Question 1 Medium
Which country is Lake Turkana in, where Richard Leakey's team found fossils?
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Answer: Kenya
- Lake Turkana is in East Africa.
- It is in Kenya.
Evidence for human evolution: GCSE Combined Science Biology practice questions
A second set of questions on evidence for human evolution. They are different from the ones on the topic page. Try each, then open the answer and compare your working.
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Question 2 Medium
Name one thing that cut marks on fossil animal bones show about early humans.
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Answer: they used tools
- Marks on the bones were made by sharp edges.
- This shows early humans used tools to cut meat.
Question 3 Hard
A tool is found in a layer between ash dated at 1.7 million years and ash dated at 1.5 million years. Between which two ages must the tool lie?
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Answer: 1.5 and 1.7 million years
- The tool is older than the upper layer.
- It is younger than the lower layer, so between 1.5 and 1.7 million years.
Question 4 Hard
What process is used to date layers of volcanic ash?
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Answer: radioactive decay
- Radioactive elements in the ash decay at a steady rate.
- Measuring this gives the age.
Question 5 Hard
Give one reason why the fossil record is incomplete.
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Answer: most organisms did not fossilise
- Fossils form only in particular conditions.
- Most organisms did not fossilise.
Question 6 Hard
The brain volume of one ancestor was 900 cm³ and a modern brain is 1350 cm³. Calculate the percentage increase from 900 to 1350.
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Answer: 50%
- Increase = 1350 − 900 = 450.
- 450 ÷ 900 × 100 = 50%.
Question 7 Hard
What feature of Ardi's foot showed that Ardi could still climb trees?
Show answer
Answer: a grasping big toe
- Ardi's big toe stuck out sideways.
- It could grip branches.
Question 8 Hard
Why do new fossil finds sometimes change ideas about human evolution?
Show answer
Answer: they give new evidence
- Science depends on evidence.
- New fossils provide new evidence.
Quick checks
Short questions with options. Choose one before you open the answer.
Check 1
What is a fossil?
Show answer
The preserved remains or traces of an organism that lived long ago.
Check 2
How old is Ardi?
Show answer
About 4.4 million years old.
Check 3
How old is Lucy?
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About 3.2 million years old.
Check 4
How old are the fossils found by Richard Leakey around Lake Turkana?
Show answer
About 1.6 million years old.
Check 5
What did Ardi's foot show?
Show answer
Ardi could walk upright but had a grasping big toe for climbing trees.
Check 6
What did Lucy's pelvis and legs show?
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She walked upright on two legs.
Check 7
What was the brain size of Lucy?
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About 400 cm³, small.
Check 8
What is the brain size of a modern human?
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About 1350 cm³.
Check 9
What do Ardi and Lucy show about the order of evolution?
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Upright walking evolved before large brains.
Check 10
What does bipedal mean?
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Walking on two legs.
Check 11
What advantage does walking upright give?
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Hands are free and the animal can see further.
Check 12
What do stone tools show about early humans?
Show answer
Their skills increased over time as tools became more complex.
Check 13
How did stone tools change over time?
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From simple chopping stones to shaped hand axes and finer tools.
Check 14
How can stone tools be dated?
Show answer
From the age of the rock layers they are found in.
Check 15
How can the age of volcanic ash layers be found?
Show answer
By radioactive decay, because the half-life is known.
Check 16
Why is a tool between two ash layers hard to date exactly?
Show answer
It can only be said to be between the ages of the two layers.
Check 17
Why is the fossil record incomplete?
Show answer
Most organisms never fossilised and many fossils are destroyed or not yet found.
Check 18
Why do ideas about human evolution change?
Show answer
New fossils and dating methods give new evidence.
Check 19
Did humans evolve from chimpanzees?
Show answer
No. We share a common ancestor.
Check 20
What are the best parts to fossilise?
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Hard parts such as bones and teeth.
Check 21
What can a skull tell scientists?
Show answer
The size of the brain and the shape of the jaw.
Check 22
What can the pelvis tell scientists?
Show answer
Whether the animal walked upright.
Check 23
Why are cut marks on fossil bones useful?
Show answer
They show that early humans used tools to butcher meat.
Check 24
In which country were Ardi and Lucy found?
Show answer
Ethiopia.
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