STUDY GUIDE
 

KEY TERMS

While you won't be asked to define all of these terms, you will need to know what they mean in order to understand questions and answers.
 

PEOPLE
 

DATES AND NUMERIC INFORMATION

• starting and ending dates for cultural time units
• date Origin of Species was published
• starting and ending dates of the Cenozoic Era epochs

CONCEPTS

• relative order of geologic time units (epochs of Cenozoic Era)
• major events that occurred during geologic epochs
• difference between relative and absolute dating
• be able to apply the principles of stratigraphy and radiocarbon dating to hypothetical situations
• how are fossils, morphology and comparative anatomy, molecular biology, primate analogy, and hunter-gatherer analogy are used to study human origins
• three types of fossils and examples of each
• types of materials preserve well and those that don't
• environments that provide good preservation and those that don't
• be able to distinguish and understand drawings that show homology, parallelism and convergence
• how DNA hybridization, protein sequencing and immunology work
• what primate(s) are humans most closely related to biologically and behaviorally
• behavioral characteristics of common chimps and the possible relationship to early humans
• behavioral characteristics of pygmy chimps (bonobos) and the possible relationship to early humans (from the text book)
• behavioral characteristics of Kalahari San and the possible relationship to early humans
• behavioral characteristics of Australian Aborigines and the possible relationship to early humans
• magic numbers and what they mean
• pre-Darwinian view of nature
• Lamarck's contributions to evolutionary thought
• Darwin's observations
• people who influenced Darwin and how
• Darwin's book Origin of Species
• you don't need to know the diagram of process of descent with modification through natural selection
• six premises of Darwin's theory of natural selection and what each means
• basic components of Darwin's theory
• two problems with Darwin's theory
• basic components of modern evolutionary biology
• four forces of evolution (definitions, affects on variation, examples)

THINGS TO REVIEW IN THE BOOK

• Lamarck page 10
• Mendel pages 37-45, especially the two principles on pages 43-45
• review the four forces of evolution pages 63, 66-73
• review common chimp behavior pages 153-162
• bonobo (pygmy chimp) behavior pages 162-165
• summary of human-ape similarities and differences pages 165-166 including summary table

1. The oldest epoch of the Cenozoic Era is  ______  and it lasted from  ________  million years ago.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. Paleocene, 66-58
b. Eocene, 60-50
c. Paleocene, 37-24
d. Miocene, 37-24
e. Pliocene, 58-37
 
 

2. Archaeologists subdivide the last 2.6 million years into several cultural time units of variable length. Which cultural time unit lasted the longest?

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. Lower Paleolithic
b. Middle Paleolithic
c. Upper Paleolithic
d. Mesolithic
e. Neolithic
 
 

3. A physical anthropologist uncovers from a cave a human skeleton from the Upper Paleolithic time period. What dating method would be best for determining an absolute date for the skeleton?

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. seriation
b. stratigraphy
c. radiocarbon
d. potassium-argon
e. none of these
 
 

4. As indicated in lecture, which of the following is not a way fossils are used in evolutionary studies?

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. creating evolutionary trees
b. tracing changes in a species over time
c. reconstructing paths of species divergence
d. revising modern classification schemes.
e. all of these are uses of fossils
 
 

5. The "magic numbers" hypothesis was suggested by whom?

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. Lamarck
b. Birdsell
c. Thomsen
d. Malthus
e. Lyell.
 
 

6. True or False:  The study of human origins and evolution based on fossil and cultural remains and other evidence is called paleoanthropology.
7. True or False:  Random genetic drift increases variation between populations but decreases variation within populations.
8. True or False:  If early humans behaved as modern common chimpanzees, we might say that early humans lived in patrifocal groups that fissioned and fused often.
9. The Kalahari San were studied by ________  and _______  .
10. Mendel's principle of  ________________  states that egg and sperm cells carry only one of two alleles from each parent.
11. Gene flow  ___________  variation within populations and  __________  variation between populations.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

STUDY GUIDE
 

KEY TERMS
 

PEOPLE

• Stephen Jay Gould
• Niles Eldridge
• Carolus Linnaeus
• G. Elliott Smith and F. Wood-Jones
• Matt Cartmill
• Elaine Morgan
• Charles Darwin
• C.O. Lovejoy
• Nancy Tanner
• Paul Shipman
• A. Sinclair
• Pete Wheeler
• Raymond Dart

• date of the oldest (first) primate
• date of New World-Old World monkey divergence
• dates for earliest skeletal and trace fossil evidence of bipedalism
• date for oldest stone tools
• date for oldest use of animals [never mind - not on test]
• percentage of meat in human diet today
• date when human brain size reached the range for humans today

• Laetoli, Tanzania
• Sterkfontein, South Africa
• Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
• Gona, Ethiopia

• basic tenets of modern evolutionary theory
• four forces of evolution
• how each force of evolution affects variation between and within populations and evolution in general
• factors affecting gene flow effects on a population
• Tristan da Cunha example of random genetic drift
• three types of natural selection
• basis of Linnaean taxonomic system
• seven levels of the Linnaean taxonomic system (in order)
• how binomial names are written
• guidelines for selecting a good type specimen
• humans are primates, anthropoids, hominoids, and hominids
• two suborders of primates
• list of ancestral primate traits
• list of derived primate traits: sensory, locomotor, dental/dietary, social, reproductive, habitat
• two theories for explaining derived primate traits:  arboreal theory, visual predation theory
• epoch during which the first primates evolved and what the earliest primates looked like
• epoch during which the first monkey-ape ancestor evolved
• epoch during which the New World and Old World monkeys split
• epoch during which the first ape ancestor evolved
• savanna hypothesis, savanna-woodland hypothesis, aquatic ape hypothesis
• anatomical changes associated with bipedalism
• advantages of bipedalism
• earliest skeletal and trace fossil evidence of bipedalism
• explanations for why bipedalism developed
• changes required for successful terrestrial living
• significance of tool use
• "preadaptations" for tool use
• stages of tool use
• significance of meat use
• evidence for meat use
• changes in human brain complexity and size over time
• anatomical changes and evidence associated with speech

PRACTICE QUESTIONS
 

 
1. The Linnaean taxonomic system
 
a. is based on genetic similarities and differences among organisms.
b. has seven primary levels or taxa.
c. was outlined in the book The Origin of Species.
d. places humans in an order different from other primates.
e. All of these are correct.
2. In contrast to most other mammals, most primates
 
a. are heterodontic.
b. have nails on their digits.
c. are homiothermic.
d. have short periods of prenatal development.
e. are terrestrial.
3. According to the arboreal theory,
 
a. humans developed bipedalism due to habitat loss.
b. grasping hands/feet evolved to facilitate locomotion in trees.
c. the insectivorous diet of primates selected for stereoscopic vision and prehensibility.
d. brain lateralization, as evidenced by endocasts, developed as early as 1 million years ago.
e. the earliest tools were made of bone, teeth, and antler/horn.
4. The first primates first appeared during the ____ Epoch and are classified as  ______ .
 
a. Paleocene,  prosimians
b. Oligocene,  apes
c. Eocene,  basal anthropoids
d. Oligocene,  true anthropoids
e. Paleocene,   hominoids
5. Which of the following statements about modern evolutionary theory is true?
 
a. There are three forces of evolution.
b. Evolution is defined as the appearance of new species over time.
c. Evolutionary change is linear and teleological.
d. Evolutionary change may occur gradually or be punctuated.
e. All new, novel forms of variation arise by random genetic drift.
6. True or False:  The first monkey-ape ancestor appeared during the Miocene Epoch.
7. True or False:  Bipedalism requires a short, broad ilium, inward-tapering femurs, closely set knees, and an s-shaped spine.
8. True or False:  The idea that the earliest human tool tradition is the osteodontokeratic culture was suggested by C.O. Lovejoy.
9. The most inclusive level of the Linnaean taxonomic system is  __________________  .
10. ____________  selection occurs when the environment favors individuals who have the average expression of a trait.
11. The oldest stone tools found to date come from the site of  ____________  , which is dated at  _________  million years old.
12. ____________  suggested that bipedalism developed to regulate body temperatures in the hot savanna environment.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

QUESTION BREAKDOWN
 

By type of question:    30 multiple choice, 12 true false, 8 fill in

By topic:    11 on Modern Evolutionary Theory, 17 on Primate Taxonomy and Traits, 2 on Nonhuman Primate Evolution, 20 on Human Derived Traits (5 on bipedalism, 2 on terrestrial, 4 on tool use, 4 on meat use, 3 on brain, 2 on abstract communication/speech)

You need to understand all of the key terms in order to answer questions, but pay particular attention to the terms with a star next to them as you will be asked specifically about those definitions.

Know the three types of natural selection either by definition or by the frequency distribution graphs I put on the board.

Know how the four forces of evolution affect evolutionary change (the second row on the handout).

There is nothing specifically from the book that was not covered in class.
 

STUDY GUIDE
 

TERMS
 
 

PEOPLE
 
 

TAXA

• Australopithecus (Ardipithecus) ramidus - provisional
• Australopithecus anamensis- provisional
• Australopithecus bahrelghazali- provisional
• Australopithecus afarensis- gracile
• Australopithecus africanus- gracile
• Australopithecus garhi - gracile
• Paranthropus robustus- robust
• Paranthropus boisei- robust
• Paranthropus aethiopicus- robust

 

• you don't need to know time ranges for each species - know the ranges for each group instead (below)
• time ranges for each group of australopithecine
• provisional    4.4 - 3.0 mya
• gracile            4.0 - 2.5 mya
• robust             2.6 - 1.0 mya
• you don't need to know cranial capacities for each species - know the ranges for each group instead (below)
• cranial capacities for each group of australopithecine
• provisional    450 cc
• gracile            430 - 450 cc
• robust             410 - 530 cc
• you don't need to know discovery dates for individual fossils or the ages of individual fossils

SITES AND SIGNIFICANT FINDS
 
 

CONCEPTS

• 13 statements that summarize the australopithecines
• physical differences between gracile and robust australopithecines
• why Lucy is significant
• why the Taung Child is significant
• australopithecine cultural developments - what species may have had material culture and what types of artifacts
• australopithecine distributions
• east Africa:  A. ramidus, A. anamensis, A. afarensis, A. garhi, P. boisei, P. aethiopicus
• South Africa:  A. africanus, P. robustus
• Chad:  A. bahrelghazali

FOSSIL IMAGES
 

• Be able to identify these famous fossils and their species:
• Lucy, page 241, A. afarensis
• Zinj, page 227, P. boisei
• Black skull, page 237, P. aethiopicus
• Laetoli footprints, page 250, A. afarensis
• Taung child, page 201, A. africanus

PRACTICE QUESTIONS
 

1.  The site of Kromdraai, South Africa is significant because

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. the oldest stone tools were found there.
b. specimen WT 17000 was found there.
c. the oldest fossil evidence of bipedalism was found there.
d. the type specimen for Australopithecus africanus was found there.
e. the oldest fossils of Paranthropus robustus were found there.
 

2. Which of the following statements about the australopithecines is false?

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a.  They are all extinct.
b.  They lived in Africa and Asia.
c.  Nine species have been identified.
d.  Most fossils are found in caves or near present or past locations of water.
e.  Their dental traits became more modern looking before their brains.
 

3.  Australopithecus garhi was discovered and named by

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a.  Berhane Asfaw and Tim White
b.  Louis and Mary Leakey
c.  Tim White and Donald Johanson
d.  Raymond Dart and Robert Broom.
e.  Meave and Richard Leakey.
 

4. True or False:  Current fossil evidence indicates that robust and gracile australopithecines coexisted in east Africa during the Pliocene-Pleistocene Epochs.
5. True or False:  Gracile australopithecines were around from 4.4 to 3.5 million years ago.
6. True or False:  Robust australopithecines had sagittal crests and dished faces, and gracile australopithecines had cranial capacities ranging from 430 to 450 cc.
7. The oldest evidence of Australopithecus africanus comes from the site of  ________  .
8. An example of a provisional australopithecine is  ____________   ______________  . [spell out genus and species names]
9. The Taung child was described and classified by  ________________  .
10. The two australopithecines documented from South Africa are  ___________  ____________  and  _________  _________  .  [give genus and species names for both, spelled out-not abbreviated]

        Click here to view answers to the unit 3 practice questions.
 
 

QUESTION BREAKDOWN
 

There are 30 multiple choice, 10 true false, and 10 fill in.

There are 8 questions on the Overview.

There are 8 questions on the provisional australopithecines.

There are 16 questions on the gracile australopithecines.

There are 14 questions on the robust australopithecines.

There are 4 questions on the fossil identifications.
 

Note:  You don't need to know the physical traits of each individual australopith species - just traits that distinguish gracile from robust australopiths plus cranial capacity averages or ranges listed in this study guide and the traits discussed during the "Overview of Australopithecines."
 
 

 STUDY GUIDE
 

TERMS
 

PEOPLE
 

DATES AND NUMERIC INFORMATION

• time ranges for each species
• Homo habilis            2.3 to 1.6 mya
• Homo rudolfensis    2.4 to 1.6 mya
• Homo ergaster         1.9 to 1.2 mya
• Homo erectus           1.8 to 0.25 mya
• cranial capacities for each species
• Homo habilis            610 cc average
• Homo rudolfensis    780 cc average
• Homo ergaster         700 to 1070 cc range
• Homo erectus           1000 cc average
• Oldowan stone tool tradition     2.5 mya to 100,000 years ago
• Acheulian stone tool tradition   1.7 mya to 50,000 years ago

CONCEPTS

• six general statements about early Homo species
• distribution of each species
• Homo habilis            east Africa, South Africa
• Homo rudolfensis    east Africa
• Homo ergaster         east Africa, South Africa
• Homo erectus           Africa (east, South, north), Asia, Europe?
• evolutionary and temporal relationship between australopithecines and early Homo species
• how Homo rudolfensis and Homo ergaster used to be classified
• cultural developments of each species
• characteristics of Oldowan stone tools
• characteristics of Acheulian stone tools
• physical traits that distinguish Homo erectus from other early Homo species
• consequences of controlled use of fire
• tools used by early humans in east Asia - why no Acheulian? (book pages 328-336)
• effects of glaciations on human migration
• review the phylogenetic (evolutionary) relationships on page 258-259; note these common themes in the five scenarios:
• A. ramidus is ancestral in all phylogenies
• A. ramidus is always followed by A. afarensis
• robust forms go extinct in all phylogenies
• gracile australopiths are ancestral to Homo
• one or more of the early Homo species is/are considered ancestral to Homo erectus

SITES AND SIGNIFICANT FINDS
 

FOSSIL IDENTIFICATIONS

• KNM-ER 1470    page 238
• KNM-ER 15000, Turkana Boy    page 313
• Trinil skull cap    page 297
• Oldowan tool
• Acheulian tool

PRACTICE QUESTIONS
 
 

1. The type specimen for Homo ergaster is

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. OH7.
b. KMN-ER 1470.
c. OH9.
d. KMN-ER 992.
e. the Trinil skull cap.
 
 

2. Compared to Acheulian stone tools, Oldowan tools

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. have a wider geographic distribution.
b. are completely flaked.
c. were used primarily for meat processing.
d. include axes, cleavers, and picks.
e. are asymmetrical.
 
 

3. Fossil KNM-ER 15000 is significant because

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

a. it is the most complete Homo ergaster fossil found to date.
b. it is the type specimen for Homo erectus.
c. it has the largest cranial capacity documented for Homo ergaster fossils found to date.
d. it is the most complete Homo habilis skull found to date.
e. it is the oldest Homo erectus fossil found to date.
 
 

4. True or False:  Fossil KMN-ER 1470, the type specimen of Homo rudolfensis, was found at Lake Turkana by Richard Leakey.
5. True or False:  Based on the time ranges given in lecture, the four early Homo species discussed in this unit coexisted with each other.
6. True or False:  The average cranial capacity for Homo rudolfensis, 780 cc, falls within the range of cranial capacities for Homo ergaster.
7. True or False:  The first discovery of Homo habilis fossils in Africa was made by Louis and Mary Leakey at Hadar.
8. The oldest fossil remains of Homo rudolfensis found to date were recovered at the site of  ____________  .
9. One physical characteristic that distinguishes Homo erectus from other early Homo species is  ______________  .
10. A site covered in class where early evidence of controlled use of fire has been found is   ____________  .
11. The first human species to leave Africa was  __________  _____________  .  [give both genus and species names]

        Click here to view answers to the unit 4 practice questions.
 

QUESTION BREAKDOWN
 

Of the 50 questions, 29 are multiple choice, 12 are true false, and 9 are fill in.

Of the 50 questions, 7 deal with Homo habilis, 8 deal with Homo rudolfensis, 8 deal with Homo ergaster, 10 deal with Homo erectus, and 17 deal with a combination of topics (species, general overview, evolutionary relationships, tools, etc.).
 

 STUDY GUIDE
 

TERMS
 
 

PEOPLE
 
 

DATES AND NUMERIC INFORMATION (as given in class, not the book)
 

• time range for archaic Homo sapiens
• average cranial capacity for archaic Homo sapiens
• dates for Levallois tool tradition
• time range for Neandertals
• gap in Neandertal fossil record
• average cranial capacity for all Neandertals
• dates for Mousterian tool tradition
• time range for Homo sapiens sapiens based in fossil evidence (from handout)
• time range for Homo sapiens sapiens based in genetic evidence (from handout)
• average cranial capacity for Homo sapiens sapiens (from handout)

CONCEPTS
 

• cultural developments of each species
• distribution and climate for archaic Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, and Homo sapiens sapiens
• discovery of neandertal fossils in Neander Valley, Germany in 1856 and two subsequent studies
• Marcellin Boule's study of Neandertals
• two ways Neandertals are classified
• physical traits that distinguish classic, progressive, and Middle Eastern Neandertals
• characteristics of prepared cores and resulting flakes for Levallois, Mousterian, blade tool traditions - NOT ON TEST
• distribution of Aterian and Sangoan tool industries
• characteristics of archaic Homo sapiens dwellings - NOT ON TEST
• three interpretations of Neandertal burials
• evidence that Neandertal burials were intentional and symbolic
• possible significance of Neandertal burials (if they were intentional and symbolic)
• four kinds of Neandertal ritual activity
• three kinds of Neandertal personal ornamentation - NOT ON TEST
• four types of Neandertal art/symbolism - NOT ON TEST
• two explanations for what happened to the Neandertals

For each site, know what species is represented and what is significant about the site.
 

• Swanscombe, England
• Boxgrove, England
• Steinheim, Germany
• Bodo, Ethiopia
• Broken Hill (Kabwe), Zambia
• Terra Amata, France
• Neander Valley, Germany
• Atapuerca, Spain
• Drachenlock, Germany
• Krapina, Slovenia/Croatia
• Shanidar, Iraq
• Skhul, Israel

FOSSIL IDENTIFICATIONS

• Neander Valley skull cap p. 399
• Kabwe (Broken Hill) skull p. 408
• Skhul p. 410
• Levallois flake p. 438
• Mousterian tools p. 438
• blade flake p. 462

BOOK MATERIAL (CHAPTER 16)

• blade tools: definition, advantages/changes over flake tools
• two models about the origin of modern humans:
• regional continuity model: where did modern humans evolve? where is the best evidence for it? what type(s) of evidence is it based on?
• rapid replacement model (out of Africa model / Eve model): where did modern humans evolve? what type(s) of evidence is it based on? when did the common ancestor of humans evolve?
• which model is supported by the majority of paleoanthropologists?
• Klasies River Mouth site: why is it significant?
• why did the chin develop?
• migration to Australia: how did they get there? evidence from the sites of Malakunanja and Lake Mungo
• migration to Americas: how did they get there? when did they get there based on artifactual evidence? when did they get there based on DNA evidence?

PRACTICE QUESTIONS
 
 

1. Evidence of ritualistic defleshing has been found at


a. Bodo
b. Krapina
c. Lake Mungo
d. Steinheim
e. both a and b are correct
 
 

2. The occipital bun is most diagnostic of which species?


a. archaic Homo sapiens
b. classic neandertals
c. progressive neandertals
d. Middle Eastern neandertals
e. Homo sapiens sapiens
 
 

3. Based on artifactual evidence, it is possible that humans first entered the New World as early as


a. 50,000 years ago
b. 35,000 years ago
c. 20,000 years ago
d. 10,000 years ago
e. 5,000 years ago
 
 

4. Which of the following statements about the neandertals is true?


a. The oldest fossils are about 400,000 years old.
b. They manufactured blade tools.
c. They manufactured Mousterian tools.
d. They did not live in tundra zones.
e. Some of their physical traits may be explained by environment or diet.
 
 

5. Shanidar and Krapina are similar in that


a. they provide evidence of Homo sapiens sapiens migrations.
b. they are the earliest archaic Homo sapiens sites in the Old World.
c. the fossils found there provide direct evidence that neanderthals and anatomically modern humans coexisted.
d. they are two neanderthal burial sites.
e. These sites have nothing in common.
 
 

6. True or False:  Archaic Homo sapiens may have worshipped the cave bear.

7. True or False:  Although archaic Homo sapiens were on earth for a longer time period than neanderthals, archaic Homo sapiens had a more restricted geographic distribution.

8. True or False:  The average cranial capacity of the neanderthals was about 200 cc larger than the average cranial capacity of Homo sapiens sapiens.

9. True or False:  There is no evidence that archaic Homo sapiens had rituals.

10. True or False:  Klasies River Mouth is a significant site because the oldest Neandertal burials were found there.

11. The type specimen for archaic Homo sapiens comes from the site of   _______  .

12. __________  incorrectly suggested that  Neanderthals were ape-like, unintelligent, and walked with a hunched back.

13. ______  are flakes that are twice as long as they are wide.

 

 
 
 

Click here for answers to the test 5 practice questions
 

QUESTION BREAKDOWN
 

Of the 50 questions, 30 are multiple choice, 11 are true false, and 9 are fill in.

Of the 50 questions,

• 7 deal with several species
• 10 deal with archaic Homo sapiens
• 16 deal with neandertals
• 2 deal with Homo sapiens sapiens material from the summary table
• 10 deal with book material
• 5 are identifications

Test 1 Answers
 

1. a
2. a (lasted 2.4 million years)
3. c (Upper Paleolithic lasted from 12,000 to 35,000 years ago, and only radiocarbon dating is used to date materials from that time frame; potassium-argon only dates volcanic rock that is 100,000 years or older; seriation and stratigraphy are not absolute dating methods; seriation can't be used because we are dealing only with one site and with bones not artifacts; stratigraphy can't be used because there is no indication that there are other layers at the site)
4. d (molecular biology and genetics are used for this purpose)
5. b
6. T
7. T
8. T
9. Lee, Washburn
10. segregation
11. increases, decreases

1. b
2. b
3. b
4. a
5. d
6. F (Oligocene)
7. T
8. F (Raymond Dart)
9. kingdom
10. normalizing
11. Gona, 2.5-2.6
12. Wheeler

Test 3 Answers
 

1. e
2. b
3. a
4. T
5. F  (provisional)
6. T
7. Makapansgat
8. Australopithecus ramidus, Australopithecus anamensis, or Australopithecus bahrelghazali
9. Dart
10. Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus

Test 4 Answers
 
 

1. d
2. e
3. a
4. F (Bernard Ngeneo)
5. T
6. T
7. F (Olduvai Gorge)
8. Uraha
9. six possible answers:  skull ridge, keening, shovel-shaped incisors, larger brain, nose, modern post-cranial skeleton
10. Zhoukoudian
11. Homo erectus

Test 5 Answers
 
 

1. e
2. b
3. c
4. c
5. d
6. F (first with neandertals)
7. F (archaic Homo sapiens had a wider geographic distribution)
8. T
9. F
10. F (among the oldest Homo sapiens sapiens fossils)
11. Broken Hill (Kabwe)
12. Boule
13. blade