Final Exam Review…Chapter 8,9,10
Chapter 8…
1. Understand where and when Homo erectus lived.
2. Be able to identify the major physical characteristics of H. erectus.
3. Comprehend the cultural development represented in the material record.
4. Know what the Acheulean tradition is and why it emerged.
5. Understand how the use of fire had an impact on the lives of our erectus ancestors.
Short answer
1. What are the physical characteristics of Homo erectus?
2. What evidence of planning and symbolic life can we see in Homo erectus?
Chapter 9…
1. Understand where and approximately when archaic H. sapiens first emerged.
2. Know the cultural and physical changes evident in archaic H. sapiens.
3. Understand the issues surrounding the role of Neandertals in human evolution.
4. Understand the importance of cognitive capacity in the genus Homo.
5. Recognize the major lines of evidence for competing theories about modem human origins.
Short answer
1. When did the transition from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens take place?
2. What kinds of cold-climate adaptations did archaic Homo sapiens make?
3. What is the multiregional hypothesis and how is it distinct from the “Eve” or “Out of Africa”
hypothesis?
Chapter 10…
1. Know who the Cro-Magnons were and recognize their major physical features.
2. Understand the principles of Upper Paleolithic stone tool technology.
3. Appreciate the range and depth of artistic expression in the Upper Paleolithic period.
4. Understand the trends underway in the Upper Paleolithic that set the stage for later development.
5. Know the routes by which people migrated throughout the globe and dates of key migrations.
Short answer…
1. Why is it difficult to define “anatomically modern humans”?
2. What is persistence hunting? How has this type of hunting practice been beneficial for humans? What
adaptations had to evolve for this type of hunting to develop?
3. From all that you have seen during this course, what is the current view of why we have developed
into this complex bipedal form? What about the increase in cranial capacity? Did it develop alongside
bipedalism or at some other time in our evolution?
Essay…
Using the information you have received during this course and also what you have learned while
completing your final project, explain how humans have developed since the australopithecines. You
should name all relevant species since the a’pithecines and also the distinguishing features of each. By
distinguishing features you would discuss such things as cranial capacity, stature, size of the supraorbital
torus, the mid-sagittal crest, facial prognathism, post-orbital constriction, the presence of a hypo-glossal
canal, the structure of the post-cranial bones (from the neck down…namely, are they similar to modern
humans), and any structural features of the fossils which have been deemed important. Include in your
discussion a major find associated with each species, its’ physical description, why the fossil is
important, what time the animal was present and in what area, and also their adaptations to their
environment such as scavenging and/or hunting.