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ANTH 101 Midterm Exam Review
Introduction To Anthropology (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
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ANTH 101 Midterm Exam Review
BA and the Scientific Method:
1. Difference between hypothesis and theory/scientific method
● Hypotheses- Proposed explanations for a narrow set of phenomena
● Theories- Broad explanations for a wide range of phenomena
● Scientific Method- Reliable explanations rely on data from experiments, observation etc.
History of Evolutionary Thought:
1. Who classified humans as primates?
- Carolus Linnaeus (created genus/species nomenclature)
2. What is Natural theology and what are its main tenants?
● Aristotle’s “Great Chain of Being”
● Immutability of species
● Divine origin, Nature = Good = Truth
● Compatibility of religion and science
3. What is natural selection and what are its requirements?
● Variation must be heritable
● Differential survival or reproductive success
● = Evolutionary change between generations (a naturally-occurring process)
Genetics and Mendelian Inheritance:
1. Basics of DNA structure and related concepts: gene, allele, chromosome, genotype,
phenotype, homozygous, heterozygous
● Basic DNA Structure- base pairs, sugar molecule, phosphate molecule
● Gene- Functional unit of heredity
● Allele- A variant of a particular gene
● Chromosome- A tightly-coiled strand of DNA
● Genotype-The hereditary genetic makeup of an organism
● Phenotype- An organism's physical characteristics that are expressed
● Homozygous- Having two of the same alleles of a gene
● Heterozygous- Having different alleles of a gene
2. End result of mitosis and meiosis (diploid vs. haploid – what kind of cells?) – do NOT
need to know phases of mitosis or meiosis
● Mitosis ends with diploid cells
● Meiosis ends with haploid cells
3. Dominant vs. recessive traits, simple vs. polygenic traits
Processes & Forces of Evolution:
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1. Mechanisms of evolution in a population: natural selection, mutation, gene flow, genetic
drift. Which ones act best in small or large pops?
● Natural Selection- NONRANDOM, more frequent in large, varied populations.
● Mutation- RANDOM, more frequent in small/inbred, unvaried populations
● Gene Flow- Gene movement b/w populations; inhibits evolution by averting differences
● Genetic Drift- RANDOM, change in gene frequency, enhanced by small populations
2. Definition of natural selection and its 3 types (plus 2 extra types of “selection”)
● Stabilizing- Favors intermediate variants. Ex. Median birth weight avg. less
complications
● Directional- Favors one extreme phenotype. Ex. White -> Peppered -> Dark moths
● Disruptive- Favors extreme phenotypes. Ex. Black rabbits\White rabbits/Marbled rabbits
● “Kin”- Altruism (benefitting another over one’s expense) should not exist but it does
● “Sexual”- Preference of sex by certain characteristics. Ex. Moose, Peacocks
3. Bottleneck and founder effect
● Bottleneck Effect- Drastic population reduction changes available genetic variation
● Founder Effect- Part of a population splits of and establishes elsewhere – over time
becomes different from original pop
Primate Traits and Social Systems:
1. What are the primary social systems?
● Solitary- Males forage alone; females with dependent offspring
● Pair-bonded- One male, one female, and dependent offspring
○ usually monogamous, male parenting, minimal sexual dimorphism
● One female, multiple males- dependent offspring; cooperative breeding
○ Dominant female suppresses the reproduction of other females
● One male, multiple females- males not in a social group live alone or in a bachelor group
○ Lots of competition; females usually related
● Multi-male, multi-female- dependent offspring; females are philopatric, males disperse
○ Socially complex- dominance hierarchy for access to females
● Fission-Fusion- special case of multi-male/female group
○ Occupy very large home ranges; temporary foraging parties split and recombine
2. Primary mating systems?
● Monogamy- a male and female bonded for a extensive period of time
● Polygyny- one male males with multiple females; leads to takeovers and infanticide
● Polyandry- one female mates with multiple males; all participate in offspring care
3. What traits identify primates?
● Locomotion
● Diet and Dentition
● Senses and Brain
● Development and Sociality
Fossils and dating methods:
1. Absolute vs. Relative dating. (general understanding of the difference between them and
what are the types of relative dating? Don’t need specific absolute methods)
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● Absolute (Chronometric) Dating- gives specific age based on fossil or rock
● Relative Dating- determines relative order of past events by comparison
2. Principles of relative dating
● Original Horizontality- sediments are generally deposited as horizontal layers
● Superposition- the youngest rocks are on the top, oldest at the bottom
● Lateral continuity- sedimentary layers are laterally continuous across gaps
● Cross-cutting relationships- a rock is older than anything that cuts it
3. What is taphonomy and how can it cause preservation bias?
● The study of post-mortem history of organisms
● Biases○ Geography- wet stuff rots
○ Content bias- Soft stuff rots
○ Taxonomic/size- little stuff rots
○ Demographic- who gets buried, larger (adult) bones fossilize better
Origin of Primates and Hominins
1. What models have been proposed for the divergence of primates from mammals?
● Arboreal hypothesis- shift from terrestrial to arboreal habitat
● Angiosperm Radiation hypothesis- pressures associated with radiation of flowering
plants, changing forest composition
● Visual Predation- nocturnal and insectivorous lifestyle
2. What is a hominin and how do we recognize one in the fossil record (NOT a primate)
● Hominins- modern humans and our extinct ancestors
○ Look for large brain, bipedalism, small teeth, and thick tooth enamel
3. What kinds of anatomical features indicate bipedalism?
● foramen magnum position, upright posture, wide pelvis, valgus knee, non-opposable toe
● FIRST INDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE- thick bone at ends of tibia; enlarged tibial plateau
Australopithecine Radiation:
1. What is an adaptive radiation?
● Proliferation of speciation events and new species driven by new adaptation(s)
2. How do Australopithecus species differ from Paranthropus species? What are the most
important characteristics that define each group? (think diet/locomotion) (A. afarensis evidence
for locomotion, P. robustus/boisei evidence for diet?)
● Paranthropus vs. Australopithecus:
○ Contemporary species- multiple species cannot share diet, behavior, habitat,
morphology
○ Relation- gracile vs. robust; regional species
● Convergent evolution- independent evolution of similar traits as a result of adapting to
similar environments
Genus Homo:
1. What are the traits that characterize genus Homo?
● Larger brains, smaller teeth, obligate bipedalism, dietary/Technology shifts
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a bigger brain? Of being bipedal?
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● Bigger brains use more energy and need longer gestation and parental care
● Bipedalism puts a lot of strain on the lower anatomy (mostly the knees)
3. What cultural advancements are seen in genus Homo
● Technology (tools) and culture (hunting and fire)
4. H. habilis? Tool industry? Other advancements?
● “able man”; same stratigraphic layer as Oldowan tools
5. H. erectus/ergaster? What tool industry is associated with H. erectus? Other
advancements/firsts for this species?
● First hominin species to leave Africa
● Acheulean tools
6. Homo heidelbergensis (Middle Pleistocene Homo): What are the potential cultural
innovations of this species?
● Reached northern Europe during an interglacial period and lived on the coast
7. Who are the Denisovans? What do we know about them?
● Cousins of Neandertals; shared world with AMH; discovered by DNA analysis
● Lived in Asia while the Neandertals lived in Europe and the Middle East
Neandertals:
1. What is the geographic range for the Neandertals? What characteristics
(anatomical/technological/cultural) define the Neandertals?
● Lived in ice age Eurasia
● Shorter and stockier than avg. modern humans; larger brains, robust face, no chin
● Specialized tool users and hunters; deliberate burials; interbred with modern humans
2. Why are Allen’s and Bergmann’s rules important to evidence of Neandertals?
● They were short and stockier so it made sense that they lived in colder climates
3. What kinds of illnesses are common in Neandertals? What might this suggest about their
Behavior?
● High rate of trauma, degenerative joint disease, tooth loss/abscesses; low infection rate
4. What are the main hypotheses for why Neandertals went extinct?
● Climate mediated extinction- increased animal processing and habitat fragmentation and
decreased nutrition led to decrease in reproduction
○ Megafaunal extinctions
● Human mediated extinction- competition with humans for food, humans killed off NT,
interbreeding
Modern humans and their origins:
1. What types of factors might cause a species to disperse?
● Environmental variability, following a food source, solution to rising populations
2. Why is it difficult to define “modernity”? What do we use to define “modernity”?
● Modernity is defined by behavior and thought but is hard to provide evidence for
3. What are the primary hypotheses of human origins? Which is generally accepted?
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● Multiregional evolution vs. Out of Africa
● Out of Africa is generally accepted
4. How were the domestication of plants, animals, and companion animals linked to
sedentism and food production? What is the secondary products revolution? The broad
spectrum revolution?
● Broad-spectrum revolution- wider range of plants and animal life was being collected
States- formation and collapse:
1. How does food production spread?
● Plants and animals could spread easier due to common day lengths/growing seasons
2. What are the social organizations leading to the state? What specifically makes a
chiefdom become a state?
● Bands - > Tribes -> Chiefdoms -> States
● Chiefdom + increased class division = state
3. What is environmental circumscription?
● When the environment has definite boundaries (geographic or social) that confine it
4. What factors can cause state collapse? How do we see that reflected in the Maya?
● Invasion, disease, famine, prolonged drought, social unrest, environmental degradation
● Maya: overpopulation, environmental degradation, warfare/ Social unrest
○ Erosion suggests over-farming & deforestation; More warfare with more trade
Cahokia and Historical Archaeology:
1. What is Cahokia? Why is it such an important site?
● State that sits in modern day St. Louis
● Innovation of agriculture and use of the bow and arrow in hunting and warfare
2. What is historical archaeology? How do written records help us understand the archaeology?
Conversely, how do they erase certain people or populations?
● Archaeology dealing with recorded history
● People who are not written about are erased from history
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