Q&A Hero

Q: The first true primates (euprimates) appear in the fossil record about ________ .a. 56 mya b. 65 mya c. 4 myad. 100 mya

Q: Based on the fossil record, scientists agree that which of the following is true? a. Primates were much less geographically widespread in the past than they are today. b. Primates first evolved on the ground. c. Primates' most special feature is their adaptive versatility. d. Primates are most similar to tree dwelling rodents.

Q: Which of the following was the first primate fossil ever recorded?a. Australopithecus afarensis b. Plesiadapis c. Notharctusd. Adapis parisiensis

Q: Why is it critical that paleontologists reconstruct past environments to provide a complete picture of a particular lineage's evolution? Name one way in which paleontologists reconstruct paleoenvironments.

Q: How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists in testing theories about the timing of significant evolutionary events?

Q: Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques, giving one example of each.

Q: How might living organisms' evolution have been affected by the movement of landmasses over time (plate tectonics)?

Q: Why is the fossil record important to the study of evolution? What are the limitations of the fossil record?

Q: At a site in the American Southwest, you find only a single ceramic pot in association with an individual within a burial. You can use the pot to date the burial based on a. biostratigraphic dating, because there may be animal remains inside the pot. b. cultural dating, since the pot must be specific to a known culture and time period. c. radiopotassium dating of the material used to make the pot. d. fission track dating of the pot itself.

Q: Phylogeny is important to the study of human evolution because a. in order to understand modern human anatomy and behavior, we must understand our evolutionary relationships to other extinct and living organisms. b. in order to account for changes in our species over time, we need to know what processes drove natural selection. c. it allows us to study our closest living relative in order to better understand how natural selection acted in previous environments. d. all of the above.

Q: In an excavation you find the remains of two human skeletons along with the antler of an antelope. How can you attempt to date these skeletons? a. You can take soil samples and analyze the microscopic organisms present to determine a time period. b. You can assume the humans ate the antelope and find out when humans in this area began to eat meat. c. Since they are all found in a single layer you can use stratigraphy. d. You can research the antler bone to find out which species it belongs to and then use faunal dating.

Q: While on a paleontological dig in the United Kingdom, you come across a completely preserved (including skin) extinct species of mammal within a bog. You note that for a mammal it is relatively hairless. In order to determine the adaptive significance of hairlessness, you must a. find an expert on mammals of this region and turn the find over to that person. b. collect data that will help you to reconstruct the environment of that time. c. determine the closest extant relative of this species and study it for better understanding of the extinct species. d. none of the above.

Q: The dating technique in which proteins are examined under high magnification using polarized light isa. luminescence dating. b. electron spin resonance dating. c. fission track dating.d. amino acid dating.

Q: The absolute dating technique that emerged as a result of research into constructing the atomic bomb during World War II isa. fission track dating. b. 14C dating. c. 40K/40Ar dating.d. thermoluminescence dating.

Q: Electron spin resonance dating would be most useful in attempting to date which object?a. a fossilized tooth b. an ancient stone artifact c. an old lava flowd. a limestone cave deposit

Q: The time it takes for 50% of an unstable isotope to decay to a stable form is called thea. semichron. b. middlemorph. c. demi-dose.d. half-life.

Q: Which of the following is not one of the main methods for reconstructing ancient environments?a. stable carbon isotope analysis of fossils and of soilsb. 40K/40Ar analysis of lava flows and of ash layersc. oxygen isotope analysis of marine microorganismsd. faunal analysis of habitat-specific species

Q: The significant drying up of the Mediterranean Basin at the end of the Oligocene epoch was probably due toa. an intense period of global warming.b. the African Plate rotating away from the Eurasian Plate.c. the appearance of huge ice sheets in Antarctica.d. the formation of the Alps.

Q: Recent paleoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that the earliest members of the hominid lineage evolved ina. dense tropical forests. b. wide-open savanna grasslands. c. glacial tundra environments.d. woodlands along both rivers and lakes.

Q: The ratio of C3 to C4 plants in a paleoenvironment can be estimated using the ratio of two stable isotopes of which element derived from fossils or ancient soils?a. oxygen b. nitrogen c. carbond. strontium

Q: Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that a. temperatures have steadily increased over time. b. temperatures have steadily decreased over time. c. temperatures have fluctuated, sometimes greatly, over time. d. temperatures have stayed basically the same over time.

Q: Ocean-dwelling microorganisms called foraminifera are important in evolutionary studies mainly because a. the chemical composition of their shells records past temperatures. b. they can be dated using uranium series methods. c. primates use them as a key food source. d. they are strong indicators of past changes in the earth's magnetic polarity.

Q: The chart that shows the different time periods in Earth's history and also indicates significant evolutionary events is called thea. temporal display. b. geologic time scale. c. paleochart.d. virtual time machine.

Q: Which of the following is false regarding absolute dating techniques? a. They give geologic age in the form of a number some error. b. They often rely on the decay of radioactive isotopes. c. Each can work with any type of material. d. 14C and 40K/40Ar are two main methods.

Q: Which of the following has the greatest likelihood of becoming fossilized?a. muscle tissue b. teeth c. skind. vertebrae

Q: The first logical step in a sequence of events that leads to the discovery and analysis of primate fossils is thea. naming of the fossils. b. recovery of the fossils. c. comparison with other fossils.d. selection and surveying of potential sites.

Q: A diagram (family tree) that proposes hypothetical ancestor-descendant relationships between species is aa. chronology. b. phylogeny. c. dendrogram.d. lexigram.

Q: Which geological time period is referred to by geologists as the oldest portion of Earth's history, accounting for roughly 87% of that history?a. Triassic period b. Pleistocene epoch c. Paleozoic erad. Precambrian eon

Q: Based on the molecular clock, it is estimated that the hominid lineage diverged from that of the chimpanzee abouta. 1"2 mya. b. 3"4 mya. c. 6"8 mya.d. 10"12 mya.

Q: Paleomagnetic dating relies ona. dating unstable iron isotopes.b. the periodic reversal of the earth's magnetic poles.c. chemical reactions between iron-bearing rocks and acidic groundwater.d. the use of hand magnets to draw sediments out of the ground.

Q: Which dating method would be most appropriate for establishing the age of a volcanic ash layer from an early hominid site in eastern Africa?a. 14C dating b. amino acid dating c. 40K/40Ar datingd. electron spin resonance dating

Q: With a half-life of 5,730 years, 14C dating is useful for dating carbon-bearing objects as far back asa. 50,000 years ago. b. 500,000 years ago. c. 5 mya.d. 50 mya.

Q: Variants of elements that differ based on the number of neutrons in the atom's nucleus are calleda. isotopes. b. sports. c. alleles.d. races.

Q: The absolute dating method that involves counting the annual rings visible in the cross-section of a tree is calleda. fission track dating. b. arborchronology. c. luminescence dating.d. dendrochronology.

Q: Which of the following cultural artifacts would provide the most narrowly defined date for the sediments from which it was recovered?a. an early Stone Age chopping tool b. a Neolithic ceramic pot c. a middle Stone Age pointd. a late Stone Age cave painting

Q: Biostratigraphic dating relies on a. the first and last appearances of species in the fossil record. b. magnetic shifts in the earth's interior. c. radioactive decay of carbon to nitrogen. d. the concentration of fluorine in the soil and in groundwater.

Q: Prior to the invention of absolute dating techniques, one of the chemical dating methods useful for establishing the relative age of fossils from a single site wasa. fission track dating. b. thermoluminescence dating. c. electron spinresonance dating.d. fluorine dating.

Q: The Danish physician who developed the geologic principle of superposition, according to which rocks (and fossils) higher in a sequence are younger than those buried farther down, wasa. Charles Lyell. b. Niels Stensen (aka Nicolaus Steno). c. William Smith.d. James Hutton.

Q: Which of the following is not one of the eras within the Phanerozoic eon?a. Mesozoic b. Cenozoic c. Protozoicd. Paleozoic

Q: One of the only fossil sites in the world that preserves a great deal of evidence for anthropoid evolution during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs isa. Cambria, England. b. Zhoukoudian, China. c. Fayum, Egypt.d. Solnhofen, Germany.

Q: If fossil species A is consistently recovered from geological deposits beneath layers containing fossil species B, then A is considered older than B. This relative dating technique is based on the principle ofa. superposition. b. paleomagnetism. c. fluorine analysis.d. geolayering.

Q: As recently as a few hundred years ago, most Westerners thought the earth was about how many years old?a. 60 million b. 6 million c. 60,000d. 6,000

Q: The "supercontinent" that existed about 200 mya, from which the modern continents ultimately emerged, is calleda. Eurasia. b. Afronesia. c. Australasia.d. Pangaea.

Q: ________ is the process of matching strata from several sites using chemical, physical, and other properties.a. Phyletic gradualism b. Stratigraphic correlation c. Steno's law of superimpositiond. Convergent evolution

Q: The study of what happens to an organism's remains after death is calleda. archaeology. b. cryptozoology. c. biology.d. taphonomy.

Q: The English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions wasa. William Smith. b. Charles Lyell. c. Alfred Wallace.d. Richard Owen.

Q: Which U.S. president reported the discovery of a fossilized ground sloth in Virginia to the American Philosophical Society?a. George Washington b. James Madison c. Thomas Jeffersond. John Adams

Q: The chemical signature of volcanic ash layers can be used toa. date ancient fishes. b. correlate sites across vast regions. c. date foraminifera.d. date ancient trees.

Q: Which type of plants is associated with open grasslands typical of tropical savannas?a. C3 plants b. 18O plants c. C4 plantsd. none of the above

Q: High levels of 18O in now-fossilized foraminifera shells indicatea. an increase in temperature. b. a decrease in temperature. c. an increase in oxygen.d. a decrease in oxygen.

Q: Which of the following is not an absolute dating method?a. fission track dating b. radiocarbon dating c. dendrochronologyd. stratigraphy

Q: Historically speaking, which came first in the science of giving ages to the fossil record?a. numerical ages b. relative ages c. radiocarbon datingd. none of the above

Q: In terms of geologic time, when did human beings appear on Earth?a. very recently b. a long time ago c. at the same time as dinosaursd. at the same time as sharks

Q: Fossils are typically recovered within ________ exposures.a. limestone rock b. volcanic rock c. igneous rockd. sedimentary rock

Q: Which of the following is true about the process of fossilization? a. Rapid burial impedes fossilization. b. Remains must be covered in water to fossilize. c. Remains must be surrounded by an oxygen-free environment for fossilization to occur. d. Remains must be free of traumatic injury in order to fossilize.

Q: The earth is about ________ old.a. 2.5 million years b. 4.6 billion years c. 1 million yearsd. 50 billion years

Q: Describe some examples of learned behavior and cultural traditions among primates.

Q: What have scientists learned about the function of primate vocalizations and how they relate to the evolution of human language?

Q: Why are primates social?

Q: Describe the range of primate residence patterns. Relate social grouping to food and reproduction.

Q: Compare and contrast male and female primates in terms of reproductive strategies and competition.

Q: Certain primate vocalizations have been found to possess structural elements similar to those observed in human language a. through the discovery of the potential use of affixation by species of arboreal monkeys. b. through the discovery that nonhuman primates continue to produce new sounds throughout the course of life. c. through the discovery that all primate vocalizations are referential. d. none of the above.

Q: The loud calls of various primate species such as howler monkeys and baboons a. are often heard during intergroup encounters or other types of competition among individuals. b. indicate the physical condition of the caller. c. convey group size to opposing groups. d. all of the above.

Q: Primate vocalizations a. can serve as subtle social cues to mediate group and individual behavior. b. are innate utterances produced in response to external stimuli. c. cannot be "translated" or found to produce meaning to individuals within the group. d. are only understood by the offspring of the individual producing the vocalization.

Q: In studies of primate cognition and tool use, researchers have taught chimpanzees to crack open nuts with stones. Later in life, these chimpanzees have taught other young chimpanzees and offspring the same skill. This could be considered a. social transmission of learned behavior. b. a type of "culture" that is learned and passed between individuals. c. evidence of the cognitive capabilities of primates. d. all of the above.

Q: The use of different natural objects to obtain food, similar to that observed in chimpanzees, has been observed ina. gibbons. b. capuchin monkeys. c. orangutans.d. both b and c.

Q: Chimpanzee tool use challenges the assumption a. that humans are fundamentally different from chimpanzees. b. that chimpanzees are capable of any type of behavior. c. that chimpanzees are not likely to use tools. d. that material culture is unique to humans.

Q: Chimpanzees taught by humans to make simple stone tools a. were unable to teach other chimpanzees to do so. b. passed this new behavior to relatives. c. were never able to learn to use a sharp edge to cut. d. none of the above.

Q: Which of the following are key factors contributing to a female primate's success at feeding?a. food quality b. food distribution c. food availabilityd. all of the above

Q: Research on primate vocalizations shows that a. primates must learn to use and respond to vocalizations appropriately. b. primate vocalizations are modified to reflect context. c. primate vocalizations are fixed and innate. d. a and b only.

Q: Orangutans are an example of which residence pattern?a. monogamous b. polygynous c. polyandrousd. solitary

Q: Kin selection refers to a. avoidance of selecting kin (related individuals) as mates. b. only food-sharing among related individuals. c. behaviors that increase inclusive fitness of the donor. d. the selection of nonrelated individuals as mates.

Q: Food quality is important for feeding success because a. high-quality food provides energy and protein that are readily digestible. b. high-quality food is high in nondigestible cellulose such as that found in mature leaves. c. not all primates have anatomical adaptations to adjust for differences in food quality. d. both a and c.

Q: Which of the following factors impacts the feeding success of female primates? a. the cooperation of other females in the group in foraging activities b. the distribution or location of food sources across the landscape c. the cooperation of males in the foraging activities d. more defined seasonality, increasing food availability and foraging success

Q: Sociality among primates is likely the result of which of the following selective pressures?a. predation b. niche competition c. adaptive radiationd. habitat

Q: Although altruistic behavior benefits others while being a disadvantage to the altruistic individual, it likely exists in primate societies because a. altruistic behaviors are not directed randomly but toward related individuals. b. altruistic behaviors are an example of kin selection. c. altruistic behaviors are likely to be observed in groups where there is high genetic relatedness among individuals. d. all of the above.

Q: Male primates compete through many behaviors for access to mates and to maintain social groupings. These behaviors includea. infanticide. b. vocalizing through territorial loud calls. c. forming alliances.d. all of the above.

Q: Grooming, an affiliative or cooperative behavior, serves all of the following functions except a. removing insects or other foreign objects. b. helping to cement social bonds between the individuals who are grooming. c. preventing diseases from spreading within a social group. d. maintaining the dominance hierarchies present within groups.

Q: The higher the rank of a female primate, the a. lower her access to resources and the lower the survival rate of her offspring. b. lower her access to resources and the greater the survival rate of her offspring. c. greater her access to resources, which results in lower birth rates. d. greater her access to resources, which results in higher birth rates.

Q: Researchers have shown that male primates most often compete for mates while female primates compete for other resources. This illustrates a. that reproduction places different demands on males and females in terms of energy expenditures, resulting in varying reproductive strategies. b. that reproduction has similar energetic demands for both sexes, so males and females respond accordingly. c. that primates do not vary in their ability to respond to differing energetic requirements. d. none of the above.