Q&A Hero

Q: The long-term process that results in the loss of fitness for a species to survive without the assistance of humans is called A. sedentism. B. domestication. C. mutation. D. adaptation.

Q: Two key Neolithic sites in China are A. Khok Phanom Di and Non Nok Tha. B. Guil Naquitz and Jarmo. C. Ban-po-ts'un and Ho-mu-tu. D. Shang and Zhou.

Q: Jericho is A. a site in the Levant that fits the Oasis Theory. B. the focus of Robert Braidwood's research on the origins of pottery production. C. a site with evidence for early rice and millet domestication. D. no longer occupied.

Q: "Tells" are A. fossilized Neolithic wheat fields. B. high mounds that accumulate from thousands of years of human garbage and debris, often found in Southwest Asia. C. beehive-shaped Natufian huts found in the Levant. D. communal stone tombs found in Europe dating to the fifth millennium B.C.

Q: One of the advantages of plant and animal domestication is A. an increase in leisure time. B. variety in the diet. C. an increase in the amount of food produced per unit area. D. increased chances for social contact with neighboring groups. E. decreased incidence of diarrhea.

Q: Which of the following plants is NOT part of the basic triad of Mesoamerican plant food staples? A. chili pepper B. squash C. beans D. maize

Q: The site of Ain Mallaha' in the Levant A. provides the best evidence we have yet for Neanderthal ritual. B. is the earliest example of a shell midden anywhere in the world. C. was a Neolithic town. D. was a permanent settlement directly preceding the earliest farming period. E. has been shown to be nothing more than a carnivore kill.

Q: Rice has NOT been found at which of the following sites in Southeast Asia? A. Spirit Cave B. Khok Phanom Di C. Ban Chiang D. Non Nok Tha

Q: The earliest cultivation of rice in Asia appears to have occurred in A. North China. B. South China. C. Thailand. D. Cambodia.

Q: Teosinte is thought to be the most likely candidate for which of the following domesticates? A. wheat B. corn C. sunflower D. chili pepper E. barley

Q: Richard S. MacNeish led an interdisciplinary team to investigate the origins of agriculture of Mesoamerica in A. the Tehuacn Valley. B. the Vir Valley. C. the Teotihuacn Valley. D. the Valley of Oaxaca.

Q: The Holocene in South Africa is represented by the remains found at Elands Bay Cave and De Hangen. Describe these sites and the information they provide about human groups in this area.

Q: Which of the following would you NOT expect to find in a Mesolithic site in southern Scandinavia? A. cemetery areas B. the bones of sea animals C. flint blades and cores D. ceramic vessels E. carbonized cereals

Q: The term hunter-gatherer is commonly used in anthropology and archaeology. What does it mean? Define hunter-gatherer and give some examples.

Q: Compare the European Mesolithic and the North American Archaic in terms of human settlement and subsistence.

Q: Gatecliff Shelter required many years of excavation and analysis. Describe the site and discuss what was learned there.

Q: The Mesolithic and the __________ are similar in age. A. late Paleolithic B. formative C. Archaic D. early Neolithic

Q: The earliest known pottery containers in the world are from A. Asia. B. the Western United States. C. Mexico. D. Eastern Europe. E. the Near East.

Q: The evidence for intentional cultivation in the Jomon is A. seen in the early Jomon. B. very dubious. C. substantial by the end of the Jomon. D. present in the form of wheat kernels at sites.

Q: The site of Black Earth gets its name from A. rich agricultural soils in the area. B. large peat bogs that dominate the area. C. charcoal stained soils from Archaic settlements. D. a French explorer and fur trader.

Q: The inhabitants of Sannai Maruyama used all of the following except A. pottery. B. fish. C. stone tools. D. bows and arrows.

Q: The period between the end of the Pleistocene and the introduction of agriculture in Europe is called A. the Upper Paleolithic. B. the Solutrean. C. the Middle Paleolithic. D. the Mesolithic. E. the Acheulean.

Q: The Mesolithic in Europe A. is an artifact used to shear sheep. B. occurs between the Lower and Upper Paleolithic. C. is a period associated with coastal settlements. D. was a time of spectacular cave paintings.

Q: Elands Bay Cave contains evidence for A. the intensive use of insects for food. B. human adaptation during the Holocene in South Africa. C. numerous Stone Age burials. D. the earliest shellfish eating in the world.

Q: Elands Bay Cave is located A. on the Gulf Coast of Florida. B. on a small island in the Mediterranean. C. near the modern town of Jericho. D. on the west coast of South Africa.

Q: The Black Earth site at Carrier Mills does NOT A. reside in the Midwestern U.S. B. contain numerous burials. C. display early evidence of slave labor in construction. D. date to about 6000 B.C.

Q: Carrier Mills is located in A. Central Europe. B. southern England. C. southern Illinois. D. Washington State.

Q: The "Mousterian Problem" is a complex question in the interpretation of archaeological remains. What caused the problem, who are the principle antagonists, and what are the possible explanations?

Q: Describe and discuss the two major categories of Upper Paleolithic art. Include distribution, age, and interpretation.

Q: Faunal remains found at Mesolithic sites A. will usually be dominated by reindeer or horse. B. are likely to include domesticated wheat. C. will have Levallois points in them. D. are likely to involve a wide variety of animal species.

Q: The site of Sannai Maruyama is A. located in the Eastern United States. B. an important cave site with Mousterian artifacts. C. a Jomon site with evidence for large buildings. D. an early Neolithic site in China

Q: Gatecliff Shelter was NOT A. located in the western United States. B. excavated by David Hurst Thomas. C. an Archaic period site with evidence for the use of desert resources. D. the site of the first wall paintings in North America.

Q: Vedbk is A. located in the western United States. B. a Mesolithic site in southern France. C. an area with a Mesolithic cemetery. D. a place with early evidence for the use of fire.

Q: Carbon isotope evidence from human bone indicates that Mesolithic groups at Vedbk were A. hungry. B. older than their Paleolithic neighbors. C. getting most of their food from the sea. D. getting most of their food from the land.

Q: Vnget Nord was A. a large town in the early Neolithic. B. a small island with Mesolithic activities. C. one of the earliest train stations. D. a way of producing very long blades.

Q: Upper Paleolithic lithic industries are most notably characterized by the presence of A. cores. B. flakes. C. blades. D. side scrapers.

Q: One of the most important and most famous Upper Paleolithic cave art sites is called A. Lascaux. B. Le Moustier C. Shanidar Cave. D. Torralba.

Q: During the interglacial periods of the Pleistocene A. the Bering Land Bridge was exposed. B. sea levels dropped because it was hot and dry. C. rhinoceros and elephants inhabited Europe. D. ice sheets and glaciers advanced. E. many hominin populations retreated from far northern areas.

Q: Which of the following would you not expect to find at a Mousterian site? A. Neanderthal burials B. prepared cores C. sidescrapers-on-flakes D. atlatl E. evidence of hunting large game

Q: Late Paleolithic hunting groups in northern Europe mainly hunted the A. wild boar. B. reindeer. C. mammoth. D. wooly rhino. E. seal.

Q: The Mousterian lithic industry is characterized by A. many types of tools derived from the basic blade form. B. many types of tools made of flakes. C. geometric microliths made of amber. D. choppers, spheroids, and atlatls. E. handaxes, cleavers, and arrowpoints.

Q: The following term does not belong with radiocarbon dating A. isotope B. argon C. Accelerator Mass Spectrometer D. calibration

Q: A diverse range of blade tools is common to the A. Mousterian. B. Pleistocene. C. Acheulean. D. Upper Paleolithic. E. Oldowan.

Q: Solutrean leaf-shaped "points" were made by the _______ method. A. hard hammer percussion B. soft hammer percussion C. pressure flaking D. indirect percussion

Q: Innovations in the techniques of stone tool manufacture gradually increased A. the size of tools being produced. B. the quantity of cutting edge per pound of stone. C. the use of poorer raw materials. D. the intricacy of ritual decorations.

Q: Ninety-nine percent of all known Upper Paleolithic cave art sites are A. in Africa. B. along the Seine River near Paris. C. in Spain and France. D. closed to the public. E. thought to have been exclusively used for the practice of hunting magic.

Q: Mousterian tools are characteristic of the A. Magdalenian. B. Middle Pleistocene. C. Middle Paleolithic. D. Mesolithic.

Q: The first colonists of the New World A. probably crossed the Pacific in reed boats. B. were Homo neanderthalensis. C. are difficult to recognize archaeologically because they probably had only bone and wood tools. D. probably followed big game across Beringia from Siberia. E. were escaping from the Neolithic revolution in the Old World.

Q: Which of the following would you expect to find at a Folsom site? A. domesticated squash, gourd, and beans B. mammoth remains and platform pipes C. shell-tempered pottery and obsidian D. fluted points and bison bones E. war-clubs and bison snares

Q: The functions of Upper Paleolithic cave paintings may have been all of the following except A. hunting magic. B. a way male hunters attracted mates. C. to assure the reproduction of animals for food. D. records of events.

Q: Venus figurines are probably A. net weights used in fishing. B. abstract female statuettes, part of a fertility cult. C. good luck charms carried by hunters. D. small sculptures with markings of calendrical significance.

Q: Which of the following are caves with Upper Paleolithic paintings? A. Lascaux and Torralba B. Lascaux and Altamira C. Lascaux and Terra Amata D. Lascaux and Dolni Vestonice E. Lascaux and Pincevent

Q: Which of the following is NOT true of Homo neanderthalensis? A. The remains of this species are found throughout the Old World and in some parts of the New World. B. The Mousterian tradition is associated with this hominin. C. The Neanderthals sometimes buried their dead. D. Neanderthals were first replaced by modern humans in Southwest Asia.

Q: The half-life of carbon-14 is A. around 5,700 years. B. around 2,000,000 years. C. close to 1,000 years. D. infinite.

Q: Radiocarbon dating can be used to obtain the age of all of the following except A. wood. B. shell. C. bronze. D. charcoal. E. bone.

Q: AMS in archaeology stands for A. American Meteorological Society. B. Ancient Metals and Structures. C. Accelerator Mass Spectrometer. D. Antiquity Made Simple.

Q: The earliest Australians arrived on the continent "down under" around A. the beginning of the Holocene. B. 15,000 years ago. C. the beginning of the Pleistocene. D. 40,000 years ago.

Q: The site of Pincevent is A. a burial site with flowers placed on the carcass. B. located in eastern Romania. C. a late Paleolithic reindeer hunting camp. D. a late Paleolithic mammoth hunting camp.

Q: The site of Lindenmeier is A. the oldest habitation site in the New World. B. a Paleoindian settlement in Colorado. C. an Upper Paleolithic site in northern Germany. D. a painted cave in northern Spain.

Q: Artifacts at the site of Lindenmeier did not include A. a variety of stone tools. B. Paleoindian projectile points. C. animal bones. D. bows and arrows.

Q: The site of Monte Verde is all of the following except A. located in Chile, South America. B. one of the oldest sites in the New World. C. a settlement with dwelling structures. D. famed for its impressive stepped pyramids.

Q: Bordes has explained the variability in Middle Paleolithic stone tool assemblages as a reflection of A. different types of raw material. B. different cultural traditions among tribes of Neanderthals. C. random variation. D. different functions.

Q: If you were interested in Upper Paleolithic cave paintings, you would probably travel to A. Olorgesailie. B. SW France. C. Eastern Europe. D. the Balkans.

Q: Many of the sites from the Lower Paleolithic in Europe are "kill" sites, where animals were hunted and butchered. Describe the sites of Torralba and Ambrona in this context.

Q: The Levallois technique is A. the early French style of cave painting. B. a tool tradition associated with Homo habilis. C. a method of producing flakes from prepared cores. D. a method of getting bone marrow from mammoths.

Q: The peopling of the New World A. occurred first in South America B. was accomplished via the Bering Strait land bridge. C. certainly occurred prior to 20,000 BP. D. was accomplished via boats from Egypt.

Q: Klasies River Mouth is A. a burial site with flowers placed on the carcass. B. a site with evidence for very early Homo sapiens sapiens. C. located in Kenya, East Africa. D. an early site in Alaska.

Q: Acheulean assemblages did not include A. arrowheads. B. flakes. C. handaxes. D. cleavers.

Q: The Pleistocene mammals of Europe included all of the following except A. reindeer. B. wild cattle. C. hill camel. D. cave bear. E. mammoth

Q: Kalambo Falls is a very unusual site because A. evidence for the early use of plants is preserved. B. stone tools are present. C. it is located in Africa. D. it is underwater.

Q: The substantial increase in brain size witnessed during the evolution of Homo erectus suggests that A. bipedal locomotion was working. B. there was substantial selection for intelligence. C. body size was shrinking. D. sexual dimorphism was absent.

Q: The site of Atapuerca was discovered A. by archival research. B. by Russian geologists. C. along an old railroad cut. D. in the Hungarian plain.

Q: Discuss the evidence for the earliest human occupation of Europe, including at least three important sites.

Q: Discuss various theories on the origins of language. Why is it so difficult to evaluate these theories?

Q: The differences in artifact assemblages in the Lower Paleolithic are intriguing. Describe these differences and discuss what they represent.

Q: Early sites in Europe do not include A. Bilzingsleben. B. Hadar. C. Isernia. D. Verteszlls.

Q: The first humans outside of Africa were A. users of blade tools. B. members of Homo erectus. C. found about 5 million years ago. D. dated to the Pliocene. E. members of Homo habilis.

Q: Zhoukoudian is located in A. Southwest Asia. B. Thailand. C. Java. D. China.

Q: Kalambo Falls and Olorgesailie are A. Acheulean sites in Spain. B. Acheulean sites in Africa. C. Clactonian sites in Africa. D. Acheulean sites in China.

Q: The handaxe is all of the following except A. the result of the percussion technique. B. the first fusion of metal (bronze) and stone. C. a characteristic tool of the Lower Paleolithic. D. an indication of planning by Homo erectus.