Biological Anthropology Exam #1
(Chapters1-5) UPDATED Questions and
CORRECT Answers
primate - CORRECT ANSWER - member of the mammalian order Primates, including
prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans, defined by a suite of anatomical and behavioral traits
evolution - CORRECT ANSWER - a change in the frequency of a gene or a trait in a
population over multiple generations (change over time)
biological anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of humans as biological
organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework; sometimes called physical anthropology
hominin - CORRECT ANSWER - a member of the primate family Hominidae,
distinguished by bipedal posture and, in more recently evolved species, a large brain
adaptation - CORRECT ANSWER - a trait that increases the reproductive success of an
organism, produced by natural selection in the context of a particular environment
anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of humankind in a cross-cultural context.
Anthropology includes the subfields cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology,
and biological anthropology
culture - CORRECT ANSWER - the sum total of learned traditions, values, and beliefs
that groups of people (and a few species of highly intelligent animals) possess
biocultural anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of the interaction between
biology and culture, which plays a role in most human traits
,paleoanthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of the fossil record of ancestral
humans and their primate kin
osteology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of the skeleton
paleopathology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of diseases in ancestral human
populations
bioarchaeology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of human remains in an archaeological
context
forensic anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of human remains applied to a
legal context
primatology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of the non-human primates and their
anatomy, genetics, behavior, and ecology
human biology - CORRECT ANSWER - subfield of biological anthropology dealing with
human growth and development, adaptation to environmental extremes, and human genetics
physical anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of humans as biological
organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework
deduction - CORRECT ANSWER - a conclusion that follows logically from a set of
observations
observation - CORRECT ANSWER - the gathering of scientific information by watching a
phenomenon
hypothesis - CORRECT ANSWER - a preliminary explanation of a phenomenon.
Hypothesis formation is the first step of the scientific method
, experimentation - CORRECT ANSWER - the testing of a hypothesis
data - CORRECT ANSWER - the scientific evidence produced by an experiment or by
observation, from which scientific conclusions are made
scientific method - CORRECT ANSWER - standard scientific research procedure in which
a hypothesis is stated, data are collected to test it, and the hypothesis either supported or refuted
falsifiable - CORRECT ANSWER - able to be shown to be false
paradigm - CORRECT ANSWER - a conceptual framework useful for understanding a
body of evidence
immutability (or fixity) - CORRECT ANSWER - stasis, lack of change
taxonomy - CORRECT ANSWER - the science of biological classification
binomial nomenclature - CORRECT ANSWER - Linnean naming system for all
organisms, consisting of a genus and species label
taxon - CORRECT ANSWER - a group of organisms assigned to a particular category
catastrophism - CORRECT ANSWER - theory that there have been multiple creations
interspersed by great natural disasters such as Noah's flood
theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics - CORRECT ANSWER - discredited
theory of evolutionary change proposing that changes that occur during the lifetime of an
individual, through use or disuse, can be passed on to the next generation
(Chapters1-5) UPDATED Questions and
CORRECT Answers
primate - CORRECT ANSWER - member of the mammalian order Primates, including
prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans, defined by a suite of anatomical and behavioral traits
evolution - CORRECT ANSWER - a change in the frequency of a gene or a trait in a
population over multiple generations (change over time)
biological anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of humans as biological
organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework; sometimes called physical anthropology
hominin - CORRECT ANSWER - a member of the primate family Hominidae,
distinguished by bipedal posture and, in more recently evolved species, a large brain
adaptation - CORRECT ANSWER - a trait that increases the reproductive success of an
organism, produced by natural selection in the context of a particular environment
anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of humankind in a cross-cultural context.
Anthropology includes the subfields cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology,
and biological anthropology
culture - CORRECT ANSWER - the sum total of learned traditions, values, and beliefs
that groups of people (and a few species of highly intelligent animals) possess
biocultural anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of the interaction between
biology and culture, which plays a role in most human traits
,paleoanthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of the fossil record of ancestral
humans and their primate kin
osteology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of the skeleton
paleopathology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of diseases in ancestral human
populations
bioarchaeology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of human remains in an archaeological
context
forensic anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of human remains applied to a
legal context
primatology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of the non-human primates and their
anatomy, genetics, behavior, and ecology
human biology - CORRECT ANSWER - subfield of biological anthropology dealing with
human growth and development, adaptation to environmental extremes, and human genetics
physical anthropology - CORRECT ANSWER - the study of humans as biological
organisms, considered in an evolutionary framework
deduction - CORRECT ANSWER - a conclusion that follows logically from a set of
observations
observation - CORRECT ANSWER - the gathering of scientific information by watching a
phenomenon
hypothesis - CORRECT ANSWER - a preliminary explanation of a phenomenon.
Hypothesis formation is the first step of the scientific method
, experimentation - CORRECT ANSWER - the testing of a hypothesis
data - CORRECT ANSWER - the scientific evidence produced by an experiment or by
observation, from which scientific conclusions are made
scientific method - CORRECT ANSWER - standard scientific research procedure in which
a hypothesis is stated, data are collected to test it, and the hypothesis either supported or refuted
falsifiable - CORRECT ANSWER - able to be shown to be false
paradigm - CORRECT ANSWER - a conceptual framework useful for understanding a
body of evidence
immutability (or fixity) - CORRECT ANSWER - stasis, lack of change
taxonomy - CORRECT ANSWER - the science of biological classification
binomial nomenclature - CORRECT ANSWER - Linnean naming system for all
organisms, consisting of a genus and species label
taxon - CORRECT ANSWER - a group of organisms assigned to a particular category
catastrophism - CORRECT ANSWER - theory that there have been multiple creations
interspersed by great natural disasters such as Noah's flood
theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics - CORRECT ANSWER - discredited
theory of evolutionary change proposing that changes that occur during the lifetime of an
individual, through use or disuse, can be passed on to the next generation
