Preview Extract
TEST BANK
Our Origins
FIFTH EDITION
TEST BANK
Our Origins
FIFTH EDITION
Greg Laden
Tracy Betsinger
THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – ONEONTA
Nicole Slovak
SANTA ROSE JUNIOR COLLEGE
Bn
W โข W โข NORTON & COMPANY โข NEW YORK โข LONDON
Copyright ยฉ 2020 by W. W. Norton & Comยญpany, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Composition by Westchester Publishing Serยญvices
Printed in the United States of Amerยญiยญca
Fifth Edition
W. W. Norton & Comยญpany, Inc., 500 Fifth Aveยญnue, New York, NY 10110
wwwโ.ยญwwnortonโ.ยญcom
W. W. Norton & Comยญpany Ltd., ยญCastle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT
CONTENTS
Introductionvii
Chapter 1 | What Is Biological Anthropology?
1
Chapter 2 | Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory
18
Chapter 3 | Geยญneยญtics and Genomics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation
36
Chapter 4 | Genes and Their Evolution: Population Geยญneยญtics
56
Chapter 5 | Biology in the Preยญsent: Living ยญPeople
75
Chapter 6 | Biology in the Preยญsent: The Other Living Primates
94
Chapter 7 | Primate Sociality, Social Beยญhavยญior, 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 Homo189
Chapter 12 | The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern ยญPeople
209
Chapter 13 | The Past 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, Biology
229
Chapter 14 | Evolution: ยญToday and Tomorrow
246
INTRODUCTION
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reliable assessment supplements according to the following
criteria.
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heads, that is tested by the question.
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question is designed to test. For more information,
please see โBloomโs Taxonomyโ below.
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learned at the appropriate level; and
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ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
ยญEvery question is labeled with six levels of metadata to
ยญ hese metadata
allow instructors to assess their students. T
tags are:
โข ANS: This is the correct answer for each question.
โข DIF: This is the difficulty assigned to the probยญlem.
Probยญlems have been classified as Easy, Moderate, or
Difficult.
โข OBJ: This is the learning objective, taken from the
instructorโs manual, that the question is intended to
assess.
BLOOMโS TAXONOMY
ยญ hese question types are informed by Bloomโs Taxonomy.
T
We have focused on the levels of Bloomโs taxonomy that are
most relevant to physical anthropology and are most reliably
assessed through the types of questions included in this test
bank.
1. Remembering questions test declarative knowledge,
including textbook definitions and relationships
between two or more pieces of information. Can students recall or remember the information in the same
form it was learned?
2. Understanding questions pose probยญlems in a context
difยญferยญent from the one in which the material was
learned, requiring students to draw from their declarative and/or procedural understanding of imporยญtant concepts. Can students explain ideas or concepts?
3. Applying questions ask students to draw from their
prior experience and use critical-ยญthinking skills to reason about the real world. Can students use learned
information in new situations?
4. Analyzing questions test studentsโ abilities to break
down information and see how difยญferยญent eleยญments relate
ยญ hole. Can students distinguish
to each other and to the w
among the difยญferยญent parts?
viii | Introduction
5. Evaluating questions ask students to assess information as a ยญwhole and frame their own arguments. Can
students make decisions and distinguish between valid
and invalid claims?
DIFFICULTY LEVELS
1. Easy questions require a basic understanding of the concepts, definitions, and examples presented in the textbook.
2. Moderate questions direct students to use critical
thinking skills and to demonstrate an understanding of
core concepts inยญdeยญpenยญdent of specific textbook examples or definitions.
3. Difficult questions ask students to synthesize textbook
concepts to make analytical inferences or to evaluate
claims.
GENERAL RULES FOR NORTON
ASSESSMENT
Each question meaยญsures and links explicยญitly to a specific
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studied, not general knowledge or experience.
CHAPTER 1
What Is Biological Anthropology?
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.
1D. Identify several difยญferยญent research areas in biological
anthropology.
1E. Identify and explain the importance of six major attriยญ
butes that separate ยญhumans from nonhuman animals.
1F. Explain the four steps involved in โยญdoing scienceโ
(i.e., the scientific method).
1G. Distinguish between hypotheses and theories.
1C. Explain how Franz Boasโs research contributed to the
development of the four branches of anthropology.
1
CHAPTER 1: What Is Biological Anthropology?
2 | Chapter 1
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
1
What Is Biological Anthropology? | 3
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 humansโ 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
2
4 | Chapter 1
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 peopleโs 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
3
What Is Biological Anthropology? | 5
14. The term hominin refers to
a. living humans and their ancestors dating to as far back as 6โ8 million years ago.
b. living humans only.
c. the earliest ancestors of humans, prior to 6โ8 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
4
6 | Chapter 1
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 Darwinโs 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 Boasโs 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
5
What Is Biological Anthropology? | 7
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 peoplesโ biology
ANS: D
DIF: Moderate
OBJ: Explain how Franz Boasโs 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 Boasโs 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 individualโs 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 Boasโs research contributed to the development of the four branches of
anthropology.
TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering
6
8 | Chapter 1
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 friendโs 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
7
What Is Biological Anthropology? | 9
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 humansโ 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
8
10 | Chapter 1
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
b. biology, culture, and religion
c.
d.
physiology, behavior, and religion
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
9
What Is Biological Anthropology? | 11
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 humansโ 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 โdoing scienceโ (i.e., the scientific method).
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Understanding
10
12 | Chapter 1
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 โBody Farmโ 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
11
What Is Biological Anthropology? | 13
49. During the decomposition of a human body after death,
a. autolysis by bacteria provides carbolic acid, which then liquefies the flesh through
putrefaction.
b. the processes of putrefaction of the body and mummification through autolysis result in
either a dry tissue mummy or a skeleton, depending on moisture.
c. putrefaction, the consumption of tissue by bacteria, and autolysis, the self-digestion of
CO2 rich tissue, destroys the flesh.
d. autolysis produces a high bacteria load that causes the flesh to rot rapidly.
ANS: C
DIF: Difficult
OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology.
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Understanding
50. Which of the following is true about people on St. Catherines Island before the arrival of the Spanish?
a. They were primarily fishermen.
b. They were hunter-gatherers.
c. They became the first farmers of the region.
d. Their health had been worse before the Spanish arrived.
ANS: C
DIF: Moderate
OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry.
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Remembering
51. For your biological anthropology research project, you report that you measured the length of 150
gorilla thighbones. After looking at the measurements, you suggest that the two groups you found
represent different sexes. What problem might your professor have with this report?
a. Your report does not attempt to test a hypothesis.
b. Your report uses the scientific method.
c. Your report does not identify past literature on the topic.
d. Your report uses all four fields of anthropological inquiry.
ANS: A
DIF: Moderate
OBJ: Explain the four steps involved in โdoing scienceโ (i.e., the scientific method).
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Applying
52. Paleoanthropologists hypothesize bipedalism evolved in forested areas. After reconstructing the
paleoenvironment of an early biped, they find that this particular hominin did live in a forested area.
As a result, their hypothesis is
a. a scientific law.
b. still a hypothesis.
c. a theory.
d. proof that bipeds evolved in forested areas.
ANS: B
DIF: Moderate
OBJ: Distinguish between hypotheses and theories.
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Applying
12
14 | Chapter 1
53. New research in Ethiopia in 2001 changed the way we think about human origins by demonstrating
that the earliest hominins lived in woodlands rather than in grasslands, as Darwin had hypothesized.
This rejection of an earlier hypothesis is part of
a. an interdisciplinary approach.
c. an empirical theory.
b. the scientific method.
d. a biocultural approach.
ANS: B
DIF: Moderate
OBJ: Distinguish between hypotheses and theories.
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Understanding
54. Which of the following outlines the steps of the scientific method in their proper order?
a. Identify a problem; state a hypothesis; collect data; test the hypothesis.
b. State a hypothesis; test the hypothesis; collect data; identify a problem.
c. Identify a problem; collect data; state a hypothesis; test the hypothesis.
d. Collect data; state a hypothesis; test the hypothesis; identify a problem.
ANS: A
DIF: Moderate
OBJ: Explain the four steps involved in โdoing scienceโ (i.e., the scientific method).
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Remembering
TRUE/FALSE
1. Biological anthropology deals with all aspects of human biology, both past and present.
ANS: T
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
2. Physical anthropology and biological anthropology are equivalent.
ANS: T
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: Understanding
3. Biological anthropologists study only Africa, where humans evolved.
ANS: F
DIF: Easy
OBJ: Identify several different research areas in biological anthropology.
TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Understanding
4. The environment does not affect humansโ biological makeup.
ANS: F
DIF: Moderate
OBJ: Characterize the importance of the biocultural approach to anthropological inquiry.
TOP: What Is Biological Anthropology? MSC: Remembering
13
What Is Biological Anthropology? | 15
5. A scientific theory is nothing more than a guess.
ANS: F
DIF: Easy
OBJ: Explain the four steps involved in โdoing scienceโ (i.e., the scientific method).
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Remembering
ESSAY
1. Discuss the six key attributes that make humans unique relative to other species.
ANS:
The six distinguishing features of humanity are bipedalism, nonhoning canines, complex material
culture and tool use, hunting, speech, and dependence on domesticated food. Note that the order in
which these attributes appear, and their timing, can be important parts of a complete and correct
answer.
The commitment to walking on two legs is usually considered the most profound physical
difference between humans and other primates. After bipedalism, according to the fossil record, the
large honing canine tooth was lost as a result of the ability to make and use tools for processing food.
Culture, involving learned behavior transmitted from person to person, facilitates survival through
adaptation to varied settings. Material culture is the part of culture that is expressed as objects that
humans use to manipulate our environment.
The archaeological record of past culturesโ material remains goes back to the simple rock tools that
date from 2.5 mya. Humans require some form of technology to regulate temperature, acquire food,
and so on in our varied environments. Some chimpanzees and other primates have simple material
culture and even nonmaterial culture. Humansโ other key attributesโhunting, speech, and dependence
on domesticated foodsโappeared much later in human evolution. Hunting refers to cooperative
hunting, which likely emerged 1 million or more years ago. Speech is very distinctive of humans but
difficult to pinpoint in the fossil record. Domestication of foods is the most recently developed unique
human behavior, usually traced to 10,000 years ago. Increasing dependence on culture for survival
makes us quite distinct among species and necessitates a biocultural approach to both human origins
and human behavior.
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: Analyzing
14
16 | Chapter 1
2. Discuss the differences between a hypothesis, a theory, and a scientific law. Give an example of each.
ANS:
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for an observation that can be tested with further analysis or
an experiment.
Example: Darwinโs idea that bipedalism was linked to humans shifting from the trees to the ground. It
was based on available observations of primate and humans working, and it was testable using
anatomical evidence.
A theory is an evidence-based explanation for some aspect of nature based on a great deal of
well-documented information and is much more complicated and well-tested than a hypothesis. (The
word theory in common language is often used to mean the opposite, referring to ideas that are not
well developed or supported.)
Example: The idea that life has changed over time as part of the process described by Darwin and
other scientists, giving rise to new species, known as a theory of evolution.
Scientific laws are few in number and describe a straightforward and irrefutably true relationship or
phenomenon in nature. Though a theory is complex and based on excellent evidence, it is subject to
revision and refinement over time. A scientific law is simpler and extremely unlikely to ever be
proven entirely wrong.
Example: Gravity is an irrefutable phenomenon and is incredibly unlikely to ever be disproven.
DIF: Difficult
OBJ: Distinguish between hypotheses and theories.
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Analyzing | Applying
3. Provide a short description of the steps of the scientific method.
ANS:
The scientific method includes observations, development of a hypothesis to explain the observations,
experimentation to test the hypothesis, systematic collection of data, and development conclusions
based on evidence. If the data support the hypothesis, more testing is done. If the data refute the
hypothesis, then the hypothesis needs to be changed or replaced.
DIF: Moderate
OBJ: Explain the four steps involved in โdoing scienceโ (i.e., the scientific method).
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Analyzing
4. Provide an imaginary example of the proper use of the scientific method.
ANS:
This answer should include only examples of what can be tested. It should make reference to
empirical data collected by experiment or observation. The studentโs response should include each
step of the scientific method along with a fictional conclusion. There should be a clear reference to the
development and testing of hypotheses. This question may even be used on the first day of class as an
icebreaker of sorts after a thorough lecture on the scientific method.
DIF: Difficult
OBJ: Explain the four steps involved in โdoing scienceโ (i.e., the scientific method).
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Applying
15
What Is Biological Anthropology? | 17
5. Discuss the value of the scientific method in our society.
ANS:
The response should include discussions of pharmaceutical and medical testing or other important
policy-related science (climate change, technology, etc.). The student should show comprehension of
the value of testing and retesting data. For example, do immunization shots administered all at once
increase the childโs likelihood to develop autism? The answer, we know, is that they do not; however,
previous doctored data were used to claim that they do, causing millions of parents all over the world
to reduce inoculations or completely neglect them, thereby increasing the incidence of diseaseโfor
example, the number of whooping cough cases in the United States.
DIF: Difficult
OBJ: Explain the four steps involved in โdoing scienceโ (i.e., the scientific method).
TOP: How We Know What We Know: The Scientific Method MSC: Evaluating
16
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