Test Answers on Anthropology Midterm #2 – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
While conducting a study on hypoxia among individuals living in the Peruvian Andes, you have been able to show that individuals in the population have likely suffered hypoxia and/or resided there for long periods of time. You know this because
answer
individuals who moved to the region as children have greater lung volumes than individuals who moved to the area as adults.
question
R. C. Lewontin found that human "races" have no taxonomic significance. He demonstrated this
answer
through research indicating that most genetic variation is found across human populations.
question
Relative to people with a history of living in temperate climates, the Inuit and other cold-adapted populations
answer
None of the above
question
Wolff's law
answer
accounts for the remodeling of bone when it is under stress.
question
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach
answer
categorized skulls into five racial types.
question
Race is not a valid biological concept because
answer
all of the above
question
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach categorized humans into the following races
answer
Mongoloids, Malays, Ethiopians, American Indians, and Caucasoids
question
Functional adaptations to high altitude include all of the following except
answer
smaller diameter of blood vessels.
question
Global studies on human thermoregulation have revealed
answer
populations adapted to hot climates have more efficient reactions to heat stress
question
Although Bergmann's and Allen's rules most often explain body shape and morphology, we occasionally see variations from the correct patterns. This indicates that
answer
body shape and morphology reflect both evolutionary and developmental processes
question
When epiphyses fuse to the diaphyses,
answer
full adult height is attained.
question
Hypoxia has been shown to be an agent of natural selection because Tibetan women
answer
with alleles for high oxygen saturation in their hemoglobin had more surviving children
question
The strength and mass of bone
answer
vary with an individual's level of physical activity
question
Results from anthropomorphic measurements of Turkana pastoralists indicate long limbs. This suggests which of the following?
answer
The population is one point on the continuum of variation observed in Allen's rule.
question
C. Loring Brace argued that the race concept
answer
can be traced to the Renaissance, when seafaring travelers observed differences between people from distant lands.
question
Osteoporosis is
answer
a main cause of hip fractures in older women.
question
Which of the following is key to maintaining internal homeostasis?
answer
adaptations
question
Which of the following is the expansion of blood vessels near the body's surface in response to excessive heat?
answer
vasodilation
question
Melanocytes ____.
answer
produce melanin
question
Children living at high altitudes develop a larger chest cavity by adulthood than children living at lower altitudes. This is an example of
answer
developmental adaptations that occur at the level of the individual during critical life stages
question
Dark skin (a result of increased melanin production in equatorial peoples) is likely a response to ultraviolet radiation, because UV radiation can cause
answer
skin cancer
question
Ultraviolet radiation can be an important factor in selection for increased melanin production because UV radiation can cause which of the following?
answer
C and D only
question
________ states that heat-adapted mammals will have long limbs, which maximize the body's surface areas.
answer
Allen's rule
question
Bergmann's rule ____.
answer
states that bodies with increased mass or volume to surface area are optimal for cold climates
question
The average heights of European-American males in the United States fluctuated between 1710 and 1970 and
answer
were positively affected by access to medical care
question
Franz Boas
answer
showed that U.S.-born children had different head shapes than their immigrant parents.
question
DNA
answer
schedules growth, but environment and events influence actual development
question
Research has shown that human growth and development
answer
both a and b.
question
The fact that Turkana children are often initially shorter than American children is indicative of
answer
the fact that growth is often related to nutrition and other environmental factors
question
Population geneticists use the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation to determine ____.
answer
whether evolution is occurring at a given locus
question
Which of the following contributes most to skin color?
answer
melanin
question
Lactose intolerance ____.
answer
all of these
question
Sweating evolved in humans as a response to what?
answer
thermoregulatory adaptation to hair loss in humans
question
Relative to other primates, prosimian adaptations include
answer
an enlarged olfactory bulb and enlarged scent glands
question
You are reading a scientific paper regarding the relationships of the anatomical and behavioral characteristics of chimpanzees and their implications for early hominid evolution. You note that the authors refer to human ancestors as hominids. This implies that
answer
the researchers are relying on anatomical classifications of chimpanzees and humans, as this is most appropriate when looking at adaptation and anatomy
question
The genetic classification for apes and humans
answer
includes three sub families within hominids: pongines, gorillines, and hominines.
question
Anthropoids differ from prosimians in that they
answer
have better color vision
question
Which of the following are prosimians?
answer
lemurs
question
Humans are the only primates who lack a sectorial complex on the premolar. This is an example of
answer
a derived trait, because it is present in only one or few species of a group
question
Primate dietary adaptions is facilitated by
answer
four functionally distinctive tooth types
question
While at the zoo you see an exhibit with a small group of primates you have not seen in your textbook. However you notice they have wet, snout-like noses similar to a dog's. You tell your friend that this is
answer
a species of prosimian, because they retain the rhinarium commonly found in other mammal species.
question
Chimpanzee material culture dates to
answer
4,000-5,000 yBP.
question
In class your professor shows you an MRI scan of a primate brain. The professor points out the relatively large size of the olfactory bulb beneath the frontal lobe. This suggests to you that
answer
this primate must be a species of prosimian, as that suborder of primates still relies heavily on the sense of smell for many aspects of daily life
question
The rhinarium is present in
answer
ring-tailed lemurs
question
Relative to body size, primate brain size
answer
is larger among humans than among other primates
question
Primates spend
answer
much of their time foraging for food
question
The tarsiers belong to the taxonomic suborder of
answer
Prosimii
question
Which of the following prosimians spend considerable amounts of time on the ground
answer
ring-tailed lemurs
question
The use of different natural objects to obtain food, similar to that observed in chimpanzees, has been observed in
answer
both b and c
question
In studies of primate cognition and tool use, researchers have taught chimpanzees to crack open nuts with stones. Later in life, these chimpanzees have taught other young chimpanzees and offspring the same skill. This could be considered
answer
all of the above
question
Chimpanzees taught by humans to make a simple stone tools
answer
passed this new behavior to relatives
question
While observing primates at the zoo, you notice that the particular monkey you are watching uses its hands, feet, and tail to move throughout the trees in its enclosure. This is most likely
answer
a New World monkey, because many of these species have a tail with grasping abilities similar to those observed in nonhuman primate hands and feet
question
Prehensile tails
answer
are present only in some platyrrhines
question
Colobine primates
answer
have specialized digestive anatomy for eating leaves
question
The two suborders of primates are
answer
prosimians and anthropoids
question
Orangutans are an example of which residence pattern
answer
solitary
question
Suspensory locomotion is characteristic of which primate?
answer
gibbons
question
Sexual dimorphism in canine size
answer
is greater in societies where males compete.
question
The suborder Prosimians includes
answer
galagos, lorises, tarsiers, and lemurs
question
Suspensory primates generally have what type of body structure?
answer
longer arms than legs
question
The typical dental formula of lorises and lemurs is
answer
2 / 1 / 3 / 3
question
Sagittal crests are pronounced in some primates with highly developed ________ .
answer
masticatory muscles
question
All of the anthropoids live in social groups except
answer
orangutans
question
The Y-5 molar morphology is present in
answer
chimpanzees.
question
Sexual dimorphism in body size is greater in societies where
answer
males compete for access to females.
question
What trait makes humans unique?
answer
They are the only primates known to depend on material culture for survival
question
Primates' enhanced sense of vision stems from
answer
both a and c.
question
Chimpanzee tool use challenges the assumption
answer
that material culture is unique to humans.
question
Modern primates are characterized by arboreal adaptations including
answer
opposable thumbs
question
The typical catarrhine dental formula is
answer
2 / 1 / 2 / 3
question
The suborder Prosimians includes
answer
lemurs, lorises, galagos, and tarsiers.
question
Monogamy is characteristic of
answer
gibbons
question
The increased brain size observed in the order Primates
answer
both a and c
question
Which of the following were identified by Sir William le Gros Clark as tendencies of primates?
answer
all of the above
question
Primate females
answer
give birth to fewer offspring than do many other mammals
question
Jane Goodall's observations of chimpanzee behavior in the wild documented all of the following except
answer
chimpanzees using spears to hunt for small primates.
question
A skull with a foramen magnum located on the back, which positions he skull in front of the body, belongs to
answer
an individual that is fully quadrupedal, such as a dog
question
A feature unique only to human teeth and human ancestors' teeth is
answer
a canine that shows wear on the tip.
question
A finger pad with primitive dermal ridges most likely belongs to which of the following?
answer
pottos, lories, and other similar species
question
In nonhuman primates, grooming relationships serve
answer
to reinforce social structures and cement social bonds.
question
Because of the enhanced sense of touch, most primate species have
answer
nails instead of claws on all limbs.
question
The nose structure in all primates
answer
is flatter against the face and contributed to a decreasing sense of smell
question
When observing primates at the zoo, you notice a male and female gibbon quite similar in size, unlike what you previously saw in the hamadryas baboon enclosure. You know that
answer
the lack of sexual dimorphism you see is due to decreased competition for mates in a monogamous social structure
question
Living lemurs are found only in
answer
Madagascar
question
James Goodall was the first to document
answer
all of the above
question
Anthropoids include
answer
monkeys, apes, and humans
question
The presence of a honing complex relates to
answer
canine size
question
In comparison to Prosimians, anthropoids
answer
have a reduced sense of smel
question
In terms of geologic time, when did human beings appear on Earth?
answer
very recently
question
The Danish physician who developed the geologic principle of superposition, according to which rocks (and fossils) higher in a sequence are younger than those buried farther down, was
answer
Niels Stensen (aka Nicolaus Steno)
question
Historically speaking, which came first in the science of giving ages to the fossil record?
answer
relative age
question
Which of the following is not one of the main methods for reconstructing ancient environments?
answer
40K/40Ar analysis of lava flows and of ash layers
question
Biostratigraphic dating relies on
answer
the first and last appearances of species in the fossil record
question
Based on the molecular clock, it is estimated that the hominid lineage diverged from that of the chimpanzee about
answer
6-8 mya
question
The absolute dating method that involves counting the annual rings visible in the cross-section of a tree is called
answer
dendrochronology
question
Which of the following is false regarding absolute dating techniques?
answer
Each can work with any type of material
question
Phylogeny is important to the study of human evolution because
answer
all of the above
question
Fossils are typically recovered within ____ exposures
answer
sedimentary rock
question
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?
answer
You can research the antler bone to find out which species it belongs to an then use faunal dating
question
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
answer
superposition
question
Which type of plants is associated with open grasslands typical of tropical savannas
answer
C4 plants
question
While on a paleontological dig in the United Kingdom, you come across a completely preserved (including skin) extinct species of mammal within a bog. You note that for a mammal it is relatively hairless. In order to determine the adaptive significance of hairlessness, you must
answer
collect data that will help you to reconstruct the environment of hat time
question
Which of the following has the greatest likelihood of becoming fossilized
answer
teeth
question
As recently as a few hundred years ago, most Westerners thought the earth was about how many years old?
answer
6,000
question
The significant drying up of the Mediterranean Basin at the end of the Oligocene epoch was probably due to
answer
the appearance of huge ice sheets in Antarctica.
question
Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that
answer
temperatures have fluctuated, sometimes greatly, over time.
question
________ is the process of matching strata from several sites using chemical, physical, and other properties
answer
Stratigraphic correlation
question
Ocean-dwelling microorganisms called foraminifera are important in evolutionary studies mainly because
answer
the chemical composition of their shells records past temperatures
question
The study of what happens to an organism's remains after death is called
answer
taphonomy.
question
The first logical step in a sequence of events that leads to the discovery and analysis of primate fossils is the
answer
selection and surveying of potential sites
question
High levels of 18O in now-fossilized foraminifera shells indicate
answer
a decrease in temperature.
question
One of the only fossil sites in the world that preserves a great deal of evidence for anthropoid evolution during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs is
answer
Fayum, Egypt.
question
Prior to the invention of absolute dating techniques, one of the chemical dating methods useful for establishing the relative age of fossils from a single site was
answer
fluorine dating.
question
The absolute dating technique that emerged as a result of research into constructing the atomic bomb during World War II is
answer
14C dating
question
The "supercontinent" that existed about 200 mya, from which the modern continents ultimately emerged, is called
answer
Pangaea.
question
The English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions was
answer
William Smith
question
The ratio of C3 to C4 plants in a paleoenvironment can be estimated using the ratio of two stable isotopes of which element derived from fossils or ancient soils?
answer
carbon
question
Variants of elements that differ based on the number of neutrons in the atom's nucleus are called
answer
isotopes
question
Paleomagnetic dating relies on
answer
the periodic reversal of the earth's magnetic poles
question
With a half-life of 5,730 years, 14C dating is useful for dating carbon-bearing objects as far back as
answer
50,000 years ago.
question
Which U.S. president reported the discovery of a fossilized ground sloth in Virginia to the American Philosophical Society?
answer
Thomas Jefferson
question
A diagram (family tree) that proposes hypothetical ancestor-descendant relationships between species is a
answer
phylogeny
question
The chemical signature of volcanic ash layers can be used to
answer
correlate sites across vast regions.
question
Which geological time period is referred to by geologists as the oldest portion of Earth's history, accounting for roughly 87% of that history?
answer
Precambrian eon
question
Recent paleoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that the earliest members of the hominid lineage evolved in
answer
woodlands along both rivers and lakes.
question
The earth is about ________ old.
answer
4.6 billion years
question
Which dating method would be most appropriate for establishing the age of a volcanic ash layer from an early hominid site in eastern Africa?
answer
40K/40Ar dating
question
The time it takes for 50% of an unstable isotope to decay to a stable form is called the
answer
half-life
question
Electron spin resonance dating would be most useful in attempting to date which object?
answer
a fossilized tooth
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New