Question

Homo sapiens sapiens:

Select one:

a. Have brains that have been expanded primarily by sexual selection

b. Evolved in Asia about 1.5 million years ago

c. Have an evolved preference for a fruit-based diet but were excluded from that feeding niche by lemurs.

d. Mated with other descendants of Homo heidelbergensis.

e. None of the above is verifiable

Answer 1

ANSWER :-

1. The first evidence of the modern humans came from Africa which indicates that the Homo sapiens sapiens may have evolved in this continent around 200000 years to 130000 years or 0.2 -0.1 million years ago. This is clearly evident to state that humans have not evolved in Asia and thus this means that option 'B' is not the most appropriate answer.
2. It can be stated that the ancient hominids including the homo erectus showed transition in their diet and this was associated with the changes in environmental conditions along with development of modified hunting and fishing equipments which indicated that the modern humans were mostly omnivores with preference for eating fruits and there is no evidence indicating the niche was being overtaken by the lemurs indicating that option 'C' is not an appropriate answer.
3. It is being stated that the Neanderthal man originated from the Homo heidelbergensis although some of these ancient hominids stayed in the African continent and the Homo sapiens sapiens are stated to have mated with these hominids in a region that was humid and not suitable for making fire or in other words the hominid species have better adapted themselves to survive without fire. Evidence suggests that the descendants of Homo heidelbergensis including the Neanderthals and the Denisovans also mated with the individuals belonging to the Homo sapiens. This can be reflected in the morphological changes that can be seen in the Europeans, East and West Asian people. Thus, option 'D' is the most appropriate answer.
4. There is no quite indication of brain expansion in modern humans as compared to the ancient hominids which to an extend during some instances have shown evidence of selection playing a role in enhancing brain size and complexity although in case of the modern humans, as the brain size was smaller than that of Neanderthal but more complex than them, option 'A' cannot be considered as the most appropriate answer.
5. As option 'D' is the most appropriate answer, option 'E' cannot be considered as the most appropriate answer.

CORRECT ANSWER : OPTION 'D'