Skip to content
Exam Guides

Test Bank For Our Origins, 5th Edition

Test Bank For Our Origins, 5th Edition simplifies revision with topic-wise summaries, expert strategies, and plenty of practice exercises.

Preview 16 of 264 pages

See the first 16 pages exactly as they appear in the document.

  1. Page 1
    Read page 1 as text

    Our Origins FIFTH EDITION Greg Laden Tracy Betsinger THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK - ONEONTA Nicole Slovak SANTA ROSE JUNIOR COLLEGE TEST BANK

  2. Page 2
  3. Page 3
    Read page 3 as text

    Introduction vii Chapter 1 | What Is Biological Anthropology? 1 Chapter 2 | Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory 18 Chapter 3 | Ge ne tics and Genomics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation 36 Chapter 4 | Genes and Their Evolution: Population Ge ne tics 56 Chapter 5 | Biology in the Pre sent: Living People 75 Chapter 6 | Biology in the Pre sent: The Other Living Primates 94 Chapter 7 | Primate Sociality, Social Be hav ior, and Culture 114 Chapter 8 | Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature 136 Chapter 9 | Primate Origins and Evolution: The First 50 Million Years 153 Chapter 10 | Early Hominin Origins and Evolution: The Roots of Humanity 172 Chapter 11 | The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo 189 Chapter 12 | The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People 209 Chapter 13 | The Past 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, Biology 229 Chapter 14 | Evolution: Today and Tomorrow 246 CONTENTS

  4. Page 4
  5. Page 5
    Read page 5 as text

    1 1D. Identify several dif fer ent research areas in biological anthropology. 1E. Identify and explain the importance of six major attri butes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. 1F. Explain the four steps involved in “ doing science” (i.e., the scientific method). 1G. Distinguish between hypotheses and theories. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1A. Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. 1B. Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. 1C. Explain how Franz Boas’s research contributed to the development of the four branches of anthropology. CHAPTER 1 What Is Biological Anthropology?

  6. Page 6
    Read page 6 as text

    2 | Chapter 1 1 CHAPTER 1: What Is Biological Anthropology? MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Before AD 1000, what did the people of St. Catherines Island eat? a. They ate wild animals, fish, and wild plants. b. They ate bison and salmon. c. They were vegetarians and ate wild plants exclusively. d. They ate mostly fruit. ANS: A DIF: Easy OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 2. What was the cause of the biological change in the indigenous people of St. Catherines Island after AD 1000? a. They became sedentary and had less food to eat because they stayed in the same area. b. They became sedentary and consumed more corn, which caused dental disease due to its high sugar content. c. They became sedentary and did not have enough exercise to keep their bodies fit and healthy. d. They continued as nomads, but loss of animals due to climate change created a decline in their food source. ANS: B DIF: Moderate OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 3. What can be learned from studying a population through time? a. We can learn that lifestyles do not change over time. b. We can learn that diets, and therefore human biology, change through time. c. We can learn that consuming the wrong foods over time does little to population health. d. We can learn that human physiology does not change through time. ANS: B DIF: Moderate OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Understanding 4. Biological anthropologists focus on a. humans from a cultural perspective. b. humans from a biological perspective. c. humans from biological and cultural perspectives. d. human behavior only. ANS: C DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Understanding

  7. Page 7
    Read page 7 as text

    What Is Biological Anthropology? | 3 2 5. Archaeologists a. study primate evolution. b. devote most of their effort to recovering artifacts and building museum collections. c. study past human societies, focusing mostly on their material remains. d. primarily study the evolution of language. ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 6. The biocultural approach a. is the study of human remains from archaeological contexts. b. studies the interrelationship between human culture and human biology. c. assumes that most human culture is genetic in origin. d. was originally developed by Boas but subsequently replaced by biological anthropology. ANS: B DIF: Moderate OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Understanding 7. What are the four branches of anthropology? a. archaeology, geology, geography, and biology b. physical anthropology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology c. cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, geology, and physical anthropology d. biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology ANS: D DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 8. Which is the study of evolution and variation in humans’ physical traits? a. biological anthropology c. linguistic anthropology b. archaeology d. cultural anthropology ANS: A DIF: Easy OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering

  8. Page 8
    Read page 8 as text

    4 | Chapter 1 3 9. What are the four branches of anthropology? a. linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, and paleontology b. cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, archaeology, and linguistic anthropology c. paleontology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology d. biological anthropology, ethnography, cultural anthropology, and archaeology ANS: B DIF: Easy OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 10. Your professor researches the Turkana pastoralists of Kenya, investigating both the genetic changes that allow them to easily digest milk and the role that dairy animals have played in their history. Your professor MOST likely uses which of the following methods in her research? a. sociolinguistics c. the biocultural approach b. interdisciplinary science d. archaeological excavation ANS: C DIF: Moderate OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Applying 11. Biological anthropology is the study of human ________ and human biocultural ________. a. bones; nature c. culture; language b. evolution; variation d. pottery; stone tools ANS: B DIF: Easy OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 12. What did researchers conclude regarding the populations that lived on St. Catherines Island? a. The introduction of farming led to an improvement in overall health. b. The population was sedentary, regardless of the people’s food acquisition method. c. The later farming population was taller with fewer dental problems than the earlier foraging population. d. The arrival of the Spanish resulted in harder work and poorer health of the native inhabitants. ANS: D DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 13. The study of culture in the past based on material remains is part of which branch of anthropology? a. archaeology c. biological anthropology b. linguistic anthropology d. cultural anthropology ANS: A DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Anthropology? MSC: Remembering

  9. Page 9
    Read page 9 as text

    What Is Biological Anthropology? | 5 4 14. The term hominin refers to a. living humans and their ancestors dating to as far back as 6–8 million years ago. b. living humans only. c. the earliest ancestors of humans, prior to 6–8 million years ago. d. any living or extinct primate that walks upright. ANS: A DIF: Easy OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 15. The human genome a. includes about 20,000 genes. b. contains an unknown number of genes. c. is shared with all primates. d. changes throughout life depending on diet and disease. ANS: A DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 16. Biological anthropologists view how humans are today as the result of a. their biological makeup. b. both evolutionary history and their own individual life histories. c. their genes; their environment has very little effect. d. their environment; their genes have very little effect. ANS: B DIF: Moderate OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Understanding 17. The results of a disadvantaged social environment include a. poor health, reduced height, and shortened life expectancy. b. poor speech and excessive eating habits. c. poor reading comprehension. d. an inability to think critically and develop long-term planning. ANS: A DIF: Moderate OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 18. Some biological anthropologists study a. life on other planets. b. the disappearance of languages. c. extinct and living species of primates. d. changes in marine life. ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Understanding

  10. Page 10
    Read page 10 as text

    6 | Chapter 1 5 19. Primates are a group of mammals that have a. fingernails and forward-facing eyes. b. no fingernails and a long snout. c. complex behavior and small brains. d. simple behavior and varied forms of locomotion. ANS: A DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 20. Forensic anthropologists a. focus their work on skeletal analysis of individuals. b. study skeletal remains from past human populations. c. study the evolution of human skeletal traits. d. focus their skeletal analysis on early hominins. ANS: A DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Understanding 21. For which of the following is Franz Boas known? a. his early influence on Darwin’s theory of natural selection b. his assertion that the role of environment is insignificant in the study of human cultures c. his work on primate conservation d. his union of the study of culture, language, and biology, and the founding of American anthropology ANS: D DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain how Franz Boas’s research contributed to the development of the four branches of anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 22. Which of the following is a good description of what biological anthropologists do? a. They work in the laboratory to understand the genetic relationships among different groups of mammals. b. They seek out and excavate sites that have fossil evidence of dinosaurs and other extinct species. c. They live with various groups of people for extended periods of time, to learn their language and customs. d. They use bones and other materials to study a diversity of ancient and living human populations and primates. ANS: D DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Understanding

  11. Page 11
    Read page 11 as text

    What Is Biological Anthropology? | 7 6 23. Why is biological anthropology considered an interdisciplinary science? a. A specific set of disciplines, including anatomy and linguistic studies, are required of all students who intend to go into this discipline. b. Compared to other areas of science, biological anthropology is one of the largest fields. c. Biological anthropologists often incorporate other fields of study such as chemistry or geology to facilitate their research. d. Biological anthropology comprises four different branches: bioanthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and linguistics. ANS: C DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 24. What did Boas propose that anthropologists could learn about through careful observations and attention? a. race, morality, and primitive religions c. morality, human variation, and cultures b. primitive humans and their societies d. cultures, societies, and peoples’ biology ANS: D DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain how Franz Boas’s research contributed to the development of the four branches of anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Understanding 25. How did Boas lay the foundation for scientific anthropology? a. He relied on the scientific method. b. He evaluated cultures from a personal perspective. c. He used genetics to develop theories on human variation. d. He demonstrated the variation in humans as a result of moral differences. ANS: A DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain how Franz Boas’s research contributed to the development of the four branches of anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Understanding 26. How can biological anthropologists understand human biological variation? a. They can investigate genes, as they are the primary determinant of human variation. b. They can study health, as most human variation is the result of health differences. c. They can focus on lifestyle, because an individual’s lifestyle is the main reason why humans vary. d. They can examine how genes, health, and lifestyle all work together to impact human variation. ANS: D DIF: Moderate OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Understanding 27. Who created the discipline of American anthropology? a. Alfred Kroeber c. Franz Boas b. Margaret Mead d. Rudolf Virchow ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Explain how Franz Boas’s research contributed to the development of the four branches of anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering

  12. Page 12
    Read page 12 as text

    8 | Chapter 1 7 28. A biological anthropologist would focus on which of the following to learn more about humans? a. artifacts c. disease and nutrition b. written and oral language d. public and private buildings ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering 29. Your best friend’s great-uncle went missing in action during his Pacific tour of duty during World War II. Your friend wants to find out what happened to these enlisted men and women and to bring them home. What course of study would you suggest that your friend pursue in college? a. cultural anthropology c. bioarchaeology b. ethnographic anthropology d. forensic anthropology ANS: D DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Applying 30. Bipedalism in primates means a. walking on two feet. b. walking on four feet. c. walking using two legs with the aid of a tail. d. swinging from branch to branch. ANS: A DIF: Easy OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Remembering 31. Which of the following key attributes of human uniqueness developed during the past 10,000 to 11,000 years? a. bipedalism c. complex material culture b. dependence on domesticated food d. nonhoning chewing ANS: B DIF: Easy OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Remembering

  13. Page 13
    Read page 13 as text

    What Is Biological Anthropology? | 9 8 32. An archaeological field school is announced in your anthropology course. The description says that you will travel to Belize to learn about the lives of the ancient Mayans. What, primarily, do you expect to learn during this field school? a. what species of nonhuman primate occupies this region b. how current populations of immigrants have changed local dialects c. how to excavate and study material culture d. how to socially navigate life in a Central American setting ANS: C DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Analyzing 33. Bipedalism a. was the first evolutionary development that distinguished humans from other animals. b. was possible only after the advent of simple material culture. c. occurred after brain expansion in human evolution. d. allowed hominins to come out of the trees and make tools 10 million years ago (mya). ANS: A DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Understanding 34. There are six aspects of humanity that together define humans as different from other primates. Of these, which are unique to humans and NOT found in other primates? a. speech and arboreal life b. the use of material culture and the loss of a honing canine c. hunting as a way of getting food d. domestication of plants and animals ANS: D DIF: Difficult OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Understanding 35. What increased early humans’ chances of hunting success? a. Females led hunting, but all adults were involved. b. Hunting was conducted with stone tools and cooperative strategies. c. Hunting was always well planned, often using a diagram. d. Hunting strategies were developed to include other animals as bait. ANS: B DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Understanding

  14. Page 14
    Read page 14 as text

    10 | Chapter 1 9 36. Human production of stone or stone tools is an example of a. linguistic comprehension. c. material culture. b. subsistence strategies. d. ideology. ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Remembering 37. Why is the hyoid bone important? a. It is found only in carnivores. b. It is found only in organisms with speech. c. It provides information about the vocal structure of hominins. d. It can be used to differentiate between agricultural and foraging diets. ANS: C DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Understanding 38. What makes it possible for humans to accumulate an amazing amount of information over long periods of time? a. social learning c. social media b. education d. mimicry ANS: A DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Remembering 39. What makes us human? a. physiology, culture, and planning c. physiology, behavior, and religion b. biology, culture, and religion d. biology, culture, and behavior ANS: D DIF: Easy OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Remembering 40. Which of the following is one of the six big events of human evolution? a. larger brain size c. domestication of foods b. written language d. increase in body size ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Remembering

  15. Page 15
    Read page 15 as text

    What Is Biological Anthropology? | 11 10 41. Humankind is still evolving, but recent genetic changes are often less interesting to biological anthropologists than the striking evolutionary changes that differentiated our hominin ancestors from apes. Which of the following is a possible reason for this? a. Biological anthropologists do not study modern humans; they study only ancient hominins. b. Human evolution occurs only in Africa and thus cannot help us to understand a range of contemporary people. c. Our species now completely depends on culture for its survival and day-to-day living. d. The origin of bipedal walking in our hominin ancestors is more important than variation in genes for disease susceptibility among modern people. ANS: C DIF: Difficult OBJ: Explain the differences and similarities among the four branches of anthropology and understand what it means to say biological anthropologists practice an interdisciplinary science. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Understanding 42. Which of the following did biological anthropologists conclude about what makes us human after analyzing and comparing humans to nonhuman primates? a. Since some nonhuman primates organize when they hunt, hunting is not included as one of the six steps to humanness. b. Since chimpanzees have been observed making and using tools, tool use is not considered part of humans’ complex material culture. c. Although some other animals have the hyoid bone, its size and shape is quite different in humans and reflects the human ability to speak. d. The larger brain size of humans is the only significant difference between humans and nonhuman primates. ANS: C DIF: Moderate OBJ: Identify and explain the importance of six major attributes that separate humans from nonhuman animals. TOP: What Makes Humans So Different from Other Animals? The Six Steps to Humanness MSC: Understanding 43. Which of the following is true about the scientific method? a. It relies on making hunches about the natural world. b. It involves empirical data collection and hypothesis testing. c. It is used to support preconceived notions or theories. d. It seeks to establish the absolute scientific truth. ANS: B DIF: Moderate OBJ: Explain the four steps involved in “doing science” (i.e., the scientific method). TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Understanding

  16. Page 16
    Read page 16 as text

    12 | Chapter 1 11 44. What is a hypothesis? a. a synonym for theory b. a testable statement that could potentially explain specific phenomena observed in the natural world c. a statement that concerns scientific facts assumed to be true d. a statement unable to be refuted by future investigations ANS: B DIF: Easy OBJ: Distinguish between hypotheses and theories. TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Remembering 45. A theory is a(n) a. narrowly defined testable assertion that can be refuted by an experiment. b. explanation of something based upon controversial facts. c. explanation of part of the natural world that has been carefully examined and tested. d. explanation of part of the natural world that has been less thoroughly tested than a hypothesis. ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Distinguish between hypotheses and theories. TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Understanding 46. There is a hypothesis that the origin of human bipedalism was linked to a shift from life in the trees to life on the ground in the grasslands of Africa. Which of the following is true about this hypothesis? a. It has been upheld by subsequent scientific data on human origins. b. It was developed in consultation with genetic and fossil evidence. c. It has been rejected recently as a result of new fossil evidence. d. It has become a scientific law. ANS: C DIF: Moderate OBJ: Distinguish between hypotheses and theories. TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Remembering 47. The study of human remains at the “Body Farm” in Tennessee a. has shown how changes in diet with a shift from foraging to farming alter bone growth patterns. b. demonstrates the effects of habitual bipedalism in humans and human ancestors. c. allows forensic anthropologists to estimate the time of death of deceased humans. d. reveals the lifeways of the prehistoric inhabitants of the region around the farm. ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Remembering 48. In the 1980s, anthropologist William M. Bass set up an isolated facility in Tennessee to study which of the following processes? a. the importance of social learning in remote areas b. the rise of bipedalism in early human ancestors c. the deterioration of human bodies under a range of different conditions d. how early agriculture such as that practiced on St. Catherines Island was carried out ANS: C DIF: Easy OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology. TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Remembering

248 more pages in the full document

Unlock it once and it stays in your library, ready to chat with or turn into flashcards.

Unlock the full document

More Anthropology study materials

See all

Study this document with CramX

Once it is in your library, every tool can work from it.