Q&A Hero

Q: What was the diet of the robust australopiths? What are the anatomical features associated with their diet?

Q: What is the anatomical evidence that early australopithecines were bipedal?

Q: The evidence is compelling for either Sahelanthropus or Orrorin to have been most like the first hominin. Pick one, and make your case for why you think so.

Q: Compare and contrast the characteristics of Sahelanthropus, Orrorin, and Ardipithecus. What kinds of environments did they live in? How did the environment shape the evolution of their morphology?

Q: Despite some confusion at present about hominin phylogeny, which of the following statements is true? a. Humans evolved from one of the robust australopiths. b. Humans evolved from one of the australopithecines. c. Humans evolved from a non-australopithecine ancestor. d. There is not enough evidence to speculate about human ancestry.

Q: Paranthropus aethiopicus a. is the most robust of the robust australopithecines. b. retains many primitive characteristics of Australopithecus afarensis. c. shares many derived characters with the genus Homo. d. is the direct ancestor of genus Homo.

Q: A recently discovered early hominin, which dates to 3.5"3.2 mya and has a flat face, isa. Orrorin tugenensis. b. Ardipithecus ramidus. c. Australopithecus afarensis.d. Kenyanthropus platyops.

Q: The skull ________ invalidates the theory that robustness in the skull and teeth was a derived state for the australopithecines.a. WT 17000 b. OH 15 c. ER 1813d. ER 1470

Q: Chemical analysis of robust australopith teeth suggests that these hominins atea. only insects. b. only tough foods. c. tough foods and meat.d. only meat.

Q: Compared to the gracile australopiths, the robust australopiths a. were twice the body size. b. exhibit a number of derived features of the cranium and teeth. c. were not appreciably different in any way. d. have all come from East African sites.

Q: Studies of tooth enamel tell us that a. C4 plants are woody plants while C3 plants are grasses and sedges. b. Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus shared a variable diet that may have included animals that fed on C4 plants. c. chimpanzees feed mainly on C4 plants. d. Paranthropus boisei ate mostly C3 plants.

Q: Which early hominin had molarized premolars and megadont molars for extremely heavy chewing?a. Paranthropus robustus. b. Australopithecus afarensis. c. Paranthropus boisei.d. Australopithecus africanus.

Q: Evidence that the robust australopithecines ate hard foods includesa. the browridge.b. the nuchal crest. c. flared zygomatics.d. a small brain.

Q: Paranthropus robustusa. was about 4.5 ft. tall and bipedal b. was not fully bipedal. c. had very small molars.d. had very large incisors.

Q: Paranthropus robustus had skull structures specialized fora. cannibalism. b. heavy chewing. c. carnivory.d. speech.

Q: Imagine you have found a skull with an ape-size brain, sagittal crest, very large back teeth, and large cheekbones. Based on this information, this is most likely a specimen ofa. Australopithecus afarensis. b. a robust australopith. c. Australopithecus africanus.d. a modern human.

Q: The recent discovery of ________ in 2008 sparked controversy regarding its finders' claims that it is the most likely candidate of the ancestors of genus Homo.a. Australopithecus africanus b. Australopithecus afarensis c. Australopithecus sedibad. Australopithecus ramidus

Q: Australopithecus africanus's maturation rate was determined bya. the cranial suture closure. b. the long bone suture closure. c. relative tooth eruption.d. relative nail growth.

Q: Australopithecus africanus matured a. more slowly than modern humans. b. at about the same rate as modern humans. c. more quickly than modern humans. d. at variable rates, depending on geographic location.

Q: Raymond Dart argued that the Taung child was bipedal because it possessed a. a femur angled toward the midline of the body. b. an S-shaped spinal column. c. footprints at Laetoli. d. a foramen magnum at the bottom of the cranium.

Q: Australopithecus africanus has derived features not shared with humans. These includea. a fully bipedal gait. b. large canines. c. heavy chewing adaptations.d. a modified pelvis.

Q: Australopithecus africanus shares which of the following traits with humans?a. More air pockets in the skull b. Canines that are less dimorphic c. More prognathismd. Height

Q: Australopithecus africanus is most similar to which of the following species?a. Australopithecus afarensis b. Australopithecus boisei c. Ardipithecus ramidusd. Sahelanthropus tchadensis

Q: Australopithecus garhi had a unique fin of bone on its skull known as aa. Sagittal crest. b. Sagittal keel. c. Sagittal mohawk.d. Sagittal protuberance.

Q: Dental characteristics of hominins, relative to previous species, includea. thin enamel. b. thick enamel. c. a parallel dental arcade.d. both a and c.

Q: Australopithecus afarensis wasa. sexually dimorphic. b. a stone-tool manufacturer. c. monogamous.d. older than Ardipithecus ramidus.

Q: Which of the following skeletal features indicate arboreal adaptations? a. Long lower limbs b. Eyes moved toward the side of the head c. Curved fingers and toes d. Reliance on the sense of smell

Q: The Laetoli footprints show that Australopithecus afarensis was a. an efficient biped compared with humans. b. an inefficient biped compared with humans. c. about as equally efficient a biped as humans. d. not bipedal.

Q: A femur from a bipedal primate ________ than that of a quadrupedal primate.a. has more torque b. is shorter c. is angled inward mored. is angled outward more

Q: Which of the following bones can provide evidence that a fossil animal was bipedal?a. Humerus, fingers b. A hand with an opposable thumb c. Ear bones (related to balance)d. Pelvis, femur, skull

Q: It is likely that Australopithecus afarensisa. matured more slowly than chimpanzees.b. had a brain size three to four times bigger than those of chimpanzees.c. made and used stone tools to scavenge meat.d. lived throughout West, Central, East, and South Africa.

Q: The first lower premolar of chimpanzees has ________, the first lower premolar of humans has ________, and Australopithecus afarensis had ________.a. two equal cusps; no cusps; a small and a large cuspb. one cusp; no cusps; two equal cuspsc. one cusp; two cusps; no cuspd. one cusp; two cusps; a small and a large cusp

Q: Features of Australopithecus afarensis that are intermediate between those of apes and humans includea. the shape of the skull.b. the size of the canines. c. the size of the brain.d. both a and b.

Q: Features showing that Australopithecus afarensis is a hominin includea. a large brain. b. lack of a tail. c. bipedalism.d. thin molar enamel.

Q: Derived features of Australopithecus afarensis includea. bipedalism. b. a large brain. c. a tail.d. prognathism.

Q: Primitive characteristics that distinguish Australopithecus anamensis from later australopithecines includea. large canines. b. a parabolic dental arcade. c. the shape of the tibia.d. a sagittal crest.

Q: The fossil specimen known as "Lucy" a. is a 3.2-million-year-old australopithecine. b. is a complete skeleton. c. was not bipedal. d. was named after the Peanuts character.

Q: Australopithecines were a. prehominin apes from the Miocene from which hominins evolved. b. toothless wonders from the late Cretaceous. c. bipedal primates. d. primates with brains larger than hominoids.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a feature associated with bipedal locomotion? a. A femur angled inwards toward the body b. Arched feet c. Narrow and long pelvis d. A foramen magnum positioned more anteriorly (centered under the skull)

Q: Bipedalism may have evolved because hominin ancestors werea. above-branch quadrupeds. b. below-branch, suspensory primates. c. vertical clingers and leapers.d. amphibians.

Q: Bipedalism may have evolved because it allowed hominins toa. keep warm. b. sit upright. c. harvest food from small trees.d. run.

Q: Bipedalism may have evolved because it allowed hominins toa. keep cool in savanna environments. b. plant and cultivate food. c. travel easily in the trees.d. swim as well as travel on land.

Q: Based on fossil evidence, which feature is thought to have evolved first in hominin evolution, bipedalism or large brains? a. Bipedalism. b. Large brains. c. Both evolved at the same time. d. This answer cannot be obtained from currently available data.

Q: Humans have a. a femur that descends vertically from the pelvis. b. a knee joint that is not slanted or angled toward the midline of the body. c. cortical bone that is evenly distributed around the femur. d. a divergent big toe.

Q: The distribution of cortical bone in the femur a. is diagnostic of locomotor patterns. b. can be used to estimate body weight. c. cannot be measured in fossils. d. tells you how strong a species was.

Q: Fossil candidates for the "first" hominins include a. Pan, Pongo, Hylobates b. Sahelanthropus, Orrorin, Ardipithecus c. Paranthropus, Homo erectus, Homo ergaster d. Homo heidelbergensis, Neanderthals, Homo sapiens

Q: Compared with great apes, Ardipithecus ramidus was characterized bya. thicker molar enamel and larger canines.b. thicker molar enamel and smaller canines.c. thinner molar enamel and larger canines.d. thinner molar enamel and smaller canines.

Q: Surprising findings regarding Ardipithecus ramidus include a. limb proportions like those of modern great apes. b. specialization for below-branch feeding. c. limb proportions like those of monkeys. d. hands that are similar to those of African apes.

Q: Orrorin tugenensis a. was quadripedal. b. was ancestral to Sahelanthropus tchadensis. c. is dated to 4 million years ago. d. lived in a mix of woodland and savanna.

Q: Ardipithecus ramidus is apelike in that it had a. small molars. b. thick enamel. c. a forwardly placed foramen magnum. d. a femur that angles inward.

Q: Among the pre-4-mya fossils that some paleoanthropologists include in the hominin family, ________ is thought to be a biped based on information from a single toe bone.a. Sahelanthropus tchadensis b. Ardipithecus kadabba c. Orrorin tugenensisd. Ardipithecus ramidus

Q: The cortical bone on the femur of ________ has a humanlike pattern of thickness.a. Sahelanthropus tchadensis b. Ardipithecus kadabba c. Orrorin tugenensisd. None of the above.

Q: Orrorin tugenensis is identified as a very likely hominid on the basis of what evidence? a. Features of the base of the skull b. Footprints preserved in volcanic ash c. Features of the femur d. Features of the spine and ribs

Q: Compared with the dentition of chimpanzees, Sahelanthropus tchadensis had a. larger canines. b. upper canines that are not sharpened against the lower premolar. c. thinner enamel. d. larger incisors.

Q: The oldest hominin isa. Australopithecus. b. Sahelanthropus. c. Zinjanthropus.d. Pithecanthropus.

Q: Genetic data indicate that the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees lived betweena. 2 and 1 mya. b. 4 and 2 mya. c. 5 and 3 mya.d. 7 and 5 mya.

Q: Derived traits that distinguish modern humans from apes includea. facultative bipedalism. b. a short juvenile period. c. a large brain-to-body-size ratio.d. less body hair.

Q: Between 4 and 2 mya we see some of the distinctive features that differentiate hominins from apes. These features includea. evidence of bipedal locomotion. b. small posterior teeth. c. large canines.d. the loss of a tail.

Q: The very first hominins date to abouta. 60 million years ago. b. 6 million years ago. c. 600,000 years ago.d. 60,000 years ago.

Q: The transition from hominoid to hominin occurred during a transitiona. from forest to savanna. b. from savanna to forest. c. from arboreality to terrestriality.d. Both a and c.

Q: During the late Miocene, Africa a. became warmer and wetter. b. had an expansion of dense forests. c. experienced less rain and was more seasonal. d. shifted farther north.

Q: You are an expert paleontologist reviewing the work of Professor Bonefinder, who recently discovered the remains of a primate fossil from South America. The fossil has a long snout, a tail, and large orbits that face toward the side and are only partially enclosed. The fossil has been securely dated to about 30 mya. Bonefinder concluded that this fossil is a hominoid. Do you think Professor Bonefinder's analysis is correct? Explain your evaluation.

Q: Why did the radiation of hominoids come to an end?

Q: Multiple hypotheses seek to explain how New World monkeys arrived in South America. According to the chapter, what are some of these hypotheses?

Q: Compare and contrast the three families of Fayum haplorrhines (oligopithecids, parapithecids, propliopithecids). What characteristics did they share with living groups of primates?

Q: What kind of environment did the earliest primates evolve in?

Q: Discuss the different hypotheses that the chapter presents for how the first primates adapted to share the same suite of diagnostic characteristics.

Q: What is the difference between relative and absolute dating?

Q: Why is it important to consider continental drift when studying primate evolution?

Q: Which of the following characteristics did the first hominoids share with modern apes? a. Limbs of equal length b. A narrow thorax c. Larger brains than monkeys d. Tooth adaptations for insectivory and frugivory

Q: Modern orangutans most likely evolved froma. Kenyapithecus. b. Dryopithecus. c. Ouranopithecus.d. Sivapithecus.

Q: Although Pierolapithecus shared some derived morphological characteristics with modern great apes, it lackeda. flexible wrists. b. a stiff and short lumbar spine. c. highly curved fingers.d. a wide, shallow rib cage.

Q: ________ are characterized by small incisors and large premolars with sharp crests.a. Frugivores b. Folivores c. Insectivoresd. Faunivores

Q: Apes from the Middle Miocene adapted to have ________ because they ate harder foods than their predecessors. a. molars with thick enamel and rounded cusps. b. narrow zygomatic arches. c. robust upper jaws. d. molars with thin enamel and sharp cusps.

Q: ________ provides the first evidence for suspensory locomotion among the fossil hominoids.a. Morotopithecus b. Dryopithecus c. Chororapithecusd. Proconsul

Q: The hominoid radiation occurred during thea. Eocene. b. Oligocene. c. Miocene.d. Pliocene.

Q: ________ is a derived feature that Proconsul shares with living apes and humans.a. The absence of a tail b. The presence of short upper limbs c. The presence of a narrow chestd. Thin tooth enamel

Q: The first hominoid, known as Proconsul, appeareda. after Kenyapithecus. b. during the Miocene. c. in a woodland environment.d. in Africa.

Q: Fossil New World primatesa. were small bodied. b. first evolved during the Eocene. c. were terrestrial.d. had three premolars.

Q: Modern ________ were most likely derived from the propliopithecids.a. lemurs b. Old World monkeys c. tarsiersd. New World monkeys