Chapter 6: The Earliest Hominines

Name:

True/False
Indicate whether the statement is true or false.

Ardipithecus ramidus is now thought to represent a form of robust australopithecine.

Bipeds run faster than quadrupeds.

Raymond Dart discovered the first Australopithecus and called "southern ape" because it was quadrupedal.

Canadian researchers haven’t made many contributions to the study of early human evolution.

A. africanus is an older form than A. boisei.

An impressive non-human primate skeletal collection curated by Becky Sigmon is located at the University of Western Ontario.

Australopithecines was most likely as intelligent as the modern great apes.

Early Hominid fossils have been discovered in Canada and the rest of North America.

Louis Leaky was instrumental in setting up the research program of Biruté Galdikas in Borneo.

10.

Genus Homo contains three species.

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

In 1924, Raymond Dart discovered the "southern ape of Africa" also known as:

a.	Australopithecus.
b.	Aegyptopithecus.
c.	Proconsul.
d.	Homo erectus.
e.	Homo habilis.

A Canadian-based researcher whose work has changed our understanding of fossil hominid locomotion is _________________.

a.	Becky Sigmon
b.	Biruté Galdikas
c.	Pete Wheeler
d.	Maeve Leakey
e.	none of these choices

Raymond Dart noted that given the position of the foramen magnum on Australopithecus he discovered that the creature was:

a.	at least 65 million years old.
b.	bipedal.
c.	quadrupedal.
d.	native to China.
e.	an ape.

Canadian Davidson Black found the first robust Australopithecine fossils __________________.

a.	with Robert Broom.
b.	at Kromdraai and Swartkrans.
c.	dated to 1.8 to 1.0 mya.
d.	all of these choices.
e.	none of these choices, Davidson Black did not discover any robust Australopithecine fossils.

Most anthropologists recognize at least ___________ species of the genus Australopithecus.

a.	four
b.	six
c.	three
d.	five
e.	two

The earliest of the australopithecines is called

a.	Kenyanthropus platyops.
b.	anamensis.
c.	gahri.
d.	africanus.
e.	Ardipithecus ramidus.

Becky Sigmon at the University of Toronto has studied __________________.

a.	comparative morphology of the lower limb.
b.	the effects of mating and reproductive patterns on posture.
c.	the link between language, cognition, and narrative
d.	all of these choices.
e.	none of these choices.

The earliest australopithecine dates back to

a.	2.8 million years ago.
b.	23 million years ago.
c.	15 million years ago.
d.	7.6 million years ago.
e.	4.2 million years ago.

Bipedalism, according to Pete Wheeler _________________.

a.	meant that 60% of the body was exposed to the sun.
b.	evolved after the development of a large brain.
c.	was not too drastic a shift from an arboreal branch-swinging posture.
d.	all of these choices.
e.	none of these choices.

10.

Gracile australopithecines are

a.	ranged throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
b.	commonly found in nearly all archaeological sites.
c.	the most rare examples of early hominines.
d.	smaller, more slightly built members of the genus.
e.	are more heavily built than other members of the genus.

11.

The massive teeth, heavy jaw muscles, and sagittal crest of robust australopithecines like A. boisei indicate that they were

a.	expert brachiators.
b.	vegetarians.
c.	fully bipedal, upright walkers.
d.	omnivorous.
e.	primarily meat-eaters.

12.

The brain size of gracile australopithecines indicates that

a.	they had developed the capacity for verbal communication.
b.	their diet was high in protein.
c.	their brains had enlarged enough so that they could outwit predators without needing to fight them directly.
d.	none of these choices
e.	their mental capabilities were comparable to those of modern great apes.

13.

Sexual dimorphism is

a.	a characteristic of the robust australopithecines, but not of gracile australopithecines.
b.	a function of bipedalism and increased meat eating due to improved hunting techniques.
c.	a preference for mates of the same sex.
d.	a difference in size between males and females of a species.
e.	a preference for mates of the opposite sex.

14.

A major disadvantage to bipedalism is

a.	it makes you more visible to predators.
b.	it can lead to lower back problems, hernias, and other circulatory problems.
c.	all of these choices
d.	it makes you somewhat slower than quadrupedal animals.
e.	it makes you more visible to predators and it makes you somewhat slower than quadrupedal animals.

15.

It is reasonable to assume that australopithecines were ______, but not ________.

a.	fire users / hunters
b.	tool makers / warriors
c.	gatherers / hunters
d.	tool users / tool makers
e.	hunters / gatherers

16.

The idea that bipedalism arose because it enabled males to gather food on the savanna and transport it back to females is called the _______ theory.

a.	scavenging
b.	meat-eating
c.	pair-bonding
d.	oestrus
e.	sexual dimorphism

17.

Which of the following would help improve your ability to transport food, spot food and predators at a distance, and throw things to protect yourself if you were living on the savanna?

a.	scavenging
b.	enlarged canines
c.	pentadactyly
d.	pair-bonding
e.	bipedalism

18.

When two closely related species compete for the same niche, one will outcompete the other, bringing about the latter's extinction.

a.	Isolating mechanisms
b.	Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
c.	Linear evolution
d.	Law of competitive exclusion
e.	Natural selection

19.

Known as the "Millennium Man," __________ is seen by some as the oldest and earliest human ancestor.

a.	afarensis
b.	Orrorin tugenensis
c.	Ardipithecus ramidus
d.	robustus
e.	Kenyanthropus platyops

20.

Gracile australopithecines are

a.	ranged throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
b.	commonly found in nearly all archaeological sites.
c.	the most rare examples of early hominines.
d.	smaller, more slightly built members of the genus.
e.	are more heavily built than other members of the genus.

21.

Fossil evidence indicates that _____________ probably lived in a wooded habitat.

a.	Homo sapiens
b.	H. erectus
c.	Neandertal
d.	Homo habilis
e.	Ardipithecus

22.

How could bipedalism enhance survivability?

a.	It can allow you to cover more area, and frees the hands for carrying.
b.	It can allow you to cover more area, and frees the hands for carrying and it can allow you to more easily dissipate heat.
c.	It makes it easier to clean your body.
d.	It makes you more visible to predators.
e.	It can allow you to more easily dissipate heat.

23.

_______________'s studies among gorillas was influenced by Louis Leakey’s work.

a.	Biruté Galdikas
b.	Elwyn Simons
c.	Jane Goodall
d.	G.C. Conroy
e.	Dian Fossey

24.

The Ardipithecus fossils indicate ____________________.

a.	that human and chimp lineages diverged between eight and six million years ago.
b.	that it was very human-like in body proportions.
c.	the upper arm bone was thick and heavy like in apes, indicating quadrupedalism.
d.	chewing sharpened the upper canines.
e.	all of these choices except chewing sharpened the upper canines.

25.

Experiments with captive _________ have shown that they are capable of making crude stone tools, but have never been known to do so in natural conditions.

a.	tarsiers
b.	chimpanzees
c.	baboons
d.	bonobos
e.	great apes

Matching

Match the fossil hominines with their characteristics.

a.	last common ancestor between the Australopithecines and the genus Homo
b.	first fossil hominine discovered
c.	East African specimen discovered by Mary Leakey
d.	South African robust hominine
e.	most ape-like australopithecine

A. boisei

A. anamensis

A. africanus

A. afarensis

A. robustus

Match the fossil hominines with their characteristics.

a.	found in South and East Africa
b.	occur much later than gracile forms
c.	early name for A. boisei
d.	almost complete skeleton
e.	probably an early form of A. boisei

robust Australopithecines

Lucy

A. aethiopicus

gracile Australopithecines

10.

Zinjanthropus