ANTHRO 101: FINAL EXAM – UPPER PALEOLITHIC &
EARLY PREHISTORY COMPLETE QUESTIONS WITH
100% VERIFIED ANSWERS
1. At Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria, researchers have found:
A) The earliest evidence of Neanderthals in Europe
B) The earliest evidence of fully modern humans in Europe
C) The first example of cave art
D) The oldest known musical instrument
Explanation: Bacho Kiro Cave has yielded human remains and
radiocarbon dates placing anatomically modern humans in Europe as
early as ~45,000 years ago, making it the earliest known evidence of our
species on the continent.
2. The milestone of human evolution that appears in the Upper
Paleolithic is:
A) Bipedalism
B) Controlled use of fire
C) Symbolic behavior
D) Stone tool production
Explanation: While stone tools appear much earlier, the Upper
Paleolithic is defined by the first widespread evidence of symbolic
,behavior: art, personal ornamentation, ritual burial, and complex
language.
3. The first widespread fully modern human in Europe is known as:
A) Homo habilis
B) Cro-Magnon
C) Homo neanderthalensis
D) Australopithecus
Explanation: Cro-Magnon is the name given to the earliest anatomically
modern humans in Europe (associated with the Aurignacian culture),
distinct from the Neanderthals who lived there previously.
4. The Upper Paleolithic is a time of decreased diversity.
False
Explanation: The Upper Paleolithic is marked by increased diversity in
stone tools, art forms, subsistence strategies, and regional cultural
adaptations, not decreased diversity.
5. Select answers that are true about the ancient human remains found
at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco.
Evidence for earlier appearance of fully modern humans than
previously known
315,000 years old
The only Neanderthals in Africa
,Explanation: Jebel Irhoud fossils date to ~315,000 years ago and
represent early Homo sapiens, pushing back the origin of our species.
They are not Neanderthals, and Neanderthals are not found in Africa.
6. Which of the following weapons first appeared in the Upper
Paleolithic?
Spear-thrower
Bow and arrow
Explanation: Both the spear-thrower (atlatl) and bow and arrow are
Upper Paleolithic innovations that increased hunting range and
accuracy. Hand-thrown spears existed earlier.
7. Cro-Magnon culture is called Aurignacian.
True
Explanation: The Aurignacian stone tool tradition (blade-based) is
directly associated with Cro-Magnon (early modern humans) in Europe
from about 43,000 to 28,000 years ago.
8. Match the ancestor to their tool tradition.
Aurignacian → Homo sapiens
Acheulean → Homo erectus
Oldowan → Homo habilis
Mousterian → Homo neanderthalensis
Explanation: These are the standard associations: Oldowan (oldest,
simple flakes) with H. habilis, Acheulean (handaxes) with H. erectus,
, Mousterian (flakes/Levallois) with Neanderthals, and Aurignacian
(blades) with H. sapiens.
9. Efficiency in tool making from Oldowan to Aurignacian is defined as:
More inches of cutting edge per pound of raw material
Explanation: Blade technology (Aurignacian) produces far more cutting
edge from the same amount of stone compared to earlier flake and
core technologies, representing a major increase in efficiency.
10. During the Upper Paleolithic:
Art and other symbolic activities explode in quantity and quality
Explanation: This period sees the first cave paintings, Venus figurines,
carved bone/ivory, personal adornments, and musical instruments—a
dramatic "symbolic explosion."
11. The kinds of animals represented in Upper Paleolithic cave art and
the way they are shown does not support the idea that the art was a
form of sympathetic magic meant to enhance herd fertility and success
in the hunt.
True
Explanation: The art includes dangerous predators (lions, bears, rhinos)
not typically hunted, and many animals are shown wounded or
pregnant inconsistently, weakening the "hunting magic" hypothesis.
EARLY PREHISTORY COMPLETE QUESTIONS WITH
100% VERIFIED ANSWERS
1. At Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria, researchers have found:
A) The earliest evidence of Neanderthals in Europe
B) The earliest evidence of fully modern humans in Europe
C) The first example of cave art
D) The oldest known musical instrument
Explanation: Bacho Kiro Cave has yielded human remains and
radiocarbon dates placing anatomically modern humans in Europe as
early as ~45,000 years ago, making it the earliest known evidence of our
species on the continent.
2. The milestone of human evolution that appears in the Upper
Paleolithic is:
A) Bipedalism
B) Controlled use of fire
C) Symbolic behavior
D) Stone tool production
Explanation: While stone tools appear much earlier, the Upper
Paleolithic is defined by the first widespread evidence of symbolic
,behavior: art, personal ornamentation, ritual burial, and complex
language.
3. The first widespread fully modern human in Europe is known as:
A) Homo habilis
B) Cro-Magnon
C) Homo neanderthalensis
D) Australopithecus
Explanation: Cro-Magnon is the name given to the earliest anatomically
modern humans in Europe (associated with the Aurignacian culture),
distinct from the Neanderthals who lived there previously.
4. The Upper Paleolithic is a time of decreased diversity.
False
Explanation: The Upper Paleolithic is marked by increased diversity in
stone tools, art forms, subsistence strategies, and regional cultural
adaptations, not decreased diversity.
5. Select answers that are true about the ancient human remains found
at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco.
Evidence for earlier appearance of fully modern humans than
previously known
315,000 years old
The only Neanderthals in Africa
,Explanation: Jebel Irhoud fossils date to ~315,000 years ago and
represent early Homo sapiens, pushing back the origin of our species.
They are not Neanderthals, and Neanderthals are not found in Africa.
6. Which of the following weapons first appeared in the Upper
Paleolithic?
Spear-thrower
Bow and arrow
Explanation: Both the spear-thrower (atlatl) and bow and arrow are
Upper Paleolithic innovations that increased hunting range and
accuracy. Hand-thrown spears existed earlier.
7. Cro-Magnon culture is called Aurignacian.
True
Explanation: The Aurignacian stone tool tradition (blade-based) is
directly associated with Cro-Magnon (early modern humans) in Europe
from about 43,000 to 28,000 years ago.
8. Match the ancestor to their tool tradition.
Aurignacian → Homo sapiens
Acheulean → Homo erectus
Oldowan → Homo habilis
Mousterian → Homo neanderthalensis
Explanation: These are the standard associations: Oldowan (oldest,
simple flakes) with H. habilis, Acheulean (handaxes) with H. erectus,
, Mousterian (flakes/Levallois) with Neanderthals, and Aurignacian
(blades) with H. sapiens.
9. Efficiency in tool making from Oldowan to Aurignacian is defined as:
More inches of cutting edge per pound of raw material
Explanation: Blade technology (Aurignacian) produces far more cutting
edge from the same amount of stone compared to earlier flake and
core technologies, representing a major increase in efficiency.
10. During the Upper Paleolithic:
Art and other symbolic activities explode in quantity and quality
Explanation: This period sees the first cave paintings, Venus figurines,
carved bone/ivory, personal adornments, and musical instruments—a
dramatic "symbolic explosion."
11. The kinds of animals represented in Upper Paleolithic cave art and
the way they are shown does not support the idea that the art was a
form of sympathetic magic meant to enhance herd fertility and success
in the hunt.
True
Explanation: The art includes dangerous predators (lions, bears, rhinos)
not typically hunted, and many animals are shown wounded or
pregnant inconsistently, weakening the "hunting magic" hypothesis.
