Question 1

What is the most likely explanation of why early Homo left Africa and spread into Eurasia?

Accepted Answer

The pursuit of meat. It is widely believed that early Homo left Africa in search of new sources of food, particularly meat, which provided a high-quality source of protein and energy that was lacking in a vegetarian diet. This was likely driven by changes in the environment, such as the expansion of grasslands and the decline of forests, which made it more difficult to find food.

Answer: C 
 Because Homo's smaller bodies made them more fit for long-distance travel. Early Homo had smaller, more efficient bodies than their ancestors, which enabled them to cover greater distances and explore new environments. This evolutionary adaptation may have been a key factor in their ability to successfully colonize Eurasia.

Note: Options A, D, and E are unlikely explanations for why early Homo left Africa and spread into Eurasia.

Question 2

One fairly complete skull, one large mandible, and two partial skulls were found in the 1990s at the Dmanisi site in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Dated to 1.7 to 1.77 m.y.a., these fossils

Accepted Answer

The fossils from the Dmanisi site in Georgia are dated to 1.7 to 1.77 m.y.a., which suggests a rapid spread of early Homo out of Africa and into Eurasia.

Question 3

What have researchers learned by looking at the molars and other cranial features of H. erectus, such as a supraorbital torus and an occipital bun?

Accepted Answer

Researchers have noted that H. erectus had a larger and more robust skull with a supraorbital torus and an occipital bun, which indicates strong chewing muscles and a heavier reliance on hunting and meat in their diet compared to earlier hominins. This is also supported by isotopic analysis of H. erectus teeth, which shows a higher proportion of protein in their diet.

Question 4

The fossil finds near Beijing, China (including Zhoukoudian) yielded the remains of more than 40 specimens of

Accepted Answer

The fossil finds near Beijing, China, including Zhoukoudian, yielded the remains of more than 40 specimens of Homo erectus, also known as Peking Man, which lived between approximately 1.8 million and 500,000 years ago.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about the appearance of Homo habilis is true?

Accepted Answer

H. habilis exhibits a relatively rapid expansion of cranial capacity, which suggests increased development of the brain and cognitive abilities.

Question 6

Which of the following statements describes a key difference between Oldowan and Acheulean tools?

Accepted Answer

The key difference between Oldowan and Acheulean tools is that Acheulean tools, such as the hand ax, represent a predetermined shape based on a mental template, suggesting a cognitive leap between earlier hominins and H. erectus. Oldowan tools, on the other hand, were more basic and simpler in their design, with a focus on functionality rather than predetermined shape.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about Homo erectus fossils is NOT true? H. erectus fossils

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus did not have hyperrobust chewing muscles and broad, flat molars; these features are more characteristic of earlier hominins like Paranthropus.

Question 8

Scientists continue to debate the relationship between two Homo fossil finds: KNM-ER 1470, named H. rudolfensis by some, and KNM-ER 1813, generally considered to be an exemplar of H. habilis. Is the smaller KNM-ER 1813 a distinct species? Could it be a female version of KNM-ER 1470, both being simply a female and male pair of the highly variable H. habilis? The only sure conclusion is that

Accepted Answer

The passage mentions the debate over the relationship between the Homo fossil finds KNM-ER 1470 and KNM-ER 1813. It also notes that there is a highly variable H. habilis, and it is unclear whether the smaller KNM-ER 1813 is a distinct species or simply a female version of KNM-ER 1470. The only sure conclusion is that there were several different kinds of hominin that lived in Africa before and after the advent of Homo. The passage does not mention options A, B, C, or D as sure conclusions.

Question 9

The geological epoch known as the ________ has been considered the epoch of early human life.

Accepted Answer

The Pleistocene epoch is often referred to as the ice age and is characterized by repeated glaciations. It is also considered the epoch of early human life, as it saw the evolution and migration of Homo sapiens. The other choices - Cenozoic, Mousterian, Miocene, and Würm - are all either broader time periods or specific cultural and geological terms that are not directly associated with early human life.

Question 10

European fossils and tools have contributed disproportionately to our knowledge and interpretation of early (archaic) H. sapiens. What explains this?

Accepted Answer

Europe has a long history of Paleolithic archaeology, with many important early H. sapiens sites located there. This has led to a disproportionate amount of fossils and tools being found and studied in Europe, contributing to our knowledge and interpretation of early archaic H. sapiens.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT associated with H. erectus?

Accepted Answer

Cave painting is not associated with H. erectus, as they predate the development of cave painting by hundreds of thousands of years. However, they are associated with the other choices - a massive ridge over the eyebrows, more sophisticated toolmaking, the use of fire, and the development of Acheulean tools.

Question 12

What is so significant about the recent fossil finds of an H. erectus and an H. habilis from Ileret, Kenya, east of Lake Turkana?

Accepted Answer

The recent fossil finds of an H. erectus and an H. habilis from Ileret, Kenya, east of Lake Turkana negate the conventional view held since 1960 that habilis and erectus evolved one after the other. Instead, they lived side by side in eastern Africa for perhaps half a million years. This discovery suggests that there was more complexity and diversity in early human evolution than previously thought.

Question 13

H. erectus is generally associated with which of the following technologies?

Accepted Answer

H. erectus is associated with the Acheulean technology, which is characterized by the production of large, almond-shaped bifacial (flaked on both sides) handaxes.

Question 14

What is the name of the time period that evolved out of the Oldowan, or pebble tool, tradition and lasted until about 15,000 years ago?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the name of the time...

Question 15

Biological and cultural changes enabled H. erectus to exploit a new adaptive strategy-gathering and hunting. This in turn was crucial for H. erectus to

Accepted Answer

The ability to gather and hunt allowed H. erectus to expand their range beyond Africa and into Asia and Europe, becoming the first hominin to leave Africa. This expansion was key in the evolution and dispersal of the hominin lineage.

Question 16

Archaic H. sapiens (300,000? to 28,000 B.P.) encompass the earliest members of our species, along with

Accepted Answer

Archaic H. sapiens (also known as Homo heidelbergensis) were contemporaries of the Neandertals in Europe and the Middle East, and also had similar archaic features in Africa and Asia. H. floresiensis, on the other hand, is a separate species discovered much later and confined to the island of Flores. The other options (C, D, and E) are also incorrect as they represent separate lineages of hominids that do not fall under the archaic H. sapiens category.

Question 17

Which of the following is a difference between Homo erectus and the australopithecines?

Accepted Answer

Homo erectus had a significantly larger cranial capacity than the australopithecines, indicating a greater degree of cognitive development and brain evolution. The other options are not accurate differences between Homo erectus and the australopithecines.

Question 18

The spread of H. erectus from tropical and subtropical climates into temperate zones was facilitated by all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Blade-toolmaking traditions were not necessarily essential for the spread of H. erectus into temperate zones, whereas the other options listed would have provided important adaptations for survival in colder climates.

Question 19

Excavations between Bed I and Bed II at Olduvai suggest that significant changes in technology occurred during a comparatively short 200,000-year period. The tools found illustrate a shift toward functional differentiation, which means that

Accepted Answer

The shift towards functional differentiation means that the tools found were being made and used for different jobs, such as smashing bones or digging for tubers. There was a specialization of tools for specific tasks rather than a general-purpose use.

Question 20

Which of the following sites is NOT included in the probable range of H. erectus?

Accepted Answer

H. erectus is not known to have inhabited Alaska, as it is far outside of the species' probable range. The other locations - Java, China, South Africa, and Europe - are all within the known range of H. erectus.

Quiz 9: Archaic Homo