ANTH 270 Final Exam Questions and Answers Graded A+
How long ago did life on earth begin? - Answers 3.5 bya
What happened 65 mya - Answers an asteroid hit the earth and dinosaurs went extinct
By which epoch did primates evolve? - Answers Eocene (55 mya)
By which eppoch did hominins evolve? - Answers Pliocene (5 mya)
What theory did geologists use up until the early 19th century? - Answers Catastrophism
What theory did geologists use after the 19th century? - Answers Uniformitarianism (Hutton &
Lyell)
What is a fossil? - Answers The MINERALIZED remains or traces of animals, plants, or other
organisms
What are the 5 steps of fossilization? - Answers death, burial, fossilization, exposure, discovery
What type of dating tells us that something is older or younger than something else? (ex.
Stratigraphy) - Answers Relative Dating
What type of dating gives us a calendar date? (ex. K/Ar Dating, C1 4TH Dating) - Answers
Absolute Dating
What dating technique is best for younger organic materials? - Answers C14 Dating
What dating technique is better for older inorganic (volcanic rock) material? - Answers K/Ar
Dating
The term hominins refers to: - Answers members of the evolutionary group that inclused
humans and all our extinct bipedal relatives
What key trait defines the hominins category? - Answers bipedalism
How long ago did the earliest hominins exist? - Answers 5-7 mya
What are the features of the Piltdown Fossil? - Answers It was discovered in England in 1911,
had a human cranium and apelike jaw, and it was a barrier to the acceptance of the Out of Africa
theory
Which fossil hominin species was discovered in Kenya, is dated to 6 mya, and consists of
several femora and some isolated teeth? - Answers Orrorin tugenensis
Which fossil hominin species was discovered at the site of Aramis (Ethiopia), is dated to 4.4-5.8
mya, and is reconstructed as a biped with a grasping big toe? - Answers Ardipithecus ramidus
, Which fossil hominin species was discovered in Chad, is dated to ~6-7 mya, and consists of a
cranium with an odd mix of features? - Answers Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Whish homin did Dr. Frost help discover? - Answers Ardipithecus ramidus
When was Australopithecus alive? - Answers 4-2 mya
Where have members of the genus Australopithecus been found? - Answers E/S/C Africa
What is the oldest member of the genus Australopithecus? - Answers A. anamensis
What members of the genus Australopithecus can be found in S Africa - Answers A. afarensis
and A. sediba
What members of the genus Australopithecus can be found in E Africa - Answers A. anamensis,
A. afarensis, A. gahri
Why are S African sites difficult to date? - Answers Lack of volcanic activity
What species was the Taung Child - Answers A. africanus
What species was Lucy? - Answers A. afarensis
What species did the Laetoli footprints belong to? - Answers A. afarensis
Compared to Australopithecus, Paranthropus has a more _________ crania - Answers Robust
Paranthropus had derived features adapted for: - Answers a diet of lower quality food
What is the oldest Paranthropus species? - Answers P. aethiopicus
What members of the genus Paranthropus are found is S Africa? - Answers P. robustus
What members of the genus Paranthropus are found is E Africa? - Answers P. boisei and P.
aethiopicus
What muscle is attached to the sagittal crest? - Answers temporalis muscle
What size teeth did Paranthropus have? - Answers Large molars/premolars and small
incisors/canines
Which species of Paranthropus has the most facial prognathism? - Answers P. aethiopicus
What species is the Black Skull - Answers P. aethiopicus
What species was first known as Zinjanthropus - Answers P. boisei
What brain size did early Homos have? - Answers 600 cc
How long ago did life on earth begin? - Answers 3.5 bya
What happened 65 mya - Answers an asteroid hit the earth and dinosaurs went extinct
By which epoch did primates evolve? - Answers Eocene (55 mya)
By which eppoch did hominins evolve? - Answers Pliocene (5 mya)
What theory did geologists use up until the early 19th century? - Answers Catastrophism
What theory did geologists use after the 19th century? - Answers Uniformitarianism (Hutton &
Lyell)
What is a fossil? - Answers The MINERALIZED remains or traces of animals, plants, or other
organisms
What are the 5 steps of fossilization? - Answers death, burial, fossilization, exposure, discovery
What type of dating tells us that something is older or younger than something else? (ex.
Stratigraphy) - Answers Relative Dating
What type of dating gives us a calendar date? (ex. K/Ar Dating, C1 4TH Dating) - Answers
Absolute Dating
What dating technique is best for younger organic materials? - Answers C14 Dating
What dating technique is better for older inorganic (volcanic rock) material? - Answers K/Ar
Dating
The term hominins refers to: - Answers members of the evolutionary group that inclused
humans and all our extinct bipedal relatives
What key trait defines the hominins category? - Answers bipedalism
How long ago did the earliest hominins exist? - Answers 5-7 mya
What are the features of the Piltdown Fossil? - Answers It was discovered in England in 1911,
had a human cranium and apelike jaw, and it was a barrier to the acceptance of the Out of Africa
theory
Which fossil hominin species was discovered in Kenya, is dated to 6 mya, and consists of
several femora and some isolated teeth? - Answers Orrorin tugenensis
Which fossil hominin species was discovered at the site of Aramis (Ethiopia), is dated to 4.4-5.8
mya, and is reconstructed as a biped with a grasping big toe? - Answers Ardipithecus ramidus
, Which fossil hominin species was discovered in Chad, is dated to ~6-7 mya, and consists of a
cranium with an odd mix of features? - Answers Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Whish homin did Dr. Frost help discover? - Answers Ardipithecus ramidus
When was Australopithecus alive? - Answers 4-2 mya
Where have members of the genus Australopithecus been found? - Answers E/S/C Africa
What is the oldest member of the genus Australopithecus? - Answers A. anamensis
What members of the genus Australopithecus can be found in S Africa - Answers A. afarensis
and A. sediba
What members of the genus Australopithecus can be found in E Africa - Answers A. anamensis,
A. afarensis, A. gahri
Why are S African sites difficult to date? - Answers Lack of volcanic activity
What species was the Taung Child - Answers A. africanus
What species was Lucy? - Answers A. afarensis
What species did the Laetoli footprints belong to? - Answers A. afarensis
Compared to Australopithecus, Paranthropus has a more _________ crania - Answers Robust
Paranthropus had derived features adapted for: - Answers a diet of lower quality food
What is the oldest Paranthropus species? - Answers P. aethiopicus
What members of the genus Paranthropus are found is S Africa? - Answers P. robustus
What members of the genus Paranthropus are found is E Africa? - Answers P. boisei and P.
aethiopicus
What muscle is attached to the sagittal crest? - Answers temporalis muscle
What size teeth did Paranthropus have? - Answers Large molars/premolars and small
incisors/canines
Which species of Paranthropus has the most facial prognathism? - Answers P. aethiopicus
What species is the Black Skull - Answers P. aethiopicus
What species was first known as Zinjanthropus - Answers P. boisei
What brain size did early Homos have? - Answers 600 cc
