Title: Vertebrates
Course: Question Banks

Q: Chordates get their name from the ________.
- dorsal, hollow nerve cord present in all chordate animals (Incorrect. All chordates do have a dorsal, hollow nerve cord, but this is not the source of the group’s name.)
- post-anal tail present in all chordate embryos (Incorrect. All chordate embryos do have a post-anal tail, but this is not the source of the group’s name.)
- flexible, rod-shaped structure that provides support for all chordate embryos (Correct. All chordates have a notochord during embryonic development.)
A: flexible, rod-shaped structure that provides support for all chordate embryos

Q: The ________ replaces the notochord in vertebrate chordates.
- skeletal system (Incorrect. The skeletal system does not replace the notochord in adult vertebrates.)
- spinal cord (Incorrect. The spinal cord does not replace the notochord in adult vertebrates.)
- vertebral column (Correct. The spine replaces the notochord in postnatal vertebrates.)
A: vertebral column

Q: In tetrapods, the pharyngeal slits develop into ________.
- gill supports (Incorrect. The pharyngeal slits develop into gill slits in vertebrate fishes.)
- support structures of the jaws (Incorrect. In jawed fishes the pharyngeal slits develop into jaw supports.)
- parts of the ear and tonsils (Correct. The pharyngeal slits develop into parts of the ears and tonsils in the tetrapod lineages.)
A: parts of the ear and tonsils

Q: The ________ contain all four features of chordates as adults.
- tunicates (Incorrect. As adults, the tunicates only have pharyngeal slits.)
- amphibians (Incorrect. Amphibians do not possess all four chordate features as adults.)
- lancelets (Correct. Lancelets are extant Cephalochordata that possess all four features of chordates in the adult form.)
A: lancelets

Q: Most adult ________ are sessile filter feeders that live in shallow ocean water.
- lancelets (Incorrect. Lancelets are also filter feeders but they can and do swim in their ocean habits.)
- Pikaia (Incorrect. Pikaia are an extinct lineage of Cephalochordata, so we don’t really know if they were sessile.)
- tunicates (Correct. As adults, the tunicates attach to a surface and live their lives as suspension feeders in that location.)
A: tunicates

Q: The invertebrate chordates are the ________.
- sharks and rays (Incorrect. Sharks and rays are not invertebrates.)
- leeches and snakes (Incorrect. Leeches are not chordates and snakes are not invertebrates.)
- tunicates and lancelets (Correct. The two invertebrate clades of Chordata are the Urochordata (tunicates) and Cephalochordata (lancelets).)
A: tunicates and lancelets

Q: All craniates have a ________.
- nerve bundle and supporting cells running down the ventral side (Incorrect. This is a spinal cord; not all craniates have one.)
- series of separate bones joined together as a backbone (Incorrect. Not all craniates have a backbone.)
- structure surrounding the brain, jaw, and facial bones (Correct. This is the definition of a cranium, which defines this group.)
A: structure surrounding the brain, jaw, and facial bones

Q: The ________ are craniates with no backbone.
- tunicates (Incorrect. Tunicates are not craniates.)
- lamprays (Incorrect. The lampreys do have a backbone, but no jaws.)
- hagfishes (Correct. The Myxini have a cranium but no backbone.)
A: hagfishes

Q: The vertebrates appear to be most closely related to the ________.
- tunicates (Incorrect. The vertebrates are not most closely related to the invertebrate tunicates.)
- leeches (Incorrect. The leeches are not even a type of chordate, so vertebrates would be least closely related to them in these choices.)
- lancelets (Correct. The vertebrates appear to be more closely related to the lancelets among the invertebrate chordates.)
A: lancelets

Q: The ________ maintain the notochord as the only body support in adults.
- lampreys (Incorrect. Lampreys have an arcualia as adults that supports their bodies, though they do have a notochord inside this structure.)
- skates (Incorrect. The skates have a cartilaginous skeleton that replaces the notochord as a body support.)
- hagfishes (Correct. The body of a hagfish is supported by a cartilaginous notochord rather than a vertebral column like the rest of the vertebrates.)
A: hagfishes

Q: The jawless fish are a unique group of craniates that lack ________.
- bones (Incorrect. While this is true, they are not the only craniates that lack bones.)
- a well-defined cranium (Incorrect. All craniates have a cranium, even if it is not made of bones.)
- paired lateral appendages (Correct. The jawless fish are grouped together because they lack paired fins.)
A: paired lateral appendages

Q: Lampreys live as adults for ________.
- several years (Incorrect. Lampreys do not survive as adults for several years.)
- up to a decade (Incorrect. Lampreys spend 3–15 years as larvae before they reach sexual maturity.)
- only a few days (Correct. Once lampreys attain sexual maturity, they reproduce and die within days.)
A: only a few days

Q: The evolution of jaws and paired fins allowed gnathostomes to ________.
- defend themselves (Incorrect. This is not the result of having hard jaws or paired fins.)
- filter feed more efficiently and quickly (Incorrect. This is not the result of having hard jaws or paired fins.)
- become mobile predators (Correct. Paired fins allow the gnathostomes to swim more efficiently and jaws allow them to grasp and tear food.)
A: become mobile predators

Q: The ________ have skeletons composed of cartilage.
- Osteichthyes (Incorrect. This is the bony fish clade, which possess a skeleton composed of bone.)
- Sarcopterygii (Incorrect. These are the lobe-finned fishes, the lungfishes and coelacanths, who are bony fish.)
- Chondrichthyes (Correct. This clade includes the sharks, rays, skates, sawfishes, and “ghost” sharks.)
A: Chondrichthyes

Q: The largest class of vertebrates living today is the ________.
- Chondrichthyes (Incorrect. The cartilaginous fish clade is not the largest class of vertebrates alive today.)
- Sarcopterygii (Incorrect. These are the lobe-finned fishes, the lungfishes and coelacanths, and is one of the smallest group of vertebrates: there are 6 species of lungfish and 2 species of coelacanths.)
- Osteichthyes (Correct. This is the bony fish clade that includes approximately 30,000 species.)
A: Osteichthyes

Q: The first tetrapods were likely ________.
- jawless fishes (Incorrect. Jawless fish are not tetrapods.)
- reptiles (Incorrect. Reptiles were not the first tetrapods.)
- amphibians (Correct. The first tetrapods arose 400 million years ago and were amphibians.)
A: amphibians

Q: Extant amphibians all have ________.
- four functional limbs (Incorrect. Amphibians are tetrapods (four-limbed animals) but some salamanders and all caecillians have vestigial (non-functioning) limbs.)
- sticky tongues for capturing prey (Incorrect. Only a few amphibians have sticky tongues for capturing prey.)
- moist skin for respiration (Correct. All amphibians use their moist skin for cutaneous respiration.)
A: moist skin for respiration

Q: Modern day amphibians are ________.
- herbivores (Incorrect. Modern amphibians are not foraging herbivores.)
- omnivorous (Incorrect. Amphibians alive today are not omnivores.)
- carnivorous (Correct. All modern amphibians capture and eat other animals.)
A: carnivorous

Q: The evolutionary changes from living totally in the water as fishes to living on the land as tetrapods occurred during the ________ period.
- Permian (Incorrect. Tetrapods appeared before the Permian period.)
- Carboniferous (Incorrect. Amphibians were widespread by the Carboniferous period, so tetrapods must have evolved earlier.)
- Devonian (Correct. These evolutionary changes took around 50 million years and occurred during the Devonian period.)
A: Devonian

Q: ________, including the early ancestors of modern amphibians, were widespread during the Carboniferous period.
- Troglodytes (Incorrect. Troglodytes are not the ancestors of amphibians.)
- Agnathans (Incorrect. Agnathans are not the ancestors of amphibians.)
- Tetrapods (Correct. Amphibians and other tetrapods were widespread by the Carboniferous period.)
A: Tetrapods

Q: One of the earliest known tetrapods was in the genus ________.
- Tiktaalik (Incorrect. Tiktaalik is a more recent fossil discovery that may represent an intermediate between lobe-finned fishes and tetrapods.)
- Siphonops (Incorrect. Siphonops is the genus of an extant caecilian.)
- Acanthostega (Correct. Currently the genus Acanthostega is the earliest known tetrapod.)
A: Acanthostega

Q: In most amphibians, eggs are laid ________.
- on land (Incorrect. Amphibians cannot reproduce independent of a water source.)
- in moist, damp soils (Incorrect. There is not enough moisture in terrestrial soils for amphibian eggs.)
- in water (Correct. Amphibian eggs require a watery environment as they are not surrounded by any protective shell.)
A: in water

Q: All amphibians undergo ________.
- molting (Incorrect. Amphibians do not molt as they grow and develop.)
- live birth (Incorrect. No amphibians give birth to live young.)
- metamorphosis (Correct. All amphibians undergo some form of metamorphosis, with most undergoing a complete metamorphosis from an aquatic larval form to a terrestrial adult form.)
A: metamorphosis

Q: Frogs transition from a larval form to an adult in roughly ________.
- three days (Incorrect. The actual metamorphosis from tadpole to frog does not take this long.)
- one week (Incorrect. The actual metamorphosis from tadpole to frog does not take this long.)
- one day (Correct. The major metamorphic changes from a tadpole to an almost adult form in roughly 24 hours.)
A: one day

Q: ________ most likely walk in the same fashion as the earliest tetrapods.
- Frogs (Incorrect. Frogs use their hind legs to jump while on land; this is not how early tetrapods likely walked.)
- Caecilians (Incorrect. Caecilians do not walk: they are completely limbless.)
- Salamanders (Correct. Salamanders move by lateral undulation, which is thought to be similar to early tetrapod gaits.)
A: Salamanders

Q: The ________ order is one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates, with species on every continent except Antarctica.
- salamanders (Incorrect. Urodela is a relatively small order, with only 620 species.)
- caecilians (Incorrect. Apoda is a small order, with only 185 species.)
- frogs (Correct. Order Anura has 5,965 species, one of the most diverse of vertebrates.)
A: frogs

Q: The presence of vestigial limbs indicates the ________ evolved from a legged tetrapod.
- salamanders (Incorrect. Salamanders walk by lateral undulation, which is thought to be similar to early tetrapod gaits.)
- frogs (Incorrect. Frogs use their hind legs to jump while on land.)
- caecilians (Correct. Caecilians are completely limbless and resemble earthworms, but do have vestigial limbs.)
A: caecilians

Q: Class ________ is the only truly separate class of amniotes.
- Aves (Incorrect. Modern evidence indicates the birds are not a separate class.)
- Reptilia (Incorrect. Reptiles are no longer recognized as a distinct class of amniotes.)
- Mammalia (Correct. Mammals are an individual class of amniotes.)
A: Mammalia

Q: Modern evidence indicates that ________ descended directly from dinosaurs.
- mammals (Incorrect. Mammals are an individual class of amniotes.)
- reptiles (Incorrect. Modern reptiles descended from different dinosaur lineages, so they are not truly direct descendants of dinosaurs.)
- birds (Correct. Modern evidence indicates the birds are the most direct descendants of dinosaurs.)
A: birds

Q: The eggs of ________ still require a moist environment.
- birds (Incorrect. Bird eggs are hard, but fragile; they do not require environmental moisture.)
- mammals (Incorrect. Except for monotremes, mammals do not lay eggs. Monotreme eggs do not require water.)
- reptiles (Correct. Modern reptiles have leathery eggs that still require a moist environment. This is why they are found in similar environments to the amphibians)
A: reptiles

Q: All amniotes have ________.
- externally laid eggs protected by a shell (Incorrect. Mammals are amniotes and few of them lay eggs.)
- internally incubated eggs protected by extra-embryonic members (Incorrect. Only the placental mammals incubate eggs internally; all other amniotes lay their eggs outside the mother’s body.)
- eggs protected by amniotic membranes (Correct. The amniotic egg is the key characteristic of the amniotes, regardless of whether it is externally protected by a shell or internally housed in the mother.)
A: eggs protected by amniotic membranes

Q: The ________ layer protects the embryo from mechanical shock.
- chorion (Incorrect. The chorion surrounds the embryo and yolk sac and facilitates gas exchange with the environment.)
- yolk (Incorrect. The yolk is the energy supply for the embryo, just as it is in amphibians.)
- amnion (Correct. The amnion is the extra-embryonic membrane that actually protects the embryo, and supports hydration.)
A: amnion

Q: ________ have waterproof skin.
- Amphibian (Incorrect. Amphibian skin is not waterproof.)
- Fish (Incorrect. Fish skin is not waterproof.)
- Amniotes (Correct. All amniotes have waterproof skin, a derived characteristic that facilitates their ability to live away from water (in most cases).)
A: Amniotes

Q: Mammals evolved from the ________ group.
- sauropsids (Incorrect. Reptiles and birds evolved from the sauropsids.)
- anapsids (Incorrect. Anapsids include extinct organisms only, except possibly the turtles (that is still under debate).)
- synapsids (Correct. All mammals, including extinct ones, evolved from the synapsids.)
A: synapsids

Q: Birds and ________ are most closely related within the amniotes.
- turtles (Incorrect. Turtles are possibly the least closely related of all the “reptiles.”)
- snakes (Incorrect. Birds and snakes are not closely related amniotes.)
- crocodiles (Correct. Crocodilia (crocodiles and alligators) and Aves (birds) both descended from the Archosauria.)
A: crocodiles

Q: Which of the following non-mammalian amniotes evolved from the sauropsids?
- Amphibians (Incorrect. Amphibians evolved from lobe-finned fish.)
- Mammals (Incorrect. All mammals, including extinct ones, evolved from the synapsids.)
- Reptiles and birds (Correct. Reptiles and birds evolved from the sauropsids at least; after that point the evolutionary tree is under investigation.)
A: Reptiles and birds

Q: Some reptiles ________ during cold weather.
- enter stasis (Incorrect. Reptiles do not enter stasis.)
- hibernate (Incorrect. Reptiles do not hibernate: they do not live off fat reserves or sleep during cold weather.)
- brumate (Correct. Some reptiles brumate, during which their metabolism is quite slow and they are very sluggish.)
A: brumate

Q: Reptiles all have ________.
- internal fertilization (Incorrect. Not all reptiles fertilize their eggs internally.)
- legs (Incorrect. Snakes and squamates are limbless, though they do have vestigial limbs since they are tetrapods.)
- lungs (Correct. All reptiles have lungs for breathing.)
A: lungs

Q: All reptiles are ________.
- homothermic ectotherms (Incorrect. Reptiles are not homothermic (stable body temperature).)
- poikilothermic endotherms (Incorrect. Reptiles do not produce their own body heat from metabolism.)
- poikilothermic ectotherms (Correct. All reptiles obtain their body heat from the environment and their body temperatures vary.)
A: poikilothermic ectotherms

Q: The oldest lineage of reptiles is the ________.
- Crocodilia (Incorrect. The alligators, crocodiles, and caimans are not the oldest group of reptiles.)
- Squamata (Incorrect. The snakes and lizards are the most recent group of reptiles.)
- Testudines (Correct. Turtles evolved before any other reptile group, nearly 200 million years ago.)
A: Testudines

Q: The Sphenodontia are the ________ group of reptiles.
- oldest (Incorrect. Turtles evolved before any other reptile group, nearly 200 million years ago.)
- most diverse (Incorrect. The snakes and lizards are the most diverse group of reptiles.)
- smallest (Correct. The tuataras are the smallest group of reptiles, which only two living species.)
A: smallest

Q: ________ do not have bony lower mandibles or ligament attachments in the anterior portion of their jaws.
- Lizards (Incorrect. Lizards do have fully bony, well attached jaws.)
- Turtles (Incorrect. Turtles do have bony, attached jaws.)
- Snakes (Correct. Snakes evolved to feed on relatively large prey, as indicated by a boneless lower jaw and no anterior ligament attachments.)
A: Snakes

Q: The diapsid reptiles split into the archosaurs and lepidosaurs in the ________ period.
- Carboniferous (Incorrect. Reptiles as a whole originated in the Carboniferous; Hylonomus is the oldest undisputed reptile.)
- Triassic (Incorrect. During the Triassic the archosaurs became the dominant group but they and the lepidosaurs evolved before then.)
- Permian (Correct. Diapsid split into archosaurs (predecessors of crocodilians and dinosaurs) and lepidosaurs (predecessors of snakes and lizards) in the Permian period.)
A: Permian

Q: Dinosaurs were all ________ species.
- carnivorous (Incorrect. There were a number of herbivorous species of dinosaurs.)
- ectothermic (Incorrect. This characteristic is not actually known but most likely there were endothermic dinosaurs since birds are endotherms.)
- terrestrial (Correct. All dinosaurs were terrestrials. Aquatic and “flying” dinosaurs (like the pterosaurs) were not actually dinosaurs.)
A: terrestrial

Q: ________ are the only living descendants of a major clade of dinosaurs.
- Crocodiles (Incorrect. Crocodilians are related to dinosaurs but not directly descendant from them.)
- Sharks (Incorrect. Sharks are not amniotes but dinosaurs were; therefore sharks did not descend from dinosaurs.)
- Birds (Correct. Birds are the only direct descendants of true dinosaurs.)
A: Birds

Q: Birds are ________.
- ectotherms (Incorrect. Birds do not obtain their body heat from the environment.)
- poikilotherms (Incorrects. Birds generally have a stable body temperature.)
- endotherms (Correct. Birds produce their own body heat through metabolism.)
A: endotherms

Q: Due to their ability to fly, ________ .
- birds eat very little (Incorrect. Birds have an overall high energy requirement.)
- birds are carnivores (Incorrect. Birds on a whole have a mixed diet.)
- birds require a lot of food (Correct. Birds require large amounts of energy because they are endotherms and they fly.)
A: birds require a lot of food

Q: Birds insulate their bodies using ________ feathers.
- contour (Incorrect. Contour feather reduce drag produced by wind resistance.)
- secondary (Incorrect. Secondary flight feathers provide lift; primary flight feathers provide thrust.)
- down (Correct. Down feathers provide insulation, not flight assistance.)
A: down

Q: The secondary feathers of birds ________.
- reduce drag produced by wind resistance (Incorrect. Contour feather reduce drag produced by wind resistance.)
- insulate their bodies (Incorrect. Down feathers provide insulation, not flight assistance.)
- provide lift during flight (Correct. Secondary flight feathers provide lift; primary flight feathers provide thrust.)
A: provide lift during flight

Q: Birds have ________ bones to reduce weight.
- calcified (Incorrect. Calcified bones, those made of calcium, do not reduce weight. Your bones are calcified after all.)
- ossified (Incorrect. Ossified just means “turn into bones”—birds definitely have bones but this doesn’t address weight reduction.)
- pneumatic (Correct. Pneumatic bones are hollow, reducing weight in most birds.)
A: pneumatic

Q: Birds use their cloaca to ________.
- replace the bladder (Incorrect. Birds do not have a urinary bladder; the cloaca does not replace this organ.)
- create a cross-current gas exchange (Incorrect. The cloaca is not involved in the cross-current gas exchange system in birds.)
- reabsorb water into the bloodstream (Correct. The cloaca removes the need to store urine in a bladder, reducing overall weight.)
A: reabsorb water into the bloodstream

Q: Birds evolved from the ________ lineage.
- apatosaur (Incorrect. The long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs did not give rise to the birds.)
- ornithischia (Incorrect. Birds did not evolve from the “bird like” dinosaur lineage.)
- theropod (Correct. Birds evolved from the bipedal predator dinosaurs known as theropods.)
A: theropod

Q: The ________ represents an intermediate fossil between dinosaurs and true birds.
- Shanweiniao (Incorrect. This was one of the dominant bird types during the Cretaceous, not an intermediate.)
- Apatosaurus (Incorrect. Apatosaurus was a true dinosaur.)
- Archaeopteryx (Correct. Archaeopteryx is considered an intermediate fossil: it has a dinosaur like skeleton and teeth, but it also had feathers modified for flight.)
A: Archaeopteryx

Q: Modern birds include both flightless ________ and all other birds, the Neognathae.
- Enantiornithes (Incorrect. The “opposite birds” were the dominant bird type during the Cretaceous period. They are now extinct.)
- Neornithes (Incorrect. This group, the “new birds,” includes all modern birds.)
- Paleognathae (Correct. Also known as the ratites, this group includes the ostriches, emus, rheas, and kiwis, all of which are flightless.)
A: Paleognathae

Q: All mammals have ________.
- a complex placenta (Incorrect. Only the eutherians have a placenta.)
- mammary glands (Incorrect. Male marsupials do not have mammary glands, though all other mammals (including other types of males) do.)
- hair (Correct. Other than a few notable genetic exceptions, all mammals have hair. Even “hairless” cats have whiskers and very fine hairs.)
A: hair

Q: Mammals have a single lower jaw bone known as the ________.
- heterodont (Incorrect. Heterodont actually means “different teeth”: most mammals do have different types of teeth in their mouths.)
- malleus (Incorrect. This is a bone in the inner ear of mammals.)
- dentary (Correct. The lower jaw of mammals is a single bone called the dentary.)
A: dentary

Q: The mammalian heart has ________ chambers.
- three (Incorrect. Amphibians and most reptiles have a three chambered heart. Not crocodilians though, which shows they are closely related to birds.)
- two (Incorrect. Fish have a two-chambered heart.)
- four (Correct. Mammals and birds have a four-chambered heart.)
A: four

Q: The ________ are generally recognized for the pouches in which the young complete development after very early birth.
- eutherians (Incorrect. These are the mammals with a complex placenta that holds the fetus during development until birth.)
- monotremes (Incorrect. These are the egg-laying mammals.)
- marsupials (Correct. This group includes primarily Australian species but also the North American opossum.)
A: marsupials

Q: The ________ are the smallest group of mammals.
- eutherians (Incorrect. These are the mammals with a complex placenta that holds the fetus during development until birth.)
- marsupials (Incorrect. This group includes primarily Australian species but also the North American opossum and utilizes a pouch for final fetal development after birth.)
- monotremes (Correct. These are the egg-laying mammals: the platypus and two species of echidnas.)
A: monotremes

Q: The eutherians are the ________ group of mammals.
- smallest (Incorrect. These are the egg-laying mammals: the platypus and two species of echidnas.)
- least complex (Incorrect. These are the monotremes: the platypus and two species of echidnas.)
- most diverse (Correct. These are the mammals with a complex placenta that holds the fetus during development until birth; this is generally what people think of when they think of “mammals.”)
A: most diverse

Q: Mammals evolved from the ________.
- sauropsids (Incorrect. Reptiles and birds evolved from the sauropsids at least; after that point the evolutionary tree is under investigation.)
- anapsids (Incorrect. Anapsids include extinct organisms only, except possibly the turtles (that is still under debate).)
- synapsids (Correct. All mammals, including extinct ones, evolved from the synapsids.)
A: synapsids

Q: The cynodonts are the most likely direct ancestor of the ________.
- birds (Incorrect. The cynodonts are not the direct ancestors of the birds.)
- reptiles (Incorrect. The cynodonts are not the direct ancestors of the reptiles.)
- mammals (Correct. The cynodonts are thought to be the ancestors of modern mammals.)
A: mammals

Q: Mammals initially diversified in the ________ Era.
- Cenozoic (Incorrect. Mammals were already fairly diverse by the Cenozoic Era.)
- Cretaceous (Incorrect. The Cretaceous is a period, not an era, though it was a time of great radiation of mammals.)
- Mesozoic (Correct. Mammalian diversity really blossomed from the Jurassic to Cretaceous periods of the Mesozoic.)
A: Mesozoic

Q: All primates possess hands and feet adapted for ________.
- bipedalism (Incorrect. While some primates will walk on two feet, most do not.)
- quadrupedalism (Incorrect. While some primates do walk on all fours, that is not what the hands and feet are best adapted to do.)
- brachiation (Correct. The hands and feet of primates are adapted for climbing and swinging through trees.)
A: brachiation

Q: The ________ are generally nocturnal and smaller in size than the other primates.
- anthropoids (Incorrect. The anthropoids are diurnal and larger.)
- hominids (Incorrect. The hominids are in the human lineage.)
- prosimians (Correct. This group of primates includes the bush babies, lemurs, lorises, pottos, and tarsiers.)
A: prosimians

Q: ________ vision is required for depth perception and distance gauging.
- Color (Incorrect. Color vision is not required for depth perception or distance gauging.)
- Peripheral (Incorrect. Peripheral vision, or seeing out of the corner of the eye, is not required for depth perception or distance gauging.)
- Stereoscopic (Correct. All primates have stereoscopic vision, which helps with swinging through the trees.)
A: Stereoscopic

Q: The ________ are the oldest known proto-primate mammals.
- Platyrrhini (Incorrect. This is another name for modern New World monkeys (those that live in South America).)
- Pongo (Incorrect. Pongo is the genus of the modern day orangutans.)
- Plesiadapis (Correct. Some scientists do not consider Plesiadapis was a proto-primate but most do.)
A: Plesiadapis

Q: The first true primates arose during the ________ Epoch.
- Oligocene (Incorrect. This is when the anthropoids diverged from the prosimians.)
- Cenozoic (Incorrect. The apes diverged from the Old World monkeys during the Cenozoic.)
- Eocene (Correct. Primates first appeared during the Eocene Epoch.)
A: Eocene

Q: Gibbons and siamangs are considered ________.
- Old World monkeys (Incorrect. Old World monkeys are the catarrhines.)
- greater apes (Incorrect. These are the chimps, gorillas, orangutans, and humans.)
- lesser apes (Correct. The lesser apes are still more intelligent and larger than monkeys, though not to the same degree as the greater apes.)
A: lesser apes

Q: Humans and chimpanzees split from a common ________ ancestor.
- hominin (Incorrect. Hominin refers to non-chimpanzee lineages that developed after the split from a common ancestor.)
- hominid (Incorrect. The term hominid refers to all modern and extinct great apes, so includes humans, chimps, and gorillas for example.)
- hominoid (Correct. Humans and chimpanzees diverged from a common hominoid ancestor around 6 million years ago.)
A: hominoid

Q: The Homo genus likely evolved from ________.
- Ardipithecus (Incorrect. The Homo genus did not derive from Ardipithecus.)
- Orrorin (Incorrect. The Homo genus did not derive from Orrorin.)
- Australopithecus (Correct. It is believed that the human genus evolved from the “southern ape” Australopithecus.)
A: Australopithecus

Q: Anatomically modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens, most likely evolved from ________ about 100,000 years ago in Africa.
- Homo neanderthalensis (Incorrect. Homo neanderthalensis was a concurrent species with anatomically modern humans found only in Europe.)
- Homo habilis (Incorrect. Homo habilis was a much earlier ancestor of all Homo sapiens, not just anatomically modern Homo sapiens sapiens.)
- Homo erectus (Correct. Anatomically modern humans evolved from H. erectus around 100,000 years ago in Africa; they then migrated out and replaced other H. erectus species.)
A: Homo erectus