Anthropology 001 - Introduction to Physical Anthropology » Summer 2021 » Midterm Exam 1

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Question #1
What can be learned from studying a population through time?
A.   We can learn that lifestyles do not change over time.
B.   We can learn that diets, and therefore human biology, change through time.
C.   We can learn that human physiology does not change through time.
D.   We can learn that consuming the wrong foods over time does little to population health.
Question #2
What increased early humans’ chances of hunting success?
A.   Hunting was conducted with stone tools and cooperative strategies.
B.   Females led hunting, but all adults were involved.
C.   Hunting strategies were developed to include other animals as bait.
D.   Hunting was always well planned, often using a diagram.
Question #3
Human production of stone or stone tools is an example of
A.   subsistence strategies.
B.   linguistic comprehension.
C.   material culture.
D.   ideology.
Question #4
Forensic anthropologists
A.   study skeletal remains from past human populations.
B.   focus their skeletal analysis on early hominins.
C.   focus their work on skeletal analysis of individuals.
D.   study the evolution of human skeletal traits.
Question #5
Which of the following key attributes of human uniqueness developed during the past 10,000 to 11,000 years?
A.   bipedalism
B.   complex material culture
C.   dependence on domesticated food
D.   nonhoning chewing
Question #6
What is a hypothesis?
A.   a statement unable to be refuted by future investigations
B.   a testable statement that could potentially explain specific phenomena observed in the natural world
C.   a synonym for theory
D.   a statement that concerns scientific facts assumed to be true
Question #7
Darwin’s theory of evolution proposes that
A.   species adapt based on individual goals.
B.   individuals determine their own biological adaptations.
C.   species adapt and change over time based on the environment.
D.   an individual can change within its own lifetime.
Question #8
The relevance of uniformitarianism is that it
A.   proves that most changes to Earth were caused by earthquakes and floods.
B.   supports the theory of catastrophism.
C.   provides the primary evidence that the earth is 4.4 billion years old.
D.   requires the assumption that any geological process observed today worked the same way in the past.
Question #9
Which scientist is known for developing a system of taxonomy, including a method of giving each organism two names, such as Homo sapiens for humans?
A.   Robert Hooke
B.   Carolus Linnaeus
C.   John Ray
D.   Georges Cuvier
Question #10
The lower frequency of sickle cell anemia among present-day Americans of West African ancestry as compared to people living in West Africa is attributed to
A.   natural selection.
B.   genetic drift.
C.   new mutations.
D.   gene flow.
Question #11
According to Linnaean taxonomy, what is the MOST specific category and level shared by humans, gorillas, and howler monkeys (from the New World)?
A.   superfamily Hominoidea
B.   infraorder Anthropoidea
C.   suborder Haplorhini
D.   parvorder Catarrhini
Question #12
An endemic species, such as the finches of the Galápagos, is
A.   subject to increased rates of genetic mutation.
B.   native to a particular region.
C.   invasive to a particular region or habitat.
D.   a locally extinct species.
Question #13
mtDNA is found ________ and is ________.
A.   outside of the cell’s nucleus; passed on from the father to all his offspring
B.   in prokaryotic cells; found only in females
C.   in the nucleus; inherited from mother to daughter only
D.   in the cell’s “powerhouse”; passed on from the mother to all her offspring
Question #14
The number of different chromosomes in a plant or animal
A.   varies between body cells (e.g., liver cells have more than intestinal cells).
B.   determines how evolved the organism is (potatoes have only five, but camels have seventy).
C.   reduces over the animal’s lifetime, causing aging.
D.   is the same in every cell with a nucleus; it is homoplasmic.
Question #15
Haplotypes are a group of alleles that
A.   is likely to recombine during crossovers.
B.   comes from one parent only.
C.   is not likely to recombine during crossovers.
D.   does not pass on for many generations.
Question #16
How is mitosis different from meiosis?
A.   Mitosis involves one DNA replication followed by two cell divisions.
B.   Mitosis results in haploid cells.
C.   Mitosis ultimately results in a reduced number of chromosomes.
D.   Mitosis results in identical copies of the parent cell.
Question #17
Most cells in the human body contain a nucleus,
A.   but the nuclear DNA itself is inactive in all but the reproductive cells.
B.   each containing a full copy of the organism’s DNA.
C.   but each has a different set of DNA.
D.   containing exactly one half of the organism’s DNA.
Question #18
During which process is the number of chromosomes reduced?
A.   mitosis
B.   recombination
C.   translation
D.   meiosis
Question #19
The decrease in hominin tooth size over time is an example of which pattern of natural selection?
A.   stabilizing
B.   directional
C.   balancing
D.   disruptive
Question #20
What effect does natural selection have on variation within a population?
A.   It decreases variation.
B.   It does not affect variation.
C.   It both increases and decreases variation.
D.   It increases variation.
Question #21
An individual who displays the disease sickle cell anemia must have inherited the deleterious allele from both phenotypically normal parents. This individual is therefore
A.   heterozygous, with one dominant and one recessive allele.
B.   homozygous with two dominant alleles.
C.   haplozygous.
D.   homozygous with two recessive alleles.
Question #22
The physical location of a gene within the genome is called the
A.   nucleus.
B.   address.
C.   locus.
D.   chromosome.
Question #23
In certain species of nonhuman primates there are groups where only one dominant female has access to mates. The other females must wait until the opportunity to mate presents itself. This will have direct impact on “fitness,” influencing which of the following?
A.   age at death
B.   strength
C.   aggressiveness
D.   reproductive success

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