Early Primate Evolution Exam Questions Chapter 6

Biological Anthropology: Concepts and Connections, 3e (Fuentes)

Chapter 6 Early Primate Evolution

1) Which of the following was NOT a predominant vertebrate life-form 70 million years ago?

A) the ichthyosaurs

B) the dinosaurs

C) the pterosaurs

D) the plesiosaurs

2) The process by which bodily tissues slowly turn to stone is known as:

A) fossilization.

B) adaptation.

C) mutation.

D) transcription.

3) The internal production of a nutrient-rich milk by females to feed young offspring is known as:

A) ovulation.

B) gestation.

C) lactation.

D) menstruation.

4) The context of a fossil includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A) the type of rock in which the fossil was found.

B) the phylogenetic position of the fossil.

C) what nonfossil items surrounded the fossil.

D) what other fossils were found nearby.

5) Which of the following is NOT a relative dating technique?

A) faunal correlation

B) fission-track

C) stratigraphy

D) fluorine dating

6) The context of a fossil is needed:

A) to draw inferences about the fossil.

B) for use in reconstructions of past life.

C) for use in reconstructions of past environments.

D) All of these answers are correct.

7) Which of the following is NOT a chronometric dating technique?

A) fluoroscopy

B) dendrochronology

C) potassium-argon (40K/40Ar)

D) thermoluminescence

8) The major groups of mammals are:

A) the marsupials, the multituberculates, and the placentals.

B) the monotremes, the marsupials, the multituberculates, and the placentals.

C) the monotremes, the marsupials, and the placentals.

D) the marsupials, the multituberculates, the primates, and the placentals.

9) Mammalian traits include:

A) homiothermy, a set of specific reproductive patterns, and a set of unique brain structures.

B) heterodontism, a set of specific reproductive patterns, and a set of unique brain structures.

C) homiothermy, heterodontism, a set of specific reproductive patterns, and a set of unique brain structures.

D) a set of specific reproductive patterns and a set of unique brain structures.

10) After the mass extinction event 65 million years ago, ________ underwent an adaptive radiation.

A) the placentals

B) the monotremes

C) the marsupials

D) the multituberculates

11) After the mass extinction event 65 million years ago, ________ quickly became extinct.

A) the placentals

B) the monotremes

C) the marsupials

D) the multituberculates

12) Today, the vast majority of mammals are:

A) placentals.

B) monotremes.

C) marsupials.

D) multituberculates.

13) Today, only three species of mammals are:

A) placentals.

B) monotremes.

C) marsupials.

D) multituberculates.

14) During the Paleocene epoch, Plesiadapiformes:

A) dramatically decreased in numbers.

B) underwent an adaptive radiation.

C) became extinct.

D) were not in evidence, having become extinct during the Lower epoch of the Cretaceous period.

15) Fossil forms that meet all of the criteria for a true primate are first found in the ________ epoch.

A) Oligocene

B) Paleocene

C) Miocene

D) Eocene

16) Sexual dimorphism is a difference between the sexes of a species in:

A) intellectual growth.

B) the display of emotion.

C) body size or shape.

D) the size of canine teeth.

17) The term "brachiator anatomy" refers to modifications to the:

A) rib cage.

B) cranium.

C) leg and foot.

D) shoulder and arm.

18) Which of the following genera of hominoids displays a greater degree of sexual dimorphism than any living ape?

A) Sivapithecus

B) Gigantopithecus

C) Oreopithecus

D) Lufengpithecus

19) The earliest anthropoids are found only in:

A) North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

B) Africa and southern and Southeast Asia.

C) Africa, Asia, and Europe.

D) Europe, North America, and Asia.

20) The early hominoids, Proconsulidae, are found primarily in:

A) east Africa.

B) Asia.

C) Europe.

D) North America.

21) Most of the modern primate forms show up in the fossil record of the ________ epochs.

A) Pliocene and Pleistocene

B) Miocene and Pliocene

C) Oligocene and Miocene

D) Eocene and Oligocene

22) Which of the following orders from the Archonta taxonomic group is now extinct?

A) Scandentia

B) Dermoptera

C) Plesiadapis

D) Chiroptera

23) Which of the following is NOT an early form of modern mammals in the Eocene epoch?

A) Rodentia

B) Multituberculates

C) Perissodactyla

D) Cetaceans

24) The ability to generate and regulate internal body temperature is known as:

A) vasoconstriction.

B) vasodilation.

C) homiothermy.

D) poikilothermy.

25) The El Fayum's Jebel Qatrani formation ranges in date from:

A) the upper Oligocene through the late Miocene.

B) the lower Oligocene through the earliest Pliocene.

C) the upper Eocene through the earliest Miocene.

D) the upper Eocene through the earliest Pliocene.

26) The method of stratigraphy includes dating by:

A) examining the relative amounts of chemicals in a bone.

B) examining the relative amounts of minerals in a bone.

C) correlating with fossils of known age.

D) studying the layers of the earth.

27) The specific association of all EXCEPT one of the following traits in the same organism helps define it as a primate. Which trait is NOT one of the main primate traits?

A) a high encephalization quotient

B) fast postnatal growth

C) a long gestation period

D) 3-D vision

28) The term "unguiculate" means:

A) nails instead of claws on the ends of the digits.

B) a type of pterosaur that lived 65 million years ago.

C) a high encephalization quotient.

D) an enclosed eye socket.

29) The carrying of the embryo/fetus within the female's body until birth is known as:

A) micturition.

B) parturition.

C) internal ovulation.

D) internal gestation.

30) Prehension in primates means:

A) the ability to grasp.

B) the ability to think.

C) the ability to think ahead of time.

D) the ability to grasp ahead of time.

31) Which of the following is NOT true of the Adapoids?

A) They were arboreal.

B) They had nails on their hands and feet.

C) They had relatively long legs, a long trunk, and a long tail.

D) They were similar to tarsiers.

32) Which of the following is NOT one of the main hypotheses regarding the evolution of primates?

A) the arboreal hypothesis

B) the foraging hypothesis

C) the visual adaptation hypothesis

D) the angiosperm radiation hypothesis

33) Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of Oligocene fossils that fit our notions of what a primate is and what an anthropoid primate is?

A) more body hair

B) a reduced nasal area

C) an enclosed eye socket

D) generally small orbits

34) Encephalization quotient (EQ) refers to:

A) the activity of the brain.

B) the ratio of brain size to body size.

C) the ratio of arm size to leg size in mammals.

D) the rate of heart beat.

35) Another word for neotropical monkeys is:

A) Platyrrhines.

B) the Parapithecids.

C) Catarrhines.

D) the Callitrichids.

36) Heterodontism means:

A) having different types of teeth.

B) having different types of sexuality.

C) when the two sexes of one species have different types of teeth.

D) when the two sexes of one species exhibit different types of sexuality.

37) All of the following are part of the cluster of morphological traits that are used to define apes EXCEPT:

A) modifications to the shoulder.

B) modifications to the arm.

C) high, sharp molar teeth.

D) the lack of a tail.

38) Identify a characteristic of the members of the Proconsulidae family.

A) They exhibited purely hominoid skeletal morphology.

B) They were brachiators.

C) They possessed long tails.

D) They had thin enamel on their molar teeth much like gorillas.

39) Which one of the following animals is NOT thought to have competed with the Plesiadapiformes, eventually causing their extinction?

A) rodents

B) marsupials

C) bats

D) primates

40) Which of the following is a strong candidate for a direct (or very close) orangutan ancestor?

A) Gigantopithecus

B) Sivapithecus

C) Lufengpithecus

D) Dryopithecus

41) The origin of primates seems to be tied to the diversification and radiation of which of the following?

A) insects

B) leafy plants

C) flowering plants

D) fruit plants

42) Which of the following is NOT true of El Fayum?

A) Today, it is a desert.

B) Today, it is cold.

C) In the past, it was filled with tropical forests.

D) In the past, it was dotted with lakes.

43) Which of the following is NOT true about the Eocene epoch?

A) It was generally warm and humid.

B) Most land environments were tropical and subtropical forests.

C) Many early forms of modern mammals had evolved before this period.

D) At the beginning, North America and Europe were still joined.

44) All of the following are true about chronometric dating techniques EXCEPT:

A) they give us a specific age for a fossil.

B) they are based on analysis of a piece of the fossil itself or on analysis of the rocks surrounding the fossil.

C) examples include radiometric methods.

D) many elements found in bones contain radioactive components that do not change over time.

45) Identify a characteristic of the Omomyoids.

A) They generally had short, narrow snouts.

B) They showed a strong resemblance to modern lemurs.

C) They generally had small eyes.

D) They moved about by clambering rather than leaping arboreally.

46) Name, define, and give an example of the two broad categories of dating techniques. What determines which dating technique is used?

47) There is a set of characteristics that generally tell us whether or not a mammal is a primate, and it is the specific association of these traits in the same organism that defines it as a primate. Name four traits that primates share with mammals and four traits that are unique to primates. For one of the traits, speculate as to why/how the trait evolved in primates.

48) Name and describe the three main sets of ideas/theories associated with the kinds of selection pressures that would result in the appearance of a set of primate-like traits in the fossil record and the divergence of primates from a general mammalian form.

49) Name the two main groups of anthropoid primates found in the early Fayum deposits, and describe two characteristics of each. Also, name which of the groups is believed to be linked to modern monkeys and apes and why.

50) Discuss the three main theories of how anthropoids came to be in South America. Which one of these possibilities do you believe is the most likely explanation and why?