Anthropology Review – Evolution
Potential Multiple Choice Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
Heated debate exists regarding the species identification for new specimens based only on fossil record.
Therefore, paleoanthropologists often use the term ___________ instead of species
Scientists look for paleontological evidence of fossils that are a “middle ground” between two species. These are
called…
Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny is the idea that…
A type of speciation where a geographic process splits a population so they evolve separately and can no longer
interbreed is called
A type of chronometric dating that provides dates for fossils over a million and even billion years old.
A postzygotic barrier where the zygote dies due to genetic differences is referred to as
A postzygotic barrier where the first generation survives but cannot reproduce is referred to as
Which of the following is biochemical evidence for evolution?
A population becomes reduced quickly producing a random change in gene frequencies (but not necessarily a new
species) is called the
A few individuals stray and establish a new colony, in a new habitat, and therefore a new population with different
frequency than the original population. This is referred to as
The method consisting of naming an organism using its genus and species is called
Species that have evolved separately and are found nowhere else are referred to as
A type of speciation that occurs in populations occupying the same habitat and can no longer interbreed is called
A type of barrier where two species occupy the same territory and could possibly breed but don’t is called
A type of barrier where even if two different species did mate, fertilization of egg won’t take place because
incompatibility between egg and sperm is
Approximately how long ago did the first primates appear?
Physical differences between the sexes other than the sex organs is referred to as
A measure of relative brain size defined as the ratio between actual brain mass and predicted brain mass for an animal
of a given size is called
The hole through which the spinal cord passes is called
Major evolutionary changes were beginning in some early prosimians that foreshadow species yet to come such as…
Which of the following are characteristics of the superfamily Hominoidae?
What is the suborder of primates consisting of about 145 living species of monkeys, apes, and human?
What is the family in which humans belong to?
What are the most successful of all apes in that there are more of them and they have the widest geographic range?
What type of dating tells us that one thing is older or younger than another but nothing more?
A type of relative dating with layers of deposits. Those laid down first will be on the bottom and those laid down last
will be on the top.
A type of relative dating mainly used for verifying whether or not two fossils in the same strata at a site were in fact
from the same animal.
Which of the following was a hoax where someone ground down the teeth of an ape and proclaimed it was a fossil of an
early hominid?
A type of dating that places events in their chronological position with reference to a universal time scale such as a
calendar.
Currently, which of the following is the oldest hominid fossil discovered?
Which species of early hominids has led some to believe that humans evolved from a completely different line than
previously thought? (This theory has not gained much acceptance so far).
Which species for early hominids had developed upright walking prior to the disappearance of woodlands and forests in
eastern Africa and caused anthropologists to re-think why and when early hominids began to be bi-pedal?
What is an important characteristic of the genus Homo that separates them from other hominids
Which of the following is often referred to as the “handy man” because of evidence of tools found with its remains?
Which of the following may have been the first hominid capable of speech?
Which of the following is the most long-lived species of Homo to have every lived on Earth?
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
Which of the following Homo species is probably the first to use and control fire?
What “things” can be fossilized?
Homologous structures in organisms suggest that the organisms
The beak of a bird and the beak of a giant squid evolved independently and serve the same function. The beaks are
The occurrence of the same blood protein in a group of species provides evidence that these species
A biologist analyzes the DNA sequences in three different primates. The biologist finds that primates “A“ and “B” have
almost exactly the same DNA sequences. The DNA sequences in primate “C” are significantly different from those of
primate “A” and primate “B”. This information allows the biologist to infer that
Speciation can occur as a result of geographic isolation because
Which of the following is an example of postzygotic isolation?
The hypothesis that evolution occurs at a slow, constant rate is known as
The hypothesis that evolution occurs at an irregular rate (often being static for long periods of time) through geologic
time is known as
Which of the following is not a form of prezygotic isolation?
The first primates probably resembled modern
Examination of some hominid fossils and their surroundings can reveal the fossil organism’s
A distinctive feature of all primates is
Anthropoid primates are different from prosimians in that they
Which of the following characteristics is most easily inferred from the measurement of a fossil skull’s cranial capacity?
Lucy’s skeleton revealed that she was bipedal. This means that she
All australopithecine fossils have been found in
Which of the following hominids is probably an ancestor of modern humans?
The first member of the genus Homo was
Hunting large animals, use of fire, and living in caves are associated with
Homo erectus
When comparing Homo habilis and Homo erectus, we find that
Neanderthals probably evolved from
Modern Homo sapiens appeared in Africa about
Modern humans are most closely related to which hominid?
The hypothesis that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa is supported by the finding that
The science of classifying living things is called
Taxonomy is defined as the science of
As we move through the biological hierarchy from the kingdom to species level, organisms
Which of the following scientists developed the system of classifying organisms by assigning them a genus and species
name?
Two organisms in the same class but different orders will
Two organisms in the same order but different families may
Kingdoms are divided into phyla, and a phylum is divided into
Which of the following is the least inclusive classification group?
The “Write as Much as Possible” Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Compare and contrast the founder effect and population bottleneck and state examples of each.
Explain the morphological and biological definition of a species AND the difficulties in defining a species.
Describe the characteristics of primates.
Describe the difference between homologous and analogous structures and give an example of each.
Compare and contrast pre- and post-zygotic barriers in preventing a new species and explain an example of each.
Compare and contrast New and Old World monkeys.
Describe specific differences between humans and apes.
Explain the process of fossilization.
Describe radiocarbon dating (also called carbon-14 and C-14 dating).
Describe what is known about Australopithecus afarensis.
Describe the differences between the parallel and radiation evolutionary theories. Which one is more widely accepted?
Describe what is known about Homo floresienses.
Describe physical characteristics of primates.
Discuss the behavior of primates.
Describe the early hominids in the genus Paranthropus.