PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
COMPREHENSIVE TEST BANK QUESTIONS
AND VERIFIED ANSWERS REVIEW
PACKAGE
●● How many branches, or subdisciplines, of anthropology are there?
Answer: 4; Cultural, Lingustic, Archeological, Biological/Physical
●● What does it mean to say that science is empirical?
Answer: It is based on evidence
●● What makes humans different from other animals in terms of brains?
Answer: Human brains are bigger and have more complex analytical
skills than the brains of other animals. These biological adaptations
enable us to figure out complex problems, including how to survive in a
wide range of environments.
●● Which of the following are examples of anthropological pursuits
Answer: Anthropology is an extremely broad field of study! Remember,
it is not limited to the perspective of any particular group of people. That
means that the observations of 15th- and 16th-century European
explorers were part of the anthropological enterprise, even if it was not
yet fully developed as a discipline.
, ●● What makes human learning particularly unique?
Answer: - Humans pass information and culture from generation to
generation.
●● Which specific part of the human anatomy allows us the unique
ability to produce speech?
Answer: The hyoid bone, found in the neck
●● What do physical anthropologists call the taxonomic group that
includes humans and humanlike ancestors, excluding living nonhuman
primates?
Answer: Hominins
●● Identify which of the following are characteristics of autolysis,
putrefaction, or both
Answer: Autolysis- breakdown of cells within the high-carbon-dioxide
environment of the body
Putrefaction- breakdown of tissues by microorganisms
Both-The rate of decomposition varies widely depending on the
temperature, humidity, availability of oxygen, exposure to sunlight, soil
acidity and chemistry, and insect and animal activity
COMPREHENSIVE TEST BANK QUESTIONS
AND VERIFIED ANSWERS REVIEW
PACKAGE
●● How many branches, or subdisciplines, of anthropology are there?
Answer: 4; Cultural, Lingustic, Archeological, Biological/Physical
●● What does it mean to say that science is empirical?
Answer: It is based on evidence
●● What makes humans different from other animals in terms of brains?
Answer: Human brains are bigger and have more complex analytical
skills than the brains of other animals. These biological adaptations
enable us to figure out complex problems, including how to survive in a
wide range of environments.
●● Which of the following are examples of anthropological pursuits
Answer: Anthropology is an extremely broad field of study! Remember,
it is not limited to the perspective of any particular group of people. That
means that the observations of 15th- and 16th-century European
explorers were part of the anthropological enterprise, even if it was not
yet fully developed as a discipline.
, ●● What makes human learning particularly unique?
Answer: - Humans pass information and culture from generation to
generation.
●● Which specific part of the human anatomy allows us the unique
ability to produce speech?
Answer: The hyoid bone, found in the neck
●● What do physical anthropologists call the taxonomic group that
includes humans and humanlike ancestors, excluding living nonhuman
primates?
Answer: Hominins
●● Identify which of the following are characteristics of autolysis,
putrefaction, or both
Answer: Autolysis- breakdown of cells within the high-carbon-dioxide
environment of the body
Putrefaction- breakdown of tissues by microorganisms
Both-The rate of decomposition varies widely depending on the
temperature, humidity, availability of oxygen, exposure to sunlight, soil
acidity and chemistry, and insect and animal activity
