Chapter 4: The Role of Disease in Calculating Population Size

Question 1

Why did infectious disease spread more easily as human populations grew in size and density?

A) Disease microbes were more resilient.

B) Larger populations made transmission easier.

C) Modern humans were more affected by disease.

D) Small populations were always disease-free.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Fill in the Blank

Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, such as rabies, are called __________ diseases.

Answer 2

zoonotic

Question 3

Which of the following is not a zoonotic disease mentioned in the text?

A) Anthrax

B) Toxoplasmosis

C) Ringworm

D) Smallpox

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Name two ways that hunter-gatherers could be exposed to diseases while handling animals

Answer 4

Contact with animal carcasses; exposure to intestinal contents during butchering.

Question 5

Fill in the Blank
________, such as malaria and yellow fever, are examples of diseases carried by mosquitoes.

Answer 5

Vector-dependent diseases

Question 6

True/False
As humans migrated to cooler, drier climates, the spread of tropical parasites became more common.

Question 7

What environmental factor at the end of the Pleistocene likely contributed to the spread of malaria?

A) Increased humidity

B) Decreasing temperatures

C) Lack of animal hosts

D) Increased migration

Answer 7

A

Question 8

Match the Disease to Its Transmission Type

Bubonic plague - _______
Malaria - _______
Botulism - _______

Carried by mosquitoes
Carried by fleas
Bacterial infection from food

Answer 8

Bubonic plague - Carried by fleas
Malaria - Carried by mosquitoes
Botulism - Bacterial infection from food

Question 9

Fill in the Blank
High-mortality diseases can lead to stronger human immune responses and increase the prevalence of genetic __________ to the disease.

Answer 9

immunity

Question 10

How did cultural practices, like cooking meat thoroughly or practicing hygiene, help reduce disease transmission?

Answer 10

They helped eliminate pathogens and zoonotic diseases that could spread through undercooked food or poor sanitation.

Question 11

Diseases like measles and tuberculosis became more common in:

A) Low-density populations
B) Nomadic groups
C) Dense, growing populations
D) Cold, isolated environments

Answer 11

C