48) All humans alive today have inherited their mitochondrial DNA from some individual
female common ancestor. Studies indicate this woman probably lived about ________ years ago,
when fossil evidence indicates that Homo sapiens was restricted to ________.
A) 20,000; Africa
B) 50,000; Africa and Asia
C) 180,000; Africa
D) 500,000; Africa, Asia, and Europe
49) Compared to other hominins, modern Homo sapiens display a particular ability for
A) symbolic thought.
B) making stone tools.
C) upright walking.
D) manipulating objects with their hands.
50) The fossil “hobbits” discovered in Indonesia may be ________ that lived ________.
A) a newly discovered species of Homo; as recently as 18,000 years ago
B) a population of Homo sapiens with a genetic disorder; at the same time as the Neanderthals
C) a lineage of early hominins; about 5 million years ago
D) a dwarf lineage of Australopithecus; around the same time as “Lucy”
51) Human skin color likely represents a locally adapted compromise between
A) the need to block UV radiation that causes cancer and the need to absorb sunlight for heat.
B) the need to block UV radiation that destroys folate and the need to synthesize vitamin D.
C) the need to block UV radiation that destroys folate and the need to absorb sunlight for heat.
D) the need to blend in with the environment and the need to absorb sunlight for heat.
52) Of the over 19,000 new species described for the first time in 2009, more than half were
A) marine organisms.
B) plants.
C) insects.
D) vertebrates.
53) Of all of the chordate groups, why are there only two amniote groups (reptilia and
mammalia)?
A) Amniotes are the only chordate group that has successfully survived the transition to land.
B) The other craniate groups had brains that were not developed enough to allow the organisms
to develop tool-building survival skills.
C) The vertebral columns of the other vertebrates were not strong enough to survive the
transition to land.
D) The other jawed vertebrates were not able to obtain enough food to survive the transition to
land.
54) The American brook lamprey is a freshwater lamprey that lives in streams. Lampreys move
streambed stones to make a nest in which to lay their eggs. Which defining feature of the
lamprey might enable it to move these stones?
A) slime
B) head with a skull
C) notochord
D) oral disk
55) Which of the following would a shark not be able to detect with its lateral line system?
A) schools of fish
B) mobile predators
C) stationary objects
D) sand on the bottom of the ocean floor
56) Which of the following statements is true?
A) Sharks have a skeleton made of bone, while ray-finned fishes have flexible skeletons made of
cartilage.
B) Ray-finned fishes have a skeleton made of bone, while sharks have flexible skeletons made of
cartilage.
C) Sharks have a series of rod-shaped bones in their muscular pectoral and pelvic fins, while
lobe-fins have flexible skeletons made of cartilage.
D) Ray-finned fishes have a series of rod-shaped bones in their muscular pectoral and pelvic fins,
while lobe-fins have flexible skeletons made of cartilage.
57) Which of the following statements is true?
A) A line of lobe-finned fishes gave rise to tetrapods, and a line of tetrapods gave rise to modern
amphibians.
B) A line of tetrapods gave rise to chordates, and a line of lobe-finned fishes gave rise to
tetrapods.
C) A line of amphibians gave rise to tetrapods, and a line of lobe-finned fishes gave rise to
modern amphibians.
D) Tetrapods and amphibians evolved at approximately the same time, while lobe-finned fishes
evolved 2 million years later.
16.
58) Complete the analogy: ________ are to plant evolution as ________ is/are to vertebrate
evolution.
A) Ferns; insects
B) Mosses; Tiktaalik
C) Angiosperms; fungi
D) Fungi; birds
59) Like many insects, some amphibians undergo ________ in their life cycle as they have
distinct larval and adult stages.
A) aquatic development followed by terrestrial existence
B) development in a nest followed by flight
C) metamorphosis
D) alternation of generations
60) Complete the analogy: ________ are to vertebrate evolution as ________ are to plant
evolution
A) Lungs; stomata
B) Amniotic eggs; seeds
C) Limbs; flowers
D) Opposable thumbs; hyphae
61) Which character of vertebrates is associated with colonization of land?
A) opposable thumbs
B) lungs
C) internal fertilization
D) gills
19.2 Art Questions
1) According to this figure, which group includes the closest living relatives to tetrapods such as
amphibians, reptiles, and mammals?
A) tunicates
B) sharks and rays
C) ray-finned fishes
D) lobe-finned fishes
2) According to this figure, which two groups are most closely related?
A) tarsiers and gibbons
B) gorillas and orangutans
C) chimpanzees and gibbons
D) Old World monkeys and humans
3) According to this figure, which species lived concurrently with Homo ergaster?
A) Australopithecus anamensis
B) Australopithecus africanus
C) Paranthropus boisei
D) Homo sapiens
4) Refer to the figure above. Suppose a fossil was found and identified to be a species of
approximately 3.5 million years old. This fossil could be a representative of which species?
A) Australopithecus afarensis or Australopithecus anamensis
B) Kenyanthropus platyops or Australopithecus africanus
C) Kenyanthropus platyops or Australopithecus afarensis
D) Australopithecus afarensis or Australopithecus africanus
5) Which line on the graph corresponds to an amniote?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) could be A or B
6) Which of the following options lists the major groups or genera from the fossil record in the
correct order from earliest to most recent?
A) Australopithecus, Sahelanthropus, Homo
B) Sahelanthropus, Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, Homo
C) Ardipithecus, Sahelanthropus, Australopithecus, Homo
D) Sahelanthropus, Homo, Australopithecus, Ardipithecus
19.3 Scenario Questions
After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow.
Bipedalism is one of the most important characteristics of hominin evolution. The appearance of
bipedalism led to anatomical changes that are considered to be distinguishing characteristics of
hominin fossils. The evidence for bipedalism is supported by fossil evidence from more than 4
million years ago and 3.6-million-year-old footprints in volcanic ash.
Recently, however, scientists have focused on the link between tooth structure and diet in the
evolution of the early hominins, specifically in Australopithecus species. Detailed studies of
hominin dental features have provided evidence of an important dietary shift that led to adaptive
radiation within this genus. Most of the evidence comes from analyses of tooth size and shape,
microscopic wear patterns on teeth, and jaw structure. The evidence suggests that fibrous plant
materials became more important through the Pliocene, perhaps as critical components in the diet
of some species.
1) What is the most likely evolutionary link between bipedalism and changes in the diet of early
hominids?
A) Bipedal species would be more likely to remain in one type of habitat.
B) Bipedalism led to new farming practices.
C) It is easier to escape predators with an upright posture.
D) The greater ability to move to new habitats facilitated exploitation of new foods.
2) Evidence from fossil dentition suggests that Australopithecus species
A) evolved specifically to eat meat.
B) experienced a decrease in both tooth size and brain size.
C) were direct ancestors of modern humans.
D) were adapted to function successfully in a wide range of habitats.
Use the figure below to answer the following questions.
3) Which of the following clades is most directly related to lancelets?
A) ray-finned fishes
B) lampreys
C) hagfishes
D) lobe-fins
4) Suppose scientists discovered an organism that had a head with a brain at the anterior end of
the dorsal nerve, eyes and other sensory organs, a skull, and a vertebral column. The organism
could not be a/a23
n
A) lamprey.
B) hagfish.
C) ray-finned shark.
D) amphibian.
5) The main difference between the earliest evolved tetrapods and the most recently evolved
tetrapods is that
A) later tetrapods have larger brains.
B) later tetrapods produce milk to feed their young.
C) early tetrapods lack legs.
D) early tetrapods lack a vertebral column.