Practice Quiz for Analysis
of Early Hominins

No. of Questions= 13

INSTRUCTIONS: To answer a question, click the button in front of your choice. A response will appear in the window below the question to let you know if you are correct. Be sure to read the feedback. It is designed to help you learn the material. You can also learn by reading the feedback for incorrect answers.

1.  Which of the following statements is true of the australopithecines that were living 3 million years ago?
      Pelvis and Feet Illustrations      
a) They were not yet bipedal
b) The bones of their pelvis looked more like those of apes than humans.
c) Their leg and foot bones were much more similar to ours than to apes.
 
2.  Which of the following have been suggested as advantages of bipedalism in a tropical grassland environment?
a) It provides an advantage in scavenging for food and watching out for predators in open environments.
b) It helps to dissipate excess body heat and reduces the absorption of heat from the sun.
c) It makes it easier to walk greater distances.
d) all of the above
3.  The brain size of australopithecines was about _______ that of ours.
a) 1/4
b) 1/3
c) 1/2
d) 3/4
4.  The term "zygomatic arch" refers to:
a) a bony arch extending horizontally on either side of the face below the eyes on primates and many other vertebrates.
b) a ridge of bone projecting up, from front to back, along the top midline of the skull.
c) the curved arrangement of teeth in a hominid jaw.
5.  Which of the following statements is true concerning the gracile australopithecine species?
a) Their fossils have only been found in South Africa.
b) They evolved after the robust species of australopithecines.
c) They generally were slender and delicate boned.
d) all of the above
6.  Which of the following were australopithecine species?
a) afarensis and africanus
b) africanus
c) africanus and Orrorin
d) all of the above
7.  Which of the following is out of chronological order (listed from oldest to most recent)?
a) Australopithecus anamensis
b) Australopithecus boisei
c) Australopithecus afarensis
d) Australopithecus africanus
e) none of the above
8.  Which of the following statements is true?
     
a) The australopithecines and early humans were sexually dimorphic but modern humans are not.
b) Australopithecines were usually taller than modern humans.
c) All australopithecine species had relatively large concave faces.
d) b and c
9.  Which of the following statements is true concerning the early hominins?
a) The robust species were consistently taller and heavier than the gracile ones.
b) The robust and gracile lines of species differed from each other in the features of their heads.
c) They had small molar teeth and jaws relative to their head size.
10.  Which of the following species had teeth that were the most similar to our own?
      Photo      
a) Australopithecus afarensis
b) Australopithecus africanus
c) Australopithecus robustus
11.  Which of the following species of australopithecines are generally not considered to be gracile forms?
a) afarensis and africanus
b) anamensis and afarensis
c) robustus and boisei
d) africanus and boisei
12.  Which of the following is most likely to have been our ancestor?
      Photo      
a) Australopithecus afarensis
b) Australopithecus boisei
c) Australopithecus aethiopicus
13.  Which of the following statements is likely to be true concerning Australopithecus aethiopicus?
      Photo      
a) They are the earliest known robust species of early hominins.
b) They had smaller brains than the other robust species of early hominins.
c) They are thought to be a transitional form from an earlier gracile species of australopithecine.
d) All of the above
 


 

 
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