Biological Anthropology Exam 3
Questions with Verified Answers
which of the following is true regarding the fossilization of skeletal material - Answer-
Bone material must be petrified
petrification is the process in which - Answer-organic material is turned to stone
An example of a trace fossil is a(n) __________. - Answer-footprint
Taphonomy, the study of what happens to remains after burial, focuses on both
biological and ___________ processes. - Answer-geological
Nicolas Steno was a Danish geologist who pioneered the study of ________________.
- Answer-stratification and fossilization processes
The fact that there are predictable sequences of fauna through strata is one of the
underlying principles of __________. - Answer-stratigraphy
With respect to a given stratigraphic layer, index fossils represent organisms that
__________. - Answer-typify that layer
Stratigraphy can be used to understand geological and paleontological events only
when __________. - Answer-the principle of uniformitarianism is applied
When indirectly dating fossils, it is extremely important to have good __________. -
Answer-context
Charles Lyell, considered the father of modern geology, described stratigraphy in his
writings and promoted ____________. - Answer-uniformitarianism
The first step to establishing the antiquity of fossil remains is to learn their
____________, or its precise location in the ground. - Answer-provenience
Dating techniques that indicate only that something is older or more recent than
something else __________. - Answer-are called relative techniques
The Piltdown hoax involved which of the following? - Answer-an orangutan mandible
Chronometric dating techniques are based on __________. - Answer-radioactive
change over time
A dating method that relies on measuring the amount of trapped electrons is
__________. - Answer-thermoluminescence
, Approximately 200 million years ago, _________ and _________ were joined together
in an ancient land mass called Laurasia. - Answer-North America; Asia
Environmental conditions of the past can be interpreted from which of the following? -
Answer-the teeth of fossil animals
__________ can be observed in fossilized sediments and is a good indicator of past
climates. - Answer-Vegetation
Glaciation events imposed significant selective pressures on primates during the Plio-
Pleistocene periods because __________. - Answer-they increased glacial areas
significantly
Finding fossil animals in areas where early hominins roamed can __________. -
Answer-provide an indirect indication of environment type
A trace fossil is __________. - Answer-an impression of an animal or its activities
During fossilization, ____________ from the ground are absorbed by the remains of an
organism. - Answer-minerals
Archaeologists often recover and study fossilized human excrement, called
___________. - Answer-coprolites
With respect to a fossil, "context" means understanding __________. - Answer-how
different fossils in a site relate to one another
_________ is a principle of stratigraphy that states that with all things being equal, older
rock layers are laid down first with younger layers on top. - Answer-The principle of
superposition
The technique best suited to establish a date for a fossil found in volcanic ash is
__________. - Answer-tephrostratigraphy
Even if a particular site does not yield an absolute date, we can still establish a date
using the chronometric dating method at another site and combining it with
____________ and ____________ at the site in question. - Answer-faunal succession;
biostratigraphy
__________ is a calibrated relative dating technique. - Answer-Geomagnetic polarity
__________ and __________ were joined together approximately 200 million years
ago. - Answer-Africa; South America
____________ are opaline silica bodies secreted by some plants. - Answer-Phytoliths
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