BEANZ Mock Examination
Level 3 Biology
2009
Student Name / Code:
Your School Name here
Biology
NCEA Level 3
Achievement Standard 90719
B 3.7
Describe trends in human biological
and cultural evolution
Credits: 3
Instructions:
 You should answer ALL the questions in this booklet.
 Check that this booklet has pages 2 - 8 in the correct order and that none of these
pages is blank.
 YOU MUST HAND THIS BOOKLET TO THE SUPERVISOR AT THE END OF THIS
EXAMINATION.
 You are advised to spend 35-40 minutes answering the questions in this booklet.
For Assessors use only
Achievement Criteria:
Achievement
Describe trends in
human biological and
cultural evolution.
Achievement with Merit
Explain trends in
human biological and
cultural evolution.
Overall Level of Performance:
Achievement with Excellence
Discuss trends in
human biological and
cultural evolution.
2
Question 1
Biological Change
Bipedalism, along with a bigger brain and greater intelligence, are the identifying characteristics of the
human species and those extinct species grouped together as hominins.
The illustration below shows a range of fossilised femurs. On the left and centre bottom are femurs from 2-3
million year old Australopithecines, the femur in the centre top is from 6 million year old Orrorin tugenensis,
and the femur on the right is from a 2 million year old specimen of Homo habilis.
(artwork and composite by John Gurche, photograph by Brian Richmond)
a.
Describe what is meant by the terms hominin and bipedal.
hominin: _________________________________________________________________________
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bipedal: __________________________________________________________________________
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b.
i.
Describe TWO features of the femur in the top centre of the diagram that indicate that Orrorin
was bipedal?
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ii.
Explain how one of the features described in i above would help Orrorin move bipedally.
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As more and more hominin fossils were discovered, it became clear that bipedalism preceded the increase
in brain size that lead to greater intelligence in the human line.
The brain is known as one of the most energy-demanding organs in the human body along with the heart,
the liver, the gut and the kidneys, so researchers have wondered how early hominins managed to have the
energy to fuel the brain and still survive. Various explanations have been put forward, and some relevant
ideas are listed below.
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c.
New World monkeys that spend more time eating sugary fruits, protein and oil-rich seeds as well as softbodied grubs, cicadas and small invertebrates have shorter guts than those who have a higher
percentage of leaves and fibrous fruits in their diet.
Animals with relatively large guts also have small brains and those with large brains also have short
guts.
At Koobi Fora in Kenya, Ralph Howlett has found evidence of scorched earth from 1.6mya that contains
a mixture of burned wood types, and no sign of burned underground roots, indicating purposely made
fire.
Raw meat needs to be chewed for 5-6 hours a day to gain enough calories for that day.
The brain of H. erectus is 50% larger than that of H. habilis
Discuss how changes in culture and biology were interlinked in the development of a larger brain in
the evolution of modern humans.
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Question 2
Neanderthal v. Sapiens
Neanderthals are thought to have been present in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia from about
230,000 years ago. The most recent fossils, found in a cave in Gibraltar, have been dated to 28,000 years
old. Modern humans (Homo sapiens) arrived in Europe possibly 60,000 years ago and have persisted until
the present time. Information gleaned from ice cores shows that between 30,000 years ago and 18,000
years ago, (the last glacial maximum), the climate in Europe fluctuated wildly, with accompanying changes in
vegetation and the availability of game animals.
The diagram below shows fossilised remains of Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens found in Europe
from about 40,000 years ago.
1: H. neanderthalensis
2. H. sapiens
www.andaman.org/.../ch5_bot
tleneck/fig5-7.gif
a.
i.
Describe TWO differences in the post cranial skeletons of the two species.
1. _______________________________________________________________________________
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2. _______________________________________________________________________________
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ii.
The differences in body structure are often interpreted to mean that the Neanderthals had
adaptations to the colder climate prevalent in Europe and Asia. Explain how this body
structure would have been adaptive.
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b.
i.
Describe TWO differences in the skulls of the two species.
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2. _______________________________________________________________________________
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ii.
Explain how ONE difference in skull structure indicates differences in the mental processing
between the two species.
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c.
Discuss how together, the differences in body and brain structure would alter the energy needs of
the two species and influence their ultimate survival in the face of climatic change and competition.
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Question 3
a.
Cultural Evolution
Define the term “cultural evolution” and describe how culture is transferred from generation to
generation.
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b.
i.
Name TWO cultural innovations generally attributed to H. neanderthalensis.
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2. _______________________________________________________________________________
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ii.
Explain how ONE of these innovations could have improved survival.
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High resolution imaging of fossilised teeth from Neanderthal remains has revealed that Neanderthals
probably reached puberty about 4 years earlier than H. sapiens.
c.
Discuss the impact that differences in the age of puberty would have on the reproductive rate and on
cultural evolution in the two species.
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While H. neanderthalensis are thought to have operated as extended family group, scientists have evidence
that H. sapiens spent at least some of time in larger social groups.
d.
Discuss the implications of social group size on cultural evolution and lifespan for these two species.
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Question 4
Origin and Spread
Scientists debating the origin and spread of modern humans have put forward two theories, the
“multiregional” hypothesis and the “replacement” hypothesis (also called the “out of Africa” or “Eve”
hypothesis).
Mitochondrial DNA from Neanderthal fossils uncovered in sites in Croatia, Spain and Italy has now been
analysed and nuclear sequences are currently being analysed.
The results so far indicate that there is only 0.5% difference between Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA and
that of modern humans. Despite this, there are sufficient differences in the mitochondrial DNA to place the
divergence of Neanderthals and modern humans at 600,000ya. There is little evidence from the samples
studied of any interbreeding between the two species.
A pigmentation gene in the nuclear DNA known as MC1R indicates that like modern humans, some
Neanderthals would have carried an allele for red hair and pale skin, although the mutations that caused the
allele are different from those in modern humans.
Neanderthals appear to have had a similar version of the FOXP2 gene, which is associated with speech and
language development, to that found in modern humans. This gene acts not only in the brain, but also on
the nerves that control facial muscles.
Discuss how this evidence could be used by proponents of both hypotheses to support their argument.
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