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Kerala Plus Two Anthropology (DHSE) study materials
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Kerala Plus Two Anthropology (DHSE) practice questions

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Question 1Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

In the standard four-field organisation of anthropology, which branch studies human biological variation, evolution and the fossil record of hominins?

  1. Linguistic anthropology
  2. Archaeology
  3. Biological (physical) anthropology Correct answer.
  4. Cultural anthropology

Explanation

Biological anthropology, also called physical anthropology, deals with human evolution, genetics, primatology, growth and osteology, and the fossil evidence for hominins. The other three fields address culture, language and material remains rather than biological variation.

Question 2Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

The term 'anthropology' is derived from Greek roots meaning which of the following?

  1. Study of ancient stones
  2. Study of the human being Correct answer.
  3. Study of social classes
  4. Study of the soul

Explanation

The word combines 'anthropos' (human being) and 'logos' (study or discourse), so anthropology literally means the study of humans. This broad etymology reflects the discipline's holistic ambition to study humanity in all its dimensions.

Question 3Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Which concept, central to anthropology, refers to the practice of understanding a society's beliefs and practices in terms of its own cultural context rather than by the standards of the observer?

  1. Ethnocentrism
  2. Cultural relativism Correct answer.
  3. Diffusionism
  4. Functionalism

Explanation

Cultural relativism holds that customs must be interpreted within their own cultural setting, guarding against judging others by one's own standards. It is a methodological and ethical cornerstone of ethnographic fieldwork.

Question 4Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

A researcher lives for a year in a village, participating in daily life and taking detailed notes on kinship, ritual and exchange. This method is best described as:

  1. Experimental archaeology
  2. Karyotyping
  3. Ethnographic fieldwork Correct answer.
  4. Seriation

Explanation

Long-term residence, participation and systematic note-taking define ethnographic fieldwork, the signature method of cultural anthropology. It produces qualitative, context-rich data through participant observation.

Question 5Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Which subfield of biological anthropology compares humans with other primates such as chimpanzees and macaques to understand behaviour and evolution?

  1. Forensic anthropology
  2. Human osteology
  3. Paleoanthropology
  4. Primatology Correct answer.

Explanation

Primatology studies the behaviour, ecology and biology of non-human primates, providing comparative evidence about sociality and cognition relevant to human evolution. The other options focus on fossils, bones and legal identification respectively.

Question 6Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Which of the following best captures the 'holistic' character of anthropology?

  1. It relies exclusively on written historical documents
  2. It studies only small-scale non-industrial societies
  3. It confines itself to laboratory measurement of bones
  4. It integrates biological, cultural, linguistic and archaeological perspectives on a problem Correct answer.

Explanation

Holism means anthropology approaches humanity by combining multiple dimensions, from biology and material culture to language and social life, rather than isolating one. This cross-field integration distinguishes it from more specialised disciplines.

Question 7Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

In linguistic anthropology, the idea that the language a person speaks shapes habitual patterns of thought is associated with which hypothesis?

  1. Malthusian hypothesis
  2. Recapitulation theory
  3. Noble savage hypothesis
  4. Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Correct answer.

Explanation

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, or linguistic relativity, proposes that language categories influence habitual perception and thought. Anthropological linguists test such claims by comparing colour terms, kinship vocabulary and grammatical categories across languages.

Question 8Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

A scholar argues that a particular pottery style spread from one centre to neighbouring regions through trade and migration. This explanation belongs to which tradition of anthropological thought?

  1. Structuralism
  2. Historical particularism
  3. Diffusionism Correct answer.
  4. Interpretive anthropology

Explanation

Diffusionism explains cultural similarities by the movement of traits, ideas or objects between societies through trade, migration or conquest. It was prominent in early twentieth-century anthropology as an alternative to independent-invention explanations.

Question 9Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Bronislaw Malinowski's approach, which explains customs by the practical needs they satisfy in a society, is known as:

  1. Evolutionism
  2. Postmodernism
  3. Functionalism Correct answer.
  4. Cultural materialism

Explanation

Malinowski's functionalism treats institutions as responses to basic and derived human needs, and he stressed intensive fieldwork to document them. It differs from evolutionary schemes and later interpretive or materialist critiques.

Question 10Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Which statement correctly distinguishes archaeology from cultural anthropology?

  1. Archaeology studies language change, while cultural anthropology studies human genetics
  2. Archaeology studies only written records, while cultural anthropology studies only oral traditions
  3. Archaeology studies past societies mainly through material remains, while cultural anthropology studies living societies mainly through fieldwork Correct answer.
  4. Archaeology is a branch of biological anthropology, while cultural anthropology is a branch of linguistics

Explanation

Archaeology reconstructs past human behaviour from artefacts, features and ecofacts, whereas cultural anthropology relies largely on participant observation among living communities. Both share anthropological theory but differ in primary evidence.

Question 11Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

The ethnographic technique of 'participant observation' requires the researcher to:

  1. Take part in everyday activities while systematically observing and recording them Correct answer.
  2. Analyse satellite images of settlement patterns
  3. Measure skull dimensions of the population
  4. Conduct only structured questionnaires administered by assistants

Explanation

Participant observation combines immersion in daily life with disciplined, systematic recording of what people do and say. It aims to grasp meanings from an insider's perspective while maintaining analytical distance.

Question 12Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Which of the following best defines 'culture' as anthropologists generally use the term?

  1. The personal opinions held by an individual at a given moment
  2. The biological inheritance encoded in a population's genes
  3. The material wealth accumulated by an industrial economy
  4. The learned, shared and transmitted patterns of behaviour, belief and meaning characteristic of a group Correct answer.

Explanation

Anthropology treats culture as learned rather than inherited, shared by members of a group, and transmitted across generations through enculturation and symbols. This definition separates cultural from genetic transmission.

Question 13Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

A researcher studying migration collects life histories, observes community meetings and also compiles census statistics on the migrant population. This strategy illustrates which anthropological principle?

  1. Use of laboratory experimentation as the only valid method
  2. Rejection of any comparative framework
  3. Strict reliance on a single informant
  4. Methodological pluralism combining qualitative and quantitative data Correct answer.

Explanation

Contemporary anthropology often mixes ethnographic methods with quantitative sources such as censuses and surveys to strengthen claims. Combining life histories with statistics is an example of methodological pluralism rather than a single-method orthodoxy.

Question 14Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology both rely on the analysis of human skeletal remains, but they differ chiefly because:

  1. Forensic anthropology is a branch of linguistics, while bioarchaeology is a branch of economics
  2. Forensic anthropology assists legal identification of recently deceased individuals, while bioarchaeology studies past populations from excavated skeletons Correct answer.
  3. Forensic anthropology deals only with fossil hominins, while bioarchaeology deals only with living people
  4. Forensic anthropology studies language, while bioarchaeology studies pottery

Explanation

Both fields use osteological methods, but the forensic context concerns medicolegal identification of the recently dead, whereas bioarchaeology interprets health, diet and demography of past populations from excavated remains. The distinction lies in context and time depth, not in technique.

Question 15Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

The principle that cultures are integrated wholes in which kinship, economy, religion and politics interlock is expressed by which concept?

  1. Cultural integration Correct answer.
  2. Cultural loss
  3. Cultural lag
  4. Cultural imperialism

Explanation

Cultural integration refers to the interdependence of institutions within a society, so that change in one domain, such as economy, tends to affect others like kinship or ritual. This idea underpins holistic ethnographic analysis.

Question 16Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Which statement most accurately describes the relationship between anthropology and colonial administration in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?

  1. Anthropologists worked only as independent critics with no contact with administrators
  2. Anthropology was banned throughout the colonial world
  3. Anthropological knowledge was sometimes used by colonial governments, prompting later critical reflection on the discipline's history Correct answer.
  4. Colonial governments had no interest in ethnographic information

Explanation

Colonial regimes sometimes drew on ethnographic knowledge for administration, and anthropologists have since critically examined this entanglement. The discipline's reflexive turn includes acknowledging such uses of its research.

Question 17Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

A candidate reads that a particular anthropologist advocated 'thick description' of cultural practices. This concept is most closely associated with which scholar?

  1. Clifford Geertz Correct answer.
  2. Charles Darwin
  3. Franz Boas
  4. Lewis Henry Morgan

Explanation

Clifford Geertz introduced thick description to argue that ethnography should capture layers of meaning in social action rather than merely record behaviour. It became central to interpretive anthropology.

Question 18Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

An ethnographer working in a Kerala fishing village notes that seasonal monsoon patterns, market prices and kinship obligations jointly shape household decisions. Which analytical stance best reflects the anthropological holism described here?

  1. Treating monsoon patterns as irrelevant to social organisation
  2. Examining ecological, economic and kinship factors together as an interconnected system Correct answer.
  3. Reducing kinship obligations to genetic relatedness alone
  4. Explaining household decisions solely by individual personality traits

Explanation

Holism requires the analyst to consider how environmental, economic and social dimensions interact rather than isolating one factor. Here monsoon ecology, market exchange and kinship are treated as an integrated system shaping behaviour.

Question 19Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

A researcher argues that the term 'tribe' should be used cautiously in Indian anthropology because it can obscure internal diversity and overlap with 'caste' and 'peasant' categories. This argument is best described as:

  1. A critical examination of classificatory concepts in anthropological analysis Correct answer.
  2. A rejection of fieldwork as a method
  3. An endorsement of ethnocentrism
  4. A claim that material culture is irrelevant

Explanation

Critiques of categories like 'tribe' examine how classificatory labels are historically produced and whether they fit local realities. Such reflexivity about concepts is a recognised part of anthropological analysis, especially in South Asian ethnography.

Question 20Introduction to Anthropology and its main branches

Which pairing of subfield and typical research question is most consistent with the four-field approach?

  1. Cultural anthropology: how hominin pelvic anatomy changed over time
  2. Archaeology: how grammatical structures vary across dialects
  3. Biological anthropology: how ritual symbols convey meaning during festivals
  4. Linguistic anthropology: how kinship terms encode social relationships in a language Correct answer.

Explanation

Linguistic anthropology examines how language categories, including kinship terminology, encode and reproduce social relations. Each other pairing mismatches a subfield with a question belonging to a different field.

Question 21Human evolution and biological anthropology

In the Linnaean classification used in biological anthropology, which taxonomic category directly contains the family Hominidae?

  1. Class Mammalia
  2. Superfamily Hominoidea Correct answer.
  3. Order Primates
  4. Suborder Anthropoidea

Explanation

Hominidae (the great apes and humans) is placed within the superfamily Hominoidea, which also contains the gibbons (Hylobatidae). The hierarchy runs class Mammalia, order Primates, suborder Anthropoidea, superfamily Hominoidea, then family Hominidae.

Question 22Human evolution and biological anthropology

Which dental formula describes the permanent dentition of a typical Old World monkey and of humans?

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

Explanation

The dental formula is written as incisors, canines, premolars and molars for one side of the jaw. Catarrhines, including Old World monkeys and humans, share 2.1.3.3 per side, giving 32 teeth in the permanent set.

Question 23Human evolution and biological anthropology

A primate that has a rhinarium, a grooming claw on the second digit and a toothcomb is most likely to be classified as

  1. a catarrhine
  2. a hominoid
  3. a strepsirhine Correct answer.
  4. a haplorhine

Explanation

Strepsirhines such as lemurs and lorises retain a moist rhinarium, a grooming claw and a procumbent toothcomb formed by the incisors and canines. These features distinguish them from the haplorhine primates, which include tarsiers, monkeys and apes.

Question 24Human evolution and biological anthropology

In bipedal locomotion, the position of the foramen magnum in modern humans is best described as

  1. lateral on the side of the skull
  2. posterior and low on the skull
  3. dorsal and tilted upwards
  4. anterior and centrally placed beneath the skull Correct answer.

Explanation

A habitually upright posture requires the head to balance on top of the vertebral column, so the foramen magnum lies forward and centrally under the skull. In quadrupedal apes it lies farther back, near the rear of the cranium.

Question 25Human evolution and biological anthropology

Which pelvic feature is most directly associated with the obstetrical dilemma in human females?

  1. A long and forward-projecting ischium
  2. A wide, short and laterally flared pelvis Correct answer.
  3. A fused sacrum with no curvature
  4. A narrow, tall iliac blade

Explanation

Human females combine a broad, short pelvis that supports bipedal balance with a birth canal wide enough for a large-brained infant. This compromise between locomotion and parturition is what the obstetrical dilemma describes.

Question 26Human evolution and biological anthropology

The Laetoli footprints are important in human evolution because they

  1. show clear evidence of habitual bipedal walking about 3.6 million years ago Correct answer.
  2. demonstrate the first evidence of deliberate burial
  3. represent the earliest known use of fire
  4. preserve the oldest stone tools in Africa

Explanation

The Laetoli footprint trails in Tanzania preserve heel, arch and toe impressions consistent with upright walking roughly 3.6 million years ago. They are usually linked to Australopithecus afarensis and provide direct evidence of bipedalism.

Question 27Human evolution and biological anthropology

A fossil hominin shows a small brain, a prognathic face, large anterior teeth and a sagittal crest. Which genus is this most consistent with?

  1. Homo
  2. Australopithecus
  3. Paranthropus Correct answer.
  4. Orrorin

Explanation

Paranthropus (the robust australopithecines) is characterised by massive molars, large anterior teeth, a sagittal crest for heavy chewing muscles and a relatively small brain. These features reflect a specialised diet of tough plant material.

Question 28Human evolution and biological anthropology

The Oldowan tool tradition is best characterised as

  1. large Acheulean handaxes shaped by symmetrical flaking
  2. simple flakes and choppers struck from cores Correct answer.
  3. ground and polished stone axes with drilled holes
  4. blades removed from prepared prismatic cores

Explanation

Oldowan assemblages, dating from about 2.6 million years ago, consist of simple cores and sharp flakes produced by direct percussion. They are associated with early Homo and are technologically simpler than Acheulean bifaces.

Question 29Human evolution and biological anthropology

Homo erectus differs from Homo habilis mainly in showing

  1. a much smaller body with a pronounced sagittal crest
  2. a retained arboreal big toe and long curved fingers
  3. a smaller brain and a more ape-like body
  4. a larger brain, taller body and reduced sexual dimorphism Correct answer.

Explanation

Homo erectus has an average cranial capacity of about 900 cubic centimetres, a modern-like tall body with long legs and reduced sexual dimorphism compared with earlier hominins. These features mark a clear shift from the smaller-bodied Homo habilis.

Question 30Human evolution and biological anthropology

The Narmada Man fossil from central India is significant because it

  1. proves that modern humans reached India before one million years ago
  2. is the only known South Asian fossil attributed to Homo erectus Correct answer.
  3. represents the earliest known Neanderthal outside Europe
  4. is the type specimen of Homo heidelbergensis

Explanation

The Narmada cranium, recovered from the Son valley, is generally assigned to Homo erectus and is the only hominin fossil of that species known from the Indian subcontinent. Its discovery widened the known geographic range of Homo erectus into South Asia.

Question 31Human evolution and biological anthropology

Which feature of the Neanderthal skull is most distinctive compared with a modern human skull?

  1. An occipital bun with a projecting midface Correct answer.
  2. A rounded, high and globular braincase
  3. A fully vertical and retracted face
  4. A narrow nasal aperture with no brow ridge

Explanation

Neanderthal crania typically show an elongated braincase with an occipital bun, a projecting midface and a large nasal aperture with strong brow ridges. Modern human skulls are more globular with a retracted face.

Question 32Human evolution and biological anthropology

The Upper Palaeolithic tool tradition is distinguished from the Middle Palaeolithic by

  1. the loss of hafting techniques
  2. a higher proportion of blades and a wider range of specialised tool types Correct answer.
  3. exclusive reliance on core choppers
  4. the absence of any bone tools

Explanation

Upper Palaeolithic industries show systematic blade production, a greater diversity of formal tool types and increased use of bone, antler and hafting. This reflects more complex and regionally varied technological behaviour.

Question 33Human evolution and biological anthropology

Which dating method relies on the decay of carbon-14 and can be applied directly to organic remains up to about 50,000 years old?

  1. Potassium-argon dating
  2. Radiocarbon dating Correct answer.
  3. Thermoluminescence dating
  4. Palaeomagnetic dating

Explanation

Radiocarbon dating measures the residual carbon-14 in organic material such as bone, charcoal and shell, and is useful back to roughly 50,000 years. Its range suits later hominin and archaeological sites rather than early hominin fossils.

Question 34Human evolution and biological anthropology

A hominin fossil is found between two volcanic ash layers dated by potassium-argon to 1.8 and 2.0 million years. What can be concluded?

  1. The fossil's age cannot be constrained by these layers
  2. The fossil is between 1.8 and 2.0 million years old Correct answer.
  3. The fossil is older than 2.0 million years
  4. The fossil is younger than 1.8 million years

Explanation

Potassium-argon dating of the ash layers gives a maximum and minimum age for anything stratified between them. The fossil must therefore fall within the 1.8 to 2.0 million year interval, a standard application of stratigraphic bracketing.

Question 35Human evolution and biological anthropology

The concept of a biological species, as applied to fossil hominins, defines a species as

  1. a group defined only by shared skeletal measurements
  2. the smallest set of fossils sharing one site
  3. a group of populations that interbreed and produce fertile offspring Correct answer.
  4. any lineage that survived more than one million years

Explanation

The biological species concept groups populations that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, with reproductive isolation separating species. Applying it to fossils is difficult because breeding cannot be observed directly, which is why palaeoanthropologists also use morphological species concepts.

Question 36Human evolution and biological anthropology

The term 'mosaic evolution' in human evolution refers to

  1. the parallel evolution of identical traits in unrelated lineages
  2. the replacement of all primitive traits at once
  3. the mixing of two species at a single site
  4. different body parts evolving at different rates within a lineage Correct answer.

Explanation

Mosaic evolution means that different anatomical systems change at different rates and times rather than as a package. For example, bipedalism appeared in hominins long before the large brain, showing that locomotion and encephalisation evolved independently.

Question 37Human evolution and biological anthropology

Which of the following is an example of a homology rather than an analogy?

  1. The forelimb bones of a human and of a chimpanzee Correct answer.
  2. The wings of a bat and the wings of a bird
  3. The eyes of an octopus and of a mammal
  4. The streamlined body of a fish and of a dolphin

Explanation

Homologies are structures inherited from a common ancestor, so the same forelimb bones in humans and chimpanzees reflect shared primate ancestry. Analogies are similarities produced independently by adaptation to similar functions.

Question 38Human evolution and biological anthropology

The Hardy-Weinberg principle is useful in population genetics because it

  1. shows that mutation alone drives allele frequencies
  2. proves that natural selection always increases variation
  3. describes the allele frequencies expected when no evolutionary forces act Correct answer.
  4. explains why small populations lose heterozygosity

Explanation

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium predicts genotype frequencies from allele frequencies when there is no mutation, migration, selection or drift and mating is random. Deviations from the expectation signal that one or more evolutionary forces are acting.

Question 39Human evolution and biological anthropology

Sickle-cell trait persists at high frequency in some malaria-endemic populations because heterozygotes have

  1. no advantage over either homozygote
  2. a higher risk of early death than normal homozygotes
  3. a survival advantage against severe malaria Correct answer.
  4. complete immunity to all infections

Explanation

Heterozygotes for the sickle-cell allele are relatively protected against severe falciparum malaria while suffering few symptoms themselves. This heterozygote advantage keeps the allele at high frequency in malarial regions, a standard example of balancing selection.

Question 40Human evolution and biological anthropology

Which blood group system is most widely used in anthropological studies of population relationships?

  1. The Rh system only
  2. The Duffy system only
  3. The Kell system
  4. The ABO system Correct answer.

Explanation

The ABO system was the first and remains one of the most extensively surveyed polymorphisms in human populations. Its allele frequencies vary geographically and have long been used, alongside other markers, to trace population affinities and migrations.

Question 41Human evolution and biological anthropology

A population geneticist finds that a trait's heritability is 0.8 in one environment and 0.3 in another. The best interpretation is that

  1. heritability is environment-dependent and not a fixed property of the trait Correct answer.
  2. genes determine the trait entirely in the first population
  3. the trait is not inherited in the second population
  4. the first population has more genes for the trait

Explanation

Heritability is a population-specific statistic that depends on the range of environmental variation present. A value of 0.8 in one setting and 0.3 in another shows that the estimate is not a fixed property of the trait.

Question 42Human evolution and biological anthropology

In forensic anthropology, the auricular surface of the ilium is examined mainly to estimate

  1. sex of the individual
  2. stature from long bones
  3. age at death of an adult Correct answer.
  4. ancestry from cranial shape

Explanation

The auricular surface undergoes a documented sequence of degenerative changes with age, so its appearance is used to estimate adult age at death. Sex is assessed from pelvic shape, stature from long-bone length and ancestry from craniometric traits.

Question 43Human evolution and biological anthropology

Which cranial feature is most reliable for estimating the sex of an adult skeleton?

  1. The mastoid process and supraorbital ridges Correct answer.
  2. The number of molar roots
  3. The length of the nasal bones alone
  4. The presence of wormian bones

Explanation

The mastoid process, supraorbital ridges, nuchal crest and mandibular chin are robust markers of sexual dimorphism in the skull. The pelvis remains the most reliable region overall, but among cranial traits these are the standard indicators.

Question 44Human evolution and biological anthropology

A hominin fossil with a brain size near 1,500 cubic centimetres, a high rounded vault, a retracted face and a chin would most likely be assigned to

  1. Australopithecus africanus
  2. Homo sapiens Correct answer.
  3. Homo erectus
  4. Homo neanderthalensis

Explanation

A high globular vault, a retracted face and a true bony chin are diagnostic of anatomically modern Homo sapiens. The large endocranial capacity is consistent with modern human ranges.

Question 45Human evolution and biological anthropology

The 'Out of Africa' model of modern human origins proposes that

  1. anatomically modern humans arose in Africa and later replaced archaic populations elsewhere Correct answer.
  2. modern humans evolved in several regions from local archaic populations
  3. Neanderthals are the direct ancestors of all modern Europeans
  4. modern humans reached Australia before leaving Africa

Explanation

The Out of Africa (recent African origin) model holds that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa and then dispersed, largely replacing archaic populations such as Neanderthals. It contrasts with multiregional models that posit local continuity.

Question 46Human evolution and biological anthropology

In the study of human evolution, the term 'hominin' refers to which group of primates?

  1. Modern humans and all extinct species more closely related to us than to chimpanzees Correct answer.
  2. All apes including chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans
  3. Only members of the genus Homo
  4. All primates that lack a tail

Explanation

In current biological anthropology, 'hominin' denotes the tribe Hominini, which includes modern humans and all extinct forms that share a more recent common ancestor with us than with chimpanzees. This usage excludes the great apes such as chimpanzees and gorillas, which are classified as hominids but not hominins. The term is therefore broader than the genus Homo but narrower than the great ape family.

Question 47Human evolution and biological anthropology

A fossil primate pelvis is broad and bowl-shaped, with laterally flared iliac blades and a short, broad sacrum. Which locomotor adaptation does this morphology most strongly indicate?

  1. Quadrupedal knuckle-walking
  2. Habitual bipedal walking Correct answer.
  3. Vertical clinging and leaping
  4. Suspensory brachiation

Explanation

A short, broad pelvis with laterally flared iliac blades repositions the gluteal muscles to stabilise the trunk during upright walking and helps transmit body weight through the hip joint. This is the signature pelvic anatomy of habitual bipeds such as Australopithecus afarensis. In contrast, apes that brachiate or knuckle-walk have a long, narrow pelvis with dorsally oriented iliac blades.

Question 48Human evolution and biological anthropology

Which statement best describes the difference between relative and absolute dating methods in palaeoanthropology?

  1. Relative dating places finds in a sequence of older and younger, while absolute dating provides an age estimate in years. Correct answer.
  2. Relative dating relies on radioactive decay, while absolute dating relies on stratigraphy.
  3. Relative dating is used only for stone tools, while absolute dating is used only for fossils.
  4. Relative dating gives an age in years, while absolute dating only orders events.

Explanation

Relative dating establishes the order of events or specimens without assigning a numerical age, for example through stratigraphy or biostratigraphy. Absolute dating, also called chronometric dating, produces an age in calendar or radiometric years, as with radiocarbon or potassium-argon methods. The two approaches are complementary and are often used together at a single site.

Question 49Human evolution and biological anthropology

A researcher studying a living human population finds that the frequency of a deleterious recessive allele remains stable over many generations despite strong selection against homozygotes. Which evolutionary mechanism most plausibly explains this stability?

  1. Genetic drift in a very large population
  2. Assortative mating for the trait
  3. Directional selection eliminating the allele
  4. Mutation-selection balance Correct answer.

Explanation

When selection removes deleterious recessive alleles expressed in homozygotes, new copies continue to arise by mutation, and the allele frequency can reach an equilibrium between mutation and selection. This mutation-selection balance explains why harmful recessive alleles persist at low but stable frequencies. Selection alone would eventually remove the allele if mutation did not replenish it.

Question 50Human evolution and biological anthropology

A hominin specimen from a site in the Siwalik Hills shows thick molar enamel, robust mandibular corpora, and molars with low, rounded cusps and broad occlusal surfaces. These dental features are most consistent with which dietary adaptation?

  1. Habitual consumption of hard or abrasive plant foods Correct answer.
  2. Reliance on soft fruits and leaves
  3. Specialisation for shearing meat
  4. Obligate folivory with high cusps for slicing leaves

Explanation

Thick enamel, robust jaws and broad, low-cusped molars are classic adaptations for processing hard, brittle or abrasive plant foods that require heavy chewing. Such morphology is seen in robust australopithecines and some Miocene apes. It contrasts with the thin enamel and sharp, high cusps of more folivorous or soft-fruit diets.