Chapter 11: Rise of the Genus Homo
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Much of the origin of the genus Homo is connected to fluctuations in climate during the early ______.
a.Eocene
b.Pliocene
c.Pleistocene
d.Oligocene
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.1:Detail the climate and the evolution of Homo in the Pliocene and Pleistocene.
Topic: Climate and the Evolution of Homo in the Pliocene and Pleistocene
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
2. Which of the following is true about the differences between the genera Australopithecus and Homo?
a.Only members of the genus Homo have clearlyused tools.
b.Hominins in the genus Homo have a smaller braincase.
c.Hominins in the genus Homo have more prognathic faces.
d.Australopithecines have smaller canines.
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.2:Discuss the anatomical characteristics used in defining the genus Homo.
Topic: Defining the Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
3. Compared to australopithecines, members of the genus Homo ______.
a.were shorter
b.had more prognathic faces
c.had smaller teeth
d.had fewer molars
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.2:Discuss the anatomical characteristics used in defining the genus Homo.
Topic: Defining the Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
4. Taxonomic debates about the members of the genus Homo arise from ______.
a.the paucity of fossils
b.differences in mutation rates among species
c.the subjectivity of this branch of science
d.the lack of genetic studies
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.2:Discuss the anatomical characteristics used in defining the genus Homo.
Topic: Defining the Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
5. Anatomical changes associated with the genus Homo are likely adaptations to increased food processing via ______.
a.trade
b.tool use
c.kin selection
d.warfare
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.2:Discuss the anatomical characteristics used in defining the genus Homo.
Topic: Defining the Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
6. The KNM-ER 1813 fossil ______.
a.has a larger brain than KNM-ER 1470
b.is considered a specimen of Homo habilis
c.is likely to be the remains of a late Australopithecus
d.is considered a specimen of Homo rudolfensis
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.3:Discuss the arguments surrounding earliest genus Homo, including those for recognizing one species of early Homo versus those for recognizing two.
Topic: Earliest Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
7. Researchers Bernard Wood and Marc Collard consider early members of the genus Homo to be ______.
a.small-brained examples of Homo erectus
b.characterized by a larger cranial capacity than some members of Homo sapiens
c.from at least three different species
d.large-brained australopithecines
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.3:Discuss the arguments surrounding earliest genus Homo, including those for recognizing one species of early Homo versus those for recognizing two.
Topic: Earliest Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
8. The earliest stone tools occur in the record starting approximately ______million years ago.
a.0.5
b.1.5
c.2
d.2.5
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.3:Discuss the arguments surrounding earliest genus Homo, including those for recognizing one species of early Homo versus those for recognizing two.
Topic: Earliest Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
9. Early Homo sites in Africa include Hadar, Omo, and ______.
a.Java
b.Uraha
c.Peking
d.Swartkrans
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.3:Discuss the arguments surrounding earliest genus Homo, including those for recognizing one species of early Homo versus those for recognizing two.
Topic: Earliest Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
10. Compared to Australopithecus, some key features of early Homo skulls show morphological changes. These features include a rounded cranial vault, small supraorbital torus, and ______.
a.long canines
b.a prognathic face
c.a parabolic dental arcade
d.pronounced sagittal crest
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.3:Discuss the arguments surrounding earliest genus Homo, including those for recognizing one species of early Homo versus those for recognizing two.
Topic: Earliest Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
11. The crania of KNM-ER 1813 and KNM-ER ______are different enough to be two distinct species.
a.720
b.1121
c.1470
d.1700
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.3:Discuss the arguments surrounding earliest genus Homo, including those for recognizing one species of early Homo versus those for recognizing two.
Topic: Earliest Genus Homo
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
12. The Oldowan tool industry involved removing ______from ______.
a.cores; flakes
b.flakes; hammerstones
c.flakes; cores
d.flakes; bones
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.4:Understand and explain the relationship between early tool use, hunting, and scavenging, including how Oldowan stone tools are made and used.
Topic: Early Tool Use, Hunting, and Scavenging
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
13. For what purpose were Oldowan tools most likely used?
a.harvesting crops
b.processing gathered vegetable matter
c.butchery
d.painting
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.4:Understand and explain the relationship between early tool use, hunting, and scavenging, including how Oldowan stone tools are made and used.
Topic: Early Tool Use, Hunting, and Scavenging
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
14. At some archaeological sites, there is evidence that early hominins obtained raw material to make stone tools. These sites are referred to as ______.
a.scavenging sites
b.quarrying sites
c.home-base sites
d.gathering sites
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.4:Understand and explain the relationship between early tool use, hunting, and scavenging, including how Oldowan stone tools are made and used.
Topic: Early Tool Use, Hunting, and Scavenging
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
15. Early hominin meat-eaters might have obtained their meat by ______.
a.hunting
b.aggressive scavenging
c.passive scavenging
d.a mixture of hunting and scavenging techniques
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.4:Understand and explain the relationship between early tool use, hunting, and scavenging, including how Oldowan stone tools are made and used.
Topic: Early Tool Use, Hunting, and Scavenging
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
16. Robert Blumenschine and Curtis Marean’s study of scavengers indicates that early members of the genus Homo ______.
a.probably hunted because scavenging affords so few calories
b.could easily have survived as scavengers
c.probably relied solely on gathered vegetable matter
d.relied heavily on cultivated grains
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.4:Understand and explain the relationship between early tool use, hunting, and scavenging, including how Oldowan stone tools are made and used.
Topic: Early Tool Use, Hunting, and Scavenging
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
17. The Oldowan tool tradition includes ______.
a.spear points
b.hammerstones
c.arrows
d.the atlatl
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.4:Understand and explain the relationship between early tool use, hunting, and scavenging, including how Oldowan stone tools are made and used.
Topic: Early Tool Use, Hunting, and Scavenging
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
18. Oldowan tools are struck from a core and used primarily for cutting ______.
a.stone
b.hides
c.wood
d.bone
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.4:Understand and explain the relationship between early tool use, hunting, and scavenging, including how Oldowan stone tools are made and used.
Topic: Early Tool Use, Hunting, and Scavenging
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
19. Which was the first hominin to leave Africa?
a.Homo habilis
b.Homo rudolfensis
c.Australopithecus robustus
d.Homo erectus
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
20. Homo erectus appeared in Africa approximately ______years ago.
a.18,000
b.180,000
c.1.8-1.9 million
d.8 million
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
21. Some paleoanthropologists refer to the earliest Homo erectus as ______.
a.H.ergaster
b.H.rudolfensis
c.H. neanderthalensis
d.H. paranthropus
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
22. Which of the following is a characteristic of Homo erectus compared to earlier species of hominins?
a.a shorter stature
b.a smaller cranial capacity
c.bipedality
d.reduced prognathism
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
23. Homo erectus skulls ______.
a.have thick bones
b.are wider than they are long
c.have a high forehead
d.are smaller than those of Homo habilis
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
24. The Homo erectus browridge, or ______, is quite prominent.
a.angular torus
b.sagittal keel
c.metopic keel
d.supraorbital torus
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
25. What was the range of Homo erectus’ brain size?
a.700-900 cc
b.700-1,200 cc
c.900-1,200 cc
d.1,000-1,500 cc
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
26. Where can the sagittal keel be found?
a.above the eye orbits
b.along the middle of the frontal bone
c.on the nuchal line
d.along the midline separating the parietal bones
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
27. Homo erectus skulls feature a ______jaw.
a.chinless
b.square
c.protruding
d.large-chinned
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
28. Homo erectus dental anatomy includes ______.
a.a gracile jaw
b.platymeric molars
c.shovel-shaped incisors
d.roots that are less complex than those of modern humans
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
29. What does the “Nariokotome boy” fossil indicate about Homo erectus?
a.It could grow as tall as modern humans.
b.It had short lower limbs.
c.It was thin-boned.
d.It was very ill.
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
30. A bone is considered platymeric if it is ______.
a.extremely rounded
b.flattened from side to side
c.rounded only at the tips
d.flattened from front to back
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
31. A bone that is flattened from side to side is referred to as ______.
a.shovel-shaped
b.platymeric
c.encephalitic
d.platycnemic
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
32. Compared to Homo ergaster, H. erectus ______.
a.had thicker cranial bones
b.had more gracile features
c.had a more pronounced browridge
d.had a larger brain
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
33. Homo ergaster is found in ______, whereas Homo erectus is associated with ______.
a.Africa; Asia
b.Asia; Europe
c.America; Africa
d.Indonesia; The Republic of Georgia
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
34. The earliest fossil evidence of Homo erectus comes from ______.
a.Indonesia
b.Asia
c.Western Europe
d.Africa
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.6:Discuss the distribution and characteristics of Homo erectus around the World.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
35. Fossil finds at Koobi Fora include ______.
a.the famous Australopithecus afarensis named Lucy
b.fragmentary hominin remains older than 5 million years
c.the “Nariokotome Boy”
d.some of the oldest Homo erectus remains
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
36. The skeletal remains of the Nariokotome boy are ______.
a.represented by the post-cranial bones only
b.nearly complete
c.only represented by the skull
d.grossly incomplete
Correct Answer: b
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
37. The oldest African Homo erectus fossils were found at ______.
a.Koobi Fora
b.West Turkana
c.the Bouri Formation
d.Olduvai Gorge
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
38. The largest brained Homo erectus from Africa is OH 9 from ______.
a.Olduvai Gorge
b.Koobi Fora
c.Swartkrans
d.Java
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.5:Explain who Homo erectus was, including the anatomical differences between H. erectus and H. habilis.
Topic: Who Was Homo erectus?
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
39. The earliest hominin site outside of Africa is in ______.
a.the Republic of Georgia
b.Indonesia
c.Saudi Arabia
d.Israel
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.6:Discuss the distribution and characteristics of Homo erectus around the World.
Topic: Homo erectus around the World
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
40. The earliest hominins out of Africa date to approximately ______years ago.
a.17,000
b.700,000
c.1.7 million
d.7 million
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.6:Discuss the distribution and characteristics of Homo erectus around the World.
Topic: Homo erectus around the World
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
41. Which of the following is true of the Dmanisi finds?
a.They are similar to Homo ergaster.
b.They are large compared to other Homo erectus fossils.
c.They are more similar to Asian forms of Homo erectus than to African forms of H. erectus.
d.They are older than the African forms of Homo erectus.
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.6:Discuss the distribution and characteristics of Homo erectus around the World.
Topic: Homo erectus around the World
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
42. The Dmanisi fossils show that ______.
a.Homo erectus moved out of Africa early in its existence.
b.Homo erectus took an aquatic route out of Africa.
c.Homo ergaster is the same as Homo erectus.
d.Homo erectus and Homo habilis should not be members of the same species.
Correct Answer: a
Learning Objective: LO 11.6:Discuss the distribution and characteristics of Homo erectus around the World.
Topic: Homo erectus around the World
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
43. So far, the earliest evidence of hominins in Southeast Asia dates to ______.
a.less than a million years ago
b.1 million years ago
c.1.3 million years ago
d.approximately 1.8 million years ago
Correct Answer: d
Learning Objective: LO 11.6:Discuss the distribution and characteristics of Homo erectus around the World.
Topic: Homo erectus around the World
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
44. Where did Eugene Dubois make his famous discovery of a Homo erectus calotte?
a.South Africa
b.Spain
c.Java
d.the Republic of Georgia
Correct Answer: c
Learning Objective: LO 11.6:Discuss the distribution and characteristics of Homo erectus around the World.