ANT 210
Physical Anthropology

Test 5 Review Guidelines

Test 5 is worth a total of 100 points (20% of your course grade) and comprises three sections and a bonus (extra credit) opportunity to earn four additional points. 

Below, each section is described.  Following a description of each section of the test, a list of terms and concepts is provided, chapter by chapter, along with some guidelines about what to focus on. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Sections:

• Part I:  Multiple choice.  There are 26 multiple choice questions worth 2 points each (52 points total).  Please refer back to the test 1 review guidelines for tips on multiple choice questions in general.
   

  • Questions in this section cover each topic:  Human Variation (class notes and Chapter 14), Recent Microevolution (class notes and Chapter 15), Human Adaptation (class notes and Chapter 16), and how Agriculture and Civilization affect our Biology (Chapter 17; some of the information in this chapter is included in lecture notes related to Human Adaptation).  Please note that the lecture topics overlap with the text yet there are also concepts from lecture not presented in the text--there is a detailed list below of concepts, terms, and topics to know that are not in the text mixed in with those that are in the text.  There are also items in the text that are well explained, and thus, not mentioned in class.  This is particularly the case for sections of Chapter 17 on secular changes in human growth and demographic change (text contains information not presented in class); and it is also the case for Chapter 15 where the origin of Native Americans, population history of Ireland, and genetic ancestry of African Americans was not presented in class (please be sure to read the text). 
    
     

• Part II:  Matching.  There are six matching questions where each has two answers, worth 2 points each (24 points total). 
   

  • For this test, the matching section will emphasize terminology and concepts related to Human Adaptation, particularly disease and nutritional stress.  Each question requires two answers.

• Part III:  Short Answer.  Be able to define Bergmann's Rule and Allen's Rule and how they relate to human adaptation.  Define biological determinism and explain how it is tied to racism.  Explain how dark skin evolved--where and why--as well as light skin--where and why.  This section is worth a total of 24 points.
      

Items to Know:

Note:  Much of what to know is listed below; yet it may not be everything.  Use this review as a guideline.  Look up anything you don't have in your notes (especially if you missed a class and didn't get notes from someone) in your text and on the Internet because information from lecture is not always in the text.  Again, be sure to read your text even if you have all the class notes because not all information from the text is discussed in class.

• Human Variation (class information and Chapter 14, 15): 

  •  Measuring human variation: 

    • red blood cell polymorphisms (define polymorphism)

      • blood type: (antibody, antigen, ABO blood typing system--which alleles are more frequent; you do not have to know antigens and antibodies present in each blood type, but be able to define antigen and antibody in general; you also do not have to know universal donor or recipient).
         

      • blood proteins and enzymes:  electrophoresis--what is it?  What is an example of what can be analyzed?
         

    • HLA system:  what does HLA stand for?  What can it reveal?
       

    • DNA analysis

      • Define:  RFLP--what does RFLP stand for?  What is analyzed?; Microsatellite DNA; Alu insertions, SNPs, haplotype, haplogroup
         

    • Complex traits

      •  Define:  anthropometrics, odontometrics, craniometrics; examples of visible, less visible and nonvisible traits resulting in human biological diversity
         

  • Why study human variation:  define genetic distance, genetic distance maps, isolation by distance
     

  • Biological determinism:  define and explain; what are historic views of population differences?  How did this lead to racism?  Define eugenics and explain the current views on this concept.
     

  • Race:  define and explain; why is this concept not a biological reality? 
     

• Recent Microevolution (class information and Chapter 15): 

  • Population origins of Native Americans, population history of Ireland, genetic ancestry of African Americans
     

  • hemoglobin, sickle cell, and malaria:  what is the connection?  How is this an example of recent microevolution?  Define infectious and noninfectious disease.
     

  • CCR5 gene and the CCR5 delta 32 allele:  define; explain how it is related to HIV resistance; what are the hypotheses for the origin of this allele? 
     

  • Skin color:  define melanin, melanocytes; what are the hypotheses for the development of dark skin?  Which hypothesis provides the most likely explanation for dark skin?  Where and why did light skin develop? 
     

  • Define horticulture and slash and burn agriculture and explain how these cultural practices led to situations where microevolution occurs (e.g., malaria, sickle cell trait).
     

  • Define lactase persistence and lactose intolerance; how are these examples of recent microevolution?  Why did lactase persist--how is it adaptive?
     

• Human Adaptation (class information and Chapter 16, 17): 

  • Define:  homeostasis, stress (define and know examples), plasticity, acclimation, acclimitization, developmental acclimitization, adaptation.
     

  • Adaptations to temperature:  what are the adaptations to cold and heat stress? Define and explain Bergmann's Rule and Allen's Rule in humans; define and explain cephalic index and nasal index and know how these are tied to temperature adaptation.
     

  • Adaptations to altitude:  define hypoxia; how does high altitude stress affect humans who are not indigenous to those regions? What are examples of regions where humans live at high altitudes?  Explain how humans have adapted to high altitudes.
     

  • Adaptations to infectious disease:  how has culture affected infectious disease prevalence?  What diseases are prevalent in hunter-gatherers, agricultural societies, and civilized/urban societies?  How have humans adapted to these diseases? 

    • Define:  vector, zoonoses/zoonotic, sedentism/sedentary, endemic, epidemic, pandemic, civilization, epidemiologic transition; emergent and reemergent infectious disease and examples
       

  • Adaptations to nutritional stress:  how does nutrition and nutritional stress differ in hunter-gatherers and agricultural societies?  Define:  malnutrition, protein-calorie malnutrition, undernutrition, kwashiorkor, marasmus.  What are some examples of nutritional/dietary stress due to modernization?
     

  • Agriculture and Civilization's effects on modern human biology:  terms and concepts from Chapter 17 (many have been listed above; additional terms are below):

    • Define:  bioarchaeology, carrying capacity, natural increase, life expectancy at birth, life table, secular change, age at menarche, demographic transition theory, age-sex structure, population pyramid
       

• Tips:  Please try to re-read or at least re-view sections of chapters a few times along with your lecture notes.  Study in short segments, often, and try to avoid cramming the night before.  If you've kept up with the readings, and class notes, you will find reviewing gives good results in terms of what sounds familiar.  And, on the test, always go with the answers that feel familiar rather than what "sounds good". 
   

Back to top