.
b. lemurs, lorises, galagos, and tarsiers.
c. great apes and lesser apes.
d. lemurs, lorises, and galagos.
Linnaeus’s taxonomic system is referred to as a “hierarchy” because:
a. each species has a “higher level” genus and “lower level” species.
b. species are placed in a ranked list called the “Great Chain of Being.”
c. humans are considered the most evolved species.
d. none of the above
Common types of plants exist mostly in areas of the world with temperate climates and
they include a range of crops and their wild ancestors such as:
a. rye and rice.
b. sorghum and millet.
c. wheat and barley.
d. both a. and c.
The European archeological period that is marked by a great increase in technology and
various kinds of art starting about 35,000 yBP is called the:
a. later Stone Age.
b. Upper Paleolithic period.
c. Neolithic period.
d. Eurocentric period.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR):
a. allows us to use genetic methods to explore the origins and movements of
populations.
b. is used to amplify tiny sequences of DNA for study.
c. allows us to study small amounts of DNA available in ancient skeletons.
d. all of the above
Which is the study of evolution and variation in humans?
a. physical anthropology
b. archaeology
c. linguistic anthropology
d. cultural anthropology
Evidence of probable violence consists of:
a. cutmarks on skulls.
b. cutmarks on long bones.
c. damage on bones from stone projectile points.
d. both a. and c.
Distinctive traits of robust australopithecines include:
a. small front teeth and large back teeth.
b. a small brain and a large body.
c. a big face and a sagittal crest.
d. both a. and c.
How is a theory different from a hypothesis?
a. A hypothesis explains observations and cannot be refuted by new evidence.
b. A theory is an explanation based upon controversial facts.
c. A theory is an explanation relying on careful examination and has been tested.
d. A theory has been less thoroughly tested than a hypothesis.
An increased ability to see greater distances is one of the adaptations to:
a. bipedalism.
b. diurnal sleeping patterns.
c. improved diet.
d. becoming larger.
The increase in the average temperature of the atmosphere and sea due to human
activity is referred to as:
a. one of the many climate fluctuations in Earth’s history.
b. global warming.
c. the effects from a change in Earth’s gravitational pull.
d. the solar flares on the Sun.
Spontaneous mutation is the result of:
a. unknown causes.
b. X-rays.
c. toxic chemicals.
d. UV radiation.
Genetic analysis of haplotypes and variants among living and precontact Native
Americans indicates that:
a. Native Americans underwent a huge decline in genetic diversity after Columbus’s
arrival in the New World.
b. Native Americans living today appear to be as diverse genetically as their ancient
ancestors thousands of years ago.
c. Native Americans have a genetic structure and haplogroups that are quite recent.
d. Native Americans living today appear to be more diverse genetically than their
ancient ancestors.
The nutrition transition refers to:
a. shifts to higher-protein diets.
b. shifts to higher-fat, higher-carbohydrate diets.
c. shifts to lower-fat, lower-carbohydrate diets.
d. shifts in diet due to climate change.
The dog was the first animal to be domesticated during the:
a. Neolithic.
b. Upper Paleolithic.
c. Lower Paleolithic.
d. Cenozoic.
Among all primates humans have:
a. the largest olfactory bulb.
b. the greatest sense of hearing.
c. the most developed vision.
d. the most elaborate connections between different regions of the brain.
A hominin is defined as having two obligate behaviors:
a. speech and advanced cognition.
b. bipedal locomotion and nonhoning chewing complex.
c. bipedal locomotion and speech.
d. nonhoning chewing complex and advanced cognition.
Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that:
a. temperatures have steadily increased over time.
b. temperatures have steadily decreased over time.
c. temperatures have fluctuated, sometimes greatly, over time.
d. temperatures have stayed basically the same over time.
The molecular clock has been useful to determine the phylogenetic relationships of
species based on the assumption that:
a. a species accumulates genetic differences over time at a constant rate.
b. all species are related.
c. species will eventually change in time.
d. species adapt at specific rates.
Environment refers to:
a. The connection between you, the climate, and your geographic placement.
b. Social and cultural factors that have affected you.
c. The cultural identity of your family and friends.
d. Change in your physical location.
Fitness trade-off refers to selection favoring which genotype?
a. homozygous dominant
b. homozygous recessive
c. heterozygous
d. no genotype is favored
The only preaustralopithecine found outside the East African Rift Valley is:
a. Orrorin tugenensis.
b. Ardipithecus kadabba.
c. Sahelanthropus tchadensis.
d. Ardipithecus ramidus.
Compared to australopithecines, Homo habilis is characterized by:
a. a smaller face.
b. a bigger brain.
c. a rounder and larger skull.
d. all of the above
Individuals whose blood type is A and who carry both dominant and recessive genes at
this locus have a genotype of:
a. AA.
b. AO.
c. AB.
d. none of the above
In an ape, the space between the upper lateral incisor and the canine that accommodates
a large, projecting lower canine is a:
a. dental gap.
b. gingival space.
c. mesial bridge.
d. diastema.
Eugne Dubois was one of the first evolutionists in the nineteenth century who used the
scientific method to test the hypothesis of early human ancestors in Asia with:
a. fossil evidence.
b. comparative anatomy.
c. genetics.
d. archaeological remains.
Prokaryotes first appeared:
a. 10,000 years ago.
b. 1 mya.
c. 3.7 bya.
d. 65 mya.
Primate societies are diverse in several ways, including that:
a. several species of primates coexist socially.
b. many primate societies are complexly organized.
c. some primate societies are male only.
d. some primate societies are female only.
The Fayum desert has yielded fossils of these three primates:
a. Oligopithecus, Apidium, and Aegyptopithecus.
b. Proconsul, Notharctus, and Adapis.
c. Eosimias, Biretia, and Micropithecus.
d. Proconsul, Eosimias, and Adapis.
Monogamous:
a. refers to a social group that is dominated by a single sex.
b. refers to a social group that includes an adult male, an adult female, and their
offspring.
c. refers to primates that live exclusively as a nuclear family.
d. refers to a primate social group that includes an adult male and several adult females
with their offspring.
The original name for Homo erectus was:
a. Australopithecus.
b. Pithecanthropus.
c. Paranthropus.
d. Homo rudolfensis.
The vector for transmitting the malarial parasite to humans is:
a. dirty drinking water.
b. mosquitoes.
c. rats.
d. monkeys.
Natural selection favors behaviors that enhance:
a. body size.
b. brain size.
c. population size.
d. survival and reproduction.