Q&A Hero

Q: It is easier for archaeologists to reconstruct past climates than past weather.

Q: Geomorphology is the study of how land forms change through time.

Q: As people become more numerous, and as technology becomes more complex, we have learned to decrease the scale of our impact on the environment.

Q: Before becoming farmers, homo sapiens rarely incorporated plants into their diet.

Q: The people at Catalhoyuk were sedentary and had food surpluses.

Q: Stable isotope analysis can be used to analyze __________. A) prehistoric migration patterns B) the frequency of disease among prehistoric people C) the age of an individual at death D) the diet of prehistoric people E) genetic relationships between prehistoric populations

Q: Which of the following indicators is the least likely to give you information about a person's age at death? A) dental eruption B) skull sutures C) epiphyseal union D) morphology of the pelvic bones E) degree of cartilage conversion to bone

Q: A bioarchaeologist observing traits in the human skeleton to determine sex would not be concerned with what feature? A) shape of the forehead B) morphology of the pelvic bones C) general robusticity of the skeleton D) epiphyseal union E) the sacrum

Q: Skeletal sex is most accurately determined by __________. A) assessing the morphology of the pelvic bones B) evaluating the attributes of the skull C) measuring the length of the long bones D) the overall size of the skeleton E) areas of muscle attachment

Q: Cannibalism can be most convincingly seen in the archaeological record__________.A) when the marks on human bones match those on butchered food animal remainsB) when human bones are brokenC) when skull injuries are evidentD) when graves are left unmarkedE) when human bones show cut marks

Q: Inhumations which contain human remains that have been previously buried in a different location are called __________. A) secondary burials B) cremains C) plague pits D) mass graves E) reburials

Q: The study of bones is called __________. A) bioarchaeology B) osteology C) archaeology D) biopathology E) zooarchaeology

Q: Wear patterns on Neanderthal teeth reveal that they used their teeth to __________. A) pull carts B) soften hides C) make stone tools D) twist rope E) kill prey

Q: The human skeleton __________. A) can provide as much information as an entire body B) is comprised of 220 bones and 28 teeth C) can be divided into the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton D) is unlikely to reveal the sex of the owner E) provides little information about the owner's activity during life

Q: Which of the following body parts fare included in the axial skeleton? A) the ribs B) the arm C) the skull D) the hand E) the leg

Q: Which of the following technologies is used to facilitate the non-invasive analysis of mummified remains? A) stable isotope analysis B) trace element analysis C) MRI D) archaeometry E) DNA analysis

Q: ʺBog bodiesʺ are most commonly found in __________. A) northwestern Europe B) western China C) the southeastern United States D) the Italian Alps E) the northeastern United States

Q: In which of the following places was purposeful mummification not part of the mortuary practices of ancient peoples? A) Peru B) the Philippines C) Melanesia D) Egypt E) American Southwest

Q: The first step in preparing an Egyptian mummy was __________. A) removal of hair B) chemical drying C) organ removal D) wrapping E) treatment with various antimicrobial preparations

Q: Canopic jars contained __________. A) food for the deceased in the afterworld B) money for the deceased in the afterworld C) the vital organs of the deceased D) olive oil E) wine

Q: Bog bodies are preserved by naturally occurring __________. A) acids B) tannins C) bacteria and fungi D) oxides E) resins

Q: Which of the following would be of the least interest someone studying paleodemography? A) the age of prehistoric peoples B) the stature of prehistoric peoples C) the technology of prehistoric peoples D) diseases of prehistoric peoples E) the DNA of prehistoric peoples

Q: Frozen human bodies _____. A) are surprising common archaeological finds B) comprise the primary source of archaeologistsʹ knowledge about past people's health C) are spectacular and rare archaeological finds D) are found only in the highlands of Peru E) are found only in Europe

Q: The presence of gold fillings in the teeth of the Civil War skeleton from Idaho indicate __________. A) the individual was old B) the individual was wealthy C) the individual was a teenager D) the individual was a Union soldier E) the individual ate poorly

Q: Which of the following would a bioarchaeologist be the least concerned with studying? A) the study of grave goods B) the study of mummified human remains C) osteological analysis D) DNA analysis E) analysis of teeth

Q: Yoheʹs analysis of the Civil War skeleton from Idaho contributed to our knowledge of __________. A) human cannibalism B) human diseases, diet and social class C) natural mummification D)ratios of strontium in bone and tooth enamel. E) coffin construction in the nineteenth century

Q: Osteologists are specialists concerned with the analysis of human soft tissue remains.

Q: CAT scans can reveal the presence of abnormal pathologies on the internal organs of mummies.

Q: Analysis of ancient DNA has refuted the assertion that brother-sister marriage occurred among the ancient Egyptian royal families.

Q: Postmortem changes to bone can inform archaeologists about disease in past populations.

Q: Diseases can leave evidence in bone as well as in human soft tissue.

Q: Extrapolating races into the past is unproblematic and easily done by measuring specific skeletal traits.

Q: Even with well-preserved skeletons, one rarely can determine successfully the exact age of a person at death.

Q: The rate of epiphyseal union is the same in every bone, and so cannot be used to age skeletons.

Q: Measuring the robusticity of a skeleton is enough to definitively determine its sex.

Q: Modern technology has made it possible to analyze mummified remains without removing the wrappings.

Q: Natural mummies provide less information about ancient people's anatomy because they were not made on purpose.

Q: The use of mass spectrometry technology helped Yohe to prove conclusively that the Civil War skeleton was that of an officer.

Q: Egyptian mummification was reserved for only the wealthiest people.

Q: The study of Egyptian mummies can give archaeologists information on all levels of ancient Egyptian society.

Q: All mummies were purposefully created by human beings.

Q: Palaeodemography is the study of the composition of ancient populations.

Q: tzi the Iceman was originally thought to be the body of a recently deceased hiker or skier.

Q: Archaeologists can get the most information from preserved human soft tissues, but the majority of what we know about past human populations comes from studies of human skeletal remains.

Q: Obsidian hydration dating is based on the fact that __________. A) obsidian absorbs water from the surrounding environment over time. B) obsidian loses water over time. C) obsidian absorbs nitrogen over time. D) obsidian changes color over time.

Q: Archaeomagnetism dates objects and events __________. A) by measuring their magnetism. B) by measuring their resistivity. C) by measuring their levels of radioactivity. D) by linking them to known-age shifts in Earth's magnetic poles.

Q: dating is based on measurements produced when archaeological materials are subjected to microwaves. A) Radiocarbon B) Thermoluminescence C) Electron spin resonance D) Potassium-argon E) Fission-track

Q: Obsidian hydration analysis provides estimates of __________. A) when the obsidian was formed. B) when tools made of the glassy stone were made. C) when a volcano erupted. D) where the obsidian was formed. E) all of the above.

Q: The most useful method of absolute dating for burnt clay house floors would be __________. A) potassium-argon. B) uranium series. C) radiocarbon dating. D) archaeomagnetism. E) obsidian hydration.

Q: Which of the following would be dated best with thermoluminescence? A) bone. B) shell. C) wood. D) pottery. E) charcoal.

Q: Fission-track dating can be applied to __________. A) volcanic rock. B) ancientnatural glass glass. C) crystalline minerals found in ceramic artifacts. D) sedimentary rock

Q: __________ is best dated using the potassium -argon method. A) Volcanic rock B) Fired clay C) Bone D) Shell E) Metal

Q: Radiocarbon dating which involves atom counting __________. A) is called accelerator mass spectrometry dating. B) requires a larger sample than gas decay counting. C) involves a direct count of N14 atoms. D) can be used in every situation

Q: Liquid scintillation decay counting is a form of __________. A) seriation. B) radiocarbon dating. C) FUN analysis. D) thermoluminescence. E) obsidian hydration.

Q: Radiocarbon dating is accurate for dates ranging __________. A) from 100 to 100,000 years ago B) from 50,000 to 1.5 million years ago. C) from 300 to 50,000 years ago. D) from 50 to 3,000 years ago. E) none of the above

Q: The half-life of radiocarbon is known to be approximately __________. A) 57,000 years. B) 5,700 years. C) 7,000 years. D) 57 years. E) 5,000 years.

Q: The most commonly used and most important method of radiometric dating in archaeology is __________. A) radiocarbon dating. B) potassium-argon. C) uranium series. D) electron-spin resonance. E) fission track.

Q: Radiocarbon data was originally referred to as __________. A) the Libby Curve of Knowns. B) the Lyell Chart of Ages. C) the Libby Graph of Dates. D) Taylor's Carbon Dates. E) Taylor's Radioactive Chart

Q: Preparation of radiocarbon samples for analysis involves __________. A) adding contaminants. B) boiling the sample in a weak basic solution. C) boiling the sample in a weak acid solution. D) removing contaminants

Q: Dendrochronology __________. A) is less accurate than radiocarbon dating. B) can be used on any site. C) can only be used in very cold climates. D) requires a comparative collection. E) is only possible with petrified wood.

Q: The use of certain projectile point types or decorated pottery shards to date surface sites is an example of __________. A) functional types. B) seriation. C) temporal types. D) index fossils. E) FUN dating.

Q: FUN dating is based on the fact that the longer bone is buried in the ground, __________. A) the more fun it has. B) the more nitrogen it loses. C) the more nitrogen it absorbs. D) the less mass it has. E) the more it decays.

Q: The example of Greek coins in the text illustrates the utility of __________. A) seriation. B) stratigraphy. C) maritime archaeology. D) index fossils. E) radiocarbon dating

Q: Using evolutionary changes in well-known groups of animals as a dating tool is known as __________. A) faunal correlation. B) FUN dating C) cross referencing D) seriation E) dendrochronology

Q: Which of the following is a relative dating method? A) cross-dating. B) dendrochronology. C) index fossils. D) radiocarbon dating. E) obsidian hydration.

Q: Australopithecus fossils were relatively dated through the use of __________.A) antelope fossils.B) dinosaur fossils.C) pig fossils.D) sloth fossils.E) monkey fossils.

Q: Which of the following is an example of a relative dating technique? A) seriation B) radiocarbon C) obsidian hydration D) potassium argon. E) dendrochronology

Q: Electronic spin resonance is both more common and more accurate than thermoluminescence.

Q: Thermoluminescence is a radiometric technique commonly used to date pottery, burned clay features, and cave formations ranging from 50 to 50,000 years in age.

Q: Isotopic uranium can be used to determine when cave limestone was deposited.

Q: At Olduvai Gorge, potassium-argon dating was used to date the eruption of the Olduvai volcano.

Q: The most common technique for assessing radiocarbon age is known as decay counting.

Q: Before processing, radiocarbon samples are converted into carbon dioxide gas.

Q: Willard Libby formulated the Law of Superposition.

Q: When an organism dies, it ceases to take in additional radiocarbon.

Q: The most commonly used and most important method of radiometric dating in archaeology is radiocarbon dating

Q: The concentration of C-14 on earth has remained the same over time.

Q: As an archaeological dating technique, dendrochronology was first used on ancient wood beams in Europe.

Q: Dendrochronology can be used at any site.

Q: Since the advent of radiocarbon dating, FUN analysis has been used more frequently.