The Origin of Humans Quiz Results

1. Which of the following traits can be used to differentiate humans from our closest living primate relatives? Select all that apply.

  1. Grasping hands
  2. Bipedality, which is the ability to walk exclusively on two legs
  3. Large brain size
  4. Extensive tool use

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2. Louis and Mary Leakey found two different fossil hominid skulls in the same rock layer at Olduvai Gorge: first, the fossil they named Zinjanthropus and then the following year, "Olduvai Hominid Number 7." Which of the following statements about these two skulls is true?

  1. The first skull they found was several million years older than the second skull.
  2. The second skull represented a species more closely related to modern humans than the first skull's species.
  3. The second skull was that of a species that could walk upright and the first one was not.
  4. Both skulls belonged to the "toolmaker" species that the Leakeys had been searching for.

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3. The conclusion that the common ancestor of modern chimps and modern humans lived around 7 million years ago is supported by which of the following lines of evidence?

  1. Analysis of modern human and modern chimpanzee protein and DNA sequences suggests that their lineages diverged about 7 million years ago.
  2. Stone tools have been found that date back about 7 million years.
  3. Scientists estimate that it would take about 7 million years for chimps to evolve into humans.
  4. Scientists estimate that it takes about 2.5 million years for brains to double in volume, so it would take about 7 million years to go from 300 cubic centimeters (cc) (early hominid brain size) to 1500 cc (modern human brain size).

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4. Which of the three traits considered in this film (bipedality, extensive tool use, and large brains) were present in the 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus fossil (Lucy)?

  1. Lucy was a bipedal hominid with a brain size similar to that of modern humans, demonstrating that bipedality and larger brains evolved together.
  2. Stone tools were found in the same rock layer where Lucy was found, showing that members of this species were making and using tools 3.2 million years ago.
  3. Lucy was a bipedal hominid, and its discovery provided evidence that bipedality preceded the evolution of a larger brain size and extensive tool use.
  4. Lucy had a large brain, but there is no evidence that it used tools or that it walked mostly on two legs.

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5. How do scientists know that the hominid called "Ardi" is about 4.4 million years old?

  1. By comparing Ardi's DNA to modern human DNA
  2. By looking at Ardi's anatomical features
  3. By comparing the stone tools found in the same sediment as Ardi to other stone tools of known age
  4. By analyzing volcanic deposits above and below the layer containing Ardi

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6. What did scientists learn from other fossils found in the same sediment layer as Ardi?

  1. That Ardi and Lucy lived at the same time
  2. That Ardi lived in a woodland habitat
  3. That Ardi lived in an open grassland habitat
  4. That Ardi raised livestock and domesticated crops

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7. Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding human evolution? Select all that apply.

  1. The first humans evolved in Africa.
  2. Once humans evolved bipedality, tool use, and larger brains, they stopped evolving.
  3. The fossil record contains animals with features that are intermediate between those of modern humans and quadrupedal apes.
  4. In the most recent phase of human evolution, there has been a greater reliance on culture.

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