The approach taken in this course to understand the complexity of our relationships to non-
human animals
all choices are correct
All people put non-human into different categories. These categories primarily reflect
how the animal(s) are used
There are 3 common types of symbioses
mutualism, comensalism, parasitisim
The “human-animal” distinction
likely originated with the domestication of animals, and subsequently justified by Western
philosophers
Because for millions of years our ancestors’ survival depended on recognizing the potential
danger and also food value of animals
our brains’ visual system evolved to quickly and efficiently recognize animals
One way to describe and understand the diverse relationships between humans and other
animals is
as types of ecological interrelationships that include 3 common type of symbioses
As it relates to the Hominin Family Tree, please select the correct chronological order from
oldest to most recent.
Australopithecus, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis
Based on current evidence, what kind of empathy is a trait of humans AND other animals
(if any)?
Emotional empathy
An efficient hunting-gathering mode of subsistence among our ancestors involved
a sexual division of labor
Evidence of dog domestication includes
all choices are correct
In the reading by Fagan (2015, “Partnership”) the author describes the relationship
between hunter-gatherers (both ancient and modern) and other animals as
all choices are correct
Bipedal running in our ancestors allowed for
brain growth AND hunting large game
What drove ancestral humans to spread out of Africa?
Population expansion and the need for large hunting territories
What is the definition of “neoteny”?
Retaining infantile or juvenile features into adulthood
In the video "The Beak of the Finch: Speciation of finches on the Galapagos", when
evolutionary biologists Rosemary and Peter Grant quantify dates breeding took place,
number of years bred, number of offspring, and how many offspring survived to sexual
maturity, they are:
Analyzing evolutionary fitness
Why did the Silver Foxes bred for domestication develop unintended characteristics like
floppy ears and white patchy fur?
By not being selected against (as they would have been in nature), these traits began to
emerge more and more with each generation AND Temperament, behavior, and
appearance are all genetically linked - selecting for genes that promote a friendly
temperament caused the genes controlling floppy ears and curly tails to also become more
strongly expressed
In the reading by Budianski (2000, “Proto-Dog”) the author emphasizes that small
variations in growth rates during the first few months of puppyhood accounts for the wide
,variety of head shapes found in different dog breeds.
True
Pure-breeding of dogs is an example of?
Artificial selection
Regarding pet-keeping, which of the following statements is false?
Most (>50%) US college students consider boa constrictors to be pets.
What is the role of oxytocin?
Facilitates social bonding
What are zoonotic diseases?
Diseases that naturally pass between humans and animals
In addition to artificial breeding, humans have altered dog breeds by
all choices are correct
In how many cultures are pets treated as “friends or family members”?
5
In what area of the world were the earliest signs of domesticated plants found?
Fertile Crescent of Southwest Asia
What is domestication?
A sustained, multi-generational mutualistic relationship between the domesticator and the
target domesticate
Which of the following is NOT true of the Neolithic Revolution?
It began about 100,000 years ago.
Humans were unable to domesticate the Zebra because
it’s dangerously aggressive
Pastoralists were limited in regards to what environments they could live in because they
had to feed and house large groups of animals in addition to taking care of themselves.
False
How does Diamond (2002, in the assigned reading) explain why ancient and modern
centers of agriculture have a very low level of geographic overlap?
The ancient agricultural centers arose because valuable domesticated species were native
to those areas despite the land being less than ideal for agriculture. Modern agriculture
centers arose on prosperous landscapes better suited for agriculture after these valuable
species were brought to the area by humans.
Which of the following is the ancestor to modern cattle?
Auroch
According to Edgerton, the most important distinction between farmers and herders is in
their typical forms of aggression.
True
The earliest archaeological evidence indicating sheep and goat domestication consists of
the predominance of sheep and goat bones along with large concentrations of their dung in
early settlements
Studies done on Culture of Honor in Mexico and Costa Rica show that there are strong
cultural differences in herders’ willingness to practice revenge, which explains why there is
so much violence in Central America.
False
In the reading by Fagan “Corralling the Aurochs”, certain African herding societies are
described as “parasite of the cow” because...
as in the case of the Nuer herding peoples, they keep cattle primarily as a source of milk
and blood
,Why are there fewer breeds of cats compared to breeds of dogs?
People have had many more uses for dogs and have created more breeds to suit the many
uses
The Stranger Test experiment shows that compared to dogs, cats
none of the choices are correct
Cats make many different kinds of vocalizations. Which kind is most varied and used most
often with humans?
Meowing
Accoridn to the reading by Fagan (2015, Ch4 and Ch5), the reason why Maring clans in the
highlands of New Guinea go to war is because
it’s connected to the mass consumption of pigs beforehand and the takeover of
horticultural lands by the winners
How did the domestication relationship between humans and pigs begin?
Pigs were opportunistic scavengers that fed on human refuse and garbage
Why do some scientists question whether cats should be considered as domesticated?
"Domesticated” cats can live in the wild; they don’t need humans to survive
Personality tests show that “dog people” have a higher openness to experience than “cat
people” and “cat people” are more extroverted than “dog people”
False
The toxoplasma parasite may cause cat urine to be perceived as an attractant by people
and rodents.
True
The ancient Egyptian civilizations revered the cat, as shown by
their worship of a cat-human goddess AND thousands of cats being embalmed and placed
in tombs
According to DNA evidence, from which two kinds of wild ass are all domesticated Donkeys
descended?
Nubian and Somali
By 3,200 BP, Dromedary camels were bred for a specific reason in Arabia. What was it?
To be pack animals on trade caravans
In the reading, the author Brian Fagan describes donkeys as “the pickup trucks of history”
True
Through which pathway were donkeys domesticated?
Directed pathway
What was the main use for donkeys in regards to the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and
Anatolia (modern Turkey)?
Donkeys were used in caravans to carry trade goods, such as tin, copper and gold
The invention of the North Arabian saddle around 2500 BP made possible
fighting on camelback with use of weapons
At ancient village sites west of the Nile, archeologists have found 3000 year old smooth
limestone flakes that served as “writing pads”, which record
medical remedies, love poems, and business transactions of the donkey traders
The domestication of the horse followed the
directed pathway
Study of ancient horse DNA shows that by 5,500 BP horses were domesticated because of
the increase in genes for a variety of coat colorations as a result of artificial selection.
True
Use of the cavalry in warfare eventually replaced the chariot because of the far greater
, mobility and maneuverability of the cavalry on the battlefield.
True
Horses are part of a larger group of equids that include
asses and zebras
Eventually, the lives of the nomadic herders of the steppe were transformed by the
domestication of the horse because
all choices are correct
The earliest archeological evidence of horse domestication consists of
bit wear on teeth
In the reading on horses (Fagan, 2015; Ch 10 & 11), the author describes the early steps
toward horse domestication as consisting of
capture and corralling of pregnant females
The Hun could break a horse (i.e., tame it) in a matter of weeks.
False
In medieval siege warfare, the horse was important because it could bring supplies into the
castle secretly from the outside.
False
Which of the following did NOT contribute to the 13th C Mongols’ success in battle?
They had primitive gun-like weapons
During World War I, the Blue Cross handbook provided instructions on
How to care for your horse
The Romans described the Hun as…
Glued to their horse
The Mongolians had an early version of the “Pony Express” called the Yam.
True
After WWI, the horse became less important in modern warfare because
motorized vehicles, including tanks, were more effective
The Great Wall of China was built to prevent disloyal Chinese factions from joining the
Mongol forces.
False
In the field of psychology the “Clever Hans Effect” describes what phenomenon?
People unintentionally (unconsciously) give away subtle cues when they expect the
outcome of a situation (cue the experimenter about the correct answer)
Scientists generally consider horses to be as skilled as dogs in understanding the
communicative nature of human cues?
False
The arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the New World led to the spread of
the smallpox virus that eventually reduced the Native American population by 90%.
True
The enormous quantities of Gold and Silver brought back to Spain from the New World
all choices are correct
When American pioneers moved west from the east, they encountered hostile Native
Americans that were very different from the ones Cortes or Pizzaro had encountered.
Which of the following is NOT true about the natives they encountered?
Natives used long range rifles from atop mesas to gain a strategic advantage
human animals
all choices are correct
All people put non-human into different categories. These categories primarily reflect
how the animal(s) are used
There are 3 common types of symbioses
mutualism, comensalism, parasitisim
The “human-animal” distinction
likely originated with the domestication of animals, and subsequently justified by Western
philosophers
Because for millions of years our ancestors’ survival depended on recognizing the potential
danger and also food value of animals
our brains’ visual system evolved to quickly and efficiently recognize animals
One way to describe and understand the diverse relationships between humans and other
animals is
as types of ecological interrelationships that include 3 common type of symbioses
As it relates to the Hominin Family Tree, please select the correct chronological order from
oldest to most recent.
Australopithecus, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis
Based on current evidence, what kind of empathy is a trait of humans AND other animals
(if any)?
Emotional empathy
An efficient hunting-gathering mode of subsistence among our ancestors involved
a sexual division of labor
Evidence of dog domestication includes
all choices are correct
In the reading by Fagan (2015, “Partnership”) the author describes the relationship
between hunter-gatherers (both ancient and modern) and other animals as
all choices are correct
Bipedal running in our ancestors allowed for
brain growth AND hunting large game
What drove ancestral humans to spread out of Africa?
Population expansion and the need for large hunting territories
What is the definition of “neoteny”?
Retaining infantile or juvenile features into adulthood
In the video "The Beak of the Finch: Speciation of finches on the Galapagos", when
evolutionary biologists Rosemary and Peter Grant quantify dates breeding took place,
number of years bred, number of offspring, and how many offspring survived to sexual
maturity, they are:
Analyzing evolutionary fitness
Why did the Silver Foxes bred for domestication develop unintended characteristics like
floppy ears and white patchy fur?
By not being selected against (as they would have been in nature), these traits began to
emerge more and more with each generation AND Temperament, behavior, and
appearance are all genetically linked - selecting for genes that promote a friendly
temperament caused the genes controlling floppy ears and curly tails to also become more
strongly expressed
In the reading by Budianski (2000, “Proto-Dog”) the author emphasizes that small
variations in growth rates during the first few months of puppyhood accounts for the wide
,variety of head shapes found in different dog breeds.
True
Pure-breeding of dogs is an example of?
Artificial selection
Regarding pet-keeping, which of the following statements is false?
Most (>50%) US college students consider boa constrictors to be pets.
What is the role of oxytocin?
Facilitates social bonding
What are zoonotic diseases?
Diseases that naturally pass between humans and animals
In addition to artificial breeding, humans have altered dog breeds by
all choices are correct
In how many cultures are pets treated as “friends or family members”?
5
In what area of the world were the earliest signs of domesticated plants found?
Fertile Crescent of Southwest Asia
What is domestication?
A sustained, multi-generational mutualistic relationship between the domesticator and the
target domesticate
Which of the following is NOT true of the Neolithic Revolution?
It began about 100,000 years ago.
Humans were unable to domesticate the Zebra because
it’s dangerously aggressive
Pastoralists were limited in regards to what environments they could live in because they
had to feed and house large groups of animals in addition to taking care of themselves.
False
How does Diamond (2002, in the assigned reading) explain why ancient and modern
centers of agriculture have a very low level of geographic overlap?
The ancient agricultural centers arose because valuable domesticated species were native
to those areas despite the land being less than ideal for agriculture. Modern agriculture
centers arose on prosperous landscapes better suited for agriculture after these valuable
species were brought to the area by humans.
Which of the following is the ancestor to modern cattle?
Auroch
According to Edgerton, the most important distinction between farmers and herders is in
their typical forms of aggression.
True
The earliest archaeological evidence indicating sheep and goat domestication consists of
the predominance of sheep and goat bones along with large concentrations of their dung in
early settlements
Studies done on Culture of Honor in Mexico and Costa Rica show that there are strong
cultural differences in herders’ willingness to practice revenge, which explains why there is
so much violence in Central America.
False
In the reading by Fagan “Corralling the Aurochs”, certain African herding societies are
described as “parasite of the cow” because...
as in the case of the Nuer herding peoples, they keep cattle primarily as a source of milk
and blood
,Why are there fewer breeds of cats compared to breeds of dogs?
People have had many more uses for dogs and have created more breeds to suit the many
uses
The Stranger Test experiment shows that compared to dogs, cats
none of the choices are correct
Cats make many different kinds of vocalizations. Which kind is most varied and used most
often with humans?
Meowing
Accoridn to the reading by Fagan (2015, Ch4 and Ch5), the reason why Maring clans in the
highlands of New Guinea go to war is because
it’s connected to the mass consumption of pigs beforehand and the takeover of
horticultural lands by the winners
How did the domestication relationship between humans and pigs begin?
Pigs were opportunistic scavengers that fed on human refuse and garbage
Why do some scientists question whether cats should be considered as domesticated?
"Domesticated” cats can live in the wild; they don’t need humans to survive
Personality tests show that “dog people” have a higher openness to experience than “cat
people” and “cat people” are more extroverted than “dog people”
False
The toxoplasma parasite may cause cat urine to be perceived as an attractant by people
and rodents.
True
The ancient Egyptian civilizations revered the cat, as shown by
their worship of a cat-human goddess AND thousands of cats being embalmed and placed
in tombs
According to DNA evidence, from which two kinds of wild ass are all domesticated Donkeys
descended?
Nubian and Somali
By 3,200 BP, Dromedary camels were bred for a specific reason in Arabia. What was it?
To be pack animals on trade caravans
In the reading, the author Brian Fagan describes donkeys as “the pickup trucks of history”
True
Through which pathway were donkeys domesticated?
Directed pathway
What was the main use for donkeys in regards to the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and
Anatolia (modern Turkey)?
Donkeys were used in caravans to carry trade goods, such as tin, copper and gold
The invention of the North Arabian saddle around 2500 BP made possible
fighting on camelback with use of weapons
At ancient village sites west of the Nile, archeologists have found 3000 year old smooth
limestone flakes that served as “writing pads”, which record
medical remedies, love poems, and business transactions of the donkey traders
The domestication of the horse followed the
directed pathway
Study of ancient horse DNA shows that by 5,500 BP horses were domesticated because of
the increase in genes for a variety of coat colorations as a result of artificial selection.
True
Use of the cavalry in warfare eventually replaced the chariot because of the far greater
, mobility and maneuverability of the cavalry on the battlefield.
True
Horses are part of a larger group of equids that include
asses and zebras
Eventually, the lives of the nomadic herders of the steppe were transformed by the
domestication of the horse because
all choices are correct
The earliest archeological evidence of horse domestication consists of
bit wear on teeth
In the reading on horses (Fagan, 2015; Ch 10 & 11), the author describes the early steps
toward horse domestication as consisting of
capture and corralling of pregnant females
The Hun could break a horse (i.e., tame it) in a matter of weeks.
False
In medieval siege warfare, the horse was important because it could bring supplies into the
castle secretly from the outside.
False
Which of the following did NOT contribute to the 13th C Mongols’ success in battle?
They had primitive gun-like weapons
During World War I, the Blue Cross handbook provided instructions on
How to care for your horse
The Romans described the Hun as…
Glued to their horse
The Mongolians had an early version of the “Pony Express” called the Yam.
True
After WWI, the horse became less important in modern warfare because
motorized vehicles, including tanks, were more effective
The Great Wall of China was built to prevent disloyal Chinese factions from joining the
Mongol forces.
False
In the field of psychology the “Clever Hans Effect” describes what phenomenon?
People unintentionally (unconsciously) give away subtle cues when they expect the
outcome of a situation (cue the experimenter about the correct answer)
Scientists generally consider horses to be as skilled as dogs in understanding the
communicative nature of human cues?
False
The arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the New World led to the spread of
the smallpox virus that eventually reduced the Native American population by 90%.
True
The enormous quantities of Gold and Silver brought back to Spain from the New World
all choices are correct
When American pioneers moved west from the east, they encountered hostile Native
Americans that were very different from the ones Cortes or Pizzaro had encountered.
Which of the following is NOT true about the natives they encountered?
Natives used long range rifles from atop mesas to gain a strategic advantage
