Human Change Over Time

Question 1

Primates

Answer 1

great apes, lesser apes, monkeys and prosimians

Question 2

Hominoids

Answer 2

great apes, lesser apes. All lack tails

Question 3

Hominids

Answer 3

great apes, humans

Question 4

Hominins

Answer 4

modern humans and our extinct bipedal ancestors

Question 5

Primates are distinguished by

Answer 5

• Opposable thumb on a 5-digit hand
• Flat nails
• Large, forward facing eyes
• Colour vision
• Protective bone at the outer side of the eye socket
• Large brains compared to body size
• Live in social groups

Question 6

Hominoids are distinguished by

Answer 6

• No tail
• Molars with 5 cusps
• Rib cage is flat not rounded
• Locomotion by tree swinging, knuckle walking or bipedalism
• Posture is fully or partially erect, allowing use of hands

Question 7

Hominins are distinguished by

Answer 7

• Bipedal
• Fewer and smaller teeth
• Flat face
• Lack of heavy brow ridges
• Centralised foramen magnum
• Are self-aware

Question 8

Features that show an animal walked upright

Answer 8

• The foramen magnum should be in the middle of the skull.
• The tibia should be at an angle when compared to the femur (in-line with spine)
• Pelvis should be relatively short and wide
• Absence of opposable toe

Question 9

Australopithecus (hominin genii)

Answer 9

• Thinner bones than later species.
• A bell-shaped cranium.
• large face

Question 10

Paranthropus (hominin genii)

Answer 10

• Heavier built than Australopithecus

* Heavy jaws, large molars

Question 11

Homo (hominin genii)

Answer 11

• Smaller teeth
• Shortened face
• Significantly larger cranial volume (relative to body size)

Question 12

Australopithecus afarensis (hominin species)

Answer 12

•	Ape like face
	Low forehead
	Brow ridges
	Flat nose
	No chin
•	Human-like body
•	Bipedal
•	Cranial volume 400-500cm3
•	Likely an ancestor of the Homo genus

Question 13

Australopithecus africanus (hominin species)

Answer 13

•	Less ape like
 Higher forehead
 Less obvious brow ridges
 Small canines
Jaw shape human-like

Question 14

Paranthropus robustus (hominin species)

Answer 14

• Sagittal crest, massive flat face, brow ridge, no forehead
• Huge grinding molars, very large lower jaw, relatively small incisors and canines
• Bipedal
• Relatively long arms
• Cranial volume around 530cm3

Question 15

Biological evolution

Answer 15

Process of biological (genetic) change in members of a species under the influence of natural selection

Question 16

Cultural evolution

Answer 16

Rapid changes in a population because of transmission of accumulated knowledge. Non-genetic means of adaption

Question 17

Technological evolution

Answer 17

Progressive development over time of technologies giving greater human control over the environment

Question 18

Human Fossil record is very poor because

Answer 18

• Fossilisation is an extremely rare event.

* Hominins don’t/didn’t live in places conducive to fossilisation

Question 19

Fossils we do have are incomplete because they are either

Answer 19

• A complete fossil of an incomplete specimen

* An incomplete fossil of a complete specimen

Question 20

Out-of-Africa Hypothesis

Answer 20

This theory states that all humans (Homo sapiens) evolved from a discrete African population within the last 200,000 years and then migrated in relatively recent times throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia, displacing the more primitive H. erectus and H. ergaster populations. Also referred to as the replacement theory.

Question 21

Parallel evolution hypotesis

Answer 21

This theory states that the Homo sapiens line is older than 200,000 years. The theory is that Homo sapiens originated independently in different parts of the world from Homo erectus populations that had migrated from Africa around one million years ago