ANTH Physical and Biological Anthropology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which primate trait is a shared feature that distinguishes primates from most other mammals?
- Grasping hands with opposable thumbs (Correct answer)
- Loss of all body hair
- Bipedal locomotion
- Absence of a tail in all species
Correct answer: Grasping hands with opposable thumbs
Grasping hands with opposable thumbs are a defining primate adaptation for arboreal life.
Question 2: The study of human skeletal remains to determine identity, cause of death, and time since death is called what?
- Forensic anthropology (Correct answer)
- Linguistic anthropology
- Ethnography
- Primatology
Correct answer: Forensic anthropology
Forensic anthropology applies skeletal analysis to medico-legal investigations.
Question 3: Which hominin species is credited with the earliest widespread use of controlled fire?
- Homo erectus (Correct answer)
- Australopithecus afarensis
- Paranthropus boisei
- Homo floresiensis
Correct answer: Homo erectus
Homo erectus is associated with early evidence of controlled fire use.
Question 4: The condition in which an allele frequency changes randomly in a small population is known as what?
- Genetic drift (Correct answer)
- Directional selection
- Gene flow
- Balanced polymorphism
Correct answer: Genetic drift
Genetic drift is random change in allele frequencies, strongest in small populations.
Question 5: Which foramen magnum position best indicates habitual bipedalism in a fossil skull?
- Positioned toward the center/base of the skull (Correct answer)
- Positioned at the rear of the skull
- Absent entirely
- Positioned on the side of the skull
Correct answer: Positioned toward the center/base of the skull
A centrally placed foramen magnum shows the spine enters vertically, indicating upright posture.
Question 6: What is the primary function of the enlarged brow ridges and sagittal crest seen in some early hominins?
- Anchoring large chewing muscles (Correct answer)
- Improving vision at night
- Regulating brain temperature
- Supporting upright walking
Correct answer: Anchoring large chewing muscles
Robust features like sagittal crests anchored powerful jaw muscles for heavy chewing.
Question 7: The persistence of lactase enzyme production into adulthood is an example of what evolutionary process?
- Recent human adaptation to dairy diets (Correct answer)
- Random mutation with no effect
- Genetic drift only
- Reversal to an ancestral trait
Correct answer: Recent human adaptation to dairy diets
Lactase persistence evolved in populations with long histories of dairy consumption.
ANTH Physical and Biological Anthropology 2
Which primate trait is a shared feature that distinguishes primates from most other mammals?