In his work on pea plants, Mendel found that plant height was inherited independently
of the type or color of the seed coat. This finding
a. applies to genes on the same chromosome.
b. applies to the law of independent assortment.
c. explains gene linkage.
d. explains inheritance in simple organisms.
In his experiments with garden peas, Mendel found that one physical unit is inherited
from the father and one from the mother. This provided evidence for
a. Mendel’s law of independent assortment.
b. Thomas Hunt Morgan’s ideas of mutation.
c. Mendel’s law of segregation.
d. Mendel’s concept of nondisjunction.
Haplotypes are
a. not likely to recombine during crossovers.
b. likely to recombine during crossovers.
c. genes that code for similar things.
d. genetic material that comes from one parent only.
Dark skin (a result of increased melanin production in equatorial peoples) is likely a
response to ultraviolet radiation, because UV radiation can cause
a. skin cancer.
b. hypoxia.
c. rickets.
d. none of the above.
Unlike other animals, humans acquire resources such as food and reproductive partners
a. only by way of survival of the fittest.
b. only by way of a dominance hierarchy.
c. entirely within the contexts of culture and society.
d. none of the above.
After conducting genetic analysis of a newly found fossil of an early modern Homo
sapiens, you find that several nucleotide sequences are the same as those documented in
Neandertals. You know that this
a. suggests that the only possible explanation for the origins of modern humans is the
out-of-Africa theory.
b. can be used as evidence to support both the out-of-Africa model and assimilation
models for modern human origins.
c. is evidence that supports assimilation and multiregional evolution models for modern
human evolution.
d. provides evidence that none of the working models of modern human origins are
appropriate based on the gene flow documented in these results.
Analysis of stress markers in dentition indicate that Neandertals
a. were highly stressed.
b. exhibited hypoplasia at a rate no different from modern humans.
c. dealt successfully with their environments.
d. b and c only.
The Y-5 molar morphology is present in
a. colobus monkeys.
b. chimpanzees.
c. lemurs.
d. howler monkeys.
Domestication refers to
a. bringing a wild plant or animal into your home.
b. change over time.
c. random gene transfer between populations.
d. the process of converting wild animals or plants into forms that humans can use.
According to Darwin, natural selection operates at the level of
a. individuals.
b. genes.
c. populations.
d. species.
Over a period of two generations, the frequency of green dung beetles in a population
shifts from 75% to 71% while the frequency of brown dung beetles within this
population shifts from 25% to 29%. This is an example of
a. minievolution.
b. microevolution.
c. millievolution.
d. nanoevolution.
Middle Paleolithic prepared-core stone tools, usually associated with Neandertals, are
called the
a. Mousterian.
b. Gravettian.
c. Solutrean.
d. Acheulean.
The absolute dating method that involves counting the annual rings visible in the
cross-section of a tree is called
a. fission track dating.
b. arborchronology.
c. luminescence dating.
d. dendrochronology.
Allen’s and Bergmann’s rules predict anatomical adaptations to environments in
mammals. These results are evident in
a. the limb and trunk proportions of Neandertals.
b. the limb and trunk proportions of modern human populations.
c. the limb and trunk proportions of most mammals.
d. all of the above.
Which of the following apes has been proposed as the last common ancestor of living
African apes and humans?
a. Ouranopithecus
b. Sivapithecus
c. Dryopithecus
d. Gigantopithecus
In an excavation you find the remains of two human skeletons along with the antler of
an antelope. How can you attempt to date these skeletons?
a. You can take soil samples and analyze the microscopic organisms present to
determine a time period.
b. You can assume the humans ate the antelope and find out when humans in this area
began to eat meat.
c. Since they are all found in a single layer you can use stratigraphy.
d. You can research the antler bone to find out which species it belongs to and then use
faunal dating.
Which of the following are related to the biological process of homeostasis?
a. senescence
b. Wolff’s law
c. osteoporosis
d. both a and b
Evidence from China indicates that rice and grapes were fermented for wine as early as
________ .
a. 8,000 yBP
b. 1.0 mya
c. 6,000 yBP
d. 10,000 yBP
The idea that cranial shape can change within a human population as a result of dietary
change is referred to as the
a. masticatory-functional hypothesis.
b. hard-object feeding hypothesis.
c. masseter-temporalis hypothesis.
d. morpho-cranial hypothesis.
The life stage of senescence in humans is characterized by
a. cognitive transitions in increased ability to learn.
b. a growth spurt.
c. the end of the reproductive years.
d. none of the above.
Which of the following is correlated with a growing reliance on tools in the genus
Homo?
a. reduction in chewing muscles
b. brain enlargement
c. enlargement of the canines
d. both a and b
Which of the following was the first primate fossil ever recorded?
a. Australopithecus afarensis
b. Plesiadapis
c. Notharctus
d. Adapis parisiensis
Dentally, which of the following best describes the earliest hominids?
a. They had very large canine teeth, similar to a male chimpanzee’s.
b. They possessed a diastema.
c. They had small, nonprojecting canines.
d. They possessed a honing dental complex.
According to the text, females are less able to tolerate heat than males because
a. males have a higher body fat content.
b. females have a higher body fat content.
c. females are shorter.
d. males sweat more.
The evolutionary synthesis
a. occurred in 1900 immediately after Mendel’s work was rediscovered.
b. emphasized the important role of mutation and macromutation in evolutionary
change.
c. emphasized theoretical differences between diverse scientific fields.
d. accepted Darwin’s theory of evolution and Mendel’s theory of heredity as explaining
most evolutionary change.
An online news story suggests a connection between a chemical dye found in foods and
the development of mouth ulcers. As a budding young scientist, you refer to the journal
in which the original research was published to see whether or not the research
followed the scientific method. You are looking for which of the following four
requirements?
a. design an experiment, state the hypothesis, collect data from a previous experiment,
then test your hypothesis
b. determine problem, develop a hypothesis, collect data from observations, and test
your hypothesis
c. identify the problem, create a theory, publish your findings, and finally test your
hypothesis
d. both a and c.
The hyoid bone of the juvenile Australopithecus afarensis fossil suggests that this
species probably could not
a. speak like a modern human.
b. walk on two legs over long distances.
c. climb trees very effectively.
d. eat tough, fibrous foods.
Certain primate vocalizations have been found to possess structural elements similar to
those observed in human language
a. through the discovery of the potential use of affixation by species of arboreal
monkeys.
b. through the discovery that nonhuman primates continue to produce new sounds
throughout the course of life.
c. through the discovery that all primate vocalizations are referential.
d. none of the above.
The increased brain size observed in the order Primates
a. results in extended periods of nursing and development to accommodate increasing
behavioral complexity.
b. results in shorter developmental periods to accommodate the necessary energy
expenditures of larger brain size.
c. demonstrates the importance of intelligence in primate evolution.
d. both a and c.
Modern humans have existed for over 100,000 years, but only over the last ________
years has Earth’s population grown three orders of magnitude, from a few million
people to over six billion today.
a. 20,000
b. 1 million
c. 10,000
d. 2 million
High levels of 18O in now-fossilized foraminifera shells indicate
a. an increase in temperature.
b. a decrease in temperature.
c. an increase in oxygen.
d. a decrease in oxygen.
The first European Upper Paleolithic site where anatomically modern human fossils
were discovered was
a. Atapuerca, Spain.
b. Mauer, Germany.
c. Petralona, Greece.
d. Cro-Magnon, France.