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CHSE Odisha Elective Anthropology study materials
CHSE Odisha Elective Anthropology study resources

CHSE Odisha Elective Anthropology practice questions

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Question 1Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

The word 'anthropology' is derived from the Greek words 'anthropos' and 'logos'. What does 'anthropos' mean in this context?

  1. Human being Correct answer.
  2. Study of
  3. Ancient culture
  4. Social group

Explanation

Etymologically, 'anthropos' refers to a human being or mankind, while 'logos' means study, discourse or reasoning. Together they yield the literal sense 'study of humans', which is the classical definition of the discipline.

Question 2Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which definition best captures the distinctive scope of general anthropology as taught at the elective level?

  1. The study of ancient written records to reconstruct dynastic chronologies
  2. The philosophical enquiry into the nature of moral values and ethical obligation
  3. The statistical study of population growth, fertility and mortality in modern states
  4. The holistic and comparative study of human beings, their origins, biology, culture and society across time and space Correct answer.

Explanation

Anthropology is distinguished by its holistic and comparative orientation, covering human biological evolution, material remains, language and cultural life across all societies. This four-field breadth is what separates it from narrower social sciences.

Question 3Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

A student examines human evolution, primate behaviour and genetic variation among populations. Which branch of anthropology does this work belong to?

  1. Biological anthropology Correct answer.
  2. Cultural anthropology
  3. Social anthropology
  4. Linguistic anthropology

Explanation

Biological (physical) anthropology studies human evolution, primatology, human genetics and biological variation. These concerns are distinct from culture, language and social organisation, which form the other branches.

Question 4Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which subfield of anthropology is most directly concerned with the study of material remains such as tools, pottery and settlement patterns?

  1. Applied anthropology
  2. Folklore studies
  3. Ethnology
  4. Archaeology Correct answer.

Explanation

Archaeology reconstructs past human behaviour through material remains, including artefacts, features and settlement layouts. It is the branch that systematically recovers and interprets the physical traces of past societies.

Question 5Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

The study of language in its social and cultural context, including how speech varies with community and situation, is known as:

  1. Linguistic anthropology Correct answer.
  2. Structural linguistics
  3. Philology
  4. Semiotics

Explanation

Linguistic anthropology examines language as a cultural and social phenomenon, linking speech variation to community, identity and context. It differs from purely formal linguistics by insisting on the cultural embedding of language.

Question 6Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which statement best describes the relationship between anthropology and sociology?

  1. The two disciplines share no methods and no subject matter at all
  2. Both study human social life, but anthropology traditionally emphasises small-scale, comparative and holistic study while sociology developed around industrial, complex societies Correct answer.
  3. Anthropology studies only prehistoric humans, whereas sociology studies all living human beings without exception
  4. Sociology is a biological science while anthropology is a purely humanistic discipline

Explanation

Anthropology and sociology overlap in studying social life but differ in historical emphasis: anthropology grew from the comparative study of small-scale societies, while sociology emerged with industrial European societies. Both now borrow each other's methods, so the boundary is porous rather than absolute.

Question 7Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Anthropology is often described as 'holistic'. What does this mean in the discipline's own terms?

  1. It studies only whole societies and refuses to examine individuals or small groups
  2. It treats every culture as identical in structure and content
  3. It relies exclusively on quantitative statistical modelling
  4. It studies human life by integrating biological, cultural, linguistic and archaeological dimensions rather than isolating one aspect Correct answer.

Explanation

Holism in anthropology means that human existence is treated as an interconnected whole, so biology, culture, language and material life are studied together. It does not mean ignoring individuals or assuming cultural uniformity.

Question 8Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

A researcher compares kinship terminology across twenty small-scale societies to identify recurrent patterns. This is best described as:

  1. Applied anthropology
  2. Palaeontology
  3. Physical anthropology
  4. Comparative ethnology Correct answer.

Explanation

Comparative ethnology systematically contrasts ethnographic cases to identify regularities and differences in social institutions such as kinship. It is a classic method of cultural and social anthropology rather than of biological or applied fields.

Question 9Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which pairing of an anthropological branch with its typical data source is correct?

  1. Biological anthropology - skeletal remains and genetic markers Correct answer.
  2. Linguistic anthropology - excavated pottery assemblages
  3. Archaeology - tape-recorded speech corpora
  4. Cultural anthropology - fossil pollen sequences

Explanation

Biological anthropology routinely analyses skeletons, fossils and genetic markers to study evolution and variation. Each other branch has its own characteristic data, and the pairings offered for them belong elsewhere.

Question 10Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

The term 'ethnography' is best defined as:

  1. The classification of human populations into biological races
  2. The detailed, first-hand description of a particular culture or community based on fieldwork Correct answer.
  3. The excavation and dating of stratified archaeological deposits
  4. The comparative statistical analysis of many societies using archival data

Explanation

Ethnography is the intensive, field-based description of a specific culture or community, usually produced through participant observation. It is distinguished from ethnology, which compares and generalises across ethnographic cases.

Question 11Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which statement most accurately distinguishes ethnography from ethnology?

  1. Ethnography is purely theoretical, while ethnology is purely descriptive
  2. Ethnography describes particular cultures through fieldwork, while ethnology compares cultures to build generalisations Correct answer.
  3. Ethnography deals with biology, while ethnology deals with language
  4. Ethnography is a branch of archaeology, while ethnology is a branch of sociology

Explanation

The conventional distinction is that ethnography produces detailed accounts of particular cases, whereas ethnology uses those accounts comparatively to derive broader generalisations. The two are complementary stages of cultural anthropological work.

Question 12Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Anthropology's relationship with history is best characterised by which statement?

  1. History is a natural science while anthropology is a humanity
  2. History and anthropology are identical because both use written archives exclusively
  3. Both study the human past, but anthropology emphasises non-literate and contemporary societies and general patterns, while history often relies on documents and particular sequences Correct answer.
  4. Anthropology rejects the study of change over time and studies only static present-day cultures

Explanation

History and anthropology converge on the human past but differ in sources and aims: historians typically work from documents and reconstruct particular sequences, while anthropologists often study non-literate or living societies and seek general patterns. Contemporary work increasingly combines the two.

Question 13Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which contribution of anthropology to the study of human variation is correctly stated?

  1. Anthropology showed that culture has no influence on human biological variation
  2. Anthropology established that all human populations are genetically identical
  3. Anthropology proved that human populations can be sorted into a fixed number of pure biological races
  4. Anthropology demonstrated that visible physical differences between populations are clinal and do not support sharp racial divisions Correct answer.

Explanation

Anthropological research showed that human biological variation is continuous and clinal, so discrete racial categories misrepresent it. This finding underpins the discipline's rejection of typological race concepts.

Question 14Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which of the following best describes 'applied anthropology'?

  1. The laboratory analysis of ancient DNA sequences
  2. The excavation of sites threatened by construction projects
  3. The use of anthropological concepts and methods to address practical problems in fields such as health, development and education Correct answer.
  4. The formal modelling of grammar in generative linguistics

Explanation

Applied anthropology deploys anthropological knowledge and fieldwork methods to solve practical problems, for example in public health, education, development or organisational settings. It is defined by its problem-solving orientation rather than by a particular data type.

Question 15Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Anthropology's relation to economics is illustrated by which research focus?

  1. How gift exchange, reciprocity and consumption practices are embedded in social relations Correct answer.
  2. How firms maximise profit under conditions of perfect competition
  3. How monetary policy affects inflation expectations in financial markets
  4. How national income accounts are compiled according to statistical conventions

Explanation

Economic anthropology studies how production, exchange and consumption are embedded in social and cultural relations, with gift exchange and reciprocity as classic themes. It thus complements formal economics rather than duplicating its market models.

Question 16Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which statement best captures the relationship between anthropology and psychology?

  1. The two disciplines are unrelated because anthropology ignores mental processes entirely
  2. Psychology studies culture while anthropology studies only individual reflexes
  3. Psychology often studies individual behaviour under controlled conditions, while anthropology examines how culture shapes cognition, emotion and personality in natural settings Correct answer.
  4. Anthropology is a branch of psychology devoted to clinical treatment

Explanation

Psychology and anthropology overlap in the study of mind and behaviour, but psychology tends to isolate individual processes experimentally while anthropology examines culturally patterned cognition and emotion in everyday contexts. Fields such as psychological anthropology and cross-cultural psychology bridge the two.

Question 17Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

In Odisha, a researcher documents the ritual calendar, kinship rules and oral epics of a tribal community over two years of residence. Which combination of anthropological concerns does this most directly illustrate?

  1. Formal linguistics combined with phonetics
  2. Classical archaeology combined with epigraphy
  3. Ethnographic fieldwork combined with cultural and social anthropology Correct answer.
  4. Laboratory primatology combined with genetics

Explanation

Long-term residence and documentation of ritual, kinship and oral tradition is classic ethnographic fieldwork within cultural and social anthropology. The other options name laboratory, excavation or formal linguistic methods that are not described here.

Question 18Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which statement correctly identifies a key difference between anthropology and the natural sciences such as physics?

  1. Anthropology never uses systematic observation or comparison
  2. Anthropology studies meaning-laden human behaviour that subjects interpret, so it combines explanation with interpretation rather than relying only on law-like prediction Correct answer.
  3. Physics studies humans while anthropology studies matter and energy
  4. Anthropology rejects all forms of hypothesis testing

Explanation

Human behaviour is meaningful to the actors themselves, so anthropology typically combines causal explanation with interpretation of meanings, unlike the law-like prediction ideal of physics. This does not mean anthropology abandons systematic observation or comparison.

Question 19Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

A critic claims that because anthropology began partly under colonial administrations, its knowledge is inherently unusable today. Which response is most defensible from the standpoint of the discipline?

  1. The colonial origins must be critically acknowledged, but anthropology has developed reflexive, decolonial and collaborative approaches that reshape its methods and ethics Correct answer.
  2. The colonial origins prove that all anthropological findings are false and should be discarded wholesale
  3. Because the origins were colonial, anthropologists should now study only European societies
  4. Colonial involvement never occurred, so the criticism is based on a factual error

Explanation

Contemporary anthropology treats its colonial entanglement as a serious historiographical and ethical problem, responding with reflexivity, decolonial critique and collaborative research. Acknowledging the history does not entail rejecting all findings, nor does it justify abandoning non-European study.

Question 20Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which statement best explains why anthropology is described as 'comparative' rather than merely 'descriptive'?

  1. It uses systematically documented cases from many societies to test general claims about human behaviour and culture Correct answer.
  2. It describes a single society in exhaustive detail without any reference to other cases
  3. It compares written documents to establish their authenticity
  4. It compares human beings with machines to model cognition

Explanation

Comparativism means using multiple documented cases to evaluate general propositions about humans, guarding against conclusions drawn from one society alone. Description is a necessary step, but comparison is what licenses broader claims.

Question 21Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which formulation most precisely states the relation between biological and cultural anthropology?

  1. Cultural anthropology is a subfield of biology
  2. Biological anthropology studies only modern humans while cultural anthropology studies only extinct societies
  3. They are complementary subfields of a biocultural discipline, since human biology and culture mutually shape each other across evolution and everyday life Correct answer.
  4. They are entirely separate disciplines that share no questions or evidence

Explanation

Human biology and culture are mutually constitutive: culture shapes biological outcomes such as diet and health, while biology constrains and enables cultural practice. Anthropology's four-field structure reflects this biocultural integration rather than separation.

Question 22Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which argument best justifies the inclusion of archaeology within a single discipline of anthropology?

  1. Archaeology is included only because it shares laboratory equipment with biological anthropology
  2. Archaeology studies non-human fossils, which is why it belongs to anthropology
  3. Archaeology is included because it depends entirely on written documents like history
  4. Archaeology supplies the long-term material record of human cultural development, extending cultural and evolutionary analysis beyond the reach of living informants Correct answer.

Explanation

Archaeology extends anthropological analysis into the deep past by recovering material evidence of cultural and biological change where no living informants exist. This long-term, material perspective integrates it with cultural and biological anthropology in a four-field framework.

Question 23Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which statement about the scope of anthropology is most accurate regarding the study of contemporary complex societies?

  1. Anthropology has formally abandoned the study of small-scale societies
  2. Anthropology studies complex societies only through archival history
  3. Anthropology now studies factories, hospitals, bureaucracies and digital communities as well as small-scale societies Correct answer.
  4. Anthropology restricts itself to pre-industrial and non-literate peoples only

Explanation

The scope of anthropology has expanded to include modern institutions, organisations and digital life while retaining its traditional interest in small-scale societies. This widening reflects the discipline's holistic ambition to study humans in all settings.

Question 24Introduction to Anthropology: meaning, scope, branches and relations with other sciences

Which of the following is the clearest example of a question that lies within the domain of linguistic anthropology rather than formal linguistics?

  1. How to measure the acoustic frequency of vowel formants in a laboratory
  2. How speakers use dialect differences to signal regional identity in everyday conversation Correct answer.
  3. How phonological rules derive surface forms from underlying representations
  4. How to construct a formal grammar for a programming language

Explanation

Linguistic anthropology links language variation to social identity and cultural context, which is what the dialect-and-identity question asks. The other options concern formal grammar, computational languages or acoustic measurement without cultural framing.

Question 25Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which primate trait is most directly associated with the evolutionary shift toward stereoscopic vision?

  1. A reduced number of olfactory receptor genes
  2. Forward-facing eyes with overlapping visual fields Correct answer.
  3. A shortened snout with fewer teeth
  4. An opposable hallux on the foot

Explanation

Stereoscopic vision depends on the visual fields of the two eyes overlapping so the brain can fuse the images and judge depth. This arrangement is produced by eyes that face forward and are set close together on the front of the skull, a characteristic feature of primates.

Question 26Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

The dental formula 2.1.2.3 describes the number of each tooth type in one half of the jaw. Which primate group typically shows this formula in both upper and lower jaws?

  1. Strepsirrhine primates such as lemurs
  2. Tarsiers only
  3. Old World monkeys and apes Correct answer.
  4. New World monkeys such as marmosets

Explanation

The 2.1.2.3 formula, giving 32 permanent teeth in the full adult set, is characteristic of catarrhines, that is Old World monkeys, apes and humans. Platyrrhines retain three premolars and strepsirrhines have a different anterior dental arrangement.

Question 27Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A fossil hominin shows a foramen magnum positioned centrally under the skull rather than toward the rear. What does this position most strongly indicate?

  1. Enlarged olfactory bulbs relative to the brain
  2. A knuckle-walking locomotor pattern
  3. A diet dominated by hard seeds and roots
  4. Habitual upright posture with the head balanced on the vertebral column Correct answer.

Explanation

A centrally placed foramen magnum means the skull sits vertically above the spine, which is the anatomical signature of habitual bipedalism. In quadrupedal primates the opening lies further back because the head projects forward from the neck.

Question 28Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which term describes the inherited ability of a population to maintain normal function across a range of environmental conditions?

  1. Adaptation Correct answer.
  2. Acclimatization
  3. Genetic drift
  4. Developmental plasticity

Explanation

Adaptation in the evolutionary sense is a genetically based trait, shaped by natural selection, that enhances survival and reproduction in a given environment. It is distinguished from short-term physiological adjustment and from random change in gene frequencies.

Question 29Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

In human skin colour variation, the strongest selective explanation for darker pigmentation near the equator is protection against which agent?

  1. Cold stress that damages peripheral tissue
  2. Low atmospheric oxygen at high altitude
  3. Dietary deficiency of vitamin C
  4. Ultraviolet radiation that degrades circulating folate Correct answer.

Explanation

High melanin levels shield blood vessels in the dermis from ultraviolet radiation, which can break down folate in circulation. Folate is essential for normal cell division and neural development, so the protection confers a reproductive advantage in high-UV regions.

Question 30Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which of the following is a defining feature of the order Primates that relates to grasping?

  1. Hoofed terminal phalanges
  2. Absence of a clavicle
  3. A prehensile tail in all members
  4. Nails instead of claws on most digits Correct answer.

Explanation

Most primates have flattened nails on the digits rather than sharp claws, and this is associated with sensitive tactile pads used in grasping. The retention of a clavicle also supports the shoulder mobility needed for reaching and climbing.

Question 31Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

The biological species concept defines a species primarily by which criterion?

  1. Geographic separation by a physical barrier
  2. Reproductive isolation from other such groups Correct answer.
  3. Shared possession of a single diagnostic skeletal trait
  4. Occupation of a single ecological niche

Explanation

Under the biological species concept, members of a species interbreed and produce fertile offspring, and they are reproductively isolated from other species. This criterion applies to living, sexually reproducing populations and is difficult to test in fossils.

Question 32Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which blood group system is classically cited as evidence that some human variation is maintained by balancing selection?

  1. Duffy
  2. Rh
  3. ABO Correct answer.
  4. MN

Explanation

The ABO system is often used to illustrate balancing selection because heterozygotes may have an advantage against certain infectious diseases. Allele frequencies vary across populations in ways not explained by drift alone.

Question 33Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A researcher compares limb bone proportions in a fossil hominin and concludes it was an obligate biped. Which combination of features would best support that conclusion?

  1. A projecting midface and large anterior teeth with thick enamel
  2. Long arms with a funnel-shaped rib cage and dorsally placed scapulae
  3. A short, broad pelvis with a valgus knee and a longitudinal foot arch Correct answer.
  4. Long curved phalanges and a mobile grasping big toe

Explanation

A short broad pelvis, a knee carrying angle that brings the feet under the body's centre of gravity, and a longitudinal arch are all structural adaptations for efficient striding bipedalism. Together they indicate habitual rather than occasional upright walking.

Question 34Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Two populations live at the same latitude, but one has inhabited high altitude for many generations. Which finding would best demonstrate a genetic adaptation rather than acclimatization?

  1. Higher haemoglobin concentration that disappears after a few weeks at low altitude
  2. Heritable differences in oxygen saturation maintained in offspring raised at low altitude Correct answer.
  3. Increased heart rate during the first days after ascent
  4. Elevated ventilation rate that reverses on descent to sea level

Explanation

A genetic adaptation persists in individuals who no longer experience the stress and is transmitted to offspring. Retaining a distinctive oxygen-saturation pattern even when raised at low altitude shows the trait is heritable rather than a temporary physiological response.

Question 35Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A primate has a grooming claw on the second digit of the foot, a tooth comb in the lower jaw, and a moist rhinarium. To which group does it most likely belong?

  1. Platyrrhine primates
  2. Catarrhine primates
  3. Hominoids
  4. Strepsirrhine primates Correct answer.

Explanation

The combination of a grooming claw, a procumbent lower incisor and canine tooth comb, and a moist naked rhinarium is diagnostic of strepsirrhines such as lemurs and lorises. These features are linked to grooming behaviour and a strong reliance on olfaction.

Question 36Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

In a fossil assemblage, the pelvis is broad and short, the femur has a high carrying angle, and the foot has a well-developed arch, but the cranium is small. What is the most reasonable inference?

  1. Brain expansion preceded the origin of bipedalism
  2. Bipedal locomotion evolved before marked brain expansion Correct answer.
  3. The specimen belongs to the genus Homo
  4. The individual was a habitual tree-dweller

Explanation

Postcranial evidence of committed bipedalism combined with a small brain indicates that upright walking appeared earlier than major encephalization. This pattern is seen in australopithecines, where the pelvis and lower limb are modern in function while the cranium remains small.

Question 37Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which observation best illustrates Allen's rule in human populations?

  1. Populations in hot climates tend to have longer limbs relative to trunk height Correct answer.
  2. Populations near the equator tend to have darker skin
  3. Populations in cold climates tend to have larger body mass
  4. Populations at high altitude tend to have larger chest volumes

Explanation

Allen's rule concerns the proportions of body extremities, predicting that longer limbs relative to the trunk increase surface area and heat loss in hot climates. Shorter extremities in cold climates conserve heat.

Question 38Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A fossil hominin cranium shows a sagittal crest, very large molars with thick enamel, and a flaring zygomatic arch. What does this suite of features most likely indicate?

  1. A specialised carnivorous diet with shearing teeth
  2. An aquatic habitat with a filter-feeding habit
  3. Heavy chewing forces associated with a hard or fibrous diet Correct answer.
  4. A diet of soft fruit and leaves requiring little chewing

Explanation

A sagittal crest provides additional area for temporalis muscle attachment, and flaring zygomatic arches accommodate large masseter muscles, both generating powerful bite forces. Large thick-enamelled molars are consistent with processing hard or fibrous foods.

Question 39Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which statement correctly distinguishes homologous from analogous traits in primate evolution?

  1. Homologous traits share common ancestry, whereas analogous traits reflect convergent function Correct answer.
  2. Homologous traits reflect convergent function, whereas analogous traits share common ancestry
  3. Both terms describe traits inherited from a common ancestor
  4. Both terms describe traits shaped only by environmental induction

Explanation

Homology refers to similarity due to inheritance from a shared ancestor, such as the forelimb bones of primates and other mammals. Analogy refers to similarity of function produced independently by convergent evolution, such as wings in bats and birds.

Question 40Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A paleoanthropologist finds that a hominin hand has a long thumb relative to the fingers and broad distal phalanges. What functional interpretation is best supported?

  1. Specialisation for hooking onto branches during suspension
  2. Adaptation for digging with the knuckles
  3. Enhanced precision gripping with pad-to-pad contact Correct answer.
  4. Loss of manipulative ability in favour of locomotion

Explanation

A relatively long thumb and broad fingertips allow the thumb to meet the other fingers pad to pad, the basis of precise manipulation. This morphology is associated with toolmaking and refined object handling.

Question 41Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which factor most directly explains why sickle-cell allele frequencies remain high in parts of sub-Saharan Africa despite the severe effects of the homozygous condition?

  1. Assortative mating among affected individuals
  2. Heterozygote advantage against malaria Correct answer.
  3. A high mutation rate alone
  4. Random genetic drift in small villages

Explanation

Heterozygotes for the sickle-cell allele have greater resistance to severe falciparum malaria, so they survive and reproduce better than either homozygote in malarial regions. This balancing selection keeps the allele at appreciable frequency.

Question 42Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A skull has a prognathic face, a low receding forehead, prominent brow ridges, and a large cranial capacity with a projecting occipital region. Which fossil group does this description best fit?

  1. Modern Homo sapiens
  2. Neanderthals Correct answer.
  3. Gracile australopithecines
  4. Early Homo erectus from Africa

Explanation

Neanderthal crania combine a large brain with a long low vault, projecting midface, double-arched brow ridges, and an occipital bun. The prognathic face and inflated nasal region are part of this distinctive complex.

Question 43Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which comparison of the primate visual system is correct?

  1. Most primates have a fovea and a reduced reliance on olfaction compared with many other mammals Correct answer.
  2. Primates lack a lateral geniculate nucleus
  3. Primates have eyes positioned laterally for a wide panoramic field
  4. Most primates have a pure rod retina with no colour vision

Explanation

Primates generally possess a fovea for high-acuity vision and show reduced olfactory structures relative to many other mammals. Forward-facing eyes and colour vision further reflect the importance of vision in primate ecology.

Question 44Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A population sample shows low genetic diversity within groups but high diversity between continents. Which interpretation of human genetic structure is most consistent with modern genomic data?

  1. Variation between groups exceeds variation within any single group
  2. Most genetic variation lies within populations, with a modest fraction between continental groups Correct answer.
  3. Most genetic variation lies between continental groups, with little within populations
  4. Continental groups are genetically fixed and non-overlapping

Explanation

Genome-wide studies show that the great majority of human genetic variation is found within populations, and only a small proportion separates continental groups. Group differences are statistical and clinal rather than absolute.

Question 45Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A fossil hominin shows a mosaic of a derived pelvis suited to bipedalism and a primitive curved hand with long fingers. Why does this combination matter for reconstructing behaviour?

  1. It indicates that locomotor and manipulative adaptations evolved at different rates Correct answer.
  2. It shows that hand and pelvis traits are genetically linked
  3. It demonstrates that the fossil is a modern human
  4. It proves the individual could not walk bipedally

Explanation

Mosaic evolution means different anatomical systems change at different rates within a lineage. A bipedal pelvis alongside a climbing-type hand suggests committed terrestrial bipedalism combined with retained arboreal competence.

Question 46Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which line of evidence most strongly supports the claim that modern human populations do not fall into discrete biological races?

  1. Some alleles are more common in one region than another
  2. Allele frequencies change gradually across geography rather than in sharp steps Correct answer.
  3. Skin colour is inherited
  4. Populations differ in average body size

Explanation

Traits such as skin colour and blood groups vary clinally, changing gradually over geographic space, so any boundary drawn between groups is arbitrary. Because many traits vary independently, no set of traits yields concordant, discrete racial categories.

Question 47Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A comparative study finds that a species of primate living in a cold climate has a shorter tail and more compact body than a closely related tropical species. Which explanation is most consistent with the principles of thermoregulation?

  1. Tail length is determined only by dietary specialization
  2. Longer appendages always improve survival in cold climates
  3. Body proportions are unaffected by climate in primates
  4. Reduced appendage length lowers heat loss by decreasing surface area relative to mass Correct answer.

Explanation

Reducing the length of extremities and increasing body compactness lowers the surface-area-to-mass ratio, limiting heat loss in cold conditions. This is the thermoregulatory logic behind Allen's and Bergmann's rules.

Question 48Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which statement best captures the relationship between encephalization and tool use in hominin evolution?

  1. Increasing brain size and more complex tool traditions appear together, with each plausibly reinforcing the other Correct answer.
  2. Brain expansion occurred only after modern humans appeared
  3. Tool use preceded all brain expansion and had no later effect
  4. Tool complexity is unrelated to cognitive capacity

Explanation

The fossil record shows a broad association between enlarging brains and increasingly elaborate stone tool traditions, though the relationship is not strictly linear. Feedback between cognitive capacity, manual skill, and cultural transmission is the usual interpretation.

Question 49Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

A population lives in a region where malaria is endemic and shows a high frequency of the Duffy-negative phenotype. What is the best interpretation?

  1. The phenotype is maintained only by genetic drift
  2. The phenotype confers resistance to Plasmodium vivax and has been favoured by selection Correct answer.
  3. The phenotype results from recent mutation with no selective value
  4. The phenotype increases susceptibility to all malaria species

Explanation

Duffy-negative individuals lack the receptor used by Plasmodium vivax to invade red blood cells, so they are resistant to this parasite. The high frequency in West and Central Africa is attributed to natural selection in endemic regions.

Question 50Biological/Physical Anthropology: human evolution, primates, human variation and adaptation

Which dental formula is characteristic of extant Old World monkeys and apes, including humans?

  1. 2-1-2-2
  2. 2-1-3-3
  3. 2-1-3-2
  4. 2-1-2-3 Correct answer.

Explanation

Catarrhines (Old World monkeys, apes and humans) have two incisors, one canine, two premolars and three molars per quadrant, giving the dental formula 2-1-2-3. The loss of one premolar relative to the ancestral placental condition is a derived catarrhine feature.