Cereal grains such as rice that make up a significant portion of human diet today are
known as
a. good-for-you foods.
b. high-energy foods.
c. superfoods.
d. genetically modified foods.
Infancy ends
a. at 36 months.
b. before deciduous dentition has completely erupted.
c. with completion of brain growth.
d. with weaning, which occurs at the same time across cultures.
The Australian site where surprisingly robust 9,000″13,000-year-old human skulls were
found is
a. Kow Swamp.
b. Lake Mungo.
c. Melbourne.
d. Tasmania.
Transposable elements are DNA sequences that
a. are not coded to produce proteins.
b. contain numerous point mutations.
c. occur only on the X and Y chromosomes.
d. insert themselves into other parts of the genome.
Your friend is asking your opinion on a recent hominid fossil he heard about on the
news. He is unable to remember the species name but knows that it lacked the
specialized teeth seen in living apes, had elongated toes, an opposable big toe, and was
part of a multidisciplinary study that reconstructed the early hominids’ habitat. The
fossil he is referring to is most likely
a. Homo floresiensis.
b. Ardipithecus kadabba.
c. Sahelanthropus tchadensis.
d. Ardipithecus ramidus.
All-male groups of nonhuman primates
a. are often polyandrous, before females join other existing groups.
b. often exist together with multimale, multifemale groups.
c. are often temporary, before males form their own groups.
d. both b and c.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) differs from ribonucleic acid (RNA) in that
a. it was studied during Darwin’s lifetime.
b. it is the “recipe” for all biological characteristics and functions.
c. it was discovered by Mendel.
d. it is stored in ribosomes.
Research has shown that human growth and development
a. start off with a blueprint from an individual’s DNA.
b. are strongly influenced by the environment.
c. are exactly the same as other primates.
d. both a and b.
Studies of Darwin’s finches have found that at certain points in time all finches on the
island have either wide beaks or sharp, narrow beaks. The type of evolution that leads
to this phenotype distribution is
a. directional selection.
b. natural selection.
c. disruptive selection.
d. stabilizing selection.
Effective and regular access to high-quality protein likely required
a. expanded brain size.
b. complex tool technologies.
c. social means of obtaining animals as food sources daily.
d. all of the above.
Human brain growth is completed by age
a. three.
b. eighteen months.
c. six.
d. ten.
Relative 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.
Variants of elements that differ based on the number of neutrons in the atom’s nucleus
are called
a. isotopes.
b. sports.
c. alleles.
d. races.
Homo erectus evolved all of the following key traits that paved the way for the
emergence of Homo sapiens except
a. hunting.
b. symbolic behavior.
c. successful dispersal across large areas.
d. increasing dependence on the use of culture for survival.
The type of selection that favored progressively larger brain size in human evolution is
a. natural selection.
b. directional selection.
c. stabilizing selection.
d. disruptive selection.
Some australopithecines are referred to as “robust” because
a. their cranial capacity had increased dramatically.
b. they were much taller than their ancestors.
c. they were probably much hairier than their ancestors.
d. they possessed very large molar teeth and chewing muscles.
Hypoxia has been shown to be an agent of natural selection because Tibetan women
a. at high altitudes had fewer surviving children.
b. with alleles for high oxygen saturation in their hemoglobin had more surviving
children.
c. with alleles for high oxygen saturation in their hemoglobin had fewer surviving
children.
d. have poor nutrition.
Spontaneous mutations are defined as
a. errors caused by some external agent such as X-rays or exposure to toxic chemicals.
b. errors caused by random changes in DNA.
c. errors occurring during mitosis.
d. b and c only.
The invasion of spongy bone into the eye sockets as a response to anemia is called
a. hyperosteitis.
b. trabeculitis.
c. orbital arthritis.
d. cribraorbitalia.
The physical expression of an organism’s genetic constitution is called its
a. karyotype.
b. phenotype.
c. stereotype.
d. genotype.
The earliest fossil evidence of Homo erectus in Western Europe dates to about
a. 1.7 mya.
b. 1.2 mya.
c. 500,000 yBP.
d. 800,000 yBP.
Which African people’s southern migration may have led to a significant increase in the
incidence of malaria?
a. Masai
b. Turkana
c. Efe
d. Bantu
Apes became extinct in southern Europe during the late Miocene, probably as a result
of
a. a meteor impact.
b. a disease pandemic.
c. climate change.
d. early humans hunting them for food.
The first hominids appeared in Africa about ________ .
a. 20″25 mya
b. 10″15 mya
c. 7″6 mya
d. 3″5 mya
Based on the molecular clock, it is estimated that the hominid lineage diverged from
that of the chimpanzee about
a. 1″2 mya.
b. 3″4 mya.
c. 6″8 mya.
d. 10″12 mya.
Primate dietary adaptation is facilitated by
a. highly specialized dentition.
b. expanded numbers of teeth.
c. four functionally distinctive tooth types.
d. none of the above.
Dental caries increased in some areas where agriculture began, due to an increase in the
consumption of
a. nuts.
b. starchy carbohydrates.
c. seeds.
d. animal protein.
All of the anthropoids live in social groups except
a. tamarins.
b. gibbons.
c. howler monkeys.
d. orangutans.
Mendel’s plant hybridization experiments demonstrated that
a. inherited traits from each parent blended together in the offspring.
b. DNA was the molecule carrying the genetic code.
c. peas were a poor choice for understanding basic hereditary principles.
d. traits inherited from each parent remained distinct in the offspring.
One of the ways scientists gain information about the human evolutionary past is
through
a. observations of living primates.
b. observations of living birds.
c. observations of living reptiles.
d. observations of living plants.
The group of archaic mammals that lived during the Paleocene epoch and are likely
very closely related to the earliest primates are
a. plesiadapiforms.
b. omomyids.
c. adapids.
d. tarsiers.
What is the only source of new genetic material?
a. genetic drift
b. gene flow
c. evolution
d. mutation
Functional adaptations to high altitude include all of the following except
a. smaller diameter of blood vessels.
b. greater lung volume.
c. more efficient use of oxygen.
d. high oxygen saturation in hemoglobin.
The calcaneus (heel bone) of Eosimias suggests that it may be a very primitive
a. primate.
b. anthropoid.
c. New World monkey.
d. ape.
________ has been proposed as a likely ancestor for Homo habilis.
a. Australopithecus robustus
b. Australopithecus garhi
c. Australopithecus boisei
d. Australopithecus africanus