Offspring of outbred matings have ________ offspring of inbred matings.
a. lower fitness than
b. the same fitness as
c. higher fitness than
d. more variable fitness than
Features showing that Australopithecus afarensis is a hominin include
a. a large brain.
b. lack of a tail.
c. bipedalism.
d. thin molar enamel.
Potassium”argon dating can only be used to date
a. recent archaeological sites.
b. very young rocks.
c. young fossils.
d. very old fossils or rocks.
The social organization and behavior of a species are directly influenced by
a. heritability of a trait.
b. genetic mutation.
c. environmental factors.
d. metabolic rates.
Classification of people in Brazil
a. includes the use of “smor.”
b. reflects the ancestry of people.
c. reflects the same prejudices seen in North America.
d. reflects genetic variation.
Discontinuous variation occurs when
a. no real variation is apparent between forms.
b. variants come in distinct forms.
c. variants come in a smooth distribution from one extreme to another.
d. only one extreme variant exists.
An organism expresses fewer antipredator tactics when the number of predators in the
environment is low. This is an example of
a. behavioral canalization.
b. behavioral plasticity.
c. behavioral localization.
d. behavioral control.
Most modern scientists studying human variation believe that humans can be divided
into
a. three races: Caucasian, African, and Asian.
b. five races: Caucasian, African, Asian, American Indian, and indigenous Australian.
c. seven races: Caucasian, African, Asian, American Indian, Australian, Polynesian, and
Oceanic.
d. one race: human.
Which of the following is the most likely description of the “first engineer” of stone
tools, based on available data?
a. A member of the genus Homo
b. A member of the genus Australopithecus or an early member of the genus Homo
c. Australopithecus africanus
d. The earliest Homo sapiens
Which of the following is not a homologous trait among humans and other primates?
a. Large brain in relation to body compared with other mammals.
b. Well-developed vision.
c. Grasping hands.
d. Almost no sexual dimorphism in body size.
Bipedalism may have evolved because it allowed hominins to
a. keep cool in savanna environments.
b. plant and cultivate food.
c. travel easily in the trees.
d. swim as well as travel on land.
Orrorin tugenensis is identified as a very likely hominid on the basis of what evidence?
a. Features of the base of the skull
b. Footprints preserved in volcanic ash
c. Features of the femur
d. Features of the spine and ribs
Scientists use ________ to construct phylogenies.
a. systematics
b. taphonomy
c. macroevolution
d. character displacement
During the human Cultural Revolution, innovations included
a. the beginnings of agriculture.
b. decoration and art.
c. democracy.
d. the first use of fire to cook food.
Natural selection cannot make an elephant run as fast as a cheetah and fly like a bird.
This is an example of
a. a correlated response to selection.
b. disequilibrium.
c. physical constraints on natural selection.
d. fixation.
For most continuously varying characters, offspring are intermediate between their
parents because
a. of blending inheritance.
b. genetic transmission involves faithful copying of the genes themselves and their
reassembly into different combinations in zygotes.
c. mutation is constantly introducing new alleles, some of which will produce new
phenotypes.
d. natural selection reduces variation.
Australopithecus africanus has derived features not shared with humans. These include
a. a fully bipedal gait.
b. large canines.
c. heavy chewing adaptations.
d. a modified pelvis.
Unlike other cooperative mammal species, humans
a. cooperate only with their relatives.
b. cooperate with large numbers of unrelated individuals.
c. rarely cooperate.
d. cooperate only under the supervision of government institutions.
Derived features of the Neanderthals include
a. slim bodies.
b. large front teeth.
c. large brains.
d. very tall skeletons.
During allopatric speciation, ________ may amplify the initial differences between
populations and lead to two new species.
a. microevolution and asexual reproduction
b. reinforcement and character displacement
c. blending and macroevolution
d. phylogeny and disequilibrium
Evolutionary change occurs
a. whenever mutation occurs.
b. whenever allelic frequencies change from one generation to the next.
c. whenever genetic drift is eliminated.
d. Both a and b.
Convergent evolution provides evidence that complex adaptations are not a matter of
mere coincidence because
a. evolution always occurs in very different ways.
b. the same process of evolution can occur independently in unrelated species.
c. the process of evolution is biologically determined and not flexible.
d. no two species ever end up with similar traits.
We know that milk production played an important role in early pastoral communities
in northern Europe because
a. analyses of their pottery show residues of compounds found only in milk.
b. isotopic analysis of the teeth of people shows they drank milk.
c. the amount of genetic diversity for milk proteins in domesticated cattle indicates that
people kept small herds.
d. the amount of genetic diversity in domesticated cattle is greatest in southeastern
Europe.
When forming coalitions, monkeys
a. enlist only the physically largest group members as allies.
b. will act altruistically on behalf of allies.
c. respond positively only if it is beneficial to them.
d. choose lower-ranked animals to help them.
Menarche refers to
a. societies controlled by men.
b. societies where men essentially purchase wives by paying a bride price.
c. the time of a woman’s first menstruation.
d. the time of a woman’s first coitus.
The earliest primates
a. were large-brained, diurnal monkeys found in Africa.
b. had nails on their fingers like modern humans.
c. had fully enclosed eye sockets like modern humans.
d. were small, nocturnal, and found in North America and Europe.
Reduction of chromosome number occurs during
a. recombination.
b. meiosis.
c. somatic cell formation.
d. linked genes.
Because humans rely on learned skills for many of the foods they eat, natural selection
has favored
a. fast development.
b. an extended juvenile period.
c. strength.
d. hunting.
Evidence that predation is important in primates includes
a. its frequent observance.
b. the observation that many primate species have antipredator defenses.
c. the fact that predators are in the same areas as primates.
d. primates are an easy prey species because of their size.
Sociality is costly to primates because
a. there is greater competition for resources.
b. there is increased vulnerability to disease.
c. there is increased vulnerability to attacks from conspecifics.
d. they have to share home ranges with other primates.
A smaller animal is more likely to be
a. an insectivore than a frugivore, because it cannot outcompete larger animals.
b. an insectivore than a frugivore, because it requires higher-quality food than larger
animals.
c. a frugivore than an insectivore, because it cannot outcompete larger animals.
d. a frugivore than an insectivore, because it requires a lower quantity of food than
larger animals.
Compared with great apes, Ardipithecus ramidus was characterized by
a. thicker molar enamel and larger canines.
b. thicker molar enamel and smaller canines.
c. thinner molar enamel and larger canines.
d. thinner molar enamel and smaller canines.
According to the ecological species concept, a species is a group of organisms that
a. share morphology.
b. are reproductively isolated from other like groups.
c. share genetic information.
d. share the same geographical and environmental circumstances.
When a sister mates with her brother, there is a ________ chance that he will carry the
same lethal recessive gene that she does.
a. 50%
b. 25%
c. 100%
d. 75%