Test: Human Evolution - Grade 12 MCQ

Both Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans were initially thought to have evolved from Homo erectus between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago. H. erectus had emerged around 1.8 million years ago, and had long been present, in various subspecies throughout Eurasia.

Homo sapiens does not have opposable toe, large canine and chin is present. The only character applies to homo sapiens is cranial capacity of 1450cc. 

Therefore, the correct answer is option C.

Bipedalism evolved well before the large human brain or the development of stone tools.  Recent evidence regarding modern human sexual dimorphism (physical differences between male and female) in the lumbar spine has been seen in pre-modern primates such as Australopithecus africanus.

Homo erectus were known as the direct ancestors of humans. It had many similarities to modern man. Their face, skull structure, and posture were the same.

B- While Homo erectus used chiseled stones to make different tools, Cro magnon excavations have shown that they used materials like bones, antlers, teeth and ivory. With these new materials, they were able to create sharper blades, needles for sewing, and fishhooks for fishing.

Cro Magnon man is the direct ancestor of a modern human. These are the first early Modern Humans of the European Upper Paleolithic. It appeared during Holocene period that lived about 40,000 years ago. The brain capacity was about 1,600 cc, larger than the average for modern humans. They were robustly built and powerful. The body was generally heavy and solid with a strong musculature. The face was short and wide and chin is prominent. 

So, the correct answer is option C.

Homo habilis is a proposed archaic (early) species of Homo which lived between roughly 2.1 and 1.5 million years ago, during the Gelasian (earliest period) and early Calabrian (geologic time scale) stages of the Pleistocene geological epoch (this period lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago).

Proconsul belongs to animal kingdom and it is a chordata and belongs to class mammalia which is near in the mixture of old monkey and ape.They are called the ancestors of apes and monkeys.

Homo sapiens is the binomial nomenclature for the only extant human species. Homo is the human genus, which also includes Neanderthals and many other extinct species of hominid; H. sapiens is the only surviving species of the genus Homo. The binomial name Homo sapiens was coined by Carl Linnaeus. 

Therefore, the correct answer is option D.

Humans first appeared in the African continent 6 million years ago. According to the genetic and paleontological record, we only started to leave Africa between 60,000 and 70,000 years ago , in the middle of the stone age and this is the reason why most fossils are found in the African continent.

Most recent man found fossil was Cromagnon man. It lived during the upper Paleolithic period (40,000 to 10,000 years ago) in Europe. The fossils were discovered in 1868 in a shallow cave at Cro-Magnon in southwestern France. The body was generally heavy and solid, apparently with strong musculature. The forehead was straight, with slight brow ridges, and the face short and wide. Cro-Magnons were the first humans to have a prominent chin. The brain capacity was about 1,600 cc. 

Fossil of primitive man recovered in shivalik hills 15 mya is of ramapethicus .

Java man was characterized by a cranial capacity averaging 900 cubic cm smaller than those of later specimens of H. erectus, a skull flat in profile with little forehead, a crest along the top of the head for attachment of powerful jaw muscles, very thick skull bones, heavy brow ridges and a massive jaw with no chin. 

Therefore, the correct answer is option C.

Java man, extinct hominin, member of the human lineage known from fossil remains found on the island of Java, Indonesia. A skullcap and thighbone discovered by the Dutch anatomist and geologist Eugene Dubois in the early 1890s were the first known fossils of the species Homo erectus. 

Therefore, the correct answer is option D.

In December 2013, researchers reported evidence that Neanderthals practiced burial behaviour and intentionally buried their dead. In addition, scientists reported for the first time, the entire genome of a Neanderthals. The genome was extracted from the toe bone of a 130,000 year old Neanderthal found in a Siberian cave. Evidence suggests that the Neanderthals were the first humans to intentionally bury the dead , doing so in shallow graves along with stone tools and animal bones. Exemplary sites include Shanidar in Iraq, Kebara cave in Issael and Krapina in Croatia.

Evolution of man was possible because our ape-like ancestors showed bipedal movement on open land. Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs or legs. The greatest advantage of bipedal movement is forearms becoming free for carrying out the order of brain. It also raises the head; this allows a greater field of vision with improved detection of distant dangers or resources, access to deeper water for wading animals and allows the animals to reach higher food sources with their mouths. So, the correct answer is option A.

Pei Wenzhong was a Chinese paleontologist, archaeologist and anthropologist born in Fengnan. Professor Pei is considered a founding figure of Chinese anthropology. He graduated from Peking University in 1928 and went to work for the Cenozoic Research Laboratory of the Geological Survey of China joining the excavations of the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, where he was named the field director of the excavations the following year. The first fossil hominin skullcap was recovered by Pei working in a 40-meter crevasse in frigid weather with a hammer in one hand and a candle in the other on December 2, 1929.

Therefore, the correct answer is option B.

In 1856, Johann Karl Fuhlrott first recognized the fossil called as "Neanderthal man", discovered in Neanderthal, a valley near Mettmann in what is now North Rhine Westphalia, Germany. The Neanderthals are an extinct species of human in the genus Homo. They are closely related to modern humans differing in DNA by just 0.12%. 

Therefore, the correct answer is option A.

Cro-Magnons were robustly built and powerful. The body was generally heavy and solid with a strong musculature. The forehead was fairly straight rather than sloping like in Neanderthals and with only slight brow ridges. The face was short and wide. The chin was prominent. The brain capacity was about 1,600 cc, larger than the average for modern humans.

Primates are heterodonts with four kinds of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. The numbers of each kind of tooth vary by species. Humans, for example, have 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, and 12 molars, for a total of 32 teeth.

Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs or legs. The greatest advantage of bipedal movement is forearms becoming free for carrying out order of brain. It also raises the head, this allows a greater field of vision with improved detection of distant dangers or resources, access to deeper water for wading animals and allows the animals to reach higher food sources with their mouths.

 

Together with an Asian people known as Denisovans, Neanderthals are our closest ancient human relatives. Scientific evidence suggests our two species shared a common ancestor. Current evidence from both fossils and DNA suggests that Neanderthal and modern human lineages separated at least 500,000 years ago.

Introduction:
Fire for protection and cooking was first used by one of the early human species. The question asks about the specific human species that first utilized fire for these purposes.
Explanation:
The correct answer to this question is option C, Java man. Here is a detailed explanation of why Java man is the correct answer:
- Java man: Java man, also known as Homo erectus, is an early human species that lived approximately 1.8 million to 300,000 years ago. They were the first hominins to have spread beyond Africa and are considered to be the ancestors of modern humans.
- Fire usage: Evidence from archaeological sites suggests that Java man was the first human species to control and utilize fire for various purposes, including protection and cooking. They would have used fire to keep predators at bay, stay warm, and cook food, which provided them with several advantages for survival.
- Neanderthal man: Neanderthals, a different human species, lived from about 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. They were known to have used fire extensively and were skilled in controlling and maintaining it. However, they appeared much later than Java man and cannot be considered the first to use fire for protection and cooking.
- Cro-magnon man: Cro-magnon man refers to early anatomically modern humans who lived in Europe between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. They were skilled hunters and gatherers, and they also made use of fire for various purposes. However, they emerged much later than Java man and cannot be considered the first to use fire for protection and cooking.
- Peking man: Peking man, also known as Homo erectus pekinensis, is an early human species that lived in China from about 700,000 to 200,000 years ago. Like Java man, they would have utilized fire for survival purposes. However, Java man is considered to be the first human species to have used fire.
In conclusion, Java man is the correct answer as they were the first human species to control and utilize fire for protection and cooking. Neanderthal man, Cro-magnon man, and Peking man also used fire, but they emerged later in human history.

Coloured rock paintings were first done by:

A: Cro-magnon man

B: Java ape man

C: Peking man

D: Neanderthal man

Answer: A

Detailed

Coloured rock paintings were first done by Cro-magnon man.

Explanation:

• The Cro-magnon man, also known as Homo sapiens sapiens, was a species of early modern humans that lived around 40,000 to 10,000 years ago.


• They were the first humans to create coloured rock paintings, which are considered some of the earliest examples of prehistoric art.


• These paintings were found in caves and rock shelters and depicted various subjects such as animals, humans, and abstract symbols.


• The Cro-magnon man used natural pigments like charcoal, ochre, and manganese dioxide to create the colours for their paintings.


• These paintings not only served as artistic expressions but also carried significant cultural and religious meanings for the Cro-magnon man.


• The discovery of these rock paintings provides valuable insights into the lives and beliefs of early humans.

Therefore, the correct answer is A: Cro-magnon man.

The correct option is D Neanderthal man
Neanderthal man had a cranial capacity of 1400 cc
Homo habilis man  had a cranial capacity of 650-800cc
Homo erectus/ Java man  had a cranial capacity of 900 cc

Hence, Neanderthal man had the largest cranial capacity among the given options.