Biological Anthropology Unit Test

What is biological anthropology?

• The study of plants and animals in their natural habitats.

• The study of ancient human civilizations.

• The study of the human mind and behavior.

• The study of human biology, evolution, and variation.

The study of primates.

• primatology

• forensic anthropology

• paleoanthropology

• human osteology

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of hominins?

• Large body size compared to other primates

• Bipedal locomotion

• Opposable thumbs

• Smaller brain size compared to other primates

Which hominin species is considered to be our closest extinct relative?

• Homo habilis

• Australopithecus afarensis

• Homo erectus

• Homo neanderthalensis

Which hominin species is known for the use of fire and the development of more complex tools?

• Neanderthals

• Homo erectus

• Homo habilis

• Australopithecus afarensis

Charles Darwin's ideas concerning the causes of evolution were probably formulated in his mind:

• while he was still a student at Cambridge University.

• before he began his voyage of exploration around the world.

• during his voyage on H.M.S. Beagle, especially after he reached the Galapagos Islands.

• during the late 1880s.

Charles Darwin concluded that the 13 species of finches on the Galapagos Islands:

• were identical to 13 finch species in northwestern South America 600 miles to the east.

• probably evolved from one ancestral South American species.

• had all adapted to the same food sources.

Through careful observation, Charles Darwin came to understand that:

• populations of plants and animals in nature most often consist of individuals that are clones of each other.

• those individuals whose variation gives them an advantage in staying alive long enough to reproduce are more likely to pass their traits on to the next generation.

• populations of species that become isolated from others by adapting to different environmental niches quickly become extinct.

The theory of evolution by natural selection was independently developed by:

• Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin

• Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace

• Erasmus Darwin and Lamarck

• Charles Lyell and James Hutton

Which of the following statements is true of the australopithecines?

• They are a hominid, making them our biological ancestor.

• They evolved about the same time as humans.

• They were quadripedal.