Name: 
 

Chapter 7: Homo habilis and Cultural Origins


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

 1. 
Olduvai Gorge was the site of the Leakey's discovery of H. habilis.
 

 2. 
H. habilis lived primarily in the Paleolithic epoch.
 

 3. 
Australopithecines and early Homo coexisted for around 5 million years.
 

 4. 
Research has indicated that early hominines may have scavenged remains of leopard meals from trees.
 

 5. 
Scavenging behaviour was similar among male and female hominines.
 

 6. 
Use wear patterns on tools used by early Homo indicated that hominines were predominantly left-handed.
 

 7. 
The oldest stone tools are found in Ethiopia.
 

 8. 
Oldowan tools are made using the direct percussion method.
 

 9. 
H. habilis is the first hominid to have a developed heat-exchange system to avoid damage to the brain from excessive heat build-up.
 

 10. 
The word "Paleolithic" means "the age of tools."
 

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

 1. 
Homo habilis was discovered by
a.
Don Johanson.
b.
C.K. Brain.
c.
Raymond Dart.
d.
the Leakeys.
e.
Oldowan Kanobi.
 

 2. 
Homo habilis ____________________.
a.
had the ability to plan ahead.
b.
has a skeleton that is similar to gracile Australopithecines.
c.
was a non-territorial scavenger.
d.
probably had a period of infancy and childhood more in line with apes.
e.
all of these choices.
 

 3. 
Which of these statements about meat-eating is INCORRECT?
a.
need to eat more frequently.
b.
more leisure time and change to explore environment.
c.
increase in sharing and cooperative behaviour.
d.
all of these choices are incorrect.
e.
all of these choices are correct.
 

 4. 
The name Homo habilis means
a.
tool-using ape.
b.
robust human.
c.
happy camper.
d.
handy man.
e.
southern ape from Africa.
 

 5. 
Which of these statements about Homo habilis is INCORRECT?
a.
they show evidence of handedness.
b.
they probably had rudimentary gestural language.
c.
they are found in Europe.
d.
their fine motor control is linked to the speech centres in the brain.
e.
none of these statements are incorrect.
 

 6. 
The best candidate for an australopithecine ancestor to Homo habilis is
a.
There is no known relationship between the australopithecines and genus Homo.
b.
A. africanus.
c.
A. boisei.
d.
A. afarensis.
e.
A. robustus.
 

 7. 
We can attempt to reconstruct early hominid behaviour by _______________.
a.
observing carnivore behaviour and ecology.
b.
studying chimpanzees and other modern primates.
c.
observing modern human behaviour.
d.
all of these choices.
e.
none of these choices, we can’t really reconstruct early hominid behaviour.
 

 8. 
How was Homo habilis different from the australopithecines?
a.
all of these choices
b.
their cranial capacity was approximately 650 to 690 ccs
c.
body characteristics indicate that tree-climbing was common
d.
males were twice as big as females
e.
period of infancy and childhood about the same as apes
 

 9. 
The earliest known stone tool tradition is referred to as:
a.
Oldowan.
b.
Acheulean.
c.
percussion.
d.
habilis.
e.
gracile.
 

 10. 
Tools made by striking one stone against another to produce finished flakes with two sharp edges are produced using the ________.
a.
gentle persuasion method
b.
pressure flaking method
c.
percussion method
d.
hammer and anvil method
e.
Oldowan method
 

 11. 
In the Oldowan tool tradition, the chopping tool was primarily used
a.
to butcher meat and splitting bones.
b.
as a weapon by early Homo to attack the australopithecines.
c.
to break up other rocks.
d.
to make a fire.
e.
to create a home base.
 

 12. 
According to the Original Study, "Cat in the Human Cradle," early hominines may have scavenged meat from
a.
meat stored up in trees by leopards.
b.
none of these choices
c.
kills by rival australopithecines.
d.
rabbits and other small game killed by lions.
e.
other hominines who had successful hunts.
 

 13. 
Because of the associated risks, meat scavenging probably meant that
a.
females did most of the scavenging.
b.
males did most of the scavenging.
c.
meat played a relatively unimportant role in the diet of the early hominines.
d.
males and females worked cooperatively to get meat.
e.
none of these choices
 

 14. 
According to Haviland, meat-eaters
a.
are unable to digest vegetables.
b.
have smaller brains.
c.
have less leisure time.
d.
are more aggressive.
e.
get all the essential amino acids to satisfy the demands of growth and adequate nutrition from their diet.
 

 15. 
Which of the following facts provides direct support for the hypothesis that when early hominines started eating more meat, their brains got larger?
a.
none of these choices
b.
Meat-eaters spend less time foraging for food and thus have more leisure time.
c.
Homo erectus had a brain as large as 1225 cc, whereas the largely plant-eating Australopithecus had a brain size of 310 to 530 cc.
d.
all of these choices
e.
It is difficult for vegetarians to get a balance of essential amino acids.
 

 16. 
The earliest stone tools were probably used
a.
to protect territory.
b.
to butcher and prepare meat.
c.
as weapons.
d.
to kill infants.
e.
to dig roots.
 

 17. 
How did tool making probably contribute to the evolution of the brain?
a.
it put a premium on manual dexterity and fine manipulation.
b.
those with tools could work more and play less.
c.
it promoted the power grip of the hand instead of the precision grip.
d.
those with tools had more free time for sleeping, which enlarges the brain.
e.
it reduced the need for abstract thinking.
 

 18. 
Anthropologists studying the food-sharing habits of modern primates have found that
a.
adult chimpanzees rarely share plant food with each other.
b.
modern apes usually forage for their own food.
c.
all of these choices
d.
adult chimpanzees almost always share meat, especially with females.
e.
none of these choices
 

 19. 
Which of the following are supports the hypothesis that meat-eating among early hominines promoted cooperation and sharing?
a.
none of these choices
b.
Strong sexual bonds probably existed among males and females, and it is likely that they would have shared the results of their different patterns of foraging.
c.
all of these choices
d.
Hominines lacking large canines probably had to cooperate to hunt or scavenge meat successfully.
e.
Male chimpanzees almost always share meat, frequently with females.
 

 20. 
Analysis of Oldowan sites indicates that
a.
H. habilis was efficient at butchering, and left little behind.
b.
H. habilis had a well organized dominance hierarchy.
c.
H. habilis took their meat from the Lower Paleolithic equivalent of road kill.
d.
H. habilis was doomed to be an evolutionary dead end because of their poor dietary habits
e.
H. habilis and A. gahri shared many of their meals together.
 

 21. 
The author of the original study Cat in the Human Cradle reasoned after reviewing the literature on leopards that the big cats sometimes store their kills in trees. This circumstance might have provided an ideal feeding opportunity for tree-climbing hominines, particularly _______________.
a.
H. erectus
b.
Neandertal
c.
Homo habilis
d.
modern man.
e.
H. sapiens
 

 22. 
What do Oldowan tool assemblages and broken animal bones tell us?
a.
that both H. habilis and large carnivorous animals were active in these locations
b.
that early hominines scavenged from leopards
c.
that H. habilis exhibited sexual dimorphism through males scavenging and females foraging
d.
all of the above
e.
that H. habilis had speech capabilities
 

 23. 
The work of _____________ and her coworkers was crucial in forcing a re-examination of existing "man the hunter" scenarios, out of which came recognition of the importance of scavenging in early human evolution as well as the importance of female gathering and other activities.
a.
Mary Leakey
b.
Adrienne Zihlman
c.
Jane Goodall
d.
Dian Fossey
e.
Sheila Brooks
 

 24. 
According to the Original Study, ancient remains from tree-caching carnivores have been found at ___________________.
a.
Kromdraai
b.
Olduvai Gorge
c.
Kenya
d.
Sterkfontein
e.
Tanzania
 

 25. 
The evidence that H. habilis' brain had developed in the region associated with speech in modern humans
a.
continued evolutionary trends toward biological economy.
b.
indicates abstract thought abilities in H. habilis.
c.
probably developed as a result of the precise hand control necessary to make tools.
d.
shows that they, too could talk.
e.
is evidence of their superiority over other hominines.
 

Matching
 
 
Match the terms.
a.
Former lake bed. Site of the Leakey's discovery of Homo habilis
b.
a technique of stone tool manufacture performed by striking the raw material to remove flakes
c.
earliest representative of the genus Homo
d.
earliest known tool tradition
e.
best candidate for an ancestor to the genus Homo
f.
the first part of the Old Stone Age
 

 1. 

 _________Percussion method
 

 2. 

 _________Homo habilis
 

 3. 

 _________Australopithecus afarensis
 

 4. 

 _________Lower Paleolithic
 

 5. 

 _________Olduvai Gorge
 

 6. 

 _________Oldowan tool tradition
 
 
Match the characteristic to the fossil hominid.
a.
A. boisei
b.
H. rudolfensis
c.
KMN ER 1470
d.
H. habits
e.
robust Australopithecines
 

 7. 

 ___________had a cranial capacity of 752 cubic centimetres
 

 8. 

 ___________early tool user
 

 9. 

 ___________“grinding machine” specialization
 

 10. 

 ___________cuts from a stone tool are present on the bones
 

 11. 

 ___________highly contested possible second species existing alongside H. habilis
 



 
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