Human Evolution Quiz

Question 1

what are the characteristics of primates

Answer 1

-5 fingers on their hands
- opposable toe
- walk on 4 or 2 feet
- stand up straight
- move by using their arms( cling to things/ leap)
- teeth used for shearing, cutting and grinding
- have incisors, molars, canines and pre-molars
- omnivores
- small snout
- better vision and touch than hearing and smell
- 2 eyes that see color and 3D
- large brain
- depend on learned behavior
- single births

Question 2

Differentiate between monkeys and apes

Answer 2

• monkeys have tails, apes do not
• monkeys are smaller and narrow chested, apes are larger and have broad chests and shoulder joints that allow them to swing through trees
• apes have an appendix and monkeys do not.
• Apes are generally more intelligent than monkeys, and most species of apes exhibit some use of tools.
  -apes have demonstrated higher ability with language
  -There are only a handful of ape species, while there are hundreds of species of monkeys.

Question 3

Identify the benefits of walking upright

Answer 3

-Humans could use their hands, see farther, and perhaps travel faster.
-making it easier to pick fruits and other food from low-lying branches; freeing hands for carrying food, tools, or babies; enabling early humans to appear larger and more intimidating; helping early humans cover wide, open landscapes quickly and efficiently.

Question 4

what are the challenges of walking upright

Answer 4

-increased risk for falls and fractures among older adults
-load distribution on two legs only and stabilization of the upright posture
back problems

Question 5

Identify observed changes in the hominid family tree

Answer 5

decrease in both overall body size and brain size as well as a reduction in jaw and tooth proportions.

Question 6

what are the approximate time frames of the hominid family tree

Answer 6

-Australopithecus lived 4.4 million to 1.4 million years ago
- Homo Habilis: 2.4 to 1.5 million years ago (mya)
Homo Erectus -1.6 million years to at least 250,000 years ago
Neanderthals -130,000 and 40,000 years
Homo Sapiens-300,000 years agoto present

Question 7

what are the achievements of members of the hominid family

Answer 7

• walking upright
• living in social groups
• using tools
• hunting
  -fire
• spoken language
• clothing
• shelters
  -medicine
  -sewing
  -sculpting
• cave paintings

Question 8

compare and contrast Neanderthals and humans

Answer 8

Differences: humans are less strong but more intelligent and Neanderthals were less intelligent but stronger
-The modern human has a more rounded skull and lacks the prominent brow ridge present in the Neanderthal. Neanderthals had strong, muscular bodies, and wide hips and shoulders. They were not as big
Similarity
-the general pattern of growth is very similar to that of modern humans.

Question 9

where did the hominids originate and how did they spread across the globe

Answer 9

Africa, Human migration seems to follow coastlines. Early routes followed the coasts of the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Ocean.