Chapter 9 Quiz

25 July 2022
4.7 (114 reviews)
30 test answers

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers (26)
question
During the Miocene epoch of the Cenozoic era, there was an adaptive radiation of which kind of primate? a. prosimians b. apes c. monkeys d. humans
answer
apes
question
Which fossil group is characterized by an eye orbit fully enclosed by bone? a. anthropoids b. plesiadapiforms c. adapids d. omomyids
answer
anthropoids
question
Monkeys underwent massive _______ in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. a. extinction b. migration c. diversification d. adaptive radiation
answer
adaptive radiation
question
Which anatomical feature would you expect to find in the fossil remains of a nocturnal species? a. short fingers and toes b. pointy teeth c. long legs d. large eye orbits
answer
large eye orbits
question
Which of the following apes has been proposed as the last common ancestor of living African apes and humans? a. Gigantopithecus b. Dryopithecus c. Sivapithecus d. Ouranopithecus
answer
Ouranopithecus
question
The most distinctive feature of ape dentition, which clearly distinguishes apes from Old World monkeys, is: a. bilophodont molars. b. a 2-1-2-3 dental formula. c. a Y-5 molar pattern. d. a long canine tooth in males.
answer
a Y-5 molar pattern.
question
The shift from the Miocene, which had greater diversity of ape species and fewer monkey species, to a living assemblage with greater diversity of monkey species and fewer ape species may be the result of: a. cooler climates, where it is more difficult to preserve larger ape fossils. b. declines in ape diversity, caused by competition from hominin species. c. differences in ability to exploit the habitats that resulted after a change in global climate. d. global climate changes that resulted in cooler, wetter environments less optimal for ape species.
answer
differences in ability to exploit the habitats that resulted after a change in global climate.
question
Based on genetic analysis of living primates calibrated by the fossil record, it is estimated that apes and Old World monkeys diverged into separate lineages around: a. 15 mya. b. 10 mya. c. 25 mya. d. 5 mya.
answer
25 mya
question
Plesiadapiforms are also called: a. adapids. b. proconsulids. c. proprimates. d. dryopithecids.
answer
proprimates.
question
Sivapithecus is widely recognized as an ancestral member of which ape lineage? a. gibbon b. orangutan c. gorilla d. chimpanzee
answer
orangutan
question
The best-accepted hypothesis for the dispersal of African monkeys to the New World is that: a. platyrrhines evolved from anthropoids in Africa that migrated across the Atlantic to South America. b. Old and New World anthropoids evolved independently from different lineages in Africa and South America, respectively. c. platyrrhines evolved from anthropoids in Africa that migrated to South America in the Oligocene. d. platyrrhines evolved from anthropoids in Africa that migrated south on land to Antarctica, then to Patagonia.
answer
platyrrhines evolved from anthropoids in Africa that migrated across the Atlantic to South America.
question
Robert Sussman's angiosperm radiation hypothesis is based on the finding that a. the first primates preyed on small insects called angiosperms. b. fruit was a newly available food source in the Cenozoic era. c. None of the choices is correct. d. primate evolution was jump-started by the elongation of the radii (the lower arm bones) necessary for swinging through the trees.
answer
fruit was a newly available food source in the Cenozoic era.
question
A valid criticism of the idea that anthropoids evolved independently in Africa and South America is that a. Africa's fossil record dates back only 6 million years, so it is impossible to trace independent evolution of primates in these two areas. b. None of the choices is correct. c. organisms cannot evolve into similar forms independently. d. there are striking similarities between Old World and New World primates, not only in phenotype but also in genotype.
answer
there are striking similarities between Old World and New World primates, not only in phenotype but also in genotype.
question
The calcaneus (heel bone) of Eosimias suggests that it may be a very primitive: a. primate. b. anthropoid. c. ape. d. New World monkey.
answer
anthropoid
question
Basal anthropoids are: a. Eocene primates that are the earliest anthropoids. b. Eocene organisms that may have been the first primates. c. Paleocene organisms that may have been the first primates. d. Paleocene primates that may have been the first anthropoids.
answer
Eocene primates that are the earliest anthropoids.
question
The common ancestor of all later catarrhines, Old World monkeys, and hominins was likely a. Dryopithecus. b. Eosimias. c. Proconsul. d. Aegyptopithecus.
answer
Aegyptopithecus.
question
Euprimates represent the first true: a. mammals. b. primates. c. anthropoids. d. catarrhini.
answer
primates.
question
The arboreal hypothesis of primate origins explains that a. a heightened sense of smell was important for finding food in the forest. b. grasping hands and feet were necessary for living in trees. c. None of the choices is correct. d. greater intelligence allowed primates to locomote on two feet.
answer
grasping hands and feet were necessary for living in trees.
question
Which Eocene organisms had clear primate characteristics like a postorbital bar, opposable thumbs, nails, and a large brain? a. plesiadapiforms b. adapids and omomyids c. basal anthropoids d. proprimates and euprimates
answer
adapids and omomyids
question
Primate fossils have been recovered from all of the following continents except: a. Australia b. North America c. Europe d. Asia
answer
Australia
question
The space between the canine and the first premolar in the lower jaw of some primates is a(n): a. diastema. b. alveolus. c. retrocanine space. d. mandibular gap.
answer
diastema.
question
The angiosperm radiation hypothesis proposes that: a. primates could see predators in advance. b. primates' unique traits are an adaptation to living in trees. c. primate traits arose as adaptations to preying on insects. d. certain primate traits were responses to the acquisition of fruit during the Cenozoic.
answer
certain primate traits were responses to the acquisition of fruit during the Cenozoic.
question
Gigantopithecus stood _______ feet tall and weighed _______ pounds. a. six; 250 b. five; 400 c. ten; 660 d. four; 300
answer
ten; 660
question
Which genus is considered the ancestor to adapids and omomyids? a. Notharctus b. Proconsul c. Carpolestes d. Eosimias
answer
Carpolestes
question
A valid criticism of the arboreal hypothesis of primate origins is that a. insects and other small creatures do not live in arboreal habitats. b. the opossum is also an arboreal mammal but did not develop uniquely primate traits. c. arboreal animals do not eat fruit, which was prevalent in early Cenozoic. d. All of the choices are correct.
answer
the opossum is also an arboreal mammal but did not develop uniquely primate traits.
question
The arboreal hypothesis proposes that defining primate characteristics were adaptations to life in the trees, such as: a. grasping hands and feet, developed vision, and greater intelligence. b. developed vision, greater sense of smell, and grasping hands and feet. c. developed vision, greater sense of smell, and tails. d. grasping hands, tails, and intelligence.
answer
grasping hands and feet, developed vision, and greater intelligence.
question
Euprimates, the first true primates, consisted of the following two groups: a. Platyrrhines and Catarrhines b. Adapids and Anthropoids c. Plesiadapiforms and Omomyids d. Omomyids and Adapids
answer
Omomyids and Adapids
question
Eocene primates differ from Paleocene primates in the following way(s) a. All of the choices are correct. b. increased vision c. reduced sense of smell d. larger brain
answer
ALL
question
The most likely contender for the common ancestor of all later catarrhines is: a. Parapithecus. b. Apidium. c. Aegyptopithecus. d. Oligopithecus.
answer
Aegyptopithecus.
question
The visual predation hypothesis proposes that: a. predators had the ability to see primates better. b. primate traits arose as adaptations to preying on insects and small animals. c. better vision allowed for better access to fruits and small insects. d. species could see predators from further away, thereby securing time to flee.
answer
primate traits arose as adaptations to preying on insects and small animals.